Liebster Award

 

I'm honoured to have been tagged by Jenese from Readers Confession with the Liebster Award. Thank you, Jenese!

So, even though I'm still on (reviewing) hiatus (update on that later this week), you know I can't resist a good set of questions that needs to be answered..

Accepting the award requires the recipient to :

share 11 facts about themselves

answer the 11 questions written by the person who tagged them 

choose 11 more questions

tag 11 more bloggers to answer those 11 questions

 

1. 11 facts about me:

• I can't stand heat.
• I'm not an early riser (except when I have to be).
• I love chocolate (doesn't everyone?).
• My favourite colours are blue and green.
• Being in touch with trends is not one of my strong points.
• I daydream a lot.
• I'm an only child.
• I talk to myself (a habit developed due to fact #7).
• Remembering people's names takes me a long time.
• I'm a cat person (no, really?:) ).
• I cannot think of one more fact.

2. Answers to Jenese's questions:

When did you start blogging? Almost 2 years ago, so my bloggoversary is coming up!

What made you decide to blog? Chronic forgetfulness of book titles and authors' names.

What are your goals for blogging? Minimal: keep blogging.

What is best thing that's happened to you since you starting blogging? Meeting some great blogging friends and authors.

What is your all-time favourite book? The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

What is the one book/series that you would suggest to me? The Lord of The Rings of course, but since you don't seem to be into fantasy so much as I am, and you like romance, you would probably enjoy Lessons in Love trilogy by Suzanne Enoch.

Where do you receive your ARC's or do you only purchase your own? Living outside US/Can/UK means not many free bookish things, so buying is the thing to do. Or waiting and borrowing from the library.

Who is your all-time favourite author? There are a few Tolkien, Nora Roberts, Kate Mosse…

Where is your favourite place to read? My bed.

What is the greatest blogging advice that you have received so far? Be yourself and blog because/if you enjoy it. Don't force yourself to be something you are not or do something that doesn't feel right. But these go for life in general not just for blogging.

To lighten it up, Magic Mike comes out Friday (yahh)...who would you cast in your movie? :-) Oh, yeah! ;) I saw the trailer the other day and this is something I must see. As for who would I cast, I'm sure I could come up with some names, but I'm perfectly fine with the cast as it is.

3. My questions:

I'm cheating a little and posting the questions I wrote for another tag in the spring which no one answered, so why not use them again and save myself some time and energy.

Which fictional character would you be and why?

Which is your favourite animal?

If you could live in any time and place in history, apart from the present, when and where would it be and why?

What is one thing you are not good at but you wish you were?

If you could write (and enforce) any law, what would it be?

Do you remember the first book you bought by yourself and which was it?

Which was your favourite subject in school?

Which recent film would you recommend?

Which was the last book that was completely mind-blowing for you?

Do you read while eating (or vice versa)?

What is your favourite time of day?

 

4. People I'm tagging:

I'm going to cheat at this point, too, and not tag anyone. Liebster Award is meant for blogs with less than 200 followers. I really don't have time to go around checking the followers count. Also, there are so many wonderful blogs out there I don't want to do injustice to any of them by not selecting them.

However, if you like tags and would like to do this yourself, feel free to do so. I know it kind of reduces the meaning of an award, but so what – if you put your time and energy in it, you deserve it anyway.

And thanks again for tagging me with this award, Jenese!

Another tag!

Stephanie from Steph’s Book Corner tagged me quite a while ago. I like tags, though some questions are quite challenging sometimes – both memory- and craftiness-wise – but I have trouble finding the time to actually answer them. Never mind, I finally did it.

The rules:

1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you in their post.

2. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

3. Tag 11 people and link to them on your post.

4. Let them know you've tagged them!

5. Include these rules and a link to the person who tagged you with your post.

My answers:

1.     Which character in a book is your favourite: the Hero or Villian?

How about option 3: a (Presumed)-Villain-turned-Hero. Those are the best.

2.     Do you prefer to read books in a series or a standalone novel?

Do we even have a choice? It seems to me there are only series out there nowadays. It doesn’t matter as long as the book is good. I do wish there were more great standalones, though.

3.     Which novel in a trilogy do you prefer? The beginning, middle or end?

The end.

4.     Did you like to read as a kid?

Yes.

5.     How many books do you usually pack when going on vacation?

Since my vacations are usually only a few days long at a time, and I have company who demands my attention, only one, or two at the most.

6.     What was your favourite book when you were younger?

I honestly can’t remember. I loved Famous Five series by Enid Blyton.

