The Creative Blogger Award #2

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I’m currently traveling, so this is a scheduled post. At this point, I’m uncertain what my ability to access the Internet will be like while I’m gone, so I may not be able to respond to comments right away. I’ll definitely be back with regular access to the blog next week! 🙂

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I was nominated by Becca over at Shih Tzu Book Reviews! Thank you so much for the nomination, Becca. Becca is a wonderful book blogger, so if you haven’t already checked out her blog, please be sure to head on over there! 🙂

Click here to check out the first part!

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creativebloggeraward1The Rules:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
  1. Share 5 facts about yourself.
  1. Nominate some bloggers in return and notify them about their nomination.
  1. Keep the rules in your post to make it easy for everyone to know what to do.

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Random Facts About Me:

1. Although I can do both, I’ve always preferred baking to cooking. It’s very much like a science. I love the attention to detail and how exact everything is in baking—works well with my brain! 🙂

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2. I’ve talked before about how I would love to do voice acting for video games one day. Well, I would also absolutely love to write scripts/dialogue/storylines for video games! Basically, I really want to work in video games!

3. Speaking of video games, I am irrationally excited about the upcoming remastered version of Skyrim. It’s essentially the same game I have been playing obsessively for the last few years…but it’s so pretty…I need the pretty! 😛

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4. I have an extremely eclectic music library, but recently, I’ve expanded it even further. I have been absolutely addicted to trap and electro swing lately!

5. This is one of my favorite quotes of all time:

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I find a lot of inspiration, beauty, and meaning in it.

I Nominate:

My nominees can be found in the first part! 🙂

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Real Neat Blog Award #2

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I’m currently traveling, so this is a scheduled post. At this point, I’m uncertain what my ability to access the Internet will be like while I’m gone, so I may not be able to respond to comments right away. I’ll definitely be back with regular access to the blog next week! 🙂

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I was nominated by the lovely Mariana over at Book Is Glee. Thank you so much for the nomination!

Click here to check out the first part!

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The Rules:realneatblogaward

-Thank and link the blogger who nominated you

-Answer the seven questions the nomination has provided

-Nominate 7 other bloggers

-Create 7 questions for your nominees

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Mariana’s Questions

1. Do you have a Goodreads account? If so, let’s be friends! (I just wanna get to know you).

I do have a Goodreads account! I believe we (Mariana and I) are already friends, but if any of you guys want to add me, feel free! I always love making new friends on GR. 😀

2. If you were a character in a book you have read, who would you be? Why?

This is probably a pretty common choice, but I’d pick Hermione Granger. I would love to have her intelligence, bravery, and, of course, her magical abilities! Overall, she is a fantastic, badass female heroine, one that’s always been inspiring to me my whole life.

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3. Would you rather skip Christmas for a year, or skip your birthday for a year?

I would much rather skip my birthday. Christmas is during one of my favorite seasons and it is my absolute favorite holiday to celebrate. Being a singer in a choir, this is when we get to do some of the most beautiful music—plus I love all the family festivities that take place around this time. It’s just a really feel-good time of year! 🙂

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4. What is your favorite color? Find a book to match with that color.

My favorite color is black. And a book with one of my favorite covers (and book pages!) matches up with this…Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!

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5. If you were to choose a different name for yourself, what would it be?

My absolute favorite girl’s name is Ava, so I would probably choose that. I also love the names Ellison, Harper, and Charlotte (Charley), so any of those would be great too!

6. What is the latest time you have ever stayed up to read?

I pulled an all-nighter so I could read the final Harry Potter book. My best friend and I went to the midnight release for the book and then spent the entire night and next day reading until we finished it!

7. What is your most anticipated book right now?

My most anticipated book of the year is Heartless by Marissa Meyer.

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I Nominate:

My nominees and questions can be found in the first part! 🙂

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The Versatile Blogger Award #2

I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Mariana over at Book is Glee and Becca over at Shih Tzu Book Reviews. Thank you both so much for the nominations! Make sure to stop by and check out both of their blogs.

Click here to check out the first part as well!

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versatilebloggerawardThe Rules:

Show the award on your blog.

Thank the person that has nominated you.

Share 7 different facts about yourself.

Nominate a number of blogs of your choice.

Link your nominees and let them know they are nominated.

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Random Facts About Me:

1. I absolutely adore recommending books (not surprisingly!) and buying books for my friends and family. Introducing people to new novels and sharing the joy of reading makes me incredibly happy!

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2. I have a secret (not really 😛 ) desire to be a voice actor, particularly in video games.

3. My favorite movie of all time is The Birdcage. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I never get tired of it and it never fails to make me laugh my butt off. It’s also my favorite movie to quote, probably because I’ve basically memorized the entire script at this point.

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4. I am a total gamer…not necessarily a good one…but definitely one.

5. I play a huge variety of video games, my favorite kind being open world RPGs like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, but I also enjoy a good adventure/puzzle game now and then. I love the Nancy Drew video games—it is one of my favorite series of all time. My dad got one for me and my mom to play together when I was about eight years old and I’ve been playing them ever since.

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6. I never watch anything actually on television anymore—I watch everything on Netflix, Amazon, etc. Because of this, I have completely lost every last bit of tolerance I ever had for commercial breaks.

