Sunshine Blogger Award #5

 

I haven’t done one of these in two years- SAY WHAT?! And since I was recently nominated by a couple of people, I figured it was about time. Thanks so much to the lovely Keira @Headphones and Hyperbole– who talks a lot about music and books- what could be better? And thank you to the awesome Rachael @Dogearedpages– whose enthusiasm comes through in her wonderful book blog 😀 Definitely worth checking both of them out!

Rules

---

1. Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blogging site.
2. Answer the questions.
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.
4. Notify the nominees about it by commenting on one of their blog posts.
5. List the rules + display the sunshine blogger award logo on your site or on your post.

Keira’s questions…

1.      You have been arrested. What is the crime you are most worried about being falsely accused of?

Gosh- what a question! I’d hate to be falsely accused of anything- but I figure going down for a murder I didn’t commit would be pretty awful… especially since I don’t have the brains of Andy Dufresne to get myself out of that situation.

2.      What is your favourite type of chocolate? (Can you tell that it’s Easter…)

Oh man I love ALL THE CHOCOLATE- but if you really want the way to my heart, you’ll get there with a Ferrero Rocher

3.      Highlighting or underlining?

Probably underlining cos I get lazy/don’t colour code things properly… but that doesn’t usually stop me trying.

4.      What is your favourite fantasy creature?

Dragons!

5.      What is your biggest pet peeve?

(Oh boy, you’re going to wish you never asked…)

Hypercorrection. Every time someone uses a reflexive pronoun incorrectly, I wince. Every time I see an Oxford comma, I die a little inside. In fact, I was reminded of this recently when #OxfordComma was trending on twitter and *a lot* of philistines *ahem* misinformed souls were using examples that weren’t just grammatically incorrect, they also created the very problems they sought to avoid. Observe this sentence without hypercorrection:

“Highlights of Peter Ustinov’s global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800 year old demigod and a dildo collector.”

And now with hypercorrection:

“Highlights of Peter Ustinov’s global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800 year old demigod, and a dildo collector.”

This actually *creates a subordinate clause*- meaning you have now unequivocally called Nelson an 800 year old demigod- meaning this has obscured rather than clarified the intended meaning (and the same is true for the much touted dedication example). Ironically, there was no confusion in the sentence before BECAUSE THE RULE OF NOT PUTTING EXTRA COMMAS IN LISTS ALREADY WORKS!! This entire rule was invented for people who don’t know how to read properly to begin with… and makes a mockery of people with basic literacy! *slow clap for stupidity ruling the day*

(see, bet you regret asking 😉 )

6.      Do you prefer sparkling water or still water?

Still water- I *hate* sparkling water cos it makes me thirsty- what is the point in water that makes you thirsty?!

7.      Are you the type of person to make decisions with your head or your heart?

I’m the kind of person/monkey to make decisions with my heart and then second guess them until I end up more or less making them with my head 😉

8.      What do you do when you are stuck on something and need an epiphany?

I work on something else or just write in circles until I come up with something.

9.      What is your happy place?

Bed, surrounded by books 😉 Then I can be *anywhere*…

seriously wish this was my actual bed…

10. Do you have any strange or unexplainable fears, and if so what?

*Coughs awkwardly* yup- I’m mortally afraid of doctors… 

11. Where would you least like to go on holiday and why? (Real life, or fictional).

Westeros wouldn’t exactly be the best place for a holiday, would it? I mean, you’d be strolling along in King’s Landing, when HOLY SHIT WAS THAT A DRAGON WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE…

Or you’d be chilling out in Winterfell when OH MY OLD GODS AND THE NEW- IS THAT AN ICE ZOMBIE- ARYA COME SAVE ME!

Or you’d take a nice boat trip to Essos when WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT PERSON’S FACE? Oh, it’s called Greyscale, IT’S HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS? WHY AM I NOT COMFORTED BY THAT?

You get the idea. It would be a very stressful place to go on vacation.

Rachael’s questions…

1. What’s your favourite lesser known book or series and why?

All That Still Matters at All is by a Hungarian poet, which doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves in the English speaking world.

2. Describe the best food you’ve ever read about in a book.

That has to be one of those delectable scenes from Harry Potter:

“He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.”

3. Would you rather be a character in a whimsical magical tale or an epic space opera?

Whimsical magical tale- far less drama, a lot more peculiarities.

4. If you could change something about your favourite book, what would you change?

Well, nothing, or it wouldn’t be my favourite book 😉 The thing is, one of my favourites is the Idiot by Dostoevsky and is largely thought to be a bit of a flop… but I somehow ended up loving it, imperfections and all, so I wouldn’t change a thing. I might like a Smaug spinoff from the Hobbit though 😉

5. Why did you start blogging?

Honestly? To rant about Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. I really didn’t like that book and no one wanted to hear me vent about it (anymore) in real life 😉

6. What is your most controversial bookish opinion?

Well, I was just reminded recently that I really don’t like Handmaid’s Tale… That thought’s not gonna win me any friends 😉

7. Personal library or public library?

Tough question! I mean, there are more books in a public library, but I guess I end up more attached to the ones in my personal collection.

8. What is your favourite thing about yourself?

Posable thumbs- useful for turning pages in books 😉 (also self-deprecating humour 😉 )

9. What book character would you name a pet after? (and what kind of animal is the pet?)

Ooh hard question! I don’t have a pet, so you’re going to be in for some wish fulfilment. I love literary names for cats: Lila Bard, Kaz Brekker, Raskolnikov… Today though I feel more like a dog person and think Paddington would be a fun name! Also, I can’t take credit for this one, cos was in Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, but Winnie the Poodle is the best fictional dog name ever! (let’s be real though, if I ever was lucky enough to get an actual dog, I’d call it something silly like Mr Snuggles Fluff Monster the Third… poor imaginary future pooch 😉 )

10.      Where would you go if you could go anywhere within driving distance (like 5 hours max) right now?

Hmm right now I think I fancy going to Cornwall, cos I’ve not been in a while and the last series of Poldark is doing a wonderful job of selling the place (I’m really impressionable 😉 )

11.      Who is your book boyfriend (or girlfriend)?

Gonna go with an oldie but a goodie (sorta): Victor Vale! 

My questions:

1. Where’s the best place you’ve ever been on holiday?
2. Do you have any favourite fictional (or non fictional) libraries?
3. What’s your guiltiest pleasure read?
4. What’s your most unpopular bookish opinion?
5. Do you have a bookish pet peeve?
6. What book character gets on your last nerve?
7. If you could wear any item of clothing from a book- what would it be? (magical or not)
8. Who would you rather kiss/marry/kill when the choices are Lord Voldemort, Sauron and Iago? (meanest question ever, I know 😉 )
9. Who’s the best bookish baddie you’ve read about lately?
10. Would you rather be the villain in a story or the hero? Why?
11. Do you have any exciting upcoming reading plans?

Tagging: Sam @Rivermoose Reads, Zezee, Journey into Books, Hammock of Books, Sophie Li, Laleh Chini, Crystal @Lost in Storyland, The Crooked Pen, Crazy Cat Lady, Fadwa @Word Wonders and the Reader’s Bay

And that’s all for now! What fictional place would you least like to go on holiday?  And what bookish names would you/have you called your pet? Let me know in the comments!