The Know Your Buddy Tag With Anoushka!

Wow. The past week has been H-E-double hockey sticks. I was so sick for 4 days that I couldn’t even get out of bed, but what’s more important is the fact that everything hurt so much that I couldn’t READ. Yes I am pausing here for a huge gasp. There. Thank you.

Moving on to less scandalous things, today’s is a collab post with none other than Anoushka from Dipped In Ink! As is evident from the title, we’re going to be doing the Know Your Buddy tag (which neither of us were tagged for but we have a habit of snatching what is not ours so…) together because we are friendsies daisies. In this post you’ll find Anoushka’s answers to my questions; my answers to hers are in her post!

Rules

  • Tag the original creators of this tag – Tallblondetales and Proxywords – and tag the original posts from each of their blogs. If you do, you’ll be eligible for the roundup post and grand ‘Know Your Buddy’ tag winner! If not, you can still take part in the tag you just won’t be a contender for the overall winner. 
  • Thank the bloggers who nominated you (and your buddy), share the badge and rules in your post. 
  • Pick a blogger with whom you’d like to do this tag with, answer the questions together, and share each other’s answers on both the blogs.
  • Nominate 10 new Bloggers and keep spreading the love.
  • Notify the bloggers (tell them you nominated them) by commenting on one of their posts.

What is your favourite blog post of mine and why? 

THIS. IS. DIFFICULT.
I really like your ‘recommending books based on Disney movies’ one AND ALSO YOUR
YEARLY WRAP UP BECAUSE ALL THE GRAPHS!! And also your top 10 books BECAUSE THE
GRAPHICS ARE SO PRETTY! Oh and also (EXCUSE ME while I just casually proceed to
mention all of your posts here) the “Guessing the Zodiac signs of my favorite characters”
obviously. Because the idea is honestly THE BEST! AND YOUR WE ARE NOT FREE
REVIEW. Yes, I’m done. 

What would you rather be known for – your blog name or your name?

My blog name. See I’m a VERY boring person in real life who has been rumored to be
the reason people scream (out of boredom), but I sometimes like to think my blog is
different. Plus real life is boring and I just love my blog way more because we can
believe in the existence of dragons and also scream a lot?? THAT probably wasn’t
exactly what the question was about BUT LET’S JUST MOVE ON before we start to seem
suspicious okay

What is the weirdest comment you have gotten on your blog?

Umm I don’t know? LIKE I DONT THINK I HAVE ANY?! I used to get a few spam
comments in the very very beginning when Dipped in Ink was smol and innocent and
had never seen the world (we’re talking more than 1 year ago over here when the blog
in question wasn’t even called dipped in ink SO) NONE.

Do you think cereal is soup? Why or why not?

Ha. Hahaha haha. It’s not like I spent the last few days puzzling over this question
okay?! (at least I didn’t mean to) I’VE OBVIOUSLY GOT BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH MY
LIFE and am not a COMPLETELY jobless idiot the way I sometimes claim to be. But no.
The answer is NO. Cereal is NOT soup. SOUP IS SUPOSSED TO BE AMAZING AND
DELICIOUS while cereal is… Milk and cornflakes? Maybe some sugar added in if you’re
lucky? 

If you had a controller that had a power to rewind or fast-forward, which would you
press for WordPress?

As much as I’d love to fast-forward time and look at all my future post ideas AND STEAL
THEM so I don’t have to think of any (#genius) I also really want to go back and maybe
POST MORE OFTEN and stick to schedules and scream at myself to blog hop more (WE
ARE CONSIDERING ALL OF THIS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RULES OF USING A REWIND
CONTROLLER. And no, topic is not up for discussion. So I get to choose said controller’s
powers, WHICH I AM MORE THAN GLAD TO DO thank you) so we shall rewind. (we’rengoing to see the future at some point anyway right? SO WHY NOT WAIT A LITTLE LONGER WHILE WE ENJOY THE PAST FIRST, dear olive of mine – or rachel’s in this case-?)

If you two were to be buddy characters in a movie, what characters would you be and
why?

EXCUSE ME while I silently look up all the movies I’ve watched because I am potato and
have similar memory to one, I APOLOGIZE. Perhaps AIDEEN AND MEABH? Wait no,
they’re from a book. Then what about Anne and Diana – wait that’s a TV show, BUT
LET’S IMAGINE THEY COUNT TOO.

