I know I haven’t been blogging on Birdie Bookworm for a long time, having really started writing seriously in the beginning of September, but I’m really proud of my nearly 250 total followers.  Creating this blog means a lot to me, and it’s a wonderful feeling that people follow and that (it seems) they come visit to see what I write.  It feels amazing, so thank you.  A larger thank you to Suzanne at The Bookish Libra, for thinking of my little blog when she was picking out her nominees.

Suzanne, when I say that The Bookish Libra is one of my favorite blogs I mean it.  Your blog stood out from the crowd from the very beginning.  I look forward to your updates.

If you aren’t familiar with her blog, take a moment to click the link and visit please.

Award Rules:

• Acknowledge the blog that nominated you, link it to your post and display the award.
• Answer 11 questions that the blog gives you.
• Nominate 5-11 blogs you think deserve the Liebster Award.
• Give them 11 questions to answer.
• Write the rules in your Liebster Award blog post.
• Let the blogs know about your post and that you have nominated them.

My Answers:

1. What is your favorite childhood book? Was there one in particular that made you fall in love with reading?

How young are we talking?

As a really young kid I loved Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.  My Grandpa read it to me, and he always wore a cap.  The two are linked in my head now.

As an early reader, I loved Charlotte’s Web.  It’s probably still one of my favorites.

However, as a young teen, the book that I loved the most (the book that really made me a ‘reader’), was Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.  I loved the simplicity of the writing, but it was beautiful at the same time.  It has a rolling melody that worked perfectly for a story about living in the Ozark Mountains.  To this day it’s in my top 5 favorite books of all time.

2. If you could do an interview for your blog with any author, who would you choose and why?

Eek, I’ve done author interviews before and I always get such anxiety.  Authors are celebrities to me.  I want to impress them with my witticism, and intelligence.  Of course that means that everything I say sounds lame to me.

However, if I could do an interview with any author I would have to choose Melina Marchetta or Diana Gabaldon, simply because they’re my 2 favorite authors.  I’ve read so many of their books, and I could talk about them for hours.  Maybe I could even put together a great list of questions!

3.  Have you ever hated a book that everyone else loved?  If so, which book and what didn’t you like about it?

I definitely have.  Probably the one that I hated most was The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough.  On the surface I recognize how well it’s written and imagined.  I can see why most people love it.  It’s just so AWFUL.  It’s an awful story full of awful people. (I mean, a preacher falls in love with a child!) Spoiler alert – There’s one “good” character and they die!  Awful awful book.

4.  What made you decide to become a book blogger and what have you learned along the way so far?

It all started with an old WordPress blog called Lit Connection.  This was years ago and she doesn’t actually blog anymore, but back then I loved that blog so much.  (She talked a LOT about Outlander, did a lot of fancasting… and oddly enough this was the blog that led me to The Thorn Birds.  I never held it against her.)

You’d think it was Lit Connection that made me want to blog, but no.  I actually went around in a circle.  What Lit Connection did was introduce me to Goodreads.  Goodreads broadened my reader horizons and after a few years of being a GR member I realized that I wanted to branch out and start a blog.  I didn’t though, feeling like it would be too much work.  Instead I joined Badass Book Reviews, since it was already established.

I’d been a blogger on Badass for 3 years, honing some skills (hopefully), before deciding to start my own.  That brings us to today, and right back full circle to WordPress.com except now it’s through Birdie Bookworm.  (Full disclosure, I do still write reviews for Badass in addition to running Birdie Bookworm.)

What did I learn?  Probably mostly to be confident in my thoughts and writing.  To relax and not take myself too seriously.  To have fun.  To write for myself first, and likely others will enjoy my blog too.  I think those are the most important aspects of blogging.

5.  Aside from blogging and reading, what are some of your other hobbies?

Is it sad if I admit that I don’t really have any?

Honestly, after working 40 hours a week, parenting a 12 year old, taking care of 2 dogs and 3 birds (birds are a LOT more work, btw), writing 1 review a week on Badass, and 5-6 posts for Birdie Bookworm, and all the reading, I don’t actually have much time left for any other hobbies.  I am not complaining.  I love every second of it all, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I do watch a few shows on television, and I love going to the movies.

6.  Who is your least favorite fictional character? What do you dislike about the character?

Oooh, LEAST favorite fictional character.  That’s a toughy…

I’m going to go with Bella Swan, which is probably what a lot of readers would say.  It may be an obvious answer but it’s also the most honest one.  I think if I had read these books as as a tween I probably wouldn’t dislike Bella as much as I do, but alas I read these books as the mother of a little girl.  (A little girl who is currently a tween.)  I’m unable to set aside the incredibly destructive behavior pattern that Bella represents.  It’s not even that she was destructive, it’s that she was destructive but yet written in a way that glorifies it.

7.  If you could choose to live anywhere else in the world aside from where you are now, where would you choose and why?

Scotland.  Simple, and easy.  It all started with Outlander, since that’s where half of the series takes place.  However, that evolved and now I just feel like it’s so beautiful, and outside of the cities probably really quiet.  I’m a rural girl at heart, and I’d love to have a small cottage in Scotland somewhere.

8.  What is the last book that made you cry?

Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta.  It’s about a Muslim family who was convicted for acts of Terrorism, and ten years later their little girl finds herself in trouble and on the run.  It’s Melina Marchetta, which means it was spectacular.  Bawled.  The late into the night crying.

9.  What is your beverage of choice?

Probably sweet tea.  I do like soda, but if I could only drink one drink forever it would be a mildly sweet tea.  (Like Cracker Barrel’s sweet tea.)

10. What are your favorite reads of 2016 so far?

I’m generous with my 5 stars, so I really had to think about it and be strict with myself on the ones that were truly my favorites.  (Not all of these were pubbed in 2016, I’m sure.)

(Covers will take you to my reviews.)

11.  What is your favorite movie that was adapted from a book?

Easy!  Anne of Green Gables!

I loved the books, I read all 8 of them.  I just love the movies too.  Maybe because I saw the movie first, but the casting was perfect.  I love Anne and I’m in love with Gilbert.  Best adaptation ever, and I’m terrified that they’re remaking it.

My Nominee Questions:

1. If you could only read one series over and over for the rest of your life, what would it be?  (Just one now.)
2. Do you schedule your reads, or do you fly by the seat of your pants?  If you schedule, how far in advance?
3. Sticking with the scheduling question, do you write your blogs and post them immediately or do you schedule them ahead on your calendar?
4. Are you the kind of reader who pictures a made up character in your head, or do you assign a celebrity fancasting to each character while you read?
5. Do you have any guilty pleasure books? Any that you’re ashamed you love?
6. How do you think blogging has affected your reading habits?
7. If a spell was placed on you, transporting you to any fictional world, which would be the one you’d want to go to least, and why.
8. Besides Love Triangles, what is a common plot device in books that drives you the most insane?
9. How did you come up with the name of your blog?
10. If you could choose your Harry Potter house, what would you pick?  What were you sorted into?
11. What is your preferred reading format, print or ebook?  Why?

My Nominees:

Here are my nominees for The Liebster Award.

One Bookish Girl

The Introvert Bookworm

The Orang-utan Library

Books & Beauty are my Bag

Midnight Biblio blog

If any of you have done a post on this award already, let me know!  I definitely want to go read it.