Tag: Awards

The Mystery Blogger Award

I was nominated by Amy @ Curiouser and Curiouser for The Mystery Blogger Award. (Thanks, Amy!) 🙂

The Rules:

  1. Include the award image in your post
  2. List the rules
  3. Thank whoever nominated you and leave a link to their blog (Amy | Curiouser and Curiouser)
  4. Mention the creator of the award: Okoto Enigma!
  5. Tell your readers three things about yourself and answer the questions set by the person who nominated you
  6. Nominate ten to twenty other bloggers and notify them on their blogs
  7. Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice
  8. Share the link to your best/favorite post!

Three Things About Deanna:

  1. I once drove the wrong way down a one way street in Bellingham, WA. The first thing I did when I realized it was yell, “I love me!” That phrase stuck for a few years and my friends and I would say it whenever we did something stupid. (Luckily, it was early on a Sunday morning when I did this and I could easily turn into a business’ parking lot to turn around.)
  2. Everyone calls me Deanna. Very few people shorten this into a nickname. There are a very few people who call me “Dea” – interestingly enough, they’re all male.
  3. I try to be a really honest person and go with the truth 99% of the time. Lying always catches up with you. Which makes the next fact pretty funny to me. One of my closest friends would call me in college to help her come up with lies because mine were always believable.

Amy’s Questions:

1.Why did you start a blog?

It was something I had been throwing around in my mind for a while. My friends encouraged me to go ahead and do it because I was always recommending books they loved to them.

2.What are you most proud of in your life?

My daughter. She’s going to be 9 in a couple of weeks, and I’m so proud of the little person she’s become. I know part of it’s her personality, but I would like to think all the time I’ve spent with her since she was born has helped shape her. If I do one thing important in life, it’s raising her to be a good person.

3.What’s the last film you watched and did you enjoy it?

So we’re watching all of the Star Wars movies at our house right now. My daughter’s really interested in them. The last one I watched with them was Attack of the Clones. I hate to say it, but I didn’t really enjoy it all that much. I’ve watched all of them except Revenge of the Sith. This trilogy within the franchise is my least favorite.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

To stop myself from saying stupid things in awkward situations!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hmm…I see myself doing a lot of what I’m doing now. I guess that’s how it is an adult with a child. I’m sure I’ll be working full time, running her to all her activities and spending time with the family. I wish I had something more exciting to say.

My Questions:

  1. Who is your favorite female popstar and why?
  2. What is the funnest thing you’ve ever done?
  3. Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been?
  4. If you could have one and one author’s ARCs who would it be?
  5. What celebrity do you think you look the most like?

I Tag:

Ali @ I Wuv Books
Ari @ The Daydreaming Bookworm
Ashley @ What’s She Reading?
Claire @ Art and Soul
Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions
Debby @ alwaysbooking
Jessica @ Mud and Stars
Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts
Lois @ My Midnight Musing
Stephanie @ Stephanie’s Book Reviews

The 2016 Blogger Awards

I was recognized by Tash @ The Book Monsters in her The 2016 Blogger Awards post. It was so nice to be recognized and so I thought I would participate. (Thanks, Tash!)

For those of you who are not familiar with these awards, you can check out the original post on Just Call Me Elm or Something or read the rules below. It was really hard to pick one blog for each of these. So many bloggers could fit in so many of the categories!

The Rules (PLEASE READ)
• It is preferred if you nominate one blog/blogger per award, but if you’re finding this difficult, two should be the maximum.
• Post ALL NOMINATIONS on this post, or write a post that links to this post so that I am notified as to who you have nominated. If you don’t know how to make a pingback, you can always ask, or email me.
• If you do not link your nominations to this post in some way, they cannot be counted.
• You must link your nominees to their blog – just writing a name will result in confusion, because there are multiple Em’s to give an example.
• Please tag your blog posts that relate to the awards with the hashtag #2016BloggerAwards. This is so that both the readers and I can keep track of any nominations.
• Results will be posted on 31 December, to allow as many people to submit their nominations as possible.

