Thank you Cassie for tagging me in the This or That book tag! It was such a fun tag and a great to end my weekend! Please take a look at her blog too because she’s awesome 💓
☆ Rules ☆
Mention the creator of the tag (A huge thank you to Ayunda, over at @ Tea and Paperbacks, for creating this!)
Thank the blogger who tagged you! Thank you Cassie! Go shower her blog with lots of love too!
Tag 10 other people to do the tag and spread the love!
☆ Reading on the Couch or on the Bed? ☆
I can’t read on any soft surfaces/furniture. I slowly get sleepy and never get anywhere. The best place for me to read is at my desk with a cup of tea and my book on the table. If I had to choose though, it’d be the couch. I will fall asleep if I read in bed.
☆ Sweet or Salty Snacks While Reading? ☆
I don’t like to eat while reading, mainly due to getting sticky sweets or oily foods all over my books. If I do have snacks with me, I tend to pop one in my mouth and not stop until the whole plate’s wiped clean before I even get a chapter in (heehee oops?). However, since I do drink tea while reading, sweets tend to pair better with it. Chocolate covered almonds are a perfect treat!
☆ Trilogies or Quartets? ☆
Unless it’s a series with a case by case plot (like most police procedural or mystery/crime thriller series), I tend to get bored. Quartets are a bit too long because most of the time, I’m already “series fatigued” by the end of book two so a trilogy is just right.
☆ First Person or Third Person POV? ☆
Third. If I had to pick and read only one POV for the rest of my life, I’d still go with third.
☆ Night or Morning Reader? ☆
On weekdays, I don’t have the time to read in the morning and on weekends, I’m too busy catching up on precious Zzzs to read in the morning. I’m a zombie before my coffee and by the time breakfast is done with, it’s closer to noon or afternoon so reading then wouldn’t count. I’m definitely a night reader.
☆ Libraries or Bookstore? ☆
I prefer bookstores. Barnes and Nobles (at least the ones I’ve been to) all have coffee shops in them so I can grab a drink and start making my way through all of the aisles. I love their clearance sections where I can find all sorts of genres just thrown into one shelf/cart and you’re introduced to new things. They usually have a journal, bookish goods, toys, writing, and gift areas too. I do love my local library though, because in bookstores, I feel the pressure that I NEED to buy something if I spend so long in the store versus a library, I can spend it reading my own book and leave not feeling guilty for staying for a spell. Still, I prefer bookstores because they’re just so magical.
☆ Books that Make you Laugh or Make you Cry? ☆
I’ve read books that have given me a good chuckle and books where I cried from the first to the last page. I like the laughing books more. Sad books make me sad.
☆ Black or White Book Covers? ☆
I like my shelf in a rainbow 🌈
☆ Character Driven or Plot Driven? ☆
Both are important, of course, but I find myself way more invested in the characters than in the plot. Which is why I love fanfictions so much. So long as the writers keep everyone in character, I love seeing them in an array of different settings and alternate universes, not just the original main plot (coffee shop AUs anyone?)
A huge thank you to Tabitha over at Behind the Pages and Mònica over at Nightingfae for tagging me in this award. Please take a moment to take a look at both of their amazing blogs as well 💓
What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?
The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.
How does it work?
Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.
Tabitha’s Questions
Why did you become a blogger?
I was bored during quarantine and with all of my friends starting their own little quarantine projects, small businesses, and art projects, I wanted to have my own little project too. Blogging wasn’t the first thing to pop in my mind, but I knew I wanted to spend more time reading.
What is your favorite part about blogging?
Meeting new people that share the same interest. I don’t get to chat about books (and their subsequent book hangovers) much with my friends so it’s nice to have people that understand why you’re sobbing over a character or book.
What is your least favorite part about blogging?
Putting your heart into a post that gets maybe 10 views. Going in, I never thought about the whole behind-the-scenes aspect of blogging, so it never really occurred to me to look into this whole SEO thing until now. Funny enough, this doesn’t bother me as much anymore.
What book are you looking forward to reading the most off of your to read pile?
I’m looking forward to re-reading the first book of the Chronicles of the Black Company and another book that I had recently unearthed (long thought to have been lost forever), Dome City Blues. I’m currently going through a bit of a mercenary and cyberpunk phase.
