Blogger Interview with Kaitlyn’s Cozy Reading Corner

Hi, everyone! My name is Kait, and I use she/her/hers pronouns, for now. I’m currently going to graduate school to become a counselor, so, ya know, I’m super busy, lol. I’m also, like, super queer (panromantic asexual, to be exact), so if you’re also a queer book blogger, let’s talk! My blog is…currently on hiatus because I sort of burnt out (again). I’m just taking this time to catch up on ARCs/review copies without worrying about keeping up on anything else. Regularly, my blog is just a hodgepodge of different things. I don’t really have a theme in terms of what books to review (YA only, fantasy only, etc.), and as a result there’s a bit of everything. On top of that, I also like to talk about my non-bookish hobbies sometimes, so you can find that, too!

Since March 2018, I believe? It was actually a spur of the moment thing, where I wanted an online space where I could yell about my favorite books or review the ones I just finished, and that’s how Kaitlyn’s Cozy Reading Corner was born. Also? Loving that sweet, sweet validation of seeing the growing amount of views (outside of hiatus times, lol) that I’ve been having for the past year and a half.

So I’m reading two books: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michele Alexander, and One by One by D.W. Gillespie. I’m reading The New Jim Crow by audiobook, and I’ve been really enjoying it so far. I’m into social justice and social science, so it’s right up my alley. One by One is an ARC I received through NetGalley (…we’ll ignore the fact I got it back in June), and it’s one of those spooky thrillers. I’m also liking it a lot! I’m hoping to be done with both by the end of the week.

Lmao, basically everything I’m doing now because I’m on hiatus. I like to watch Twitch streams and YouTube videos, listen to music, and I’ve been trying to get back into writing recently. I also enjoy spending time with my boyfriend! And, ya know, working and going to class.

Hoo boy… Want a character-driven fantasy novel? Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. Want a book exploring grief from the death of a loved one, as well as one’s own identity? Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman. Wanna learn more about people’s experiences with campus sexual assault? We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out by Annie E. Clark and Andrea L. Pino. Just want a goofy superhero book about a girl who is totally crushing on another girl in her class? Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee. I think readers can learn bits and pieces from all of these!

Find what works for you! You might think that posting five times a week is a great idea to start with (looking at you, past me), but that could easily lead to burn-out if you aren’t careful with it. Some people find that it works, while others are happy with just once a week, or twice a month. Whatever works is great, as long as you have fun with it! Also, speaking from experience? Taking a hiatus (or even more than one) is completely fine. Sometimes you need a break, and that isn’t a bad thing!

Back when I first started my blog, I told a few of the members of the LGBTQ+ student organization I was in during my undergrad that I ran a blog. It was just an icebreaker question, I figured everyone just forgot about it. But later in the semester, someone brought up queer literature, and another member mentioned that I ran a book blog, and that I’d have some good recommendations. I was actually really happy that people remembered something like that! It was super sweet.

LMAO, THAT’S A GOOD ONE. Okay, serious answer: I’m not that good at time management. It’s so hard for me, lol. But when my blog is actually running, I try to just set aside time once a day or every couple days to work on one post at a time. When I’m done drafting a post, I usually stop until the next day, and then I start again. It helps break it all down into manageable chunks. When I get back to it, I think I’m just going to post twice a week, three times maximum. I found that part of the reason I kept burning out was because I would always try to keep a schedule of 4-5 posts a week when that clearly wasn’t sustainable for me. So now I’ll be restricting myself to a smaller number.

I have this really nifty list on books with asexual and/or aromantic characters that I wrote for Valentine’s Day this year! I took so much time looking for books for this post, and I put in a lot of effort to get a variety. The whole process was actually a ton of fun, and I got to add a bunch of books to my TBR, lol.

If everything else went to plan and I didn’t get burnt out on everything else? Yes, it helps a lot! It’s also just relaxing and fun to share other parts of me beyond the bookish portion.

I don’t really do much now in terms of Halloween, sadly. But I’m bound and determined to watch Hocus Pocus sometime this month!

• Paperbacks or hardcovers?
  • Paperbacks
• Preordering or rereading?
  • Re-reading
• Read every word or sometimes skim?
  • Sometimes skim
• Multiple books at a time or one at a time?
  • Multiple
• Absolute silence or background music?
  • Absolute silence
• US or UK covers?
  • US (…I don’t really look out for UK covers, living in the US, lol)

Does my eventual return count? If so, then that!

Make sure you follow Kait on her social media and her blog and show her some love! And thanks again to Kait for agreeing to do this interview with me, it was a lot of fun!

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2 Comments on “Blogger Interview with Kaitlyn’s Cozy Reading Corner”

1. Great interview! I shall definitely take a look at Kait’s list of asexual/aromantic rep reads. She is also very relatable about how regularly we should post.

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   • She’s really great! All of her posts are really relatable 😊

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