What is the most boring part of doing blog posts for you? Or what part of posting a
blog are you laziest about doing?

This is not the boring part per se BUT i’d be forever grateful if someone came up with a
device that just typed up all the thoughts roaming your brain because like, I SPEND
HOURS THINKING UP POST CONTENT and even narrate it all in my head but then I ALSO
HAVE TO TYPE IT LATER which 1) takes TIME 2) I also forget things which is SAD 3) and if
said device is created I COULD STICK TO SCHEDULES SO EASILY which would be amazing.
AHEM but the boring part is definitely adding links and then also DOUBLE-CHECKING.
And trying to remember things (such as schedules), which is difficult.

If you could transform into any animal , what would it be and why?

I would become… A DRAGON! Flying is a life long dream which i’d get to fulfill and I
ALSO GET THE BONUS OF BEING ABLE TO BREATHE FIRE and DID I MENTION HOW
BECOMING A DRAGON WOULD BE AMAZING FOR WORLD-CONQUERING??! I would get
to live in an olive-tree orchard if I’m small enough. THAT WOULD BE HEAVENLY (and
before you object, the answer is YES. YES dragons are animals *glares*)

What reminds you of me?

  • Hearing the words ‘a bookworms paradise’. And other things such as:
  • Zayna
  • AND ALSO Harper
  • Writing
  • Rachel Elizabeth Dare
  • And PJO because of the above point

If you were given the power to exchange blogs for a day, what thing would you change
or adapt first?

First course of action would definitely be looking through ALL of your drafts because I
firmly believe I shall find lots of secrets there *cackles evilly* AND THEN BASICALLY JUST
STEALING ALL OF YOUR POSTS AND IDEAS BECAUSE DID I EVER MENTION BEFORE HOW
JEALOUS I WAS OF ALL OF IT?

Okay but seriously I probably wouldn’t change anything BECAUSE I LOVE EVERYTHING
ABOUT YOUR BLOG SO MUCH! But that DOES NOT mean I am saying no to discovering
all those hidden secrets in your drafts folder. grin

If your blog had a superpower/magical element, what would it be? 

I think I am going to steal Rachel’s answer for this one BUT MAYBE GET MY BLOG TO
WRITE ENTIRE BOOK REVIEWS FOR ME because I seem to have an inability to do so
myself. And also the aforementioned thoughts-device connection thing. WHERE
WHATEVER I THINK JUST MAGICALLY APPEARS ON SCREEN. that would be so cool.

Your blog is chosen to sponsor a charity. If funds were not an issue, which charity or
issue would your blog choose to support?

Maybe something to help provide literacy to as many people as possible? Building
libraries? Yes, something like that would be nice! Or we could also completely deviate
off the reading theme and talk about providing clean drinking water in poor regions
perhaps? 

What are the unwritten rules of your blog?

  • We should always be happy and try to make people laugh
  • OLIVES NEED TO BE MENTIONED SO THAT I DO NOT GET MURDERED BY THEM
  • And there’s others but most of them have already been broken by me, the rebellious
  • olive, and we do not talk about my many failures glares

If you had to swap niches, which niche would you change to?

I… Have no idea. I am nothing without stories SO?? THEY’RE?? NECESSARY?? Maybe
someplace where I post my writing? Like short stories and stuff. BUT IT SHALL STILL
DEFINITELY BE FILLED WITH BOOKS. And movies/tv shows if I’m feeling kind (which,
ususally, I’M NOT)

What new username would you give to my blog?

Proceeding with the assumption that we’re talking about the blog name here (because I
am kind of confused?) I really like your present name SO WE SHALL NOT CHANGE
ANYTHING thank you.

_____________

Ookay so I am going to pretend I didn’t see that whole plot for stealing my drafts (now I am going to look over my shoulder my ENTIRE life, you’ve just succeeded in making me even more paranoid than I already am), not least because the sentiment is reciprocated (if I get the chance, Anoushka’s drafts will be swept clean, CLEAN i tell you and I’ll leave no traces MWAHAHA).

Since I wasn’t tagged for this, I am not tagging anyone either (there’s only this far my conscience can stay quiet okay?) and i don’t have anything else to say so goodbye i guess?

Do you think cereal is soup? (you better be ready to defend yourself if you do)

~ Rachel

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The End Of The Year Book Tag // ft. a fraction of my tbr for 2022!

