Stacie C.

So pleased to welcome the book blogger from The Next Book on My List! Stacie has been chronicling her book journey since 2013 and is one of the must-follows on Litsy (TheNextBook). Per her picture above, you can tell she’s a Gryffindor, and her TBR is worth following…

How did you get into blogging?
I kind of fell into blogging. Friends of mine would ask for my opinion on books and authors so I decided to start reviewing books. I came up with my blog, The Next Book On My List, as a place to simply put those reviews. I have been going strong now for over 3 years. I review everything I read. I enjoy it.

What are your favorite kinds of topics to tackle?
Books, Books, Books, Books, Books, Books. I just blog about Books, books, books, books, books, books. If you sang that to Rihanna’s Work then we’re on the same brain wave because that’s what I was thinking when I wrote it. Honestly, my blog is full of book reviews and my opinion on authors. I also include information about my current reading theme. I’m working on a new segment centered around my son and his adventures with reading. As a parent, I’m always looking for new resources and information on keeping kids interested in reading. It will be a new venture and a way to expand the blog. I love seeing kids reading.

What post are you most proud of and why?
There isn’t one particular post that I am proud of. But I am really proud of myself for going through with my Banned Books theme in 2014. I love having reading themes and in 2014 I read at least two banned books a month, researched why they were banned and discussed those reasons as part of my review. This theme took me completely out of my comfort zone and forced me to critically think about why certain books get banned. It’s always really reflective of society at that time and it just says a lot about different cultures and the way we choose to accept or reject literature. So I am definitely proud of how those post came out.

Who are your favorite blogs to follow?
I actually don’t follow a lot of blogs! I know, complete fail on my part. I’m on Book Riot quite a bit but my latest obsession has been Litsy! I’m on there probably way more than what’s socially acceptable. I love a social media focused on books and sharing that love for books. It’s pretty inspiring to see how excited people still are about books.

What’s the worst interaction you have had with a follower?
The worst interaction I ever had didn’t happen on my blog, thankfully. It happened on a different website that I was reviewing books for. I posted an unfavorable review of a novel and the author responded to my review and was not pleased about it all. She defended her book but completely belittled my review and was not willing at all to understand why I didn’t enjoy it. Mind you I didn’t attack her as a person at all. I simply didn’t enjoy the plot or writing style. It was an unsettling interaction. I responded to her and I shouldn’t have and it got really uncomfortable. I left the review site soon after.

Best Books you’ve read this year?
I hate this question! There were so many amazing books that I’ve read this year. I can’t choose just one. End of Watch by Stephen King, The Fireman by Joe Hill, The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson. I absolutely loved Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet (spoiler alert: it’s a book about building cathedrals and it is amazing). I read that one as part of my Reading through 30 year’s theme. And I finally read We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and it was spectacular. I’m stopping here because I could go on and on.

Favorite track on Lemonade?
Can I just say that I love the album as a whole but I love “Pray you catch me” It was such a powerful introduction to the album and whenever I think of that album, that’s the first song that pops in my head.

 

Thank you, Stacie! We’re continuing the Litsy Feminist Bookclub interview series until October 15, the end-date for our discussion of Americanah on Litsy. A side note:  join Litsy if you haven’t yet! They just released it for Android, so I believe it’s on all major app platforms now! Make sure to follow me (@rachelm), Stacie (@TheNextBook), Sarah (@BookishFeminist) and of course, the @LitsyFeministBookclub.

Interested in being a part of the interview series? DM me on Twitter or @ me on Litsy.