In September we are celebrating the world of books! We have a very special interview with Beth Grylls, a journalist who has recently started to delve into the world of book reviews. She has recently started the social media branding of Gee That Is Good where she talks in depth about stories that she has been reading. All this month we are finding out about what it takes to be a reviewer, favourite books and much much more. Today I find out just how Beth got into the world of reviewing books

Hello Beth Tell us about yourself?

Hello! I’m Beth – I’m a writer, working as a food and drink journalist right now. Have a love for books – and can’t go 15 minutes without talking about my cat (we timed it) – he is pretty awesome though.

How did you get into writing?

I have always been a reader and I loved stories – I wanted to do what these authors and TV and film writers did, and create my own world. I started off writing my stories by hand (because computers weren’t a thing back then) and then found my gran’s old typewriter. The obsession grew. 

What is your favourite topic to write about?

Whatever takes my fancy! As I’m currently working as a food and drink writer, I’d say that is the present favourite, But in terms of fiction, I do love writing a dark, dystopian thriller. 

Can you remember what your favourite books were when you were growing up?

I really enjoyed Jacqueline Wilson. My favourite was a book called The Illustrated Mum; my own mum had depression and I could really relate to the story and characters. 

What inspires you to read?

What inspires people to watch TV? Escapism, relaxation, a gripping story. A good book and good coffee is a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

How many books do you try and read in a year?

I don’t have a specific target, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say I read a book a month. I recently started a book club with a group of friends and that’s been helping me make time for reading – it can sometimes be tricky to get started with a book after a day of writing and proofing words, but it’s always worth it if the book’s a good-un. I use to power through books even when I didn’t like them and now I’ll give it a few chapters before sacking it in; life’s too short for a bad book and there’s plenty of great ones out there. 

How do you choose what books you are going to review?

I attempt to review any book I read! I suppose the real question is, how do I choose the books I’m going to read? A lot of that is determined by the book group I recently started with friends – we discovered that we all have similar book taste, so we figured it would be more fun to read them together. I do like to have a few books on my bedside table though and I’ll often select them based on the blurb, reviews (I reply on these a lot, so that’s partly why I wanted to start my own review channel), the charts, and if I have enjoyed and read that author previously. 

What are your social media links 

Insta @geethatsgood

TikTok @geethatsgood

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD5ROkdHeGHOTi4w3TIR7mQ/featured