Both Covers from Goodread. Links to their pages >HERE< and >HERE<
Who is the latest author you’ve added to your favorites list?
Amanda Prowse because her book, The Day She Came Back, had me crying nearly every other chapter. I’ve never cried so much, while reading, before!
What was the last book you finished reading? Did you like it?
The last book I read was “The Contractor” by David Scott Meyers and while it wasn’t bad, I didn’t particularly LIKE it either. Still, I’m invested enough to keep going (I want to see how it ends.)
What advice do you have for new bloggers?
Make sure to take breaks when you need them. Don’t feel pressured to stick to a posting schedule and have fun!
What is your favorite social media to interact with fellow readers?
TWITTER!
How do you overcome a reading slump?
Fanfictions and Ao3 always gets me back into the right mood. I don’t know where I’d be without fanfictions in my life. I also regularly “treat” myself to a book in a favorite series if I’m in a slump or just came out of a bad book.
What is your preferred way to read?
Physical at home, on my phone if I’m out on errands (those loonnngg lines!), and on my Kindle if I’m commuting.
Describe yourself with a book title.
Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child 😭
Mònica’s Questions
What’s the origin of your blog name?
I literally changed my blog name several times in the beginning. There’s no cool origin story other than throwing some words together. Fun fact, the first name I had given my blog was “Good Fish” (a play on Goodreads) or “Good Fish Reads,” Why? NO idea. I kind of wish I kept it 🤔
When and why did you decide to become a blogger?
I think it was around March or April of this year (2020)? It was during my work-from-home period. I saw all of my friends starting their own passion projects and, being bored out of my mind, I had nothing else to do so…I went for it! (Best decision all year!)
What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?
Shockwave by John Sandford. I can’t explain why this is my default book to recommend when people ask for a book rec, but the adrenaline I felt with this book blew me away (pun intended).
Who’s in your top 3 of favourite authors?
Oof. This is a hard question! I’d have to say Lee Child, John Sandford and Michael J. Sullivan. Lee got me into my favorite genre (Mystery Thrillers), Sandford for my favorite series (Virgil Flowers), and Michael for my favorite Fantasy series (Riyria).
Which character you hate/dislike the most, and why?
I’m pretty sure I have a big a** crush on Virgil Flowers. Why? He’s a good looking cop, I like his sense of humor, and has pretty decent morals. He always tries his best to avoid violence. I also LOVE Prince Jalan from the Red Queen’s War series because he’s a loveable coward with shitty luck. Jalan comes in for a very close second place!
If you could meet one character, which one would it be, and why?
Kiran from Whitefire Crossing. He’s a bloodmage who is trying to run from his horrible master. I want to meet him just so I can give him a hug. That boy needs a hug.
Do you prefer second-handed or new books?
New books, but I truly don’t mind second hand as long as they’re in pretty decent shape. For example, my Black Company omnibus came in great condition. It’s a paperback with no creases, no dogears and the binding is great. Now…if only it didn’t smell like VOMIT…(apparently that’s from poorly kept books with acidic pages??).
My all-time favorite books are books off library carts(or sidewalk cardboard boxes) with the sign, “Take me! Free books!” Now those books become my favorite books and it feels like I’m adopting a book, ya know? While new books are fantastic (who doesn’t want new books?) in retrospect, I guess I really do tend to lean more towards second-hand books.
Which is your favourite book-to-movie/TV series adaptation?
I don’t think I’ve seen a book to movie/TV series show before (besides HP). I think I’ve mentioned in another tag post, once I’ve established my own mental images of characters, I refuse to have them re-casted. It would ruin the book for me and so…none for me 😂 (I also…don’t watch TV or have Netflix/Hulu/Etc.)
Do you have more than one copy of a book? If yes, which one?
Yes 😅 Both the Kindle and the Paperback version of the first omnibus (first 3 books) of the Chronicles of the Black Company.
Do you create playlists for your favourite books? Share them if you do!
No, unfortunately 😦 However, I can share my favorite relaxation (type? format? method?)! It’s a two tab, two video at once deal! One is a bar ambience video on loop (doors opening, people chatting, glass clinking, etc.) and the other is what I like to call “Cafe Jazz.” Together, they help create a nice little café mood setting.