Blogger of the Year
A blogger that you feel has stood out this year as being very inspiring, kind, and who holds many of the qualities that you feel makes a fantastic blogger. This blogger can be one who you aspire to be and who’s personality traits cause them to, again and again, be seen as a central part of your blogging community, both to you and others.

Maren from The Worn Bookmark is the first person that came to my mind for this category. Maren is warm and friendly to other book bloggers. She makes a blogger feel at home in the blogosphere. I love the wide variety of books she reviews and all of the posts she shares.

Blog of the Year
Through their posts, the blog which you nominate for this category will have made an impact on the community with their writing. Each aspect of the blog is well thought-out, and their posts are both creative and original. Content, appearance and the effect you think this blog has had on you as a person and other people should contribute to why you nominated them.

I like everything about Books at Dawn. Jesse has done an amazing job streamlining his reviews. I love the way they look and read. His reviews are simply broken down, and they deliver his opinion in a way that helps a reader quickly decide if a book is for him/her or not. His graphics are really cool, too. I’ve heard he may use https://www.hostiserver.com/ as a host server so that he can focus on the reviews. Either way, he’s doing a pretty sweet job. I especially enjoy his Weekly Cover Reveals. I love that he not only focuses on the Fantasy books he loves, but on other genres as well.

Kindest Blogger
Somebody who has always been there with a lovely word if you feel down. They do not judge you, and can always be relied on to say the sweetest things no matter the situation that you find yourself in. Their comments are ones that stick in your mind because of their kind words, and they are nice to everybody and anybody.

Susan from Susan Loves Books has been a big supporter of my blog from the moment I started it. She’s constantly leaving positive comments on my blog that brighten my days.

Most Approachable Blogger
No matter the time of day or the amount of followers you have, you feel as if you can always talk to this blogger. Whether they have 10 followers or 10000, they do not make you feel unwelcome, and allow you to feel as if your opinions will be listened to. They’re friendly, and their personality makes it so that they are easy to have a conversation with.

There’s just something about Claire from Art and Soul that screams approachable to me. She’s super nice, makes amazing desserts and writes wonderful reviews. She always comes across as upbeat and positive. I love interacting with her and reading her blog posts.

Best New Blogger
A person who has, ?spite not being in the Blogosphere for long, made an impact. This award is for those who have taken blogging in their stride, and right from the beginning, given it their all. They have firmly entrenched themselves within the community, emerging into blogging and not letting their ‘newbie’ status bother them.

Jill over at Rant and Rave is my Best New Blogger for 2016. (Hopefully, Jill started blogging in 2016. If not, I’m still picking her because she’s new to me!) I love her rant and rave reviews. It’s such a fun and easy way to make her reviews pop in my feed. I also love the colorful way she reviews books.

Most Positive Blog
The posts on this blog, or this blogger’s personality, lift your mood whenever you are not feeling your best. They could write inspirational posts, or have the personality that allows you to smile when they comment or speak to you; a simple post or conversation with them can make you happy.

I had to pick Tash from The Bookie Monsters for the Most Positive Blog award. Her blog is a happy place to go. First, there’s her super cute header that makes me smile. Then, there’s all her posts. I especially love her Tea with Tash ones. They’re a great way to catch up with her month and find out what’s new with her.

Most Helpful Blogger
Somebody who has always strived to help anybody, in any situation. This can be through their posts, or through any contact you have had outside of blogging. They have always helped you when you needed any assistance or advice, whether that would be with blogging or any real life situations, and they go out of their way to offer you this help.

Kelly over at Here’s to Happy Endings could have easily filled any of the spots on this awards post. I chose to name her most helpful blogger because she’s always willing to answer blog related questions when I ask them — and I ask a lot. I’ve appreciated her friendship and getting to know her through her blog posts and our Twitter exchanges.

