I also met Hannah (The Girl in the Cafe) on Twitter and she’s another book review blogger! She’s based in Australia right now, but before, she was in Scotland. She, like many of my blogger friends, is a student and a blogger. Yay for time management! 😀
1. What does it feel like to be an Aussie transplant in the UK? (Australia is part of only the Commonwealth?)
It was very weird at first! It’s so strange living in another country, even one that speaks the same language as you. Everything was different – accents, different words meaning things – like I had to be careful to say jeans or trousers instead of pants because to Brits that’s your underwear! I was learning new words right up until I left to come back to Oz. But it certainly had its upsides – being an Aussie in the UK (and even Europe) meant I had charm to use! 😀
2. A lot of popular YA books are published by U.S publishers. How do you deal with it in the U.K? (The delay in publication, shipping costs if you’re ordering the U.S edition…etc)
This was quite hard at first. In the UK, books are considerably cheaper, but the covers can be different, and sometimes I’d love the US cover more, but didn’t want the hardback, only the paperback – which meant I either waited until the PB was released in the US, or just buy it in the UK. Luckily, I had access to The Book Depository, which meant that a lot of books not published in the UK were accessible – I think the most I ever had to wait was 10 days for Scarlet by AC Gaughen!
3. Favorite UK publisher? Favorite book published in the UK?
I don’t really have a favourite! I loved all of them. Faber & Faber, Pan Macmillan and Orchard Books were probably the publishers I bought most of my books from. Fave book wise, it would definitely have to be The Glimpse by Claire Merle. I was so excited for that book!
4. What do you think makes YA so appealing to readers?
I think it all has to do with being able to relate to the characters in the book, no matter how old you are when reading it. Even if it’s fantasy, we really connect with people going through what we did when we were younger. Plus it’s a form of escapism, and as people we love rooting for certain characters. Especially the underdog girl getting the guy!
5. You started reading YA in 2005 and it’s been 7 years! How do you think the YA book industry has changed?
I’m not really sure, but I know it has! We’re much more open to different tastes now. It’s not a closet thing either. Back in those days, I was the nerdy bookworm who was reading Twilight and the Uglies books. People thought I was strange, but now those same people are coming up to me and saying, “Hey, have you read the Vampire Academy books? Aren’t they amazing?” When I was reading them way way back. The YA industry is more versatile now as well. Lots of new and different avenues are being explored, and nothing these days can’t be marketed into a YA novel.
6. Where do you visualize yourself (or your blog) in the future?
Still going strong, I hope! I’m about to introduce a new feature on my blog called Serial Saturdays, highlighting book series and the next book due to be released, which I’d love to see others catch wind of and take off like some of the bigger memes like WWW or Top Ten. I’m at university right now, but hopefully I’m going to try and crack into the publishing industry – whether it be from writing my own book or promoting others to the book world!
7. Any advice for new bloggers?
Stick with it! Sometimes I’d get so down in the dumps because I’d be like “I can’t do this!” I was so scared to email authors and publishers for review copies, or worried I’d read a book from NetGalley and not like it and couldn’t think of a review. But blog because you want to share your love of books, not because it’s hip or cool or you get freebies. Those are the perks of it. And don’t forget to get on Twitter. I’ve met so many amazing people via Twitter!
8. Recent book you’ve read that you adored?
Oh, there’s too many! Probably the last book that I was really impressed with was Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. It was really so wonderfully epic! All the books I’ve read in the last couple of weeks, apart from Beautiful Disaster (which was just a messy disaster!) have been great!
9. Do you see yourself ever outgrowing YA books?
Definitely not! My Mum asked me this the other day. No way. I love YA. I relate so much more to YA books than more adult fiction. I can relate so much more to the characters in YA that I never want to stop reading the genre! Sure, I might start reading more adult, but I’d never stop reading YA.
10. How did you come up with your blog title?
I wanted something that stood out from the rest, not just an ordinary book related title. Then I was waiting for a friend in a cafe in Edinburgh reading a book, and when my friend came up to my table she said “There’s my girl in a cafe!” and I kind of just fell in love with it. It describes me perfectly – The girl in a cafe, who sits with a coffee, something with chocolate and is completely immersed in a book!
Thanks Hannah for letting me interview you!
Come back next Tuesday for another installation of Blogger Tuesday! For an archive of the posts, you can go here.
