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! 

 

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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! 

Unpopular Opinions Tag #2

Hello all! Long-time no tag! Annnd I’m choosing this opportunity to do one I’ve done before BUT I always have more unpopular opinions knocking about PLUS I was tagged again by the lovely Katie @Never Not Reading so thank you for that! ❤ And just to start out with an uncontroversial opinion: if you’re looking for an awesome blend of reviews, discussions and memes run by a gorgeous person, then what are you still doing here? GO CHECK HER OUT!

Ok, you’re back- awesome, right?

Now let’s get to the things you might not like so much…

A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT YOU DIDN’T LIKE

I’m just baffled by its popularity (and the fact that the average rating on GR is 4.13- how?!!? Were we reading the same book?!?!)

A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE

I frickin loved this book. Now I get some of the criticism about it being slow, but I don’t see it deserving quite the low rating that it has on GR.

AN OTP THAT YOU DON’T LIKE

Such a hard question, cos I’m generally okay with what’s canon and I’m pretty sure I used up all my answers last time. I guess it makes sense to go with the one I’ve fallen out of love in the last few years and that’s… Jon and Dany.

To be fair, I feel like I never should have shipped this one to begin with, but once it played out on screen, my brain just went EWW and I’ve been trying to blot out the fact I once wanted this ever since.

A POPULAR BOOK GENRE THAT YOU HARDLY REACH FOR.

This is an increasingly tricky question the more I reach outside my comfort zone. I think my bog-standard answer for this right now is westerns, cos I just haven’t read one (and can’t think of anything else!)

A POPULAR/BELOVED CHARACTER THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE

Deep breaths everyone: Wonder Woman.

Now I’m not going off the comics, so don’t @ me, but both her iteration in the movie and the recent Bardugo book came across to me as complete Mary Sues annnnd I’m not digging it. Soz!

A POPULAR AUTHOR THAT YOU CAN’T SEEM TO GET INTO

I’m literally going to go with the most controversial choice I can think of- CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED! (seriously though, please don’t attack me 😉 ) And that’s… Stephen King.

His writing style and I do. not. gel. And yes, I’ve given his work enough chances, and no, it’s still not for me.

A POPULAR BOOK TROPE THAT YOU’RE TIRED OF SEEING

Ach I still want to go with my one from last time (the Mary Sue/Marty Stu)! Especially cos it’s been plaguing stories worse than ever!! (which makes no sense, cos it’s been years, WHY IS THIS GETTING WORSE?) I guess the other trope I’m tired of seeing at this point is the Chosen One. Although, again, this comes back to wanting better characters.

A POPULAR SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING.

Gosh I gotta admit there are lots of these. And this is coming from someone with poor impulse control when it comes to books (most of the time: I see book, I want book, I read book 😉 ) Here’s a few:

 

 

(don’t hold me to this though, I keep seeing a couple of these about and it takes a lot not to cave 😉 )

THE SAYING GOES “THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE”, BUT WHAT MOVIE OR TV SHOW ADAPTATION DO YOU PREFER MORE THAN THE BOOK?

Erm is it bad that I have *so many* answers? For me, it can really go either way- sometimes I hate adaptations, sometimes I love them. The most recent time I preferred the movie was Crazy Rich Asians- not that the book was bad per se, but I had mad-fun watching the film 😀

I tag: Bookstooge, Lucinda, Rivermoose, Journey into Books, Modern Witch, Naty, *May Contain Spoilers*, Starry Sky Books, Cade, Roaring Bookworm and Keira

And anyone else that wants to do it! So what did you think about my unpopular opinions? Agree or disagree with any of them? Let me know in the comments!

Naughty or Nice Tag

Hello all! It’s been a while since I did a tag and there’s so many fantastic end-of-year ones to choose from- this one particularly looks like a lot of fun!! Thanks so much to the wonderful Jill Jemmett and the lovely Beth @Reading Every Night for tagging me to do this one! They’re both fantastic bloggers who have so much wonderful bookish content and you need to check them out! And a special extra *thank you* goes out to Jill, for sending me this beauty (which I received today!!!) for winning her 1000 follower giveaway:

The Rules

• Tag & link the person who tagged you.
• Tag and link Jenniely’spost, for she’s love to read everyone’s answers!
• Tick/cross off the ones you’ve done (ticks = naughty, crosses = nice)
• Tag another 10 people.

1. Received an ARC and not reviewed it  

Errr do samples count? I’m gonna say no- just cos.

2. Have less than 60% feedback rating on Netgalley 

Nope!

3. Rated a book on Goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did) 

I rarely put my comments on GR- let alone review- so this was a safe no.

4. Folded down the page of a book 

*Coughs awkwardly* yeahhhh. To be fair, it’s a great way to do references for non fic (and mark pages to go back to later in general).

5. Accidentally spilled on a book 

Nope! What kind of philistine do you think I am? (to be fair, considering how much tea and hot chocolate I’ve drunk over my books in the last year, I reckon I’ve been incredibly lucky not to have done this)

5. DNF a book this year 

Yeah I DNF’d and I’m proud of it! After struggling through half of it for a month, I finally decided to call it quits. I actually consider my inability to DNF one of my weaknesses as a reader and have been trying to get better at it- if achieving that goal puts me on the naughty list then so be it!

6. Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it  

Err I’ve definitely cover bought, but I always intend to read it (even if I never do)- so gonna go with nice for this.

7. Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework) 

*Looks around guiltily*. Oh come on, you’ve all done this. Don’t pretend you haven’t.

9. Skim read a book 

Errr yeah- that’s what happens when you refuse to DNF really lousy books.

