Life & Work with Emily Malek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Malek.  

Emily, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my book review website – “Book Reviews by a Chick Who Reads Everything,” – originally on Facebook in 2017. I was inspired to do this after I began leading a book club at my workplace. While heading said book group, I realized that I had my own thoughts and feelings regarding those novels, and I felt the need to let others know. After a year of posting reviews solely on Facebook, I took the next step and created a website on WordPress. Since then, I have shared my reviews on sites like Twitter, Instagram, and the most obvious in my field, Goodreads. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a smooth road so far. The main challenge that I have with the website is promoting it and getting the word out. There are times that I felt that despite all of marketing, not many people saw what the site had to offer. One way that I resolved this was making greater use of social media to promote the website and appear on various podcasts to reach out to a broader audience. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I run a book review website called “Book Reviews by a Chick Who Reads Everything.” Like the title of the website implies, I read everything from the serious to the downright silly.

I also work as a full-time archivist at the Romeo District Library in Romeo, Michigan. I run a local archives that preserves the histories of Romeo and its neighboring towns Washington and Bruce Township. In addition, I help people find and utilize various documents for their research. 

I previously worked as a librarian at the same library, and this exposed me to a variety of books that I wouldn’t have encountered on my own. The broad range of novels that I evaluate for the website is what sets me apart from other book review blogs. 

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I also review movie and television adaptations of the books evaluated for the website. This includes almost every version of the same story like “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” by James Hilton. 

Moreover, I have a podcast called the Adapt Me Podcast. With a guest, we discuss a book that has never been adapted, why that’s so, and how we would go about it. You can find on wherever one gets their podcasts. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chick-who-reads-everything.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily_blakowski/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readseverything/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ejb0092
• Other: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/89009322-emily-malek

Image Credits
Carl Malek