International Book Blogger Feature #1: Kai Agito from Amaterasu Reads (Philippines)

This is my first International Book Blogger feature. Every week, I will feature book bloggers from around the world and ask them a few questions about their culture etc. I hope that through this, us international book bloggers can get to know each other more and hopefully understand each other better.



For this week, we have Kai from Amaterasu Reads. She's a very interesting Filipina who loves reading books! I personally like her reviews and frequent her blog a lot. I guess I went a bit overboard with asking her a lot of questions :P Read along as Kai tells us about herself, her country's literature and book blogging experiences!

So let's begin!


Hi, Kai! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Let's see. I'm your average twenty something professional who's got it bad for books. I've been reading since I was 10, all thanks to my mom who got me into reading. I devoured her romance book collection, so before I ever knew J.K. Rowling exist, I've been a big fan of Sandra Brown & Nicole Jordan. When I'm not reading books I read manga, which is, well, still reading and I watch TV shows (I'm a big fan of The Big Bang Theory). I speak Japanese too. :)


I'm just wondering... What inspired you to begin book blogging?

Books! :) No, actually, its because of two things. One, so I can get the word out there that I love books and hopefully find more people who loves books like me. Believe it or not, I don't know a lot of people who reads like I do, so book blogging is a great way to gain friends. The second reason is because I want to write. I've been a frustrated writer all my life, so writing reviews and giving my opinions is a way for me to hone my writing skills. Yes, I do dream of being a published author someday.


Name some of your favorite books that are authored by other Filipinos. Tell us a bit about them!

Honestly, I haven't read much books with Filipino authors (a shame, I know). If you count romance novels, PHR romances, then I have a few from Martha Cecilia. A friend of mine has been recommending Candy Gourlay's Tall Story. I haven't read it yet. Another one to try out is Cindy Martinusen Coloma's Orchid House which is a book set in our country. I've just realized how much fun it is to read books about Filipinos, makes me feel so close to home and appreciate the story more since it is about home.


Would you mind telling us a bit about Filipino literature?

Our literature is very beautiful, rich and intriguing. I remember when I was little, I enjoyed reading about legends and myths about places and people. Did you know that we have our own Gods and Goddesses? The Bible has Adam and Eve, we have Malakas and Maganda. We have Dekada Sitenta, we have Jose Rizal. Filipinos are extremely talented writers, and we have an equally grand and fascinating culture to draw stories from. It's a bit disappointing to see that ours isn't as widely known, I'd like to see books with Filipino authors and stories about the Philippines in the same shelves as those that I read.


In which language do you prefer reading books, English or your local language (Filipino)?

I prefer to read in both, but its been a long time since I have read a book in Filipino. Even Filipinos use English to write, so everything I read these days are in English.


How many languages can you speak? Just wondering!

4. I speak Filipino, English, Japanese and a bit of Korean. I studied Japanese (2 months crash course, which nearly killed me.) and worked in Japan briefly. It's funny how I learned Korean though. I'm a huge fan of Asian music, mostly Japanese and Korean pop. I'm a fangirl. I've been one for so long, its essential that you know a bit of the language to survive. I can read and write in Korean, but I need to work on my conversational skills.


Do you think that being an international book blogger is easy? Or is it hard?

I try to ignore the drawbacks/disadvantages. Sometimes I wish we have more access to ARC, but I'm beginning to understand, that book blogging is not about who gets to read what the earliest, its about sharing your love for books to other people and appreciating authors for writing such wonderful stories. The challenge in book blogging, I guess, is how to always make your post/reviews interesting so people will continue to read it. Setting yourself apart when there are tons of book bloggers out there is what makes it interesting.


Being a Filipino myself, I'm quite aware that most Filipinos don't like or atleast don't read books, how do you think you can influence others to get more interested in reading books?

The same is the case with my twin brother (yes I do have one and he's hopeless). It wouldn't hurt to encourage people to read once in a while. You can start with your family. On my side, I urge my nephew and niece to read. I try to introduce books to my friends whenever I can. It's hard, but it can be done. My blog can also be an example of how fun it can be to read.


Besides book blogging, how do you promote reading in your community?

Like I said, I start with my family. I guess it all follows from there. My nephew can encourage his peers to read and it spreads. It's good to start with your own and eventually more people will be reading. I try to visit bookstores if I have time and look around and see if there are people who might be interested in some books I think are good reads. I don't do it often though.


What are some tips you can give to your fellow international book bloggers?

Remember that its supposed to be fun. You do not force yourself to read and blog, you do it because you love it.
Enjoy reading and blogging! My book blog is new but I'm really having fun and I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon.
Also, make new friends and share your love of books. :)


What book blogs do you frequent?

I don't visit that much blogs since I'm quite busy with my own and reading, but when I do I frequent these blogs:

Tina of One More Page. She's my friend and Tina writes amazing reviews! I guarantee you'll read a book once you read her review.
The same thing with reviews from Girls Without a Bookshelf. My TBR list is piling up because they seem to be reading a lot of good books (their reviews are fantastic as well!) with me ending up wanting to read it too.
Kris from Voracious YAppetite. I love her book selections (she also has tons of dystopian books, so if you're interested in that, visit her blog!).
I also read reviews from Mundie Moms and Parajunkee and The Book Smugglers.


Last question, who's your favorite international book blogger and why?

Kristi of The Story Siren. She was one of the biggest reasons why I started book blogging. I think she's one of the greatest examples that book blogging can be enjoyable and worthwhile

Whew~ I'm so sorry if its too long! I had so much fun answering all questions and it looks like I ended up writing too much.

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Thanks a lot Kai for participating (and putting up with my many questions)! It was fun interviewing you!




Stop by and visit Amaterasu Reads to read more of Kai's thoughts, reviews, and bookworm-ish posts!