Twittering Tales challenge is hosted by Kat Myrman. The goal is to write a twitter-length story, in 140 characters or less. You can see the challenge HERE.
Sadly, I missed last week’s challenge, though I really writing these stories… But I’m back for this week, and here’s my take:
She was supposed to be his Love, his Muse, his Art.
But she left. Objectification hurt.
Maybe ’twas the same mistake Petrarch made with Laura.
(140 characters)
Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.
This week’s title is quite self-explanatory. We all have those authors that we really, really want to read more from. So, let’s start with the list! These are listed in no particular order:
1. Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett is an amazing author, and a very productive one. His books are fun and clever, they make you laugh, but they also make you appreciate Pratchett’s wit. Some also carry messages that I find very true and important. I love his books, and, luckily for me, there are many more for me to read. 🙂
2. Margaret Atwood
The only Margaret Atwood book I’ve read is The Handmaid’s Tale. I know, that’s horrible and needs to be rectified! I recently bought a copy of Penelopiad, and I can’t wait to read it! The Odyssey from Penelope’s point of view? This has to be amazing!
3. Daphne du Maurier
I’ve read four of her books, and loved all of them. Du Maurier creates such an amazing atmosphere, and manages to be both descriptive and exciting. That’s something I can’t help but admire.
4. Edith Wharton
I loved The Agnocence and The House of Mirth. Of course I want to read more!
5. Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak’s Honour is one of my favourite books ever. Her writing is just beautiful, and she portrays the characters and their feelings very vividly, making them seem real. The themes of Honour are not happy ones. It speaks about immigration, the clash of cultures, and honour murders. I think this is an important read, which manages to present different points of view without any kind of judgement. I absolutey want to see what else this amazing author has written!
All of the photos are from Goodreads.
First of all, thanks to Anna@mybookishdream for tagging me to do this. It was really fun! 🙂 Anna has an amazing blog, I truly recommend you all to check it out!
I know I wasn’t as active lately, but I just had so many things to do… I also adopted two chinchillas a few days ago and they have to adapt so I’ve been very focused on them. I don’t want the introduction to be too long, but I’ll explain a bit more at the end of the post, if anyone’s interested.* So, let’s get to my answers:
Well, it really depends, there are all kinds of summaries. I don’t think they give up too much information, but sometimes they can be misleading, which I find annoying. There are also some books with no information about the story whatsoever, and that’s really horrible. How am I supposed to know if I want the book or not? XD Solution: Google. But it’s still annoying. Why not put at least a teeny-tiny description?
2. New book: What form do you want it in? Be honest: Audiobook, E-Book, Paperback, or Hardcover?
A nice paperback. I prefer paperbacks to hardcovers, but I don’t like the really small ones, with tiny letters. I have nothing against e-books, but if I really like a book I want to have a physical copy. And audiobooks are just not for me, sadly. I cannot concentrate on them at all, my mind just wanders off. Physical copies are just the best. 🙂
3. Scribble while you read? Do you like to write in your books, taking notes, making comments, or do you keep your books clean clean clean?
I do sometimes underline a quote I like, but that’s mostly it. Lately, I decided to start writing down my thoughts on Goodreads, so we’ll see how that goes.
4. Does it matter to you whether the author is male or female when you’re deciding on a book? What if you’re unsure of the author’s gender?
I don’t care about the gender of the author. Why would I? And wouldn’t that be a bit sexist? I read the books I think I would enjoy, that’s the only criteria.
Oooo, reading the last page… I used to do that a lot when I was a kid, though it’s not really a logical thing to do. XD Sometimes I would get nervous something would not go the way I wanted it to, so I’d read the last page in hopes it will console me. I’m sure you know thet feeling. When you read something and it makes you anxious…
Organised bookshelves. I’m running out of space so they’re not as organised as I would like them to be. The way I arrange my books may seem random, but it makes sense in my mind.
