Reader Spot – Meet #BookReviewer Kate Moloney (@BibliophileBC)

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, Kate Moloney from Bibliophile Book Club. Find her book review blog HERE.

What genre do you enjoy reading?

My absolute favourite is crime and all its different facets. I love a good police thriller, and I’ve been reading tons of psychological thrillers lately too. I just love the suspense and the tension within the pages. And don’t get me started on my love of Scandinavian based crime books, they are perfection for me!!! I don’t read much outside my favourites but very occasionally I may pick up a YA, and I have some sci-fi on my TBR too.

Do you have a favourite author in this genre?

I don’t have one particular favourite author, I have many! Ragnar Jónasson, Harlan Coben, Steve Cavanagh, Lee Child, Chris Carter and Jack Kerley are only a handful of authors whose books I will buy without fail.

How do you prefer to read your books?

I don’t have a preference as such! I read physical books (I’m a sucker for a pretty hardback!), I read on my kindle and I have the Kindle app on my iPhone and iPad. There are times where kindle is a godsend, and then there are other times where I actually just want to hold a book and turn the pages. Reading is reading, no matter what platform you choose, just read.

Where do you purchase your books?

I will buy my books anywhere. I love looking through charity shop bookshelves, and I’ve gotten some brilliant bargains lately. I find here (Ireland) chain stores can be a bit pricey in comparison to independent booksellers, so I don’t buy much from them. We have a brilliant independent books store here, which I could spend hours in just looking at all the beautiful new and second hand books. That being said, nothing beats Amazon and The Book Depository for satisfying the need to look at books at any hour of the day!

Where do you find out about the books you read?

I listen to what my fellow book bloggers are reading. There is a handful of us (affectionately known as Blogsquad between ourselves) and we have very similar taste. We talk books A LOT,  pretty much every day if I’m honest, so if we hear of anything that sounds amazing then we get onto eachother. I’m a member of a couple of Facebook book clubs too, and they are full of brilliant recommendations. Goodreads is also an excellent platform to see what books are being raved about, and to catch up on reviews.

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

Sadly, no. That would be the smart thing to do though. I do a monthly book haul post on my blog where I list books I’ve bought as well as any ARC’s received. If I was to add up money spent on books I think I’d be in trouble!!! That being said, I made a conscious decision not to buy as many this month (it’s now the end June) and my haul is 50 books less than last month! (I need help, I know!)

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

It depends on my time schedule to be honest. Sometimes I could finish a book of an evening and move straight into the next on the list. And then this snowballs until I have a ton of reviews. Other times, I can be quite strict with myself and get ahead of myself with posts. It depends on how life goes though, with two kids it’s not always possible to blog when I want to!

What do you look for in a book? 

I want to be hooked, immediately! I need to be drawn straight into a book within the first few chapters because otherwise it becomes harder to engage with the plot and the characters if I’m not invested early on. I love strong characters (male or female, it doesn’t matter!), and I love a bit of drama thrown in for good measure!

Where do you like to read?

My favourite place to read is definitely in bed! It’s the only time of the day (night!!!) that I actually have a solid 30 mins to an hour to myself with no distractions, no housework to do and the kids are fast asleep. It’s my time to get lost in my book! On a rare occasion, I might actually pick up my book during the day for a few minutes here and there, but it doesn’t happen too often!

What social media platforms are you active on?

I blog, spend far too much time on Twitter and I also have a Facebook page. And I’m on Instagram too, at you guessed it, bibliophilebookclub!

Huge thanks to Kate for taking part in the Reader Spot. Next week we have Jo Robertson from My Chestnut Reading Tree. 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.