My Questions
If you could wipe your mind of ONE book/series, just so you can experience it for the first time again, what books/series would it be for?
Do you have a favorite book couple? Who are they?
Pick your favorite book setting and then pick your favorite real life setting. What are they?
If you could meet a character and interview them, what are your top three questions?
If your favorite character was granted three genie wishes, what would they wish for?
If YOU had three bookish wishes, what would YOU wish for?
What is your favorite type of blog post?
Do you enjoy writing your posts in the morning or night?
Would your favorite book/series make for a good video game? How about a movie or TV show?
You’re stuck in jail with the last character you read. What’re your chances of breaking out?
What is your favorite genre to read?
I Tag
Caroline over at Page-Turners – Book Reviews by Caroline Madeline over at Mad’s Books Colleen over at Colleen’s Conclusions Vee over at Vee_Bookish Pam over at The Picky Bookworm Isabella over at The Shaggy Shepherd Raji over at Worlds Unlike Our Own Mani over at Mani’s Book Corner Kimberly over at My Bookish Bliss John over at Tales from Absurdia Peyton over at Word Wilderness
After an entire year of not being able to find a house, we finally managed to get lucky. Moved and mostly unpacked now, I get to rejoice at being able to kick back and relax with a cup of tea and a good book. It’s a small little something that I’ve been looking forward to for a while seeing as the months leading up to the house closing had been pretty rough.
The Black Company by Glen Cook
Covers from Goodreads. Link to their GR pages >HERE< & >HERE<
Ahhh. The book that broke my self-imposed book ban. An omnibus that comprises of the first three books in the series, I’m hoping that I can at least tackle the first book in November. Funny enough, I’ve actually read this book before, on my kindle (not realizing I had purchased the omnibus Kindle version rather than the first book alone). I had reached the end of the first book, completely lost and having no idea what the heck I just read, but proud that I made it to the end of the book at all only to look at my table of contents and seeing that I was only a third of the way in 😂.
Seeing that I have the time now, I’m going to re-tackle book one and hopefully a re-read will help me understand the book as from the little bits of what I did understand, I actually really enjoyed. After watching a couple of review videos on this book, I think I’m ready again. This is the book that I’m most interested in reading out of the three I have lined up for November.
Goodreads Summary:
Darkness wars with darkness as the hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must. They bury their doubts with their dead. Then comes the prophecy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more… This omnibus edition comprises The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose―the first three novels in Glen Cook’s bestselling fantasy series.
Mordecai’s Ashes by Arlana Crane
Now if you’ve read my September “Stay At Home” Book Tag post, you’d know that this book has already appeared once in the “What Are You Currently Reading” questions section. I had initially started this book, rotating with a few other books only to inevitably drop every single one of them because things got hectic.
Cover from Goodreads. Link to the book’s GR page >HERE<
Evidently, it seems that books I tend to look forward to more, I have a harder time picking up and starting them. I think that it’s the expectation of the book being very good that intimidates me. I want a perfectly hot cup of coffee and the perfectly fluffed pillow beneath my head first before I can enjoy this book. A review request book, this is one of the few books that I have backlogged that I really need to start on reading and get a review out for. I’m loving the cover art!
Amazon Summary:
Karl Larsson is an out of work roughneck, home from the oil fields of Alberta and back on the coast for the first time in years. His wife has left him and his future looks bleak. Becoming a detective is the last thing on his mind, but when Karl learns that he has inherited his estranged grandfather’s agency he decides to take a chance.
River Queens: Saucy Boat, stout mates, spotted dog, America by Alexander Watson
Another book that I’m looking forward to is another backlogged review book, “River Queens: Saucy Boat, stout mates, spotted dog, America” by Alexander Watson. 2020 is truly the year that I’m branching out into different genres, huh? I hardly ever read nonfictions and this would be my second nonfiction this year.
Goodreads Summary: Two men and a spotted dog restore a vintage Chris-Craft motor yacht and launch across the American Heartland from Texas to Ohio. The restoration, the people they met along the way, and life in an America which few know exists are the story of River Queens: Saucy boat, stout mates, spotted dog, America.