7. Have you ever bought a book based on the cover (alone)?
I haven’t. I can be drawn by the cover, but I would never buy a book without checking what it’s about. I’m not that rich. XD
8. Take it outside to read, or stay in?
Stay in, definitely. I rarely read outside. I like to spend time in nature, but I’m not the kind of person who takes a book, sits on a bench, and reads. I like to be at home, preferably in bed.
And that’s it! I will tag some people, but of course, don’t feel obligated to do the tag. 😉
* My country, Croatia, recently passed a law that forbids farming animals for fur (finally!) Little, fluffy chinchillas are safe now. A local animal righs group is now trying to find people to adopt the chinchillas. Sadly, only one farmer actually gave his chinchillas for adoption. 😦 I hope others will follow. Anyway, I adopted two girls – Kira (Valkira = Valkyrie in Croatian) and Seffi (Persephone). They are beyond adorable, but still very scared, poor babies…
Twittering Tales challenge is hosted by Kat Myrman. The goal is to write a twitter-length story, in 140 characters or less. You can see the challenge HERE.
Here’s my take on this week’s prompt image:
With a new lead singer, our popularity peaked. Critics praised us, concerts were sold out.
But was fame worth leaving a part of us behind?
(137 characters)
I wasn’t sure what to do with this topic… I like to play video games, but most of the books I read are not very action packed. And, yes, not all video games are action games, but it was still hard to find the books that would fit this topic. Here’s what I came up with:
1. Tales of the Ketty Jay series by Chris Wooding
This was the first series that came to mind. It would be a fun adventure, and yes, there would be lots of different action missions. It would be amazing to step into the role of an airship pirate!
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Several Neil Gaiman books would be really fun as video games, but, in my humble opinion, this is the most game-like one. The world of London Below hides a lot of traps, and you also have to escape the creepy thugs Croup and Vandemar… A lot is going on in this book!
3. Vicious by V. E. Schwab
Victor and Eli have superpowers, and that is a great start for a game. I also think it would be interesting to be able to choose to play either as Victor or as Eli. The game could add a bit more of what they did in the meantime – especially with Eli hunting all the people with powers – before the final conflict between the two.
4. Alice by Christina Henry
This would be a great horror game, with a lot of puzzles and dialogue. Not for kids at all, though. XD This retelling of Alice in Wonderland is very creepy and violent, but I think it would look great as a game.
5. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Yes, I know Harry Potter games already exist, but I would like a game where you create your own character, and go to Hogwarts. It would be so amazing, like a combination of Pottermore and The Sims, I don’t know… XD But if we can’t go to Hogwarts we can at least play a game where we do. 😉
So, would you want to play these games?
Twittering Tales challenge is hosted by Kat Myrman. The goal is to write a twitter-length story, in 140 characters or less. You can see the challenge HERE.
Here’s my tale:
The pirate ship shrieked.
Governor’s men could taste their victory.
They were unaware that she, pirates’ secret ally, was waiting for her cue.
(140 characters)
I know, those don’t really look like pirate ships, but I recently finished watching Black Sails, the final season. This is my tribute to the best show ever!
Also, pirates are the best. I should write about them more often. XD
Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Samatha at Thoughts on Tomes. The guidelines and topics can be found on the Goodreads group.
This week’s topic are fantasy and science fiction books, but the ones you haven’t read yet, but want to read SOON! There are much more than five SFF books I really want to read, but here are the six books that first came to mind so I guess I want to read them most. Yes, I said six. Five is not enough this time. 😉
1. Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
I ordered this book recently and I can’t wait for it to arrive! I loved the first book in the series, A Natural History of Dragons, which you probably know since I’ve talked about it a lot. Lady Trent is a dragon naturalist, and that is basically my dream job. I have to read this, soon! Actually, I have to read all of these books. The last one comes out in a month or so. 🙂
2. Royal Assasin by Robin Hobb
I’ve recently read the first book in the Farseer Trilogy, Assasin’s Apprentice and I can’t wait to continue with the series. I really like the main character, Fitz, the world, and I want to learn more about the Fool!
3. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
I’ve heard great things about this book. It’s supposed to be a very character driven science fiction/ space opera with aliens – which sounds amazing. My boyfriend actually bought a copy recently, so I’ll borrow it from him. Soon, of course. 😉
4. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland
I don’t know much about this book, but it is set in the Middle Ages and has some magical elements, so it’s a combination of historical fiction and fantasy. I’m a bit obsessed with the Middle Ages, so this is a must-read for me.
5. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
This is the first book in Bernard Cornwell’s series about King Arthur, and as a huge fan of Arthurian legends I need to read it! Also, I kind of want these covers… They are so pretty. (Yes, you shouldn’t judge the book by the cover, but just look at them!)
6. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
This is an epic fantasy book, also a first in the series which is often classified as dark fantasy. It’s supposed to be very, very violent and gritty, and that kind of draws me to it… I’m probably crazy. XD But I think dark and violent books can be great if done well. That’s why I can’t help being intrigued by this one.
Have you read any of these? Did you like them?
In First Person is a monthly meme here on Books and Hot Tea. Every first of the month I talk about a certain lifestyle topic I’m passionate about. Feel free to leave comments and chat with me!
It’s the first of April, the month I was born. 🙂 Birthdays used to be fun but they’re not that fun anymore. Guess I’m getting old. XD Another proof that I’m getting old is that I started to take care about what I eat. One of the biggest changes in my diet was to cut back on sugar.
I used to eat too much sugar, a day wouldn’t go by without at least a chocolate. To be honest, I don’t believe in any of the diets I see around, I think you should eat home cooked food whenever you can, and everything in ballance. That’s it. Sugar, however, is definitely bad for you if you eat as much as I did. This lead to the decision that I would try to make my own sweet bites. That way I’ll know exactly what goes in them, I’ll cut back on sugar, and I’ll still be able to eat sweets. Life is just meaningless without them, isn’t it? 😉
The first cookie recipe I developed was this one. Oat cookies are great to eat with your tea, so this is a nice continuation of my previous In First Person post. I love Grancereale oat cookies, so I looked at the ingredients list and started experimenting. My cookies taste quite similar, but are softer, which I actually prefer. Here’ how they look like:
Here’s what you need (for about 15 cookies):
* Yes, this is hard to measure. I usually take one big, overflowing spoon of honey. XD
** I’m from the Mediterranen, I must use olive oil. In everything. XD You can replace it with something else, but olive oil is good for you, so… 😉
And here’s how you make them:
1. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
2. Put chia seeds and 2 tbsp water in a little bowl or plate to make chia egg. It will turn into a “paste” soon. Feel free to add a little bit more of water if that’s necessary for all the seeds to get wet.
3. Mix almond flour, oats and baking soda in a big bowl. I use hands for this recipe. They will get sticky, but it’s the best way.
4. Put wet ingredients in the bowl and mix. Do it slowly, little by little. They have to spread evenly. I usually put chia egg first, then milk, then honey and a drop of olive oil in the end. I try to spread it as I put the ingredients in, for example, this is how I put honey:
5. Now you have a sticky dough!
6. Put baking paper on a baking dish and form cookies. Make small balls in your hands and then press them. They won’t grow much so you don’t need to leave too much space between them.
7. Bake the cookies on 140°C for about 20 minutes. Look at the lovely result! (I got 16 cookies this time.)
8. Store them in your cupboard and enjoy!
I really hope you’ll like them! These cookies are vegetarian, but can easily be made vegan if you replace honey. They are dairy and egg free. Also, white sugar free, of course – the only sweetener used is honey. (Feel free to add more, if you want them even sweeter, it won’t change the outcome.)
You can play with the cookies, if you want to. I once made them with cacao powder, but you can use other tastes you like, for example vanilla extract or coconut flakes (in this case it might be nice to replace olive oil with coconut oil). You can do anything with them! If you decide to experiment, please, tell me how you made them! 🙂
BOOKS AND HOT TEA 