Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be a guest on Antonia Honeywell’s show #BooktimeBrunch on the Chiltern Voice Radio Station – we spent two fantastic hours chatting about all things blogger, bookish and Summer Reads.

I promised Antonia that I would write a blog post about my experience, but when I thought about telling you all about appearing on a radio station – let’s be honest- it ain’t going to go viral!

One thing that struck me, was that in just that two hours, what came to the fore in our discussions was the love we have for books and reading, and in turn, we talked about a LOT of people from all areas of the book world.

Antonia and I talked about bloggers, authors, publicists and people from the publishing world, all of whom share the same goal.  To make us talk about reading and books.

In the past few months, as a blogger probably right in the middle of things, I have been saddened by the negativity I have seen on social media.  There have been debates about how to write a blog, should you post negative reviews (Personally I don’t, thank u next!), tagging authors in negative reviews (Really?!), and whether bloggers are influenced by the pull of free books.

We are all united in the fact we love reading, and that we love books.  I am tired of negativity, and I don’t want to be part of it. We need to remember why we started doing what we do, and to have confidence in our opinions and also to treat people like we want to be treated. I read somewhere that you should only write a tweet with things you would be prepared to say to that person’s face, and I think that’s a fantastic attitude to have.

So, this post is a great big thank you to all these people who are fantastic at shouting about books, and supporting those of us who are trying to shout about them too!

Look them up, read what they do, follow them, read their blogs, and here’s to us all of us for sharing the book love!

The Books We Talked About

Something To Live for by @richardroper from @orionbooks – published 27 June

You Will Be Safe Here by @Damian_Barr from @BloomsburyBooks – out now

Leonard and Hungry Paul by @MumblinDeafRo from @Ofmooseandmen – out now

City of Girls by @GilbertLiz from @BloomsburyBooks

Confession with Blue Horses by @Sophiehardach from @HoZ_Books

This Brutal House by @niven_govinden from @dialoguebooks

The Heavens by @sannewman from @GrantaBooks

The Rapture by @ClaireMcGlasson from @FaberBooks

The First Time Lauren Pailing Died by @allyrudd_times from @HQstories

Riverflow by @AlisonLayland from @honno

In Her Wake by @MandaJJennings from @OrendaBooks

A Perfect Explanation by @ellieanstruther  from @salt

Dignity by @alysconran from @wnbooks

Worst Case Scenario by @FitzHelen from @OrendaBooks

 

Also, in case you didn’t know – and you really should, because she is far too modest to tell you,  Antonia has written The Ship which is published by @wnbooks  and she is on twitter as @antonia_writes

 

The Fabulous Book Loving Bloggers We Talked About

@BookishChat

Amanda is a truly brilliant blogger, who puts into words the posts I wish I could. She is  also so supportive of everyone around her, and posts the BEST Instagram stories which genuinely make me laugh out loud.

@thelitaddict_

Siobhain writes fantastic and thoughtful reviews, and if she is talking about a book, I know I am going to want to read it!

@corkyorky

Emma is one of those bloggers who writes effortlessly, and her posts always mean I end up adding more books to my Reading Pile..

@bookbound2019

Rachel writes blogs so well, and I often read them and wish I could have found those words! She is always spot on with her reviews and is pitch perfect in her blog posts.

@ShortBookScribe

Nicola has been such a kind and supportive blogger since the day I started. She is also a prolific blogger, whose love and passion for reading is plain for everyone to see.

@Sophie_Jo_Books

Sophie writes so eloquently and with such emotion and passion, her love of reading is infectious and she is always such a cheerleader for books and bloggers.

@SezzThomas

Sarah is not only a fabulous blogger, but she is also so kind and ready to help everyone else find their next read, that she is a pleasure to follow!

@annecater

Anne, and her Random Things Through My Letterbox Blog is an absolute gold standard for other Book Bloggers.

She is endlessly supportive of other Bloggers and it is wonderful to have her in our corner! Ann also writes Book Reviews for the Daily Express and is a powerhouse Blog Tour Organiser for authors & publishers.

@Frizbot

Naomi is a writer and interviewer, and her blog is a testament to the immense canon of writing by women.  A must read.

@EleanorFranzen

Eleanor not only works as a bookseller, but her lit crit blog is also a fantastic read and Antonia loves it and constantly recommends it, so you need to check it out!

@lonesomereader

Eric is a thoughtful and passionate blogger, who is so well known and respected in the blogging community. His reading always inspires me to try something different and step out of my comfort zone!

@Nicki_Mags

Nicki is a prolific reader who has been suggested by a number of people as one to follow, she loves to read a whole range of genres, and is an amazing advocate of reading and books!

The Amazingly Supportively Publishing People

Karen Sullivan is the founder of  @OrendaBooks  who is so supportive of her authors, but is also an amazing advocate of the blogging world. Her passion and enthusiasm shines through everything she does, and she was one of the first people in publishing who engaged with me and retweeted my review of @sarahstovell  and her novel Exqusite. Karen gave me the confidence to keep going.

Sam Missingham  – @samatlounge who is not only a major player in the Publishing Industry, but is also responsible for founding @lounge_books and constantly talking about books and authors.  Sam is an immense power in the publishing world who is tireless in her efforts to get people talking about books and publishing.

Virginia Woolstencroft  – @gigicroft  superstar, superhelpful publicist for W&N, Orion Spring, Seven Dials, Orion Fiction and Trapeze. Gigi’s love of books is evident in how approachable and supportive she is to bookbloggers, and she is a pleasure to talk to.

Janet Emson  – who has introduced me to Leonard And Hungry Paul, sent me a copy of Case Histories when I had lost mine, and is so kind and helpful in my search for new books – @JanetEmson

Rachel Wilkie  – @RLWilkie  from Bloomsbury Books has always been so friendly and approachable, and took a chance on me and my reviewing by sending me a copy of Damian’s book – I am really grateful to her for helping me out and supporting my blogging!

Thank you so much to Antonia for having me as a guest on her show #BooktimeBrunch on @ChilternVoice it was an absolute joy to be honest!  I am going to be going back in the Autumn and Christmas too, so if anyone wants to suggest some books Antonia and I should be talking about, please let me know!

This post is just the start of my mission to keep talking positively about books, reading and blogging and the people who love them too.

So, the only thing you need to answer is – are you ready to share the #Booklove too?