Tag: Sunshine Blogger Award (Take 5)

A big thank you to Jess, Caidyn & Chantel, and Literary Lion for the nominations for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Honestly, I am always so floored when I see myself on the list of nominees, so thank you for making my day and for making me smile. 🙂

You can see previous takes of this award here: one | two | three | four

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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.

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The Rules

• Thank the blogger who nominated you by linking their blog
• Answer the questions
• Nominate 11 blogs with 11 questions
• List the rules as well as display the Sunshine Award Logo on your post

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11 questions from Jess:

What’s the first book you remember reading?
I remember my grandma reading me a lot of Golden Books when I was really little. I loved Doctor Dan the Bandage Man a lot. The first book I clearly remember reading myself is Mr. Popper’s Penguins because it was a traumatic experience of being forced to read it to every classroom in my elementary school. I have gotten only marginally better at being the center of attention with age.

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it?
At the time of writing this post, I’m currently reading The Secret Place by Tana French (really enjoying it) and listening to Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist (it’s okay).

Do you have reading goals for 2018?
I always have reading goals! I challenged myself to read 100 books (done), read the rainbow (done), read 12 debuts (almost done), read at least three books I actually own each month (I’ve been successful so far), and participate in the Monthly Motif reading challenge (I’ve succeeded so far).

What fictional world would you choose to live in and why?
I think it would be really cool to live in the world of The Raven Cycle. I think I’ve said that before. I just love all of the characters and it has such a spooky and magical vibe. I would want to stay far away from Ronan’s dream creatures, though.

What do you think and say when people ask you to choose a favorite book?
Somehow I forget every book I’ve ever read when someone asks me what my favorite book is. It’s also impossible to choose just one because I’ve loved so many books over the years.

Who are some of your favorite authors? And have you met them in person?
Some favorite authors are Krista & Becca Ritchie, Jenn Bennett, Sarah Dessen, Huntley Fitzpatrick, R.S. Grey, V.E. Schwab… I’m probably forgetting a bunch, sorry. I have not met any of them because I am a terribly awkward person and I’m not entirely sure I’d be able to form words. I almost fell over in the street when I walked past Brendan Kiely, so I think that tells you everything you need to know.

Do you like reading outside? Where?
I actually don’t like reading outside. I’ll listen to audiobooks if I’m out walking, but I’m not a beach reader or anything, probably because I’m not a beach person in general.

Aside from reading and blogging, what do you enjoy doing? What hobbies do you have?
I enjoy cats, kids, and concerts.

My boss just got a kitten and I seriously talk to him about this cat for like twenty minutes every day. I also spend unrealistically large amounts of time with my own cat, but she’s just so cute!! ❤

I’m of a certain age where all of my friends have kids, so I spend a fair amount of time playing with train sets and cars and watching various kids movies and shows. I love little kids, they’re so cute and so funny and it feels like winning the lottery when a little kid comes up to me and asks me if I want to play with them. Someday I’ll have my own, but for right now, I’m content to play with other people’s kids. 🙂

And concerts! I am always on the website for various concert venues when I’m supposed to be doing my job. I’ll ask my best work friend if she wants to go to all of them with me. “Hey, do you like All Time Low? They’re playing at the Stone Pony on August 26.” “Hey, do you want to try to get tickets for Fall Out Boy in Newark?” “Hey, would you go to a Wombats show with me?” HEY SARA, GET BACK TO WORK. Anyway, some bands we’ve seen together: Green Day, The Killers, The Chainsmokers, Alessia Cara, Twenty One Pilots, Judah and the Lion, and The Lumineers.

My only real hobbies outside of reading and blogging are sewing and baking. I like to sew baby stuff and I actually need to get going on a baby blanket for my new niece! (A trip to the fabric store is probably in order, but that’s almost as disastrous as a trip to the bookstore for me.) Baking is fun, but I’ve cut down a lot because it was getting a little out of hand. Although I did just make compost cookies and zucchini bread….

What made you decide to start a book blog? What was your inspiration?
I said in a previous tag that I’ve been shouting out my feelings on the internet about one thing or another since approximately 2004, so I guess it was inevitable that I would start a book blog at some point. I think I’d actually won a Goodreads giveaway and wanted a place to post my review. But, in all honesty, it was five years ago and I really don’t remember.

How long have you been blogging? And how do you think of the experience so far?
I started blogging in general in 2004 as a very angsty, very emo high school freshman. Let’s pretend that never happened. I started my book blog in 2013 on Tumblr and moved it here in March of this year. Book blogging is definitely my favorite blogging. I love it. ❤

What advices do you have for new bloggers, or people that are thinking about starting a blog?
If you want to start a blog, do it! If you’ve already created your blog, make sure that you’re doing what you want to be doing, not what you think you should be doing or what other people do. Follow a schedule that works for you and write the kind of posts you’re interested in writing. If you’re not doing it for you, it’s going to feel like a hassle.

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11 questions from Caidyn & Chantel:

Do you have a favorite memoir?
Probably Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick! I love her!

If you could make a playlist based on your personality what songs would be on it? (As many or as little as you want.)

• Delicate by Taylor Swift | I have a lot of social anxiety, so I really relate to the “Is it cool that I said all that? Is it too soon to do this yet?” part because I always feel like I’m bothering people or like I like them more than they like me.
• The Louvre by Lorde | There are a lot of things that I relate to in this song, but maybe most specifically “I overthink your punctuation use, not my fault, just a thing that my mind do.”
• Stars by fun. | “Some nights I rule the world with bar lights and pretty girls, but most nights I stay straight and think about my mom… oh god, I miss her so much.” I really love this whole album, but I think this is the song that most fits me personally.
• The Judge by twenty one pilots | “So I head out down a route I think is heading south, but I’m not good with directions and I hide behind my mouth. I’m a pro at imperfections and I’m best friends with my doubt.” #me
• Konstantine by Something Corporate | I don’t know if it really has anything to do with my personality, but this is a song that I’ve loved since I was fourteen years old (that’s half my life) and that has to mean something. I was so proud of myself when I learned how to play this on the piano. I wonder if I could still do it.