7. No matter how in denial I am about it, I am not a coordinated human being…

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I Nominate:

My nominees can be found at the end of the first part! 🙂

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The Sunshine Blogger Award #2

I was nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by my lovely and awesometastic blogger friend Heather from The Sassy Book Geek. Thank you so much for the nomination, Heather! Heather is a fantastic book blogger, so please make sure you head over and check out her blog! 😀

Click here to check out part 1 with questions from Sarah!

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sunshinebloggeraward1The Rules:

-Thank whoever nominated you.

-Answer the questions they gave you.

-Pick five bloggers to answer your questions.

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Heather’s Questions:

1. If you could put together a team of book characters to survive the zombie apocalypse with, who would you pick?

Let me just start off by saying my team is going to have to carry me during this because I would be absolutely useless in a zombie apocalypse! And now for my team! First of all, we’ve got to have Katniss. She’ll be great for shooting zombies in the head and potentially gathering food for our survival. Next, Sherlock Holmes. This might seem like a random choice, but hear me out. He is the master of observation and deduction, so he would be fantastic for his intelligence. And he could also prevent the rest of us from doing anything stupid!

Of course, I have to add in Watson. Not only can we not break up the duo, but we will also have a doctor. Finally, I would take Mitch from Vicious because he is just completely badass, and I think he would be invaluable in an apocalyptic situation! I was kind of tempted to add Victor and Sydney to this list as well, but that might be a little too OP. Anyway, no matter what, as long as I’m on the team…

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2. Do you prefer to borrow books or buy them and why?

I know that, for the sake of my wallet and the limited space in my house, I should probably prefer to borrow books. And while I do frequent the library, I much prefer buying books. Part of it is a book nerd thing and part is just a weird Ari thing. I love the idea of amassing a huge personal library, and collecting books is just as much a hobby for me as reading them. And…now the weird Ari thing (to be honest, I’m just a weird Ari thing! 😛 ). I may or may not be a biiiittt of a germaphobe. So it makes me feel more comfortable having my own copies, though borrowing from friends and family is totally fine.

3. Would you rather read inside or outside?

I do love reading outside, particularly when it’s a nice day or when I’m at the beach. However, I would typically rather read inside. I can usually get more comfortable, and I get distracted less easily. Usually, I can keep up reading longer if I’m cozy inside—and then I’ll do it all day! …Actually, maybe I should try getting outside more often… 😛

4. Do you always read the book before seeing the movie adaptation?

Um…yeah, totally! *laughs nervously*…

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Okay, so I don’t always read the book first. I know, I know. Bad book nerd! I do try my best, and I definitely prefer reading the book before seeing the movie whenever possible. But occasionally my urge to see the movie (especially when it’s in theaters) gets the better of me!

5. Have you ever liked a movie more than the book, if so which one(s)?

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That is an incredibly rare occurrence for me—so much so that I can only think of one off the top of my head: Prince Caspian. The newer version. I have a handful of movies that I think are almost just as good as the books, but I typically will always say the book is better. Except Prince Caspian. Don’t get me wrong, I completely adore the entire Narnia series, but this is by far the weakest novel of all of them. In my opinion, it just ended up translating a bit better on screen than in text.

6. Coffee or tea?

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This is a hard one because I absolutely love both. I think I’m going to have to go with tea because I do tend to drink that slightly more often. Especially lately (I’ve been on a bit of a tea binge!). Tea is so relaxing—something I’ve been needing a lot recently—and it goes perfectly with book reading. ❤

7. What is your most anticipated release for 2016?

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Some of my previous most anticipated releases have already come out, such as A Gathering of Shadows and These Vicious Masks, so now I would have to say either Heartless by Marissa Meyer (because retellings) or This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (because Victoria Schwab). It is pretty much impossible for me to decide between the two because I am beyond excited to get my hands on both of them!

I Nominate:

Jen @ J.N. Cahill

DrAwkto @ The Inky Awkto

Angela @ The Geeky Auror

Victoria @ The Petite Book Blogger

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My Questions:

1. If you could travel to any period in time, where would you go and why?

2. What is your favorite under-hyped novel?

3. What type of music do you enjoy listening to the most?

4. What are three books you absolutely refuse to read?

5. Do you prefer series or standalones?

6. What are your favorite and least favorite book to movie adaptations?

7. What is one food you never get tired of eating?

8. What are the most difficult and most rewarding things about blogging for you?

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The Sunshine Blogger Award #1

I was nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by Sarah over at Sarah’s Bookshelf. Thank you so much for the nomination, Sarah! 😀

Click here to check out part 2 with questions from Heather!

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sunshinebloggeraward1The Rules:

-Thank whoever nominated you.

-Answer the questions.

-Pick five bloggers to answer your questions.

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Sarah’s Questions:

1. What made you begin blogging?

I have had a love of the written word for as long as I can remember. Reading and writing have always been essential parts of my life, and blogging was a chance to combine my two great passions. On top of that, there is nothing better than having the chance to discuss literature with fellow book lovers; that’s one of my favorite things in the world to do!

However, I also have to give credit where credit is due, and say that one other reason I started blogging when I did was my family. They had been encouraging me for a while to give it a go, so finally I got up the nerve one day and just went ahead and created it. And I am incredibly glad that I did! This has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have discovered tons of new books and met so many incredible people. It has been a hugely positive thing in a rather difficult time in my life, and I am so thankful every day for blogging and for all of you! ❤

2. If you could explore the ocean or space, which one would you pick?

I would definitely choose to explore space. Fun fact about me: I am utterly fascinated by anything and everything to do with space, and have been ever since I was a kid. There is an endless amount to learn and explore, and it is all completely mind-blowing. Plus, I think that space is full of some of the most beautiful sights in existence.

