It’s time for my first tag of 20202023 and this time it’s all about coffee. Firstly thank you so much to Sahi @ My World Of Books for tagging me in this. All of you should definitely go and check out their answers, along with the rest of their wonderful page. Secondly I’m so incredibly sorry for how ridiculously late my response to this is. I’ve honestly had this typed up since sometime in early 2020 (hence the original introduction) then somehow never got around to posting it. And thirdly I have a confession to make: I’m not a fan of coffee.
Yeah so that last bit is no longer true! When I was freezing cold one day I caved and tried a coffee to warm up and loved it. I will say that it has to have milk in it and some kind of sweetener but there are times when coffee definitely hits the spot. And tbh I pretty much always adore the flavoured varieties now. Cinnamon bun coffees – which I believe were limited edition only – were absolutely divine. So please, please bring them back one day!
Black Coffee: A series that’s tough to get into but has hardcore fans
There were two answers that immediately came to mind in regards to this question but, as I haven’t attempted reading the other before (what the hell was it?!?), I’m going with The Lord Of The Rings. To be fair I only attempted to read this once, years and years ago, and gave up without really giving it much of a chance. It definitely strikes me as a series that could be harder to get into though and yet it’s certainly also one with a lot of major fans. One day I do plan to try and read this series again. Maybe next year; maybe much later… basically it depends on how my reading goes.
Peppermint Mocha: A book that gets more popular during winter or a festive time of year
This is one series that I definitely plan to finally get read this year. It’s also certainly a series that seemed to get a lot more popular as winter started approaching. I’ve seen the Winternight Trilogy mentioned on a lot of different book lists lately. It sounds absolutely spectacular and I honestly can’t wait to finally discover this magical world for myself.
Hot Chocolate: Your favorite children’s book
I had a lot of favourite series when I was growing up but the one that I couldn’t help but instantly think of was the My Naughty Little Sister books. I remember loving both the stories and illustrations in these stories and know that I picked up the book on many an occasion. I can still remember certain scenes from it now so I really must have read this series a lot!
Double Shot Of Espresso: A book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish
The Wicked King certainly kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish; how could it not with all that action, intrigue, betrayal and plot twists? There was literally always something happening in this book and I constantly had to keep turning pages to discover what would happen next.
Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere
Once again there were two books that popped into my head in regards to this question straight away. (And I hopelessly need to read both of them still but they’re definitely both books that I plan to get to during 2020). ((What was the second one?? The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo maybe?)) I’ve gone with Red, White & Royal Blue this time though as I mentioned the other of these in my last book tag. I can’t wait to finally get my hands on a copy of this book to find out why it’s so popular. Although there’s definitely pressure there too because what if I don’t like it? I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how I find this book for myself.
And it will surprise no one to hear that this book is still on my TBR.
The Hipster Coffee Shop: Give a book by an indie author a shout-out
Sorry if Darkness Falls isn’t by an indie author but I think it is? It came up when I searched for ‘books by indie authors’ anyway so fingers crossed. I ended up going for this one as I actually own a copy of it. It’s still sat unread on my Kindle but I do plan to read it eventually!
Oops! I Accidentally Ordered Decaf: Name a book that you expected more from
I’m sorry to say this but for me this has to be Slayer. It was still an alright book (and I gave it an additional star for capturing the ‘feel’ of Buffy The Vampire Slayer so well although on reflection I wish I’d just gone with half a star for this) but something was missing for me. I think it needed a bit more grit and additional darkness. It honestly breaks my heart to say this though as I had such, such high hopes for this book.
The Perfect Blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet, but ultimately satisfying
With a category heading of ‘The Perfect Blend’ I feel like I have to pick the Harry Potter Series for this one. To me these are the perfect books and I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving them. They’re also bitter, sweet and satisfying too though as there are so many moments of warmth and wonderful, darkness and despair and everything comes together in such a magnificent manner. So these books are both bitter and sweet; and I loved every single minute of them!
Chai Tea: Name a book or series that makes you dream of far off places
Oh wow, why is this question so hard? I have a lot of books on my TBR that I think would fit this tag but I can’t think of any that I’ve read yet. I feel like The Kingdom Of Copper would be the perfect answer to this but I haven’t read it so I don’t know for sure. Okay I’m just going to go with Diary Of A Crush: French Kiss as that was the book that first made me desperate to go to Paris. That isn’t that far off from me but it definitely ignited a deep dream to visit the capital of France. So it counts. Besides which all of the fantasy novels that tend to come to mind are set in wildly dangerous places…
Earl Grey: Name your favorite classic
Can I skip this one? I don’t have a favourite classic. I’ve only read one so far and I don’t feel right about calling it my favourite by default as my feelings about it were rather mixed. I found it – much to my surprise – to be fine at first but I can only read one book at a time and it started seeming to take forever; I wanted to get back to my regular books and I got fed up. (The book was Great Expectationsby the way). Anyway I am hoping, once I get my TBR under control, to try and get a couple of classics read.
Ooh wait I finally have an answer that isn’t entirely by default. Emphasis on the entirely as it’s now the only classic that I’ve picked up by choice but I did actually enjoy it more than I expected to. Knowing that part of Dracula was set in Whitby I decided to finally read my copy when I spent some time there last year and was pleasantly surprised by it. The atmosphere that the novel created was wonderful and it was certainly intriguing to read one of the early vampire novels. Honestly if it weren’t for Van Helsings tendency to ramble I may have gone so far as to say I loved it.
Second update – I HATE Earl Grey. I was under this impression already but I accidentally made myself one the other week (heaven only knows how I got the peppermint and earl grey tea bags mixed up) and it was vile. Initially I thought it was tolerable but a few sips later I felt like I was going to be sick. Honestly I felt kind of ill for several hours afterwards. Why on earth would anyone pick earl grey over any other tea?
Naturally there’s no pressure for anyone to do this but I really wanted to tag some people as this is my first tag of the year and I do look forward to seeing your answers if you decide to join in. I also cannot believe that this tag has been sitting completely filled out in my drafts since early 2020. Sorry again for how late this is coming to you all. Although, bright side, at least I got to update this post to say that I now adore coffee!
Last year I missed my chance to nominate any bloggers for the Book Blogger Awards so this year I decided to make sure that I took the time to nominate some of my favourite bloggers in the first round and hopefully help my followers find some more incredible pages to check out. Recognizing the wonderful achievements of our fellow bloggers is so, so important and I simply couldn’t miss this opportunity to showcase some of the fantastic bloggers whose pages I most admire.
The Fourth Annual 2020 Book Blogger Awards are being hosted by Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane and May @ Forever And Everly. For more information please do go and check our their posts. And thank you to both of them for giving bloggers such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate one and other.
Everybody should 100% be following Emma on her wonderful blog. She’s honestly one of the nicest people that I’ve met through blogging and has an incredible variety of content on her page. Reviews, tags, discussions, recommendations, advice and memes can all frequently be found over on A Few Chapters ’til Love and are also always a joy to read. So what are you waiting for? If you’re not already following her please do go and check out her page for a wonderful variety of fantastic content.
