Unique Blogger Award

I have a quick, fun little post for you today! The lovely Ellie @bloggingfordopamine nominated me for the Unique Blogger Award, and asked some interesting questions. Now, it’s time for me to answer.

First, the rules:

• Share the link of the blogger who has shown love to you by nominating you.
• Answer the questions.
• In the spirit of sharing love and solidarity with our blogging family, nominate 8-13 people for the same award.
• Ask them 3 questions.

And here are my answers:

1. I have so many books I’m looking forward to reading this year. What’s your most anticipated 2018 read?

It is (or actually was) Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, which is now my current read. And it’s great so far, I’ll definitely write a post about it soon. Another book I really want to read is The Sagas of the Icelanders, a collection of old Icelandic tales and sagas. It’s a huge book, but I’m sure it will be worth my time.

2. When I was younger, I was obsessed with Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and now that I’m older, I have even more admiration for her character. Are there any childhood favourite characters that you appreciate even more now that you’re older?

I can’t really think of one specific character for this question, but the characters from Winnie-the -Pooh as a whole really mean a lot to me. I loved then as a child, and when I reread the book I realized just how wonderful they are. They are all flawed – Piglet is always anxious, Eeyore is depressed, Pooh doesn’t understand what’s going on most of the time… But they are all supportive of each other, and accept their friends the way they are. For example, they try to mae Eeyore happy on his birthday, but they don’t expect him to change and instantly stop being sad. And they say the sweetest, most innocent things. Oh, I just love how pure those books are.

3. My blog has changed so much since I started it. What was the topic of the first ever blog post you wrote?

My first post as a silly “introduction”. Not really interesting. XD And the first real one was about my favourite books of all time. I guess I could do a new one, since there are some books that should definitely be added to the list.

Now, here are the questions I came up with:

1. A monster breaks into your home! (Gasp!) But it’s not a very dangerous one, don’t worry. It’s just lost, poor thing. It can easily be scared, and then it will go into the wild and live happily ever after. But you need to scare it. The only thing that comes to mind is to throw a book at it, because you’re standing next to your shelves. You obviously don’t want to throw and possibly destroy a book you love, so you grab a book you don’t like and you don’t even know why you still have it. What book do you choose?

2. You’re walking down the street, minding your own business, and you find a magical lamp. (You now it’s magical because it sparkles. Or something.) And what do you do – you rub the lamp of course. You know how these things work! And, yes, a genie comes out and says he’ll give you any superpower you want.
“But, I thought I was supposed to get three wishes!” you say.
“I’m the genie, I know how this works! You get a superpower!”
You shrug and accept the offer. A superpower is still great. Which superpower do you choose?

3. I’ll keep this one shorter, I promise. XD Now, you have superpowers, but you still need help because you’re new at the whole supernatural thing. Which character (from a book or tv show) would you choose to be your partner and best friend?

Now I will nominate some people, but if anyone wants to answer these questions, feel free to do it. I’m interested to hear your answers. 🙂

Anna @mybookishdream

Chelsea @spotlightonstories

Lola @lolaetlavie

Sarah @dragonsandzombies

Jewel @foxynerdyrebelle

Naty @natysbookshelf

Luna @bookishluna

Izzy @thinkingandinking

Maniacal Book Unicorn @maniacalbookunicorn

---

Find me on:
Goodreads
Instagram

The Fall for Books Tag

Soooo, Autumn is almost over, and I still haven’t posted this tag. I haven’t posted anything lately, actually… I won’t go into details, but, you know, life happened, and I just needed some time away. Another reason is that, even though I really want to go back to writing this blog, I’m just not feeling very inspired at the moment. I want to make this blog better, but I’m not sure how, so I just stopped writing. Anyway, let’s do this fun tag and hope for the best, shall we?

Thank you dear Rachel @paceamorelibri  for tagging me, and I’m sorry it took this long. :*

THE RULES

• Please link back to this post so I can see your answers!
• Have fun!

One of the first books you fell in love with:

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. That’s the first book I remember falling in love with. The characters were plush toys which talked, and I was obsessed with plush toys (I still am, to be honest). What child doesn’t want their plush toys to come alive? My favourite was Eeyore. Sad little donkey stole my heart forever.

