New BFF: Zooloo’s Book Diary

Hello there! It’s been a while since I had a new blog friend (since May actually) but my wonderful friend Zoé who lives near the White Cliffs of Dover and blogs at Zooloo’s Book Diary helped me out here and was so kind to answer my bookish questions. If you don’t know Zoé yet, you should really do something about that ;-). She’s listed as a Nominee for Best Book Blog 2019 in the Blogger Bash for a reason you know. You can also find her on Twitter under @zooloo2008 if you want to give her a follow there.

If you enjoy horror novels you might want to take a trip down memory lane with Zoé and her friend Steph in her tab NostalgiAAARGH series. In case you’re interested, her first pick is Slumber Party by Christopher Pike!

Zoé is a busy bee, she participates in several bookish challenges, does buddy reads and you can also follow her Positivity Wave posts on Friday!

There’s plenty more to discover but I’ll let Zoé tell you herself in this next round of questions and answers:

Name: Zoé-Lee O’Farrell (but just call me Zoé)

Me and mum going to footy

Age: 36

Birthday: April 1st (I fully expect jokes!)

What did you study or do you study now / what is your current job? I am currently an assistant finance manager for an arts charity. I have been here for 2 years as I relocated when we moved to Dover.

Do you have any other hobbies? When I am not reading, I love watching movies (a bit of a geek), gaming, sewing and I watch a LOT of sport! I have a season ticket for Watford football club as that is where I was born. And of course, spending time with my mini-me.

Your favourite color? Red is my power colour but blue is also my favourite.

Do you collect anything (besides books)?  Sewings! I have way too many to do and like books, I want more lol

What’s the name of the book that you’ve had the longest? Have you read it? I really can’t remember, I had a huge purge a few years ago, in which I got rid of most of my books for my Kindle (let’s not go there, not my choice). I have loads of books from when I was a teenager at my mum’s, and I brought one home recently to read to Alicia, The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy. So until I can think otherwise I am sticking with that! lol

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? Going to be unpopular but Bram Stoker Dracula! It took me 5 months to read it before I started blogging and my god, I was pulling teeth. I do not like to be defeated by a book. I was gutted as I remembered really liking it before.

Do you listen to audio books? Yes absolutely love them! Listen in the car on my drive to and from work and when I drive home. I have so many favourite narrators now, I love them as they can bring a book to life.

Do you have a favorite genre? Horror is my fav, but I do love a good thriller for sure and you have to have a bit of fluff to mix it up.

What is the book highest on your wishlist right now? I think because I am listening to the series now on Audible it has to be Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco. It is the last in the stalking Jack the ripper series – going to be a sad day.

Stalking Jack The Ripper Fandom Wiki page: Kerri Maniscalco was born in Newburgh, New York, United States, and grew up in a semi-haunted house outside New York City, where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula.

How is your library organized? At the moment, alphabetically by author surname. Bar my Flame Tree Press shelf which has one by itself.

Do you read more ebooks or physical books? I read a mixture of both, I have a lot more ebooks though.

Do you have a favorite book? Wow, that is a tough one to think. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe definitely and I have discovered so many amazing books lately. I think, mainly due to my fangirling, Jonathan Janz The Siren and the Spectre is up there. My list would not be complete without mentioning The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and the Witches by Ronald Dahl, they hold so many memories for me.

What’s the cover in your collection that you’re most proud of? Oh god, I don’t know I have so many book covers that I love! I am a book cover hoe, so I generally have to fall in love with cover first – eek sorry!

Do you have any idea how many books you own? <100, >100, >200, >300 …? I am in the 1000s with my ebooks, probably hundred ish with print copies.

What’s the title of the last book you purchased? I brought Doug Johnstone Faultlines and Breakers today and my last audiobook was The Murderer’s Son by Joy Ellis (because Rae and Eva told me to lol)

Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer.

Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes.

Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder.

But DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Fenland police soon discover that there is a lot more to Daniel than meets the eye. He has no memory of the first five years of his life and is obsessed with who his real mother is.

With no evidence to hold him, Jackman and Evans are forced to let him go, and in a matter of days the lonely Lincolnshire Fens become the stage for more killings and Daniel has disappeared.

In a breathtaking finale, the truth about Daniel’s mother comes to light and DI Jackman and DS Evans race against time to stop more lives being destroyed.

What was your favorite author when you were a child? Well, I was reading adult books when I was a teenager so it was Richard Laymon and Stephen King and all the point horror books (see the Nostalgiaaah feature mentioned above) which was various authors. Other than that, it was any horror book I could get my hand on.

From which author do you have most books? Depending on where I am looking !! I have Laurell Hamilton Meredith Gentry series, all the Harry Potters and I have about 7/8 Jonathan Janz books. On my kindle well……all James Patterson/Stephen King books’, Wilbur Smith,  Kathy Reichs, Patricia Cornwell and Karin Slaughter….it’s never-ending. I could go on and on but I won’t!

Are there books you’ve read 2 or 3 times? I don’t generally have the time, but because I have been reading books to my little lady, we have read Matilda and The Twits by Ronald Dahl and will start on the Harry Potter ones soon.

How many books are there on your Goodreads challenge this year and how many have you read already? I went for 120 this year and apparently I am on 106 so far……………

Can you spell your name with the first letters of titles in your book case?

Zero by Marc Elsberg
On my life by Angela Clarke
Electric Woman by Tessa Fontaine
Little Sibera by Antti Tuomainen
Elemental Claim by Miranda Grant
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeymen

In case you missed it, here are the 5 last BFF’s (Blog Friends Forever) I posted about. You can find the tab with links to these and the previous posts on my home page.

Chloé – Review by Chloe
Alex – Alexandra Wolfe
Kelly – FromBelgiumWithBookLove
Deborah – The Reading Chick
Jonetta – Blue Mood Café

I would really really love more friends in my BFF club so give me a shout if you want to be featured! I’m especially thinking of all newbie bloggers here who we don’t know very well yet!