‘Tis that time of the year, folks! Okay wait no, that doesn’t sound right. I would be saying that if I’d been blogging for decades (or maybe even a couple of years) and this was my 17th time doing this annual tag. Far from it; it’s actually my first time. *sigh* So much for that one line. I’ll go with my usual “hey guys” next time.

Anyway, we have some brilliant bookish questions to answer, so let’s get started, shall we?

~Are there any books you started this year that you still need to finish?~

Not My Problem

King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)

At the time of writing, I am currently reading Not My Problem and King Of Scars. I am almost 60% in the former, but have read only a few pages of the latter. But I definitely hope to finish both in a few days.

~Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?~

Small Spaces (Small Spaces, #1)
The Haunting of Aveline Jones

Umm not really. But I do feel obliged to mention a couple of books with autumn vibes, so we are going to go with Small Spaces and The Haunting Of Aveline Jones.

~Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?~

If This Gets Out

If This Gets Out is the last 2021 release I’m waiting for.

~What are three books you want to get to before the end of the year?~

Our Violent Ends
Aurora's End (The Aurora Cycle, #3)
Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2)

*nervous chuckle* sooo that’s a difficult one because there are at least a million books I want to read in 2021 (or what’s left of it), you know, books I said I would read this year for sure but never got to them, books on my shelves collecting dust… but that’s a depressing line of thought so let’s move on.

I picked 3 books from my “asap tbr”, which I would very much like to get to immediately, if circumstances allow it. (by which I mean if I somehow manage to acquire a copy of OVE) All 3 are sequels of some sort, and I guess I want to read them this year so that sometime far away in the future (read: next year) I can say that I finished such-and-such series in 2021.

~ is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite of the year? ~

Well saying the favourite would be a bit of a stretch, since that spot (and a few spots below it as well) has already been occupied… but yeah I guess there can be a couple additions to my top 10? But also. I’ve learnt that books can surprise you when you least expect it, so no promises.

~ Have you already started making reading plans for 2022? ~

Not plans per say, but of course I’ve a huge tbr laid out for the initial months of 2022. There are SO many amazing releases (just LOOK at those covers!!) coming out next year, and also I have quite a lot of backlist books (books released in 2021 and before) that I want to read, so my tbr is a mix of all these. But (i feel like all of my answers have this ‘but’ element??) then again, who follows tbrs over here right?

Is there a 2021 release you’re still waiting for? Which are your most anticipated 2022 releases? Let me know in the comments!

~ Rachel

The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag 2021

Is it weird that ever since I became a blogger, I’ve wanted to do the Mid Year Freak Out Tag without knowing what exactly it is? Yes, definitely weird🙃 But now that has changed since I did my homework and read lots of Mid Year Freak Out posts by other bloggers from previous years.

True to the name of this post, I am freaking out. Like seriously, when did time sprout wings? Just yesterday I was getting tired of the new year wishes and memes, and we are halfway through already? Whoa.

Till 25th June, I’ve read 37 books and a total of 14348 pages which are both mind blowing, when compared to previous years (I didn’t track my reading before this year, but I know I got nowhere close to these figures). I am doing quite good on my goodreads goal of 65 books, considering that I am 6 books ahead of schedule. Without further ado, let’s start with the tag!

Best Books So Far In 2021

Surprise surprise! Six Of Crows and The House In The Cerulean Sea. Linked below are my reviews for the same.

Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo | Book Review || Book Review: The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Best Sequels In 2021

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)

Supernova was by far the best book in the Renegades trilogy! Read my review here

I love the Aurora Cycle series with all my heart, but somehow Aurora Burning was even better than Aurora Rising! Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Review

Crooked Kingdom does not need any explanation as to why I am willing to die over it. Period.

New Releases I Want To Read

There are SO many of them, but I’ll go with the top 3.

The Ones We're Meant to Find

The Immortal Game

Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations, #1)

Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of 2021

Aurora's End (The Aurora Cycle, #3)

Definitely Aurora’s End, the final book in the Aurora Cycle duology-soon-to-be-a-trilogy. After THAT cliffhanger in Aurora Burning (which is THE worst cliffhanger in the history of cliffhangers, if I do say so myself) I can’t wait to see how this turns out. (Also, can we please scream about THAT GORGEOUS COVER?!)

