Confessions of a Reader: A Collaboration With Aneesa (Book Lover)

Good morning, good evening, or good night - although please don't head on off to bed just yet, if it's that time for you (but I suppose if you have to, this post will still be here tomorrow)!

Fellow blogger Aneesa (also known to her readers as Book Lover) and I got together to do a little collaboration, and though life tried to get in the way several times during this process, we're excited to finally have these finished up and ready to go!

There are two parts to this collaboration:

• Confessions of a Reader: My post here, containing Aneesa's responses.

• Confessions of a Writer: Posted to Aneesa's blog, containing my responses.

Be sure to check out both! And of course, please let us know what you thought of them!

I'll hand things over to Aneesa - she'll briefly introduce herself to you, and then we'll dive into the main course. Bon appétit! 😉

Introduction:

Hello there! I'm not called Book Lover (just a crazy nickname) but let's introduce myself properly? My name is Aneesa, I have been running my blog A Crave for Books for almost 3+ years now (since 2015), can you believe it? Little ole me has been blogging for that long! (I actually forgot it was even my bloggerversary until I was reading another blogger's post *hides face in shame* but that is a story for another time). I started this blog purely because I love books, I can't really give you an articulate answer other than I have been reading since I can remember (although I am yet to read the HP series but I PROMISE to remedy that SOON!)

Shall we continue??

Section 1: Questions

(I've asked this book lover a few questions to which every writer wonders the answers at some point. Of course, these are her opinions and experiences, and every individual would have their own response.)

1. What do you find most immersive in a story? Dialogue, the characters & their development, vivid descriptions...?

That is a really good question, but I don't think there is one answer to that. There could be a lot of things that I love about a story but what needs to draw me in is the plot. I find that if the plot is set right everything else falls into place perfectly, the vivid descriptions come alive in my mind it's like I am on the journey myself (I can just imagine myself right now). The characters and their development play a huge part in immersing yourself in the story, if a character went through a very torturous journey only to emerge as the same on the other side what was the point of the journey? Did the character find out something about themselves that they never realised before? Maybe they had powers? Or maybe they go from not seeing eye to eye with anyone to finally feeling something a little bit more.

2. What makes a character interesting to you? What do you look for in their development (if anything)?

I love the odd quirky things about characters, I know that might sound odd but I absolutely think it is adorable and hey it is just another reason that makes them special (this can be anything from doing a simple trick with your hands or even knowing a certain skill). I also enjoy falling in love with the character's personality specifically the bad boys I just love the way they make me swoon and their dialogue???? OOOO..it is on another level entirely (sorry I just could not resist adding that in there :D)

I don't look for anything specific in character development, what I want to see is how the character has changed from the beginning of the book to the end. I want to see their transition. I love learning about the character's history and past (basically to a life they used to live), often enough many secrets are revealed that way, they are more relatable this way and seem more real.

3. What's one of your biggest pet peeves when reading something?

Oh I have a lot of those, but my main one so far I am finding is love triangles. I hate when the MC [main character] cannot decide between two potential love interests and leads them on, oh that annoys me so much. [Agreed! Writers, please avoid these like the plague. Thank you.] I also hate when sometimes the MC acts a little silly sometimes, like if you see something wrong how can you act so oblivious?

4. Do you prefer lots of detail, or just a little?

It depends on the book, if it is called for then yes. This is often the first book in the series there needs to be a lot of detail to set the scene or world especially if it is a new series/world. But I don't like too much detail as it gets too tedious to read and I lose interest.

5. Most annoying stereotype in books?

I hate it when women are underestimated. I really dislike when other characters impose their opinion on women and tell them what they can and can't do.

6. This may have no definite answer, but what makes an eye-catching title in your opinion?

Hahaha...you're right there is no definite answer. How am I supposed to answer this question?? *dies inside*

What catches my attention is the font and the colour of the title. It has to be different and special, something that other designers have not used before (it also helps if the title is AWESOME).

7. And what makes a great cover?

Seriously Eve, you are killing me with this question. HOW IN THE WORLD DO I ANSWER THIS ONE? WHEN I JUST ABOUT FOUND SOMETHING USEFUL TO SAY FOR THE PREVIOUS ONE? DARN THAT IMPRESSIVE INTELLIGENT MIND OF YOURS. [LOL, torture, torture! This was obviously *the* question to ask a cover lover such as yourself.]

Bold and powerful images or designs captivate my attention. It doesn't have to be necessarily bright it can be dark colours too but it needs to speak to my soul as in *come here and devour me* kind.

8. You're buying a new book and are deciding whether to purchase it as a physical book or as an ebook. What helps you decide which option to go with?

It depends with me, because I always have my phone with me all the time (Duh, who doesn't?) I find it easier to buy it as an ebook but then I would love a physical copy because well nothing beats holding the book in your hands right?

But sometimes I end up buying both if I really love the book and just want to devour it all.

9. Cliffhangers. Your thoughts on them?

O-M-G Eve, you might kill me on this question. I literally hang on the cliff when this happens in books. I FIND THIS SO FRUSTRATING WITH HOW THE AUTHOR ENDS THE BOOK BUT AT THE SAME TIME I HAVE THIS ANTICIPATION OF WANTING THE NEXT BOOK ALREADY. What kills me the most is when there is no sequel and that is the end of the book, like NOOOOOO you cannot just end it there!! *cries in frustration*

Section 2: Tips & Advice For Readers and Authors

(These are Aneesa's pieces of advice for any fellow readers, as well as for the authors writing the books. Take heed, you!)

• Read for pleasure, not to gain anything. When I read for pleasure, I automatically feel as if a weight has been lifted over me, it is so easy to get caught up in pressurising and burdening yourself for no reason at all, it's not worth it in the end (we've all been there at some point).

• Respect other people's opinions. You have to face it, not every reader will agree with your review or like certain aspects of the book but that is no reason to be so inconsiderate. There could be many reasons as to why someone didn't like the book, maybe they didn't like the plot, the pace was too slow, they lost interest and so on (please be mindful of other people's feelings).

• Be yourself, there is only one of you, therefore you are irreplaceable which makes you special. :)

Section 3: Why Do You Love Reading?

It's an amazing source of mental stimulation (big fancy word eh? lol) it basically means it is a great way to exercise the brain (it will help you in the long run trust me on this). Reading is a great way to relax, if I am having a hard day I know which type of book I will read which will instantly lift my mood, it also helps you to drain all the tension way. I love how it transports you to another world, you live so many lives through characters. Reading does that to you, you can't compare the experience with anything else in the world.

Who doesn't love to show off their expansion in vocabulary, I love using 'big words' (according to my friends and family) that they have no meaning of, it also shows how well spoken and articulate you are which you can use in any profession.

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There you have it! Again, make sure to stop by Aneesa's lovely blog for the second half of this collaboration - and a big thank you to her for being such a wonderful partner!

Did you enjoy this post? Could you relate to any of Aneesa's points, and were there any that you disagreed with? Let us know below!