Everytime that I read a post by Marie I’m left utterly in awe of her incredible content. It constantly amazes and inspires me that she manages not only to produce such fantastic and varied blog posts but also still keeps on top of all of her comments, reads a lot and blog hops too as much as she does. I seriously don’t know how she does it! There are always new posts by her that leave me itching to read them and her reviews strike that perfect balance of informing you about a book and sharing her feelings without stepping into spoiler territory. Plus she’s one of the kindest and most supportive bloggers that I’ve came across.
Kaya is another blogger that I’m absolutely over the moon to have met. Not only is she a lovely person who I adore exchanging comments with, she also has a lot of interesting and regular content that I’m always excited to read. Her reviews are always entertaining, fair and fun and the books that she includes are pretty much always ones that are already on my TBR or swiftly find their way onto it after her recommendations. She’s a truly wonderful person and her content is always engaging and entertaining.
Yes it’s another blogger whose posts I always make an effort to catch up with if I ever fall behind with my blog hopping. Why? Because her content is constantly intriguing and a joy to delve into. When it comes to reviews Evelyn is another blogger who manages to share enough book context to leave you intrigued (or else fairly share why she wasn’t a fan of a particular book) whilst tending to stay away from spoiler territory. Her list posts are always fantastic and I’m definitely in awe of how consistently she blogs.
As soon as I saw this prompt Mandy & Sha from Book Princess Reviews immediately sprang to mind. Although they also cover Young Adult books I definitely remember discovering a fair few Middle Grade offerings through their blog as well. Their page definitely seems to be a good go to if you want to try and discover more of the Middle Grade genre and it has a lot of enthusiasm for it to match. Plus they even have a wonderful guide of where to start with various options including MG books by YA authors, spooky reads and various diverse ones.
Thanks to the amount of time that I’ve spent flicking through various Goodreads lists I generally think I’m pretty aware of what new book releases are on the horizon. Yet I’m still constantly discovering new and intriguing offerings of books in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres (as well as horror and thriller offerings too) on Mogsy’s page. They have such a wonderful variety of book reviews, memes and lists within these genres and I just adore reading their content. If you ever want to know what Sci-Fi & Fantasy releases are around the corner then this is the page to visit!
I haven’t really spoken with this blogger much (so I’m incredibly sorry if I have your name wrong) but their page is definitely my new go to for thriller recommendations. They have a whole host of wonderful recommendations lists within the genre – including some YA ones too which was a lovely discovery to make – and also frequently post lists of Kindle book deals within both the UK and USA which I’m sure is a feature that many book bloggers – and readers in general – will find immensely useful.
Firstly I’m so, so sorry that I don’t know your name. I feel terrible about that fact.
If you’re looking for reviews that you can trust then look no further! Spines That Shine is one of the first bloggers that I followed and I absolutely adore her reviews. They’re wonderfully set out and share her fair and balanced opinions of the books that she’s read. By highlighting specific aspects and features of books (such as enemies to lovers, mythological beings or settings) I find her reviews the perfect read for when I’m in two minds about reading a book. She’s always kind and fair in her assessments of a book and explains exactly what it is that she’s loved or disliked within her reviews. Plus she takes the most stunning Instagram pictures so if you’re not following her over there too you definitely should be doing so!
Any post by Sophie is one that I know I’m going to enjoy and she’s another blogger with a wonderful variety of content. I’ve absolutely adored some of her recent book interview posts and her reviews are easily some of my most trusted thanks to the fair and balanced way that she sets her thoughts out. For me a good review shares a reader’s thoughts and opinions of a book without giving too much else away which is exactly what her reviews do. She tells her readers what she likes and dislikes within the books that she’s read but doesn’t spoil the content in any way. So in general her reviews leave me itching to pick up the book for myself. Plus I can’t mention Sophie without also bringing up the fact that she’s a wonderful individual to interact with and is so, so supportive of others too.
Oh man do I love Sofi’s recommendation posts! As soon as you read them it’s perfectly clear that she’s put a lot of thought and effort into choosing books for her given subject. I have a weakness for book lists and her’s are definitely some of my favourite of those. The enthusiasm that she has practically leaps off of the page and I’m always excited when I realize I have another recommendation post by her in my inbox. She somehow constantly comes up with these lists and always has new offerings to share with her readers. Her page is definitely a wonderful place to visit if you want to discover some new books. Plus she is one of the sweetest bloggers that I’ve communicated with. Thank you so much for your wonderful talent for picking the perfect books to make my TBR grow!
Surely I’m not the only person who immediately thinks of Sophie when it comes to discussion posts? There’s something about the style in which she writes them that constantly leaves me wanting more. Her thoughts are well written, balanced and concise. She gets across both sides of an argument incredibly well and definitely leaves you with plenty to think about. It’s the engaging writing style of these posts that always leaves me most in awe but I honestly love everything about her discussion posts; the layout, the content, the subjects that she picks…where on earth do you get your ideas from? Personally I consider Sophie the queen of book blogging discussion posts.
I discovered Rain’s page quite some time back and was immediately struck by her strong, unique blogging voice. Then, thanks to my lack of notifications, I completely lost track of her page which I am so, so sorry about. I recently went back through the blogs that I’m following and made sure everybody’s email alerts were set to ‘on’ (you’d think this would be automatic when you hit ‘follow’ surely?) and couldn’t believe I’d forgotten about her marvellous blog. I haven’t read any of her posts recently thanks to this total failure on my part as well as my semi-absence but I am intenstly eager to start catching up on them soon. And surely the fact that I can remember how profoundly her voice struck me after all this time is a pretty massive sign of how impressive it is? Check out one of her posts and you’ll swiftly see what I mean. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
As I said earlier I adore Kaya’s content and honestly do think she’s one of the nicest bloggers that I’ve met. I’ve made it my mission over my catch up sessions to read pretty much all of her posts and a major factor of that decision is due to her blogging voice. All of her posts are so much fun to read! She manages to get her humor and snarkiness spot on which is something that truly amazes me (I’m too scared to try and be sarcastic as I know I’ll just end up sounding dumb). Her blogging voice is distinctive, fun and just utterly amazing. So please follow her now!
There are a lot of ways to support others within the blogging world, to make them feel accepted and included and to help raise awareness of their work. And one of those is to do collaborative posts that bring the work of various bloggers together. Lauren has reached out to several bloggers, me included, to write such posts and I can honestly say that receiving an email asking for your input is such an uplifting experience. She definitely raises awareness of other bloggers and supports them wonderfully. Plus she has such incredible post ideas and a beautiful writing voice (so yes I could have picked her for several categories truthfully) and she’s just an all round lovely person.
Do you ever feel like you don’t belong in the world of blogging? That you’re not good enough and that people don’t notice your page? I’m sure it’s a feeling that many bloggers are familiar with and having supportive followers helps a lot with those feelings. Back when I first started blogging I took a break as I became overwhelmed and during that time I received the loveliest message from Emma letting me know that I was missed. It was so heartwarming and uplifting to receive; plus such an incredible gesture to reach out to a blogger on hiatus like that. Emma’s all around supportive of others though. I’ve recently found a wonderful blogger thanks to her shout-out of them, she encourages you to check out everyone’s pages, leaves the most wonderful comments and has even written a help post for someone. As I said earlier she’s one of the loveliest people that I have met and I seriously hope that these nominations prompt you to check out her page.