Biggest Disappointment of 2021

The Infinity Courts (The Infinity Courts, #1)

There have been quite a few books that did not live up to my expectations, but the one that hurt the most has to be The Infinity Courts. I rated it 1.5 stars. Shocking, isn’t it? What’s more is that this book had so much potential with such a cool concept *cue the sighing and head shaking* Read my review here.

Biggest Surprises Of 2021

Malamander and Book Scavenger. Both these lovely books reminded me why I love middle grade so much. Linked below are my reviews!

Book Review: Malamander by Thomas Taylor || Book Scavenger by Jennifer Bertman || Mini-review, some art, and a little “book scavenger” game of my own!

Favourite New Authors

Well, Leigh Bardugo and Marissa Meyer probably?

Book That Made You Cry

The House In The Cerulean Sea all the way. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, and this one had it all and much more.

Book That Made You Happy

Is it cheating if I say The House In The Cerulean Sea again? Because yes, this book gave me ALL the feels. I laughed, I cried, I smiled through my tears.

Most Beautiful Books You Got In 2021

These were both part of my birthday book haul. I am currently reading The Girl Who Drank The Moon.

Books You Need To Read By The End Of 2021

A Dark and Hollow Star (A Dark and Hollow Star, #1)
The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)
Sweet & Bitter Magic
King of Scars (King of Scars, #1)
The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1)
These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights, #1)
It Ends in Fire
The Ones We're Meant to Find
Legendborn (Legendborn, #1)
The Immortal Game

I just picked some books from the top of my head, and though I definitely want to read these books asap, they are in no way the only books I want to read this year. Also if you’ve read any of these, I’d love to hear your opinion!

Which are your best reads of 2021 so far? What are some new releases that you haven’t read yet but want to? Let me know in the comments, and feel free to link your mid year freak out post if you’ve made one!

20 Questions Book Tag

Hey there, I am doing a tag today! I was tagged for this by Georgia @Lost In Neverland. Thank you so much Georgia for tagging me, this looks so much fun!

1. How many books is too many books in a series?

Earlier I would probably have said that 7 or 8 is the limit for me, but now that I have found favourite series which have 9+ books (looking at you KOTLC!), I can only say that if the author can make it interesting, no number of books are too many books in a series.

2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?

Ah, cliffhanger, my old frenemy! Cliffhangers definitely encourage readers to pick up the next book in the series, though WHY CAN’T A WHOLE SERIES BY REALEASED ALL AT ONCE SO I DON’T HAVE TOO GO THROUGH THE PAIN OF WAITING?!

3. Hardback or paperback?

Paperbacks! I love hardcovers too, but I find paperbacks more comfortable to hold while reading, and also while stacking on my bookshelf.

4. Favourite book?

The question I was dreading is finally here! Ahem…(don’t worry I am not going to go into my usual monologue of how ‘its unfair to the other books’😂) so it is for questions like these that I have updated my “About Me” page. It now includes a (rather long) list of some of my favourite books and movies. You can find it HERE. And of course, all my favourite books are there in my profile on Goodreads, so go check that out as well!

5. Least Favourite Book?

Eh I don’t really know. But the most recent book that I disliked was The Middler.

6. Love triangles, yes or no?

Mostly, no. But it depends how it works out.

7. The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

I don’t remember dnf’ing a book recently, but last year I was reading this book “It’s all about Treo” which revolved around a military dog, and it was all right at first, but then I lost interest and dropped it for something else instead.

8. A book you’re currently reading?

I am nearly finished with Book Scavenger by Jennifer Bertman.

9. Last book you recommended to someone?

Well I have forever been recommending Six Of Crows on my blog, so I think that counts!

10. Oldest book you’ve read?

According to Goodreads, it is The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie. It was published in the year 1920.

11. Newest book you’ve read?

A Wilder Magic by Juliana Brandt. I received an ARC.

12. Favourite Author?

Abstain🤐

14. A book you disliked that everyone else seems to love?

An Ember In the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I don’t think I have ever come across a negative review for this. And though ‘disliked’ is a strong word, I certainly did not like it as much as I had expected to.

15. Bookmarks or dog ears?

Bookmarks, of course! *looks horrified* I would NEVER dog-ear my precious lovelies!!

16. A book you can always reread?

Well I am not such a fan of rereading…

17. Can you read while listening to music?

I haven’t tried to, but I don’t think I will be able to.

