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

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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!

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Book Blogger Confessions Tag

 

It has been a while since my last confession… I mean tag 😉 So I figure I should just jump straight to the good bit! Thanks so much to the lovely Sophie for tagging me to do this one! She runs a brilliant book blog with such varied content- from reviews to writing to crafts! Definitely recommend you check her out 🙂

RULES:

• Answer these questions truthfully.
• Once you’re done, tag 5 other book bloggers to answer these questions next.

1. Which book, most recently, did you not finish?

I actually find it really hard to DNF, so I was proud of myself for giving up on Otherworld. It was a very, very average ripoff of Ready Player One. And I’m not sorry for giving up on it!

2. Which book is your guilty pleasure?

Hmm I don’t know that I ever feel guilty, so I’m going for something that is more pure pleasure…

3. Which book do you love to hate? 

Hard question, cos I kinda hate hating things most of the time. I’ll admit I do enjoying hating on Fifty Shades of Grey from time to time- there’s just a lot of entertaining stuff out there making fun of it.

4. Which book would you throw into the sea? 

I’ll admit I trawled through all my lowest rated books on Goodreads, looking for something that sounded appropriate, so I guess I’m giving The Old Man and the Sea a watery death because it sounds punny! I feel a bit mean about this, because it’s not a fate it truly deserves, given it’s actually a good book and the only justification I have is that I don’t click with Hemmingway’s writing style… which isn’t really a justification at all. Ah well- I guess I’ll just have to drown in my own guilt 😉

5. Which book have you read the most?

Easily, the Hobbit.

6. Which book would you hate to receive as a gift? 

I don’t know that there’s anything… beyond Mein Kampf. I think any scenario where you receive this (or anything in this vein) as a gift would be pretty disturbing. Like, the thought process behind this would either be “Happy birthday- I think you’re a Nazi!” or “Happy birthday- from your friendly neighbourhood Nazi!”

(I realise there is probably a perfectly sensible answer to this question and I’ve just gone off the deep end, haven’t I?)

7. Which book could you not live without? 

Well, I’ve already mentioned The Hobbit, so I think I’ll have to go with another of my most formative reads: The Idiot. Not necessarily Dostoevsky’s best, but it’s left a deep impact on me ever since I read it.

8. Which book made you angriest? 

I can safely say that As I Lay Dying makes me so hot under the collar that I might spontaneously combust. Now, I’ve been told that I don’t get this book’s brilliance. Apparently, writing 56000 words on why language is insufficient to convey meaning is a stroke of genius and not the pretentious bilge I took it for. Silly me. Granted I do understand that I was supposed to buy into the post-structuralist “everything is meaningless so we might as well all curl up and die” view a long time ago- alas I am too “foolish” to have taken that to heart 😉 I must therefore issue an apology to the intelligentsia powers-that-be who like to pontificate on whether chairs are indeed chairs/whether dogs are dogs/whether language is a useful tool to communicate: I guess I couldn’t have been more wrong. Clearly I am a grunting-cave-dweller for thinking language fulfils its function pretty well. Clearly it is smart to obfuscate meaning in order to make the point that meaning is impossible to find- that’s not a manipulative tactic at all and TOTALLY proves there’s no meaning… in this work at any rate 😉  (Wow- that got more sarky than I intended- see what I mean about this making me sizzle with rage?)

9. Which book made you cry the most?

Recently, that would be Sadie. I can barely talk about this without getting emotional, so I’m just going to suggest listening to the audiobook version if you can and move on before I tear up…

10. Which book cover do you hate the most?

I don’t know why, but I feel so so bad picking out ugly covers. Still, I have to admit, I’m not crazy about the original City of Bones cover.

That’s all for now- I tag: Journey into Books, Hammock of Books, Kristin Kraves, Meltotheany, Literary Latte, CJR Brit and the Book Prescription

And I want to know- do you agree or disagree with any of my answers? And what books makes you sizzle with rage? Let me know in the comments!

Mid Year Freak Out Tag #3

 

Wow how is it the middle of the year already?!? Where has time gone?! I wasn’t tagged for this, but I was reminded of this annual tradition by the lovely CJR Brit, the brilliant Bibliophalgist and the fab Graphic Novelty– so do check our their posts! Oh and by the way, there will be cheating with the answers, cos I’m a cheeky monkey and can’t help myself 😉 

Best Book You’ve Read Yet in 2019

This would’ve been an impossible choice- but I got round it by seeing what I wasn’t using in other answers 😉 So stayed tuned, cos there are some *fab books* to come!

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2016

Okay I may be going with two, but they’re by the same author, so it doesn’t count right?!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

There are loads, but this one is everywhere right now and it’s tempting me: 

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year

I am literally jittery every time I think about this!!

Biggest Disappointment

No surprises: Atlas Shrugged. Wow, that was painfully hard to get through.

