The Sunshine Blogger Award Part Three

Another day and another round of answers to the Sunshine Blogger Award questions set for me by the wonderful bloggers who nominated me. The last round of questions I answered in my Sunshine Blogger Award Part Two post delved into my opinions on books, but in this post and with this round of questions I get to talk more about my blog and myself.

I was tagged by Emily at The Little Book Affair and Eliza at Invokedreverie. Thank you both so much for your nominations, I had a lot of fun answering the questions you set and I hope you enjoy reading my answers.

Rules:

• Thank the person(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 on your post and/or on your blog

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Emily’s Questions

1. What’s the first book you bought because of the blogging community?

I started blogging around the same time Carry On was released. I kept seeing posts from people hyped to get their hands on it, and later five-star reviews from those same people who’d read and loved this book. Of course I got swept away by the hype, and of course I had to read it myself as well.

2. What was your most recent 5-star read?

After how amazing her debut was I shouldn’t be surprised by how amazing On the Come Up by Angie Thomas was. Granted it took me a little while to really connect with Bri’s character but her story was so real. On the Come Up is a powerful read, and I can’t wait to see what Angie Thomas comes out with next.

3. How long have you been blogging?

It will be four years on November 17th. I still sometimes can’t believe I made it past my one-year blogiversary, so that fact that this year I’ll be coming up on my four-year blogiversary is insane to me.

4. What is your current favourite song?

My favourite song changes day to day but at the moment it’s Here With Me by Marshmello feat. CHVRCHES.

5. What is your star sign?

Gemini.

6. What book did you go into thinking you weren’t going to like but was pleasantly surprised?

I saw so many mixed reviews for Throne of Glass that, despite knowing the series got better after the first book, I was reluctant to pick it up. Eventually I got around to it, and because my expectations were so low I found I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

7. What’s your favourite smell?

I really like sweet scents. I used to be a big baker (and I’m actually hoping to get back into baking at some point this year too) and there’s nothing better than the smell of cookies – sugar cookies, or gingerbread men, or shortbread biscuits – baking in the oven.

8. Do you have any piercings and/or tattoos?

I have four piercings – one in my belly button and three in my ears – but no tattoos.

9. Tell me about your best friend; what’s their name, how’d you meet, etc.?

My best friend is called Catherine, we’ve known each other since high school. We first met through a mutual friend (who neither of us are friends with now) when we were 13/14, but the funny thing is we’d actually met a couple of years before that on a school trip. We were the only girls on this trip so we stuck together even though we didn’t know each other.

Since we met we’ve studied together at university, been on countless holidays to Rome and Iceland and Edinburgh (to name a few), and we’ve brought a lace together to help us both get on the property ladder. She’s the only person I tell literally everything to, because I know I can trust her with everything.

10. What is your favourite season and why?

Definitely winter, and while you’d think it’s because of Christmas (which granted does play a part but it’s not the whole reason) it’s actually because I love how cosy the season is. For me there’s nothing better than curling up in bed with a good book and a cup of tea while its dark and cold outside.

11. Would you rather only be able to reread the books you’ve already read, or only be allowed to read new releases?

As difficult as it would be to never be able to re-read some of my favourite books there are so many amazing books being released that I’d have to go for the latter. How could I cope not knowing how some of my favourite series end, especially after the cliffhangers some of them leave second books on.

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Eliza’s Questions

1. What social stigma do you think society needs to get over?

Honestly there are a fair few things I think society needs to get over, but one that has affected me is the idea that mental health isn’t as important as physical health. When I’ve had the flu I’ve taken time off work to recover, but when my anxiety gets bad I feel like I don’t have a choice but to go into work and struggle through, which when it comes down to it probably isn’t helping the matter at all.

2. What’s the story behind the name of your blog?

There’s not much of a story; before starting my blog I knew what I wanted it to be about, so I was just playing around with different combinations of book-related words until I found one that fit and that hadn’t already been taken.