A book you knew you were going to love from the first page

There are a few, but the last book I fell in love with from the very beginning was Bodies of Water by Sarah Moss. This book deals with many important topics, mostly the position of women in Victorian England, but it’s also very subtle. It is full of details, emotions and thoughts of the main charater(s). This is the first Sarah Moss book that I’ve read, but I will definitely read more.

A book you didn’t think you would love as much as you do

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. I’ve read it for college, and I expected it to be good, but I didn’t expect it to become one of my favourite books ever. It’s so sad, but the author also makes some jokes which was unexpected. I just loved everything about this book! P.S. The Disney film is different, of course, and much happier, but it’s still the darkest Disney film. And I think it’s really underestimated!Just listen to the villain, Frodo, singing Hellfire. It’s terrifying and amazing!

The character who will always have a place in your heart

Well, I already mentioned Eeyore. XD So for this question I’ll say Sorcha from Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, because she’s the first who came to mind. I loved her. And, also, some Harry Potter characters, of course.

Character you love on the page, but would never want to meet in real life

I usually really like flawed characters, though I’d probably not like them in real life. Now, my favourite character from comics EVER is Poison Ivy. I just adore her! But, in real life, she’d probably be very terrifying. That’s why I love her. 😉

Literary couple you will ship until the day you die

Lestat and Louis from The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. I mean, who doesn’t ship them, right?

An author whose writing style you fell in love with

Daphne du Maurier, definitely. She is able to draw me into the story and create a wonderful atmosphere. I just wish I could write like that, create something that would truly make the readers feel what the character is feeling, and experience the world of the novel.

A book recommended to you by a friend/family member that you quickly fell for too

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini was recommended to me by a friend, and I loved it. It was so heart-wrenching and wonderful. The author actually dedicated it to Afghan women, who suffered so much throughout history, and are still suffering. He tells the story of two women, and I just can’t say who I liked more.

Piece of book-related merchandise that you had to own

I actually own more comics merchandise than book merchandise. I have two Spider-man and two Deadpool T-shirts, and this Spider-man mug. I also have a tiny Kafka mug, which is for decoration, not to drink from.

An author whose works you love so much that you auto-buy/borrow their new releases

I really can’t think of one… Most of my favourite authors are dead. XD But I assume Sarah Moss might become one of those. Han Kang, too.

And that’s it! I’ll tag a few people now, and I hope you’ll have fun with the tag (bot no pressure to do it if you don’t want to). 🙂

Anna @mybookishdream

Beatriz @booksnreviewsohmy

Amanda @acourtofbooksandlove

@bookowly

Lana @lifeinwordsandlyrics

Julie @juliedavide

---

Find me on:

Goodreads

Instagram

Totally Should’ve Book Tag

Hello, people! I was tagged to do this fun tag by the lovely Anna @MyBookishDream – thank you so much! Here are my answers:

1. Totally Should’ve Gotten A Sequel

I don’t think I have an answer for this one… I prefer stand-alone books, so I don’t think any of the books I like would’ve benefited from a sequel. Maaaybe it would be nice to have another book by Ellen Evert Hopman in her trilogy about the Celts. Each book has it’s own story, especially the last one, so it wouldn’t ruin anything, and I would like to read more about that period in history.

2. Totally Should’ve Gotten A Spin-Off Series

I’ll have to agree with Anna on this one, some Harry Potter spin-offs would be great! The Founders Era sounds particularly interesting. But, not to repeat the same answer, I would love to read a spin-off about Natalie Oscott from The Memoris of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. I loved her, and I think her story would be very interesting since she’s a female inventor in a Victorian-like world.

3. An Author Who Should Write More Books

Honesty, most of my favourite authors are dead. XD I’ll have to go with Elen Evert Hopman again. She did write quite a lot of non-fiction, but I’d really like to read more fiction from her. Her books are mostly historical fiction, but they feel so magical.

