BBAW Interview with Monniblog

One of the events for BBAW was to get paried up with a fellow book blogger to do an interview. This is the first time I interviewed another blogger, and it was pretty neat to do.  Plus I love stumbling upon new blogs that I enjoy, and Monica from Monniblog has a really interesting one!  Not only does she feature books, but also knitting and other life events. 

Your blog has a lot more to offer than just reviews. What made you decide to do a mixture of things such as knitting, books, and life in general?

I started blogging in 2001 to keep in touch with friends online. As my website grew, my blog changed and adapted. With some versions of my website it was just a place to update changes to the rest of the site. In September 2006, I moved everything to Wordpress.com and started blogging about knitting and school. I had graduated from high school in the Spring and was enrolled in a Publishing course. Over the past couple years, as my interests changed, so did my blog; I went self-hosted in 2007 and haven't looked back!

What are some favorite reads you’ve found this year?

That's definitely a difficult questions! Philippa Gregory is one of my favourite authors and I've read several more of her Boleyn series. I really enjoy those. I also really loved The Book of Negroes which was CBC Radio's pick for Canada Reads.

You read a pretty wide range of books. Do you have a favorite genre of all?

Fiction, hands down. If I had to pick, probably historical fiction. I like to learn a bit while I'm reading. Although I really enjoy fantasy and adventures. I think it just depends on what I'm in the mood for next.

What’s your favorite thing about blogging? And the least?

My favourite part of blogging is sharing and making friends and connections. My least favourite thing is technical screw-ups. As much as I love coding and working with design, it's quite annoying when something breaks and you can't figure out why.

Do you find it hard to write bad reviews?

Usually I try to find the "silver lining": why I didn't like the book, and why others might enjoy it more than I did. If I didn't like something about a book, or the entire story, I'll try to explain why. Often I try to close with a positive spin, like "if you like books with a lot of blank and blank, you'll probably enjoy this more than I did."

Who are some authors that you think are overlooked?

There are tons! However, with the career choice I've made, I've been learning a lot about local authors here in British Columbia. There is so much talent right within my own province, and it makes me proud to read them and support their stories. Some books I've really enjoyed are Conceit by Mary Novik, The Cellist of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway, and The Old Brown Suitcase by Lillian Boraks.


We would like to thank Monica for answering our questions and encourage everyone to swing by her blog! 

Also if you would like to read our interview on her blog click here.