I Would like to Thank the Academy…

… Oh wait. Pulitzer panel? No? Not that either. Oh right…

I’ve been blogging for years now, but am still kind of new to the concept of a “Blog Community.” I tend to be a loner and exist over here in my own little corner of the verse, so I had never heard of the Liebster Award prior to last week. In fact, to be honest I thought maybe it was some sort of spam comment at first – my sincerest apologies to Reader in a Reverie, who nominated me. Thank you for the nomination! (Also a shoutout to Polish Me Snazzy who nominated me last year though I accidentally ignored it because I didn’t know what it meant.)

Apparently the Liebster Award is for small blogs with less than 200 followers as a way to support each other and help people discover new blogs.

There are a few rules that go along with this award:

The rules:
1) Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award
2) Answer the 11 questions the blogger gave you
3) Give 11 random facts about yourself
4) Nominate 11 blogs you think are deserving of the award
5) Let the bloggers know you have nominated them
6) Give them 11 questions to answer

So, here we go. First off, my questions from Reader in a Reverie:

1) Favourite book of 2015 so far?
My favorite book I’ve read so far this year is definitely The Martian. I’ve become obsessed with this book. I couldn’t put it down once I started and I’ve recommended it to nearly EVERYONE I’ve met since I read it. It’s also my book club’s pick for next month, and even though I just finished it two months ago I’m really tempted to read it again, it’s that good.

2) If you could live in any world from any book, where would you choose?
This is such a hard question! I always want to live in the worlds in my books. I dream of someday visiting Narnia or Middle Earth. However, I think if I had to choose I’d probably go with Harry Potter’s London – as long as I was a witch. (Life in that world would be just as boring for muggles as my life is now.)

3) Can you read while listening to music?
Sometimes, but it has to be classical or instrumental. I can’t focus on what I’m reading if I’m also hearing a lot of other words in the background. In grad school I had a study playlist that consisted of the soundtracks from Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean.

4) If you were to have a bookish tea party, which 3 authors would you invite and why?
Oh my goodness this is another hard one and my answer would probably change every time you ask. Right now I’m going to go with J.K. Rowling (for obvious reasons, and we would chat about Harry Potter as well as Newt Scamander), Tana French (I love her books and would like to pick her brain about writing mysteries; I would love to be able to write like her), and Jen Lancaster (because she would keep us all laughing the entire time, and I just think she would be a really fun person to hang out with).

5) Do you have a go-to genre?
That would probably be scifi/fantasy. Probably about 75% of my reading falls into that category, whether it’s YA or adult titles.

6) What is a book you would recommend to anyone?
Right now it’s The Martian, because I don’t think you have to be a scifi fan to enjoy it – it’s so well written. The Time Traveler’s Wife is another one that I recommend quite frequently. I also just finished Crazy in Alabama and I think that’s a book everyone should read. In my review I described it as “To Kill a Mockingbird on LSD.” It has some of the same messages about race as Mockingbird, but it’s also just plain insane at times. I loved it. Speaking of, To Kill a Mockingbird is one book everyone in America should read.

7) What is your favourite childhood book?
Childhood like picture book or chapter book? I tend to love the classic picture books: Harold and the Purple Crayon, Corduroy, etc. And has anyone ever heard of the book Whoever Heard of a Fird? I loved that book as a kid. My favorite chapter book when I was young was The Doll in the Garden. I can’t even count how many times I read that book.

8) Favourite book to movie adaptation?
Another hard one. I’m really not sure I have a favorite. I’m in the camp of people who loved Watchmen and thought it was a great adaptation. I also thought Divergent was fairly well done. However for favorite, I probably have to go with Pride and Prejudice – the Colin Firth version, course.

9) A hyped book that you loved?
Throne of Glass. I thought it couldn’t possibly live up to the recommendation my friend gave it, but I really did enjoy it. Also, Go Set a Watchman. I know it has it’s flaws, but I did really enjoy it.

10) A hyped book that you didn’t like?
The Girl on the Train. I know almost everyone loved it, but I hated that book. You can go back and read my review if you want to see why. I also tend to think Gone Girl doesn’t deserve the hype – I didn’t hate it, but I think Gillian Flynn’s first two novels are actually much better.

11) Why did you start blogging?
I love to write. I would also love to someday make a living writing about the things I love – whether it be books, TV, or movies. Writing is the only thing I feel like I can really do well, so here I am.

Now, 11 random facts about me: 

1. I once tried to be an extra on the John Travolta film Lucky Numbers, but never got called.
2. When I was three years old my invisible friend was Davy Jones (of the Monkees).
3. I am mildly claustrophobic.
4. I’ve never read The Crucible, but just figured out one of the characters, Rebecca Nurse, is my 8x great aunt.
5. My rabbit is named Clover after the character in Watership Down.
6. I cannot whistle.
7. My favorite movie is The Princess Bride. It’s also one of the earliest movies I remember watching.
8. I want to travel to Australia just so I can visit the island with the Quokkas.
9. I still check the back of wardrobes, just to make sure there isn’t a magical doorway.
10. I have to have an even number of sugar packets and creamers in my coffee.
11. The nickname CJ was given to my by my 5th grade teacher. Until then my mother wouldn’t allow me to have nicknames.

Nominations:
Like I said above, I’m new to the concept of a “Blog Community” and haven’t gotten to know many other bloggers. I also can’t always figure out how to tell if you’re below 200 follows (so I apologize if anyone on this list is above)(does this count Facebook and Twitter followers as well?), but here goes nothing:

Books Are My Thing

Gun in Act One

I really don’t know many to nominate, so let’s do this differently: if you’re reading this now and have less than 200 followers, I nominate you. Leave me a comment and I’ll add you to this list, because I want to know who you are and I want to help support my fellow bloggers.

Questions:

1. What book(s) are you reading right now?
2. What fictional character would you like to hang out with for a day?
3. If you could choose any author to be your writing mentor, who would it be and why?
4. What are the top 3 books on your to read pile?
5. What is one book you would never get tired of re-reading?
6. What is your favorite spot to read?
7. For adaptations do you prefer to read the book first or watch the movie first?
8. What upcoming title are you most excited about?
9. What is the first book you remember falling in love with?
10. What book do you think people need to give a second chance (one you love but everyone hates)?
11. What is your go-to book recommendation when someone asks what to read next?

Okay, I hope I did that right and haven’t failed the blogging community.