When it comes to being an active and engaged member of the bookish community then who better to mention than Emer? She has to be one of – if not the – most frequent poster that I follow and that in itself puts her in the running for this nomination. More than that though despite her activity level, and huge number of followers, she still manages to keep up with her comments and takes the time to check out the posts of others too. Plus, even after receiving awards dozens of times she continues to share the love by tagging others to receive them. The variety of books that she reads, and content that she creates, is incredible and I just highly recommend checking out her page.
Sometimes you find a blogger who constantly leaves you wondering where on earth they get all of their wonderful post ideas from; Caitlin is 100% one of those individuals. Her page is frequently populated with new and intriguing posts and I seem to adore each and every one of them. They’re generally on topics that turn out to be wonderfully creative and fun too such as making guesses about books based on their covers and sharing her reading experiences within ‘Caitlin Reads’. The topics that she picks for her discussions – which are always wonderfully well written and fun to read – are varied too. Plus she’s one of the loveliest people in the book blogging world. And such a supportive individual as well; I’ve found various people’s pages thanks to her blogger shout outs!!
Firstly – and I can’t stress this enough – please do go and follow Madison’s page! It breaks my heart that she isn’t more recognized within the blogging world as her content is flawless without fail. Whenever you read a post by Madison you know that it’s going to be incredibly well written, planned out and – if applicable – researched. Her post ideas are so creative too and I love seeing the content that she comes up with. Her Liquor Literacy series (where she shares drink recipes and teams them up with books) is unlike anything else that I’ve come across in the world of blogging and each entry in the series clearly takes her a lot of effort, research and time. Her enthusiasm always bursts off of the screen, whatever her subject matter. And she’s such a lovely individual too.
I’ve only met Amber fairly recently but she has to be one of the kindest, sweetest bloggers that I’ve come across. From the very first time that I commented on a post of hers she left me the friendliest replies imaginable. All of her comments – whether on her page or mine – are always so warm and heartfelt. To say I’m thrilled to have met her is a monumental understatement. Please do go and check out her page as she deserves all the followers in the world. I adore her content too and I can honestly say that if there was a category here for best fictional writing I would 100% nominate Amber in a heartbeat. Check out her fantastic fiction as it’s a gift to the world and I really would not be surprised to find myself reading a book by her at some point in the future.
Truthfully I really wanted to nominate El for one of the genre categories but she reads such a vast range of books that I couldn’t settle on which to pick for her. (So take that as a recommendation to go and check out her page whatever your taste in books!). Her content is fantastic and I love reading all of her posts. She’s also one of the friendliest bloggers that I know. Talking with her is so much fun and she always leaves the loveliest comments on people’s posts. I’m so happy to have found her page.
Despite only having followed May very recently I literally can not think of a better individual to nominate for this award. It was her incredible post featuring 25 different books by Asian authors that first drew me towards her blog and I’ve already noticed several other fabulous looking similar posts focusing on different diverse subjects since. To put it simply her recommendations posts are incredible; wonderfully well set out, jam packed with diverse books and full of fabulous sounding fiction. I seriously can’t wait to read more!
Lais is another blogger who 100% deserves this award and came pretty swiftly into my mind for this category. Whether she’s writing a recommendations post, participating in a tag or sharing some of her superb individual content (such as her trope series) the books that she includes always cover a pretty diverse range. Not only that but her comments on these books is always so thoughtful and give you plenty of reasons to pick each of the titles up. Her content is always superb and she’s such a sweet individual. So once again please do go and check out her page.
Earlier on I mentioned how utterly fantastic Sophie’s discussion posts are but the truth is that all of her posts are flawless. Whatever she writes it’s always a pure pleasure to read and I’m instantly excited when I discover that there’s a new post by her. Whether you want incredible bookish content, movie recommendations, writing advice, interesting discussions or plenty of tagging fun then Sophie’s is the page to turn to. Everything is wonderfully written, beautifully set out and clearly has had so much effort put into it. Plus she’s one of the loveliest people that you’ll ever meet and always goes above and beyond to leave the most thoughtful comments. Simply put she’s a blogging superstar and truly deserves all the followers in the world. Her sister, Beth, deserves a shout out too as her content so far has been incredible as well. I so look forward to more from both of these bloggers in the future.
Wow, that was a longer post than I was initially expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed taking the chance to share the love for some of my favourite bloggers. Please do let me know of any other bloggers that you think I’d like following. And I shall be posting more frequently soon. My blogging enthusiasm is pretty high right now tbh, I just need to get reading still.
It’s time for another tag and I honestly do feel that the timing for this one is perfect. What better time is there to think about the books that you need to read than at the end of one year and the start of another? So, like Caitlin, I’m definitely going to try and get the seven books that I mention here read next year. I also seriously want to start reading more, like I used to, in 2020 and hopefully keep at least kind of on top of new releases. So fingers crossed that it goes well.
Thank you so much to Caitlin for tagging me to do this. You should all definitely check out her answers along with the rest of her wonderful page; I can guarantee that you’ll find plenty to interest you.
The Rules:
Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post.
A Book That A Certain Friend Is Always Telling You To Read
There isn’t just one particular person who keeps telling me to read The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo, it’s more like every blogger whose page that I look at is screaming at others to read it. So I definitely feel that I should hurry up and do so as soon as possible. Everybody seems to adore Taylor Jenkins Reid‘s books so I seriously need to find out what all the fuss is about. Hopefully I’ll pick this one up fairly early in the new year.
A Book That’s Been On Your TBR Forever And Yet You Still Haven’t Read It
Not only is Peter Pan And Wendy on my TBR I also own a copy of it and I think it’s probably the unread book that I’ve had for the longest? I actually can’t remember when I got it but when I was going through my books the other day I decided to read the first few paragraphs and was kind of curious. I don’t think it would take long to read either so 2020 will definitely be the year that I get this one read!
A Book In A Series You’ve Started, But Haven’t Gotten Around To Finishing
Sadly there are several series that I could pick for this question. There are five that immediately come to mind without me even having to take the time to think. So ideally I’d like to get all of them read in their entirety and finished next year. I loved the start of them all so I don’t really know why I never finished them. For this question I’m going to pick The Dark Days Pact though. It’s definitely one that I want to finish and also a series that I haven’t really seen mentioned since I started blogging. Plus I’m kind of in the mood for a regency era story with a supernatural twist!
A Classic You’ve Always Liked The Sound Of, But Have Never Actually Read
Lately I actually keep saying that I want to try and get some classics read. If I actually manage to get reading, and have a chance to get some of the books that I’m desperate to read, read, then I am hoping to read either one a month or every other month. Hopefully anyway. One major one that I always hear fantastic things about – and have somehow never even seen an adaptation of – is Pride And Prejudice. So that’s definitely one of the first that I hope to pick up.
A Popular Book That It Seems Everyone But You Has Read
For this one I definitely have to go with A Court Of Thorns And Roses. I don’t even know how I haven’t read this series yet. It’s by Sarah J. Maas (and I’ve loved what I’ve read by her so far) and it’s about the fae (which I also adore). So how have I not read this yet? Seriously how? 2020 I 100% will get this series read! And hopefully fall in love with it too.
Side Note: Throne Of Glass is another of those series that I have to finish and I’m highly anticipating Sarah J Maas’ next book and have her other on my TBR so basically in 2020 I want to read everything that this author has written. Fingers crossed.
