Lauren at Comma Hangover nominated me for a Liebster. Thank you so much, Lauren!

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The Rules:

1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you.
3. Answer the questions assigned to you.
4. Nominate 11 deserving bloggers for the award.
5. Ask 11 questions to your nominees.

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Here are the questions:

1. If you had to go to a deserted island with only one book, what would it be and why?

Cheat answer—my Galaxy Tab loaded up! With several Anker batteries to keep recharging. There is no way I could take one book. Except maybe the latest edition of Pushcart Prize winners, which is thick and diverse. I could hit invasive (attacking) creatures over the head with it too. It would be multi-purpose.

2. Is there a book you could see so perfectly in your head that you dreamcasted it? Share your cast here!

I know that there have been others, but the only one that comes to mind right now is a Kristan Higgins romance, The Perfect Match, in which I perfectly pictured the “hero” as Tom Hardy. I’m frequently picturing the heroes.

3. Name the best opening line from any book that you have ever read!

This question makes me think that I need to take better notes. I truly read so many books that I fail to remember opening lines. A lot are good. (So much depends on them, right?) But if you want to ensure that I’ll keep reading a book, make me laugh. This is from
“Cloudy with a Chance of Love,” which I am currently reading: “I have a large bottom. If I had to quantify it, I would say it was somewhere between the size of a space hopper and a meteorite.” Well, that was two lines, but it made me laugh and I kept reading. (I’m not finished; review is upcoming.)

4. Is there a non-bookish item on your shelf? If so, what is it?

Cameras! I love photography.

5. Do you eat while reading? What is your favorite snack?

I never used to, but now I’ve been popping popcorn on the stove, in oil, a bad habit which must stop!

6. What do you think of books that involve food? Do they make you hungry? Or inspire you to cook?

I used to love watching the Food Network, so I really enjoy reading about restaurants and chefs, etc. (There are so many wonderful fictional books about restaurants!) I find that they inspire me more than make me hungry.

7. What is your favorite micro-genre? (Or subgenre?)

Right now I’m hooked on Supernatural/Dystopian/Fantasy YA.

8. What social media networks are you on most frequently? Do you promote your posts on there?

Facebook mostly. I do promote my posts. I’ve just started to get into Twitter. I just don’t have a lot of extra time.

9. What is the most irritating character you have ever read about? Why were they so irritating?

Oh, there have been multiple. Eliza from “One Night That Changes Everything” is memorably annoying (has to be. I read it three years ago and still remember it like fingernails on a chalk board) because she was whiny, shallow and self-absorbed. Also, in a book I just read, “Revenge Is Sweet,” the character of Ellie pretty much ruined the book for me—clingy, stupidly impulsive, with attitudes that Jane Austen would have attributed to silly women.

10. What is one book setting that you wish you could visit? Do you keep a bookish travel list?

I love many of the settings from Mary Alice Monroe books. She does beach and mountains with a lot of expertise. I realize that these aren’t really travel places, but more for visit and retreat.

11. How often do you visit your local independent bookseller?

Rarely. Up until you asked this question, I presumed the nearest ones were in DC. However, I just searched local and found that one had opened up in the past couple of year nearby-ish. I’ll probably have to visit now. I used to be a frequent visitor to Border’s, but it was always detrimental to cash flow. I am an extremely frequent library user. (Support your libraries!)

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Questions for My Nominees

1. What’s the first book you remember reading and/or liking?
2. Has a book ever impacted you so much that you felt yourself change because of it? If so, what book?
3. Is there a book that you’ve ever shared because you thought it was so good and were disappointed that others didn’t get it like you did?
4. Have you ever wanted to write a book? If so, what genre?
5. Who’s the one writer (or more if there are others) whose books you make sure you read as soon as they’re released?
6. What’s your favorite hobby?
7. When you travel, where do you like to go? Do you have a dream place that you want to visit?
8. What do you think is one thing that people would be surprised to know about you even if they know you extremely well?
9. What’s the last thing that you saw and thought was incredibly beautiful?
10. What’s the last thing that made you laugh?
11. What do you do to make yourself feel calm and less stressed?

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My Nominees

Jackie @ Jackie Learns to Write

Vicki @ The Page Turner

Sarah @ The Critiquing Chemist

Klinta @ Bookowly

Eleanor @ Real Tasty Pages

Denise @ E. Denise Billups

Monique @ That Wild Soul

Rachel @ All Romance Reads

Joss @ She Who Hears

Lauren @ Moonlight and Madness

Uma @ Uma’s Life and Thoughts

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