New BFF: Umut Reviews

Hi, I hope you’re having a wonderful day! I’m quite excited because it’s time to present a  a new blog friend, yay! This month I have Umut stopping by on the blog. Let me tell you, at some point this year my lovely friend stumbled upon my little blog and I’m so happy she did. Even though she loves historical reads, she’s read so many novels that are on my wishlist too. She loves booktube so if you want to explore and need help she’ll be able to answer all your questions about who to follow, and she has her own youtube channel too where she creates the most amazing bookmarks (and other things)! Oh and finally, she also has the most adorable cat called Boncuk. I’d love to give her a cuddle 😍 (the cat obvs 😊).

So pop on over to her wonderful blog Umut Reviews if you don’t know her and show her a little love yeah? OK let’s move on to our *ahum* in depth interview!

Name: Umut Rados

[syll. u-mut, um-ut] The baby girl name Umut is also used as a boy name. It is pronounced AHMAHT. Umut’s language of origin is Turkish and it is also predominantly used in Turkish. The meaning of Umut is ‘hope’.

Age: 37

Birthday: 27 July

What did you study or do you study now / what is your current job?
I’m a Marketing Director. I studied Economics and Business Administration at university.

Do you have any other hobbies?
Yes. I’m a mixed media artist at the same time. I have a YouTube Channel, where I do video tutorials 🙂 Here is the link if you want:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ABzemQp8p9ydPEOwIX7YQ?view_as=subscriber

Your favourite color? Blue

Do you collect anything (besides books)? Art supplies, colouring books, I’m a hoarder of acrylic paints.

     

What’s the name of the book that you’ve had the longest? Have you read it? 
The oldest book I’ve had is a book by Edmondo De Amicis. I couldn’t find the book in English, but it’s called ’The Heart of a Child’. I read it when I was very little, and I still remember it was very good.

Have you ever regretted a book you purchased? A book that sounded so promising but you wished you’d have spent your money on another book after reading it?
LOL! There are lots of them. I guess I should tell the most popular ones to have fun. Last purchase I regretted massively was Vicious by V.E. Schwab with that beautiful new UK hard cover. I am so disappointed, but it happens all the time 🙂

Do you listen to audio books?

Yes, a lot. When I’m creating art, there’s always a book open, so I can do both my hobbies 😉 Also, I would recommend everyone a shower mic, I even listen to books in shower now, lol!

Do you have a favorite genre?
Historical fiction by far. I love traveling to different time zones and places with books. I also love learning historical facts in a fiction format, makes it so much more fun than a history book.

What is the book highest on your wishlist right now?
I can’t wait for 2 books to come out: Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers and Lucinda Riley’s Moon Sister (which is the 5th book in a 7 book historical fiction series).

The Moon Sister is the fifth epic story in the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley.

After the death of her father – Pa Salt, an elusive billionaire who adopted his six daughters from around the globe – Tiggy D’Aplièse , trusting her instincts, moves to the remote wilds of Scotland. There she takes a job doing what she loves; caring for animals on the vast and isolated Kinnaird estate, employed by the enigmatic and troubled Laird, Charlie Kinnaird.

Her decision alters her future irrevocably when Chilly, an ancient gipsy who has lived for years on the estate, tells her that not only does she possess a sixth sense, passed down from her ancestors, but it was foretold long ago that he would be the one to send her back home to Granada in Spain …
In the shadow of the magnificent Alhambra, Tiggy discovers her connection to the fabled gypsy community of Sacromonte, who were forced to flee their homes during the civil war, and to ‘La Candela’ the greatest flamenco dancer of her generation.

From the Scottish Highlands and Spain, to South America and New York, Tiggy follows the trail back to her own exotic but complex past. And under the watchful eye of a gifted gypsy bruja she begins to embrace her own talent for healing.

But when fate takes a hand, Tiggy must decide whether to stay with her new-found family or return to Kinnaird, and Charlie . . .

How is your library organized?
By color and by genre when I can. Otherwise, the rule is just to fit it where there’s a bit of place 🙂

Do you read more ebooks or physical books?
I love holding a hardcover book in my hands when I’m at home. But, at nights I find it easier to read a Kindle with its light. I also carry it around with me on commute.

Do you have a favorite book?
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I can’t forget about it.

What’s the cover in your collection that you’re most proud of?
Rebecca by Daphe Du Maurier. It’s a Folio Society edition that I adore. I also attached a picture.

Do you have any idea how many books you own? <100, >100, >200, >300 …?
I have an app called My Library to keep track of my books and my reading. Would recommend everyone. It says I have around 1300 books! My husband is a rare book collector too, so it’s all together. And I think I have about 300 books on my Kindle.

What’s the title of the last book you purchased?
Snap. It’s one of the Man Booker long listers.

What was your favorite author when you were a child?
Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos. I read many books of him when I was a child.

José Mauro de Vasconcelos (1920-84) was a Brazilian writer who worked as a sparring partner for boxers, a labourer on a banana farm, and a fisherman before he started writing at the age of 22. He is most famous for his autobiographical novel My Sweet Orange Tree, which tells the story of his own childhood in Rio de Janeiro.

From which author do you have most books?
I’m not very much of an author collector, but probably it will be classics authors as I would have them in my collection. It will be Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Are there books you’ve read 2 or 3 times?
I used to read my favourite books more than once when I was younger, but now I’m not a fan of re-reads. I always think there are so many books I didn’t read that I don’t want to lose time with one I read.

How many books are there on your Goodreads challenge this year and how many have you read already?
I keep increasing my challenge as it seems like I’m reading more than I anticipated. I have read 115 books this year and have reached my already updated goal of 100 books.

Can you spell your name with the first letters of titles in your book case?
It was difficult for my first name as it’s Umut, and there are not many books starting with U. So, I’m doing my surname Rados:

Roses by Leila Meacham
(The) Awkward Age by Francesca Segal
Dracula by Bram Stoker
(The) Overstory by Richard Powers
Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg Jephcott

In case you missed it, here are a few of the BFF’s (Blog Friends Forever) I posted about before :

Liis – Cover to Cover
Danielle – Books, Vertigo and Tea
Betty – Bookish Regards
Anais – Zeezee with Books
Nicki – Secret Library
Donna – Chocolatenwaffles’ Blog
Chitra – Books & Strips
Annie – The Misstery
Dee – Novel Deelights
Tina – Reading Between the Pages
Delphine – Delphine’s Babble on Some Good Reads
Lisa – Rambling Lisa’s Book Reviews
Diana – A Haven for Book Lovers
Norrie – Reading Under The Blankie
Lynne – Fictionophile
Lorna – On The Shelf Reviews
Vera – Unfiltered Tales
Kelly – Another Book In The Wall
Zoë – What’s Better Than Books

I don’t want my BFF club to be complete just yet! There’s still room for plenty more so give me a shout if you want to be added!