Biggest Surprise

I had a sneaking suspicion I’d like Truly Devious, yet I was surprised by quite how much I enjoyed it! (and how much I want to read on!!)

Favourite New Author

Going with the lovely C. G. Drews/Cait from Paper Fury– I read both her books this year and absolutely loved them!! I look forward to whatever comes next 😀

Newest Fictional Crush

Gotta be Cardan from Cruel Prince– I wasn’t totally sure about the romantic chemistry until I read Wicked King and now he’s got his claws into me!

 Newest Favourite Character

Anyone in a Reid novel. This is gonna be a really strange answer, because I feel like I have a really complicated relationship with these characters, but they just feel so real to me and deserve a *round of applause*.

Book That Made You Cry

Easily Sadie. It reduced me to a puddle on the floor.

Book That Made You Happy

Night of Cake and Puppets had me grinning from ear to ear!

Favourite Book to Film Adaptation

Just caught Good Omens on Prime and thoroughly enjoyed it- but more on that another time 😉

Favourite Post You Have Done This Year

Hmm probably How (Not) to Read Reviews– made myself laugh/*cackle maniacally* when I wrote it 😉

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year

Hands down this lovely copy of King of Scars (which also counts as a new release I still need to read…)

What Books Do You Need to Read by the End of the Year

*Coughs awkwardly* Some of you may notice books that have been there a while (years, guys, it’s been years…)

Moving swiftly on… I tag:

Kelly @Another Book in the Wall, Katie @Never Not Reading, Rivermoose Reads, Journey into Books, Dani @Perspective of a Writer, Bookworm Muse, Hammock of Books, Sophie and Bookmark Your Thoughts

That was fun- I didn’t even cheat as much as I thought I would 😉 Anyway, what are the best books you’ve read this year? Which ones made you laugh and which ones made you cry? Let me know in the comments!

My Good Reading Habits

Ever since I shared my bad reading habits eons ago, I’ve wanted the opportunity to clear my name and explain I do have some good habits too… mostly 😉 That’s why I was super excited when the marvellous Mim Inkling tagged me to do this one!

#1 Reading *anywhere*

This can also be sorta bad, cos I’ve been known to walk and read… even in the street (yeahhhh I read dangerously, don’t do that). But it also means I get a lot of reading done, especially on commutes and travelling. I’ll happily squeeze reading into any part of my day if I can!

#2 Finishing series… eventually

Obviously, being a series finisher has had it’s downsides- I’ve definitely stuck with some series longer than I should, YET I can say that, even if it takes me years, if I commit to a series I am going to finish it dammit! (or maybe just buy the whole thing on kindle and say I will eventually 😉 )

#3 I’ll read anything!

I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to genres/ideas/authors- so I’d gladly pick most books up. Doesn’t mean I’ll like them, but I’ll give them a go. That said, I’m getting better at…

#4 Picking books I know I’ll like

In part thanks to knowing my tastes better, however this is also largely thanks to all of *YOU*. Because of blogging, my average rating is going up and up. I find it so much easier to weed the duds out of my TBR and find some real gems I can genuinely get excited about.

#5 Using the library lots!

 

Tbh I wish just one of the libraries I visit looked like this…

This is pretty self-explanatory: libraries are awesome + monkey likes to go to the library = good reading habit! And it also proves my point that you don’t have to break the bank to get reading!

#6 Contributing to the circle of book life

This is quite an involved one, so let me explain. Obviously, I love buying books, but I’ve also gotten to be something of an expert when it comes to unhauling (see exhibit A), and I’m also good at then purchasing other’s unhauled second hand books- thereby the Great Circle of Book Life continues!

#7 Being a book pusher

I freely admit to spreading book addiction! Sharing books and getting readers hooked on series is my jam- I cannot help myself your honour!

Okay I’m not sure I actually cleared my name there- some of these seem suspiciously like bad habits… I wonder if you guys can do any better- I tag:

Katie @Never Not Reading, Paperback Piano, Bookstooge, Lucinda, Kelly, Misty, Angelica, Rivermoose Reads, Bookmark Your Thoughts and Kristin

And anyone else that wants to do it! Also what’s your best reading habit? Let me know in the comments! 

 

Marvel Avengers Book Tag

Cos I’m in the Marvel mood, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to do a themed bookish tag! And fortunately there’s a tag on every topic, so I didn’t have to look for long 😉 Thanks so much to the wonderful Sam @Rivermoose Reads for (rather conveniently) tagging me to do this one!

Iron Man – a book that made you laugh out loud: 

AHA! This book is a hilarious fake-memoir, based around Steve Coogan’s fabulously funny character Alan Partridge. 

Captain America – a book that sends a positive message:

This is a wonderful book full of vital, life lessons- if you haven’t read it, I can’t recommend it enough!

Thor – a book with a character’s strength you admire:  

I just love the strength of the women in this book. 

