Two Years of A Dancing with Books – Q&A

Happy Blog Birthday to A Dancing with Books. Two years already today. How time flies!

I struggled for a while whether or not I was going to write a blog post for this and what I would write about. I could do another post where I share the posts I liked from the last year. But I already shared some of those in my wrap up of 2016. So I felt that would be a bit too repetitive.

So I did a random browse around the internet to see what others had done for anniversary posts besides a giveaway. I came across a lot of Q & A posts and realized that might be a great way to do this. I wanted to answer questions you guys have send me rather than answer a set of basic questions that I saw. So I asked on Twitter, Bookstagram and Facebook for you guys to send me some questions. And here they are answered. Enjoy!

Extra: over on Twitter I will be posting a small retweet giveaway later today.

Q & A

Blog

> What is your favourite thing about the book blogging community?

The friendships you make. The abbility to share your love for books. The understanding we have for one another when you are obsessed with a book that you can’t find in your real life.

> How do you motivate yourself to write consistently?

By not staring at a blank page. I’m trying to mull everything out in my head before I sit behind the computer. That way the process of actually writing a post doesn’t become hard or frustrating. Because with Merijn I just don’t have the time to stare at a blank page. I have to use my time wisely. It is easier to jot a thing down in a quick moment to use later in a post when I can work it out more quickly.

Also by taking breaks and by scheduling. I don’t have to force out a post at the last minute and if I don’t feel like blogging for a week at all than that is fine because I tend to have reviews and other posts scheduled in a few weeks ahead of time. With the exception of posts like wrap up posts or book hauls but I fill those in along the way so they aren’t so much work at the end of the month.

> Have you found that blogging about books makes you read more?

I think it might make me read less in a way as I have to sacrifice reading time to be able to blog. Yet at the same time it motivates me to read. It is a thin balance.

> Does it make you pay more attention to what you’re reading to have material to write about?

Sometimes. Books will always inspire blog posts one way or another. But if a book is really good I fly through it without any note or moment different than if I had not had a book blog. A lot of work happens in the moments that I am not actually reading and mull over what I just read.

> What do you take notes in when you jot down your thoughts about a book?

I actually don’t take a lot of notes. If I want to remember something I put it in my Ipod. I often note down there pages for quotes that I might want to use in a review. I tried using a notebook but never worked because I want to read on and grabbing a pen and a notebook is a lot of work, haha.

> What are your favourite types of blog posts to write?

It changes but I actually quite enjoy writing my monthly wrap up posts, book hauls, posts where I get to tell you how amazing some books are and book shelf tours, even if those are a lot of work. But on occasion I can really enjoy writing a discussion or topic post as well. It really depends on my mood and how well a post flows.

Reading

> What did you like to read as a kid?

Everything I could find in the library to be honest. I read a lot of history and second world war children books though. A lot by Dutch authors. But also Roald Dahl. Fantasy didn’t become my genre until a lot later.

> What do you find gets you back in the mood to read once you’ve hit a slump?

That can differ. Taking a break away from books can help for a few days. Or being able to have an uninterrupted afternoon where I can finish an easy or short book in one sitting. Or having other people make me excited about a certain book I have on my shelf.

> How do you make yourself finish books that end up disappointing you halfway through?

I always try and see what I do like about the book as I am reading it. Or I try and focus on what makes me curious in the plot or what questions I’d like to see answered. That can help focus me during reading. Reading a more enjoyable book next to it and putting it down for a few days help as well.

> What’s the longest stretch you have read a book before putting it down?

Two hours before I have to go to the toilet, haha.

> What book surprised you the most in 2016?

That is a hard question! Paaz and Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda as I am not much of a contemporary or mental health reader. But I ended up loving both of these. The Others by Anne Bishop surprised me as a whole with how much I ended up adoring them.

> Do you prefer hard covers, soft covers, or ebooks?

In general I prefer to read physical books over ebooks though I am reading them more. Lately I have a preference to hardcovers but paperbacks are so much cheaper, haha.

> What are some books you cannot wait to share with your little one when he’s a teen?

Oh that is a good question. I think Rick Riordan’s books, but also Lockwood & Co. And perhaps other books that are MG and Young Adult that I might have read at a too late age for me to truly enjoy them like Unfortunate Events, How to Train Your Dragon and so on.

> What are the books that you identified with a lot?

As a child, I do not remember. I just loved to read and did not identify specifically. I enjoyed going into other worlds to get away from my own. Nowadays I often identify with characters who love to read. The love for reading that is being spread across the page is always so warm. Recently I really related to Molly from The Upside of Unrequited as I saw some of myself as a teen in her.

> Has your perspective on reading changed after having Merijn? Do you gravitate towards different things now?

I did not consider this but not a whole lot I suppose. I don’t seek out books with mothers in them. And I always could relate to why parents were strict. The whole adult thing. But I think maybe I could nit pick more at how baby’s are being written in books, haha. Or how some children are being raised. Like I would do that totally differen with Merijn it can go in my head.  I still want to read as much as I can. Perhaps my enjoyment is slightly different as I can’t really mull over books in my head like I could before. Because there is a baby to take care of who needs my full attention.

I don’t really gravitate towards others books either. Still fantasy. Still young adult and adult. Maybe I seek out more diversity  and more gender neutral books for Merijn now as I want to be able to raise my son to be accepting. To make him grow up with the things about diversity that I still had to learn at an older age.

Personal

> Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?

Hard question because I am really not a fan of Harry Potter for the characters but for the world. I don’t think I ever hid that I am not a fan of Harry or Ron. I like Hermoine just fine and I liked her even more as she grew older. But I guess I have the most love for Professor McGonagal. Her shifting into a cat, being strict yet somehow she manages to convey almost a motherly feeling at times. She genuinely cares for her students. And I think she is very powerful even if we don’t get to see that a whole lot.

> If money was not an issue where would you go?

A trip around the world. Like I would want to see all the things. And visit all my online friends. ❤

> What is your favourite snack/beverage/lunch/dinner?

I am currently drawn to Blue Bastard energy drink. Oops. So bad for me. I like cheese a lot. And fries with a frikandel speciaal but I prefer it with ketchup and not curry. 😀 I am odd, I know.

> Is their a game on your phone/tablet/computer that you play like Candy Crush or Angry Birds that you play and don’t generally tell people about?

Oh I started playing Candy Crush 3. I played the first two versions as well but always stopped. But now I am way ahead of my mom. You have no idea, this is an achievement you know. 😀

But other than that not that many anymore. There used to be a lot of app games I played but I lost interest. I always liked the idea of The Sims but never really got into it.

> What was your least favorite subject in school?

Math, science and so on. The subjects I sucked at, haha.

> Did you ever play a sport?

I did gymnastics until I was 10 or so, but things changed. The group became so big and it was not that fun anymore. So I quit. Never looked back. Well maybe now since I am so stiff, haha.

Thank you to Doaa, Inge, La La in the Library , Dina and Myrthe for the questions send. ❤