Best Looking Blog
When you look at this blog, it should be obvious that they’ve spent some time on making it look amazing. It can be through the way they’ve organised it, the design in general, the best pictures: whatever element they’ve put into their blog, they’ve done it incredibly well. Remember, beauty is subjective, so don’t feel worried that other people may disagree with you.

If you haven’t found Read at Midnight yet, you need to hop on over there and look at Aentee’s gorgeous designs. They’re amazing and so beautiful. And she’s willing to share her design services for a great price with everyone. (I have to credit her for my amazing blog header!)

Most Relatable Blog
Many of the posts that they write, you find yourself relating to. This can be because of their style of writing, or the stories that they share; when you read their blog, you think that you aren’t alone.

I have two picks for Most Relatable Blog. I couldn’t just pick one. I relate to both Cristina at My Tiny Obsessions and Ari at The Daydreaming Bookworm a lot. That probably has to do with the fact that we enjoy so many of the same books. I love reading their book reviews because I’m usually nodding my head in agreement or adding a new book to my TBR. They’re part of the reason my husband cringes when he sees Kindle charges on our credit card bill.

Most Creative Blogger
There are some people who have added wonderfully original ideas to the Blogosphere. These people have contributed awards, tags, challenges and anything else that has been very well created. As well as this, they could be a creative writer, artist or could be a musician – anything that showcases a talent, or brings something never brought before to the blogging world. This is flexible, so you can nominate 2 people if this one is especially difficult.

I had to think about this one for a while. I feel like every blogger I’ve come across is creative in some way. One that really stands out to me, though; is Jordyn from J. Bookish. She created The Seasons of Book Blogging Tag and started a BookTube that’s really awesome.

Funniest Blogger
This blogger will never fail to make you laugh. Through what they say, their posts or how they interact with people, they put a permanent smile on your face and can have you in stitches. They can be unexpectedly funny, can say the strangest things, but the one thing that this person has is a brilliant sense of humor.

Joey over at Thoughts and Afterthoughts is the wittiest book blogger I’ve met so far. Every single one of his posts make me laugh or smile. He brings a unique perspective that I really enjoy. I wish I could book ramble like him.

The Wildcard
If you think that a blog/blogger should be recognized for an aspect of their blog/blogging personality that doesn’t fit a category on this list, then you can nominate them here, with the name of the aspect that they deserve and a comment. Though no one will necessarily ‘win’ this, those that stand out will be featured in the Results post.

She’s not super active in the community, but Sky from Bookish Night is my Wildcard choice. What I love most about Sky is that she’s real and honest. She puts herself out there in each review and interaction.

If you’re interested in participating, you don’t have to be tagged. Just simply follow The Rules and link to Just Call Me Elm or Something or use the hashtag #2016BloggerAwards.

The Sunshine Blogger Award

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Good morning! I was tagged by the lovely Maren @ The Worn Bookmark for The Sunshine Blogger Award. Thank, Maren!

Rules:

  • Thank the person who nominated you.
  • Answer 11 questions set by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 5 bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions to answer.

Maren’s Questions:

If you could have a conversation with any book character, who would you choose?

That’s a tough one. Kate from Bright Side by Kim Holden. I feel like she was so inspirational and had a lot of advice to give.

What’s the most amount of books you’ve ever bought at one time?

I can’t give you an exact answer, but I can tell you it was $100 worth. I got an awesome gift card once.

Have you ever dressed up as a book character for Halloween?

No, but my daughter is being Mal from The Isle of the Lost and Return to the Isle of the Lost. Does that count?

Do you prefer coffee or tea?

I prefer coffee. My favorite is Starbucks’ Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, but regular gives me anxiety. 🙁 So now I have to drink decaf. I do also drink green tea, though.

Do you schedule your posts in advance or just post them as you write them?

I schedule them in advance. Every once in a while I will post immediately, but that’s rare.

What’s your favorite way to track your reading? Goodread? On your blog? Some other way?