4. A Character Who Totally Should’ve Ended Up With Someone Else

These questions are obviously very hard for me. XD I’m not a big “shipper” so I don’t really know… I don’t really have a couple I hate.

5. Totally Should’ve Had A Movie Franchise

I don’t really like books being turned into movies… Oh, my, I sound like a real hater in in this post! XD But, yeah, I prefer books to stay books, and movies to come up with original plots. If I had to pick, I’d definitely say The Vampire Chronicles. Yes, it’s been done before, but I’m ready for a new one. Apparently, a tv show is in the making and I really hope it will be great.

6. Totally Should’ve Kept The Original Covers

I literally have no answer for this one… Soooo, can I turn it around? The old cover I saw for The Daughter of the Forest was pretty, but the new one blew me away with its simplicitly. I think it’s prettier that the original one. Unfortunatelly, I think the other two books in the series haven’t been published with new covers yet…

7. Totally Should’ve Stopped At Book One

I think The Vampire Chonicles should’ve stopped after book three. Maybe the books about Armand and Marius could stay, as spin-offs, but I think the first three were perfect and the rest was just too much. Tale of the Body Thief wasn’t that bad, but I didn’t like Memnoch the Devil at all. I’ve recently read Prince Lestat, and I enjoyed it at first, and was happy to meet the characters again, but in the end I though it was meh…

And, that’s it! I won’t be tagging anyone this time, but I hope some of you will do this tag! 😉

OMG This Song Book Tag

I wasn’t actually tagged to do this, but I saw it on @acourtofbookandlove and I realised I really wanted to do it. The tag combines books and music, and it’s always nice to talk about other things you like, apart from books. So, here it goes:

1. My Jam

A song you MUST listen to every time it comes on, no matter how old or how many times you’ve listened to it.
+
A book you’ll never get sick of.

My songs rarely come on. XD But sometimes, Youtube suggests something I’ve listened to many times before, and if that video is Deception by The Cruxshadows I always click on it. Or if it’s Sleepwalking. Oh, I love this song! Well, I love The Cruxshadows in general, so when I see them in recommended videos, I just click. XD

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley if my favourite book, so, of course, I’ll have to choose that one. How could I ever get sick of it if I adore it?

2. Throwback

A song that reminds you of the cringiest time of your life.
+  
A book that also reminds you of this time (or just something you wouldn’t like as much if you picked it up for the first time now).

Oh, my “emo” phase in high school… I have nothing against emos, definitely not, but I was really silly in that period of my life, and not really emo. I was always a goodie-two-shoes, and that’s fine, but I stressed about stupid things and people who didn’t really deserve it. Anyway, my emo side reached its bottom with Lover I Don’t Have to Love by Bright Eyes, and I don’t even know why I felt such a connection to that song since it was far away from everything I actually was. (I never even drank and the song is about drugs and sex.) So, to my teenage readers: your problems are going to pass, just as this cringy phase of my life. Trust me and don’t lose hope! People who make you hate yourself will be forgotten.

The book perfect for this question is Twilight. I was almost as pathetic as Bella, so I sympathised with her. I really should’ve read about someone stronger than her, but hey, then I wouldn’t be able to feel so sorry about myself all the time. XD

3. Replay

A recent song you have on repeat right now
+ 
A recent favorite book

I don’t listen to many “recent” songs, but Korn released a new single Black is the Soul this summer and I really like it. When I first heard of this song I spent the day repeating the video on Youtube many times in a row.

My recent favourite book is Bright Air Black by David Vann. Such a great book! I actually wrote a post about it while I was still reading it.

4.  Gets Me

The song IS ME
+
The book is me in book form

I don’t know exactly why, but White Flag by The Romanovs is really “my song”. There’s just something very mysterious and poetic about it. It even gave me inspiration to write. It’s probably my favourite song ever.

I already mentioned that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is my favourite book. It just has everything I like. And yet, I feel like (the first three books of) Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice might be me in book form. It started my love for vampires, and my enthusiasm for everything creepy and Gothic. Maybe I wouldn’t have liked Frankenstein as much if I haven’t had my vampire phase before reading it. (It wasn’t a phase, though. I’ll always love vampires.)