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3. What is the item that has the most sentimental meaning to you?

I have so many items that have sentimental meaning to me, but the necklace I always wear has the most by far. It’s a chain with my grandmother and grandfather’s wedding rings on it. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I get to carry a little piece of both of them close to my heart every day.

4. Dogs or cats?

This is a tough question because I am just generally a massive animal lover! I love both dogs and cats, but if I had to choose, I guess I would have to go with dogs. I would love to have a cat one day, and I do cat-sit three cats that I absolutely adore. However, I’ve mainly been around dogs most of my life, and my puppy (my eleven-year-old puppy!) is my best buddy!

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5. What was the last thing you ate?

The last thing I ate was smoked salmon on grilled bread, which is the most amazing thing in the world (…aside from pizza…)! ❤

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6. What is your favourite quote?

I love quotes, so I have a ton of favorites, but this is by far my all-time favorite. And it’s from To Kill a Mockingbird (surprise, surprise).

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

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7. What is your favourite place in the whole world?

My absolutely favorite place in the whole world to be is with my family, no matter where we are and especially if we are all together. But if I had to choose a specific favorite location, it would be at my choir. It’s basically my home away from home, and the people there are like a second family to me. It is one of the few places and groups of people that can always make me feel better no matter what; it is a place of true happiness for me. 🙂

I Nominate:

Kelly @ Stellar Scrutiny

Frances @ Nightjar’s Jar of Books

Poppy @ Poppy’s Best of Books

Kimsiang @ The Spines Breaker

Magda @ Magic of Books

My Questions:

1. If you could travel to any period in time, where would you go and why?

2. What is your favorite under-hyped novel?

3. What type of music do you enjoy listening to the most?

4. What are three books you absolutely refuse to read?

5. Do you prefer series or standalones?

6. What are your favorite and least favorite book to movie adaptations?

7. What is one food you never get tired of eating?

8. What are the most difficult and most rewarding things about blogging for you?

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Siblinghood of the World Bloggers Award #1

I was nominated by six wonderful bloggers for the Siblinghood of the World Bloggers award! ❤ Because of this, I’ll be doing this award in two separate posts with a couple sets of questions in each post. Part two will contain questions from Lashaan and Trang, and Kayla.

Thank you to Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction, Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek, and Loreva over at La Book Dreamer for the nomination. They are all absolutely amazing book bloggers, so please take some time and go check out each of these fantastic blogs! 😀

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siblinghoodoftheworldbloggersawardThe Rules:

-Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog

-Put the award logo on your blog

-Answer the 10 questions sent to you

-Make up 10 new questions for your nominees to answer

-Nominate 10 blogs

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Ashleigh’s Questions:

1. Is there a fictional character you wouldn’t want to meet? Who?

Definitely Umbridge. I absolutely can’t stand her (who can to be honest?)—she’s the worst! I’d never want to meet her.

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2. Do you own any bookish merchandise? (Badges, jewelry, posters etc)

Oh boy, do I ever! I have a To Kill a Mockingbird poster and bag, Harry Potter jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, time-turner earrings, deathly hallows earrings) and a leather Ravenclaw journal, Sherlock Holmes jewelry and book pillow. I also have tons of general bookish gear like t-shirts and mugs. Basically, I have way too much bookish merchandise for my own good!

3. Is there a book/ series you think is overrated?

This is going to be a bit of a controversial answer of course, but I would have to go with the Twilight series. Now I have to say, I think “overrated” might be a bit too strong a term. I am not a fan of the series, but I also don’t fall into the hating on Twilight camp either. It was just not my thing, and I personally ended up feeling that it was over-hyped.

4. If you could travel back in time to any time period, which would you go to?

My favorite periods to learn about have always been the 1920s and the 1940s, so I’d love to travel back to either. I think it would also be interesting to travel back to the Victorian era.

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5. Are there any fictional character names you really love?

Oh, there are plenty! I love the names Atticus Finch and Katniss Everdeen. Pretty much any name out of Game of Thrones is fantastic, particularly Daenerys and Arya. A fictional film character name I love is Rey. And this might be a bit of an obvious choice, but I love the name Sherlock Holmes! There are tons more that I love, but these are a few of my favorites 🙂

6. Are you setting yourself a Goodreads reading challenge for next year? If so, how many books do you hope to read?

I’ve set my challenge this year for 60 books. That was my 2015 goal, but I didn’t end up making it, so I’m really hoping that I can reach it this year.

7. Favourite bookshop?

My favorite physical bookshop is Barnes & Noble. Book Depository has become my favorite online bookshop because I can get all of my favorite editions of books without spending more on shipping than on the actual book itself! 😀

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8. If you could have any character’s clothing style, which character would you choose?

This might be a strange answer because I haven’t actually read this book series yet, but from pictures I’ve seen, I would have to go with Celaena from Throne of Glass.

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9. When you review books, do you write notes while you read it or just think back when writing the review?

Typically, I will just think back on the book when I’m writing my review rather than writing anything down. Occasionally I will take notes if there are really specific points that I want to discuss that I’m afraid I might forget, but usually, I prefer concentrating on reading straight through.

