The Liebster Award

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I’ve got time on my hands! The lovely Noelle @Wordgazing and Magic very kindly tagged me for the Liebster Award, so I reckon I’d better fill it out, hadn’t I?

Tag Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and give a link to their blog (thanks, Noelle!) 
2. Answer the 11 questions asked of you
3. Come up with 11 new questions
4. Nominate 11 new bloggers to answer them! 

The Questions!

1. What was your most recent 5 star read?

(source)

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston.  Oh, gosh, I would’ve given this book 10 billion stars if I could.  You can read my ~slightly gushy~ Goodreads review here, but for now, let me just say it’s an unabashedly brazen tribute to geekdom and nerd-dom and fandom as a whole.  It’s a tribute to loving exactly those books and movies and characters YOU LOVE, the ones who MEAN SOMETHING to you, in all their messy, uncool, “cringey” glory.  Being unafraid to say in front of the whole world, yes, these are mine.   

“I think sometimes the stories we need are the ones about taking the hobbits to Isengard and dog-human dudes with space heelies and trashy King Arthurs and gay ice-skating animes and Zuko redemption arcs and space princesses with found families and galaxies far, far away. We need those stories, too. Stories that tell us that we can be bold and brash and make mistakes and still come out better on the other side.

“Those are the kinds of stories I want to see, and read, and tell.”

– The Princess and the Fangirl

2. What is your most anticipated release for 2021?

Mister Impossible, by Maggie Stiefvater.

Mister Impossible will be the second book in the Dreamer Trilogy, which (in case you aren’t quite as obsessed with all things Stiefvater as I am, heh hehhh) is a spin-off to The Raven Cycle.  My boy Ronan is getting up to all kinds of shenanigans, and I am 1000% here for it. 

(source)

I mean. Just look (!!!) at that cover. Savor it. DRINK IT IN.

3. Do you prefer book series or standalones?

If I’m a big fan of a certain book, I usually find myself wishing I could spend more time with those characters … which is exactly what a longer series lets you do. While there are certain standalones I love and I’m not mad that they didn’t continue on, I really ENJOY reading series. So yes.

4. Pair two book characters from two different books/series to make the ultimate ship!

*scratches head for a bit*

I’m usually the No. 1 non-canon shipper, and I have zero qualms about cross-fandom shipping, but for some odd reason, nothing is coming to me. I can think of a couple favorite female characters who definitely deserved better (Fanny Price, aHEM), but … I’m not finding any suitable matches to ship them with??

5. What is the one book that you will never get bored of?

(source)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. I’m not a big re-reader, even of those books I greatly enjoyed. I tend to be a “one and done” kind of girl. But every Raven Boys read transports me as utterly and completely as the first time. I’m with my boys and my Blue in the sleepy Henrietta mountains, and I couldn’t be happier. ❤

6. Which fictional character (can be books, movies) do you admire?

Trying to think of somebody new I’ve never mentioned on this blog before … oh geez …

(source)

I admire Rilla Blythe from Rilla of Ingleside. She’s my favorite of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s heroines. She’s plucky, determined, and a no-nonsense go-getter. She adopts one (1) whole baby, for heaven’s sake!!! At age 15!!!

7. Favorite place to read?

The front porch! I like to soak up the sunshine and hear the insect noises.

8. Favorite blog post that you have ever written (add a link as well so I can read it)?

I don’t know if this is my absolute favorite post, but I’m pretty dang proud of “Lost and Found: the Rise of Skywalker.”  I had a lot of thoughts & feelings about Rey and Ben being an allegory for the Elder Sibling and the Younger Sibling in the Prodigal Son parable, and I managed to get ‘em down in pretty good shape. 

9. What is the prettiest book cover that you own?

(source)

I own this very special anniversary edition of The Book Thief, one of my all-time favorite historical fiction novels. Not everybody might agree with me that the cover qualifies as “pretty,” but I love brown and gold as a combination, and I think the domino pattern symbolizes the story beautifully.

10. What would you do if you were invisible for a day?

If we’re being honest? Sit on the front porch and read. xD

I’m serious!!! I don’t really know how invisibility would help me, if it didn’t come coupled with the power to travel long distances or enter fictional worlds or what-not. I don’t need to be invisible in my own house. I’d only need it if I were going someplace far away & potentially dangerous.

11. How do you decide on your next book to read?

Based on my computer spreadsheet of books I plan to read this year, and based on which of THOSE, in turn, is currently available at the library or cheap on Kindle.

(I know it sounds super organized. I promise you, it’s not. 😛 )

~~~~

And that’s the tag, folks! Since I’m a bit tired today–plus, I just tagged a bunch of people in my last post–I’m not going to tag new blogs or come up with new questions. Anybody who wants to answer this set of questions, though, either on their blog or in the comments below, is most welcome!!!

A clean list of the questions:

1. What was your most recent 5 star read?
2. What is your most anticipated release for 2021?
3. Do you prefer book series or standalones?
4. Pair two book characters from two different books/series to make the ultimate ship !
5. What is the one book that you will never get bored of?
6. Which fictional character (can be books, movies) do you admire?
7. Favorite place to read?
8. Favorite blog post that you have ever written (add a link as well so I can read it)?
9. What is the prettiest book cover  that you own?
10. What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
11. How do you decide on your next book to read?

Thanks again for the tag, Noelle!

Ta-ta for now, friends!