Today’s featured blogger is Vicki Leigh Sayer of The Welsh Librarian.

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Welcome to the RNA blog Vic, why don’t you start off by telling us a bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Vic, 35, and have been a book ‘worm’ for as long as I can remember. At primary school I remember we used to get given books as ‘homework’ which we should read and take back the next week. I usually took mine back the next day! Nothing much has changed, if a book truly grips me I will read it in a couple of days, I’ve been known to start and finish books on the same day if I have the time to sit and read. Reading is definitely a form of escapism for me, I write sometimes myself as a hobby, and think there is nothing more therapeutic than to immerse yourself in another world. I started this blog as I was starting to annoy my family and friends by going on, and on about books that I had read. You would have thought they’d be used to me by now….. sadly not. I never know when to shut up about books ;). I owe the title of this blog to a really good friend of mine. I was really struggling, and I had no idea there were already so many brilliant book blogs (and bloggers) out there. I was going to remove the background for a less generic one, but then I decided that it fit with the blog title… I always used to want to be a librarian when I was little, and I if I ever get rich… I want a house big enough for my own library. There I’ve said it, I want my own library… Well a girl can dream can’t she?!

What made you start a book blog? 

A number of different things, I think I’d always kept a sort of journal/diary/notebook with books I’d read, wanted to read, what I’d thought etc. I then started to follow various authors of twitter, then publicists, publishing houses and discovered the world of book blogging, and thought that looks fun, I could have a go at that. It wasn’t that I even wanted anyone else to read it – though thought it would be great if they did. It was more of just a platform for me to put my own thoughts into words and celebrate the amazing books I’ve been reading.

What’s the best and worst thing about being a book blogger? 

The best thing for me is just being able to celebrate the fantastic authors and books that I’m reading. I wouldn’t say there’s a ‘worst thing’, but I think I put unnecessary pressure on myself sometimes to read as many books as I can, as quickly as I can, and feel really guilty if I don’t blog for a while. As my job becomes busier and life gets in the way, I realise that it’s not the end of the world if I can’t blog today, I can blog tomorrorw, or the next day. The world won’t end in between!

Do you meet up with other bloggers and reviewers?

I haven’t managed to get to any events for a while, due to a lot of them being mid-week which I find hard to balance with work. But I have been to a few and they’ve been amazing. I’d love to network more with my fellow bloggers if I could.

Can you tell us how long you have been running your blog and share your review policy with us?

It’s been going since 2013 which is really scary, as it literally only feels like yesterday! My review policy is pretty standard I think: I would be delighted to receive review copies from Authors/Agents/Publishers/PR. My reviews will always be my own personal and honest opinion. I will be fair, but I won’t say that a novel is amazing if I don’t think that it is. I read a LOT, but I also have a full time job and a chronic illness, which sometimes take more of a priority. My reading range is broad, but I would prefer not to review any Science Fiction or Fantasy novels as they don’t appeal to me, and I am unlikely to read them. I also post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Netgalley (if applicable). I will review books in order of publication/release date as far as possible, to be as fair as possible.

You mentioned that you want to have your own library one day (me too!) – which five books would you put in there first?

Playing Away – Adele Parks

The Dry – Jane Harper

Three – Sarah Lotz

Mayday – Nelson DeMille

The Accident – C.L. Taylor

What’s been your favourite read of 2019 so far?

A tough one, but I think The Lost Man by Jane Harper. But I haven’t read Lies, Lies, Lies yet by Adele Parks, so that may change 😉

Between the reading, real life and the blog, you must be pretty busy. What do you do when you’re not reading, writing or reviewing?

I work as a HR Manager for a fenestration company. That keeps me very busy during the day! I’m a avid rugby fan (what can I say, I’m welsh) and am a singer in a musical show choir, love karaoke and have aspirations of being in a band.

We often ask industry professionals what they consider to be the next ‘big thing’ – what do you hope to see more of in 2019/2020?

That’s a tough one. I love historical fiction, and generally am not a fan of science fiction, but I’m a big fan of alternative reality history. I.e. SS-GB, The Man In The High Castle, but it would be nice to see these from a different, softer perspective, maybe a female character, or something with a romantic undertone. Rather than reading about those torn apart by war. What about those who stayed together, but through very different circumstances.

Thank you for joining us today. All the best with your blog. Let’s hope you get that library one day.

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You can find out more about Vic at:

The Welsh Librarian

Twitter

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Rhoda Baxter writes feel good stories about strong women and nice guy heroes. She especially likes it when they make her laugh. She also writes multi-cultural romances as Jeevani Charika. You can find out more about her award nominated books and manuscript critique services on www.rhodabaxter.com