Bloggy Buddy: Meet Tanya!

Introducing Bloggy Buddy where we feature the bloggy friends we love so much!

Bringing back our bloggy buddy with Tanya from Girl Plus Books. 

Tanya's posts are always great to read, and her reviews are not only very informative but honestly fun to read. Welcome Tanya!

What name do you like to go by?

Tanya :)

How long have you been blogging?

I've been blogging for about three and a half years. Crazy how fast it's flown by!

What inspired you to start blogging?

I wish I had a super original answer but I'm probably like so many other book bloggers in that I was excited to connect with others who loved books and reading and never tired of book talk.

Having a platform to share what I was reading, put down my thoughts about books and characters, give and receive recommendations, and just generally chat it up with other book nerds was too much to resist. :)

What was your first blog post?

Wow, that was fun to go back and check out. Turns out my very first post was a review of The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. I had actually read and reviewed the book a couple years previously but decided what better way to kick off my blog than with a review of my favorite book.

What are some unique features you do on your blog?

My favorite feature is my monthly Best In Books post. Rather than doing a traditional monthly wrap-up, I focus on the very best I read throughout the month, covering a variety of categories.

Best female/male character, best cover, best quote, best swoon-worthy moment, etc. I have so much fun creating my Best In Books post every month!

What was your inspiration behind your blog design and name?

The blog design has seen a couple changes over the last 3+ years. I started with some rather generic Blogger themes before realizing I preferred a cleaner, more streamlined look. I found a designer/coder whose work I loved and chose the design that I now use.

As for the name, I knew I wanted something fairly short and simple. Nothing too wordy, nothing too punny or cutesy, and nothing so obscure that people wouldn't even know what kind of blog it was.

I actually settled on Girl Plus Books fairly quickly. It seemed to perfectly sum up who and what I was. :)

What genres do you like to read and feature?

I'm all about the romance! ♥ And contemporary romance is my genre of choice. I do branch out into sub-genres like paranormal romance, some historical fiction/romance (WW II-era is a favorite), 

sometimes some light fantasy/urban fantasy. But if you ever see me reading a book with absolutely no romance, you can bet it's under duress and you should send help immediately. :)

I occasionally read YA (again, contemporary or light fantasy) but those are much less frequent.

What were some of your favorite reads from last year? (So this was supposed to come August of 2018 but you know, we took a hiatus. So Tanya if you want to update from 2017 to 2018 lol)

I had some real stand-outs in 2017 but the best of the best were:

Three blogs you really love?

Only three? Seriously? Gah! There are really so many blogs that I love for different reasons but three that have my utter devotion are:

Sam is a co-blogger at WLABB and a wonderful blogger friend. Her reviews are so thoughtful and she excels at sharing what she likes (or doesn't like) about a book in such a balanced way.

Grace's blog is one of the very first that I followed. We often have similar reading tastes and her reviews are concise while still being honest and informative.

This one is actually a newer discovery but I clicked with Lindsi's casual style right away. Even though we don't necessarily read the same genres (she read a lot more fantasy than I do, and has a love of comics) I still enjoy her straightforward style of reviewing and her sense of humor. And she has a gorgeous blog aesthetic.

And lastly, tell us a bit about yourself and your blog.

About me: I was lucky enough to grow up with parents who were readers, including a mom who took my sisters and me to the library often. 

My love of books and reading developed early and I've been a lifelong reader. I've gone through various reading phases over the years - mystery, historical romance, etc - but contemporary romance has always been a mainstay and now accounts for probably 90% of my reading. What can I say? I'm in love with love. :) I never (ever) leave the house without a book. And in the big physical book vs e-book debate I choose BOTH. On a more personal note, I'm married to my very own Prince Charming (better than any book boyfriend) and we'll celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary next year. Professionally, I work as an executive assistant and have been with the same company for 26 years (yes, I love my job). Beyond reading I love to travel, spend time with my family, and see how fast I can run from one air-conditioned location to another (Florida summers are brutal).

About Girl Plus Books: I started Girl Plus Books 3.5 years and 586 posts ago. In a perfect world I would post 5 times a week, always be consistent, and review every book as soon as I turn the last page. In reality, I work a demanding full-time job, have a husband I love to spend time with, and often would rather actually read than blog about reading. :) That means I usually have two or three posts a week, I'm not always consistent, and reviews get written... eventually. And I'm perfectly fine with that. I'm a totally laid-back blogger and you will never find me stressing over lack of posts, number of subscribers, social media, or anything else blog-related. I blog for the same reasons I read: sheer entertainment and enjoyment. :)

Thanks to Jenn and Ash for having me here! This has been fun and I'm so happy to be a part of this book blogging community! ♥