Meet Book Blogger Julia Wilson of Christian Bookaholic!

Debra says- 
I didn't know a lot about Julia before this interview because I've just begun to follow her blog this past year.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
 

Thanks for joining me, Julia! How long have you been reviewing and how did you decide on the theme for your blog?

Julia says- 
I have been reviewing for... forever! I used to just do a quick few lines but over the years my reviews have changed. My love of reading has always been there as my Nanny used to read books to me when I was little.

My blog came about because I wanted to share my reviews. My son Michael set up my blog for me, because he is good at ICT and I am not. I chose my theme because I like pink and I think it looks pretty.

Julia  in Llandudno. With that Spelling, it had to be Wales!

D-What’s the best part of being a reviewer?

J-I get to read fabulous books and share them with the world. I believe that if we read a great book, we should publicise it. If we don't pass the word on, how will others know?

I get a lot of my books via Net Galley and also from the Book Gobbler but I also buy loads of books. I cannot help myself! Someone recommends a book and I have to get it! If it's part of a series, I buy the set!

D-Book Gobbler is new to me. Should we share that or is it a dangerous slope for other bookaholics?

What’s the most difficult part of the ‘the job’?

J-Remembering who needs what read and when! Thank goodness for my Net Galley shelf and also being able to schedule on my blog. Plus I use a calendar and a notebook!

D-What was the last book you read that you couldn’t put down?

J-The Key Of All Unknown by K.A. Hitchins. I read it in one sitting 2 days ago. By the time this interview goes out, there will probably be more books added to the list.

I am always tied between wanting to read on and finish a book and not wanting it to end! The read on and find out what happens next usually wins out!

(Okay so Deb had to grab the blurb for this book --so compelling!)

Brilliant scientific researcher Tilda Moss wakes up in hospital unable to speak or move and with no recollection of what happened to her. Determined to find answers and prove she is not in a persistent vegetative state, she travels back through her fractured memories looking for clues. Could someone really have tried to kill her? An indulged younger brother, an obsessive flatmate, jealous colleagues and a missing lover. Everyone has a motive. On the edge of death, and questioning the value of her life, Tilda's only hope is to unlock the key of all unknown

D-That sounds like the kind of book I'd want to start when I had two days of reading ahead of me!

What keeps you busy or entertained (beyond reading and reviewing!)

J-Doing the school run morning and night. Seriously though, I love knitting and tend to do that in an evening while watching the TV. I used to love walking far and fast but having M.E and fibromyalgia has stopped all that. I now do aqua aerobics twice a week for 45 minutes. I also learnt to swim last year and so I swim for about an hour before my aqua classes.

D-Ahh... the school run! Knitting is a great evening craft as long as you're not trying to follow a difficult pattern during a tense episode! It's great you've been able to add water aerobics and swimming in place of some other activities. Kudos for you! I mean, putting on a suit and taking it off when it's wet is an aerobic challenge in itself!

Julia and her Dad! (Makes me miss mine a lot!)

D-My newest question for guest bloggers--I've made Julia go first--is...What historical figure would you most like to Text with?

J-Corrie ten Boom. I think she is an amazing woman of faith. So brave. So obedient. So inspiring. I wish I could have met her. She is my heroine.

D-She is such an inspiration. Incredible strength and perseverance and then kindness after what might have made most of us bitter!  What a great choice!

What is your fiction favorite…setting? Place and time? Genre’?

J-Ooh I love fiction set in WWII in Europe. I do like my fiction to be set from 1850 onwards. I read a wide variety of Christian and mass market. The only genre I do not read is fantasy, sci fi etc, other than that I am flexible.

Outside the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth

D-Okay so we're just a bit jealous of that photo, but how amazing it must be to travel those footsteps!

The WWl and WWll era have really boomed in popularity! We can thank Downton Abbey for some of that, but there's so many fascinating true stories that come out of those difficult decades.

If you had a rainy afternoon alone to watch a movie what would it be? And what meal would you have delivered if that afternoon included a quiet evening as well? I’m paying with my virtual bank account!

J-I would watch Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier. It's one of my favourites. When I was pregnant with Michael, I watched it at least once a week, every week. I just think that it is such a powerful film about a love that never dies. I would also watch White Christmas with Bing Crosby as that is my favourite feel good film.

D-That particular Wuthering Heights production was my mother's favorite!  I have to agree with White Christmas. It's my go-to holiday film and the songs are so fantastic. Such a great era. I think it fed my desire to travel by train (Which is not so common here in the states--a treat for many of us!)

J-Food... mmnn that's a difficult one. I think I would forgo a main meal and just want a big piece of apple pie with homemade custard. I take after my Dad and am an old fashioned pudding person!

D-Ahh, Custard! A staple in my house growing up. My grandmother was an expert. I guess it's 'genetic', and I've rarely found any that half as good as hers!

Just give me a spoon!

If you could wiggle your nose and be in your dream career, what would it be? Or are you already living it?

J-I am so blessed to be living my dream. As a child I always wanted to be a Mummy with a husband, 4 children and lots of cats. I have been so blessed to be married and have 4 children and  5 cats. My dream is to own an old fashioned Seal point Siamese but not while we have our present cats.

Julia with her parents and brothers!

D- My first Siamese was a seal point and I've had flame point and lilac points since then. Now I have what I'd consider a Himalayan mix. Her coloring is all seal-point, except, she's not long and skinny and doesn't have the short hair of a Siamese. She's a 'used cat' that I acquired on line and only saw her face! I'm not allergic to Siamese and they do grow on you with particular temperaments!

What piece of advice would you offer authors who are just starting out?

J-Remember to 'show' us the scene you see in your head. I have read some books that are mainly dialogue and that drives me nuts as I cannot 'see' the action.
(Deb scrambles through her W.I.P.  I'll be right back!)

D-Same for new reviewers--

J-Be kind. Every book is someone's baby.

Llandudno's Cheshire Cat

Thank you Julia! I've really enjoying learning more about! 

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