18. One POV or multiple POVs?

Recently I have discovered my love for books with multiple POVs *cues Six Of Crows and Aurora Burning and Unlocked and Renegades*

19. Do you read a book in one sitting or in multiple days?

How I wish I could read them all in one sitting!! But sadly, no, it takes me about 4-5 days to finish a medium sized book.

20. Who do you tag?

April @Booked Till Midnight

Madeline @The Bookish Mutant

Laura @The Corner Of Laura

Which book are you currently reading? Which are the oldest and the newest books you’ve read? Chat with me in the comments!

‘School for Good And Evil’ book tag | The Memez Tag | GIF-y Love

Hello there, bookworms! First of all, some exciting news. We reached 50 followers last week 🎉! Thank you to all of you who are following this blog, I am really really grateful for your support.

Today, I am doing three tags – The School for Good An Evil book tag, The Memez tag and the GIF-y Love tag! Let’s get started!

School for Good And Evil book tag

I was tagged for this by Riddhi @Whispering Stories. Do check out her blog guys, she does some amazing posts!

The Rules

  • Thank whoever tagged you and link back to their post!
  • Link to the original tag’s creator: Sabrina @ Notes From a Paper Plane Nomad!
  • Please credit if using these graphics, these eyeballs didn’t dry out squinting at a screen for nothing 👀👀
  • Pick a book that fits each prompt.
  • Tag whoever, as many or as few as you like!
  • Post these rules and list of prompts in your tag post. If you copy-paste the rules, it should automatically pingback to me so I’ll see your tag post!

Like Riddhi, my answer is also the first Agatha Christie book I read – And Then There Were None. My father was obsessed with Agatha Christie at that time, and was always telling me to read And Then There Were None. After much reluctance and hesitation, I did, and now, when I have read almost 15 Christie novels, that one is still my favourite.

The School for Good and Evil! Well, yeah, the prompt itself says “Agatha” and however much I disliked the book, at least it did give the message of self acceptance through Agatha’s character.

A lot of books I have read were ‘unforgettable’, but when you say ‘unique’, the first book that comes into my mind is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was just exploding with originality.

Fairytale? Well, I don’t remember reading fairy tales since I was 6. But Keeper Of The Lost Cities series did have elves and other magical creatures so…

I am not sure what exactly is meant by a ‘sweet’ book and since I don’t read romance, i am gonna skip this one.

I love the short story collections by O’Henry. They are witty, humorous, and ALWAYS end in really unexpected twists.

Anne of Green Gables!

I want to say Frostheart (the illustrations are amazing!), but the author and the illustrator of Frostheart are the same person, so how about I say I love the collaboration of Jamie and Jamie😉

The most obvious choice – Harry Potter!

Helped me? The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas, since a chapter out of the is in my school syllabus this year, and it helps to know the entire story😂. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the question probably meant “helped me psychologically or emotionally” or something, but duh, I am 13 I don’t really have a lot of stress or anything.

No book has ever felt like a ‘punishment’, and if it has, I DNF’d it.

This is obviously going to be The Keeper Of Lost Cities series. I don’t know how Shannon does it, but she tortures us with cliffhangers at the end of every book in the series!

I tag

Lilly @Lilly’s Little Library

Tiction @Fictionally Crazy

Ashmita @The Fictional Journal

Cherelle @A Bolt Out Of The Book

Pilar @The Bookworm Shelf

The Memez Tag

I wasn’t tagged for this, but I came across this tag at Lilly @Lilly’s Little Library and Nehal @Books And Words blogs, and it looked really fun so I decided to do it myself!

The Rules:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you.
  2. Add a meme for all the topics given (the nominees can take any topic)
  3. Nominate minimum 5 bloggers
  4. Add the link of the creator (i.e. Aaliya’s Nook)
  5. And Don’t forget to put the following tags: #thememeztag, #amemeforeverything

A Harry Potter Meme

A Bookish Meme

OMG! I say this exact same thing all the time to my mom😂

COVID Related Meme

Animal Meme

Dog rebellion!!