Goodreads.

Do you subscribe to any author newsletters? If so, which ones?

Oh, gosh. I subscribe to a whole bunch. Pretty much any author I love.

Do you prefer to give or receive book recommendations?

I love giving them, but I also love to receive them from people/bloggers who like to read the same type of books I do.

What’s your opinion on spoilers? Do you love them or hate them?

I normally dislike them. BUT if a book is stressing me out emotionally or I am disliking a book, I will actually seek them out sometimes.

What’s your favorite book that you’ve read so far this year?

This is an evil question. I have so many! I will give you two that I read recently that I would count as favorites:

The Goal by Elle Kennedy
Keepsake by Sarina Bowen.

What’s a recent blog post that you’re proud of?

That’s a tough one. Probably The Goal by Elle Kennedy.

I Tag:

I’m going to copy Maren and nominate the following people to answer the same questions. (Sorry, feeling lazy!)

Alex
Ashley
Jill
Stephanie
The Orang-utan Librarian

 

The Versatile Blogger Award

 

Thank you to Beth @ Reading Every Night for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. I really appreciate it! Now, for the award.

Rules:

  • Show the award on your blog.
  • Thank the person who nominated you.
  • Share seven facts about yourself.
  • Nominate fifteen five blogs.
  • Link your nominees and let them know of your nomination.

7 Facts About Me:

  1. I have way too many books on my TBR list right now. 12 that I have to read.
  2. Now that I’m an adult, I like the school year more than summer. I’m horrible at coming up with things to keep my daughter busy during the summer.
  3. I wish the NBA would bring back the Supersonics. I miss having a local basketball team to root for.
  4. I played fastpitch (softball) growing up, but I can’t stand to watch baseball now. Too slow moving.
  5. The only countries I’ve been to other than the United States are Mexico and Canada. Evidently, I don’t travel very far.
  6. If I’m at home, I’m probably rocking pajama pants.
  7. I used to love rollerskating when I was a kid, but now it scares the crap out of me.

I Nominate:

Claire @ Cup of Books

Jamila @ Heartscent Reads

Jennifer @ Wonderland Review

Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads

Maria @ Big City Bookworm

 

The Sunshine Blogger Award

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It’s been an amazing spring in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve been graced with so much sun and warm weather. I love it! It makes this award even more fun to accept. Thank you to Beth @ Reading Every Night (Love that blog name!) for the nomination!

I have to admit, I’ve accepted this award a few times now. I just can’t help myself. Answering questions is so much fun! So bear with me as I accept again and nominate some newer to me bloggers!

The Award Rules:

  • Thank the person who nominated you!
  • Answer the 11 questions you were asked.
  • Nominate 11 other bloggers and let them know they were nominated.
  • Ask the nominees 11 questions

Answers to Beth’s Questions:

1.What book would you recommend to everyone, because it’s so amazing?

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2. If you could pick one book to read again as if for the first time what would it be?

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3. Favorite comfort food?

It’s a toss up between homemade macaroni and cheese or homemade chocolate chip cookies.

4. Favorite quote?

“Do Epic”

Kim Holden, Bright Side

5. Best and worst book-to-film adaptations you’ve seen?

Worst: Fifty Shades of Grey

Best: Game of Thrones

6. What’s your favorite book so far that you’ve read in 2016?

I have so many of them!!! It’s so unfair to pick one, but I will. My most recent is FREE on Wattpad.

7. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Honestly, I love living in western Washington. I love all the green, the bodies of water and the beautiful mountains. If I couldn’t live here, maybe a Hawaiian island or on the Oregon Coast.

8. What is your favorite thing to do with your spare time, other than reading?

I love hanging out with my friends and reminiscing about old times.

9. If you could go back in time and change one thing in your life, what would it be?

I would go back and join a gym with aerobics classes sooner after my daughter was born.

