Get to Know Me Tag

First of all, I have to thank dear Chris @readbychris for tagging me to do this! It’s always nice to get to know people better, and these posts are fun to do. So, let’s start, shall we?

Name: Irena

Nicknames: I don’t have a nickname… Irena is not that common name so I guess there was no need for one. It really bothered me as a kid, but I’m fine with it now.

Birthday: April 24th

Star Sign: Taurus

Occupation: Currently, trying to pass my teacher’s exam. XD I’m an English and Croatian teacher.

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APPEARANCE:

Hair colour: It’s red now, but naturally I have that weird colour that’s not blonde or brown, but mostly grey. Mousy. XD

Hair length: About 10cm below my collarbones.

Eye colour: Grey-blue. Sometimes even a little bit green. It changes.

Best feature: Ummm… I’ll go with my eyes, I guess…

Braces: Oh, I had them for YEARS!

Piercings: None. I don’t even have my ears pierced. I pierced them when I was a child and there were some complications so now I’m scared of it and everything similar, such as tattoos! The holes are completely closed now.

Tattoos: I’d really like to have one! I think tattoos can be gorgeous. But, as I said earlier, I’m very scared of it. Maybe I’ll be brave enough someday… Now, I’d never get anything this huge, but I think this looks soooo lovely (link):

Right or left: Is this a political question? 😛 Yeah, bad joke, anyway I write with my right hand (if that’s what I’m supposed to answer).

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FIRSTS:

Holiday: I used to go on summer vacation every year with my parents, and I was very small on the first one so I don’t really remember it. XD We are lucky to live in a coastal town, and several beautiful islands are very close so it was easy to travel there and enjoy.

Best Friend: My brother was my first best friend. I was very sucky at making friends (and still am).

Award: Well, we had those “commendations” in primary school. Everyone who had As in all subjects got one at the end of the school year. Does this count? XD

Sport: I’m horrible at sports. Always have been. For a year I went to this kid’s club where we played all kinds of sports but I didn’t really like it so I gave up. In my defence, I’m doing yoga now. XD

Concert: I didn’t really go to concerts as a child. The only concert worth mentioning was the Iron Maiden concert, in 2008. It was so surprising that they came to our town (Split is not a really well-known location, if a band comes to Croatia, they usually hold the concert in the capital, Zagreb). Last summer they came back and it was as great as the first time. 😀

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FAVORITES:

TV shows: Unpopular opinion time: I don’t like to watch a lot of TV shows. Yeah, I’m weird. The thing is, they usually last too long and start to drag, and then I get disappointed… I do watch some, of course. My all-time favourite is Black Sails. Love that one to pieces! Nowadays I like Gotham. I liked Arrow but it’s not that good anymore. The one I really can’t wait to come back is Jessica Jones. 🙂

Colour: Black. I know it’s not really a colour, but I don’t care. 😉

Song: Anything by Emilie Autumn. She’s the best. Then: White Flag by The Romanovs, Pain Looks Good on You by London After Midnight, Sleepwalking by The Crüxshadows, The First by Pink Turns Blue and many others. Oh, and the entire Queen of the Damned soundtrack! So vampire-ish! 😀

Restaurant: I don’t think I have a favourite…

Shop: Any nice bookshop. 😉 I don’t have a favourite clothing shop, I usually hate most of the stuff in the stores. XD

Books: I usually name Frankenstein as my favourite, but really, there are so many great books…

Shoes: I feel the best in a pair of black boots.

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CURRENTLY:

Feeling: Eh… Fine. 😛

Single or Taken: Taken. My boyfriend is my best friend. ❤

Eating: Nothing. I’m thinking about going to the kitchen and having an apple. Actually, I’ll do it. Just wait for a moment, I’ll be back straight away….

Thinking About: Maybe I should’ve cut this apple in smaller pieces.

Watching: Nothing. I’m writing a post. XD

Wearing: Sweatpants and a shirt. Just regular “home” clothes. XD

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FUTURE:

Want Children: Not really…

Want to be married: I want to be with my boyfriend, marriage doesn’t mean much to me.