10. How did you get into reading?

Literature has always played an extremely important role in our household, and my parents made reading a part of my life very early on. They constantly encouraged me to read when I was younger, and always made sure I had plenty of good books to choose from—and I ended up completely falling in love.

Heather’s Questions:

1. What is a food that you absolutely will not touch, even if your life depended on it?

This is a tricky one. I have to admit, I can be a pretty picky eater, so there are a number of foods that I don’t like. However, the only thing I can think of that I would not touch even if my life depended on it would be blue cheese. That is the one taste I just could not stand for anything!

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2. If you could meet any author, who would you meet?

There is no way I’m going to be able to narrow this down to just one person! 😀 If it could be any author from throughout history, I’d like to meet Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, or C.S. Lewis. As for current authors, I’d love to meet Gillian Flynn, J.K. Rowling, Victoria Schwab, or Neil Gaiman.

3. If you could have the next book in any series right now, which would it be (doesn’t necessarily have to be written yet)?

Until recently, I would not have known what to say for this question because I’m not currently reading many series at the moment. However, Heather and I just recently read Vicious by V.E. Schwab together, and now that the sequel has been announced, I am absolutely dying to get it! That’s definitely a book I wish I didn’t have to wait for!

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4. Would you rather go to the library or the bookstore?

I know that for the sake of the free space in my house and my wallet, I should probably say library, but honestly, I’m going to have to go with the bookstore. I do have a lot of extremely fond memories from over the years, particularly from when I was a child, of spending hours at the library and coming home with an ambitiously large stack of books. However, there is nothing quite like picking out books that you are going to use to expand your own personal library, and then seeing them all filling your shelves.

5. Paperback/Hardcover or E-Book?

Paperback/hardcover for sure! E-books have definitely grown on me over the years, especially when it comes to larger books or for traveling purposes. But there is nothing that could ever take the place of the feeling of having actual, physical books in your hands (and sitting on your shelves).

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6. New book smell or old book smell?

Hmm…that’s a tricky one. Both are absolutely wonderful! I think I might have to choose new book smell. Though there is something very special about that scent that builds up over years, I think I might slightly prefer the scent of a freshly bound book.

7. Do you like reading classics or new books?

I generally like to read a good mixture of both though I will say, overall, I actually prefer reading classics.

8. If I gave you a bunch of money for books right now, which 4 books would you buy?

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The Enchanted by Renee Denfeld

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

9. Most anticipated book of 2016?

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This is so difficult! There are so many fantastic-sounding upcoming releases. If I had to choose, however, I think I would have to say that my most anticipated release of 2016 is Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I can’t even begin to explain how eager I am to get my hands on this book!

10. Are there any book-to-movie adaptations you’re anticipating?

Definitely! 2016 is shaping up to be the year of (hopefully awesome) book-to-movie adaptations. The top ones I’m anticipating this year are Fantastic Beasts, Miss Peregrine’s, and A Monster Calls.

Loreva’s Questions

1. Which TV Shows do you watch?

I actually don’t watch a lot of television anymore, and I am absolutely terrible at keeping up with shows. I have an insanely long list of shows that I need to start watching or catch up on. The main shows that I do keep up with (and that are some of my all-time favorites in general) are Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, and Sherlock. I also really enjoy The Middle and Two Broke Girls.

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2. What was the first book you ever read and was it the book that sparked your interest in reading?

I come from a family of book lovers, so books have always played a hugely important part in my life. I can’t specifically remember a lot of the first books I read by myself, but I do distinctly remember reading a book called The Housekeeper’s Dog. I remember being so proud because it was multiple reading levels ahead of where I should have been at my age, and I was so excited that I called my grandma up and read it to her over the phone. All of the books that I read when I was younger fueled my passion for reading, so this one definitely contributed. However, like many other bibliophiles around my age, the main book(s) that sparked my interest in reading was Harry Potter.

3. Which do you prefer: Reading or Writing?

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This is an incredibly difficult choice to make! Though I absolutely adore writing, and I love getting my ideas written down and creating worlds and adventures of my own, I think I would have to say I slightly prefer reading. Reading is something that I can do to relax, to really take a break and escape from reality for a little while. Reading and writing are both incredibly important and essential parts of my life, but reading is my necessary chill out time.

4. Which is your favorite season, reading wise?

My favorite season in general is autumn. The world is so beautiful in autumn—I always feel the most inspired in all aspects of my life, including reading, during these months. Something about that cooler weather makes me want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea as the leaves fall outside.

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5. What bookish challenges are you going to attempt next year?

At the moment, the main bookish challenge I’ll be attempting is the typical Goodreads challenge, though I might look around for other challenges to try at some point! I’ve also created a few personal challenge lists for myself in blog posts recently: series I want to start, my 2016 book bucket list, and self-published books I want to get to. I’ll be checking on my progress with this lists throughout the year.

6. How do you arrange your bookshelf (color, genre, author etc)?

This is embarrassing to admit, but I don’t actually have any bookshelves at the moment! All of my books currently reside in storage boxes. However, when I get those shelves, I will be arranging my books by author.

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7. What was the last book you read? Did you like it?

The last book I read was Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards, a sort of mini novel (under 200 pages) that I got from Netgalley. Overall it was a fairly enjoyable read (click here to read my review!). I’ve been reading a few of these for review lately, so the last full novel that I read was Vicious by V.E. Schwab, and that was absolutely incredible!

