September's Reader Interview: Geeky Chiquitas, Part one

Welcome to Reader Interviews, a monthly feature here at Let Me Tell You a Story!

This month's readers are Beryl, Audrey and Kimi. Together, they run a blog called Geeky Chiquitas!

Welcome, ladies! Thanks for being here! :) Please share a quick bio about yourselves so we can get to know you better! 

Geeky Chiquitas is a blog owned by three teenagers from the Philippines, namely Kimi, Beryl and Audrey (who are actually cousins!). This is primarily a book blog, and occasionally a blog about lifestyle, food, DIY, TV, film, and all things random. 

What inspired you to start Geeky Chiquitas? 

The idea to create a blog came to mind during a carride - and the rest was history. At first, the blog was simply personal and for fun, but we decided we wanted to make it into something more. We started to revamp and promote the blog in December 2013, and officially opened on January 1, 2014.

Since "officially" starting to blog at the beginning of this year, have you learned anything about blogging that you'd like to share? 

A LOT really. We have learned how to write better. Writing reviews isn't also easy just as we thought before. It takes a lot of reflecting and analyzing. It's also really important to always write an honest review, so that readers would trust your opinions as well. It doesn't matter if the book is given to us for reviewing purposes. Honesty is the best policy. We also learned to appreciate the hard work of all the bloggers and authors out there. 

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community?

The best part is absolutely the people in the blogging community. Everyone's just so nice and enthusiastic. We have already made some friends since we officially started this year. 

Most readers have a specific book or series that they can pinpoint as what pulled them into their love of reading YA. Do you have one? If so, what was it? Tell us one thing that you appreciated about it.

Audrey and Beryl: Eleanor and Park is the book which lead both of us into reading YA. Audrey loved reading even before her love for YA started, but Beryl actually didn't, so for her, Eleanor and Park was the book that lead her into loving reading.

Kimi: I've loved reading ever since I was a kid, and I read anything I could gobble up. My love for YA came about though when I read Princess Diaries, and I fell in love with YA ever since!

The three of you write a lot of reviews. Would any of you like to share your methods for people who have been thinking about reviewing but are a bit intimidated about the entire process? 

Beryl: I don't actually do anything in particular, but before I write a review I basically tell Audrey the recap (who doesn't really listen) about what I love and dislike about the book and that really helps get my thoughts organized. 

Audrey: I write my first draft right after reading the book so that I am still able to communicate my emotions well. After that, I wait for maybe a day or a couple of hours to reflect on the book. When I'm sure about what I think of the book, thats when I fix my first draft. I just proofread and just edit a little bit then BAM! I'm done.

Kimi: My review process is actually a bit complicated and not the same for every book. Sometimes it's so easy for me to pinpoint what certain parts I liked and didn't like, but sometimes it takes some time for me to figure out what to write about a certain book. I'm always speechless when it comes to beautiful books, and what I usually do when that happens is I read the book again until I finally am able to write about it. 

Most recent book that made you laugh:

Beryl: I haven't been reading any books recently that is for reviewing since school started everything's been so hectic. School is VERY time consuming which really sucks, but I would say that the most recent book that made me laugh is Summer in the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell. I wrote a review about it, if you maybe want to check it out. :) 

Audrey: Umm, Confessions of a Shopaholic. I have only started reading this but already, I find that it is quite hilarious. I can totally relate. Haha, when I like something, I'm always like, "oh I NEED this!!!" even though I really don't. Like not even remotely need it. 

Kimi: Made me laugh? Well, I've mostly been reading sad books lately but I recently reread Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and it was so cute and funny!

Most recent book that made you cry:

Beryl: This is very embarrassing to admit but I don't remember crying in any particular book. Maybe I should read more, cause I'm definitely missing out on something. Haha.

Audrey: I don't cry. I don't have emotions. I am a robot programmed never to feel sorrow. But, seriously, I have never found a book that has made me cry. I'm sticking with the robot story if anyone asks why. Oh my God, that rhymed!

Kimi: I love crying after or while reading a book! I don't really cry easily but when it comes to a really good book, my tears just easily flow out. The most recent tearjerker I've read is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

Click HERE for the second half of Geeky Chiquita's reader interview. :)