A Book That Inspired A Film/TV Adaptation That You Really Love, But Just Haven’t Picked Up Yet
You is what immediately came to mind and, once again, I can’t believe I haven’t read this book yet. I really wanted to read both books before the new series came out and now… now I don’t know what to do. Do I read the books first and wait for the show or watch the show immediately because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!! Decisions, decisions… Either way I’m reading the books in 2020 though.
A Book You See All Over Instagram But Haven’t Picked Up Yet
I haven’t been on my Instagram for a while – I’m hoping to start it up again in the new year – but I definitely remember seeing Stalking Jack The Ripper on it a fair few times and I’m desperate to read that series. I’m seriously hoping that I love it to be honest as, after being ill, I gave into the temptation to buy the whole series. So this is probably the first of these books that I’ll get to but I’m desperate to read them all. Ideally I’ll even get them read in the first half of 2020 but, knowing me, I doubt it. But yes the Stalking Jack The Ripper books are one of the next few that I’m reading for certain.
I’ve got to say that I was absolutely over the moon to get nominated for this award not once but twice. It honestly means the world to me and I just want to say thank you so, so much to MP @ Miscellany Pages for tagging me. I love your questions and can’t wait to get started on answering them. Please do check out their answers to this tag along with the rest of their wonderful page; there really is some fantastic content to find there!
Who is the most under-rated author you have read? Shout about them here so we can go check them out!
I kind of wanted to say Melissa Marr as I really do feel like her Wicked Lovely series is majorly underappreciated but – as I mention that rather a lot – instead I’m going to go with Cat Clarke. I don’t think I’ve seen her mentioned yet since I’ve started blogging but she really does have some fantastic books which tend to be both compulsively readable and utterly heartbreaking. I’ve only read four books by her so far but I’ve enjoyed them all and can’t wait to check out some of her other books. Next up will probably be A Kiss In The Dark.
If you were transported into a book, what genre would it be?
Ah tough question! Based on my reading choices I guess it would end up being fantasy or at least something vaguely supernatural. My life seems much too average to imagine being transported into a fantastical world though. Regardless I have to stick with fantasy as there would be so much to see and do; so many fascinating mystical beings to meet and sights to see. Fingers crossed that it would be a fantasy world within a fairly safe time though!
Tell us your favourite book quote.
I’m hopeless at remembering quotes; if I look them up I love them, if asked about them on the spot my mind goes blank. So I’m going to pick one from a book that I haven’t read yet but which instantly left me wanting to read it. Why am I picking that one? Because it constantly sticks in my mind somehow, I guess maybe because it made me laugh?
“Some people are like Slinkies. They aren’t really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to my face when I push them down a flight of stairs.”
Name a book outside of your comfort zone that surprised you or changed your perspective.
I always say that I want to read more historical fiction but I never seem to get around to it. That being said I have read a few and, in this case, I definitely expected for The Good Doctor Of Warsaw to be a difficult read so, in that sense, I wasn’t surprised. It gave me more insight into historic events that I didn’t know all that much about though. Naturally I knew some information about World War II but what I was taught in school never included mention of Warsaw or Dr Janusz Korczak. This book definitely inspired me to try and pick up others like it, to learn more about events that I lack much knowledge of. It also broke my heart to be honest. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read it; you absolutely, 100% should.
What is your favourite book that you had to study in school or college?
For me this has to be The Kite Runner. It’s another devastating book that really opens your eyes to different events. There weren’t actually over many books that I had to study that I enjoyed, to be honest, but that doesn’t lessen the fact that this was fantastic.
What is your number one book to film/TV adaptation?
This absolutely has to be The Hunger Games! The adaptations of these were just fantastic. I love every aspect of them to be honest; every member of the cast perfectly suited their characters and played them so, so well. And Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss; incredible. Truly they could not have found a better person to play that part. Now I want to go and rewatch those fabulous films.
If you gave one piece of wisdom to your younger self, what would it be?
Not to let myself get so cut off from people; to find some sort of club to join if nothing else. That may sound a bit odd but I have really bad social anxiety and ended up accidentally isolating myself over time so yeah, I’d definitely have to advice myself against that as it’s very hard to meet new people now.
What is your favourite hobby outside of reading?
I love making jigsaw puzzles, especially when I can find fantasy art style ones; they’re absolutely gorgeous! I’ve loved making puzzles for as long as I can remember to be honest. And then there’s dance too. I do get self conscious doing it thanks to my anxiety but it’s also good fun. I do Ballroom & Latin once a week (:
Show us your favourite photo on your phone.
I love a lot of the pictures on my phone but ultimately I had to choose this one. It’s of my last two dogs, Alfie and Penny, who I miss so much. As you can see they’re both absolutely gorgeous and just adorable! They both had such wonderful personalities too and I miss them every day.
What is your biggest worry or insecurity about your blog? We all have them, so let us reassure you!
Probably that I’m not good enough at writing posts; that they aren’t interesting, engaging or well written enough. I panic a lot about whether the content that I share is good enough. I also worry that I don’t read enough but I’m hoping that that’ll change soon.I definitely want to throw myself back into reading once I’ve finished off a couple of blog posts that I have planned for January.
Free question: what do you wish people asked in tags, but they never do? Now’s your chance to answer it!
I really struggled with this one at first but then I remembered something that I’d thought of before that gave me a question and an answer:
What’s one thing that you think should be taught in schools?
Definitely some kind of basic First Aid along with some details about certain diseases and conditions. The main thing that I’ve never understood is why they don’t teach you what to do if somebody is choking. That’s definitely something that could potentially be life saving. Then there’s things like the recovery position and what to do if you find someone whose unconscious; I know you’d call for help but it would be good if they taught people what else to do too. And then health wise I think that schools should teach people the warning signs of certain medial conditions and diseases. You get the adverts on TV concerning strokes, for instance, but I was never told about them in school. I just feel that some basic first aid teachings and background information on these things could truly be useful to people.
Obviously there’s no pressure for any of you to do this but I wanted to nominate as many people as it said to as it’s an awards tag and I think it’s a wonderful way to show other bloggers that you appreciate their posts.
What book, if any, would you most love to see a prequel of?
What were/are your favourite and least favourite subjects at school?
What’s your favourite film that was released in 2019?
What fairytale character would you be willing to trade places with?
What inspired you to start blogging?
What’s one piece of advice that you think all new bloggers should know?
If you could meet anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?
What’s your favourite lesser known, or talked about, book?
Which fictional character do you most admire?
What generally beloved character gets under your skin?
Yes it’s time for another tag, this time all about the vast array of drinks that come out in the fall. I loved answering all of these questions… although I also now really want to go and try out a few of these delicious sounding drinks. Admittedly I’m not the biggest fan of coffee – I find it too bitter in general – but I have quite liked the odd latte in the past so as long as the flavouring, and not the coffee, takes center stage I think I could see myself quite liking some of these drinks.
Also sorry if I still need to read your recent posts or answer your comments. I’m trying to balance getting everything posted on time, preparing for Christmas and catching up on everybody else’s blogs too but I am getting there.
Thank you so much to Rukky @ Eternity Books and Kaya @ A Fictional Bookworm for tagging me. Please do check out both of their pages, they’re really wonderful and have some absolutely fantastic content.
