Tasha from Heidenkind's Hideaway is my interview partner for Book Blogger Appreciation Week and I have to say I had a lot of fun getting to know her through this interview.

Without further ado, here is my interview with Tasha.

*****

Melody: I read from your profile that you are an art historian. Would you like to share with us about your position and what is the challenge you face being an art historian?
Tasha: Well, right now my biggest challenge is finding a job. :P Sadly, the economy is making it more difficult to find jobs in the humanities. But before I was teaching at a university and that was a lot of work--constantly prepping for class, going over lectures, finding images, etc. It was fun work, though.

M: What made you decide to start a book blog?
T: I love books! :D I've been blogging for about 5 years, but that was more of a personal blog. I started doing book reviews and people really seemed to like them; then they sort of began to take over my personal blog. So I wanted a site that would be more focused on my interest in that and the arts. That's basically how it got started.

M: Which is your favourite genre? Would you explore a new-to-me author/genre after reading fellow bookbloggers’ recommendations?
T: Romance is definitely my favorite genre. As for exploring new-to-me genres based on blogger recommendations, I have. I've tried a few horror books based on the rec of a blogger I know really well (that's just about the only genre I hadn't read). I loved both the books she recommended, so I was very happy I stepped outside my comfort zone!

M: What do you like most about the blogging community? Have you met anyone from the blogging community? (If you did, do share with us!)
T: I haven't met anyone from the book blogging community yet, although it would be nice. The best thing about the book blogging community is the the people, of course!

M: What is your policy when reviewing books? Would you review every book you have read? How do you feel about reviewing books which you did not enjoy?
T: I review books that I have finished. Sometimes I'll write about books that I didn't finish, but I don't consider those reviews. If I didn't like a book, I'm going to explain why. It may become snarky. :) Basically I try to give every book the review I think it deserves--if a book deserves a lot of thought, I'll write a thoughtful review.

M: Which are your favourite and least favourite books this year? Which is the must-read in your opinion?
T: Wow, I have no idea. My favorite of the year so far might be Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. I was really disappointed in My Wicked Marquis by Gaelen Foley. I try to forget about bad books as quickly as possible.

M: Finally, do you have any other hobbies besides books and reading?
T: I like to hike and ski, although I don't do it very often. Obviously I love going to museums, and I enjoy making ceramics, printmaking, and photography. Occasionally I'll crochet when I feel the urge (which isn't very often).

*****

Thank you, Tasha, for answering my questions!

Please visit Tasha's blog if you haven't done so already!

Have you visited Amy's blog? Do check out her blog if you haven't because she has lots of exciting news to share, especially on the Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) Awards. (You may wish to click here for the BBAW Awards 2008 Presentation Schedule.)

And guess who won under the best carnival/event/meme category? It is none other than Amy, the hostess herself for her Book Blogger Appreciation Week! I think it is very well deserved since she has done a great job in putting this event altogether.

Amy also talked about blogging and offered some of her tips. I think her questions are very interesting, and here is what she asked:

What is one thing you wish you knew about blogging when you started or what advice would you give a newbie blogger? What is your best blogging tip?

You know, when I first started blogging, I knew nothing about blogging and have no idea what is html codes or how to play around with my blog except simple posting and attaching pictures! Not giving up and trying to learn more about blogging, I began to explore on my own and fiddling with the html codes (and I always make sure to have a backup copy!) until I understand the concepts behind them. I then added several links and from there, I slowly build up my blog till what you have seen today. Besides self exploring, I also googled some sites that offered advice and tips on blogging, and I find them very useful. Till present, I am still learning and am not shy to ask advice from fellow blogger friends if I need some answers concerning blogging.

As for blogging tip, I think the first thing you should do before starting up a blog is to ask yourself what would you blog about? Is it about your daily life? Or will it be something more classified, e.g. blog about books? Once you have decided which direction you want to go, work on the theme and think of a suitable header for your blog. Once everything is up and running, visit other blogs and leave some comments. You may think you are writing for yourself, but other readers do visit and read your blog too. And I think it is always good to hear some feedbacks from fellow bloggers, even though if it is just a simple hello. Friendship starts from there, and I am sure most of us love receiving comments anyway (at least I do!). :-)

3) A horror and/or sci-fi and/or fantasy author

So if you have any experience in any of the above, please contact Amy ASAP at bookbloggerappreciationweekATgmailDOTcom

Last week, I posted a link about Book Blogger Appreciation Week hosted by Amy. I visited her blog earlier and am thrilled to find out that the nominations are now open. Here is what she wrote:

"It's time to open nominations for Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards 2008!

Listed below are the categories of awards. There are many. You may not have a nomination for each award. It doesn't matter. Nominate up to two blogs per category and send an email to BbawawardsATgmailDOTcom with your choices. You DO NOT have to have a blog to make nominations. Comments left on this post will NOT be accepted as nominations. Each category will be narrowed to the top five blogs by number of nominations received, so don't be shy!!! Support your favorite blogs and bloggers! Nominations will close on August 31st.

And the categories for the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards 2008 are:

Best General Book Blog
Best Kidlit Blog
Best Christian/Inspirational Fiction Blog
Best Literary Fiction Blog
Best Book Club Blog
Best Romance Blog
Best Thrillers/Mystery/Suspense Blog
Best Non-fiction Blog
Best Young Adult Lit Blog
Best Book/Publishing Industry Blog
Best Challenge Host
Best Community Builder
Best Cookbook Blog
Best History/Historical Fiction Blog
Best Design
Most Chatty
Most Concise
Most Eclectic Taste
Best Name for a Blog
Best Published Author Blog
Best Book published in 2008
Best Meme/Carnival/Event
Most Extravagant Giveaways
Best Book Community site

Write In--think we missed something? Write in your category and nomination and if there are enough other write-ins of the same category it will be added!"

It is Bookworms Carnival #14! One of my lovely blogger friends, Florinda is hosting this month's carnival and the theme is "You're Never Too Old!". Her carnival post consists reviews on children's and young adult's literature, as well as links to other readers where they wrote about their favourite childhood reading, sharing their love of reading with their children, etc and many more! I hope you will drop by Florinda's blog and say hi! And don't forget to visit and leave a comment to her carnival's participants too! Have fun reading!

@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Amy is hosting the Book Blogger Appreciation Week in acknowledging the hard work of book bloggers and their growing impact on book marketing and their essential contribution to book buzz in general. Readers without a blog are welcome to join too! Go on, check out her post. I know you are interested! :-)