SharaLee Podolecki
- Guest Book Reviewer -
G'day folks,
Today I offer a book reviewer as my special guest. You know, the people we as authors try to stay up close and friendly with.
Welcome, SharaLee ....
1.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR BOOK-REVIEWING JOURNEY:
Well, I’ve been reading books for review
since I was in high school. I would help our high school librarian categorize
books for the school library based on reading level and content. It was
something I really enjoyed doing. After high school, I discovered Goodreads,
and started posting some reviews there. I started a degree in English
Literature and found that reading books and analyzing them was something I was
in love with and I knew that I always wanted to be doing it in some way. When I
was pregnant with my daughter, I had a small unpaid position as a book reviewer
for BTS eMagazine, and I remember thinking I was so stressed all the time with
the pressure they put on me and the low quality of books I was expected to
read/give positive reviews for, that I decided to leave BTS, open a WordPress
account and start my own blog, centering around my own personal book reviews.
It has been going well, and I also include some reviews that my husband,
Graham, does on books I make him read. I like it better this way because I feel
free to be more honest with each book and to have more time to review it
properly. I also enjoy the comments some of my readers leave, and meeting other
like-minded literary people. Sharing my love of reading has become such a joy. I
can’t imagine not doing it.
2.
WERE YOU A GOOD READER
AS A KID?
I was a very good
reader. I read my first novel – Freaky
Friday by Mary Rodgers – when I was only 5 years old, and I remember my
mother getting annoyed because I could read the long words but kept asking her
what they meant every five seconds!
3.
WHY A BOOK REVIEWER?
I’ve been blogging for
years (I used to have a LiveJournal account in university), and I’ve been
reading and talking about books for years. After a while it only seemed natural
to put the two together. Also, if I continue to do this, I can put together a
portfolio and possibly get published and paid for my literary criticism.
4.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST
ABOUT BEING A REVIEWER?
Other than having my
own blog and being able to review on my own terms, I really love discovering a
hidden gem and helping get it out into a general readership awareness, I love
the added knowledge of technique and what is and is not cliché it brings to
myself as a writer, and I love getting to know writers from all over who write
all sorts of things and are just as passionate about the written word as I am.
It’s also incredibly gratifying if I have known the person’s work as it has
progressed, when I can see it transform from a veritable tangled mess into a
very well-written story or book. To see someone improve as a writer is an
excellent feeling.
5.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST
THING ABOUT BEING A REVIEWER?
Probably having to give
someone really kind a bad review. I am an honest reviewer. I try to make my
criticism constructive, but I firmly believe that lying to someone does not
help them professionally, so I will always give my true thoughts on their work.
This is extra hard when you have friends who thank that because you are a
reviewer, you will automatically give them a good review. It can lead to hurt
feelings when the other person doesn’t understand the professional nature of
the review versus my personal feelings for them as a friend. So to all friends
and future friends: If I say your writing is good, please believe me. I am not
flattering you. I am telling the truth! And if I have a suggestion to better
your work, please try to listen, because maybe I can see things you can’t.
6.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A
PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A BOOK REVIEWER?
I took an online quiz, and it told me I
was actually a fortune teller in a past life, which kind of makes sense, since
I am very good at predicting where a story is going to go, and how poorly or
well an author will probably do on the market.
7.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
BEST BOOKS YOU HAVE REVIEWED? WHY?
The best book I have
reviewed thus far has been Poison Makers
by Jimmy Olsen. It takes the conflicts of North and South America that are
often so present in the United States and presents them through the eyes of a
Dominican-American who lives in The Dominican Republic. The issues are made
both international and personal at the same time. It also involves a thoroughly
plausible explanation of zombies and a lot of great writing. I really love
Jimmy Olsen’s knack for characterization, which shines in all of his books, not
just that one. I would love to read everything he’s ever written.
8.
WHAT ARE YOU READING
AT THE MOMENT?
Currently, I am reading
a handful of books (I try to read a few at a time). For review, I am reading The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery: A Guide
to Her Magical Performances by Herbie J. Pilato, my husband Graham has
challenged me to read Cloud Atlas by
David Mitchell (which I am very much enjoying), a friend and I found Charles
Panati’s Sexy Origins and Intimate Things
at Value Village one time, so I just had to add it to my list, and I’m also
reading A History of Byzantium by
Timothy E. Gregory and the NIV
Archaeological Study Bible, just for my own personal study.