10. Has blogging been different to, or exactly as you pictured it being?

It definitely takes up more time than I expected, but that’s all on me. I need to be better at spreading out my posts and not reviewing EVERY book I read.

11. What has been the most positive thing that’s happened to you this week?

Well, it’s been a pretty boring week. The most positive thing was probably getting to spend some alone time with my husband while my daughter was at a sleepover.

I Nominate:

Camryn @ The Writing Crafter

Jacquie @ Rattle the Stars

Jennifer @ Wonderland Review

Kathy @ A View to a Book

Lauren @ The Laurenest

Megan @ PITCHBLACKSKY

Sheri @ Read in a Flash

What A Book Wants

thisbookthatbook

My Random Blog

Being A Book Nerd

My Questions for You:

  1. What inspired your blog name?
  2. If you had to create a superlative for your blog what would it be? The blog most likely to…
  3. Which book has inspired you the most?
  4. What book would you tell me to not bother reading?
  5. Are you writing your own book?
  6. Favorite book character?
  7. Who was the last book boyfriend or girlfriend you fell in love with?
  8. How many minutes/hours do you read a day?
  9. What’s your favorite snack while reading?
  10. What influences whether you read a book or not?
  11. Do you like to read out loud?

Thanks again for the nomination, Beth!

 

 

 

Sunshine Blogger Award

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It’s a miracle! The sun is out in the Pacific Northwest this week! It’s perfect time to accept The Orang-utan Librarian‘s nomination for The Sunshine Blogger Award. 🙂 Thank you!

I have to admit, I’ve accepted this award a few times now. I just can’t help myself. Answering questions is so much fun! So bear with me as I accept again and nominate some newer to me bloggers!

The Award Rules

  • Thank the person who nominated you!
  • Answer the 11 questions you were asked.
  • Nominate 11 other bloggers and let them know they were nominated.
  • Ask the nominees 11 questions

 

The Answers

1.If time travelling was an option, which historical figure would you most like to meet?

JFK? I honestly, don’t know so I’ll go with him.

2.And who would you like to meet if it wasn’t an option?

I would like to meet Hillary Clinton. Why? Well, my BFF is her biggest fan. I would have to take my BFF with me and give her the gift of meeting her.

3.When daydreaming about time travelling (c’mon we all do it!) do you worry about the butterfly effect?

I actually don’t have any desire to time travel. Maybe because I would worry about the butterfly effect.

4.What are your feelings about James Bond?

I don’t really have any. I’ve kind of watched some of the movies with my hubby, but not really. I think Sean Connery would be my favorite.

5.If you were a spy, what gadget would you most like to have?

Something to help me hear far away conversations.

6.Would you make a good international superspy or a bad one? Why?

Probably a bad one. I hate flying. That makes it hard to be international anything.

7.How often do you fly in dreams?

Never that I can remember.

6.If you could reinvent the world- what colour would you make the sky?

I kind of like it blue. I don’t think I would change it. Or maybe I would make it pinky orange like at sunset, but then sunset wouldn’t be special.

7.If you’d been born in the dark ages, do you reckon you’d have believed the earth was flat?

Probably. I tend to go with the flow.

8.On a scale of one to ten, how surreal do you feel like these questions are getting?

Um, well, I haven’t done a great job of answering them. Sorry. So, I’ll just give you a ten.

I’ve run out of questions- do ten star jumps!

Yeah, not happening. Lol.

 

My Questions:

  1. What’s the weirdest dream you’ve had?
  2. Who is the most annoying book character you’ve ever read?
  3. How do you feel about cheating in book romances?
  4. Do you believe in aliens?
  5. What’s the next book you’re going to read?
  6. What’s your favorite animal?
  7. What’s the one place in the world you wish you could visit?
  8. How do you feel about music from the 1980’s?
  9. Do people in Seattle use umbrellas?
  10. Who is your favorite book character?
  11. What’s your favorite movie of all time?

