Undersea Spotlight: Asti at A Bookish Heart

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on October 1, 2013 | 10 Comments


USSpotlight I started this feature here at ASR in order to know your fellow bloggers a little better! If you are interested in being featured please fill out the form.

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Meet Asti!

Hello everyone! My name is Asti and I am the blogger behind A Bookish Heart! A little bit about me: I am twenty-four years old (and no matter how much that number increases each year I still can’t seem to escape YA), I am currently an international student who has left the corn state of Indiana to study in the outskirts of London to pursue a Master’s degree in Publishing, and I really love to use parenthesis and exclamation points (you have been warned)! Really, I guess you can just say I’m a book nerd.

[Jessi] You’re never too old for YA! I can totally see myself reading it well into my 30’s :)

How long have you been blogging? What made you want to start a book blog?
I have been blogging about Young Adult books since March 2nd, 2013. I started my blog for a multitude of reasons. Of course, the obvious one is that I love books (especially YA) and wanted a place to share my love with others. As soon as I found out about the community I was excited to join because everyone is so friendly and enthusiastic about books. And a lesser known reasons, but still an important one that impacted my decision, was my hopes to one day work in the publishing industry. I want to be able to prove that I am someone who is passionate about books and have something to show on my CV/resume that is book-related.
 
What do you do when you’re not blogging or reading?

Not much! Prior to this last month my life revolved around either working or my blog. If I did anything else, it was usually just watching horrible reality shows on TV. (I can’t help it!) Now that I moved to the UK and started my Master’s degree, my spare time is set aside for studying or exploring the local area. (I don’t have a TV here, so that’s no longer an option.)

What is your favorite part about blogging? Least favorite?

My favorite part about blogging has to be the amazing community. I have never really had any friends in real life to discuss my love for books with, so it’s nice to finally be surrounded by other individuals who understand. I also think we’re a fairly clever bunch and I always love reading the various discussion posts that pop up around the blogosphere (which I collect each week in my Bookish Recap).

My least favorite part about blogging would probably be the amount of time and dedication it takes! It is definitely hard work to run a blog, especially if you feel the need to post most days of the week. I wish there was more time in a day. Sometimes it can be hard balancing real life and blog life.

Where did you come up with the name for your blog?

I actually wrote a post about this on my own blog, but to summarize (because I tend to ramble ><)… When I knew I wanted to start a blog I created a list of possible words that I thought would work for my blog, and then worked on combining them in different ways until I found one that I liked and wasn’t already taken (which is definitely easier said than done). I ended up choosing A Bookish Heart because I thought it fit me best. It tells the readers I’m a book lover, and that most of my life revolves around books.

Do you have any specific book bloggers that inspire you?

A million book bloggers inspire me in different ways! If I had to choose a couple that inspired me early on in my blogging career, I would say Radiant Shadows (which unfortunately is no longer running) and Christina Reads YA. Both always had a wide range of amazing posts, from detailed reviews to thought-provoking discussions to interesting link-love. As time goes on and more blogs start up, I find myself inspired again and again by the creativity of new blogs.

[Jessi] RADIANT SHADOWS IS GONE?! How did I not hear about this?!?! I loved Kelly’s blog :(

What do you look for in a blog when following? What are your pet peeves?

Discussion posts! Hands down, this is the number one way to get me to follow a blog. I absolutely love discussion posts because they are the most interactive, allow me to learn more about the blogger behind the blog, and find out what the current hot topics are in the blogosphere.

Pet peeves? Nothing too specific. There are small things like CAPTCHA, hard-to-read themes, and book promotion posts that sometimes drive me crazy, but I try to be open-minded about each blog. I hate when people say what bloggers should or should not do because blogs are very much a personal thing and it’s still possible to have an awesome blog by breaking all the rules.

What’s your favorite book(s)?

My favorite book that I’ve read so far in 2013 is definitely A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. If we’re talking about of all time, I would say This is All: The Pillowbook of Cordelia Kenn, The Book Thief, and of course the Harry Potter series! (Really though, these sort of things change all the time!)

Favorite author?

For the longest time it was Scott Westerfeld. I have read most of his books and I credit his Uglies series for getting me interested in Young Adult books. Now my favorite author is Patrick Ness. Each of his books take me on an emotional rollercoaster, and I love that he is not afraid to throw his readers into a sobbing fit.

What is the biggest turn off for you when you’re reading a book?

Hmmm… Vampires? There are things that cannot be annoying like insta-love and love triangles, but there are some books that include such things that I don’t mind. But for some reason, anytime overdone paranormal creatures like vampires or werewolves are written into books, I run in the opposite directions.

Oh, and romance. A little bit is okay, but I hate when I go into a book thinking it’s going to be about some great action or adventure and it ends up just being a romance story.