Pumpkin Spice Latte: A book you didn’t think you’d love
Obviously I thought I’d enjoy The Man Who Didn’t Call, otherwise I wouldn’t have picked it up, but I was surprised by how much I ended up loving it. The plot was a lot more twisty than I’d anticipated and it definitely went to show me that I need to take a few more chances when it comes to picking up different books.
Hot Apple Cider: A book that got you a bit hot under the collar
I loved getting to see Dimitri in Blood Promise and it was pretty hard not to get caught up in Rose’s lusty haze. So really what better choice for this question is there?
Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate: A book that felt like a warm hug
Why do I always struggle on questions like this? Why do I not read ‘warm hug’ books? I have them on my TBR… I just never get around to picking them up. Okay I’m really stuck so I’m going to have to go with Harry Potter again, this time The Philosopher’s Stone. It’s definitely a warm hug kind of book as it’s the one that started off this beloved series in the first place. It introduces the wonderful world of magic and I just love it so, so much. Next year I will definitely make an effort to read more warm, upbeat books :L
Maple Pecan Latte: A book you enjoyed that was hard to get into
I’m not sure why but I struggled to get into The Ruby In The Smoke several times before I finally picked it up, read the whole book and actually thoroughly enjoyed it by the end. So why’d I struggle? I have absolutely no idea. I will say that if you also struggled with the first book though give it another chance or else try one of the later ones; once I hit book three I literally couldn’t put these down.
London Fog: A vanilla character
Once again I’m struggling; I can think of characters that I didn’t like but not anyone that I’d particularly consider to be ‘vanilla’. Possibly because they’re so average that I’ve forgotten about them? So I’m just going to go with the closest answer that I can think of and that’s the killer from The Pact. I’m not going to name, names because spoilers and they weren’t 100% vanilla but when you try to look at them as a killer? Yeah…much too vanilla and unlikely.
Hot Buttered Rum: A book that was velvety smooth to read
As far as I’m concerned Stepsister was absolutely velvety smooth to read with it’s beautiful writing and glorious morals. I’d happily pick it up again this instant to be honest.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew: A character whose temperament is icy cold
Beira from Wicked Lovely immediately came to mind when it comes to this question. Firstly she’s definitely icy cold in terms of temperament but she’s also the Winter Queen which surely gets her bonus icy points?
Salted Caramel Mocha: A book that you’re salty about
I’m going to take an entirely different angle on this question and pick a book that I haven’t read yet but I feel gets a lot of unfair hate. Why haven’t I read it? Because it’s not even out yet. The book I’m talking about is Chain Of Gold and I know that it also gets a lot of love but I personally don’t understand the hate. Is it yet another Shadowhunter book? Yes. But if you don’t like the series or number of books then just don’t read it. Why complain about it without even giving it a chance? Yes Cassandra Clare has numerous series within the Shadowhunter world but she’s still written less books than there are in some other series. Plus some are in different periods of time which I think is amazing. So yes I’m salty about this book but not because of the book itself, it’s much more about some of the negativity that I see towards it. Basically if you don’t like it, don’t read it.
Honey Bee Latte: A character who is sweet
It’s been a while since I’ve read the books so maybe I’m completely mis-remembering but I think that Bonnie from The Vampire Diaries was pretty sweet? The book version of her anyway. Don’t get me wrong I loved her in the show as well but she was much more fierce and powerful in that. Whereas in the books I think she was kind of baby-bird like and protected by others. But like I’ve said I could be wrong.
Gingerbread Latte: A character you’d take home for Christmas
I answered this question on a Christmas tag, that I’m not sure if I’ll get around to posting or not as I’m so behind right now, but I picked Newt Scamander and even though I haven’t read the Fantastic Beasts books I have to pick him. He’s just perfect to take home for Christmas. He’s just…Newt; come on, wouldn’t you want him home for Christmas too? He hasn’t got a bad bone in his body, he loves animals, he’d definitely bring some fascinating magical creatures with him, he’s adorable and it would mean that magic was real! So 100% Newt.
I’m not going to tag anyone as it’s such a busy time of year – and I have another award tag coming up that I want to mention some people in – but if you want to do this tag then definitely feel free to do so. It’s such a wonderful tag to do and I had so much fun with it.
Firstly thank you so, so much to Emma for nominating me for this award. It honestly means the world to me and I’m not surprised that you were nominated for this one four times; you’re such a wonderful person and you’ve made me feel so welcome in the blogging world. Please do check out all of her answers here but also follow her on her new wordpress page here.
Rules:
Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their page so others can see how amazing they are, too!
List the rules in the post and the badge somewhere on your website
Answer the 11 questions you got asked
Nominate 11 new bloggers for this award and let them know
Ask the nominees 11 new questions!
What is your favourite fairy tale that you will read any retelling of?
Ooh hard question! I love fairy tale retellings but I’m really not sure which my favourite tale would be. I personally really love The Wicked Queen from Snow White and am always on the lookout for good versions of her (so far my favourite is the TV version of her in Once Upon A Time) but as for an actual whole story I’m not so sure. I’ve never especially decided that Beauty & The Beast is my favourite but I think it possibly might be? I have A LOT of retellings of it on my TBR anyway. Plus it involves enemies to lovers which is kind of a weakness of mine. I also love the idea of Peter Pan retellings too though. Basically I need to really start reading some of these retellings!!
Have you ever found a movie to be better than a book?
As a reader I feel like I should say no to this question but the truth is that yes I have, although it isn’t very often. The main example that springs to mind for me is The Lovely Bones. I know a lot of people love that book but for me it just didn’t work at all. Possibly because I’d already seen the film? I also tried reading Practical Magic earlier on this year and although I was enjoying it I wasn’t as into it as I’d hoped (then I fell into a slump and stopped). So possibly that movie too but if that’s the case then it’s most likely due to the fact that I’ve seen the movie about a dozen times before picking up the book. And, hopefully, I’ll at least fall in love with the sequel.
How did / do you feel about required reading at school? (Did you enjoy it?)
Truthfully I wasn’t a fan. I think there were a few books that we were assigned that I didn’t mind reading but for the most part I wasn’t interested in them. I also hate having to go through and analyze every aspect of a book; I like reading for enjoyment, not to pick a story apart line by line. Also, for some horrible reason, when we were assigned books to read during registration I got given a dictionary -_- I mean really? What’s wrong with some fiction?
What is a book you wish would be turned into a movie or series?
Definitely the Wicked Lovely series; I’ve literally been waiting for someone to turn that into a movie for years! Maybe then the series would get some more attention. Plus it’s fae and I just love Melissa Marr’s take on them. Of course it would have to be done well as it’d break my heart if it wasn’t.
What is your favourite quote from a book?
I’m terrible at remembering quotes and even worse at picking favourites – as soon as I start looking them up I find hundreds that I love. So I’m going to share one from a book that I read this year which had some truly beautiful, and meaningful, writing within it.
‘Mamam wielded shame like an assassin wields a dagger, driving it straight into her victim’s heart. She would win; she always won. Isabelle knew that. How many times had she cut away parts of herself at her mother’s demand? The part that laughed too loudly. That rode too fast and jumped too high. The part that wished for a second helping, more gravy, a bigger slice of cake. If I marry the prince, I will be a princess, Isabelle thought. And one day, a queen. And no one will dare call me ugly ever again.’
