Tell me about the person behind the blog?
My name’s Simon and I live in Kent with my wife, Ali, two little girls Amelia, who is 4 and Olivia, who is 9 months old, 1 rabbit called Fluffy and 4 goldfish. I work in payroll and Finance full time and spend my evenings reading and looking after my family.
When did you start blogging and why?
I am relatively new to blogging, I only started it last April. I started blogging as I was reading loads of new books and found myself enjoying reading other people’s blogs. From there I thought that maybe people would be interested in my thoughts. It was suggested that I could start being involved in tours for new books where people would be looking at my thoughts and chose books based on my recommendations.
What are your proudest moments or achievements to date as a blogger?
Within the first year of me running my blog I have already been nominated for an award (best book blog 2017 in the Annual Bloggers Bash Awards) I didn’t win but also wasn’t expecting to. I have also had parts of my reviews used in promotional material for books, which is really nice as it shows that people actually do read them.
If you had to breakdown the components of your ideal perfect book what would they be?
This is difficult as it depends on the genre I am reading. Let’s deal with a crime/Police procedural book as that is mainly what I am reading at present.
For these types of books I would need a strong lead character, who knows what they are doing and stands by their morals. I would also be looking for an intriguing murder, something out of the ordinary always grabs my attention. I also would prefer it if there were lots of red herrings along the way, but with the murderer always in the background. The conclusion would then have a massive reveal leaving you surprised and making you think about all the clues that would have led you to the same answer throughout the book.
What is your favourite genre to read?
I don’t have one specific genre but I mainly read crime/thriller books, Fantasy books and Dystopian novels. I will also venture into other genres if the book takes my fancy.
What 3 books would you recommend and why?
I can’t possibly pick just three books as there are so many I have loved over the years, but will give it a bit of poetic licence.
The Obernewtyn series by Isobelle Carmody is a series of 7 or 8 books (one of the books was split up when it was sold everywhere except Australia) This is a Dystopian series set in a future after the world has been maimed by Atomic Bombs exploding all around the world. The bombs are called the ‘Big White’ in the book and from that some of the survivors have special powers such as telekenisis, mind control and the ability to speak with each other over vast distances silently.
The Hiram Kane series by Steve Moore. There are currently three books in this series, with more due out later this year, all staring Hiram Kane, an adventurer similar to Indiana Jones. The first book is free on Steve’s website for anyone who is interested.
Carpet Diem: Or… How to save the World by Accident by Justin Lee Anderson. This book will always have a special place with me as it was the book that got me involved in the book club on Facebook and then that in turn got me into blogging and meeting lots of very friendly bloggers, authors and new friends. The book itself is a strange comedy book about a bloke, a rug and demi-gods.
Finally, tell me more about your blog and why we should subscribe?
My blog is called Black Books Blog and if you are interested in finding out about new books coming out and a different range of authors then my blog is the place to be. I am involved in blog tours for various publishing companies, as well as heavily promoting independent authors’ books with reviews, guest posts and q and a sessions.
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