Meet the Blogger Behind the Blog

 This week our blogger behind the blog is Aobibliophile. Welcome!!

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Anything interesting we should know about? Maybe something juicy? :) 
i blog anonymously but for the record, i'm a male blogger. most of my buddy bloggers or readers think otherwise. lol! i guess it must have something to do with my blog's design and button. it's really a tribute to my late Mom who was born on St. Patrick's Day and green is my favorite color.
i can't think of anything juicy but you may find it interesting to note that i can manage to read 2-3 books at the same time without losing track of the plot. i read a few chapters of book A then hop on to a couple of book B, etc. it's like studying for exams sans the cramming and stress involved.

2. How long have you been reading? When did you start? When did you officially become addicted?
my parents, grandparents and doting relatives encouraged my love for the written word as far as i can remember. my affair with books started in second grade when my Mom gave me a book - i can't recall the title anymore but it was similar to the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys mysteries. during fourth grade, i got into comic books but i went back to books a year after and i haven't stopped since.

3. What genre did you start reading first? Or have you always read romance novels?
the mystery book i told you about when i was in 2nd grade. i also recall reading classics like Treasure Island, Heidi, Little Women, Robinson Crusoe, etc. these timeless tales were revised for young readers and my Aunt gave me a set of those. around the same time, i also received  a boxed set of The Chronicles of Narnia. the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries followed. then i got interested in my Mom's Barbara Cartland collection, Tarzan books collection, her first edition copies of The Hobbit and the Lord of The Rings Trilogy. i was in 6th grade when i read Stephen King's Carrie  and i got hooked on horror novels, thrillers and paranormal stories. i read almost anything that interests me or makes me curious.

4. What are your favorite genres now?
there's a lot of genres that i embrace and i like them all. i enjoy mysteries, thrillers, true crime, horror, paranormal, romance, historical fiction, Christian fiction, YA, science fiction and fantasy.

5. Is there any genres you don't like? Why?
it's not that i don't like them but i find it a challenge to read war stories. i've read a few though that i love like Escape From Sobibor, The Killing Fields and The Stones Cry Out: A Cambodian Childhood 1975-1980. i am saddened by any kind of armed conflict and what it does to every  man, woman and child and its impact to the environment.

6. If you had to guess how many books you have read in your lifetime how many would it be?
more than five hundred and probably close to a thousand

7. How long does it usually take you to read an average book?
a few hours to a day or two depending on the length and the story. i squeeze in every opportunity i can get just to read - travel time, lunch breaks, etc. for example, i read Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel in 4 hours and Alex Haley's Roots kept me company more or less for 8 hours. these numbers are cumulative of course. sometimes when i like what i read so much, i have to really slow down just so i could savor the pleasure of reading the book - e.g. Colleen McCullough's The Thornbirds and Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.

8. What is your review style? Any formulas? :)
i start my reviews with a summary in my own words. then i talk about what the book's message is. i usually relate it to a personal experience (if possible) or i would pose questions to myself. hopefully my readers would relate to them (my experiences and questions) based on their own experiences and questions as well. my reviews are very personal ones and the way i write them is similar to how i would write in my journal. one important formula i stick to is NO spoilers!

9. Do you tend to judge a book by it's cover?
rarely. great book covers certainly catch my attention but i always read the blurb for good measure and if i have the time i research about the book/author.

10. What are you reading now?
i'm re-reading Stephen King's Dark Tower The Complete Concordance

This or That?

Hardback or Paperback? paperback
Dog ears or Bookmarks? bookmarks
YA novels or Adult novels? both
Library or Bookstore? both
Reading glasses or No glasses? reading glasses
Snack while reading or No snacks? no snacks; the act of eating distracts me from my reading
Beach or Mountain? mountain; i easily get tanned and it takes ages for it to disappear so i shy away from too much sun though i love the smell of the ocean and hearing the waves rush to shore
Vampire or Werewolf? vampire
Hot or Flirty? both c",)
Movie 1st or Book 1st? book 1st forever!!!
Contemporary or Historical? both
Page-Turner or Tear Jerker? page-turner

aobibliophile™
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