What’s your favorite post that you’ve written?
I recently found my favorite post of all time, which is my review of Boarded by Love by Toni Aleo. It’s a really, really scathing review and I really love it.

If you had the chance, what memory you would like to be able to replay in perfect detail?
I know that a lot of people really hated high school, but I had a great time. I was super nerdy and super awkward, but I had really amazing friends and I had a lot of fun. I went to a tiny Catholic high school (there were only about 50 people in my class) and we weren’t cliquey at all and there was never any drama about anything. I wish everybody could have a high school experience like mine.

There are so many high school nights that I wish I could replay in my memories. The best night was probably when my friend and I organized a fundraiser concert for one of our clubs all by ourselves. We recruited our favorite local band as the main act and then had some friends’ bands open for them. We had a really great turnout and everybody did a great job. I vaguely recall getting up on stage to introduce the bands, but I think I’ve mostly blocked that out by now.

What’s your favorite book and why?
I don’t know that I really have a favorite book of all time. I have a hard enough time picking my top book each year! I do have a favorites page, though, and you can definitely check that out for a list of books I’ve really loved!

How much do you typically read in a day?
I would estimate that I typically read for about two hours every day. Ideally, I’ll read for about 20 minutes before work and then between an hour and a half to two hours before bed.

Do you like reading classics?
Not as much as I’d like! But I think I’m getting better as I get older.

When you hear the phrase “Treat yo self” what comes to mind?
I usually think about baking something really deliciously unhealthy!

What makes you happy?
See above! Cats, kids, and concerts!

Name one fictional character that you relate to.
Jane Cobalt from Krista & Becca Ritchie’s Like Us series.

Do you get any book subscription boxes? If so, what is it? If you do multiple, what’s your favorite one?
I do! I get both Uppercase and Book of the Month. I prefer BotM over Uppercase just because you can choose your book (or skip a month), so there’s no chance of getting a book you’ve already read. I’d already read the April, May, and June books from Uppercase. I’m also not the biggest fan of most of the stuff that comes with Uppercase.

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11 questions from Literary Lion:

What’s your favourite book blog name you’ve seen?
That’s a good question. I like it when there are puns in the blog name, but I can’t actually think of any off the top of my head.

Who is your favourite book boyfriend/girlfriend?
MICHAEL PHAN. 💖

Do you count comics/manga/graphic novels in your Goodreads total? Why/Why not?
I count anything that I review on my blog toward my Goodreads total. I don’t read a lot of comics and graphic novels (only for reading challenges) and I don’t think I’ve ever in my life read manga, but if I reviewed it, I would count it.

What’s your favourite musical (or band if you don’t like musicals)?
I love musicals and I wish I had someone here in NJ to come see them with me. I LIVE SO CLOSE TO BROADWAY BUT I DON’T WANT TO GO BY MYSELF. I have only ever seen one small, off-Broadway show with my boyfriend’s brother. For musical movies, my favorite would probably have to be Across the Universe? My friends and I were obsessed with it when we were in high school. I think I saw it three times in the theater and then we probably watched it at least ten or twenty times in my basement. The soundtrack was on repeat in my car for like an entire year.

What is the most important thing to know before starting a book blog?
I think that the most important thing to know is that it’s going to be work. It takes a lot of time not just writing the actual blog posts and setting up the blog itself, but also interacting with other bloggers and building a following. But if you do it the way you want to do it, it’s also a lot of fun. 🙂

Cats, Dogs, Birds, Rodents, Reptiles or Fish?
I love every animal, but since I have a cat of my own, I have to go with cats. 💕 We also have a saltwater aquarium, but those fish really aren’t nearly as exciting as my elderly cat.

What is your dream career?
I would love to work in publishing as an editor of YA books, but anything in publishing would be amazing. ❤

Do you get any book boxes? Which ones?
I do! See above!

What’s your favourite post from another blogger?
The post that immediately comes to mind is Daniel’s review of Holding Up the Universe.

“here, on Earth, kidnapping is illegal”
“I’m even more sorry that Niven was the one who decided to narrate their lives”
“Don’t buy this book. Best, Daniel”

I started laughing so hard at my desk that my friend had to ask me if I was okay and then I had to explain why I was reading book reviews when I should have been working. Good thing it was my friend sitting with me and not my manager. Yikes.

Best candle scent?
The best candle I ever had was a birthday present from Anthropologie! It was coconut cream or something like that? I actually hate coconut anything, but this smelled like a bakery and it didn’t have that gross, overpowering sweet smell that candles often have. It was so nice. I haven’t been able to find another one. 😔

Do you have other book related platforms? (Youtube, Instagram, etc.) PLUG THEM!
My only book-related accounts are Goodreads and Twitter. I would be very happy if you want to add/follow me!

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My nominees:

🌟 Erin 🌟 Rylee 🌟 Sam 🌟 Jenni 🌟 Kalina 🌟

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My questions for you:

(Jess had some really good questions, so I’m stealing a bunch!)

1. What’s the first book you remember reading?
2. What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it?
3. What fictional world would you choose to live in and why?
4. What do you think and say when people ask you to choose a favorite book?
5. Who are some of your favorite authors? And have you met them in person?
6. Aside from reading and blogging, what do you enjoy doing? What hobbies do you have?
7. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
8. What book has been on your TBR the longest?
9. What book do you think has had the biggest impact on you?
10. What’s your favorite song (or album) right now?
11. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever gotten?