Spooky Meme

Pin on Funny Seasons memes

Cartoon Character Related Meme

I Can Has Cheezburger? - funny cartoon - Funny Animals Online - Cheezburger
This happens all the time! And the worst thing is that my mom doesn’t even care when I give her my biggest angriest glare😂😂

Subject Meme

Memebase - math memes - All Your Memes In Our Base - Funny Memes -  Cheezburger
This is one meme I don’t relate to because I am really good at math and get 100% in exams most of the time. Not bragging😀

Exam Meme

60 Exam Memes That Will Make You Laugh Instead Of Cry

Random Meme

Need a Laugh? 15 Hilarious Memes To Get You Through This Week
Netflix literally has become my best buddy after books and my Kindle!

I tag

Riddhi @Whispering Stories

Ahaana @Windows To Worlds

Madeline @The Bookish Mutant

Shanessa @ My Days In Montana

And YOU!! If you like the look of this tag, consider yourself tagged by me!

GIF-y Love

This tag has been created by Nehal @Books And Words and Tiction @Fictionally Crazy I was tagged for this by the creator herself. So this used to be a weekly tag, but even though I never did this tag (sorry, don’t hate me but I prefer emojis over GIFs), I am sad to see it go. Anyway, thank you Nehal for the tag, and here we go!

The Rules:

  1. Thank the person who tagged you and leave a link to their blog.
  2. Mention the creators (Tiction and Nehal).
  3. Make a post, do list the rules.
  4. Use the tag #gif-y-love and choose a GIF you love for each of the provided prompts.
  5. Tag at least 5 people.
  6. That’s it! Make sure you laugh a lot in the process too.

I’m Bored 

Current Mood

Reading

Sarcastic

Spongebob 

Angry

Scared

Laughing

I tag

April @Booked Till Midnight

Evin @A Curly Sue’s Ramblings

Amy @A Fangirl’s Opinion

Rebecca @Bex The Bibliophile

And YOU!!

Aha, so that was one long post, wasn’t it? Alright, so I would like to end this post by promoting my own weekly tag called Character Chat. You can see my latest Character Chat post (its only the 2nd one actually) HERE.

I do not want to make this post any longer, so tschüss (which means goodbye in German) and bis bald (which means see you soon)!

Character Chat #2

It’s Sunday, and it’s time for another Character Chat post! For those of you who don’t know, I had started doing this weekly tag last week, click here to see last week’s post.

Here’s is how this works –

  • Every Sunday, I will be asking a character-related question on my blog. I will also be answering it based on my opinion.
  • While answering the question, you have to name the character, the book which the character is a part of, and also tell us a little more about the character, and why he/she was an appropriate answer.
  • You can either put your answer as a comment on my post, or create your own post with the answer. The latter would be much preferred, as comments are hard to keep track of. If you decide to do a post, don’t forget to ping me back!

And today’s question is –

A character who would lighten up your mood even on your worst days?

Keefe from Keeper Of The Lost Cities series. For KOTLC fans, this is pretty self-explanatory. Keefe can make anybody laugh. And when Sophie (from the same series) is having a bad day, he is always the first one who tries to make it better for her, be it with his sarcastic comments, or his epic pranks. And ever since he’s got Ro, his sarcasm and wittines has gone to the next level, believe me.

That was my answer. Waiting eagerly to see all of your Character Chat posts!

First Line Friday

Who doesn’t love Fridays? I most certainly do (although days now mean nothing because of the pandemic…but that’s a discussion for later) so I decided to start doing this very famous tag called First Line Friday which is hosted by Hoarding Books.

Basically we just have to pick any book, it can either be our current read, or a book on our TBR, or just something random, and open it to the first page, and share a snippet from there.

So what I am going to do to make this a little more interesting is, that I am first going to share the first line, then I am going to tell you the name of the book I have taken the line from. Let’s see if you can guess the book by reading the first line!

“A person can survive on sixty pounds of beans and three hundred pounds of rice a year. Dinner in the Bloom home tonight is beans and rice for the 365th night in a row. And we ran out of pepper yesterday.”

The book is –

Cured by Bethany Wiggins

Synopsis

Now that Fiona Tarsis and her twin brother, Jonah, are no longer beasts, they set out to find their mother, with the help of Bowen and a former neighbor, Jacqui. Heading for a safe settlement rumored to be in Wyoming, they plan to spread the cure along the way–until they are attacked by raiders. Luckily, they find a new ally in Kevin, who saves them and leads them to safety in his underground shelter. But the more they get to know Kevin, the more they suspect he has ties to the raiders. He also seems to know too many details about Jacqui and her family-details that could endanger them all. For the raiders will do anything they can to destroy the cure that would bring an end to their way of life. Bethany Wiggins’s reimagining of our world after an environmental catastrophe won’t fail to stun readers.

