Book Blogger Spotlight: Xpresso Reads

Xpresso Reads

Hi Christine. Thanks so much for having me! My name is Giselle I'm the blogger over at Xpresso Reads. I'm coming to you from the north pole--or at least that's what it feels like here in Canada :D

When and why did you become a book blogger?

I started my blog in September 2011. I had been reviewing books for a few years before, on Goodreads and Facebook, and I wanted to see what this book blogging business was all about. I didn't even know it was a thing before I saw people talking about it on Goodreads to be honest. But I didn't expect it to be this much fun! :)

How did you come up with the name of your blog?

I wanted something unique, so anything super bookish was too common for me so I started thinking what I liked--coffee ;) -- and I integrated it in my blog name. I liked the sound of Espresso (I pronounce it Expresso) but I wanted a funky spelling just to be weird.

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Definitely the friends I have made. I love meeting people who enjoy reading as much as I do, and some of these have become my best friends! No matter how hard or full of drama there may be in the blogging world, it's the community that makes it worth it!

What do you find the hardest about blogging?

Having to review books negatively when it's an author you have become friendly with on Twitter. It's by far the most cringe-worthy aspect of blogging--having to press send on the email to the author that has the link to your review. I also cringe when it's the publisher I'm sending it too, but it's not as stressful. 

Does your blog participate in any weekly features and if so which is your favorite?

I have 3 on the blog. One is the most popular meme ever--a weekly book haul. I personally participate in Stacking the Shelves over at Tynga's Reviews but there are a lot of other ones too. I also do Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine), and the third is a personal one for my blog--Fresh Batch--where I feature the book releases of the upcoming week.

What has been your favorite moment since you became a book blogger? Which review, interview or giveaway have you been most proud of?

I can't say I've had a specific favorite moment, but the ones that stand out are when some of my favourite authors and bloggers have followed me on Twitter. It's still exciting!!

Me and Jenni at Alluring Reads have started doing a regular giveaway event on both of our blogs (we link each other's) called Cover Madness. Every couple of months or so we go through the recent cover reveals that we loved and we make a giveaway where the prize is a pre-order of one of them. They've been the most popular giveaways I've done on the blog (we've had 2 so far), and I have been really happy that we thought of the idea. Here are the links for them:  Round 1 and Round 2

Make sure to look for Round 3 soon! ;)

What kind of genres do you enjoy reading and reviewing the most?

I read mostly YA, but I do like adult novels, too. As far as sub-genres, I love dystopians but they're so rarely original anymore that I've branched into reading a lot of Contemporaries and Psychological thrillers which I have been loving!

What is your favorite individual book or series? What makes you love it so much?

Omg this is so hard! And they change all the time. Well aside from the obvious Harry Potter answer, one of my more recent reads that became an all time favorite is Rhiannon Frater's As the World Dies series. It gave me a particular love for zombie novels and even after months of having read them, I still remember all the emotions I felt while I was reading.

Who is your favorite fictional male character, why and from what book or series are they from?

The first one that came to mind was Cas from the Anna Dressed in Blood series. He's just such a charismatic character. His humour and personality quickly made him my fav male protagonist.

Who is your favorite fictional female character, why and from what book or series are they from?

This is also really hard, so I'm just going to go with the very first one that popped in my mind, and that's Charley Davidson from the Darynda Jones series. She is hilarious! I freaking almost died laughing when I read those books.

Who are your favorite three authors and why?

Rhiannon Frater for sure! She's the shizz! And a mastermind.

Kathleen Peacock rocks my face a lot, too. Hemlock was epic! Plus, she only lives 2 hours away so I can totally go stalk her.

One of my favourite authors since way before I even started my blog (like 10 years before) is Kelley Armstrong. She's my go-to author where I will read anything she writes. I love both her YA and adult stuff (her Women of the Otherworld series was my first experience with her writing).

If you could turn one book or series into films, what would you pick and who would you cast as the main characters?

A recurring theme here because, dude, that series is amazeballs!! But I would give my left leg (I mean, who needs that anyways?) to see the As the World Dies series on screen. The actors I would choose are exactly the ones Rhiannon said she would pick--they're her characters after all so who am I to disagree? ;) They are Kristanna Loken and Odette Annable for the main girls. They're so perfect for how I pictured them! You can see her casting for the others HERE.

What books are you most looking forward to in 2013?

I'm super excited for Mila 2.0, Breaking Point (which I actually read halfway but had to put down because I got uber busy), When We Wake, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch. 2013 rocks as far as book releases!

Paper books or ebooks?

Paper-no question

Where is your favorite place to read?

On my couch with a cup of coffee

Milk chocolate, white chocolate or dark chocolate?

Milk chocolate--duh!

Coffee, hot tea or hot chocolate?

Coffee!--Double duh!

Would you like to give any other details about yourself? How can others find you around the web? Such as Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc...

Blog: http://www.xpressoreads.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XpressoReads
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Giselleco
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4800103-giselle
Xpresso Book Tours: http://www.xpressobooktours.com
Xpresso Degisn: http://www.xpresso-design.com