"Why do you think that book review is important?"

"I’m not sure that book reviewing is as important as reading. I’m old enough to have seen a change in our culture and the nature of entertainment in the last fifty years. As an older guy I’m always going to grumble that things were better way back then.

"But if you look even further back, in the 19^th century for example, the reading of novels, itself, was considered a frivolous activity by many. You had to have education, leisure and money to do it, (which is why lending libraries became important: they address one aspect of the problem of access.) All that would suggest reading as a highbrow activity, but I think the thing was that reading novels was largely associated as a pastime for women. Yet when you think about the growing demand for female emancipation in the nineteenth century you can make a case that reading was a part of that. To want something you first have to imagine it. The struggle for self-determination and self-definition is, in part, played out in the fictional sphere, and it’s a struggle that continues for women. To make a comparison to our modern experience, there is a similar growth in texts which give voice to LGBTIQA+ experience and identity.

"Now, that’s an area that our website doesn’t cover much, simply because the site reflects our own reading interests. I’m something of a traditionalist, I guess. But we are sympathetic to LGBTIQA+ issues and would welcome anyone who wanted to contribute reviews about texts in that area. Because if reviewing is important at all, it is because it helps to raise awareness about books and contributes to the culture of reading, which is still the catalyst for more detailed, nuanced and, hopefully, more humane discussions about important issues. At least that’s what my grumpy old man brain is telling me."

"I stole the idea for Mr Anderson from Victoria and I think she got it from something she saw online. She first bought a kitchen trolley from IKEA, which she called Karl. Her intention was to store the books she was most likely to read next in a convenient, perusable place. We both have a huge reading backlog – too many books – and I thought it would be good for me to do the same, since I have this thing I do after I finish a book: I hover around my shelves, picking out books and reading openings, waiting to see what will grab my attention; what I’m in the mood for. I can do that for hours if I’m not careful. I thought if I had a selection of books on Mr Anderson that I wanted to read but kept overlooking, it would encourage me to get to them.

"But it didn’t really work. I’m quite capricious in my choices, although I have an intention to read more Dickens, Eliot and Booker prize winners this year (none of which are on Mr Anderson).

"As it says on our profile pages, the names for our book carts came from a vlogger on YouTube we both enjoy, Eric Karl Anderson. He’s American born and now lives in London and has been posting his videos for about ten years. Sometimes I put him on just to hear a friendly voice in the background. But I also like that ‘Mr Anderson’ is the ominous address of Agent Smith to Neo in The Matrix movies."

"As we always stress, we’re just a bunch of amateurs, so there are no qualifications. We’ve had three different Neocities webmasters contribute reviews to the site now – Hasty, incessantpain and Bojan the Librarian – and the only qualification was that they wanted to write a review. That’s why I created the ‘Contributions’ page after Mike, known as ‘Hasty’ from No Happy Nonsense, said he first wanted to contribute. The language on that page sounds awful, I admit – a bit legal – but I just wanted to create an opportunity for people to contribute that would leave no ambiguities or false expectations. I think that’s a way to treat people fairly and avoid misunderstandings down the track.

"As for the three of us, I’m the only one with a background that kind of suggests book reviewer. I did a degree in literature and worked as an English teacher. Victoria’s background is in physics, but after having a family she went into government work: something about legislation and saving the world, she tells me. As for Jenny, she worked as a Social Science teacher and was Head Teacher of Administration. She still does work for local schools in her retirement, helping them stay on top of their truancy issues and reporting requirements."

"The answer to that is yes and no.

"The main challenge for any of us is time. We are all busy in one way or another. And what we do for the website is time intensive. Reading a book is time intensive. Then we have to find time to write a review. That can involve some research in addition to the writing. And at the end of that process is my various jobs: editing; page design; making the various edits to existing webpages that any new review requires so it can be found; and finally, putting up the review, itself.

"But I would also say, from a different understanding of the question, that it is not hard. I’ve seen some webmasters on Neocities ask for suggestions for content on their website. Websites that rely upon regular content potentially face the problem of drying up: what has traditionally been called ‘writer’s block’, or simply a lack of inspiration. But I don’t think we will face that problem since we just review whatever we feel like. We have an endless supply of books to read. We’ll probably die of exhaustion, first.

"So our content is self-perpetuating. I think it helps that we have a clearly defined idea of what our website is about, too. All our content is about books, reading and issues related to that. If it’s not about those things, no matter how important it might be in our everyday lives, it won’t get on the website."

"I have found that in real life I’m really rubbish at recommending books. I’m usually too excited by something I’ve just read, so people sidle away, looking for an exit. But seriously, the problem in recommending something, face to face, is knowing someone else and their interests. I keep telling family members and friends how screamingly funny Charles Dickens can be, but none of them are likely to read him. What they really want to read – if they knew what that is – is not likely what I’ve been reading. Jenny won’t touch the books I read. She likes her legal thrillers and that kind of thing. I’ve read one John Grisham, Skipping Christmas. I thought it was awful.

"But if I had to suggest anything I really loved reading in the last six months that I thought would have the broadest possible appeal to people I didn’t know, I’d say read Percival Everett’s The Trees. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize last year but didn’t win. Don’t let the prize thing put you off. This is a highly readable entertaining book that really packs a punch and the ending is amazing!"