Liebster Award (2nd and Last One)!

You guys are going to knock me upside the head for making such a terribly long post.

So I was nominated for the Liebster Award several more times after my first one by these amazing bloggers: Honya, Joey, Shannon, Erika, Sam, Analee, Leanna, and Poulami. Thank you guys so much for the nominations! They all run wonderful book blogs with very different blogging styles, make sure to follow them if you haven’t already.

Oh and I also included the responses to Bani‘s (I told you I would ☺️) questions here as well. She runs a really great writing/poetry blog, so make sure to check her out!

So 99 questions here I go. Feel free to skim or jump to your questions. I’m sorry it’s so long!

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The Liebster Award is a chain award that was created by bloggers, and is a tradition to make new friends in the blogging community.

The Rules – 

• Link back to the person who nominated you.
• Give 11 random facts about yourself. (I’m going to skip this for the sake of length. Plus, my last post of this award didn’t include this rule.)
• Answer 11 questions from your nominator.
• Nominate 11 new and obscure bloggers.
• Come up with 11 questions for them to answer.
• Inform your nominees.

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Honya’s Questions –

1. What inspired you to begin blogging?
I have always admired Michelle (K-pop/politics/miscellaneous posts) and Thomas (books/personal life posts). Both are bloggers that publish quality posts on their versatile blogs that I’ve been following for years. I respect their commitment to blogging, so I guess they’re the inspirations that got me to explore this facet of the internet world.

2. Would you rather read books written in your native language, or do you like reading translated books from other countries?
I seldom read in Vietnamese, and when I do my pace is a tortoise on crutches. And translating Latin isn’t exactly fun for me, so I’d say the former.

3. Favorite author? (You can pick more than one.)
For classics, definitely Steinbeck. As for young adult… in the contemporary genre, Sarah Dessen. It’s a tie between Cassandra Clare and Richelle Mead for ya paranormal. And J.K. Rowling is, of course, on the top for childrens fantasy.

4. What little-known book do you really like? (I love finding obscure but wonderful volumes!)
I find C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy to be great, The Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck is another good one (though that one is sort of popular I think).

5. Conversely, what popular book can you just not bring yourself to enjoy?
Eragon. I never was able to get into it for some reason. Gone Girl is another one I didn’t enjoy.

6. If you were in your own fairy tale, what kind of character would you be?
One that can wield magic or have some sort of superpower.

7. If you could meet any historical figure, who would you most want to meet?
Alan Turing (my latest historical figure obsession).

8. Coffee or tea? Or do you avoid caffeine?
Tea! ^.^

9. Are there any musicians/musical groups that you particularly enjoy?
For American music I love All Time Low, We the Kings, Cute is What We Aim For, Death Cab For Cutie, and the list could go on and on. I also really love K-pop. My ultimate bias group is Exo, but I do enjoy other groups like Beast, Lunafly, SHINee, and Spica.

10. What other forms of art (besides books) do you like?
Mostly music!

11. What are you looking for in other book blogs in the community?
Interaction. I think it’s important for book bloggers to comment, discuss, and fangirl/fanboy over characters/books for this book blogging community to thrive.

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Joey’s Questions –

(um, wow, those are some long questions…)

1. Dazed eyes open to warm rays of light welcoming another day of stories to be experienced. School? Work? Whatever. You pack your bag with the essentials: a Ziploc bag of snacks, the book you’re currently reading, your tech, the book that tops your list of favourites within the past three years, more food, and the book you’d give to your worst enemy. Just because.
I am currently reading Emma (which is taking me over a month to read, just not feeling it), Strange Angels, and The Midwife’s Revolt. My top book from the past 3 years? That’s a hard one, I guess The Glass Castle. And I’d give my enemy 50 Shades of Grey, not that I’ve read it. Maybe it’ll distract my enemy and keep him/her from plotting harm against me. The logic is pretty far fetched, but who knows, it could work.

2. Putting on your favourite kicks, you open the door to see your best fictional friend greeting you with a beverage. It has your name on it. What’s your character name? (You can be an existing protagonist or create your own.)
I would like to be friends with Hermione! And I guess I will just remain as Summer. Or maybe I can be Spring, Winter, or Autumn. Depends on the mood I suppose.

3. Grinning, you step onto your porch and reach for the screen door. As your finger traces the unlocking latch, you notice that you’re staring at a different door and a mat under your nose informing of your welcoming. A click is heard as your hand moves away from the chiming doorbell, the aged wooden door opening to an individual of importance (ideal fictional significant other? perhaps a fictional parent?). You hug the shit out of them.
I never thought of an ideal fictional significant other? I don’t really have one… I guess some reliable and trustworthy character. And I’m not much of a hugger, haha.

