Book Blogging Around The World (31) : Sydney, Australia

Sydney Sweet Sydney
I love your red roofs
And I’m spending all my money
in your telephone booths
So many people so many types
So much truth and so much hype
The Skyhooks

Name : Saskia
Blog : Tea Mouse

City / Country : Sydney, Australia

Welcome Saskia!

Tell us a little bit about you.

I’m Saskia, I’m 17 and in my final year of high school (ahh, scary!). I’ve loved books since I can remember – reading them, writing them, buying them, it’s all good! I really love blogging about the awesome (and sometimes not so) books that I find and am always in need of more money to buy books! I’d love to get into the writing industry someday – whether that be in journalism, editing and publishing or even being an author! That is, if I ever get away from my books and finish school!

Tell us a little bit about your blog.

Tea Mouse was started in October 2009, and I run it with one of my best friends (we go to school together) Roz. We had been blogging quite a bit before that, and Tea Mouse wasn’t a book blog originally, but then we got the idea that we wanted to release all the bookish energy and a blog was the perfect place to do just that! We mainly review young adult, paranormal, fantasy; but occasionally there is a bit of adult and children’s lit in there.

Have you ever lived anywhere else in the world?

Nope! I’ve never even moved houses!

Sydney City

What countries have you visited?
I’ve been to New Zealand and New Caledonia, but I’m going to Canada and the US at the end of this year.

What countries would you like to visit?
Oh, everywhere! But I’d love to go to Europe and trapse around to all the historical places. I’m a bit of a history buff. I guess I’d love to see Egypt as well, and maybe throw in Japan because it’s something different.

A tiny beach in Sydney (it was a rainy day)

According to you, what are the positive and negative aspects of being a book blogger in Australia?
I guess one of the fantastic things about blogging, and the internet in general, is that it’s virtually universal. There aren’t as many barriers, so even though I live so far away from people who are blogging in say, England, I can still connect with them! There are so many amazing people out there that I’ve met through blogging, and they really make it worthwhile.
But there’s a bad side too. So many aspects of the book blogging world are geared towards readers in the USA. Giveaways are often for members of the US only (and I’m not blaming bloggers for this – shipping is expensive! Heck, I can’t even host giveaways at the moment) and release dates are so different for Australians. That can be frustrating.

What Australian authors and books would you recommend?

If you haven’t read John Marsden’s ‘Tomorrow’ series, I’d suggest you run out and buy the first book (Tomorrow, When The War Began) now! They’re fantastic because they’re set in Australia, but they’re so action packed and well written that it’s easy to lose yourself in the descriptions and the action no matter where you are.
Melina Marchetta  is also a great Aussie author, and though I’ve only read two of her books, if you haven’t tried On The Jellicoe Road then you really have to! It’s so beautiful and amazing – and this is coming from someone who really doesn’t read contemporary literature!

How many languages do you speak?

Well, I speak English (clearly) and as through school I do beginner’s French. So I only speak a little, for now!

Where do you usually buy your books?

Usually our local bookshops, Angus & Robertson, Borders, Dymocks. Sometimes I visit the occasional indie bookshop, but we don’t have that many where I live. I’ve used Amazon once or twice, but that requires Mum’s credit card so it’s easier to just go to a bookshop.I’ve actually found that books are cheapest at our department stores (like Big W; I used to work there). So they’re always a haunt of mine.

an image of Angus and Robertson bookstore (not my picture)

Is getting your hands on foreign books tricky or easy (not mentioning online stores)?

We don’t really stock non-english books in the main bookstores, unless you go to a specialty one like Kinokuniya (in Sydney CBD). If we’re English talking books from other countries, like the US, it can be really frustrating. Sometimes books are released here at the same time as the US, but other times we have to wait ages to get them. It can be really frustrating, and there are some books that I have heard about (and am dying for) that have been out in the US for years, and there is no sign of them here. So that can be pretty tricky without using online stores.

Every country has its clichés. What cliché about Australia do you consider disproportionate?
We don’t ride Kangaroos. Ever. If you tried to ride a Kangaroo, it would rip you to shreds. Trust me, I have been attacked by one and they are way stronger than you think they are.
Oh, and once I was asked by someone if ‘because I was in an earlier time zone, could I tell the future?’ Um...no.

Cronulla Beach (on another rainy day)

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas?
Well, actually I’ll be over in Las Vegas for Christmas this year! So while it won’t be white (I don’t think...) it will be colder than I’m used to. In Australia, we get upwards of 40°C (that’s 104°F) over our Christmas. Then again, I hate the cold, so no dreaming for me!

Quick Q&A:

Favourite thing about living in Australia: Beaches, the HEAT, the smell of bushfires (even though they are bad).
Least favourite thing about living in Australia: It’s so far away from everything else! And books are so expensive!
Favourite typically Australian food: Do we even have typical food? It’s really multicultural here...so I guess I’ll have to go with ‘snags’ (sausages...no one I know actually calls them snags btw.)
Favourite place in Sydney: The city/The Rocks. It’s so historical, and beautiful (and sometimes gross) at the same time. There is great shopping, and you find something new every time. The atmosphere is just fantastic.
Favourite bookshop: Borders, even though it’s insanely expensive, it’s the biggest we’ve got and I just can’t go past being surrounded by that many books.

Favourite Australian author: Definitely John Marsden.
Favourite Australian singer/band: Oh, um... Paul Kelly! Strange, but cool. :)

Favourite kind of book to read while travelling: There are too many! Whatever I have in my bag at the time, I guess. I don’t really re-read books, so there isn’t just one pick!
Plane or train: Plane! I hate trains. They have that particular smell and they’re always late.

Boat or bus: : Bus. My favourite form of transport.

Bike or feet: Feet, all the way.
I would never say G’day in Sydney. (My Dad does it sometimes, but I think it’s weird.)
If I were a kangaroo, I would probably rip you to shreds if you try and hug me or box with me.

Thank you Saskia! It was a pleasure having you up on the hill!

Next week we'll be traveling to India!

 
If you'd like to be featured, this post is for you.