Being A Book Blogger | Interview With Maria aka I Believe In Story

Being A Book Blogger | Interview With Maria aka I Believe In Story

• Thursday, 11 April 2013

Since interviewing a couple of booktubers I thought it would also be nice to feature some fellow book bloggers in a new series: Being a Book Blogger! Today I'm talking to Maria who writes a lovely blog named I Believe In Story - here's what she had to say...


BB: For those who aren't regular readers of 'I Believe In Story' could you tell us a little bit about the girl behind the blog?

Sure! My name is Maria and I am a literary agent intern. I also offer freelance copy editing and design services (mariavicente.com).

I Believe In Story is my literary/lifestyle blog. The blog features a variety of posts that are somehow inspired by the world of literature. I also have an Etsy store of the same name (etsy.com/shop/ibelieveinstory) with literary prints and vintage books.

I'm a proud Canadian, currently living in Ottawa. I'm addicted to coffee and spend most of my spare time searching thrift stores for vintage books, fairy tale collections, and unicorn figurines.

BB: Where does your passion for reading come from and how did you get into reviewing?

I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't passionate about reading. I'm an only child, so I've spent many hours at home alone with a book. English was always my favourite class in elementary and secondary school and I went on to study English literature in University. I also have a teaching degree. I've always been serious about sharing my love of reading with others.

Reviewing books comes naturally to me. I've always kept track of the books I've read (I'm one of those people who write in the margins) and it seemed like the right time to start sharing my thoughts online.

BB: I love reading your 'The Sunday News' posts where you share a variety of literary links each week, but what are your favourite posts to work on/write?

The Sunday News is fun because I get to collect the articles/videos/whatever throughout the week. I enjoy reading them just like everyone else! My literary fashion posts are really visual and fun to put together and it seems to be a well-liked series. I also love writing a review after reading a book that I truly loved.

BB: Which three underrated authors would you recommend for our readers to check out?
This is a really difficult question! I've chosen three at random and have also included a recommended book by each author.

1. Ivan E. Coyote (Loose End)
2. Tricia Dower (Stony River)
3. Erick Setiawan (Of Bees and Mist)

BB: What are your favourite reads of 2013 so far?

For books published this year: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is absolutely wonderful.

A couple other favourites that I've read in the past three months (but were published in previous years): A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway and The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.

BB: If you could be best friends with any fictional character who would you chose and why?

Elphaba! Always. Elphaba (from Gregory Maguire's Wicked) is a fictional character very important to me. I think she's incredibly complex and intelligent. She's also extremely loyal to the ones she loves.

BB: Lastly, which fellow book blogs would you recommend that our readers subscribe to?

I'm a big fan of My Pen, My Voice (mypenmyvoice.com). Vanessa has a great review style that makes you think about issues beyond the books she's talking about.

I also love The Book Chat, a weekly link-up hosted by Jessica at Sweet Green Tangerine (sweet-green-tangerine.blogspot.ca). It's a great way to find new blogs, discover new books, and talk about all things bookish.

You can find Maria's blog here & Goodreads page here

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd like to say a huge thank you from all of us here at BB to Maria for taking part in this interview.

If you are a booktuber or book blogger and would like to be featured in a similar post we'd love to hear from you - just email us at bloggersbookshelf@gmail.com for information!

Interview & post by Erin  
Book cover images from goodreads.com