7.     What are your thoughts on books being made into movies? Good or bad?

It can be both good and bad. I think it is mostly good because that is how a story reaches more people. Also, many people who like the film go and read the book afterwards. In that way, films based on books actually encourage reading. On the other hand, there are also people who would rather see the film instead of taking the time to read the book. But I think those kind of people would not read a book in any case whether there is a film based on it or not.

8.     What is your all-time favourite book?

And here comes my automatic response: The Lord of the Rings.

9.     What made you decide to start a book blog?

I love books (duh!) and I love talking about them, but I am horrible at remembering what I have or haven’t read, especially the authors and titles. One day my friend and I were talking about this, and she mentioned she had started a book blog, so I decided to follow her example. I just wanted a place to write down my thoughts about books, so that I could have some reference spot about what I have read.

10.  What is it about a book that makes you decide to read it?

Mostly a combination of book description and recommendations from people whose taste in books is similar to mine and whose opinion I trust. Book blogging definitely helped with that, so I keep adding way too many books to my to-read list.

11.  Do you ever re-read books?

Not as much as I used to, but I do like to revisit my favourite books, or at least the best parts of them.

12.  What is your most anticipated new release of 2012?

Well, I’ve just read Moonsong, and I know it’ll be a hard wait for Destiny Rising, which is supposed to come out at the end of the year.

11 questions for you to answer:

I’m totally cheating and copying my 11 questions from a tag I answered earlier this year. And I’m also not tagging anyone, I don’t have time for that. So, if you like the questions and can spare a few minutes to answer them, consider yourselves tagged.

1. Which fictional character would you be and why?
2. Which is your favourite animal?
3. If you could live in any time and place in history, apart from the present, when and where would it be and why?
4. What is one thing you are not good at but you wish you were?
5. If you could write (and enforce) any law, what would it be?
6. Do you remember the first book you bought by yourself and which was it?
7. Which was your favourite subject in school?
8. Which recent film would you recommend?
9. Which was the last book that was completely mind-blowing for you?
10. Do you read while eating (or vice versa)?
11. What is your favourite time of day?

I’ve Been Tagged!

Sarah from Sarah Says Read posted this cool tag and she also tagged me, so here I go. I am taking her as an example and going about this in a more causal way, too.

What to do

1. Post rules.

2. Post 11 fun facts about yourself.

3. Answer questions from the person who tagged you.

4. Make up 11 questions for people you tag.

5. Tag 11 people. (Yeah, I ‘m not tagging eleven people.)

6. Let them know they’ve been tagged. (I’m also not bothering to do this… if you see the post and see that you’ve been tagged, great. Feel free to join in or not.)

11 fun facts about myself:

1. I’m an only child, so I when I was little I made up three imaginary siblings – two brothers and one sister – I played with them everything you can think of, such as board games where I made moves for four people.

2. When still in pre-school, I invented “English”– a bunch of meaningless words I taught to an imaginary class. Who would have thought I would later become an actual English teacher?

3. Another one from my childhood: my eight-years senior cousin was teasing me by “throwing” cats on the floor – when really they just jumped off his lap, but I thought it hurt them and I kept scolding him for that.

4. I used to help herding cows when I was on vacation on my uncle’s farm.  

5. I was kicked out of children’s choir due to allegedly being tone-deaf. Of course, I had been assigned to sing soprano. I joined an adult choir six years ago – now I’m singing alto and guess what – obviously I ’m not tone-deaf.

6. Even though I can cook complicated (and delicious) meals, I am a lazy cook, so most often I rather just stick to the basics.

7. I have nightmares if I read about scary or violent things or watch film with such content, so I avoid doing that before going to bed.

8. I get so immersed in my thoughts I tend to go past people I know on the street without greeting them. Luckily, my friends know this and they don’t take offence.

9. I love winter. The weather I like best: sunny, snow on the ground and below zero (°C). It’s even better if I don’t have to shovel the snow and go anywhere – but the weather is worth the trouble.

10. I’m an over-thinker.

11. In relation to number 10: I hate phoning. On the phone everything goes so fast and I often forget to say something because I don’t have the time to think about what to say or how to say it. So, if I have to do an important work or some official issue related phone call, I write down a list of points I have to tackle.

Sarah’s questions:

1. Do you like where you live?

Yes. I like my apartment, it’s just the right size and it overlooks fields, so it feels very secluded and peaceful, although I basically live along a main road, and I’ve got really close to the bus and the store, which is great.

2. What would you do if you were omnipotent?

I wouldn't want to be omnipotent, because the wish for power alone corrupts people. But if I were, I’d make everyone think more about other people then about themselves. I think that would pretty much solve all the problems in the world.

3. What’s your favourite holiday?

Christmas. Easter comes right behind.

4. What music did you like to listen to 10 years ago?

That was my rock phase, I think.