9.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU AS A
BOOK REVIEWER?
As a book reviewer, I
am inspired by anyone who can take any aspect of the human condition and
translate it into the kind of words that stick to a reader’s soul for the rest
of their natural-born life. In less poetic terms, I am inspired by anyone who
is able to make us face what we humans do on a daily basis and see it in a
whole new light, usually by the means of conveying to us exactly what it is we
are already facing.
10.
WHAT GENRE DO YOU PREFER
TO REVIEW? WHY?
I prefer to read
fiction in general, but specifically psychological thrillers or books having to
do with abnormal psychology. I am also a fan of a good mystery or even a
historical fiction, but books based solely on romance are not really my cup of
tea, and I’d rather choose my own erotica, so there’s no real interest in
reviewing that subject for me. I will review nonfiction, but my process is slow
when it comes to fact, because I am very thorough, so anyone sending me
nonfiction to review can expect to wait a very long time before a review is forthcoming,
unfortunately.
11.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS
FOR NEW WRITERS?
Dear New Writers,
please don’t try to say too much at once. Your backstory will come through over
time. It doesn’t need to be mentioned in the first chapter. Also, listen to
your editors or constructive criticism from friends. They are your future
readers, their voice matters. Also, make sure if you are going to write about
an important or complicated topic like mental illness, law procedure, or are
going to go into complicated detail about injuries and hospitalization, DO YOUR
RESEARCH. If you’re not writing fantasy or science fiction, just making it up
is not going to cut it with any reader who knows better, and not researching
will be depriving yourself and your readers of a better novel. And don’t forget
to never ever give up. J
12.
DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED TIME TO READ WHEN REVIEWING A BOOK?
I have a toddler, so I
read whenever I get the chance, which is usually during her nap time and right
before I go to bed.
13.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE PLACE TO READ?
The best place to read
is in my comfy bed.
14.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
JOY IN WRITING A BOOK REVIEW?
My greatest joy in
writing a book review (especially if I really loved the book) is sharing the
experience I have just had with my readers. I also take pride in the quality of
my book reviews, and this sometimes means being honest about really
poorly-written books, but I am happy knowing I am providing my readers with a
source to help guide them through the many books that are out there these days:
which I think would be great to read, which I recommend should be avoided.
15.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE ALL
TIME AUTHOR? WHY?
That is one of the
hardest questions I have ever had to answer! It’s like asking someone what
their favourite song or movie is. There are so many! A few of my favourites are
Ted Dekker, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Meg Cabot, Emily
Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Victor Hugo, Jimmy Olsen, Kay Redfield
Jamison and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
16.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A WRITER YOU REVIEWED?
The best compliment I
ever received from a writer I reviewed was from Jimmy Olsen, who praised the
quality of my writing style and the thoroughness with which I captured the
spirit of his various books. It meant a lot to me because he is one of the best
writers I have discovered through reviewing, and has been perfecting his craft
for a long time.
17.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A WRITER YOU REVIEWED?
I’ve honestly never
really gotten any bad comments from writers. I have gotten some complaints that
my reviews were taking too long, but considering that I get through the books
as fast as I can considering the other things I have taking up my day, and how
thorough I am when reading/reviewing them, and the fact that I do this and then
write an article about it all for free, I try to be as mindful of time as
possible and maintain good communication with the authors, but I really don’t
let those comments bother me too much because the final product takes time, and
I think that shows on my blog.
18.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU AS A BOOK REVIEWER?
Yes. Absolutely. I have
Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder, and I have been through a
lot and worked really really hard to be where I am today, so part of why I am
so interested in psychologically-based literature is because I have lived it,
and through my own life experience, I am something of an expert. If someone is
trying to glamourize mental illness or stigmatize people with mental health
problems, it will definitely stand out very clearly to me, and that’s the sort
of thing I don’t stand for as a book reviewer. I’m not talking about maybe
having a protagonist say negative things or treat someone badly who is
depressed or even using the words ‘bipolar’ or ‘OCD’ as adjectives. I am
talking about authors who think that it’s okay to romanticize or take lightly
things like suicide, or who are clearly uneducated on psychiatric matters. I’m
talking about writers who center stories around ‘crazy’ individuals, giving
them diagnoses with symptoms that don’t match, attaching negative stigma to those
diagnoses, that sort of thing. I have actually reviewed a book where all of
those things happened at once, and it was probably an unpleasant experience for
the author to read my review.
