Interview with Clair from Always Need More Books
Who are you? Where are you from? and Where do you blog?
My name is Clair and I am a 45-year-old
technical librarian from the South Coast of the UK.
I’m originally from the Midlands but
have been down by the sea for almost 20 years and I wouldn’t want to live
anywhere else. My blog can be found
here: (https://alwaysneedmorebooks.wordpress.com/)
Why and how do you blog? What made you start?
I started out on Instagram taking pictures of books (https://www.instagram.com/always_need_more_books/) , but not really posting many reviews. As my account grew, I started getting a
little interest from publishers (being sent copies of books and taking part in
book tours) and I realised I wanted to take this further. I always post reviews on Goodreads so it was
a step up from that really.
How long have you been blogging?
My first post was 1 January 2018 (it was
a New Year’s resolution) so just over 6 months
What advice do you wish you'd had when you started?
I certainly had no idea how much time it
would take! I really care about each
review I write so it’s important for me to write a good review. I also wish I had someone sitting with me as
I set up the blog – I think it looks OK but it’s not that intuitive to work out
how to create one!
Also, I hadn’t
realised how many brilliant blogs there are out there and the time it takes to
read posts!
How much time do you devote to blogging each day/week/month?
I reckon I spend a couple of evenings a
week writing blog posts, so maybe 4 hrs a week?
But on top of this I take almost daily photos for Instagram and have
started attending more bookish events.
How often do you post to your blog?
Whenever I finish a book, so usually
twice a week
What motivates you to keep blogging about books?
The positive reaction my posts gets from
the people who read them. It’s cool to
know I’m suggesting books to people and they say they want to read them. I’m all about sharing book love!
Is there something you wish authors knew about your blog or
blogging?
How conflicted I feel if I have to be
negative about a book. I always try and
look for the positives too…but I hate the thought of an author being sad
because of a review I’ve given.
Thankfully, this doesn’t happen often as I know the sort of books I
like, and tend to steer clear of the ones I don’t!
What's your most popular blog post?
The most popular one has been about the
Folio society’s summer book launch.
Do you write reviews for every book you read?
Yes!
How many book reviews do you normally do a week?
Usually 1 every 4 days – I wish I could read more but with a
full-time job and a family, I think I do quite well!
What genres are your favourites?
I like young adult and historical
fiction, but I will read most books.
Saying that, I’m not keen on classics and fantasy…
What are you currently reading and why did you choose to read
it?
Do you have any plans for your blog in the future?
