Book Bloggers Talk: Monica Fastenau

Today I’m excited to have Book Blogger Monica Fastenau on
this month’s Book Bloggers Talk. Monica is the owner of the Book Blog Newbury and Beyond. Newbury and Beyond is a really fun Book Blog with reviews, weekly
memes and other fun book stuff. Come and let’s get to know Monica Fastenau.

Tell us a little more about yourself?

I’m a recent college grad, living with my husband in
Southwest Florida. I teach private music lessons (piano and voice), play
keyboard in my church band, and of course read constantly. I blog about my
attempts to read every Newbery book since 1922, and my forays into adult and YA
books, at Newberyandbeyond.com.

When did you learn about your passion for books?

I started reading at the age of four, and I’ve rarely
been seen without a book in my hand since. When I was six years old, my parents
gave me a clock and told me I was only allowed to read until 10:00
at night, rather than almost midnight like I
had been doing (yep, I’ve been a night owl practically since birth!).

Which book was your childhood favorite?

I have always been a big mystery fan, and when I was a
kid, the Bobbsey Twin series was one of my favorites.

Which book (or books) is your favorite right now?

This is such a hard question! But I have a real soft spot
for WWII fiction, and I’ve recently really enjoyed Code Name Verity by
Elizabeth Wein and the duo of Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis.

What’s your favorite book genre?

I like historical fiction a lot, but I also love
dystopian YA, funny memoirs, and mysteries.

Do you prefer paperbacks or eBooks? And why?

I prefer paperbacks, just because I like the feel of
paper in my hands. But I use my Kindle or the Kindle app on my phone a lot,
especially for when I have downtime at work or while running errands.

How many books do you read in a week?

Typically three or four. If it’s a slow week and I have
some fast-paced reads, I can sometimes finish five or six!

If you could live inside one book world, which world
would it be?

Another tough question! But I think I would have to pick
Connie Willis’s time travel world, as seen in ‘Blackout’, ‘All Clear’, ‘To Say
Nothing of the Dog’, and ‘Doomsday Book’.

When did you decide to become a book blogger? And when
did you start your book blog?

I started blogging several years ago, just for fun, but I
didn’t decide to start a book blog until about a year and a half ago.

What do you love most about book blogging?

I love getting my thoughts about a book I loved (or
hated) written down and sharing those thoughts with other book lovers.

If you could change one thing in the book blogging
community what would it be?

I would love to make it easier to “meet” people
and make connections with them. There are so many of us that it can be hard to
make close book blogging friends out of such a huge crowd!

How do you plan your time for your blog? And how much
time do you spend on your blog?

I try to spend about 45 minutes writing blog posts on my
days off, and about 20 minutes on days that I work. I usually post three
reviews a week, with the occasional meme or guest post thrown in there, so it’s
important for me to be consistent.

What is your favorite Book Blog?

I really enjoy Reading the End, and the occasional book
reviews on Modern Mrs. Darcy. I also really enjoyed books i done read, though I
don’t think that blogger is posting anymore.

What do you think is the secret of a successful Book
Blog?

I think a successful book blog knows who its readers are,
and it knows how to find more of that kind of reader. It takes time and effort
and patience to build an audience, but it’s not all about numbers. I think a
successful book blog is more about building a community of fellow book lovers
who want to discuss books with you.

 Some
book bloggers out there are also inspiring writers. Do you also write?

I don’t currently, but I’ve taken part in NaNoWriMo
several times in the past, just for fun.

What would you advise be for beginning book bloggers?

Decide first what your goals are–to have a written
record of the books you’ve read, to meet new book-loving friends, to build a
hugely popular blog–and then go from there. It’s super easy to start a simple
WordPress or Blogger site and start putting your thoughts out there, so write a
couple of posts and then tell people about it! Talk to your friends, tweet
about it, post links on Facebook. Reach out to other book bloggers through
memes or social media. And just have fun with it! If your blog starts to feel
like drudgery, it’s okay to take a break and come back to it later.

Curious about Newbery and Beyond? Please visit the blog here. 

You can also visit Monica on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.