Reader Spot – Meet Book Reviewer, Anne Williams (@Williams13Anne)

Here on the ‘Reader Spot,’ I share the bookish love of our avid book reviewers. From young adult to historical romance, chick-lit to a murder mystery, they know what they like, and they’re happy to share.  Whether you are a reader looking for a new book, or a writer wondering what your reader wants, I hope you find this series enjoyable.

Next up to the Reader Spot is reviewer, Anne Williams. Find her book review blog HERE.

What genre do you enjoy reading?

I don’t read non-fiction at all, but as far as fiction goes I’m a total tart really. I really enjoy contemporary fiction/popular fiction (particularly if written by women, or with women in mind), well-written chick lit and light romance, literary fiction, some historical fiction (especially dual time or timeslip, but run a mile from kings and queens!), and love a good psychological or crime thriller.

What I like best of all is reading the work of new authors yet to make their mark – and, if I like what I see, sharing the love and helping bring them to people’s attention.

Do you have a favourite author in this genre?

My favourite authors change daily – but I’ll admit to a particular liking for authors whose characters are slightly older than the chick lit twenty-somethings.

How do you prefer to read your books?

Almost all kindle these days really. Although when publishers send me ARCs I just can’t resist, I’ll still sometimes pick up a real book. I do find it annoying that you can’t change the font though, and hardbacks hurt when they drop on your nose when you fall asleep reading in bed.

Where do you purchase your books?

Almost all Amazon kindle store for day-to-day reading, but I do buy hardbacks in independent and chain bookshops of books that I’d like to keep on my shelves. I always buy books at launches and book signings, and I’m building a lovely collection of signed books.

Where do you find out about the books you read?

Almost entirely on-line, and from all the above sources. The first couple of hours of every day are spent reading, sharing and making notes from other people’s book blogs and the many book-related emails I receive. I think I might spend more time finding out about books than I do reading them. There are some bloggers whose recommendations I trust totally – if they’ve enjoyed a book, I know I will too. Book Connectors on Facebook has been an absolute godsend for hearing about books direct from their authors, and I do spend far too many hours trawling Twitter.

Do you have a budget when buying books?  Do you stick to it if you do?

No, no budget – books are just a necessity of life, aren’t they? So true, Anne 😉

Do you write a review when you’ve finished reading?  If so, where do you post this?

Always – on my blog Being Anne first, then copy it to Amazon UK (I’m a Top 500 reviewer), Amazon dot com, Goodreads, Netgalley (if that was the source) and sometimes Waterstones too. I also shout about my reviews a lot on Twitter and a number of Facebook book-related groups.

What do you look for in a book? 

More than anything else, a really good story, well told – if there’s no narrative drive, I can lose interest pretty quickly. But I like strong characters, realistic dialogue, well handled emotional content and a few surprises.

Where do you like to read?

Anywhere and everywhere… but there is something rather nice about an early night with a few hours’ reading planned…

What social media platforms are you active on?

I’m on Facebook as myself and also have a page for Being Anne: I’m very active on Twitter too.  I do have an Instagram account but keep forgetting to use it.

If you are an avid reader and would like to be included in this feature, then please use the ‘say hello’ page to send me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.