The Real Neat Blog Award

Click to listen! Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Hello Hello! How are you?

Today I’m doing something a little different for this post: the Real Neat Blog Award! I was tagged by the lovely KitKat from KB Book Reviews and it has taken me a little while to get to this one, but today is finally the day! Go check out her blog, she is so sweet and just a great book blogger, I’m sure you’ll love reading her posts as much as I do!

THE RULES

• Display the award logo.
• Thank the blogger who nominated you and post a link to their blog.
• Answer the questions of the one who nominated you.
• Nominate some bloggers.
• Ask them seven questions.

KITKAT’S QUESTIONS FOR ME

• How do you organise your bookshelves? Why?

I think I’ve already answered this question before, but I don’t really have a bookshelf set-up right now. When I do eventually get back to France and get my bookshelves built, I’m definitely going for rainbow shelves! I tried to have all the books by author’s surname (alphabetical order) once before and the mix of colours really annoyed me. I have a shelf here in Scotland where I display some pretty books in colour from darkest to lightest and I really love the look of it, so I’m hoping to replicate that at home!

• What book got you into reading or into your favourite genre? What hooked you?

I honestly have no idea… Oh, wait! Yes, I know! I think I have to say that the book that got me into fantasy was A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I had never actually read many fantasies before, I always used to reach for contemporaries and although I did enjoy most of them, only a few of them totally hooked me. However, when I started reading ACOTAR, I became totally addicted to fantasy and I haven’t looked back ever since. I love how fast-paced fantasies generally are, they have a very wide range of characters with very different personalities and abilities, also, the fact that magic exists in fantasy novels just does it for me. I love reading about loads of magical creatures, fights, duty, survival, and of course, (you know I’m going to say this right?) Rhysand, aha!! No seriously, I really do love everything a great fantasy novel offers its readers.

• Are you in any bookish fandoms? If so which ones?

I’m a sucker for anything Harry Potter, Les Misérables and ACOTAR (the whole series, not just book 1). I really want to read loads of more popular books that have very popular fandoms, but I haven’t gotten there yet.

• Who are your top three favourite authors and why?

OMG, does this question want to kill ME?? How do I answer this? I’m going to go with the top 3 that entered my brain just before meltdown: Guillaume Musso, Patrick Ness, and Sarah J. Maas. I have read nearly every single book by Guillaume Musso, and even though he isn’t the BEST author out there, I do really love his work. His first books were better and more whimsical, shall we say, than his more recent ones, but he is definitely and automatic-buy-author. I’ve read a few of Patrick Ness’s books and I’ve loved all of them so much that I know anything else I do read from him, I’ll absolutely adore. He just does something with words, as if he is speaking to only you and I just can’t get enough of his writing, his characters, his worlds, everything! And finally, how could I leave Sarah J. Maas out? I’ve only read the ACOTAR series and the first book in the TOG series, but I do really love her writing and her world-building. Her characters are so special to me (and yes, Crescent City is on my bookcase, and no, I haven’t read it yet 🤣).

• Do you have to read in complete silence? Or do you like music/the tv on in the background?

I think that it depends a lot on the book I’m reading, the mood I’m in, who/what is around me… Sometimes I have to really concentrate and I have to read in silence (say for classics maybe?) but I’ve been known to read a whole book while the TV was blaring right next to me, I’ve even had my dad shake me because I couldn’t hear him shouting at me from 1cm away because I was so engrossed! I don’t put the TV or music on TO read, but for most books, it doesn’t bother me if there is background noise. However, I can’t have music in my ears AND read, that just bugs me and I can’t concentrate.

• Who is your favourite fictional couple and why?

OMG WHY??? Ok, I’ll just say it, Feyre and Rhysand. That’s it, bye. 🤣

• If you could build a crew for a heist, which three characters would you choose and why?

OMG AGAIN!!!! This is going to be hard but, I think I’ll go with Jean Val Jean because he is one of the best characters I’ve ever read about, he has a very strong sense of duty, he had a rocky start and his intentions were dubious, but in the end, you could count on him and he is my hero. I think he would be the level headed one. Then, I would go for… Amren, because why not? Badass, beautiful, hundreds of years old (so she knows a lot of stuff, right?), you can’t kill her easily, I think she would be the one going in all guns blazing and tear the house down mouahah! And finally, Sirius Black, the mastermind. I don’t know why he just seems fitting and I love him.

MY QUESTIONS FOR MY NOMINEES

1. Have you always loved reading? Did you ever not like it? Did it just happen gradually?
2. How would you describe one of your favourite books in only natural terms, for example, “raging sea”, “soft wind”, “flowering meadows”… etc (also I’ve had a lot of coffee today, can you tell?)
3. What is a book you are guilty of buying because of its cover? (Don’t look at me like that, I know we’ve all done it!)
4. Do you drink/eat while reading or it is a sacred time where nothing other than your hands come into contact with the book?
5. Who is your favourite villain, and why?
6. When you are looking for a new book to read/buy, where do you go? Bookstores, online, book blogs, Goodreads, your friends/family, your shelves…?
7. And finally, do you think that a certain book has changed your view on life/the world, which one and why?

I apologise in advance for these very strange questions, please do not hate me, aha!

BLOGGERS I’M NOMINATING

The Artsy Reader

And On She Reads

Papertea & Bookflowers

The Book Dutchesses

Holly Loves Books

Stephen Writes

If you don’t like participating in tags, then please don’t force yourself on my account! Also, go check out all these incredible bloggers, they are all so kind, supportive and incredible in the bookish community!

I really enjoyed replying to these answers and I hope that my questions are not too weird or unanswerable! That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed this post. See you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx