RobAround’s Intro: I first became aware of Clare when she popped up on my blog one day, introducing herself and speaking of how she too was on a 50-Novel reading challenge like mine. In fact she admitted that she had already surpassed that total and was set to smash her yearly goal, which really made my day (not least because she told me this at the beginning of August…groan!! :o)). No, seriously I was impressed, and even more so after I’d visited her outstanding Blue Archipelago book blog (which incidentally has just been subjected to a great makeover this past weekend).

Clare is very much a reader personified and if I could sum her up in three words they would simply be - organised, focused and dedicated. If you need any motivation to read, or any indication that reading is good for you, then Clare is the person to look to. As such it gives me great pleasure in featuring her as this week’s Reader of the Week. Take it away Clare:

I live in sometimes-sunny Bristol with my husband Lee and our two cats Rosie and Charlie. Aside from reading my other passions include anything-Disney – if it didn’t mean moving so far away from my family I’d relocate as near to Walt Disney World as physically possible tomorrow! When I have time I like to test my creative side by digi-scrapping our holiday photos; all the fun of scrapbooking without any of the mess.I host a few websites where I hone my writing skills with posts and articles about my passions. Unfortunately spending time on such things is going to be difficult in the coming months as I’m supposed to be writing my Master’s thesis!

My love for reading began at an early age; I would hoover up books as fast as I could and my reading age was quite advanced. My memory has never been great so I can’t remember many childhood favourites, other than the Anne of Green Gables series which I am in the middle of re-reading – and still enjoying. In my early teens I moved onto the delights of Virgina Andrews and Danielle Steele – oh the memories! When I moved in with my husband I stopped reading so regularly, it seemed quite rude to have my nose buried in a book all of the time; though this year I’ve given up on that one – if he can lose himself in a game of football then I need something to keep me occupied right?

I challenged myself to read 50 books this year to try and reduce the ever-growing stack of To Be Read books, I think I’ve recently surpassed 70 and my desire to read has definitely been rekindled.

You can find out more about me and my hobbies at www.clareswindlehurst.com – which includes a link to Blue Archipelago; the place where I hang out and talk books.

1. Favourite Genre? My favourite genre currently is general fiction. I used to be a big fan of chick lit but I got bored of the obvious storylines. Thanks to the reading challenges I’ve taken part in this year, and the ARCs I’ve received from publishers I have started to push my comfort zone and have discovered some great books, especially in the YA genre.

2. Favourite Book? Crikey, that’s a difficult one. This year? Of all time? I think my favourite of all time is Anne of Green Gables. My favourite of this year is harder to pin down; I’ve really enjoyed Before I Die and A Thousand Splendid Suns and I loved Jodi Picoult’s Change of Heart.

3. Why do you love reading so much? I love to escape into someone else’s imagination. You can pick up a book and be someone else, somewhere else; it’s a great form of stress relief. It’s also a great way to learn about new cultures, experiences.

4. Favourite reading place? I’ll read anywhere but I think my favourite place is a train or a plane where I know I have an undisturbed period of time to really get engrossed in a book.

5. How BIG is your reading addiction? Ahem – my husband would say it is out of control, but I’ve met book bloggers who have bigger TBR mountains that I do! I have about 180 unread books on my shelf, and I’ll still pick up a new one when I spot something interesting. I think if you’re going to have any sort of addiction then reading is probably the safest one.

6. How do you normally add books to your collection? Until recently I just used to buy new books, mainly from the supermarket as they’re so cheap they practically give them away. This year I’ve received a few ARCs. I’ve also discovered Book Mooch which has allowed me to get rid of some old books I know I won’t read again and make room for some new ones just for the price of a stamp – brilliant.

7. How do you decide what to read? Since starting Blue Archipelago I’ve met a lot of book bloggers and my Amazon wishlist is added to daily – I’ve received some fabulous recommendations. I also keep an eye out for authors I’ve enjoyed previously. I find that the Richard & Judy Book Club selection is a great way to find new books too. When push comes to shove I’ll pick up a book if it has a good looking cover!

8. Ebooks - love or hate? I want to love I really do; I have an iPhone and the Stanza app is great for downloading classics. But while I don’t mind reading on my phone if I have a spare ten minutes here and there I can’t sit down and read it for a long period of time. It sounds strange but I like to know whereabouts I am within the book and be able to see ahead to when the next break is coming up.

9. Has reading inspired you to do any serious writing yourself? No, I’ll leave that to the experts, I’m pretty sure I don’t have a novel in me.

10. What single piece of advice (or tip) would you give to fellow readers? Join some reading challenges, they’ll introduce you to new books and really put you outside your comfort zone. You never know you may discover a great book or two.

Clare, it’s been a real pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to give us an insight into your reading life. Can I take the opportunity to wish you continued success with all of your blogs.