Careers in mind: I would love to do something in publishing, but that’s almost impossible here. I would also like to study more, get an phD.

Where you want to live: Travel everywhere, live… Well, I don’t know. There are several places, but sometimes I also want to stay here.

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DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

God: No…

Miracles: I believe in happy coincidences.

Love at first sight: No. You can’t love someone based on how that person looks, which is the only thing you know about them at first sight. Someone can draw your attention, and that can later turn into love, but only after you really get to know each other.

Ghosts: No. I will get scared if you tell me ghost stories, though. XD

Aliens: Yes. The universe is sooo big, I think there must be some other living beings out there.

Soul Mates: Depends how you define it… If you call someone you’re really close to your soul mate, that’s fine. I don’t believe in “predestined to find each other” kind of soul mates.

Heaven: No… I wish there was something after death, but I can’t make myself believe in it.

Hell: No.

Kissing on the first date: Well, it does exist, doesn’t it? XD

Yourself: Oh, I really wish I believed in myself more… I’m not a very confident person.

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And in the end, I tag these wonderful people (and everyone else who want to do the tag!)

Ignitedmoth

Ellen@alittlebooklife

Ellie@bloggingfordopamine

Jackie@toomuchofabooknerd

Swetlana@readingthroughthenights

Books and Hot Tea Got a Redesign

I wasn’t sure if this needed a post, but in the end I decided to do it. I’ve been trying to make my blog look better for a while now, but it never turned out the way I wanted it to. Now, I think I’m quite satisfied with it, though I’m not very good at this stuff. XD

First of all, I want to introduce you to Sheila the owl, my new mascot. 🙂

Sheila was a template I found on pixabay.com (a great place to find free stock photos!) and then I just adjusted her colours. Owls were always a symbol of wisdom (and bookishness – if that’s not a word it should be) so she is perfect for this job! Sheila will be featured in my memes, such as Captured Moments and Quote for Thought. I also created a banner for the Top 5 Wednesday posts since I’m planning to do these regularly (maybe not every Wednesday, but most).

I am also planning to introduce a new monthly meme called In First Person, which will be posted every 1st day of the month. In these posts I will talk about a theme that I found interesting that month, something new I discovered, and mostly about things that are not related to books, because sometimes I want to talk about some other things as well. Once a month will be enough for that I think. This is Books and Hot Tea after all. 😉

This means I will also be following a certain schedule:

• On Mondays I will post a Quote for Thought or a Captured Moments post – in case I go on a trip or somewhere interesting. Sometimes, a tag/award post will be posted on Moday instead of those memes – if there is one to do.
• Wednesdays are reserved for Top 5 Wednesday.
• On Thursday, Friday or Saturday I will post a piece of writing (Twittering Tales and more).
• In First Person will be an additional post.

So, this means posting three days a week. Well, at least for now… We’ll see how it works. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. Sometimes, I might skip a post or so.

I’m also using a new theme – Misty Lake. I’m very satisfied with this one!

And that’s it! Happy blogging, people! 🙂

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Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Villains #t5w

My second Top 5 Wednesday post and I’m already in love with them. Such simple and fun posts! This week, we were supposed to choose 5 favourite villains. It was recommended not to mention any Harry Potter characters, since everyone would use those, and I agree with this recommendation. It’s better to find out about some new characters and books. My choices for this Top 5 are a bit unconventional, since I realized most of the books I like don’t really have a villain. XD

Here are my top 5:

1. Rachel (My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier)

Rachel is such an intriguing character, and throughout the entire book you keep wondering what her actual plans and feelings are. And the most amazing part is that after the ending you’re not even sure if Rachel was a villain or not. I don’t want to reveal too much (though maybe I already have) but the ending is amazing! 🙂

2. Lord Ruler (The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson)

It’s interesting to see how Brandon Sanderson makes a character interesting without actually letting the character appear too much in the book. Even the identity of Lord Ruler is uncertain for quite a long time. And yet, he affects quite a few characters in the book, who start to question their own motives and decisions in comparison to what he did. They even start to ask themselves if Lord Ruler did the right thing after all.