This is my current read (I am at 77% of the book) and so far the story is okay, although I think its prequel, Stung, had been better.

What is your first line?
Open the book nearest you and post the first line in the comments below…or you can also create a post on it!

To see others’ First Line posts, and add your post’s link, head over to Hoarding Books!

This Or That Book Tag

Hello there! As the title of my post tells you, today I am going to be doing the ‘This or That’ book tag. Thank you to my fellow blogger April Lee @Booked Till Midnight for tagging me. Can’t wait to get started!

The Rules:

  • Mention the creator of the tag (Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks)
  • Thank the blogger who tagged you!
  • Tag other people to do the tag and spread the love!

Reading on the couch or on the bed?

This one’s easy. The couch! I have tried reading on the bed a lot of times, but either I have to lie on my stomach to do that (I used to do that a lot a couple years ago, reading from such a less distance was why I got spectacles) or lie on my back and keep my arms at 90 degrees, both of which are quite uncomfortable.

Sweet or salty snacks while reading?

None, actually. I am very particular about maintaining my books, and given how clumsy I am, I am very likely to spill something on my book. So thanks, but no thanks.

Trilogies or Quartets?

I guess I prefer Quartets so that I can read a series for a longer time and stay connected with the characters.

First person or Third person POV?

Third person POV. For some reason, I have never found first person narrations very interesting. They don’t allow you to know anything apart from the narrator’s thoughts, and I like to keep tabs on all the characters and connect to them equally.

Night or Morning reader?

I can read anytime. But since I don’t have much time in the mornings, I read in the afternoon or at night.

Libraries or bookstores?

This is way too hard. Both have a equal place in my heart 😀

Books that make you laugh or make you cry?

Books that make me laugh. I am not a very emotional person, so I have rarely come across books that make me cry. While those who make me laugh, let’s just say I love any reason to laugh.

Black or White book covers?

Neither. I prefer covers of colour, like blue, green etc, you know?

Character driven or plot driven?

Character driven, maybe. But both are equally important for me.

Alright, I am tagging a few bloggers who might be interested in this tag

Ashmita @The Fictional Journal

Katie @ The Storybook Sisters

Kristin @Kristin Craves Books

Laura @The Corner Of Laura

I had a lot of fun doing this tag! Thanks once again April, and see you all in my next post!

Finally Fall Book Tag

Hey there bookworms! As the title of my post tells you, I am going to be doing this super-fun tag today. Thank you to the amazing April Lee @Booked Till Midnight for tagging me. Oh, and I nearly forgot! This blog that you’re reading now hit the 100 likes mark a couple days back! A big thank you to all of you fantastic bloggers, who have showered me with loads of love and support 🥰. I am immensely grateful.

Without further ado, let’s begin with the Finally Fall book tag!

IN FALL, THE AIR IS CRISP AND CLEAR: NAME A BOOK WITH A VIVID SETTING

I am really bad at settings 😅 I don’t pay as much attention to them as I ought to. But still, the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare did have quite a vivid setting that I could picture clearly in my mind. I think I have also written a little about the setting in my Review of this series.

NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL… BUT ALSO DYING: NAME A BOOK THAT IS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, BUT ALSO DEALS WITH A HEAVY TOPIC LIKE LOSS OR GRIEF.

This book is set during the World War II and describes the horrific killing of Jews during that period. A heavy topic like Holocaust is portrayed from the eyes of two nine year old boys, one a German, a son of a Nazi commander, and the other a helpless Jew. The most heart-wrenching thing was that both the children were too young to understand their differences, and did not have the slightest idea about Germans and Jews, and even about the ongoing world war.

FALL IS BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON: SHARE A NON-FICTION BOOK THAT TAUGHT YOU SOMETHING NEW.

Um, I don’t really read non-fiction. I guess I must have read only three or four non-fiction books in my life. So I am going to name the one I liked the most, which was The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank.

IN ORDER TO KEEP WARM, IT’S GOOD TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH THE PEOPLE WE LOVE: NAME A FICTIONAL FAMILY/HOUSEHOLD/FRIEND-GROUP THAT YOU’D LIKE TO BE PART OF.

The Sophie-Keefe-Fitz-Biana-Dex-Tam-Linh (and others) group from Keeper Of Lost Cities!

