This Dark Material: tagged: sunshine blogger award

Quite a while ago I was tagged for the Sunshine Blogger Award by Sheila @ She's Going Book Crazy—thank you! It's been quite a while since I've done one of these, so it's high time I got back in the habit.

RULES

1. Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

SHEILA'S QUESTIONS

What is your favorite season for reading? While my favorite season aesthetically is autumn, I actually think summer is the best season for reading in practicality! It gets so hot that all I want to do is lounge around indoors or sit in the shade with an ice-cold drink, which are both pastimes that pair perfectly with a good book.

What book have you read that completely took you by surprise? Deathless by Catherynne Valente. My friends raved about it for a couple years before I got a copy for myself and it caused utter emotional devastation.

Do you ever read nonfiction for fun? If so, covering which topics? Yes! I've been working to incorporate more non-fiction into my reading habits the last couple of years, although I haven't been doing as well as I would like this year. I especially enjoy topics on American and European history, true crime, and science, but in the interest of learning something new I also try to keep an open mind.

If you wrote a book, what genre would it fall under? Either literary fiction with a slightly thriller-esque twist, or full-blooded fantasy.

What Ilvermorny House do you belong to? Slytherin. There is only Hogwarts.

Pick one: Dragon, Unicorn, Pegasus, Griffin, or Fairy? Now, tell me why! Griffin—it's so out of the box, plus it's the perfect combination of a creature you can scruffle (lion) and a creature you can fly with (eagle).

What was the book that got you hooked on reading? (If there is just one.) I can't think of any one in particular. I always enjoyed reading as a child so it was probably my parents, more than a book, that influenced me in that regard.

What is your favorite type of character to read about? A Machiavellian schemer, preferably with a tragic backstory to explain his present villainy. I'll eat that meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, thank you very much! (Think Petyr Baelish in ASOIAF.)

Seeing how it’s February, what is your favorite wintry read? (Haha. February. Yeah.) I love re-reading Harry Potter around the holidays. As for a book with a wintry setting, I recently adored Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.

What is a book that you just can’t make your mind up about? Love it/hate it. Who knows!? Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I really enjoyed this first book in the Grisha trilogy, but progressed further into a well of dislike for the two that followed. When a series has such an unsatisfactory end it can color a strong opening, so I'm torn between liking S&B and really hating the story arc as a whole.

What is another hobby you have besides reading? Cooking. And kind of baking too, although I tend to follow the recipe much more strictly when baking since I'm not as confident with the chemistry of it yet.

MY QUESTIONS

1. You have the opportunity to ask your favorite author one question, and they have to tell the truth. Which author do you choose and what do you ask them?
2. What is one book you hid from your parents when you were younger?
3. If you could try the cuisine of any fictional world, which one would you choose?
4. Who is your favorite fictional detective?
5. Which Winnie the Pooh character are you most similar to?
6. What 'accessories' do you need with you when you read (drink, blanket, music, etc.)?
7. What is one book you read just because you liked the cover?
8. Which fictional character do you wish would "write" a memoir?
9. What is your favorite animated movie not made by Disney?
10. Pencil or pen?
11. Polka dots or stripes?

I NOMINATE