5. Wut

Weird but I like it?
+
A unique book that stuck out to you for whatever reason

Anything by Emilie Autumn is a bit weird, and she’s my favourite musician so I have to mention her. If I had to go for just one weird song by her, I’d chose Time for Tea. It’s very murderous. 😉

When it comes to books, I really like medieval sagas, which may be strange to some people. My favourite is The Song of the Nibelungs. Together with Norse sagas and mythology, this book inspired Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Brunhilde by Arthur Rackham

6. Let’s Go

Best pump up song (for workouts or just life)
+
A book that inspired you

I don’t really work out. I do yoga almost every day, but I do that in silence, and I rarely feel full of energy (low blood pressure and iron deficiency does that to a person XD) but I’d say Queen really picks me up. Show Must go On, I Want to Break Free, Bohemian Rhapsody… All of them!

So many book have inspired me… It’s so hard to chose one. Daphne du Murier is definitely a great writer and I wish I could write as she does, so I’ll choose Rebecca for this question.

7. Chill

Fav chill, relaxing song
+
A book you’d curl up with and read on a rainy day

I don’t really listen to relaxing music. I’m all gloom and doom. XD The Romanovs are the closest to that, I guess, but they are also quite dark when it comes to lyrics. But sad can be relaxing, too, I guess? So, I’ll say Sad Theme For a Marriage by Lacrimas Profundere. Christopher’s voice is so deep and wonderful, it’s really relaxing.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë sounds perfect for a rainy day!

Illustrations by Claire Leighton

8. Addicting

Guilty pleasure song – one that’s catchy and addicting but not a whole lot of substance
+
Guilty pleasure/trashy/fast/light read

For a strange reason, I really like Mika. He’s so happy, and I never listen to happy songs, but he’s the exception to the rule. So I have to choose Grace Kelly by Mika as my guilty pleasure song, though I think his songs do have substance.

I rarely read light, fast books. They kind of annoy me. XD But I’d say Soulless by Gail Carriger falls into this category. It’s witty, but also quite silly…

9. Nostalgia

Throwback you look back on fondly
+
A book you read forever ago that you look back on fondly or reminds you of a happy childhood time

Anything by Evanescence, if I had to choose one song it would be Bring Me to Life since it’s the first song I’ve heard by them. Besides Marilyn Manson and Korn, Evanescence opened the door for me to all the music I listen to now. And while I still listen to Manson and Korn, I don’t listen to Evanescence as often, so it really feels nostalgic when I do.

And when it comes to childhood books, I’ll actually have to go with a graphic novel. W.I.T.C.H. was everything to me when I was about thirteen. I loved it so much!

And that’s it! Hope this was fun for you as it was for me. 🙂

What kind of music do you listen to? Who are your favourites bands and artists? Feel free to share, or you can do this tag if you think it would be fun for you. 🙂

---

Goodreads

Instagram

This or That Book Tag

Lovely Chelsea @spotlightonstories tagged me to do this fun tag – thank you so much! ❤ You can read her post HERE. Now, let’s begin!

Rules:

• Mention the creator of the tag (Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks)
• Thank the blogger who tagged you.
• Choose one of the options, you don’t have to tell the reasons why you chose that but you can also do them if you want to.
• Tag other people to do this tag to spread the love!

This or That?

Reading on the couch or on the bed?
On the bed. I usually read on my bed, in my room. It’s peaceful and cozy. 🙂

Male main character or female main character?

I don’t really care, as long as the character is interesting. Both work fine for me.

Sweet snacks or salty snacks?
Definitely sweet snacks! Cookies are my favourite kind of snack.

Trilogies or quartets?
To be completely honest – stand alones! When it comes to series, I don’t have a preference, but I’ve never liked a series with too many books so far. It usually gets repetitive, with unnecessary twists.

First person POV or third POV?
Again, I have to say I like both. It really depends on the writing style.