8. Have you ever been on vacation outside the borders of your continent?

Yes and no. I’ve never been out of the borders of my continent on a true vacation. However, I have traveled outside of the borders for music tours, which are sort of part work and part vacation. So far I’ve only been to Europe, but I have traveled to France, England, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic!

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9. Are you interested in any musical instruments or sports?

I enjoy watching a number of sports, but I’ve never been too interested in participating in them. The only ones I’ve enjoyed (and been remotely good at) are swimming and tennis. However, I am a musician, so I’ve had a lot of experience with instruments. I am primarily a singer, but I’ve played piano, violin, guitar, and recorder. I am also really hoping to start electric violin sometime in the near future!

10. What is your usual reading time?

I typically read whenever I get a chance throughout the day, and that changes all the time as my schedule is generally pretty unpredictable. So I guess I don’t really have a specific time of day that I usually read. However, I do relatively consistently read before going to sleep, whenever that happens to be! 🙂

I Nominate:

The Orang-utan Librarian

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Becca @ Shih Tzu Book Reviews

Liam @ Liam’s Library

T.K. Lawrence @ Read it or Not Reviews

Rachel @ (Bargain)BookBliss

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Codie @ Reader’s Anonymous

Windie @ Geek Apprentice

Dearna @ The Words of the Roses

Jen @ J.N. Cahill

My Questions:

1. What are some new releases you are most looking forward to in 2016?

2. What is you favorite under-hyped book?

3. What is one thing (activity, song, movie, etc…) that always makes you happy no matter what?

4. Do you prefer series or standalone novels?

5. Do you play video games? If so, what are your favorite games to play?

6. What is your favorite song of all time?

7. If you could have any fictional animal as a pet, what would you choose?

8. What 2016 movies are you most looking forward to seeing?

9. What book or series would you recommend to someone who says they don’t like to read, and why would you choose that book or series?

10. What is your absolute favorite quote?

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Beautiful Blogger Award

I apologize for the lack of posts and slow comment replies over the last few days. I finally have a working laptop all set up, so things should be picking up and I’ll be getting back to everyone this week!

I was nominated by three lovely ladies for the Beautiful Blogger Award: Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek, Michelle over at Book Adventures, and Kimsiang over at The Spines Breaker. Thank you all so much for the nominations! They are all beautiful bloggers themselves, so please stop by and check out all of their blogs! 🙂

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The Rules:beautifulbloggerawardlogo

-Link to the blogger who nominated you

-List seven random facts about you

-Nominate seven creative, beautiful bloggers, and notify them

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Random Facts About Me:

1. I am currently writing my first ever steampunk novel, which I worked on during this past NaNoWriMo. This is definitely turning out to be my favorite story I’ve worked on so far!

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2. My next novel is going to be about superheroes and super villains (note everyone’s complete lack of surprise at this fact!) 🙂

3. If I had a superpower, I would want to be able to control objects with my mind. Either that, or I would want the ability to manipulate metals (ferrokinesis); I’ve always thought that was a cool power.

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4. I want to get a husky one day and name it either Atticus, Sherlock, or Loki. I definitely also plan on generally having three pets with these names.

5. I am a major Star Wars nerd. I’ve just seen the new Star Wars film (definitely my second or third favorite ❤ ) and I now desperately want one of the actual remote controlled BB-8 droids.

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6. I’m not usually a huge fan of pranks or pulling pranks on people, but I absolutely love watching public prank videos. Lately, I have been binge watching Just for Laugh Gags and The Scary Snowman on Youtube! 🙂

7. I may or may not be mildly obsessed with collecting Funko Pop figurines. I currently have a collection of about 18 (18 and a half if you count mini Thor!).

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I Nominate:

Umbreen @ Read by Umbreen

Anna @ My Bookish Dream

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

Cátia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much

Cleo @ Cuddle With Books

Amber @ Only True Magic

Victoria @ Addlepates and Book Nerds

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The Dragon’s Loyalty Award

Shivalika over at Whimsy Journals nominated me for the Dragon’s Loyalty award. Thank you so much for the nomination! Remember to stop by and check out her blog if you have not already! 😀

Quick Update: I am finally starting to feel a bit better and am getting back into the swing of things with reading and posting. I’ll finally be putting up some new reviews very soon, as well as catching up on tags and awards!

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The Rules:

dragonsloyaltyaward– Display the award on your blog

– Announce your win with a post and link the blogger who awarded you

– Present 6 deserving bloggers with the award

– Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their being awarded

– Write seven interesting things about you.

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Random Facts About Me:

1. I still love reading/watching them, but I have never once been scared by a scary movie or book…

2. …however, oddly enough, I think I tend to be an embarrassingly jumpy person in my every day life, especially with loud noises!

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3. My favorite television show of all time is Frasier (if you have never seen it, watch it, it’s fantastic!) and it actually partially inspired my blog name.

4. My other favorite shows are Doctor Who, Keeping Up Appearances, Sherlock, Fawlty Towers, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show…

5. …I am also completely addicted to The Great British Bake Off.

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6. I love traveling. So far, I’ve been to France, England, Wales, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic; I’ve also done a bit of traveling throughout the United States. I am traveling to Ireland for the first time next year!

7. I’ve mentioned before that I absolutely love listening to film soundtracks or soundtrack style music like Two Steps from Hell, Audiomachine, and Immediate Music. The song that I just discovered and am currently completely obsessed with is Tales of the Electric Romeo by Immediate Music.

