Armchair BEA: Introductions First

This post is part of my week-long participation in Armchair BEA 2012.

Introductions First

Hi everyone! This is my second year of doing Armchair BEA, and I'm very excited about it! Last year I had a lot of fun visiting all kind of new-to-me blogs, and I'm sure that this year will be just as great.

That being said, here are my answers to the questions:

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

Hi everyone! I'm Ashley and I'm a 25 year old YA book blogger from Ontario, Canada. I have a degree in Library and Information Science, but as the job market has not been very friendly to me I'm currently working as a receptionist/admin assistant at a non-profit organization that works with both youth at risk and developmentally challenged youth and adults.

I've been blogging on Book Labyrinth since August of 2010 and writing reviews on Goodreads since January of 2010. I started Book Labyrinth because I wanted a place where I could have bookish discussions with other people who enjoyed the same books as I did. What has kept me blogging is that connection with other book bloggers, because let's face it: no one else understands our book obsessions the way other bloggers do.

2. Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

I'm going to cheat and mention a few. You should check out my Word on the Street Toronto Recap & my recap of the Rochester Teen Book Festival because they were both amazing events, and the posts show how much fun going to book events can be.

I'm also really proud of my post A Book I'm Thankful For, because even though the post was written as part of a contest the content comes from the heart, talking about my absolute favourite book ever, Jellicoe Road.

3. What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

Can I say Hogwarts? That's so cliche, but like everyone else on the planet I would have *loved* to attend Hogwarts. I'm going to Universal Orlando in September, so I'm hoping that will help with my Potter obsession.

Besides that I'd love to experience the Seven Realms from Cinda Williams Chima's books, Colby from Sarah Dessen's books, and probably a ton of other places.

However, I've actually been to one "real life" book location. I visited the World of Beatrix Potter museum in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria (England), and I spent a lot of time in the Lake District where her Peter Rabbit books are set. Gorgeous!

4. What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?

I think my favourite part of the book blogging community is what I mentioned above. I love knowing other readers who have the same tastes as me, and whose recommendations I can trust. I love how other book bloggers understand how obsessive I can get about books. I also love the connections that can develop outside of book related subjects.

What I'd most like to see change is less drama, which... I know is pretty much an impossible wish, but hey, I like being a dreamer.

5. Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

I actually feel like they have changed a lot. Prior to blogging I read contemporary YA almost exclusively. I also read a lot of those rom com type of books... like the more cheesy ones. Now I will read a lot more serious and/or sad books that I wouldn't have before. I also read a lot more genres. I was always interested in dystopian/science fiction type movies, but I hadn't read a lot of books of that genre. I also started reading paranormal YA, which I had a lot of notions about because of some poorly written books that I had read. Paranormal still isn't my favourite, but I do have some favourites in that genre now. I'm also far more likely to quit reading a book if I don't like it, where as before I always tried to stick it out. Now I feel like there are too many awesome books out there to suffer through one I'm not enjoying.

I had a lot of fun answering those questions, and I can't wait to see what everyone else has to say. Thanks for stopping by Book Labyrinth!