The Liebster Award

I’ve been tagged by Lisa from Way too Fantasy  – thank you so much for thinking of me! 🙂
The end of the year is the perfect time for tags, if you ask me, so I’ll do my very best to answer Lisa’s questions.

 

Rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you
• Nominate 11 bloggers
• Ask your nominees 11 questions
• Notify your 11 nominees

Lisa’s questions:

What is the last book you read that annoyed you and why?

Oh, that one’s easy. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue because that book promised me so many things and then delivered none of them. I found it predictable, it didn’t establish its settings or time periods, the characters were flat, and it was just a totally forgettable read.
The most annoying part is how much I wanted to love this book. My review is coming on Monday, so you can read my rant in its entirety then.

What is your favorite non-book related hobby?

That’s a hard one. I discovered bouldering a few years ago through my boyfriend and it’s a really fun sport. It’s like solving riddles while exercising your body and the thrill I get whenever I manage to climb a route that is difficult for me is so great!
I also like to draw (although I haven’t in a long time), and play video games. I suck at first person ones, but I’m really good at jump and run games and ones involving riddles. I have a thing for riddles and puzzles, apparently.

Something about yourself that people may be surprised to learn?

Hm… I’m really not that interesting. 🙂
The only thing I can think of is that my first language is actually German. People may not know this because I blog only in English. I’ve always loved languages and I’m glad I have books and blogging to keep my brain using English so I don’t forget everything I’ve learned. It happens, people. My French and Spanish are proof of that. I used to speak French so well but once you stop using it or hearing/reading that language, eventually all that vocab just goes away.

How do you pick your next read?

It varies. When there’s a readathon I’m participating in, the prompts dictate my reads for that month/week. When Hugo voting season is upon us, I read as many finalists as I can (the order is decided by my mood). The rest of the year, I vaguely follow my goals – reading diverse books and authors, continuing ongoing series, keeping up with new publications, reading a few award winners, etc.
Sometimes, I make my boyfriend draw a book from my TBR bag. It’s filled with little papers with the books I’ve been putting off too long. But when he picks something I’m not in the mood for, I make him pick again, so I guess I’m cheating a little.

If you had to move to another country, where would you choose to live?

That’s a super hard question! I love France (I’ve lived there for half a year and I still miss all the amazing wines and cheeses) but when I consider everything – politics, jobs, socio-economic issues, etc. – I’d much rather live in Scandinavia. Sweden has always intrigued me, although I’ve never been there. Then again, I hate the cold, so that’s a no no.
I’m honestly quite happy here in Vienna, Austria. Sure, my country has problems like any other but there’s a reason my city has been voted the one with the highest quality of living for many years in a row.

What is your first favorite book that you were maybe a bit obsessed with?

There really was something before Harry Potter and it was by a German fantasy writer duo named Wolfang and Heike Hohlbein. I got the book Katzenwinter (“Cats’ Winter”) for my 11th birthday and I must have read it four times in a row, I was so obsessed. There were ten cats in that book, I knew all their names by heart, and would tell them to anyone who was interested (which was nobody – thanks for listening anyway, grandma!).
This is also the book that got me into the fantasy genre. I’m pretty sure I would find many, many things wrong with this book and the others by Hohlbein but for 11-year-old me, it was a revelation!

Have you ever joined in a fandom? If so which one?

How do you officially join a fandom? I consider myself part of many fandoms because… well, I’m a fan. But I haven’t posted any fanart or fanfiction publicly. I’m way too shy for that. Blogging is about as outspoken as I get on the internet and sometimes, especially when I have a negative review about a well-beloved book, that still takes me some courage.
I’ve recently discovered that I love Laini Taylor, Holly Black, and Leigh Bardugo. They have pretty big fandoms with lots of great art and I love to discover it!

Besides blogging, what is another way you participate as part of a book community?

I’m on Goodreads, mostly to track my reading, but I do occasionally post in the group forums there. I follow many people on twitter who write about books and publishing, and I sometimes post my current reads to Instagram. But honestly, I’m not too into social media. The internet is eating up enough of my time as it is.
I also listen to SFF podcasts: The Sword & Laser, SFF Yeah, The Fantasy Inn, The Writer and the Critic, The Coode Street Podcast.

What is your least favorite part of blogging?

Writing negative reviews. It can be cathartic of course, but I’d always rather love a book than hate it. It’s especially bad when I dislike a book that everyone else seems to love.
When I do hate a book, I stand by that opinion and I try to explain why I hated it. But I can’t say I enjoy saying bad things about books. Even if I think the author did a shitty job, they still put a lot of work and effort into it and that deserves respect at least.

Your favorite book you’ve read so far this year?

Just one? You’re kidding, right?

• N. K. Jemisin – The City We Became
• Jordan Ifueko – Raybearer
• P. Djèlí Clark – Ring Shout
• Alix E. Harrow – The Once and Future Witches
• Martha Wells – Network Effect
• Linden A. Lewis – The First Sister
• Silvia Moreno Garcia – Mexican Gothic

Pre-2020 releases:

• Connie Willis – Doomsday Book
• Mary Doria Russell – The Sparrow
• Rivers Solomon – An Unkindness of Ghosts
• Frances Hardinge – Deeplight

How large is your TBR pile?

Hahahahahahahahaha! Goodreads says around 2600 but I do occasionally un-haul books, so maybe a little less than that. Still, it’s ridiculous.

My questions:

1. Which author do you own the most books by?
2. What underrated/underknown book would you recommend?
3. What’s your favorite chonky (like 500+ pages) novel?
4. How many books did you read this year and are you happy with that number?
5. What are your favorite books published in 2020?
6. What’s a book/author you go to when you need a feelgood read?
7. Who are your top 3 couples from books?
8. How has the Corona pandemic influenced your reading?
9. What was the last book that gave you a book hangover?
10. What are your reading goals for 2021?

I tag:

You don’t have to participate if you don’t feel like it. Consider this a shoutout to some bloggers I really like and appreciate:

• Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy
• Mogsy @ The Bibliosanctum
• Mandy @ Zen Reads
• Fiona @ Fi’s Bibliofiles
• Annemieke @ A Dance With Books
• Ana @ Black Goddess Reviews
• Louise @ Foxes and Fairytales
• Jess @ Jessticulates

I hope you’re all doing well and can enjoy the holidays! Whether you participate in the tag or not, I look forward to your upcoming posts!