Monday, April 22, 2013

A Chat with Book Reviewer - Juhina from Maji Bookshelf


It's so, so, SO cool to have this awesome lady here today. I met Juhina a couple of years ago when she reviewed the Time Spirit Trilogy for me. She is so completely awesome. I love her reviews and having her visit YAlicious is a real buzz for me.

Welcome, Juhina :)


What were your favourite types of books as a kid? 
I LOVED reading The Baby Sitter’s Club by Ann. M. Martin. I think I have read over 50 of those. Any one I could find I would devour it in a day or two. I only read contemporary, my only exception was Harry Potter.

What is your favourite genre now and why do you like it? 
My favorite genre…it is between Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic and Contemporary. I love the whole survival aspect and the thrill of the dystopian and post apocalyptic novels. As for contemporaries, there always comes a time when I just NEED to read a contemporary. I love contemporaries for their everyday issues and what people deal with everyday. 

What kinds of book covers draw you in? 
I love book covers that make me stop in the middle of the bookstore and pick up the book; Book covers that relate to the actual book. I do not enjoy book covers of the typical girl in dresses as well as boy/girl typical covers. Covers such as The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wonder, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, as well as beach/summer covers!

Is there a fatal flaw a writer can make that will stop you from reading a book?
For me, a fatal flaw would be insta-love. It is the biggest turn off for me. I believe another flaw would be when the author loses focus of the main plot. A ton of authors create many sub plots that they never really wrap up and that annoys me so much.

How do you like to feel when you finish a book?
If it is an amazing book, I also fall victim to the book hangover. I tend to think about the book 24/7 and even end up dreaming about it. I tend to pick it up the day after and reread some of my favorite scenes. I basically obsess over the book. Oh yea, you would see me raving about the book on twitter and recommending it to everyone who would listen to me!

What do you like most about reviewing books for authors?
I have to say, being able to read a book I’ve been waiting on months before it comes out is a huge advantage. I also love giving exposure to books that totally deserve the whole world knowing about it and reading it through my blog! 

Is it sometimes hard to write a fair, honest review? What's the most challenging aspect?
I don’t find it hard writing fair and honest reviews.. My reviews are just that.. what I thought about the book. It isn’t the final verdict for the book and I always encourage people to still check a book that I rated low out. I believe the most challenging aspect is if you become a buddy with the author. I am always afraid that I end up not liking a book of an author I become good friends with on twitter. It creates a potential awkward moment and I just feel uncomfortable and a bit guilty that the author might read my review. I know I have to be fair but it doesn’t mean I look forward to putting myself in that position!

Are there any trends in the publishing world that you do or do not like?
I have to say that I do not enjoy all the kissing covers that are popping up left and right. Especially the new NA covers that look like Harlequin Romantic covers. I do love the emergence of the NA novels! I have read some amazing NA books and I need moreeee!

Do you find it easy to picture characters and settings in your head? How descriptive do you like an author to be?
I always need the authors to describe the physique as well as the typical features such as hair, eye color, etc, but I always appreciate it when authors also describe what the characters wear so I know exactly what their style is. Unfortunately sometimes a character’s specific feature doesn’t appeal to me (I do not like it when the male love interest has long hair!) so if an author mentions the wispy strand of hair or whatever every chapter or so, I try to block it out of my mind. I know that is so weird and I have nothing against guys with long hair, they’re just not my type :P

JUHINA'S RECOMMENDATIONS
A traditionally published author you love: Jennifer Echols, Sophie Kinsella, Tahereh Mafi, Cate Tiernan and Jenny Han. (I only picked authors I loved more than one book from them!)
And indie author you love: Melissa Pearl (you of course!), Jolene Perry (I love her contemporaries!), and C.J. Duggan (The Boys of Summer!!)
One of your favourite YA books: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi and The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan, and Slammed by Colleen Hoover.
One of your favourite Adult books: Can You Keep a Secret? By Sophie Kinsella and Shout Down the Moon by Lisa Tucker.
A book you've read more than once and the reason why: The Host by Stephenie Meyer (I’ve read the book at least 8 times!), Shout Down the Moon by Lisa Tucker, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Can You Keep a Secret? By Sophie Kinsella, and Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock and The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy! I loved each one of these books to bits and if I feel like I’ve forgotten them then I go right back and reread them. Every single time I read these books, my love for them increases!

Thanks for all the amazing suggestions. I'm going to be adding some books to my TBR!! I love Sophie Kinsella too.

If you'd like to connect with Juhina, you can follow the links below:


4 comments:

  1. On my way to check out Juhina's blog. Thanks for highlighting her!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for featuring me! I am so happy :D I will have to check out the other bloggers that were featured!

    thanks,
    Juhina

    ReplyDelete