The Sunshine Blogger Award!

I was recently nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by my Twitter friend and fellow book blogger Leah over at Leah’s Books! Leah always has the best book tags–I’ve done a few of them here. Go check out her blog! Thanks for the nomination, Leah!

What Is The Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive, and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

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.

Here are the questions Leah asked:

If you could travel to one historical period, when would it be?

This is such a tough question! I love history, and there are a lot of periods I’d love to explore. I think I would have to go with Regency England, though, in hopes of meeting my homegirl Jane Austen. She would probably find me super annoying and make fun of me in a letter to her sister Cassandra, but it would be worth it. I definitely would not want to stay there permanently, though.

What drew you to your favorite genre initially?

I suppose my favorite genre is fantasy, and if I had to nail down a favorite sub-genre, I would say portal fantasy. My introduction to portal fantasy was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was nine. I’ve been prone to daydreaming for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always loved the thought of finding a door from my ordinary world into a fantastical land.

Who are your top 5 authors?

In no particular order:

• Jane Austen
• C. S. Lewis
• N. K. Jemisin
• Katherine Arden
• Renee Ahdieh

What do you think was the most overhyped book of 2020?

Cemetery Boys. I haven’t read it so I can’t comment on its quality–I’m sure it’s great, and I’m planning to read it eventually–but I feel like I saw it EVERYWHERE for months and months.

Which book was not hyped up enough in your opinion?

Mindy Kaling just released a new essay collection, Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes), that wasn’t hyped at all. She just dropped it like a surprise Beyoncé album. Kind of a baller move, actually. She obviously doesn’t need the hype because she’s Mindy Kaling, but everyone should go read or listen to these essays. I’ve listened to two so far and they’re outstanding, which is no surprise.

Who is your favorite villain?

Tough choice, but I’ve had Narnia on the brain recently, so I’m going with the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

How do you organize your bookshelves?

Nonfiction is by subject, and it’s actually in kind of a modified Dewey Decimal order. Library of Congress classification never made sense to me. (Have I ever mentioned that I used to work in a public library?)

Fiction is alphabetical by author, but then I also have a small bookcase that has my TBR shelf and a “favorites” shelf. Okay, so the favorites shelf is actually a Jane Austen shelf–I have all my copies of all the novels and her other writings, nonfiction books that are related to Jane Austen, and other novels that have some kind of Jane Austen tie-in, like Death Comes to Pemberley, Dangerous Alliance, and The Jane Austen Project.

Hardcovers or paperbacks?

I like both! I own a lot more paperbacks because they are more affordable. I also do a lot of e-books (and actually prefer them in some cases) and audiobooks!

What is your favorite cover of the year?

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?

My Kindle, probably. Bookception.

Which upcoming 2020 release are you most excited about?

• A Promised Land by Barack Obama (November 17)
• Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi (November 17)
• These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (November 17)
• How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate by Holly Black (November 24)

So November 17 is going to be a busy day for me, apparently. I have an ARC of Rebel Sisters, and I’m planning to write a post about it and its predecessor War Girls sometime in early November, so keep an eye out!

I’m going to nominate:

I’d love to see posts from all of these folks, but don’t feel pressured if you have a lot on your plate right now!

• Star at Star is All Booked Up
• Sahi at My World of Books
• Catherine at Bees and Books
• Octavia at Mermaid Reads
• Mehsi at Twirling Book Princess
• El at El’s Book Reviews
• Bookish Luna
• Fairytale Feminista
• Amy at Curiouser and Curiouser
• She Just Loves Books
• Ayana at The Vintage Guidebook

Here are my questions for you:

1. What trope do you absolutely love to read, even when it’s done badly?
2. What trope do you generally dislike, but have seen it done well and didn’t mind it?
3. What trope will you never enjoy, regardless of how well it’s written?
4. Has a book ever changed your life?
5. Are you in a book club, or have you been in the past? If so, what is/was it like?
6. What book is physically closest to you at this moment?
7. What was the first book that made you a reader?
8. What is your worst book-related habit?
9. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or two or more?
10. Have your reading habits changed since you started blogging?
11. Have you written any books? If not, do you want to? What about?