Is there a book you can never finish, no matter how many times you try?
As of yet no. Although I seriously need to try and read some classics sometime. I’ve also struggled in the past with some books but, so far, whenever I’ve picked them up again I’ve managed to finish them. Some I even really enjoyed the second time around.
What is your most anticipated release of the year? (It could have already been released this year)
Oh there are loads but if I had to pick just one from the year so far which I still need to read then it would have to be Queen Of Nothing; I seriously can’t wait to get on with it! When it comes to books that I’m still waiting to come out then it’s Blood Countess 100% although that seems a bit unfair as there are only a few weeks left in the year :L
Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Generally tea. That’s the one that I drink most often anyway. Although, as I drink so much of it at home, if I’m out I tend to order hot chocolate. And sometimes it’s just lovely to curl up with a nice cup of that anyway.
Who is your favourite fictional villain?
Is it really bad if I pick someone fairly obvious and say Tom Riddle? Although I want to stress that this is back when he still is Tom Riddle rather than Lord Voldemort. Okay I think his character is well written and fascinating in either instance but I do find it really interesting when you get to see glimpses of his younger self in several of the books. I want more of his backstory, more of him charming people and twisting them around his finger. I want to know what he did and how he gained followers. I just think that, back before everybody knew him as Lord Voldemort, that he’d be incredibly interesting to learn about. I love seeing charismatic villains that draw people in despite their actions and, in his youth, Tom Riddle was just that. So it may be a fairly obvious answer but I’m sticking with it.
Have you ever had someone damage a book you lent them? What did you say to them?
Thankfully no. At least not that I can remember. Although I did let one of my aunts borrow a couple of my books once and they took months to return them… is it bad that I believe I was getting panicky about their condition? Or whether I’d ever actually get them back.
Do you think digital and audiobooks will ever fully replace physical books?
Probably not. I know a lot of people love them and they definitely have their positives – particularly that you can take numerous books with you without weighing yourself down – but I feel like there will always be a place for books. A lot of people just seem to love physical ones more and I must admit that it is lovely to actually hold a copy of a book that you love – especially if it’s got a gorgeously designed cover too. Plus, even if they did stop producing books for some reason, then the old ones are always going to have a place in the world I think. People collect those, after all.
Obviously there’s no pressure for any of you to do this but I wanted to nominate as many people as it said to as it’s an awards tag and I think it’s a wonderful way to show other bloggers that you appreciate their posts.
My Questions:
Are there any 2020 releases that you’re already excited for? If so which ones?
What’s your favourite book to TV adaptation?
If you could step into the world of any book which one would it be?
What author would you love to see more books from?
Do you prefer enemies to lovers or friends to lovers romances in books?
If you could pick any book to be turned into a musical, which would it be?
What supernatural creature do you think we need to see more of in fiction?
What’s your favourite time of day?
What two authors do you think would write an amazing book together?
What are your hobbies outside of reading and blogging?
If you could get everybody to read one book what would it be and why?
It’s time for another tag and this time it’s all about pancakes! I’d actually love to go and have some, or a waffle, sometime as a Christmas treat but I guess I’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Anyway thank you so much to the lovely Sophie @ Sophie’s Corner for tagging me to do this (: I really look forward to answering these questions and taking part in this tag that I’ve seen around so much since I started blogging. Please do make sure to check out Sophie’s answers to this tag and the rest of her wonderful page too!!
Rules:
Link back to the original creator in your post— who is Becky from Blogs of a Bookaholic once I’ve finished scheduling my posts for tomorrow I’m 100% checking out her page myself (:
Thank the person who tagged you– As I said above I was tagged by the lovely Sophie!!
Feel free to use any of my pancake graphics in your post, or create your own! (I have used Becky’s lovely graphics— look how wonderful they are!!)
Tag 5 other people at the end of your post, and let them know you’ve tagged them.
Last time that I had to look up quotes for a tag I was left a bit awestruck by some of the beautiful ones in To Kill A Kingdom. I know that I loved the book when reading it but how on earth did I not pick up on how quoteable and breathtaking the writing was at the time?
I honestly can’t think of anyone better suited for this question than Jude from The Cruel Prince. Not only is she pretty sharp in the way that she can look after herself but she’s also one hell of a planner. She’s always thinking, scheming and struggling to keep her place in the world of the fae.
Once again I still need to pick up and read more stereotypical comfort reads! But I do plan to get to some soon. For now though it has to be Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. There’s something so wonderful about slipping back into my favourite fictional world and what better way to do so than with my favourite book of the series? Although, in all honesty, if I pick one of these books up to read, I’ll probably end up re-reading the whole set.
Hmm… I’m not sure if I get book hangovers? At least not lately; instead I just randomly fall into slumps for no reason. But I’m working on it! I feel like Lord Of Shadows is definitely a book worthy of causing such a thing though. I mean, that ending?!? How on earth do you just simply pick up another book and move on after that?
The Wicked King definitely felt indulgent to me as I literally could not put it down. It had action, intrigue, twists and turns; a vast array of characters and enemies to lovers. Basically it had everything and each aspect was spectacular. What makes a more indulgent read than that?
I’m going to go for a more recent read for this answer and go with Dawes from Ninth House. Initially she seems cold and uncaring but I found myself surprisingly fond of her by the end of book one!
I need to read 13 Minutes again sometime but I think it should fit in with this question. There were definitely a lot of twists and turns involved in this book. Plus at least one major ‘OMG’ moment that I remember.
I think as I read the The Hunger Games books before seeing the movie I always wanted Katniss to end up with Gale. Then that ship was ruined for me (if you’re familiar with the book or movie you’ll know why) and at first I felt like she’d settled for Peeta. But now I really like them together. They went through such impossible, horrific events together and helped each other survive. Peeta’s love was crystal clear and so adorable. Katniss loved him, she was just oblivious to her feelings and I was too I think. But they really are perfect together.
Okay firstly I do like peanut butter :L Just to make that clear but anyway… what character could ever make me recoil as much as Count Olaf from A Series Of Unfortunate Events? Okay there are probably a few but he is pretty atrocious. Seriously he’s a terrible human being. And I’m pretty sure the physical descriptions of him were pretty unpleasant too.
I feel like Lady Midnight had almost everything that you could ask for in it when it comes to characters. There were people from different backgrounds and cultures, LGBT representation included and even a character with autism who was just tremendously well written! I adored them so, so much.
I’m honestly not sure who has and hasn’t done this tag already as I’ve seen it around rather a lot? So if you haven’t already done it, and want to do so, consider yourself tagged too! And obviously there’s no pressure to the people who I have mentioned to do this.
It’s time for another fall book tag, featuring another set of wonderful questions. Thank you so much Chelsie @ My Reading Escape for tagging me to do this tag. I had a wonderful time answering these questions. If you haven’t already done so you should also definitely check out Chelsie’s page, there are some really fantastic posts over there.
This tag was created by The Book Angel over on Booktube.
