Books for Christian Girls blog | Interview

A few months ago, I stumbled across a blog that has become one of my favorites to look at for book reviews. The blog is "Books for Christian Girls" run by Lindsey. Today, Lindsey has graciously joined me in an interview.

Me: What inspired you to start "Books for Christian Girls?"

Lindsey: It was definitely a God thing! About three years ago, I had first searched "Christian books for teen girls" on Google trying to find books that I could read! I had already read all of Melody Carlson's teen books and was hunting for more. The first search resulted in me reading the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn, a classic in my mind for teen girls. The Bible was of course mentioned, but the rest of those suggested on Yahoo! Answers were not Christian. Fast forward a couple months later, when trying to search again, wishing that there was a blog with reviews for Christian girls, a peaceful Voice came over me and whispered "You can do it, Lindsey." I felt at peace with the idea, so, I prayed and did! (I won't admit how long it took me to come up with the name 'Books for Christian Girls') BFCG has been a fantastic blessing from the Lord and I'm so glad He told me to do it! :)

Me: I noticed that you have a very detailed rating system. What were some deciding factors in creating this rating system?

Lindsey: I've always been a detailed person, so it just came natural to have a detailed scale for content in books. A not-detailed kiss (Basically: "He kissed her." that's it.) might be okay with some, but they might not want to read a detailed or even a semi-detailed kiss. BFCG lists everything that someone might find offensive. So when you read a BFCG review, ignore the things that don't bother you, but take notice of the things that do.  

Me: I have definitely found that super helpful when I'm looking at your reviews. :) Thanks for including those details!

Me: What do you find as one of the biggest rewards, doing BFCG?

Ooh, that's a tough one! You mean besides the free books I get? Hahaha! While that's a fun bonus, I would say the biggest reward is when girls near my age (or moms) comment saying that BFCG helped them find their new favorite book! It's a pretty neat thing to hear back from girls who loved a book I recommended. :)

Me: I noticed you have 365 books on your goal to read for Goodreads. You must be a fast reader. :) About how long does it take you to read a book? (obviously, depending on its length) 

I'm so excited about that! It's been a goal of mine for years to do a book a day, and I'm finally doing it! Most 300 paged books take about 2 hours, depending on how much I have to write down while reading. :)

Me: What is your reaction when you get a new book in the mail?

Excitement! Especially if it's a book I've really been looking forward to reading! I'm a book smeller (which is not *technically* a word. ;) ), so as soon as it's out of it's packaging, I fan the pages, sniffing the book. Silly, but Bethany House books smell the best! Hahaha!

Me: Who are some of your favorite authors that you love recommending?

I have certain criteria an author has to meet to be considered a favorite author of mine, and an even tougher one for me to recommend her. Krista McGee, Janice Hanna Thompson, Robin Jones Gunn, and Amy Clipston are a few I recommend the most. :)

Me: What is your ideal location to read? (i.e. curled up in wintertime, outside on a porch swing, etc.)

Fun question! :) I have a loft bed, so I normally climb up there to curl up there with my reviewing clipboard and read. I read the best late at night when my house is quite, no distractions! Sometimes I lay on my stomach on my bedroom floor, but that's not the most comfortable reading spot! ;)

And some extra not-exactly-related-to-BFCG questions if you'd like to answer.

~What are some of your favorite verses?

Philippians 4:8 is for sure a top favorite of mine. I also love Galatians 1:10 {"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."},Psalm 46:10 {"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."} and Philippians 3:7-8 {"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ."}

~What is one of your dreams?

To go to China! Which actually may be happening next summer with a mission trip with Show Hope. I'm currently fundraising for it, which I am beyond excited about! The Lord put orphans--especially China's orphans--on my heart before BFCG even was a thought, I started following many adoption blogs (I'm up to over 300 now) and that seed blossomed. :)

~Besides reading, ;) what are some of you top favorite things to do?

I'm a photographer (#teamcanon!) so definitely photography, blogging, working on BFCG, playing with my beagle, and learning Chinese. I've recently started writing/drawing on mugs, which has been fun. :)

~Okay...do you like snacking while you read?

Hmm...I have to be really hungry to have food next to a real book. I don't want to get my book dirty, so not very often. I sometimes eat goldfish when reading on the Kindle due to only needing one hand to "touch" the book...no salt on the pages! ;)

You can find out more about Lindsey by checking out her blog.