Reading at night or in the morning?
I mostly read at night, before going to bed. However, any time of the day is great if I have the time. 🙂

Libraries or bookstores?
I have a big problem with both here, in Croatia. OK, maybe the capital of the country, Zagreb, has better bookstores and libraries, but here in Split they are pretty horrible. Especially since I don’t like reading the Croatian translations of books that are originally written in English. But in an ideal world, I still wouldn’t be able to choose… I’d love both!

Books that make you laugh or books that make you cry?
Books that make me cry. Definitely. Yeah, I’m not a very fun person… XD

Black book covers or white covers?
Black everything! 😉

Character driven or plot driven?
Character driven. If characters are flat and boring, I won’t enjoy the book and not even the most interesting plot would save it. Also, I don’t like very fast paced books. In my opinion, those books lack depth, and I really want to feel something while I’m reading.

I guess that’s it! If anyone wants to do the tag, just say so, because I really don’t know who to tag. I feel like I’ve been tagging the same people all the time…

Mid-Year Bookish Freak Out!

I really, really wanted to do this tag. It’s always nice to look back on the books you’ve read. So, though I wasn’t tagged, I decided to share with you some thoughts about the books I’ve read so far. Here go the questions:

1. Best book you’ve read in 2017 so far

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I can’t believe I’ve waited so long to read it… And now I really want to watch the series, too.

Another both wonderful (though also horrifying) book I want to mention is Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Even if you’re not a vegetarian/vegan and you don’t even want to be one, I think you’d appreciate reading this book. It reveals all the horrors of factory farms – and they go beyong animal cruelty (as if that’s not horrible enough). I wrote a big post about this book, a sort-of summary, so you can read that if you want to know more about it.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2017

I’ve read the last two books in Tales of the Ketty Jay series this year, and they’re just as good as the first two. So much fun! And I don’t really like fast-paced books, but this series manages to be both fun and action-packed and feature some interesting, fleshed-out characters. Every single character has his/her own story and personality, and I fell in love with them, despite all of their flaws.

3. New release that you haven’t read but want to

Definitely A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab. I can’t wait to read it!

4. Most anticipated releases for the other half of the year

I’m actually not expecting a new release… I mostly read old books. XD

5. Biggest disappointment

Verland: The Transformation by B.E. Scully. It’s a vampire novel, and I’ve been searching for a while for a good vampire novel. This one, sadly, didn’t meet my expectations, though I really thought I would like it. It even has some good reviews on Goodreads.

6. Biggest surprise

I did manage to find a good vampire novel! Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin is really great! It’s set in the 1850s, in the American South, and it’s quite different from other vampire novels I’ve read. However, it’s innovative in a way that doesn’s entirely turn its back on old, well-known vampire fiction. It’s my first novel by Martin, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

7. Favourite new author (debute or new to you)

Maaaybe Marie Brennan. I’ve just finished Memoirs of Lady Trent series today, and I immediately googled the author to find out what else she’s written. I was actually thinking about puttting this series as the answer to the 2nd question, but I liked the first few books a bit more than the last two so I decided not to. Despite that, this series is amazing and I would recommed it to everyone who would like to study dragons. I sure would! 😉

8. Newest fictional crush

I don’t have one…

9. Newest favourite character

Lady Isabella Trent and Natalie Oscott from the Memoirs of Lady Trent. They are both smart and brave women who oppose the patriarchal society they live in and follow their dreams.

10. Book that made you cry

I rarely cry, but The Princes Diarist by Carrie Fisher really made me sad… And it was also funny at times. Carrie Fisher was such an amazing person.

11. Book that made you happy

Reading a good book always makes me happy, though I don’t read very happy books. XD

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far (or received)

Just look at those books in the answer to the 7th question. They are gorgeous and I love them! Those dragons! ❤

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I don’t need to do anything! XD Jokes aside, I want to read The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. Probably some other books by Atwood, too.