 

My Nominations:

This Book That Book

My Random Blog

Being A Book Nerd

Camryn @ The Writing Crafter

Jennifer @ Wonderland Review

Kathy @ A View to A Book

Sheri @ Read in a Flash

Jacquie @ Rattle the Stars

Lauren @ The Laurenest

Joyce @ bookshoardergal

Sam @ The Literary Sam

 

Blogger Recognition Award

BR_Award

I was nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award by Michelle, Books and Movie Addict. Thanks, Michelle! It always feel wonderful to be recognized!

The Rules

  1. Select 15 5 other blogs you want to give the award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blogs. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.
  2. Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and provide a link to their blog. List who you’ve nominated in the post.
  3. Make sure to also attach the award itself! (You can do this by right-clicking, saving, and uploading the image above).
  4. Comment on each blog and let them know you’ve nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created.
  5. Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and post if needed, and we can keep it from mutating and becoming confusing!

My Blogging Story

I started off my blog at anovelglimpse.wordpress.com almost a year ago. I was encouraged to start a blog by a bunch of friends who enjoyed the oral reviews and recommendations of books I gave them. I was excited to share my love of books with others. From the start, I made amazing blogger friends and began to enjoy the book blogging community. I just recently switched my blog over to anovelglimpse.com. It freaked the heck out of me since I did it a little impulsively.

My Advice

Be yourself. Have fun. Get involved. Don’t be scared to try new things or reach out to other bloggers. Oh, and have fun reading. Don’t let the need to post reviews, etc bog you down. Just go with the flow. 🙂

 

I Nominate:

Sorry, I’m only doing 5 nominees this time. 😉

Carrie @ Reading is My Superpower

Yvo @ It’s All About Books

Jennifer @ Wonderland Review

Lila @ The Bookkeeper’s Secrets

Jess @ Mud and Stars

The Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you to Lila @ The Bookkeeper’s Secrets and Cinderzena @ Cinderzenablogs for nominating me for The Versatile Blogger Award. It was very sweet of you!

The-Versatile-Blogger-Award.jpg Rules
1.Thank the person that nominated you and include a link to their blog.
2.Nominate at least 15 blogs of your choice.
3.Link your nominees and let them know of your nomination.
4.Share 7 facts about yourself!

 

 

Facts About Me

1.I’ve been 5’7-1/2″ tall since I was in the 5th grade. I was the tallest in my class until junior high when the boys grew.

2.I’ve reached the point in my life where more of my friends are getting divorced than getting married. It kind of sucks.

3.I just bought tickets to my high school reunion this summer, but I still haven’t decided whether I’m going or not.

4.I have one child. No, I’m not going to have anymore. It was on purpose. 🙂

5.I’ve been known to sing along to songs when I’m in the car by myself. I don’t care who might see me.

6.I used to have my belly button pierced. I miss it.

7.I may or may not have a butterfly tattoo. I refuse to confirm or deny.

 

Nominations

Claire @ Art and Soul

Giselle @ Utopian Boulevard

Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts

Raven @ Dreamy Addictions

Chelsea @ Books for Thought

Sarina @ Cookie Break

Kelly @ Kelly’s Rambles

Jamila @ Heartscent Reads

Maria @ Big City Bookworm

Amy @ Curiouser and Curiouser

Emma @ Emma the Book Lover

Yvo @ It’s All About Books

Michelle @ Chelles Life In Books

Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions

Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books

The Sunshine Blogger Award

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This is tag is a mean reminder that rain has been forecasted for the entire week in not-so-sunny Seattle. 🙁 It’s a bummer because we had three sunny, springlike days last week. I’m ready for more sun, less rain in my future. Anyways. Rain or shine, thank you to the lovely Arec @ Rainy Thursdays for nominating me for The Sunshine Blogger Award. So sweet of you!

 Rules for this award:

  • Answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
  • Nominate some wonderful bloggers and write 11 questions for them to answer.

 

Arec’s Questions:

1.Disney or Dreamworks?

