Thanks for stopping by and learning about another fellow book blogger. Today, we welcome, Sarah from Smitten Over Books. Sarah stops by today and talks about "the balancing act", between school, blogging and life.
When and how did you decide to become a book blogger?
I really love books and reading. I first discovered Goodreads back in 2009 and I discovered that reviewing is something fun and worthwhile as well so I started doing it. Then I discovered blogs and I really loved them. I never thought of doing my own blog since I thought that I couldn't live up to it so I just I trolled a lot of my fave blogs but eventually the blogging bug finally succeeded in catching up and my blog was born on November 2011.
What’s the hardest part of being a book blogger?
Mostly, it's the time factor and it requires a lot of scheduling and multitasking. I was in my 3rd year in college when I started my blog and it was definitely a difficult time to start one. Because, although blogging is not a job, it's a commitment and once you start having readers, you have to keep up so you won't let people down. Unlike in Goodreads, where I could just post reviews whenever I liked, now it's something I really have to do regularly especially because there are this amazing people who take time to visit my blog and that I'm now receiving books for review.
When you’re not blogging what other hobbies do you have?
I hang-out on Twitter. It's a really crowded place, but it's full of amazing, hilarious people and it's kind of weird that you could talk to a certain someone without even knowing them, only to find out that you have lots in common. It's a great way to strike up a friendship and I've met a lot of fabulous online friends there. My other hobbies would be playing the piano (I still suck) and singing (just in the bathroom much to the chagrin of my cats). I love watching movies and TV series as well.
Honestly, it was something that just popped into my head. Like I said, I did not plan to establish a blog, I was just sort of inspired at the moment and realized that this could be fun. Smitten was the word that started it all. It was supposed to be just Smitten but it sounded really sloppy so I added another 2 words. Not that it really worked wonders to help improved the blog name. Heh.
The Balancing Act. How do you carve out time between school, your hobbies and posting to your blog?
I really suck terribly at this. I can't manage my time for the life of me. And it doesn't really help that I get so distracted easily and life has a penchant of getting in the way of my to-do lists. I hate scheduling and planning because I rarely achieved my goals so I always end up disappointing myself and sadly, others as well. I'm working on this now, but as of the moment, I just go with the flow to avoid unnecessary pressure that may lead to the notorious burn-out.
Who are your three favorite authors?
Right off the bat, I could say, J.K. Rowling. The other two could be anyone so can I have a Top 5? Pretty, please? OK, Rick Riordan, Sarah Dessen, Neal Shusterman and Gayle Forman.
Which author would you most like to meet (dead or alive)?
Jane Austen and J.K Rowling preferably in one major meet-up. They're inspiring and their achievements are very empowering for women.
How big is your TBR pile? How many books do you read/review in a month?
When I was starting out, my reviews were really laughable. It's a struggle for me to write. But now, I learned a thing or two on how to get the reviewing done without tearing my hair and eventually going bald. I think there's still a huge room for improvement in how I write my review but as of now it’s not as much of a struggle as before. Currently, I regularly review at least 5 books a month but I read more than that.
And my TBR pile needs some serious intervention. It’s ginormous. It's like piles of books, I think on Goodreads, it's roughly about 850 books? 0_0
Finally, if someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be? The Kitschy Life of a Depp fangirl and an undercover roach slayer. I think I don't have to explain since the "kitschy" word totally works, right? ;)
On A Personal Note
Sarah is the humble apprentice of Cupid, that currently runs her own blog, <a href=” http://smittenoverbooks.blogspot.com/”>Smitten over Books</a>. She is currently taking up nursing and aspires to be a doctor someday or even a nurse astronaut, if such a job exists. She has two adorable cats that enjoy sleeping inside her bag and dismembering her laptop’s keyboard. She currently resides in the beautiful island of the Philippines where everything is humid and everyone is welcoming. You can hunt her on Twitter Facebook Goodreads
2 comments:
Thank you for having me Kat! :)
You are welcome! You are very inspiring.Best of luck with your goals. And why not shoot for the stars, a become the first nurse astronaut.
Post a Comment
Thanks for coming by, it means alot to me. Since you're here, I would love to hear from you, please leave a comment.