3. Patrick Bateman (American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis)

I like it when the main character is a villain! There are some books in which you don’t realize this until the end of the book, and it comes as a surprise, and your mind is blown, and it’s amazing! XD (I won’t name the books because that would spoil them completely.) Anyway, American Psycho is not that kind of a book. Patrick is obviously insane. And though some parts can be hard to read, I think that the novel is magnificently written. Patrick’s attention to detail and his perception of the world were very interesting, despite the fact that his mind is not a nice place to dwell in.

4. Carmilla (Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu)

I like Carmilla more than Dracula. Sorry, not sorry. This classic vampire tale always reminds me why I love vampires so much. Carmilla is so mysterious and intriguing, you actually want to believe she’s not evil.

5. Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein by Mary Shelley)

Who is the villain – the monster or its maker? As someone said:

Hope you enjoyed this post! 🙂

P.S. I don’t actually do these posts in any particular order, it would probably make me crazy… XD So, these villains are all equally great to me, each in his/her own way.

 

Anonymous Bookaholics Tag #amreading

Hi, bloggers! Once again, I haven’t posted in a while… I’ve beeen quite busy. But, now, the lovely Nicole from Sorry, I’m Booked tagged me to do this fun tag, and I had to do it. Thanks, Nicole, so much 🙂 Let’s start!

My name is Irena and I’m a bookaholic. Here are my answers:

What Do You Like About New Books?

Everything! XD I like the excitement you get from getting a new book, especially if it’s a book you’ve been wanting to read for a while. And the smell! New books smell amazing. 😉

How Often Do You Buy New Books?

It depends. Now, when I have a job, I buy more than before, becuse I can. XD I’m actually not an impulse buyer, so I don’t often get carried away.

Bookstore Or Online Shopping — Which Do You Prefer?

I love browsing thrugh the books in a bookstore, but bookstores here suck. 😥 So, unfortunately, online shopping is the only way for me to get the books I want. Especially if I want to read them in English, not in translation. I don’t like reading translated books if I can read them in their original language.

Do You Have A Favorite Bookshop?

Well, as you can see in the previous answer, not really… There is only one bookstore that I like, but it’s not that great… When it comes to online shopping, I order books from Book Depository.

Do You Pre-Order Books?

Very rarely. Most of the books were already published when I read them. XD I guess people mostly pre-order books from series, because they can’t wait to see what happens next, but I don’t read many series, so this doesn’t really apply to me.

Do You Have A Monthly Book-Buying Limit?

Not really. XD

Book-Buying Bans, Are They Something For You?

As I said, I don’t really have a problem with over-buying. (Is that even a word?) I don’t like to pile up too many books, and having a huge TBR pile. So there’s no need for me to be on a book-buying ban.

How Big Is Your Wish List?

I have about 200 books on my Goodreads TBR, but I’m sure there’s even more on my mind. XD

Which Three Books From Your Wish List Do You Wish You Owned Right Now?

Just three? This is hard… XD
Let’s say: Fudoki by Kij Johnson, Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess, and The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell (though it’s the first in a series, so I’d have to get the others, too. ;)).

In the end, I have to tag a few people. So, if you want to do it, I’d be happy to hear your answers: Jeanyjanez, Misty, That Weird Brown Girl , Genie Reads

Sunshine Blogger Award

I was nominated by the wonderful Misty from mistysbookspace for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Thank you so so much! I just want to say that I won’t be tagging anyone this time, since I’ve done an award post recently, but I really wanted to answer Misty’s quesstions, so here it is. 🙂 If someone wants to do the award, just say it and consider yourself nominated! The rules are as follows:

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

Now, let’s get to the questions!

1. What is your dream vacation location?

Oh, I love to travel, so anywhere I have never been before is great for me. Lately, I’ve really been wanting to visit Iceland. It seems so perfect!

2. When would you say you became a reader?

I think I’ve always been a reader. My parents read to me when I was a child and it all kind of started from that.