4. But the once affectionate embrace now feels cold, distant, and dirty. Your limbs are constricted and bound by something scratching your skin raw. A voice echoes in the dark, hollow room; followed by laughter, the amusement of your futile predicament. Who is this villainous captor (i.e. could be your most hated villain)? As they bring their head closer to yours, your headstrong protagonist-willpower tells you to do what you do best: use your head as a weapon. Quite literally.
Maybe a villain that is a mix of Voldemort and Othello’s Iago.

5. A squint-inducing lingering pain thumps in your skull as battle cries drum to the beat of the men and women marching toward tall, stone walls. Your heart races with excitement and you grip your weapon tighter, first igniting the roaring fire within and then giving hoots to cheer your invading comrades on. What book had a moment that got your heart racing? You grab hold of the battering ram and ramp it up you shall.
For some reason there’s been moments in The Infernal Devices trilogy that I’ve panicked because of fear for the protagonist or just from happiness. I guess that trilogy kind of instigates my fangirl mode.

6. Bang. A destructive boom resonates through the corridors. The castle gates are flooded with enemies. The war is lost; and they are coming. Your shelves are filled with hundreds of books. Of them are texts with secrets of war, of rebellion, of hope in a dimming world—books of true insight to leverage a victory—that you know must be burned immediately. Which book(s) do you destroy? If any.
Hmm. I haven’t found any I loathe quite that much yet. Besides, burning paper makes me cringe.

7. The flames cackle as it dances before you, smoke rising and funneling into the open air. Clear to gray to tar; fumes seeping down deep into your lungs. You begin coughing hoarsely, suffocating from the toxicity. Releasing the door to the battle beyond your chambers or suffocate alone; all options are dreadful. What book was a painful experience to endure; whether it is personally or thematically powerful? Your eyes clamp shut.
Half the Sky is probably one of the most scary books out there just because readers know the content is all nonfiction.

8. When you open them again, they flutter at the torrential rain being doused everywhere, soaking your body as it sways like a clock’s pendulum. “Ship’s bout’ to capsize, Cap’n!” a voice calls. The undulating sea smashes against the starboard and a crate scatters open various books and scriptures. You reach for your favourite book of all time and open to the page with a moment/quote that had changed your perspective. You rip the page out, and find a plastic bag, a Ziploc it tells you, and seal the passage, hoping that the ink doesn’t leak. You bring the clear plastic to your eyes and stare at the words trying to live in the moment once more.
Really, Joey? An all time favorite book is too hard! T_T I like so many! I guess I’ll just pull a quote from my most recent favorite. “One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. “You’d be destroying what makes it special,” she said. “It’s the Joshua tree’s struggle that gives it its beauty.” – Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

9. The ink bleeds everywhere and as you lower the packaged piece of paper and look ahead, you’re now sitting in a room, amongst others, waiting for the moment of no return; of truths, of failures, of self-fulfilling prophecies. A moment passes and then your name is called. What trial, test, prophecy, or situation would you not want to undergo under any circumstances whatsoever? You proceed to the door; a ringing signals the start of your journey.
The fear landscapes in Divergent.

10. Your eyes open and hear the murmurs and static from the television. You tilt your head toward the noise, recognizing that the scene about to play out is one that was adapted; a book-to-film change you didn’t enjoy. What adapted scene is on the screen that you disliked (or thought was poorly executed)?
I’m going to have to steal Justin‘s response to this, I wasn’t a fan of the final battle scene in HP and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 either.

11. With a click of the remote, you silence any reservations. Sitting up, the windows radiating light emits a tone of difference than what you can remember. Approaching the window sill, the expanse beyond stretches increasingly far, where intrigue and uncertainty have become more than unsettling. What world have you woken up into (fictional or realistic) and what are your next steps?
I guess in the realistic world the battle would be waking up in the first place (I’m not much of a morning person).

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Shannon’s Questions – 

1. Name one book that changed your perspective on life, and explain how you changed.
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression to Opportunity for Women Worldwide is definitely an inspirational book that I’d consider changed the way I view life. The book discusses social issues such as gender inequality, sex trafficking, rape, etc. The compilation of stories and how they’re vividly told conveys the urgency of the global problem. It’s definitely an eye-opener. Actually after reading this, me and my classmates started a high school club called, Call to Action, when I was a freshman. Now after graduating high school, it’s become a statewide campaign.

