Hi there everyone!

I decided that in Sept I would run a feature that would see me interview a few other book reviewers. I thought it would be interesting for once to have the bloggers answer the questions that they like to ask others. I thought I would get four or five agree to do this. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the response would be so huge. I am lucky enough ro be able to share a new blogger with you for every weekday in September. How cool is that!

Today, Laura Lovelock of Laura’s Book Reviews is going to kick us off. If you like what she has to say then be sure to follow her on Twitter.

Tell us a bit about Laura

I am a major bookworm and you can normally find me with my head in a book or sorting out my bookshelves! I am 20 years old and my biggest dream is to become an author; I am currently trying to write my first novel! Books make me happier than most other things in life as they’re always there when I need them and can take me off to so many worlds.

What is your favourite genre to read?

This is a tough one. I love chick-lit/women’s fiction a lot. I love the escapism and happiness that it provides. However, I love crime/thrillers too because they really keep you on edge. I would say I currently read more chick lit than anything else at the moment though.

Do you prefer digital or paperback?

Another tough one! I enjoy both for different reasons. Digital is quick, easy, portable and takes up no room. Paperbacks are more tactile, they’re pretty, they give you the ‘real’ reading experience. I guess I prefer paperback a little more than digital purely because I love to hold a book in my hands but I would happily read digital too.

Do you have an all-time favourite book or, like me, have to split it up in to different categories?

I am definitely like you, I cannot choose a favourite book! One of my favourites is The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and I also adore anything by Linwood Barclay. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is probably the best book I’ve read this year so that one is also high up on my ‘all time favourites’ list!

What did you last read, are you currently reading and do you plan on reading next?

I last read Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick. I am currently reading Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight and I plan to read one of Sophie McKenzie’s YA books next.

Do you prefer contemporary romance or something with a bit more steam?

If you’d have asked me this question a few months ago I would have said contemporary romance hands down, but recently I have really been enjoying the more steamy novels. I was sent quite a lot to review and I decided to pick them up and give them a read, even though they weren’t my cup of tea, and I was surprised by how much I really did enjoy some of them! They have to have a good plot, mind you, and have a story worth telling as well as the steam but I have definitely been converted! I do love my contemporary romance though so I do prefer those slightly over the others.

If you could read any book again for the very first time what would it be?

Wow! This is a hard one. There are so many books I finish and think ‘I wish I could start it again’. The one book that did that most recently was The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. It was superb and I can’t wait to go back and re-read it again and again.

On average how many books would you read per week?

On average probably about 4. Some weeks I might manage about 10 and some only about 2! So it really depends but I’d say 4 was the average.

Now I know you are an aspiring author, how do you decide how to split your time between reading and writing?

Basically it is dictated by how many books I need to read! If there’s a big pub day coming up with loads of new books being published and I have loads to get through then I dedicate my time to that. Same with taking part in blog tours etc. When it’s a bit quieter and I don’t have a massive-ish queue of books to review then I will take a little break and write. I also find that when I’m reading I can get ideas for my own novel so quickly note them down and come back to them a little later on. That’s quite a helpful thing.

Do you ever feel that by committing yourself to reading and reviewing books it takes the fun out of it?

Very, very rarely. I tend to only review books that I would buy from a bookshop anyway and I am just so lucky that I get them sent to review. If I am sent a review request and it doesn’t seem like something I would normally read then I won’t accept it. I don’t review for money and to get paid, I just review for the love of it, so I would never review books I don’t fancy reading! I think that if you are a book reviewer you have to be selective about the books you get approached about and decide if you really can and want to read that book. I also love reviewing because it gives me the chance to get my feelings out about the book I’ve just read and is also a lovely journal of all the books I have read.

What is the first book you can remember reading?

This is hard because growing up I’ve always been surrounded by books and reading so I’ve been reading from the second I could. I can really remember reading The Rainbow Fish! I used to love going to the library and taking that one out. It was my favourite book for a long time!

Who is your ultimate book boy?

Are you serious? How am I supposed to choose just one?! I have so many book boys that I would happily marry. One of my all-time favourites is Noah from The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (just an excuse to show you a picture of Gosling)

Please feel free to provide a visual 😉

I find sometimes I would rather read a book that talk to people, am I alone in that or is that how other book addicts feel?

Oh no, you’re definitely not alone. I often prefer the company of a book over people. However I do love to talk to people about books, so if I find a fellow book addict and we chat about books then that’s an acceptable form of conversation!

If you could take the credit for writing any book what would it be?

It would be fantastic to have the money and success of someone like Rowling or E L James but I think I’d love to have the credit for writing The Gruffalo! I absolutely adore that book and would love to have had the idea for that one myself.

Laura, I loved these answers! Thank you so much for taking part.