Today, I am answering some questions set by my fellow bloggers as part of the Sunshine Blogger Award. I was fortunate to be nominated by Danni at ForBooksSake and Ashley at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
Thanks to both of these bloggers – do follow them if you don’t already!
I’ll be answering all their questions in this post before setting my own questions for my nominees!
How does it work?
- Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
- Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
- Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
- List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.
Questions from Danni:
Have you set a GoodReads Reading Goal for the year? If yes, how many books are you hoping to read?
I set an optimistic challenge of 100 books on GoodReads – this is more than I’ve read in recent years and the first time I’ve consciously set a target. However, lockdown gave my reading a bit of a boost so I’m already on 93 books.
What has been your favourite book of 2020 so far?
How can I possibly pick just one?!
I’ll go with ‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor. I didn’t know what to expect from this debut novel, but it is an absolutely charming, funny and sweet novel about a young girl growing up with a quirky and dysfunctional family in the 1960s.
What book on your TBR are you most looking forward to reading?
Laura Purcell’s ‘The Shape of Darkness’. I have loved her previous books and a new book is always an event.
Do you have any pets? If yes, please post pictures! (I want to see your cute animals)
Yes – 2 cats (Geoff and Ivy) plus 4 bantam hens.
Who are your auto buy authors?
I’m not sure I have that many, but definitely Caitlin Moran and Laura Purcell. There are also a couple of crime series that I’m following where I’d buy the next books without question – I really like the Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey and Rachel Lynch’s DI Kelly Porter series.
I’ve read books by a lot of brilliant new writers this year (new to me or debut novelists) that I think this list will grow very rapidly!
What are your favourite books from your childhood?
One of the first books I remember as a child was ‘Peepo’ by Janet and Alan Ahlberg, a gorgeous picture book about a baby in a (not that I realised it then) World War II era family. I’ve since read this to my kids and it is a favourite.
There are loads of books I loved as a child that probably wouldn’t stand up to re-reading – I was an obsessive Enid Blyton fan and absolutely devoured any Nancy Drew books!
Other than that, Dodie Smith’s ‘I Capture The Castle’ was a book I loved as a teenager and have re-read as an adult. I still think it’s pretty great!
Describe your dream reading space.
I’ve always fancied my own library – something along the lines of the one in Beauty and the Beast! Definitely high wall-to-wall bookshelves that need ladders to get to the top and some cosy armchairs!
What is your favourite bookish merch?
So many things that I wrote a blog post on it – you can see my collection of bookish prints, pins and all manner of other things here.
What are your biggest bookish pet peeves?
I really hate books that promise an uplifting read but that turn out to be really, really depressing! I think there is some serious misrepresentation going on with some book blurbs and am always disappointed when I get to a really nasty bit in a book that I wasn’t expecting.
How do you feel about DNF’ing a book?
Guilty. I always think it is going to get better, but I’ve learnt that some books just…don’t. I’m quite good at choosing books that I think I’ll like but I do feel like it is my fault if I can’t finish a book.
You can only read one genre for the rest of your life, what are you choosing, and why?
Historical (preferably historical crime). There’s such a rich variety of settings that I don’t think I’d ever get bored. I love learning about different periods of history (although I have a soft spot for the Victorians) and there are so many brilliant writers working in this genre.
Questions from Ashley:
What is your favorite genre to read?
Historical crime fiction – that’s a very specific genre to choose but I love the combination of the rich setting with a twisty crime story!
What nonfiction book(s) are your favorite?
Oooh, great question! I think non-fiction books often get overlooked in the world of Book Twitter.
I love any of Caitlin Moran’s non-fiction books and I’ve recently really enjoyed (if enjoyed is the right word for a book about death!) Peter Ross’ ‘A Tomb With a View’ – it’s absolutely fascinating, incredibly moving and not as depressing as you might expect.
I’m also a fan of history presented with a bit of wit and flair – ‘Dead Famous’ by Greg Jenner and ‘A Curious History of Sex’ by Kate Lister have been high points this year.
Do you read multiple books at once or just one?
Multiple – I can’t have too many similar books going at the same time, but I’ll often have a fiction (or two, but different genres), a non-fiction and an audiobook going at the same time.
What other hobbies do you have besides reading?
I’m not really sure I do! Between the reading, the blogging and Book Twitter, I’m pretty busy.
When I’m not book-focused, I spend time with my family and teach English full-time at a secondary school.
Do you have a reading goal for 2020? If so, how is it going?
I’d not set a goal before this year, but 100 books seemed like it was going to be a real challenge. However, 2020 has been a weird year in so many ways and lockdown has boosted my reading at times so I’m already on 93 books.
What prompted you to create a blog?
I was reading and reviewing on NetGalley and it seemed like the logical next step. I love talking to people about books and so was looking to infiltrate myself into the bookish community…it seems to be working, I think…
What is your favorite trope?
I don’t read a lot of horror at all, but I’m totally won over by anything with vampires!
What is your least favorite trope?
I’m getting quite fed up with the detective with the tragic personal life. It has been very over-done and I’d quite like to focus on the crime plot without having to work through the trauma of the detective first!
What fictional world would you like to visit?
Because I read a lot about the past, I think my world would have to be step back in time! I’d love to visit the world inhabited by Jeeves and Wooster – an idealised and very jolly version of 1920s and 1930s London that never really existed outside the imagination of P.G. Wodehouse.
There are other less salubrious time periods I’d love to visit but I’d not want to stay long!
What book disappointed you this year?
I always feel bad if I’m disappointed by a book because I do try to choose my reading carefully. I did read a crime novel that was quite hyped that I was disappointed with (and didn’t feature on the blog) but I won’t name it.
What is your favorite cover from 2020?
‘The Betrayals’ by Bridget Collins (out in November) looks glorious. I read the Kindle version but have been jealously looking at other people’s proofs and advance copies!
I’m going to nominate:
(Sorry if you’ve even tagged before!)
And YOU! Please do link to me so I can read your answers!
My questions for you:
- What was the last book that surprised you?
- What is your favourite book series?
- Is the book always better than the film?
- Which book would make a brilliant film (that hasn’t been made yet)?
- What was the last book you DNF?
- What is your favourite setting for a book?
- What title would you choose for your own autobiography?
- What 3 things would a book need to include to make it a must-read for you?
- Which genre do you like least and why?
- What’s been the most popular post on your blog?
- Which are your favourite book blogs to visit?
Thanks for the tag, Kate! I’m notoriously bad at these things so the odds are I’ll never get around to answering your questions but I really do appreciate you thinking of me. 😄
Haha, I’m usually terrible at actually doing them too so totally understand 😀
Oh this is so cool! It’s great to get to know you a bit better and thank you for the nomination! I’m excited to take part, Sabina x