3. Favourite style of a blog post to write?

I love taking part in book tags, especially the ones which allow me to talk about my WIP because they always inspire me to get writing again, and I really enjoy taking part in the Top Ten Tuesday weekly features because I love writing lists.

4. If you could rewrite a popular book what would you choose, and what would you change?

There was a lot of potential in The Crown’s Game; I loved the setting and the concept of two enchanters fighting to the death, but all and Nikolai did was redecorate Russia for the tsesarevich’s birthday. Boring. Also I’d have to get rid of the insta-love/love triangle that was building between the three main characters.

5. Where do you get blogging inspiration from?

Everywhere; from other bloggers and the bookish community I’ve discovered on WordPress, from reading incredible books and wanting to share them with the world or reading terrible books and wanting to rant about them, from the joy of it.

6. Your favourite book blogger and book tubers? (five of each)

I don’t watch BookTube, so I’ve settled for my top four favourite book bloggers;

Marie was one of the first people I spoke to on WordPress. She got me into the contemporary genre, adding so many books onto my TBR list, and she’s one of my main blogging inspirations.

Sophie is an incredible inspiration to me when it comes to writing. She’s such a creative person and I love how she’s started posting more about her other hobbies and showing us what she’s creating.

Malanie is so enthusiastic about the books she loves, and it always makes me want to read them so I can feel the same way. She’s introduced me to some incredible books that are now favourites of mine.

Kat is another major inspiration for me when it comes to writing, I always enjoy taking part in her Write tags. Also her posts about movies and TV shows has added miles onto my to-watch list.

7. Favourite character names in the world? (10 at the most)

Lilac LaRoux, These Broken Stars | Etta Spencer, Passenger | Inej Ghafa, Six of Crows | Blue Sargent, The Raven Boys | August Flynn, This Savage Song | Sarai, Strange the Dreamer | Esther Solar, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares | Emika Chen, Warcross | Lyra Silvertongue, Northern Lights | Karou, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

8. What is your blogging routine and schedule? Do you follow an editorial calendar?

I post on an alternating weekly schedule; one week I’ll post on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and then the next week I’ll post on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. During the weekdays I focus on replying to comments and blog hopping, and then on the weekends I’ll draft posts.

9. What makes you follow a blog?

The most important thing is that they read and enjoy the same kind of books I do, there’s no point in me following someone who only reviews non-fiction when that’s not a genre I read and enjoy myself. Other than that it depends; I’m definitely influenced by how pretty someone’s blog is and because the main reason I’m blogging is to talk to people I want to follow bloggers who interact with their followers.

10. Are you a writer? If so, could you give us a few of your favourite snippets of any of your WIPs?

I’m taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo this month and re-writing my whole WIP so it’s very much a word in progress. I haven’t gotten far past the first couple of chapters because my writing progress is slow. I compulsively go back and re-write every word I’ve already written over and over before I’m happy with it.

If I don’t make it out of here soon, the thought flashed through his mind. I’ll never hear the end of it from Dav.

When Eliot left his friend behind, Dav seeing him off from the deck of Maren’s Triumph, his goodbye had been derisive. If things went wrong here, if Eliot was caught, he didn’t want the memory he left behind to be of a roll of his eyes as he brushed away Dav’s concerns because he was too good to get caught.

It was one thing to think you were better than the Gods, it was another all together to prove it.

He started moving faster. His feet made no sound against the tiled floor but, even though his heart hadn’t beaten in ten years he could feel the ghost of it pounding against his ribcage.

11. What is the next goal you are striving for in blogging?

When it comes to blogging I don’t normally set goals, so currently I only have two; the first is to reach my four-year blogiversary, and the second is to hit or surpass my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal (which I didn’t manage to do last year).

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I still have a couple more nominations for The Sunshine Blogger Award…

…so there will be one or two more posts with me answering even more questions, but in the meantime let me know your answers to the questions in this post.

How long have you been blogging now, and what was the first book you brought because of the blogging community? Who are your favourite book bloggers, are any of the four I featured bloggers you follow (if not I’d definitely recommend following them as soon as).