Hi there! I’m Josette and this is my book review blog. I’ve been blogging about books since 2006 and have been hanging around or lurking online since 2002.

My first website, which I called Cool Reads, was built via Bravenet in 2004. I put up short stories, poems, quotes and eventually some book reviews. At the same time, I began learning HTML, CSS and explored online to discover more tips and tricks to improve my website. Lissa Explains It All was my HTML bible. I read about her (Lissa) in the newspapers and I think that the article about her had inspired me to build my own website. She has been a huge inspiration to me.

In December 2006 after high school, I jumped on the bandwagon to make my very own book blog with Blogger. If you haven’t visited it yet, you may do so by clicking on this link. It’s the original Books Love Me.

This one here is my second book blog, Books Love Me – Reviews, which I started on March 1, 2007. I figured that I’d rather have a specific place to post all my book reviews instead of mixing them up with non-review posts.

Here you will find my book reviews, in which the genres are quite wide-ranging. I usually read young adult, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, some classics, a mystery or two and a little bit of non-fiction when I feel like it. I’d like to get started on graphic novels some time too!

I hope to read a lot and I like many types of books but some of my all-time favourites include The True Story of Lilli Stubeck by James Aldridge, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Series that I like are Harry Potter, the Gemma Doyle trilogy and the Shopaholic books. Series that I find engaging but aren’t really favourites include Twilight and those by Tamora Pierce.

As there must be thousands of book blogs online now, it’s no surprise that I get more book recommendations which will consequently widen my reading tastes. Besides, I’ve come across so many fantastic book bloggers and I love reading their thoughts on the books they read. That’s the joy of book blogging and I hope to be doing it for many more years to come.

You can also find me at Twitter and Goodreads.

Here is a little FAQ that I wrote when I started this blog:

FAQ With Josette!

Q: Did you read all those books that you reviewed?
A: Yes, absolutely.

Q: When do you review books?
A: I only review them after reading till the last page.

Q: How often do you read?
A: I read when I feel like it and fortunately, it’s most of the time. I’m quite a slow reader anyway, if you notice the number of books reviewed each month. But, if I’m too busy, then there won’t be much time for books.

Q: What about the 11 books in March 2007?
A: Actually in March 2007, I only read seven books. As for the rest, I read and reviewed them in 2005 when I was in secondary school. They are all posted in March 2007 because it was at that time when I transferred them to this blog!

Q: How long do you take to finish a book?
A: It depends on how thick the book is and also how interesting the story is. If the book is very thick or very boring, then it’ll take longer for me to finish. When I’m reading a good book, I savour every word. I don’t like to rush through a book unless it’s totally dull!

Q: You seem to give positive reviews for almost all the books you read. Why is that?
A: If I find that a book is good, I’ll give it a good review. If a book doesn’t appeal to me, I’ll still point out the strengths it has. If there are any.

Q: What made you decide to start a book review blog like this one here?
A: For the fun of it. I discovered blogging in 2006 after my exams. My sister made it sound hip and happening so I jumped onto the bandwagon too. And since I like to read, I thought, ‘Why not start a book review blog?!’

Q: How often do you buy books?
A: When I have the money! I do borrow books from my sister, too. She’s got a fantastic collection. And no, sorry, but I’m the only one allowed in her library. =)

Q: Are you good at maintaining your books?
A: Um, quite well. I don’t bend my books or dog-ear the pages. And I don’t read them in the toilet like some people do! But I can’t always keep them free from dust. Got to keep them in a cupboard with a door.

Q: We’ve come to the end of the FAQ. If we have any more questions, we’ll bombard them at you. Will that be all right?
A: Sure, no problem! Happy Reading!