Meet Melissa (A.K.A., Miss Melvis). She’s the force behind the book blog, Me, Bookshelf and I.
“I’ve been a book lover for as long as I can remember and developed a love for all things chick lit in my late teens,” she says. “My friend suggested blogging at the beginning of 2013. We set up a joint venture for a short while but we were heading in different directions with our writing/subject matter, so I decided to set up Me, Bookshelf and I. I love reviewing books and I love writing, my blog is the perfect place for me to do both.”
Melissa has also just started writing her own debut novel, but says, “Between working full time, blogging, reading and everything else, I imagine it will be a long while before it hits the shelves.”
Tell us about about Me, Bookshelf and I.
I set up Me, Bookshelf and I in April 2013. I had a free WordPress blog for a month or so but soon took the leap to self-hosted. Whilst the focus of my blog is on books, it’s also a place for me to write about other things, including my home life, pets, interests and my Day Zero Challenge. In relation to books, I post reviews once or twice a week, a list of Kindle Book Bargains every Friday and I post New Release spotlights on an ad hoc basis. I also partake in blog tours when my schedule will allow.
I try to post something new every day but if I have a busy week at work, I sometimes don’t reach my target. At the moment it’s a one blogger band but who knows what the future holds?
How do you select and/or prioritize the books you read?
If I’ve got New Release or Blog Tour books to review, I will read in order of the date the reviews will need to be posted. If I find a gap in my reviewing schedule, I read the book that jumps out at me most from my priority bookshelf! Yes, I have a priority bookshelf!
How deep is your TBR pile?
I currently have about 200 Paperbacks I’m still to read, 87 Kindle Books (including review copies) and 5 Hardbacks … Sweet Lord! The TBR pile grows weekly, as I can’t seem to stop buying new books!
Tell us about the rating/scoring system you use:
I score out of 5 but I actually only use 3, 4 or 5. If I don’t like a book, chances are I won’t finish reading it. If I can’t finish reading it, I can’t possibly write a fair review of it. I also know that the book, whichever one it may be and for whatever reasons I didn’t enjoy it, is the result of much hard work by it’s Author. Whilst I believe constructive criticism should be welcome in any review, you certainly won’t find me giving a book a low rating because it wasn’t my cup of tea. I’ll leave those books to be reviewed by those who have wiser words to write about them than I.
Here’s a brief description of my ratings:
5 – Drop everything and read this book now, right now!
4 – Finish the book your reading, but make sure this is near the top of your TBR Pile.
3 – You should read this, but don’t feel in any particular rush to do so.
Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by a book you thought you wouldn’t like?
I don’t tend to pick up a book if I don’t think I’ll like it. I have relatively little reading time and therefore attempt to make the most of it with books that I feel are right for me. What I can say, is that the first time I read a Jodi Picoult book, I didn’t realise just how much I would fall in love with the Author!
Have you ever been disappointed in a book you thought you’d love?
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult. She’s one of my favourite author’s but I just couldn’t get into this one. I will certainly try again some day though.
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
Poor dialogue is the only thing I can think of. I need to be able to hear a real conversation in my head, if the words don’t come together properly it can all sound a bit wooden.
Tell us about any pet peeves you have as a reader.
Being disturbed when I’m reading! If I’m reading, I’m lost in my fictionary world and I don’t want to be snapped back to reality without warning!
Would you say you more often find yourself loving a book it seems everyone hates, or hating a book everyone else is raving about?
Definitely the latter! The months I spent listening to my fellow office Ladies going on about Fifty Shades were endless. I eventually gave in and picked up the first book and found myself utterly disappointed. Similar experiences have happened in the past with books such as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Da Vinci Code, most Marian Keyes novels … and I’m still to pick up a copy of Twilight, despite my friend assuring me that it’s the most romantic book I’ll ever read.
What can authors do to ensure a good relationship with book bloggers?
Simply be polite when requesting a book review, especially if you’re giving a reviewer short notice. I’ve only been blogging/reviewing for a few months and my schedule fills up pretty quickly and a couple of months in advance. Granted, I work full time so struggle to review many books but I can only imagine the number of requests those who have been blogging for years might get. A nice, polite request will probably make me squeeze and extra review in when I was hoping for a break.
If you read a book you think is just terrible, how do you handle that?
If I think a book is really terrible I normally won’t continue reading it. This doesn’t happen very often and has not happened to date with a book I’ve been asked to review. I do however, only accept books for review that I feel I will enjoy and will be able to write a positive review about.
What was your worst experience with an author?
I haven’t had any … yet!
Thanks, Miss Melvis. I hope everyone will hop on over and check out your cool book blog.
That too-long TBR pile issue isn’t really a problem is it? Sounds like a book lover’s dream. :At least that’s what I keep telling myself. 🙂
That’s what I tell myself every week when I buy or add more books to the pile! I like to have a variety of books to choose from and the bigger the TBR pile, the more choice I have! x
My TBR list is longer than a serpent’s tail. But when i like a book I do try to leave a review. The reading takes so much longer than the writing of the review. As a writer i can tell you how much those reviews are appreciated – even the not so great ones, as long as it’s clear the reviewer read the book and isn’t just being nasty.
My first review seemed to take forever to write but I realised it wasn’t writing the review that took so long, it was formatting a whole review post as a brand new blogger. Now that I have the hang of it, and an almost standard format for my reviews, it’s quite quick to do. It is definitely the reading that I need to find more time for, as without that there are no reviews! x
Hello, Melissa, nice blog. If you were to think about a guest post on mine I’ll be glad to host you (and/or add to you TBR list, too 😉 )
Hi and thank you! I’ve never written a guest post before but it’s definitely something I would be interested in. I’m a little booked up between now and Christmas but maybe it’s something we could look into in the New Year? x
No rush 🙂
Writers need reviewers who are genuine and can give constructive criticism. Amazon should really step up its game to control nasty reviews that are made for the sheer hell of it. Or perhaps scrap their dysfunctional review system and concentrate on distributing which they are rather good at.
Do you enjoy reviewing books on Thai “culture,” exploring differences between their and our societies, Melissa?
Hello Melissa, nice to make your acquaintance. There are not many books I’m predisposed to dislike, but I’m right there with you on your list of ‘did not like’ and ‘do not want to read’ books. Good luck with your future blogging, reviewing and writing endeavours!
Wow, turns out I’m a bit late to the party! So sorry guys, I didn’t realise this has been posted up already! Thanks for all your lovely comments and for checking out my blog 🙂 x
P.S … is this a good time to tell you my name is Melanie … ;D x
LOL, hello, Melanie! 🙂
My apologies, Melanie. I’d picked up the name from a previous post.