And that’s it. So, what are your favourites of this year so far? 🙂

The Blogger Aesthetic Award

First of all, I have to then the lovely Rachel @paceamorelibri for this fun tag! ❤ You can see her post HERE. I have already done this tag some time ago, and you can see that post if you want to, so I decided to do something different this time – I decided to use just my own photos. I chose some which I think reflect my aesthetic the best. Hope you’ll like them! 🙂

The Rules:

• Collect any number of images that you feel represent you as a person—your personality, aspirations, favourite things, anything at all that makes you you.
• Put your chosen images together into a collage of whatever size and shape you find pleasing.
• Share your masterpiece with everyone, in all the places.
• Maybe nominate other bloggers as a way to tell them, “Hey, you, I think you’re awesome, and we should celebrate that awesomeness.”
• Share these rules (and maybe the below tips, if you’re feeling helpful).

The Tips:

• Find inspiration by spending (minimum) three hours scrolling through aesthetic Tumblr posts relevant to you.
• Two great places to hunt for pictures are Pinterest and WeHeartIt. Pinterest requires an account; WeHeartIt does not.
• PicMonkey’s collage editor is free to use and doesn’t require an account, heck yes! (PicMonkey changed since, and I had to make an account, but it is still free.)

My Aesthetic:

Since I already tagged some people last time, I won’t do it again, but if you want to do this fun tag consider yourself tagged! 🙂

Happy blogging, people!

Inside & Out Book Tag

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:

1. Inside flap/Back of the book summaries: Too much info? Or not enough?

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.

5. Ever read ahead? or have you ever read the last page way before you got there?

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…

6. Organised bookshelves, or Outrageous bookshelves?

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. 😉

Sarah @betweenthepages

Marie @marieslibrary

Shanah @bionicbookwormblog

@ignitedmoth

@ardentattachments

---

* 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…

Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

I was tagged by Anna at itsmybirthwrite to do this tag, and you can see her post HERE. I’m actually very exited to do this, thanks Anna!

Here go the questions. Just please don’t hate me after this! XD

1. A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT YOU DIDN’T LIKE

Well, I have to be honest with you, I haven’t read most of the popular book series that people talk about on book blogs, bookstagram and booktube. I just don’t really like YA (sorry!) Now, the series I’m going to mention is not that popular, but I’ve seen it around, and it’s the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. I’ve read the first book, and it started fine but then it turned into a cheesy forbidden love story and I lost interest. I tried reading the second book in the series but I gave up. Also, when it comes to classics, I really, really dislike On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Sorry, I understand this is a classic, and I think I can see why, but I barely finished it.

2. A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE.

I wrote about a similar topic for Top 5 Wednesday (shameless link), but I decided to choose a book I haven’t mentioned before – The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. This was a four-star book for me, and I can see where some criticism is coming from, but I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was great.

3. AN OTP THAT I DON’T LIKE.

Harry and Hermione. I just like them as friends, and I don’t like that so many people are hating on Ron. Ron is great!

4. A POPULAR BOOK GENRE THAT YOU HARDLY REACH FOR.

I think I said this a few times before, but I don’t read romance. If a love story is the only plot of the book, I will not read it. It just doesn’t interest me.

5. A POPULAR/BELOVED CHARACTER THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE.

Draco Malfoy. And, yes, he goes into this category because so many people seem to romanticize him and ship him with Hermione – oh, this is even worse than Harry-Hermione, I totally failed at that question, probably because I just refuse to admit this ship exists. XD I’m not saying he can never redeem himself, but still, Hermione deserves better. Also, he wanted Buckbeak dead. Sweet Buckbeak! That I cannot forgive. (Tom Felton is great, though. Love him! Just read this article, he addressed this very issue himself.)

6. A POPULAR AUTHOR THAT YOU CAN’T SEEM TO GET INTO.

I tend to stay away from books I think won’t suit me, and I’ve gotten quite good at choosing what to read. So, let’s say Deborah Harkness again…

7. A POPULAR BOOK TROPE THAT YOU’RE TIRED OF SEEING.

This was also a topic for Top 5 Wednesday but I forgot to mention an important one in that post. Girl-hate. When two women or girls hate each other just because they’re both female, for no other apparent reason. Or because of a guy. It basically means girls are taught they should see each other as competition, which is horrible.

