Who Am I Stalking? {2} Ooh Books!

This feature isn’t nearly as creepy as it sounds… at least I hope not.

Here is where I shine the spotlight on a fellow book blogger

that has earned a spot in my GoogleReader.

This week I’m featuring Cara at Ooh Books!

I came across Cara’s book blog when I was just starting 25 Hour Books. Not long after she contacted me about making a button for her weekly poetry posts, FreeVerse. I try to participate in FreeVerse as often as I can and have also stolen her approach to Friday Firsts. She changed the name to Opening Passages and shares the beginning of a short story that you can read for free online. She writes amazing book reviews from all different genres. I love that she always includes whether reading the book was worth her time and why. She has an MD and hopes to work for a literary agency or publishing house. Edit: She is now planning on being an author!! I’m so excited to see what she comes up with!

So how did she make it into my GoogleReader and how has she stayed there? I love that she reviews books from all genres. I’ve come across many books that have now been added to my TBR pile. She also writes fantastic author interviews. Add that to her FreeVerse and Opening Passages and you have a must-read blog!

My Favorite Posts

FreeVerse: The Vampire’s Reflection

I know it’s so shocking that I liked this one… It really is a great poem with beautiful analogies.

In Which You Get a Glimpse of My Life and a Cocktail

This post helped me feel like I wasn’t so alone. I’m also a college graduate (granted I don’t have an MD) that isn’t really interested in going into a career that fits with their degree. You also learn how to make a cocktail!

Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

A really, really great review of one of the best YA books I’ve read recently.

Friday Firsts: The Regime of Austerity

I LOVED this short story. Thank you again for finding it and sharing it!!

Mini-Interview

1. Why did you start a book blog?

I decided I wanted to be a literary scout or editor, but I knew no one would ever give me an internship at a literary agency or publishing house with a biology degree and an MD. Who’d believe me when I told them I was passionate about books and loved to read? So I started the blog as proof, proof that I love books and proof of how quickly I read. Hopefully it will pay off. As soon as I’m able to support myself as a bartender, I’m moving to NYC and applying for internships.

2. If you could have dinner with any author (dead or alive) who would it be?

The old answer was Dean Koontz, actually. I noticed that in his later books, he really seemed to believe in absolute good and absolute evil. I wanted to sit down and talk to him about his worldview. I mentioned that at my interview at Barnes & Noble. A patron heard me and told me that Koontz had converted to Catholicism. Weird, huh? A horror author converts to Catholicism.

Now, I just want to hand out with the peeps at the next Fantasy Convention. It’s all authors and cocktail parties.

3. Do you have a secret favorite book? A guilty pleasure?

If I had to pick an absolute favorite book, it would have to be Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, but usually when someone asks me that question, I make them ask me by sub-genre. I don’t have any guilty pleasures now, but when I was in medical school I devoured the Blaze and Desire romance imprints (you know, the girl porn imprints).

4. Sum up your day, your life, or yourself using just six words.

I hope it all works out.

5. Do you have any advice for fellow book bloggers?

I don’t consider myself the most successful book blogger in the world. Even for someone blogging for only six months, I don’t have that many followers and subscribers. I think it’s because I don’t comment enough on other people’s blogs. So, my advice is comment, comment, comment.

Thank you so much Cara for letting me interview and feature you!! Be sure to check out her blog and add it to your GoogleReaders!