I Nominate:

The Orang-utan Librarian

Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek

Marian @ Bookception21

Imogene @ Amidst the Pages

Amy @ Curiouser and Curiouser

Luucy @ Making Days Better

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The Infinity Dreams Award #2

I was nominated for the Infinity Dreams Award by four wonderful bloggers! ❤ Because of this, I am going to split this award into two posts, with two of the sets of questions that those bloggers provided me in each post. This is the second part; to see the first part, click here!

I would like to thank Ashleigh from A Frolic Through Fiction and Nova from Confessions of a Literary Addict for nominating me! They are both fantastic book bloggers, so please take a minute to stop by their blogs and check them out! 🙂

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infinitydreamsawardThe Rules:

-Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.

-Tell us 11 facts about yourself.

-Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.

-Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them.

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Random Facts About Me:

1. I mentioned in the first part of this post that I am a (pretty bad) gamer, and that one of my favorite games is Skyrim. However, this week I started playing Fallout: New Vegas and that may now be tied for my favorite. I have basically become a complete Bethesda nerd! 🙂

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2. My favorite films to watch are action films. I also love watching Indie films and old noir films.

3. I am a major Hitchcock fan, and my favorite movie is Rear Window, though Rebecca is a very close second.

4. Puns tend to crack me up way more than they probably should. Take this one for example. I saw this online the other day and completely lost it:

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5. My top three favorite dog breeds are Huskies, Pitbulls, and Catahoula Leopard Dogs…and my dog happens to be a mix of all three! 🙂

6. On the topic of favorite animal breeds, I love Ragdoll cats.

7. I think llamas are awesome!

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8. I have a long-held dream of one day going to Comic-Con, either San Diego or New York…

9. …speaking of which, I don’t outwardly fangirl very often, but sometimes, something can really get me going and then…

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10. I would totally fangirl if I went to Comic-Con.

11. I once fell out a window into a bush because I leaned back thinking the window was closed.

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Ashleigh’s Questions:

1. What are your three favourite books?

This is an extremely difficult question! To make it a bit easier, I’m going to just choose standalone novels. To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely my favorite book of all time (though this should come as no surprise at this point!). For my other two favorites I’d have to choose The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

2. (Since it’s nearing Christmas and I’m feeling festive) Do you have any sort of routine you carry out on Christmas Eve?

I sing in a choir, so on Christmas Eve, we have a night full of singing Christmas services. We start out with just my group at an early evening service, and then we all go have a Christmas Eve dinner together. After, we come back and join up with the younger groups and any choristers who have left but are back in town for the holidays and sing the major, late night service. By the time we are done, it’s usually Christmas morning. This is, in my opinion, the most beautiful night of the year!

3. What is your favourite Disney film?

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This is a difficult one since I absolutely love every one that I’ve seen! But I have to go with Cinderella. This was always a favorite of mine since I was a little kid, and then I got to act in a production of it, which gives it a very fond place in my heart. The non-Disney version of the story is also my favorite story to read retellings based off of. The Little Mermaid is another favorite of mine as well.

4. When was the last time you went to the cinema, and what did you watch?

It has been way too long since the last time I was there! I’m pretty sure the last movie I went out to see was Ant-Man (of course it would be a Marvel film!). Hopefully I can rectify this lack of movie watching soon because there are a bunch of new releases I want to go see!

5. What is your favourite food?

Pizza. I am completely addicted to pizza! It is the one food that I can eat over and over again and absolutely never get tired of.

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6. Which Hogwarts house are you in?

Ravenclaw! 😀

7. What month is your birthday in?

July!

8. What is your favourite genre of book?

My favorite genre to read, and to write for that matter, is fantasy. I also love thriller and science fiction novels as well, again, both for reading and writing.

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9. Describe yourself in one word.

Quirky 😀

10. How long have you been running your blog for?

I’ve been running it for a little over three months and have been loving every second of it! In that short time, I have met so many incredible people and have found tons of fellow book nerds to chat with. Creating a book blog is an idea that I’ve been toying with for a long time, and I am so happy that I finally went ahead and did it!

11. If you could play any instrument, which would it be?

I’ve played a number of instruments over the years, and I am definitely more of a fan of singing than anything. However, I really would like to go back to playing violin one day; specifically I would like to start playing electric violin!

Nova’s Questions:

1. What’s one TV show or movie adaptation you like more than the book?

It is definitely a very rare thing for me to like a TV or film adaptation more than a book. However, one film that I much preferred to the book was Prince Caspian. The Chronicles of Narnia is an overall fantastic series, but it is the weakest of the novels; however, the movie was absolutely fantastic.

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2. Favorite place to read?

Typically my favorite place to read is in my room, curled up in my bed that preferably has my dog on it 🙂

3. What is one book you will always recommend?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (is anyone really surprised at this point?). If you haven’t read it, read it! If you have read it, read it again! If you don’t want to read it…

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Read it anyway! 🙂

4. How many books are currently on your TBR list/shelves?

Um…too many! *ahem*555 on Goodreads*ahem*

5. What’s one of your hobbies? (Besides reading, if that’s your main hobby)

At the moment, my main hobbies, aside from reading, would be writing and singing.

6. What’s your favorite flavor (of anything)?

Chocolate. Chocolate is amazing.

 

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7. Do you have an OTP? What book/show are they from?