Autumn: A Book With Fall Colors (Orange, Yellow, Red)
I was going to try and find an upcoming release to put here – just so I’d have an excuse to mention one of the many books that I’m looking forward to – then I saw the cover for Grave Mercy and realized how perfectly that fit in with this prompt. Both versions of the cover that I’m familiar with fit in to the colour scheme in question. Plus it’s a series that I really want to get on and read ASAP so it’s still a fantastic sounding book to mention. Also, maybe it’s just me, but the blurb feels as if it could find its home on an autumn book list?
Pumpkin Picking: Favorite Fictional Food
I’m not sure if I have a favourite fictional food but as this is a fall tag and Halloween is a part of fall I’m going to go with Sweetly for this question. From what I remember it had some mouth-wateringly delicious sounding confectionary within it – one of the main characters owned a sweet shop I believe – and who doesn’t want some sort of candy or chocolate at this time of year? Plus a Hansel & Gretel retelling also somehow feels fitting for a Fall Tag.
Since typing these answers up on Word whilst I had no internet access I’ve realized that I picked Sweetly in a previous tag too. I’m going to stick with it this time – as being a Hansel & Gretel retelling it feels perfect for a fall book tag – but next time that I’m asked for fictional food I shall hopefully have another answer on hand.
Lost In a Corn Maze: A Book You Got Lost In (A Really Good Book)
Hundreds probably and I’d love to be creative and use a less obvious answer but my heart is telling me to go with Harry Potter for this one. It’s set within the wizarding world which is just such a fantastic setting to lose yourself within. The world feels incredibly real, well thought out and fantastic. I could read the book a hundred times and still lose myself within its pages. So really how could I pick anything else?
Birds Fly South: What Bad Book Made You Want to Fly South
I really struggled to finish The Bad Daughter and most likely would have given up on it if I hadn’t received it in exchange for an honest review. I think it had a promising start but then it fell apart. I read it a few years ago – and have no desire to pick it up again to refresh my memory – but I believe at one point it used the word ‘said’ so many times on a single page that I nearly threw it aside. Plus the ending should have been fantastic but it was so poorly written and unbelievable and just… yeah, getting through this book irritated me to say the least.
Sweaters: A Book That Makes You Happy
Oh so many. One of my more recent favourite series – as I’m sure some of you already know – is The Folk Of The Air. The Cruel Prince was one of my 2018 most anticipated releases and when I read it and it actually lived up to my expectations I was thrilled. I love the fae and Holly Black’s take on them in this series. Plus this book made me extra happy as it was the first review book I won a copy of from Readers First. Yay! A pretty fantastic book to start off my book reviewing journey tbh.
Ghost Story: A Scary/Spooky Book
Wish Me Dead hasn’t gotten a particularly good rating on Goodreads but I actually rather enjoyed it. I’m not sure if my copy was different from the finished book – it was a proof copy that I picked up in a charity shop – but I found the story quite chilling at least. It’s one of those novels that keeps you guessing as to whether the events within them are magical or natural. The crime scenes were rather vividly, and disturbingly, painted. And I definitely remember being a bit scared to turn the page at one point… maybe I’m just a wimp though.
Black Cat: Favorite Fictional Pet
He’d definitely take offence at being referred to as a ‘pet’ but Reichis from Spellslinger is definitely one of my favourite fictional creatures. I believe the term he likes to go by is ‘business partner’ (although it’s been a while so I’m not 100% sure) and I just love his personality. He’s vicious and violent and yet makes me laugh the majority of times that I see him. Plus, as far as I’ve read in the series, he’s pretty loyal to Kellen too.
Demons: Favorite Evil/Villainous Character
I love reading about villains so this is such a hard question for me! One that I’d love to learn more about – especially thanks to the glimpses of his past in the sixth Harry Potter book – is Lord Voldemort but I’ve already mentioned that series within this post once. Another evil character who I tend to love – and need to read more versions of – is the Evil Queen from Snow White but I don’t have a particular book version of her to mention here. At the moment my favourite portrayal of her is in Once Upon A Time, the televisions series.
Anyway I think, book wise, I’m going to go with Valentine Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments for this question. I wouldn’t say he’s my favourite villain ever – I don’t think I could ever pick just one – but he’s one that I thoroughly enjoyed and would love to one day see more of. He’s charismatic, did some truly deplorable things and gathered a following. He’s the sort of villain that intrigues me I’d honestly love to learn more about The Circle’s origins.
Grim Reaper: A Character You Want Dead
Ooh harsh. It would have to be someone who’s done some truly atrocious things and that I’d still consider to be a danger to others. So maybe Neferet from the House Of Night series? Some of her actions were horrific, she consorted with darkness and could still one day be a threat as far as I’m concerned (or possibly even is as I haven’t had a chance to read the new series yet). So she’s the person who immediately comes to mind for this question.
Halloween Party: What Book Character Would You Dress Up As?
I love the idea of dressing up but I’m incredibly self conscious and would probably feel too uncomfortable if I did so. If I did dress up I’d probably go for something witchy but I can’t think of anyone specific right now. So perhaps, instead Lady Helen from The Dark Days Club? It’d be pretty cool to dress up in a regency era dress of some sort.
Thanks again for tagging me to do this. Once again I’m going to skip tagging people this time around as I know several people are busy with NaNoWriMo right now and are also probably planning for Blogmas. However if you want to do this tag though then consider yourself tagged and please do link back to me so that I can check out your answers (:
It’s time for another tag, this time celebrating everything Autumn. There are certain aspects of fall that I truly love; the beautiful colours that leaves turn as they change, snuggling up inside to stay warm, the scent of cinnamon and the excuse to wear scarves. It would just be nice if it didn’t insist on raining so much where I am… that’s truly one part of autumn that I could do without.
Thank you so much to Sahi @ My World Of Books for tagging me to do this. Please check out their wonderful page if you haven’t already done so. I also have a second fall tag coming up later this week (:
Okay so it’s been years since I read this book – although I definitely plan to re-read it soon, especially in light of the upcoming prequel novel – but Wicked Lovely definitely felt fresh and new to me when I first picked it up. Not only was it the first book about the fae that really stuck with me I also believe that it was probably the first dark romance novel that I read too. I quickly fell in love with the series and it certainly made me fall for the fae.
If you’ve read Shadow Kiss then surely you agree that it has one hell of an ending? That last line! I’d share it here but it’s much too spoilery for that. It’s definitely an ending that’s stuck with me though; as well as one that left me itching to pick up the fourth book in the series.
Why do I always struggle with this sort of question? Obviously I need to pick up more warm, fuzzy, delightful novels. I think that Save The Date and Once And For All (both of which I plan to pick up soon) will give me exactly these feelings but as I haven’t read them yet I’d guess using them as my answer would be cheating…
Right I’m going with Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone. It’s not the kind of book that immediately springs to mind when it comes to a ‘warm and fuzzy’ prompt but it is a favourite of mine that I could happily curl up under the covers and read time and time again. It has heart-warming moments within it, scenes that make me smile and a world that I love to get lost in. So it does make me feel warm and fuzzy really, in a very nostalgic kind of way.
Mockingjay is the first book that sprang to mind for this question and honestly? I think it’s the perfect answer for this prompt. The reds and oranges on my version of the book practically scream fall and just go so beautifully together.
Hmm I probably should have found another book for the previous question and placed the first Hunger Games book here. But I think Throne Of Glass is pretty action packed too. I can’t remember each individual book well enough (although I hope to re-read and finish off the series soon) to pick a specific book within this series but there’s definitely a lot of action involved. How could there not be with Celaena as the central character?