THE COLOURFUL LEAVES ARE PILING UP ON THE GROUND: SHOW US A PILE OF FALL COLOURED SPINES!

To be honest, at first, I kinda panicked because I thought orange books would be nearly impossible to find in my bookshelf, but then I did find some! I had a library membership for 2 years until last year, otherwise I would have had lots of orange books to show y’all! Anyway, we’ll make do with what we have.

Featured in the image are –

  1. Charlie and the Chocolate factory
  2. The Family at Red Roofs
  3. The Riddle of the Hidden Treasure
  4. The Haunting of Aveline Jones
  5. The Mystery of The Invisible Thief
  6. Twice Upon A Time
  7. The Burning
  8. The River Of Wind
  9. The Best of O’Henry

FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR SOME STORYTELLING BY THE FIRESIDE: SHARE A BOOK WHEREIN SOMEONE IS TELLING A STORY.

This was a book that I simply adored, and even though it was quite lengthy, I still never wanted it to end. The story here is narrated by {drumroll} Death itself! It was an amazing concept, and an amazing story.

THE NIGHTS ARE GETTING DARKER: SHARE A DARK, CREEPY READ.

Nah, I don’t really read horrors and thrillers as such. I mean, I may have read a couple, but I can’t seem to recall right now.

THE DAYS ARE GETTING COLDER: NAME A SHORT, HEARTWARMING READ THAT COULD WARM UP SOMEBODY’S COLD AND RAINY DAY.

This is not really ‘heartwarming’ (of course, there is FROST in the title!) but it definitely make a dreary day feel better.

FALL RETURNS EVERY YEAR: NAME AN OLD FAVORITE THAT YOU’D LIKE TO RETURN TO SOON.

Again, re reading is not my thing. But if I have to reread, I guess it will be The Wave by Morton Rhue.

FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR COZY READING NIGHTS: SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE COZY READING “ACCESSORIES”!

I don’t really have a ‘reading accessory’, but I like reading in my room, next to the turtle!

I had a lot of fun doing this amazing post! I am tagging a few bloggers now-

Tess @Unbound Library

Becca @Toastie Books

Nehal @Books And Words

Riddhi @ Whispering Stories

Bex@ Bex The Bibliophile

And YOU!! If you want to do this tag, consider yourself tagged by me!

What do you love the most about autumn? Which books remind you of autumn? Let me know in the comments!

Lost In Translation Tag

Hey guys! So this is a fun new tag created by Love Your Shelf. I was tagged by Cherelle The Bibliophile and I am really grateful for that. So thank you, Cherelle.

Here is how this works-

  1. Pick the last book you read.
  2. Put that book in Google Translate and translate it into 3 different languages, then back to English. (Please put which languages you used to translate them!)
  3. See how close (or how far) it is to the original book title.
  4. Lastly, put the original book title at the bottom and talk about your last read!

Let’s get started!

Here’s how my language translation chain went – ENGLISH – ITALIAN – PORTUGUESE – SPANISH – ENGLISH

TRANSLATED TITLE

Heritage

Since that is not very far from the original title, can you guess what the original title is? No worries if you can’t, you will know the original title very soon 😊

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 drumroll 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

ORIGINAL TITLE

Legacy

Yup, I know, Google Translate didn’t mess this one up too bad. But at least that means we can rely on it, right?

ABOUT THE BOOK

Yeah, I know, all of you are probably bored to death because of me yapping about this series all the time. But the rules did say “last book you read”, so you will have to bear with this again 😂. Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, this is the eighth book in the Keeper of Lost Cities series (which is an AWESOME series, by the way) and it was as amazing as I had expected it to be. I finished this just three days back, so I have still not got over the fantastic plot. And I can’t believe I have to wait till November 17th (probably even longer, it’s not like I will get my hands on it as soon it gets published😀) for book 8.5! Although it’s less than 10 days away, it seems like an eternity!

I TAG

Kristy @Confessions Of A YA Reader

Ahaana @Windows To Worlds

April Lee @Booked Till Midnight

A Page Of Words and Wishes @A Page Of Words And Wishes

Lisa @ Way Too Fantasy

Sean @ BookBlogggingBooks

YOU!! If you would like to do this tag, considered yourself tagged by me!

That was all for this tag, and I am getting really sleepy right now, so goodbye and goodnight!