Both! (I can do that, right?)

2.Do you consider yourself a feminist?

According to Wikipedia, “Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women.[1][2]This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women.” 

I totally support the rights and equality of women, so I must be a feminist. I’m not out there campaigning for women, though. So maybe I’m not really sure how to answer this question.

3.Book adaptation or movie adaptation?

Book. Well, as long as the book comes first. If it was written after the movie, then forget it.

4.Do you do anything else while you are reading?

Sometimes I have music going or I am eating lunch/dinner or I am watching TV or reading on the treadmill. Depends on the day.

5.How often do you write review for books you haven’t actually finished?

Never. Well, unless it’s a DNF and I feel the need to say why for other readers.

6.If you can have one thing in the world, regardless of price, etc. what would it be?

Ooo! This is a hard one. The first thing that came to mind was a body like Britney Spears back in the day. Lol. But I like chocolate and tacos.

7.What do you think about women who don’t want to have children?

I think it’s great that they know themselves well enough to know having children isn’t for them. Having kids is hard. You have to devote part of yourself and your life to someone else for at least 18 years. That’s a big commitment. If someone doesn’t want to make it, then they shouldn’t be judged. There are a lot of people out there (men and women both) who have kids and shouldn’t.

Now, I have to admit I feel a little sad for people who choose not to have kids. There are a lot of rewarding things about having kids. I can’t imagine life now without my daughter. I think they’re missing out a little, but at the same time, being a mother or father isn’t for everyone.

8.Do you have an special talents?

I can tap dance.

9.Name one time where you have been scared out of you mind.

One time when my husband was in the hospital and they weren’t sure what was wrong with him. (Hereditary high blood pressure)

10.Do you believe in soulmates?

I don’t know. Maybe? I like to think you meet the right person at the right time in your life. Like, if I would have met my husband at 18 instead of 23, I’m not sure it would have worked out for either of us. (I can say that because I actually knew of him when I was in my teenage years.) And even though I dated some crappy people in my late teens and early twenties, without them and the experiences we had, I wouldn’t have been who I was when I met my husband. I think he’s the perfect person for me. So in that way, I think he’s my soulmate. I like to think we complete each other.

11.What is the one thing you cannot leave your house without (no cellphones please!)

A jacket with a hood. You never know when it’s going to rain in the Pacific Northwest and true Washingtonians don’t do umbrellas.

My Questions:

  1. What was the last book that shocked you?
  2. Favorite boy band?
  3. What song are you playing on repeat lately?
  4. What book are most anxiously waiting for?
  5. What is your favorite kind of potato chip?
  6. Who is the first person you would call after meeting your favorite author?
  7. What was the last book you read that you absolutely loved?
  8. If you could have any job, what would it be?
  9. Who is your favorite TV character?
  10. What is the last book that made you laugh out loud?
  11. Do you believe in ghosts? UFOs? Aliens?

The Nominations:

If you’ve already been nominated or just don’t want to do it, feel free to ignore. 😉

Chelsea @ Books for Thought

Sarina @ Cookie Break

Kelly @ Kelly’s Rambles

Jamila @ Heartscent Reads

Maria @ Big City Bookworm

Lisa @ Remarkably Lisa

Caroline @ A Novel Romance

Melissa @ In A Bookish World

 

The Sunshine Blogger Award

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I was recently nominated for The Sunshine Blogger Award. Thank you Jessica @ Mud and Stars for the nomination! It was very sweet of her to think of me! If you haven’t checked out her blog, you should!

The Rules:

  1. Answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
  2. Nominate some wonderful bloggers.
  3. Write 11 questions for them.

 

Jessica’s questions for the me:

1.If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, which book would you choose?

It would have to be a choose your own adventure book because then I could read the same book with several different outcomes.

2.If you were stranded on a desert island, which 5 fictional characters would you most like to be stuck there with?