19.
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE
YOU REVIEWED?
On my blog, I have
officially reviewed 18 books, but before I got as serious about book reviewing,
I had many star-rating one-sentence reviews on my old Goodreads account.
20.
OTHER THAN READING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
Good food and drink.
Seriously. It just goes so well with reading! As long as I don’t get anything
on the pages! (Yes, I prefer to read hard copies).
I also love Doctor Who. A lot. I basically watch Doctor Who and read books every single day of my life and it’s been that way since I was pregnant with my daughter in 2013 (there are a lot of episodes of Doctor Who). But anything on Netflix is basically a hobby of mine. Shows and movies are basically just books with moving, talking pictures, so it’s pretty clear why I’d be into that.
I also love Doctor Who. A lot. I basically watch Doctor Who and read books every single day of my life and it’s been that way since I was pregnant with my daughter in 2013 (there are a lot of episodes of Doctor Who). But anything on Netflix is basically a hobby of mine. Shows and movies are basically just books with moving, talking pictures, so it’s pretty clear why I’d be into that.
I also love trying new
things. I might go to a workshop on how to repair and maintain my bicycle, I
might go to the museum or the art gallery or the library, or I might go to a
board game café and try to kick my husband’s butt at 90s Trivial Pursuit like I
did last night! Who knows what I might try next?
I love the arts.
Theatre, concerts of any kind, ballet. I will see them all.
I am also very
interested in film history, fashion history and Russian literature. And
anything to do with South Korea or Japan.
I also have an unholy
addiction to the Sims 3 games. Once I’m in, I won’t be out for hours.
21.
DO YOU ALSO WRITE?
What, my articles
aren’t good enough for you? You want more??? Well, good! Because I happen to
also write poems and short stories on the side and I have been working on a
novel for a really long time. It’s not even remotely near being finished, of
course. But sometimes I do actually write outside the blogosphere, yes.
22.
ARE SOME BOOKS
DIFFICULT TO REVIEW? WHY?
Yes. I find books
written by friends to be difficult to review because there is that element of
someone’s feelings getting hurt if they are not a person who takes constructive
criticism very well (no matter how good a writer they are). I also find very poorly
written books to be frustrating, especially when I can see that the author had
so much more potential and was just being lazy. As well, my book reviewing
process is very thorough, so nonfiction books with a lot of names and dates
take extra time because I truly try to take in what I read, and it’s hard to
explain to some people why it can take so long for one book when someone else
gave them a 5 star review in two days.
23.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT
DAY.
My perfect day consists
of sleeping in, having a delicious breakfast brought to me in bed, going with
my closest girlfriend to a salon to get my eyebrows done, getting a massage and
a mani-pedi, then going for authentic dim sum for a late lunch. After lunch, we
will have the house to ourselves (save for the housecleaning staff who will be
making it spotless for us) and we will read, colour, watch Netflix, and cuddle
with my kitty. After she leaves, I will then be having a fancy dinner somewhere
nice with my husband, after which we will go shopping and purchase lovely
clothes and accessories for ourselves and our daughter, who has been enjoying
the entire day with the modern-day equivalent of Mary Poppins, and items for
our home. We will have a Jacuzzi, and after Ivy is asleep, Graham and I will
relax in it with some wine, then get into our giant four-poster bed with
eiderdown quilts and feather mattress and go to sleep. *sigh* It’s so relaxing
just thinking about it.
24.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
I plan to build my
portfolio and continue writing quality book reviews until I have enough to
present to editors at a paying publication. I also wish to travel more and see
more of Canada, especially the northern parts of it, since I lived in northern
Manitoba as a young girl and have always wanted to go back up there. Travelling
and possibly immigrating to the UK has always been a dream of mine as well.
Most importantly, I hope to somehow be able to share my voice with the world,
and to live a life meaningful enough for my daughter to learn and grow by. I
hope to inspire people and to help guide them if possible. I want, in my own
small way, to make the world a better place.
Clancy's comment: Well done, SharaLee. Get cracking on that book. Time waits for no author.
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