Book blogger spotlight: Happy Indulgence
Happy Indulgence is run by three YA book bloggers specialising in contemporary, historical, sci-fi and fantasy titles. The site reaches an audience of over 10,000 followers in the US, Australia and overseas. Blogger Jeann Wong spoke to Books+Publishing for our new ‘Book blogger spotlight’ series.
Describe your blog in under 50 words.
Happy Indulgence is a young adult book blog featuring book reviews, discussions, hauls and lots of bookish excitement! We have a large focus on sharing #LoveOzYA reads with the world, as two of our reviewers [Jeann and Jenna] are Australia-based.
What makes your blog unique?
At Happy Indulgence, we have three different bloggers who contribute to the blog, each with different tastes and opinions. My co-blogger Jenna prefers contemporary and historical fiction, Aila loves fantasy and shares new US releases, and I love my sci-fi and fantasy.
Readers always get something different when they visit our blog, whether it’s an event recap, book discussion, review, wrap up or BookTube video.
When and how did you get started?
I started blogging in July 2012 when I wanted to share my passion for reading with the world, but also join a wider bookish community. Blogging was a great way to connect with other readers, and to share my reviews in space that is my own little corner of the internet.
How do you find out about new books?
I find out about new books from Goodreads, Twitter, other bloggers and publishers. I often receive review copies from publishers that I haven’t heard of before, which is a great way to discover new and upcoming books.
What audience do you reach?
Happy Indulgence reaches over 10,000 followers, comprising blog subscribers and social media followers on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and YouTube. Most of our followers are from the US (due to the larger demographic), with a large following from Australia and other countries. YA readers are quite diverse in terms of age, interests and nationality, and that is certainly reflected in our blog followers as well.
What other book blogs do you regularly follow?
As an Australian book blogger, I love following other Aussie YA bloggers to find out about new and upcoming reads:
What has been your most popular post?
Surprisingly, it’s an unpopular opinion on a Sarah J Maas book. Sarah J Maas is a hugely popular YA author and you often hear only about the raves, but I wanted to share a different perspective of a book I was really disappointed with. I wrote the post 5 Reasons Why I Didn’t Enjoy A Court of Mist and Fury last year, and it still tops my most viewed post each month.
What’s your favourite social media platform?
My favourite social media platform is definitely Twitter, it’s a great way to connect with the bookish community, whether that’s authors, publishers, other bloggers and readers and to find the latest bookish news as it happens.
What social media trends have you noticed in book blogging?
There’s a major push for more inclusivity and diversity on social media, particularly from #ownvoices authors. I think it’s important to present perspectives that we don’t often read about, whether that’s cultural diversity, disability, mental health or LGBTQIA reads, but also to present them well in a realistic, sensitive, non-stereotypical way.
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye (HarperCollins), which is a YA sequel that features Russian mythology and is a magical read. I’m also reading History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (S&S), a LGBTQIA read about a gay guy who has lost his boyfriend and is working through his grief.
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