[Jessi] I hate that too! I don’t want some cheesy romance if I’m looking for a dystopian or something!

What first draws you to a book to make you want to read it?

The cover. I’m not ashamed to admit it. A pretty cover can go a long way.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Unique. Nerdy. Confident.

Name a random fact about yourself.

I do not belong in a kitchen. I’ve had to get five stitches in my thumb before after a horrible experience cutting apples. More recently, I ended up with a large scar on my left forearm from a mishap when pulling out a frozen pizza out of the oven. Cooking is not my area of expertise!

[Jessi] O_O

Do you have a job? If so, what do you do?

Nope! I am currently just a student, and am quite okay with that!

What did you want to be when you were little? Has that changed?

I have always wanted to be an elementary educator. I knew what grade I wanted to teach, what school I wanted to teach at, and have it all planned out. I even went through five years of undergraduate study to get my degree, but ended up dropping out ten weeks before graduation when I realized I absolutely hated it. Whoops!

Randomness 

 Cats or dogs? 
Easy!  Dogs all the way.  Cats are okay, but I absolutely love dogs and their overwhelming love they show their owners.  And litter boxes?  No thanks.

 Favorite animal? 
Giraffe.  I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved giraffes.  Maybe it relates to my favorite dinosaur being a diplodocus?  I love long-necked animals?  (Wait, no.  I don’t like ostriches.)

 White, dark, or milk chocolate? 
Any kind of chocolate is good, but my favorite has to be milk chocolate.  Mmmmm…

 Coke or Pepsi? 
Funny enough, I usually cannot differentiate between different types of pop.  I always choose Dr. Pepper, but whenever I’m with someone else and we don’t know which cup has which drink, I always have to rely on the other person to figure it out. 

 Favorite TV show? 
I don’t watch it anymore, but I’ve always enjoyed MTV’s The Challenge, America’s Next Top Model, Glee, Survivor, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, Face Off, etc.  (I told you I watch a lot of reality crap!)

 Movie? 
Usually anything with Johnny Depp in it!

 Color? 
Purple.

 

Thanks for being here today, Asti! It was great getting to know you! :)

 

Find Asti:

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

 

Jessi (Geo)

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10 responses to “Undersea Spotlight: Asti at A Bookish Heart

  1. Love this interview! :D I usually feel similarly when it comes to vampires and werewolves. There have been a couple exceptions, but for the most part I’m just not interested in those kinds of books at all.

    I’m also completely devastated that Radiant Shadows is gone. :( I loved her blog!

  2. Thank you so much for featuring me Jessi! I love your little comments. I definitely don’t think you can ever be too old to read YA. I know some ladies who are over 50+ that enjoy reading it, and there’s nothing wrong with that! I think sometimes it just comes with curious looks!

    And yes! I had just happened to check my Broken Links on my blog the other day and noticed all my links to Radiant Shadows were no longer active. I know she went on hiatus during the summer and when it was supposed to be over she still didn’t think she could fully commit. But the fact that her site is no longer popping up at all… Heartbreaking! I definitely miss her presence!

    Oh and yes… O.O to my kitchen fails. ><

  3. Yaaaay, great interview with Asti! I was also sad to realized that Radiant Shadows is gone. I know she said she was going to take a break or whatever, but I didn’t realize she was going to let her domain go and everything. What a bummer. :(

    I totally agree about vampires and werewolves. I was never very interested in them to begin with, and now they just seem to be everywhere. I’ll pass on just about every vampire/werewolf novel I come across.

  4. Great work with the interview, Jessi! I’m so glad to have learned all the little Asti facts and quirks. I realize that I’d definitely have to work harder if I want to make you read the VA series now, Asti. Let the persuasion begin. =P

    Also, isn’t America’s Next Top Model just awesome? I don’t watch it regularly but I find it to be a guilty pleasure of mine. Also, I had no idea that you’re a reality TV junkie, Asti. ;)

    It’s been sometime since I last checked Kelly’s blog and I’m sad that she decided to step down from blogging.

  5. What an awesome interview. I love A bookish heart and Asti is such a sweetheart :)

    Yes, it’s sometimes hard to balance your time between blogging and real life. But the community is so worth it :D And I don’t like overwhelming romance either. That can spoil a book for me. Such a shame that Radiant shadows is gone :(

  6. Stephanie H.

    Nice to meet you Asti!

    If you love giraffes you would love the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo just outside of Colorado Springs. They have a huge giraffe exhibit and you can even feed them (their tongues are so weird)! The zoo itself is awesome as it is built into a mountain.

    I don’t watch much reality tv, but when I do I’ll admit Project Runway and SYTYCD are two of my weaknesses and I’ve been known to have a ANTM marathon now and then. :)

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