3. What was the last book series you completed?

The Mistborn series, by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been getting into fantasy again this summer. I think summer is the perfect time to read those long books and series you’re a bit afraid to start when you know you won’t have as much time to read as you would want.

4. What advice would you give to newcomers to the blogging world?

I’m not sure I’m the right person to give advices to other bloggers… I’m not even sure what I’m doing here. XD I guess the most important thing is not to consider your blog as something you have to do. It’s supposed to be fun, and to makke you happy. Not stressed. So if you need a break – take a break. It’s not the same as giving up. You’ll always be welcome back. 😉

5. Do you have any unique talents? If so what are they?

You mean, besides being the most quiet and awkward person in the room? XD I’m not sure…

6. What character do you wish was a real person in your life?

Any vampire from the Vampire Chronicles. So that they can make me a vampire, too, and I could live forever. I need someone willing to do that, of course, or I could end up dead. So I’ll have to think a bit more carefully about this… Any suggestions? 😛

7. Aside from reading what are some of your other passions?

Lately, Instagram… XD But, seriously, I love to write. Just about anything, as you can see from my blog, as well as working on some longer works of fiction. Also, I’ve recently discovered I like doing yoga. I’m still a complete beginner, but I’m getting better. XD

8. What is your favorite genre?

I think I love the classics most, though I refuse to consider classics a genre (they belong to different genres). Maybe Gothic fiction, in all of it’s shapes and forms.

9. Who is your favorite author?

Just one? :O Mary Shelley, probably.

10. What is your least favorite genre?

I like to read different genres… I think anything can be done great. But I don’t really read  contemporary romances… As I said in an earlier post I don’t mind romance as a part of the book, but if it’s all the book is about, I probably won’t pick it up.

11. What fictional world do you wish you could be a part of?

Most books that take place in a fictional world have a pretty dangerous setting. That makes them interesting to read, but not so good to live in. XD So, I’ll have to go with the expected answer and say the magical world of Harry Potter. I’d definitely go to Hogwarts! 🙂

Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you so much Dear Kitty for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award! It really made me happy. 🙂

Befora I start, I just want to say that I’m sorry for being so inactive lately… I really like this blog and the lackk of time for it bothers me, but I’ve been quite busy and now I’ve even gotten sick. Anyway, the blog is still alive, and I will try to find more time for it. 😉 Now let me get back to this lovely award nomination!

The rules for the award are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Share the award on your blog
3. Share seven random facts about yourself
4. Tag 10 bloggers with less than 1000 followers and let them know they have been nominated

It’s really hard to talk about yourself, isn’t it? XD Anyway, here are some random faccts about me:

1. My favourite season is Autumn. So, yes, it’s my time of the year right now! 😉
2. I really, really, really want a pet. Once I get my own place, I’ll definitely get one. Life without animals is just so boring… 🐶 🐱
3. I’m currently writing two novels.  Sometimes I’m inspired for one, and sometimes for the other, it’s quite crazy… My brain refuses to be organised when it comes to writing, though I’m actually quite organised when it comes to other things.
4. I’m currently working as an apprentice teacher of Croatian language. In Croatia, we have a one year apprenticeship, then an exam, and only after that we become “real” teachers.
5. I’m a Slytherin. – On every quiz ever. I took the Pottermore quiz twice and both times I got the same. I thought I would be a Hufflepuff, honestly. But now I’m kind of proud of being a Slytherin. 😉
6. I have a poster of John William Waterhouse’s “The Lady of Shalott” in my room. I love the painting and the poem.
7. I love to travel, and I collect postcards. Some I bought myself, on my travels, and some I got from my friends or family. 

Well, I hope thore were at least slightly interesting… I’m not sure who accepts awards and who doesn’t so, of course don’t feel like you need to do the post. Anyway, the people I tag are: Nicole,  Misty,  sinisterdarksoul,  Miguel Olmedo Morell,  Miracle,  Julia,  llady literary,  Anita, Katha,  bookwormhay,  WovenEclipse