Book Blogger Interview #19: Tarie of Into The Wardrobe

Introducing you to blogs that readers, writers and reviewers of YA fiction (and often, many other genres as well) will love. I’ve got quite a few interviews that very kind bloggers have taken the time to fill in, talking about their inspirations, favourite books and more. Our nineteenth book blogger is Tarie of the wonderful Into The Wardrobe, book blogging from the Philippines...

Name: Tarie
Age: 26
Blog(s): Into the Wardrobe

1. What inspired you to start a young adult book review blog? Tell us about your blog.


When I started my blog in 2005, I would just write about how my days went. I have always been a book lover and I was reading a lot of children's and young adult novels. My blog posts became more and more about the books I was reading because I spent a lot of time reading every day.


I started reviewing the books I was reading to help me process my thoughts and feelings on them. I can't “let go” of a book until I have blogged about it. I need to reflect on a book through writing about it before I can start reading another book!

Now, Into the Wardrobe is a blog dedicated to children's and young adult literature. :D

2. Who are your favourite authors?


My favorite YA author is Paula Yoo. I think that her novel Good Enough truly captured the academic pressures of senior year in high school. Plus, Paula is so cool, impressively multi talented (for example she is also a professional violinist), and really friendly!

3. You can choose five books to take with you to a desert island, which also conveniently has wireless Internet so you can post reviews about them, plus unlimited chocolate supply. Which books are they?


I'll go with with favorite books: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (I'm going to cheat and bring an edition that has all the books in one), The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (yes, I am going to cheat again), Possession by A.S. Byatt, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I can read those books over and over again and never get tired of them.

4. What is it you love most about reading, and when did you discover a passion for it?


Oh wow. I really love getting lost in a story/in the lives of characters/in a different world. And I love that I can learn SO MUCH from reading novels.


When I was in the third grade, my mom bought me Welcome to Junior High, the first book in the Girl Talk series by L.E. Blair. I was fascinated and greatly entertained by the lives of the main characters (a group of friends in junior high school). My mom had also bought me The Secret Garden. I read The Secret Garden after reading Welcome to Junior High and loved it too. Those two books got me hooked on reading for life!

5. If you were in a novel (any one you’ve read), who would you be?


I would love to be Lucy Pevensie, my favorite character in my favorite book/s, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. She's a lovable character, was part of a wonderful family, had great friends, and had so many adventures!

6. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? (Or today? Don’t worry; we won’t call the men in white coats on you.)


I've never had an imaginary friend, but I ALWAYS fantasize about being part of the worlds in the novels I read. ;o)


7. Who is your favourite fictional character?


Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. :o)

8. Complete this sentence: When I’m not reading I’m…

Feeling guilty about not reading. :o( I feel like I don't read enough. :o(


Thank you, Tarie!
(Do you blog on reading, writing or anything bookish with a young adult slant? I’d love to interview you here! Just email me at stephbowe@ymail.com with Book Blogger in the subject line so I know you’re not a spammer. That bit is especially important if you have a suspicious name like Issar Ahmed or Osama Bin Laden).