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Reader Spotlight

Blog name: Book Briefs
Blog URL: http://bookbriefs.net
Your name: Michelle @ Book Briefs

Let’s begin with your blogger origin story - how long have you been blogging about books and why did you start?

I started blogging in February of 2011, so we are almost at 5 years now… believe it or not!

When I was in my first year of law school, I was constantly reading law cases and “briefing” them. Breaking down what happened, the ruling or outcome of the case, and then also any important law takeaways that the case provided. And I just kept thinking that if I was reading all these law textbooks, I might as well read some fun books to balance out. I have always been a big reader, so young adult books were my way to unwind from classes. It was also right around my first year that I discovered book hauls on YouTube and Goodreads, which led me to finding the book blogging community. I took the idea of case briefing to briefing the books that I read, and Book Briefs took off from there.

What genres and subgenres does your blog focus on? Are there any trends within these that you’re excited to see, or would like to see disappear?

I read all subgenres of young adult and new adult fiction. I will also throw some adult contemporary romances and urban fantasy into the mix as well. But my favorite subgenres to read are young adult and new adult fantasy, mythology, paranormal and contemporary romance.

I am really excited to see new adult branch out into the urban fantasy and paranormal subgenres, and I also always love a good re-imagining (re-telling) story. I think those can get really creative. I would really like to see authors stop with the cruel/absentee parent crutch for their characters. I think it can work if done well, but more and more I am seeing it as an instant justification for a dysfunctional character.

How has being a NetGalley member and having access to digital galleys impacted your blogging?

NetGalley is great because as a blogger, it allows me to keep track of all upcoming releases in one place. I love being able to search by author, title or publisher. It has helped me stay on top of my favorite series, as well as discover many new favorites.

And I know this might sound crazy, but as much as I love physical books… ebooks rock! My Kindle comes with me everywhere! You just can’t beat having access to 100s of books with you at all times.

What are your favorite covers on NetGalley right now?

Ooh covers… I can talk covers all day! I am so loving:
cover71626-medium   cover71520-medium   cover73739-medium   cover71521-medium cover74046-medium   cover59543-medium   cover68387-medium   cover69938-medium

And I will leave it at that, but if you ever want to talk covers, you know where to find me…

Which review that you recently submitted via NetGalley is your favorite?

The Summer Marked by Rebekah Purdy (read Michelle’s review here!)

What advice would you give book bloggers who are just starting out?

Go a little out of your book comfort zone. Use NetGalley, Goodreads and other bloggers to explore a new subgenre or new author that you might not have previously heard of. I have found some of my very favorite indie and small pub authors this way (and favorite kinds of books).

And have a blogging/reading/social media schedule. There is no one size fits all. Just find something that works for you and your life. If you are having trouble with this, you can check out my Blogging on A Time Crunch post series.

Lightning Round!

Your favorite snack to eat while reading:

Chips or Chocolate

Your favorite publishers:

Entangled (Lovestruck, Crush, Embrace) Swoon Reads, HarperCollins, Atria, Macmillan.

Your blog, in 2 sentences:

Book Briefs brings you conversational and honest young adult and new adult reviews, giveaways and bookish news. Featuring the hottest new releases, as well as introducing you to your new favorite “hidden gem” indies.

The 1 book you wish was never-ending:

Ahhh! Such a hard question! This changes from time to time. But at the moment it is Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis

And to finish off our interview, if you could have coffee (…or something stiffer) with any author, dead or alive, who would it be, and why?

I think I would have to choose Meg Cabot to share a stiffer drink with. 😉 She was one of my favorite authors growing up and I was re-reading her Mediator series for about the 10th time when I decided to start my young adult blog. She is just hilarious! (Dr. Seuss and JK Rowling would be pretty cool too!)

Thanks so much for spending some time with us and answering our questions Michelle!
Please make sure to check out Book Briefs and New Adult titles available on NetGalley! 

Would you like to nominate your blog, or a blog you admire, to be featured in our Blogger Spotlight series? Fill out this form!

*Interviewed by Tarah Theoret

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