Meet the Bookworm: Linda Tiliagren

I’ve sent a couple of bookish questions to some bloggers and bookstagrammers who have been crazy enough to fill them out. In this series you’ll get to read their answers, admire their favourite reads and share their favourite stories. If you want to join the series just drop a comment below!

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Name
Linda Tiliagren

Blog
Unconventional Bookworms

Twitter Handle
@mclexxie

Instagram Handle
@mclexxie

Goodreads

What sort of things do you like to read? Any favourite books?
I read anything fiction – with a slight preference for romance. My favorite 2019 read was Regretting You by Colleen Hoover.

Would you like to share any happy/funny reading related memories or stories?
Book conventions! They are truly the best. Not only do we get to meet authors we have read and admire – and in front of whom we can be blubbering messes! – but we meet SO many fellow readers. And that’s just amazing. Meeting up with people I have chatted with through my blog, on Twitter, or on Facebook is the best!

If you could write yourself into any story, which one would it be? Would you change anything about yourself or have any magical powers?
I’m gonna be corny and say that the story I’m living is good enough for me. I don’t think I would want to be in any of the stories I’ve read – partly also because in some of the more paranormal or dystopian worlds, I’d probably be the one to die in the beginning 😉

What got you interested in books? Any particular books or people?
I can’t remember a time when I haven’t been reading, except when my children were really small and I was sleep deprived, so I really don’t know. I know I had an aunt who always brought boxes of books to our summer vacations, though.

Do you enjoy writing as well as reading? What sort of things do you write? Do the novels you read inspire you?
Nope, no writing for me.

Was there ever a point where you found yourself reading less? Why? Do you have any tips for getting out of a reading slump?
I’ve had some times in my life where I’ve been reading less. When I had small children, and sometimes just because real life was so stressful I didn’t let myself wind down with a book.
I haven’t had a true reading slump per se, but I’ve had shorter periods when I didn’t feel like reading. Switching up genres helped me the most in that situation.

What made you decide to engage with other bookworms on the internet? Are your internet bookworm friends different to your real life bookworm friends?
This is a funny story. I read Twilight way back when because my daughter wanted to read it and I thought we’d have something to chat about. After I finished the last book I felt so empty. So I went to my friend google and asked her if she could help me find other Twilight fans who were ‘mature’. And google came through for me. I now have a group of seven friends – living in Europe and the US, and we chat every week still. I don’t have many people in my real life who are bookworms – the one I have here in Geneva, I met thanks to author KA Tucker!

Do you have any reading routines? What about blogging or bookstagramming routines?
I read any time I have a little break, my kindle is always with me. I have been slacking a lot with both blogging and bookstagramming these past six months, as I’m in my last year of finishing my degree, and also working, so life is busy. I felt like I needed to read more than I needed to blog or bookstagram.

Has your reading changed much over the last decade? Do you have a reading journey?
My reading has changed a lot! I used to read mostly women’s fiction and lighter romances. Now, I read in genres that I didn’t even know existed a decade ago. There are so many sub-genres in romance, and I love that. Plus, I’ve discovered so many fantastic authors that I would have never heard of if I hadn’t known about Goodreads, book blogs and bookish twitter.

Has interacting with bookworms online changed your reading at all? Do you think it’s for the better?
Yes, interacting with bookworms online is awesome! Even if there is sometimes drama in our community, it’s a tight-knit place to hang out. And I love seeing how we can read the same book and have completely different opinions about it. It’s all about perspective. And yeah, I think this has been great for me.

Have you ever found yourself in a novel? If you had to pick one character you really relate to, who would it be and why?
I think the main character in I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman spoke to me. Because she was so overwhelmed with real life for a while she just had to get away from everything to find herself, and to learn to breathe again. Thankfully, I didn’t feel like I needed to ‘be’ her, but her story touched me very deeply anyway.

What do you find most challenging about blogging and bookstagramming? Any 2020 reading/blogging/bookstagramming goals?
I find it hard to keep up to date with my reviews! And sometimes, it’s also difficult to find the time to visit all the fantastic blogs I love so much and leave them comments to cheer them up and let them know I read and loved their posts. My goal for 2020 is to be more present – after June when I won’t have Uni anymore.

Would you want to work in the wonderful world of books? Why/why not? Do you have a dream job in the book world?
I don’t think I would like to work in the wonderful world of books. I’m an English foreign language teacher in Switzerland, and I read novels with my students. So I kind of have the bookish part covered with that. I love it when my students share something that made them love or hate a book and they help me see things from a different perspective.

What advice would you give your younger self? Do you have any advice for budding bookworms out there?
I would tell my younger self to learn how to say ‘no’ earlier than I did. The world did not fall apart just because I said no to go out, do a favor for someone, or just in order to stay by myself and read…
Budding bookworms should not be afraid to interact with other bookworms online – 99% of us are truly awesome 😀

Is there anything else you’d like to share but doesn’t fit into any of these questions?
Not really – apart from the fact that I can’t wait to read everyone’s answers to this! Such a great way to get to know our fellow bookworms better. Thanks for having me!

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Thanks Linda for filling out the questions and joining my blog! It’s great the you can interact with your students about books and amazing that you still talk to your Twighlight friends! Anyone else have a community like that? United by one book? I joined a small online community of Skulduggery Pleasant fans when I was a kid but didn’t really stay in touch sadly.

Another bookworm will be featuring on my blog next Friday so stay tuned for that, and let me know in the comments if you want to get involved!