5. What are your favourite websites?

I can’t think of any in particular. Okay, at least not any which hasn’t got to do with book blogging or The Vampire Diaries.

6. What’s your favourite plant or flower?

I love carnations – not the ones you buy which don’t have a scent at all – but the real home-grown dark red carnations with a sweet scent.  I used to grow my own when I still lived in a house.

7. Do you have any pets?

Yes. I have had a cat for almost six years now. You can read (almost) all about her in Cat Diary.

8. What are some of your favourite TV shows right now?

Another easy one – you know what comes in first: The Vampire Diaries. Then closely behind follow: White Collar, Terra Nova, and my new-ish discovery, Downton Abbey. Oh, and NCIS.

9. If you could jump into any book, which would it be?

If you read this blog regularly, you already know the answer: The Lord of the Rings. But, as someone on the blogosphere put it, preferably after Sauron has been defeated.

10. What’s your favourite joke?

I’m terrible at remembering and/or telling jokes.

11. If you could buy anything right now, regardless of the price, what would it be?

Hmmmm…Books, of course … and a place to put them in. :D

11 questions for you to answer:

1. Which fictional character would you be and why?
2. Which is your favourite animal?
3. If you could live in any time and place in history, apart from the present, when and where would it be and why?
4. What is one thing you are not good at but you wish you were?
5. If you could write (and enforce) any law, what would it be?
6. Do you remember the first book you bought by yourself and which was it?
7. Which was your favourite subject in school?
8. Which recent film would you recommend waching?
9. Which was the last book that was completely mind-blowing for you?
10. Do you read while eating (or vice versa)?
11. What is your favourite time of day?

The people I’m tagging:

Irena @ This Miss Loves to Read

Jillian @ Random Ramblings

Jo @ Fluidity of Time

Chrystal @ Snowdrop Dreams of Books

Jennifer @ Book’d Out

Lisa @ Lisa Loves Literature

Nimue @ Endlessly Bookish 

and if anyone else wants to participate, fell free to do so. 

The Holiday Tag

Jillian at Random Ramblings came up with this great idea about The Holiday Tag. You just copy and paste the questions and answer them yourself. Then post it somewhere, be it on your blog, as a comment, …, do whatever you like. Don’t forget to mention who tagged you, and of course, try to tag other people also. I hope Jillian doesn't mind me resembling her as far as the tagging is concerned: if you are reading this, consider yourself to be tagged. I will tag some bloggers specifically down below.

1. When do you usually know and feel that it's finally the holidays?

When we get snowed in (for a few hours, not for too long:)), it’s freezing outside, the houses glitter in Christmas lights – that’s Christmas, all right.

2. What do you want for Christmas this year?

Some peace and quiet and a lot of time for writing. How immaterial of me, isn’t it?

3. Do you go all out with decorations?

We have a Christmas tree and we set up a Nativity Scene as it is customary in my country.

4. What are you doing Christmas eve?

My mom and I (it’s just the two of us) have our own traditional Christmas dinner with sauerkraut and sausages. Then we bless our home with holy water and incense and we pray the entire rosary. It’s a great Catholic tradition in my country and although fewer and fewer people stick to it, because they think it’s old fashioned, I like it a lot. It makes my Christmas even more joyful. Then, of course, I go to Midnight Mass and participate singing in the church choir.

5. What are you doing Christmas day?

After the Morning Mass, I usually just spend time with my mom, doing nothing, eating, watching TV, listening to Christmas music,…

5. It's Christmas time. What are you reading?

That’s easy. Tolkien, particularly The Lord of the Rings. It’s my usual re-reading (I lost the count at 6^th) in those long winter nights.

6. Favorite movie to watch during the holidays?

There are more then one: While You Were Sleeping, Joyeux Noel, Love Actually, The Santa Clause and all Home Alone movies.

7. Favorite Christmas song?

I really can’t think of just one, there are too many.

8. Favorite holiday drink?

Apple compote: we cook apple slices in water with sugar, cinnamon and cloves. It's delicious, refreshing and smells divine. 

9. How is your Christmas shopping going?

I haven’t started yet. I am more of the last minute inspiration Christmas shopper, so I still have time.

10. If you could spend Christmas day anywhere else, where would you spend it?

Somewhere in the Alps in a cottage with a fireplace and a lot of snow all around.

11. Any holiday traditions?

I like to attend the Christmas Novena evening Mass from 16^th to 24^th December.

12. Favorite thing about the Holidays?

Everything, but especially the feeling that time passes a bit more slowly than usually.

If you read this, you are tagged, but in particularly I tag:

Irena at This Miss Loves to Read

and

Cristina at Once Upon a Time.

I’ll wish happy holidays to everyone later again, but for the early starters: have fun and enjoy!