Kate & Gus from Bright Side because they’re super cool and they would help me stay positive. Kaz from Six of Crows because he would find a way off the island. And Kaz would need Inej and Nina to help, of course.

3.Which Hogwarts House are you in?

According to the Almighty Guru Harry Potter House Sorting Quiz, I am a Hufflepuff. 

 

 

4.Who is your least favorite main character of a book and why?

Nick from Gone Girl. I just didn’t like him. He was so sketchy.

5.What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?

There are ton. I hate admitting this. Most recently it was when I took my daughter to a birthday party. I didn’t know anyone and was making small talk with another parent I didn’t know. She was going on and on about her amicable divorce. I have never been divorced so I was comparing it to a friend’s amicable divorce. I ended up realizing at the end of the day that my friend’s old neighbors were also there and most likely heard everything I said. No big deal except they’re friends with my friend’s ex. At least I didn’t say anything bad — just more than I should have. Lesson learned.

6.What is the weirdest dream you have ever had?

When I was a kid I dreamt I was being chased by the Tootsie Pop owl. It was freakin’ scary! “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop…”

7.Which book do you wish you had written?

I would love to have been witty and creative enough to have written just about any book!

8.Have you ever met anyone famous, and how did you react? If not, who would you most like to meet and how you do think you would cope with it?

I went to school with Heather from the 80’s Christian music duo Heather and Kirsten. They had an album and also sang the national anthem at a ton of major sporting events. They even recently sang the national at a Seahawks game. Does that count?

http://www.seahawks.com/video/2015/09/29/ostrom-sisters-national-anthem

I also went to junior high with ex-NBA player Michael Dickerson (he was older and I didn’t know him). I also helped him with a bank transaction when in college when I was a teller. I also sat next to NBA player Brian Scalabrine in Speech class at Highline Community College (I actually talked to him and he said he was going to play bball at UCLA, but I didn’t realize he was really good). Those probably don’t count either.

Or how about one of the girl’s mom’s on my daughter’s soccer team is old friends with Kevin Federline’s wife? That’s just like knowing KFed and Britney, right? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

My sister’s husband’s co-worker’s daughter is Seahawks player Ricardo Lockette’s girlfriend. I was in a book group with the co-worker for a while. Yeah, that doesn’t count either.

I have seen a ton of famous people during fight weekends in Vegas (Mario Lopez, Eva Longoria, Mike Tyson, Ludacris, etc.) but I was never close enough to react to them.

So, yeah, I really got nothing.

Oh, wait! I did shake Al Gore’s hand at a book signing my BFF drug me to years ago and I have met Washington’s Governor, Jay Inslee. My BFF works for him so I said hi and stuff. I’m lame.

9.Which TV shows are you addicted to?

So You Think You Can Dance, The Blacklist, The Big Bang Theory, Scream Queens, The Voice, The Mindy Project

10.What were your first words?

No clue. Sorry. My mom didn’t write it in my baby book. I checked.

11.If you had another blog, what would you blog about?

Mommy stuff probably.

My nominees:

Kat @ Life and Other Disasters

Jesse @ Books at Dawn

Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts

Jordyn @ J.Bookish

Sky @ Bookish Night

Feel free to ignore the nomination if you’ve already done this and don’t want to or just plain old don’t want to. 😉

My questions for my nominees:

1.If you had to give each of the following people a book, what books would you give them: a child, your best friend, your mom and your significant other?

2.If you could be friends with someone famous who would it be and why?

3.Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?

4.What is the weirdest topic you’ve ever discussed at a holiday meal?

5.What is your favorite board game?

6.If you could co-author a book with someone who would it be and what would your story be about?

7.Name your favorite band and what book you would like them to create a soundtrack for.

8.Who is your favorite person to talk books with?

9.What was the last book someone recommended to you that you loved and what was it?

10.Do you review all of the books you read? Why or why not?

11.Would you ever rate a book on Goodreads before you read it? If so, why?

Have fun!