I have a guest today! Jen @ Magic Faerie's Paranormal Review

Today I have a guest on my blog. I was thinking about how I would really like to get to know the actual people behind the blogs better. And I figured if I'm interested there are probably more readers out there who are interested like me.

So, today I have the Jen here to do a fun interview about herself and her reading habits/preferences.
She has a blog called Magic Faerie's Paranormal Review and if you haven't checked her blog out yet you need to head over there. (after the interview of course) =) She also has a group on Goodreads called Paranormal Addicts and Newbies - Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy which is how I originally met her and its lots of fun so you should head over and see if your interested in joining. The group participates in monthly group reads, discussions and more fun stuff so check it out. (After the interview hehe). :)

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Anything interesting we should know about? Maybe something juicy? :

I have no idea where to start really, I don't think I'm very interesting but I'll have a go!  I live in the UK and love that I've made friends all over the world via the blogging community.  I'm a coffee addict and love chocolate and cheese (not together!).  I like to always be busy, I somehow find the time to work full time, study for my second degree, read about two books a week, work on my blog and reading others, running a PNR/UF group online, making jewelery, learning Latin (or trying to), walking, family history research and my counseling course (and more usually too!).  Sorry nothing juicy :)

2. How long have you been reading? When did you start? When did you officially become addicted?
I've always been a reader but the amount I read varies a lot over my life!  I started as a five year old reading the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton, I used to be allowed to read only one chapter a day so I guess that was the first time I became addicted.  I read some but much less once I started work but then I started reading a lot again mid 2009 after I finished my work qualification so that's when my current addiction started.

3.What genre did you start reading first? Or have you always read romance novels?
I started out with mystery, adventure type books - too young for romance at 5 or 6!  I started to read romance in my early teens (do any of you remember the Sweet Dreams series of teen romance books?) and have been reading a wide variety of romance ever since.

4. What are your favorite genres now?

At the moment my favorite genres are urban fantasy and paranormal romance, which I tend to make a very wide definition of!  I like to mix it up a bit though so you might find me reading mystery, Sci-Fi, chick lit, or anything else you care to name!

5. Is there any genres you don't like? Why?

I don't really dislike any genre, but I need to be in the right mood for something like horror or I find it difficult to read.

6. If you had to guess how many books you have read in your lifetime how many would it be?

In my lifetime - that's a hard question!  Not really sure, it must be well over 500 but under 1000.  I'd have read near to 100 by the time I was about 12.  Some years though I might only have read 10 novels.  If I include all the non-fiction for my BA you can add about 200 to that figure!

7. How long does it usually take you to read an average book?
I'm not the fastest reader so an average length novel takes me about 3 or 4 days, I've been known to read a 700 page novel in one day but I don't have much time for anything else!

8. What is your review style? Any formulas? :)
I don't have a formula really.  I always include details about the book and the blurb from the back cover, the rest is my thoughts and feelings about the book.  I'm always honest in my reviews but try not to be mean.  I usually talk about the characters, storyline, writing style, pace etc and anything I thought worked really well, or not.  The length varies as I have more to say about some books than others!  

9. Do you tend to judge a book by it's cover?
 I try not to, but the truth is I do sometimes especially when I'm in the bookstore browsing.  If I'm buying online or getting books from the library I usually know what book I want, from recommendations etc, so the cover does not tend to bother me.  Also, being in the UK our covers are different to the US ones so I'm constantly comparing them too!

10. What are you reading now?
Mind Games by Carolyn Crane - really enjoying it too!

This or That?

Hardback or Paperback? Paperback, hardback, ebook I like them all!
Dog ears or Bookmarks? Bookmarks
YA novels or Adult novels? Adult
Library or Bookstore? Both!!
Reading glasses or No glasses? No glasses (not for reading anyway!)
Snack while reading or No snacks? Depends on my mood!
Beach or Mountain? Mountain
Vampire or Werewolf? Werewolf
Hot or Flirty? Both please!
Movie 1st or Book 1st? Book 1st every time!!
Contemporary or Historical? Contemporary
Page-Turner or Tear Jerker?  Page-Turner

Thanks Jen it has been a magical interview. hehe :) I appreciate you sharing with us a little about you and I wish you lots of luck on your blog.