BBAW: Interview Swap and Giveaway

It's the second day of BBAW! Today we are to publish our interview swaps.

I was lucky enough to be partnered with Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit for the BBAW interviews. Shanyn is one of many of us who got into blogging since the last BBAW.

If you read Shanyn's blog (like I do), then I hope I've asked her some of the questions you would have wanted to ask her. If you are just discovering Shanyn, then take a moment to get to know her.

Beth Fish Reads (BFR): You started your blog as a place to talk about women's literature. What attracts you to the genre? Why women's lit?

Chick Loves Lit (CLL): I'm actually not even sure why I love this genre. I do know that I read books that are light hearted (usually) so that I don't have that deep unsettled feeling in my waking life (when I take a time out to read a Jodi Picoult novel, I think about it all day and it usually makes me slightly upset because of the subject matter). I graduated from college with an advertising/graphic design degree, so I enjoy reading about those types of careers, which are in high concentration in women's/chick literature. I also love watching a love story unfold. Not to mention women's literature is really easy to find in book stores and libraries because of the color schemes the book covers are generally in. So I guess I've described why in a roundabout way, but I still haven't convinced myself that I've completely covered the question, though I'm not sure I can.

BFF: I don't read a lot of chick-lit or women's literature, what would you recommend as a couple of good gateway novels and why?

CLL: As I sit here and try to answer this question, I keep typing suggestions and then rethinking them and picking new ones - the reason for that is that I love many chick lit novels, but usually for different reasons. I love Jennifer Weiner's Good in Bed and the follow-up Certain Girls because I really love the characters and the books aren't predictable. I also love Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series because it IS so light. I guess my biggest recommendation is to not overlook a book because it might be classified as chick lit -- it's a classification that gets a bad rep because people automatically assume it's pink girl power romance -- some of them are, but there really is a lot more to the genre. If you're seriously interested in a good chick lit book, let me know and I will go through what you've read and liked recently and make a recommendation based on that -- this goes for anyone. There are a lot of good books that get buried because they get this classification and I wish it wasn't so.

BFR: I noticed that you read a lot of series. When you find a series you love, do you read it all at once or do you spread the novels out? Why?

CLL: Generally with series I freak and read many in a row in the beginning, and then start to space them out. For example, with Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, I read books 1-7 all in a row, and now am taking my time with the rest. Same goes with Charlaine Harris and her Southern Vampire series -- I read the first 4 very quickly and have decided to space them out. I read the next one when my craving for that particular series makes it hard for me to read another book.

BFR: What is your favorite series that you read this year?

CLL: It has actually surprised me that I have loved the Southern Vampire series so much. I've read Twilight etc., but never really stuck with the vampire theme after that. On one of the forums I read, everyone was raving about Charlaine Harris and I decided to give it a try, not really expecting much, but I've really loved every single one that I've read. It's made me consider other vampire novels, but I'm not sure when I'll decide to read another.

BFR: You are a relatively new blogger. What surprised you most about the experience of blogging?

CLL: I had no idea there were so many bloggers. I follow quite a few with Google Reader, but I keep finding more and more and more. It's literally never ending, and that makes it fun because there are always new ideas that improve the community.

BFR: Quick questions.

CLL:
Hardback or paperback? Paperback

Buy your own copy or borrow from the library? If money were no object, buy -- for now, library

Print or audio? Print (I've never listened to an audio book)

Good characters or good plot? Characters!

Thanks, Shanyn. It's been a lot of fun to get to know you a bit better. As soon as I recover from BBAW, I plan to ask you to choose a book for me in the women's lit genre. Shanyn has make an incredibly generous offer, so I hope some of you take her up on it! Now if only I can con convince her to try an audiobook!

Shanyn asked me some great questions, so I hope you go over to Chick Loves Lit and read my answers.

Today's Giveaway (THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED)

I have a giveaway every day this week. The winner of today's giveaway will get two finished books that I think Shanyn would like: Cutting Loose by Nadine Dajani and Love Is a Four-Letter Word edited by Michael Taeckens. To win these two books, all you have to do is leave a comment here telling me (1) your email address and (2) the title and author of women's lit or chick lit book you've read and liked or wish to read. If your comment is missing this information, I can't count your entry. This giveaway is open all week and I'll pick a winner (via random.org) on Saturday, September 19 soon after I turn on my computer. There is still time to enter yesterday's giveaway, too.