Black Widow – a book with a kick-ass female protagonist: 

I feel like I mention this book every other week now- but I can’t help it! Nona typifies *the best* attributes of the kickass character! Edgy and sharp and with hidden depths, she is an awesome heroine!

Hulk – a book that made you incredibly angry:

This. Is. Terrible.

Hawkeye – an underrated book you think more people should pay attention to:

So sad how few people have read this gem of a poetry collection outside of Hungary.

*BONUS* Loki – a book with a twist or surprise that tricked you: 

*No spoilers*- even if this book is by no means new, I still think the impact of the twist will blow most readers away! (plus it’s a book with evil Phaeries- need I say more? 😉 )

That was a fun one- hope you enjoyed- I tag:

Mim Inkling, Reading Hobbit, Bibliophalgist, Hammock of Books, Arubun Written, The Candid Cover, CJR the Brit and The Storyteller

And anyone else that wants to do this! Also, on the subject of great team-ups, what’s your favourite cast of ensemble characters? Let me know in the comments!

 

Soul Ripping Romance Tag

Well, here we are again: Valentine’s Day *dun dun duuuun*. Seems like the perfect opportunity to talk about some truly devastating-soul-ripping romances 😉 Thank you so much to the wonderful Nel @Reactionary Tales, the lovely Kat @ Life and Other Disasters and the fantastic Sam @Rivermoose Reads for tagging me to do this. They all run *brilliant* blogs about books, life and TV- I highly recommend you check them all out!!

THE RULES

• Thank the person who tagged you and create a pingback to the original author – Nel at Reactionary Tales.
• Share at least 5 (but more are welcome) romances that tugged your heart strings. They can be from books, movies, TV shows, manga; anything you can think of! They can be examples of sad tears, angry tears, happy tears or a combination of all three.
• Nominate 5 (or more) people to share their emotional traumas
• (Note: Try not to spoil the story for your readers in case they would like to check out these romances on their own)

MY SHIPS

Romeo and Juliet– an old ‘un but a good ‘un. I know a lot of people aren’t a fan of this tale as old as time or these particularly young star-crossed lovers, but I defy anyone to find a more beautifully written romance!

Jon and Ygritte– there are most definitely times in the show when I wish it could go back to this.

Ross and Demelza– I love this relationship with everything I have, but wow, it’s as tumultuous as the Cornish sea.

Arwen and Aragorn– I know not everyone is in love with this, however I remember being captivated by their loyalty to each other in the film (and Tolkien’s notes) and I’d describe this as one of my first ever ships. And I would sail it to the Undying Lands.

Lily and James Potter– I know everyone has a lot of (LOUD) feelings about all the relationships in the Harry-Potter-verse nowadays- nonetheless for me, no matter what happened while they were teens, I always believed in their enemies-to-lovers romance (and be devastated by their tragic end).

Dorian and Sorscha (or Dorian and Manon- basically Dorian with anyone 😉 )- dude simply can’t catch a break- and I love Maas for making me suffer so through his romantic entanglements (but also why’d you keep doing this to me?!!)

Warner and Juliette– I really didn’t ship this when I started the series- yet Mafi COMPLETELY turned this around and now I see theirs as a poignantly sad love affair.

Evelyn Hugo and the one she loves (*if you’ve read the book you’ll know who that is but I won’t spoil it for the rest of you*)- I don’t want to give away anything about this gorgeous mystery romance!! I guess you’ll just have to go and read it for yourself if you want to find out what I’m talking about 😉

I TAG: 

Beth, Zezee, Lucinda, Mim Inkling, Book Beach Bunny, Kat @Novels and Waffles, Rivermoose Reads, Katie and Journey into Books

And that’s all for now! Do you have any fictional romances that straight up break your heart? Let me know in the comments!

Power Couples Book Tag

It’s that time of year again… the time when I catch up on all my romance-themed tags 😉 Thank you so much to the awesome Sam @Rivermoose Reads for tagging me to do this one!

A couple that share big passions and goals

Darrow and Mustang (or Darrow and Eo if you think about it 😉 )

A couple that love and respect each other

Zuzana and Mic 

#romancegoals

A couple that is stronger together than apart

Henry and Rachel

A huge part of this exquisite book is rediscovering what you’ve lost… including romantic love 🙂

A couple that wholly support each other

Kaz and Inej

Even in criminal endeavours 😉

A couple that is genuinely cute together

Simon and Blue

I think the exact word to describe them is: squeeee-omg-so-cute!! (okay that’s a few words mashed into one, but in internet-speak that counts as one word)

I tag: Kat, Nina, Way Too Fantasy, Luci, Emily, Sofii, Bibliophalgist, CJR the Brit, Mel and Jill

And anyone else that fancies doing it! What’s your favourite bookish power couple? Let me know in the comments!