The Mystery Blogger Award (III)

I was over the moon to be nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award in May by NottsReader! Thank you so much for the nomination – I really appreciate it and I’m sorry it took me so long to get the post together.

If you don’t follow NottsReader already, please do go and take a look. You’ll find a wonderful variety of bookish content, with thoughtful reviews spanning everything from historical fiction to thrillers!

The Rules

1. Put the award logo/image on your blog.
2. List the rules.
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
6. You have to nominate 10 – 20 people.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog.
8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify).
9. Share a link to your best post(s).

Thank you Okoto for creating the award!

I think it is a wonderful idea to find out more about the bloggers whose posts we read every day. My answers are below:

Three Things About Me

1. 1. I host a book club for young women in my city and am always on the lookout for diverse and feminist recommendations to share with the group.
   2. Recently, I started ballet classes for the first time – it’s never too late!
   3. My favourite book quote of the year so far is this gem from Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo:

My Favourite Blog Post

I found that the process of researching and writing Support Black Authors: Book Recommendations helped keep me accountable for decolonising my bookshelves.

NottsReader’s Questions

If you are/have been in lockdown what did you miss/are missing the most? Or if you have not, what do you think you would miss the most?

Lockdown here in the UK lasted for around 3 months, during which time libraries were closed so I couldn’t continue my usual part-time job as a public library assistant. It was a real blow as I love my job – libraries perform so many important services for the community, especially people who are vulnerable or lonely, and I love having a chat with visitors about books or life in general.

Thankfully, I’ve returned to work now and libraries are offering services again such as click and collect book orders. It’s wonderful to be back and feel like we’re giving people something to look forward to with some lovely new books!

What book had the most effect on your reading life?

I’m going to go with All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

I was struggling on my Veterinary Medicine course and thoroughly miserable – my family knew something was wrong as I hadn’t picked up a book for months. I was persuaded to pick up All The Light We Cannot See over the Christmas holidays and it reminded me of how much I loved to read and everything I was missing while I slogged through lists of anatomical landmarks.

Eventually, I dropped out of Veterinary Medicine (science…eew) to pursue my lifelong passion for books instead and this beautiful novel has to take at least some of the credit!

What is either your claim for fame or you biggest achievement outside of blogging?

My biggest achievement outside of blogging has got to be getting through the first 2 years of my English Literature degree! Woohoo! I can’t wait to start my final year in September, then I hope to take a Masters and train as a librarian.

What book TV show/film do you watch every time it is on?

At the moment I’m enjoying watching The Luminaries on the BBC with my family, which is adapted from the novel by Eleanor Catton. It’s dark, intriguing and I’d highly recommend it!

Who would you want to play yourself in a film or TV show?

Ooh, great question! I think I would like to have a go at playing myself as I’ve always wanted to try acting. It would be fun to join an amateur dramatics group but that had better wait until after the coronavirus situation!

My Questions

1. Share an under-rated book that you absolutely love.
2. What are your top three recommendations for diverse reads?
3. If you could have dinner with 2 authors, one living and one dead, who would be on your guest list?
4. Who is your bookish buddy?
5. What is your favourite animal – pictures very welcome! For the record, mine is a Qinling Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey!

Source: Natural History Museum

Thank you again for the tag NottsReader! I really enjoyed reading your answers and joining in myself. I’m looking forward to finding out more about other bloggers!

My Nominations

Stephen @ Stephen Writes

…for his in-depth and insightful book reviews from an eclectic range of genres.

Amy @ Curioser and Curioser

…for being the go-to blogger who, with her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm, can make the classics fun!

Samantha @ Bibliomavens

…for her fun and creative bookish lifestyle posts, including ’20 Reasons Your BFF Should Be a Bookworm’ and ‘Signs You Should Break Up With a Book’.

Sean @ Book Blogging Books

…for his amazing book lists and recommendations that will leave your TBR a mile high!

Dani @ Literary Lion

…for making me laugh and being a sheer powerhouse of bookish enthusiasm!

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Don’t worry if you’re not really into tags or are feeling overwhelmed by blogging at the moment, I promise I won’t be offended! Otherwise, I can’t wait to hear your answers 🙂