10. Completely missed your Goodreads goal 

Hehe well considering I didn’t really have a goodreads goal, it’s pretty hard to fail this one.

11. Borrowed a book and not returned it to the library

Okay I’m overthinking this question, because I *always* have books on the go from the library, but I also *always* make sure they’re renewed/returned on time. So I’m going with a tentative no?

12. Broke a book buying ban 

What ban? Okay- never mind- you can all see through the pretence. Guilty as charged.

13. Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about 

Hahaha I’ve done this for mini reviews and then end up with two lines of comments- I think it’s fairly obvious 😉

14. Wrote in a book you were reading 

I don’t actually think I’ve done that this year… wow, that’s a first.

15. Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads 

Oh no, I’m basically compulsive about Goodreads. I finish a book, I put it on there.

16. Borrowed a book and not returned it to a friend 

NO! The horror, the horror. I’m basically a saint when it comes to borrowing books from friends 😉 (but also don’t like to do it cos it makes me STRESS so much)

17. Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book 

Hahaha! All. The. Time. Unless it’s to my sister- then the answer’s always “after I’m done with it” 😉

18. Broke the spine of someone else’s book 

Nooooo! That would be too cruel. As bad as I am with a lot of my own books, I hate the idea of ruining someone else’s books. If I borrow a book from someone I’m going to be squinting at the half-opened pages rather than spoil it (also, again, I’m mostly too afraid to borrow people’s books)

19. Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged 

Ahhh this happened to me and it was really sad!! I had to take my Muse of Nightmares out with me (alright I technically have to, I wanted to, cos I was reading it and it was amazing, okay?!) and so I decided to leave the dust jacket behind so it wouldn’t get ruined. But I couldn’t leave it out, so I put it in a drawer, consequently forgot it was in said drawer… and crumpled it when I took it out. Not too badly, but still. I feel like I was punished enough for this one- sadly Santa doesn’t feel the same way so it’s onto the naughty list *sigh*.

20. Sat on a book accidentally 

Sounds like me (regular Bella Swan me #sorelatable) but I don’t remember this specifically, soooo no?

Final Score: 8/20

Well, with some very careful interpretation of the questions I’m on the nice list! Although I feel like that said interpretation might be why I kinda deserve to be on the naughty list… let’s not think about that!

Cos I’m naughty at heart, I’m not gonna tag a lot of people, just:

Drew, Sam, Rivermoose, Kat, Bookstooge, Katie and Cozy Pages

And to everyone else- do you reckon you’d be on the naughty or nice list? Let me know in the comments!

Book Blogger Insider Tag!

Hello all! I’ve got no preamble today- I just fancied doing a tag, cos I’m a blogger… which coincidentally is what this tag is all about!

Thank you so much to the awesome Angelica @Book Cover Girls, super Sam @Rivermoose Reads and the perfect Panic at the Bookstore for tagging me to do this!

1) Where do you typically write your blog posts?

At my desk. I know, exciting 😉 although my desk is something of a paper jungle right now, so it somewhat resembles my natural habitat 😉

2) How long does it generally take you to write a book review?

That really depends on the book! Also I’ve never kept track lol- I reckon some take under an hour, but I only remember the ones that I slaved over for wayyy too long (it took *hours* to write my post on the Gulag Archipelago for instance).

3) When did you start your book blog?

May 2015! Just before I finished my degree… which was not the best timing in the world.

4) What is the worst thing about having a book blog in your opinion?

Not keeping up with everything and consequent blogging guilt! It’s a killer combination!

5) What is the best thing about having a book blog in your opinion?

ALL OF YOU GUYS!!!

6) What blog post have you had the most fun writing so far?

Probably one of my satirical pieces like Worst Fantasy Novel Plan or Why Satire is Evil. But I also loved doing my 3 year bloggiversary post on blogging and promoting some other bloggers, cos it was something different that I hadn’t done before.

7) What is your favourite type of blog post to write?

Hmm, while I have the most fun doing funny sorts of posts, I probably get the most out of discussion pieces. I get to think through my ideas, hear your ideas, and come up with new ideas after- which is like an idea-xplosion!

8) When do you typically write?

Usually in the early evening. Or the night. Or sometimes in the afternoon… I really didn’t have a good answer for this except to say *NOT IN THE MORNING*.

9) Do you review every book you read?

Nope- not even close lol- that’s why I try to talk about some of the other books in mini reviews (and I still don’t get to everything). I’m getting better though!

10) How do you write your book reviews? With a cup of coffee or tea? With Netflix? Cuddled with your fur baby?

TEA IS A MUST. I swear if I could open a vein and have a constant supply of tea, I’d do it (okay, that’s probably a bit far, but what can I say, I’m British and CRAZY ABOUT TEA 😉 )

Other than that, it really depends on the book (and how long I’ve been procrastinating over the review)

11) When do you write your book reviews? Right after finishing the book? Two weeks after finishing the book?

*Coughs awkwardly*. Honestly? It’s usually at least a month… Shocking- I know!! But that helps me plan my posts better and order my thoughts. I also can get a clear view about what I can talk about in mini reviews that way. But yeah, it’s rare that you’ll see my thoughts straightaway.

12) How often do you post?

That realllly depends on the week. Gonna make “it depends” my mantra after this post… except that’s not catchy, so not really 😉

Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed that chill post for a change! I tag:

Kat, Meggy, Book Beach Bunny, Katie, Jenna and Lashaan & Trang

Do you have any weird blogging habits you’d like to share? Are you a tea addict like me? Let me know in the comments!