I honestly don’t see how I can put anything here other than Queen of Nothing. I need that book now! Seriously. I can not wait to see how the trilogy ends although… am I ready for it? I’m kind of terrified to find out what happens.
Thanks once again for tagging me to do this, I really enjoyed answering this set of questions (: I’m going to skip tagging people this time around as I’m not sure who has and hasn’t already done this tag, plus I know several people are busy with NaNoWriMo right now and are also probably planning for Blogmas. However if you want to do this tag though then consider yourself tagged and please do link back to me so that I can check out your answers (:
It’s time for another tag and firstly I’m sorry that this is so late. I’m trying to go through them all in order and hopefully catch up this month. Fingers crossed that I can do it. Anyway I really enjoyed answering these 20 questions so thank you so much to Emma @ AFCTL for tagging me in this. Please check out her new page here and follow her on WordPress as well as checking out her answers over on her old page. She’s a truly lovely person and posts some absolutely amazing content.
How many books is too many in a series?
I honestly don’t feel that there is a set number of books that could be considered ‘too many’ in a series. It all depends on the author and series in question; the amount of ideas they have and how well they can carry them off without getting too repetitive. Some series I feel as if I could follow forever, others not so much. So basically it changes from series to series.
How do you feel about cliffhangers?
Is it possible to simultaneously love and hate something? I think that they’re a fantastic way to finish a book… but they drive me crazy if I have to wait for the next one. The anticipation and need to know factor definitely leave me desperate to continue the series though.
Hardback or paperback?
Both? I love hardbacks because they’re beautiful (aren’t all books?) and there’s something so special about holding one. Some have hidden covers, which I only learnt about through Bookstagram, and they can last really well. But they’re too expensive to buy all of the books that I want in that form plus, in some ways, paperbacks are easier. Mainly because A) they’re easier to carry and B) if I fall asleep reading a particularly big one I don’t have to worry about concussing myself with the cover :L So I guess overall I’d have to pick paperbacks if forced to choose due to the cost but I do adore hardbacks.
Favourite book?
Is it even possible to pick just one favourite book? There are so many series that I love including Wicked Lovely, The Hunger Games, Vampire Academy, Twilight (because even if it is unpopular I can’t fall out of love with that series unless my feelings have changed when I finally get around to re-reading it), The Folk Of The Air, Throne Of Glass (which I still need to finish!) and probably about a dozen others. There are also books that I’m hoping to pick up soon that I hope will make the cut too as they seriously have the potential to be amazing!
If I absolutely had to pick just one book I think it would probably have to be Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban though, closely followed by Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince. I’ve loved that series for so long and have so many fond memories of it. But as stated above picking just one book is incredibly hard. Once I’ve caught up a little bit with some of the books I’m most desperate to read on my TBR I’m planning to add a favourites page to my blog somewhere.
Least favourite book?
What immediately comes to mind is The Lovely Bones so I guess I’m going to go with that. Maybe it’s my fault for watching the film (which I thoroughly enjoyed) before picking up the book but I just couldn’t get into it. The story felt a bit wish-washy to me (and downright bizarre in one place) without the suspense that the movie had. Plus I found some of the central family quite unlikable in the book /:
Love triangle . . . Yes or no?
Yes (: Okay at times they can be a bit predictable or cliche but on the whole I quite enjoy love triangles. Sometimes the drama of a main character being torn between two individuals is addictive. And, occasionally, I myself feel torn over who to root for.
The most recent book you couldn’t finish?
I really hate saying this, as it’s one of my most anticipated books of the year, but at the moment the last book that I didn’t finish was Enchantée. That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad book though or that I was bored or anything like that. I kept falling in and out of slumps, couldn’t get into it at the time, and came to the conclusion to pick it up again once I was focusing better on my reading. So hopefully I’ll get a chance to pick it up again – and love it as much as I want to – by the end of the year or early next year at the latest.
A book you’re currently reading?
I’ve just finished The Pact and hopefully, as I’m scheduling this to post before going to pick up a book, I’m now reading Into The Crooked Place which I’m super excited to get on with.
The last book you recommended someone?
Rewind I guess? I can’t remember what I last recommended to someone in person but a review, if positive, is basically a recommendation. I also recently told Sophie about Haven’t They Grown as I loved the sound of the blurb but does that count as a recommendation when I haven’t read it yet?
Oldest book (pub. Date) that you’ve read?
Technically I’d guess the answer to this question would be one of the Shakespeare books that I had to read for school. Any of those were all read in class, as a group, however and I can’t remember if I read the whole stories or just sections of them. So I don’t really feel as if that counts. Instead I’m going to say Great Expectations. It’s another book that I had to study but this one I know that I read in it’s entirety by myself at home. And I found it okay overall I’d guess? I was quite enjoying it at first but eventually, as I can only read one book at a time, I got frustrated and wanted to move on to my own books. I’d still give this another try in the future though I think.
Newest book you’ve read (pub. Date)?
I was going to say Ninth House but then I realized that technically it’s The Pact as that hasn’t yet released.
Favourite author?
Again how on earth do you pick just one author to be your favourite? At the moment I think I’d probably say Richelle Mead as I’ve loved several of her series and have the rest on my TBR to hopefully pick up soon. Other authors have the potential to be favourites of mine too but I’ve read less series by them so far.
Buying books or borrowing them?
Buying them. I love buying books too much tbh. I don’t just buy new copies however, some books I get secondhand and I’ve found some absolutely fantastic copies whilst doing so. That being said I do want to start borrowing more books from the library too. I can’t buy everything on my TBR and I believe libraries are fantastic resources.
A book you dislike but everyone else likes?
Part of me feels like I should have saved The Lovely Bones for this question but oh well. I actually have another answer for this anyway and it’s… Coraline. My one experience with Neil Gaiman so far and I did not like it /: That being said I do have other books of his on my TBR and feel that possibly part of the issue was seeing the movie first again?
Bookmarks or dog ears?
Bookmarks every single time. How on earth could I dog ear a gorgeous book? Plus I love pretty bookmarks; I really should get some more.
A book you can reread over and over?
The Harry Potter series 100%. There are probably quite a few books that I could constantly re-read but this is the series that immediately sprang to mind, as well as the one that I’ve re-read the most. I could quite happily go pick it up again right now tbh.
Can you read while listening to music?
Sadly definitely not. I used to be able to read whatever my surroundings were like – such as being on holiday in a small caravan with the TV blazing in the next room – now though I seem to notice every little sound and it’s so frustrating. I think I may try to start listening to music, quietly, in the background whilst reading to see if it helps. Maybe…
Multiple pov’s or one pov?
I like both but I feel like it’s cheating to try and use that as my answer. If forced to pick I guess I’d go with multiple POVs. They can show you events that you wouldn’t otherwise see, give you more emotional depth as you get inside of more character’s heads and hearts and also add an element of uncertainty when different character’s accounts don’t add up.
Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days on average?
On average it’s definitely over multiple days. I have no idea how some people can read a book in one sitting. Maybe I’m just too distracted, maybe things are too hectic around me or… IDK but anyway multiple days, how many depending on the book in question.
Bewitching Books, Ravenous Reads 