I would love to hear how you got your fabulous title

When I first decided to start my blog in 2018, I had a long conversation with my sister about names I could use for it. I am a big fan of alliteration, and knew it would be dedicated to everything and anything about books, so Bookaholic Bex was born.

What is it about reading you love?

Gosh where do I start? It’s definitely an amazing form of escapism – I have experienced anxiety and panic attacks since I was a small child and being able to escape to other worlds has been an enormously helpful coping mechanism for me. I also love how much I can learn about other countries, cultures and periods of history I am ignorant about without ever leaving the comfort of my own chair. In addition, it can be a surprisingly social pastime. Yes reading itself is done in isolation, but with buddy reads, book clubs and connecting with other literature buffs online, I have made some amazing friends.

What are your favourite genres?

I am mostly a literary fiction girl, but am usually open to trying anything if the premise excites me. I tend to edge away from sci-fi and fantasy though as I prefer real life drama to monsters and fairies.

Is there an aspiring author in you, itching to get out?

I think I may be one of the only bloggers who would answer no to this! There are lots of aspiring authors out there in the book review world, but I am not one of them. I enjoy writing blogs, but beyond that I see putting pen to paper as simply precious time away from reading. I start getting twitchy if I don’t have enough time with my books.

Book first or movie? Don’t know about you but I’m usually Book first due to avoiding disappointment.

I am actually not a big movie-watcher, but I would always read the book first. I prefer to create my own world in my head and picture the characters the way the author inspires them in my mind, rather than relying on a famous director’s interpretation. I feel sad that anyone reading Harry Potter now for the first time will no doubt only ever see Daniel Radcliffe in their head. Brilliant as he was, it limits our creative brains.

If you did need to choose a favourite book, what is it and why?

This is a little bit like asking someone to choose a favourite child! I have so many and all of them for very different reasons. But if I had to pick at this very moment, I would say Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, because I revisit that novel time and again. I have always secretly wanted to be Elizabeth Bennet and love Austen’s wit and wisdom.

Do you have a favourite author?

These questions are tough! I wrote my dissertation on Jane Austen so she will always be very close to my heart. In terms of contemporary authors, I think everything Frederik Backman writes is superb, with my favourite of his being the Beartown Trilogy, which broke my heart in so many ways. But I could list hundreds if you had the time!

How many hours a week would say you spend reading?

I probably read for about 3 hours a day on average, so around 21 hours a week.

Tell me about your favourite romance authors

Romance is not one of my “go-to” genres, but occasionally one will really capture my imagination. I am a huge fan of Felicity George who has published a series of Regency Romance novels – think Austen but with a little more steam! – and am always excited when a new one is on its way. I also think Lucy Chalice is one to watch. Her books feature strong, intelligent female protagonists and men I always fall head over heels in love with.

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Do you have a favourite romance trope? We would love to know! Take part in our survey using #ProudToReadRomFic on social media.