8. A POPULAR SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING.

There are a few, but I’d say The Selection series. Those sound quite horrible. Maybe I’m wrong, but I doubt it…

9. THE SAYING GOES “THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE”, BUT WHAT MOVIE OR TV SHOW ADAPTATION DO YOU PREFER MORE THAN THE BOOK?

Well, I don’t think I have an answer for this one… The closest I can get is the adaptation of A Monster Calls. They added some things in the movie and I loved how it was done, but they also left out a character I liked so I’d say the book and the movie are equally good.

And that’s it! Now, let me tag some people, if they wish to do the it:

Luna @bookishluna

Azia @amwillisjournal

Sophie @blameitonchocolate

Deanna @deannawritesabout

Ellie @bloggingfordopamine

Flexie @flexiereads

Ali @devouringbookksandlattes

“This Is My Genre, Tell Me Yours” Book Tag

Today is a perfect day for a fun tag! Ellie at Blogging for Dopamine tagged me fo the This Is My Genre, Tell Me Yours book tag and she really made me think… I wasn’t even sure what my favourite genre was! XD Thank you, Ellie, so much for the tag! ❤

First things first, here are the rules:

• Credit  Drew @ TheTattooedBookGeek as the creator of the tag, use the created tag name graphic and link back to his blog. (Also, if you want to learn more about the tag you can see Drew’s post HERE.)
• Answer the questions.
• Tag as many people as you want.

And now, let’s get to the questions!

1. What is your favourite genre?

So, in the end, I decided that my favourite genre is Gothic fiction, in all of its different shapes and forms. From the Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1764, the classics such as Samuel Talylor Coleridge, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe and many others, through books that are only slightly gothic (like my beloved Wuthering Heights or most of Daphne du Maurier’s books) to some modern takes on the genre. This is the genre from which some amazing characters were born, characters we never stop talking about – Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, Carmilla, Dorian Gray, Jekyll and Hyde… It’s characterised by creepy atmosphere, old castles, dark woods, and often with some paranormal occurences (though not always). It is also the genre that gave us horror fiction. What’s not to love?

2. Who is your favourite author from the genre?

Another hard decision! XD When it comes to Gothic classics, then it has to be Mary Shelley. I’ve talked so many times about my love for her and her writing, so I don’t want to repeat myself, but she is my queen! And my other, modern, queen is Anne Rice. She introduced me to the vampire lore and I’ve never stopped being intrigued by it.

3. What is it about the genre that keeps pulling you back?

Mostly, it’s the atmosphere. I think Gothic fiction is the most atmospheric of all fiction. It’s dark and mysterious, beautiful and desciptive, but also creepy and un-put-downable. (Is that a word? Now it is.) And there are just so many possibilities! Many Gothic stories use some folkloric elements and make them their own, which is very interesting to me. I like seeing how different authors interpret similar ideas.

4. What is the book that started your love for the genre?

Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles – the first three in the series are soooo amazing and I love them to death. Lestat is one of my favourite fictional characters. After reading Anne Rice’s books when I was about 14, I just had to read Dracula and that’s how my little obsession started.

5. If you had to recommend at least one book from your favourite genre to a non-reader/someone looking to start reading that genre, what book would you choose and why?

If that person wants to start with Gothic classics, then I’d recommed Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Those are my favourites. (I think everyone should read Frankenstein, even if they’re not interested in Gothic fiction, to be honest;)) If the person wants to start with something modern, then Anne Rice, of course. Or Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I think his books are approachable to (and loved by) the people who are not fans of the Gothic genre as well as those who are.

6. Why do you read?

Because that’s how I have fun! 🙂 I’ve always loved stories, and even before I could read, my parents read to me. My father sometimes even made up stories. I learned to love reading from an early age and my love for books only grew from there. I read to have fun, yes, but I also read to learn, to feel, to be intrigued, to have my thoughts provoked, and even to cry. 🙂

And in the end, I tag these lovely people: Misty@mistysbookspace, Matxi@matxibooks, Sophie@blameitonchocolate, Anna@itsmybirthwrite, Caffeinated Bibliophile and Elena@elenasquareeyes.

Happy blogging! 🙂

---

First two pictures are from pixabay.com, the other two are mine.