I don’t really have a particular OTP from any books or shows. If I had to pick one, I might say Marko and Alana from Saga for book (graphic novel) OTP, or Niles and Daphne from Frasier for television show OTP.

 

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8. Do you have any phobias?

I am a definite germophobe. And I’m not sure I have a full-blown phobia of them, but I’m pretty freaked out by bugs!

9. What’s something you really want to accomplish?

One of the main things I really want to accomplish is the completion of one of my novels that I am working on to the point where I can begin to query it! Also, as an aspiring filmmaker as well, I would one day love to get the chance to see my work come to life 🙂

10. Movies or TV shows — which do you prefer watching?

This is a tricky one! It is sort of similar to how I feel about series versus standalone novels. I love the fact that TV shows give you a longer period of time to connect with characters and become involved in their lives. However, I also really love watching movies and seeing a complete story (or at least most of one if there are multiple installments) all in one go; that is sometimes more satisfying, at least upfront. If I had to choose, I might say I prefer movies slightly just because they are easier to get through when you have limited time.

11. Where have you always wanted to visit?

I have always wanted to travel to Iceland. It looks like an absolutely beautiful and interesting place, and I’d love to see the northern lights. I would also love to climb a volcano; that would be awesome!

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I Nominate:

Emma @ The Terror of Knowing

SSJTimeLord

Loreva @ La Book Dreamer

Fran @ Nightjar’s Jar of Books

Alicia @ The Cyborg Knight

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Kimsiang @ The Spines Breaker

Victoria @ The Petite Book Blogger

Bree @ The Literary Hellion

Ana @ Ana Reyhs

Jasmin @ Book Corners

My Questions:

1. What are the top three best books you read in 2015?

2. Where is your favorite reading spot?

3. Do you have a favorite tradition with a family member/friend/significant other?

4. What fictional character would you most like to have as a best friend?

5. What are your favorite television series?

6. Do you like to play video games? If so, which one is your favorite?

7. Which Hogwarts house do you belong to?

8. What are your favorite book covers?

9. What films are you most looking forward to watching in 2016?

10. Who are your top three auto-buy authors?

11. Who is your favorite superhero and who is your favorite super villain?

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The Infinity Dreams Award #1

I was nominated for the Infinity Dreams Award by four wonderful bloggers! ❤ Because of this, I am going to split this award into two posts, with two of the sets of questions that those bloggers provided me in each post.

I would like to thank Heather from The Sassy Book Geek and The Orang-utan Librarian for nominating me! They are both absolutely incredible book bloggers, so definitely take a minute to stop by their blogs and check them out! 🙂

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infinitydreamsawardThe Rules:

-Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.

-Tell us 11 facts about yourself.

-Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.

-Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them.

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Random Facts About Me:

1. Even though I am not particularly good, I love playing video games. My favorite games are Skyrim (The Elder Scrolls in general, really), Alice Madness Returns, L.A. Noire, Portal 2…and pretty much any of the Lego games!

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2. On the topic of video games, I am also a huge fan of the Nancy Drew video game series; I’ve been playing them since I was about seven or eight years old.

3. I really like to listen to polkas, mainly because they always cheer me up. You can’t listen to polka music with a frown! 🙂

4. I also absolutely love listening to film soundtracks or soundtrack style music.

5. Even though I have favorite genres to read, I’m not very picky when it comes to books. I will pretty much read anything I can get my hands on (whether I typically enjoy the genre or not), especially if someone recommends it to me…

6. …however, more often than not, I will refuse to pick up a novel that I know ahead of time involves a love triangle.

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7. When I was in my mid-teens, I wrote a poem every day for two years…and now I have 700+ poems I don’t know what to do with! 😀

8. I hope to combine my two greatest passions and get the chance to write and direct my own films one day.

9. I also have a dream of working as a voice actor, particularly in video games.

10. I’m not into watching too many sports, but I am a massive baseball and tennis fan. And curling…curling is awesome!

11. On the topic of sports, I have sung with my choir at two MLB games!

Heather’s Questions:

1. If you could travel back in time, what time period would you travel to?

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I would probably travel back to either the 1920s or the 1940s. They have always been my two favorite decades to learn about in history. I think I’d also enjoy traveling to the Victorian era.

2. What is your favorite book genre and why?

My favorite book genre (to read and to write!) is fantasy. I absolutely love the huge amount creativity in fantasy novels, and they really put your imagination to work. It is the best feeling in the world to open up a book and fall into a fantasy world, and live there for a bit.

3. If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring one book with you, which book would you bring?

This is insanely difficult to answer, mainly because, typical me, when you tell me to choose between a certain number of things, I will always narrow it down to one more than that! That’s why I’ve come up with either To Kill a Mockingbird, my favorite book, or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, my second favorite. These are two books that I can read an endless amount of times and never get tired of them. I guess if I really had to choose just one, I’d probably go with To Kill a Mockingbird. 🙂

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4. What’s the worst book you’ve ever read and why was it so bad?

I have been very lucky and I’ve actually not read all that many really bad books. However, I do have a tendency to go to the library and just grab random things I find without knowing much about them; it’s a good way to discover new books, but not always good books. Case in point, I picked up a book: Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi. This had an incredibly interesting concept, but it was not executed well at all. I found the storyline to be very cliché throughout and extremely predictable. The worst part for me, however, was the writing itself; it was not at all polished and the author kept using the same descriptions and phrases, repeatedly and in very close proximity.

