Gainsborough book blogger chosen as judge at The British Book Awards

Anne Cater, 54, launched her blog, www.randomthingsthroughmyletterbox.blogspot.com, ten years ago, but she has been reviewing books online for 15 years.

Anne said: “I started my blog initially as somewhere to gather all of my reviews that were scattered all over the internet.

“I've loved books for as long as I can remember.

"My mum was a big reader and introduced me to reading at a really early age.

"We lived in Laneham, a small village just over the Trent, and the library van would come to the village once a fortnight.

"I would be at school, and mum would collect a shopping bag of books for me and I would work my way through them.”

Anne was shocked when she heard the news she had been selected to be on the judging panel for the British Book Awards.

She said: “I was really shocked, surprised and very honoured to be asked to judge the British Book Awards.

"There are some amazing, very influential people amongst the judges and I'm delighted that book bloggers have been recognised by the industry in this way.”

As well as her blog, Anne also reviews books for the Daily Express and she is a judge for the CWA (Crime Writers Association) Dagger Awards.

Anne said: “My all time favourite book is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

"I read it 30 years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. It is still as relevant today as it was then.”

Anne’s other favourite books include Chocolat by Joanne Harris, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon.

She said: “I read all sorts, but especially enjoy contemporary fiction and crime and thrillers, I especially enjoy translated fiction. I read a lot of non-fiction too, autobiographies and books that look at social issues.

"I've been lucky enough to meet most of my favourite authors and spend a lot of time, when not in lockdown, at literary events and festivals.”

For more about the awards visit www.thebookseller.com.

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