5. Do you read hardcover/paperback copies of books or do you use an eReader and why do you prefer them?

I definitely prefer to read physical books over e-books, though e-books have grown on me over the years. I completely understand the practicality of eReaders, especially for someone like me who buys far too many books! And they really come in handy when traveling. But absolutely nothing can compare to the feeling of holding a physical book while you read, and seeing them all lined up together on your shelves. So currently, the majority of my personal library is made up of hardcover/paperback copies.

6. What’s your favorite type of music and your favorite artist in that genre?

My favorite type of music is alternative and my favorite band of all-time is Panic at the Disco, though Muse is a very close second.

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7. If you could travel to any fictional place in a book where would you want to go?

Narnia! That is by far my favorite fictional world that I have ever come across.

8. What Hogwarts House were you sorted into (on Pottermore)? If you don’t know then which one do you think you’d be in?

This is always my favorite question to ask people! 😀 I’m a proud Ravenclaw!

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9. If you could meet one author who would it be?

This was very tough to decide on. I think I would really like to meet either Neil Gaiman, Harper Lee, or J.K. Rowling. They are the authors who have had some of the biggest impacts on both my reading and writing, and it would be fascinating to get to speak with them. If I could choose anyone from throughout history however, I might have to choose either Arthur Conan Doyle or William Shakespeare.

10. If you had the chance to wipe your memory and reread a book series, which series would you want to re-experience?

This is difficult because I instantly want to say Harry Potter; however, I know that experience would never be quite the same without being able to also experience the wait for new installments of the books and movies. Because of that, I think I might actually have to go with The Chronicles of Narnia instead. I would love to get another chance to discover Narnia for the first time!

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11. What is your biggest, bookish pet peeve?

I have two: one about the content of books and the other about the physical books themselves. My biggest, bookish pet peeve content-wise is overuse of angst-inducing tropes, like love triangles/squares/hexagons (I’m sorry, but I hate these with a passion!). My biggest pet peeve in terms of physical books is when someone does not take care of a book you lend out to them.

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The Orang-utan Librarian’s Questions:

1. What’s your favourite board game?

It’s a toss up between Life and Clue; those were two that I grew up playing with my family a lot, so I have fond memories of both!

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2. What’s your favourite place to go in your own city?

I live in a very rural, relatively small city, so there are not a lot of places to go specifically in my city. However, I have a number of really beautiful parks and walking trails near me that are wonderful to go to. And I live in a really peaceful neighborhood, so it’s also nice to just spend time walking around the area. 🙂

3. Ever had a vivid dream? What happened?

I used to remember my dreams all the time, but I haven’t been able to for a number of years. I know that I have had vivid dreams in the past, but I can’t remember any of them specifically at this point. I’m upset that I can’t recall them any more because I always used to have insanely weird dreams!

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4. How do you take your tea/coffee?

Tea either without anything, or with just a spoonful or two of sugar. Coffee with a bit of milk or cream (not too much) and slightly more sugar than the tea! 😀

5. Do you prefer reading or writing? (I know, pretty cruel question)

That is a very difficult question! I guess I would have to go with reading, just because it is something that I can keep up for longer periods of time more easily. Reading is something that I can use to escape from reality and relax. But getting my ideas written down and creating my own worlds is incredibly important to me as well!

6. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

My biggest collection of anything is books. However, aside from books, I collect Funko POP figurines! I also have a collection of snowglobes from all over the world.

7. What’s your favourite day of the week?

Wednesday. Choir rehearsal night! Saturdays aren’t too shabby either.

8. Do you hate any songs? If so, which ones?

I have a very eclectic taste in music, so I don’t often hate songs. However, I do hate the song Rude by Magic. I don’t know why, but that song just really gets on my nerves…and sadly stuck in my head way too easily. There are probably a few others, but I can’t think of anything specific at the moment.

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9. What’s your favourite item of clothing?

T-shirts. The majority of my wardrobe consists of t-shirts.

10. Tell the nearest person “happy unbirthday”

I didn’t have a nearest person since I’m by myself at the moment, so I said it to my dog. He literally just stared at me like I was insane, then sighed really loudly and went back to sleep…

11. What came first the chicken or the egg? (There is actually a correct answer to this).

I have always been fairly certain it was the egg. Because it’s most likely that eggs were laid and eventually, through evolution, the creatures that hatched from them became what we know as chickens…shut up Ari, you’re getting way too sciencey. I’m not sure…but I have made up my mind! 😀

Questions from Ashleigh and Nova will be in the next one!

I Nominate:

Lashaan and Trang @ Bookidote

El @ What El Read

Bookception21

Panda @ Panda’s Books

Sophie @ Sophie the Bookworm

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Lucia @ Making Days Better

Evi @ Adventuring Through Pages

Nicole @ Awayinneverland

Traci @ Read Hot Reviews

Girl in Book Land

My Questions:

1. What are the top three best books you read in 2015?

2. Where is your favorite reading spot?

3. Do you have a favorite tradition with a family member/friend/significant other?

4. What fictional character would you most like to have as a best friend?

5. What are your favorite television series?

6. Do you like to play video games? If so, which one is your favorite?

7. Which Hogwarts house do you belong to?

8. What are your favorite book covers?

9. What films are you most looking forward to watching in 2016?

10. Who are your top three auto-buy authors?

11. Who is your favorite superhero and who is your favorite super villain?

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