2. Who is your favorite superhero and why?
Batman, because he’s a total badbutt? I don’t know, he just is.

3. What your ideal weather and why?
I love the rain quite a lot because it’s peaceful and perfect nap/reading weather.

4. Name the longest book series you’ve ever read.
Students Across the Seven Seas, they’re actually written by different authors but there’s 14 books. I’ve only read 13 of them though.

5. If you could spend the rest of your life in another, non-native language, country, where would you want to live? Why?
I can’t imagine that happening, but I would like to visit Ireland some day (for no reason really, the people are awesome and I love the culture there). But to actually live there? I guess Australia. Even though I am bilingual, I wouldn’t want to live in Vietnam I don’t think. So, yeah, I think I’d be more comfortable in an English speaking country like Australia.

6. What was the last show you binge watched?
Pinocchio, the Korean drama.

7. Name an author in which you’ve read all of their works (novels, novellas, poetry, etc.).
I have a lot of authors, since I tend to obsess over things/people. Sarah Dessen is one of the many.

8. Who is your hero? Why? (can be anyone from your mom to George Washington.)
My dad, because he’s awesome, kind, and loving. Plus, he’s been a single dad since I was a toddler, and I find that admirable.

9. What are your favorite words of wisdom?
To be honest I don’t have one. However, growing up my dad always said, “Patience and determination are the keys to a successful life.” He may be quoting someone, I don’t know, but I do live by that.

10. If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?
I guess Hermione, since she’s intelligent, well-read, and knows how to kick butt with magic.

11. Why did you start your blog?
It’s just something I’ve always wanted to try out.

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Erika’s Questions – 

1. What is your worst bookish habit?
Does buying books count? I guess it isn’t a terrible habit, but it sure is bad on the wallet.

2. Which fictional character would you have actually dated in high school?
My fictional crush is Jem Carstairs, so I guess him.

3. What is your favorite movie/tv series adaptation of a book?
Harry Potter! 😀

4. What book genre/types of books do you absolutely refuse to read?
Erotica

5. Which author have you read the most book from?
Richelle Mead, I really like her wit and writing 🙂

6. Do you prefer a physical book or e-book? Or both?
Definitely physical, but I’ve started to get accustomed to e-books now. I’ve had my kindle for 3 years, and I have a total of 6 books downloaded on it. I’ll get better, I suppose. XD

7. What book could you not finish and why?
Eragon was too slow for me, maybe I’ll pick it up again one day.

8. What book do you believe is highly overrated?
The latest one is Gone Girl, just because I didn’t like it that much.

9. Who are your least favorite/hated characters and which books are they from?
Hmm, I really hated Valentine Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments series.

10. If you read Young Adult Books what are some of the common tropes in these books that you are tired of seeing?
Love polygons, anything greater than a triangle is usually done terribly and unrealistic.

11. This one is non-book related but I am a huge fan of Disney so I’d like to know who is your favorite Disney princess? (Disney character if you don’t like any Disney princess.)
Belle/Beauty, of course! However, I like Mulan too because she’s tough and brave. And Pocahontas. And my favorite modern day Disney princess is Rapunzel from Tangled. So pretty much all of them (though I wasn’t a fan of Frozen, so I don’t really care for Anna/Elsa)! 😛

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Sam’s Questions –

1. Bookstore or library?
Bookstore!

2. What is the most money you’ve spend on books at once?
Around $70? 😔

3. Is cover art an important factor in which edition of a book you purchase?
Honestly, no. However, I’m pretty judgmental with the covers when it comes to choosing books to read.

4. What genre do you read the least of?
Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers

5. How do you organize your books?
By genre and series! I really want to try a rainbow display, but I don’t think I can bear to break up books in a series.

6. New books or used books?
Definitely new. I can’t stand to buy old or used books (well aside from textbooks, I don’t really have a choice in that matter since they’re ridiculously expensive). But I don’t mind reading old library books though.

7. Favorite picture book?
Little Bo in France or Millions of Cats

8. What do you tend to use as a bookmark?
I actually don’t use them, I tend to just flip around until I find the last page I read.

9. Where do you do most of your reading?
At school, in between classes.

10. Can you listen to music as you read?
I can, but I don’t do that often. I usually only listen to music when I read when there’s a lot of chatter in the background. Sometimes the conversations can be more distracting than music.

11. Favorite book that averages over 500 pages?
I guess the later Harry Potter books!

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Analee’s Questions – 

1. What is your favourite book-to-film adaptation OR what is a book/series you would like to see as a movie?
I already answered the former somewhere above, so I guess I’d love to see The Tiger’s Curse in motion picture. I wonder how they would make a shapeshifting man/tiger look convincing though. Maybe it’s the same effects it takes to make werewolves…

2. if you could jump into any bookish world, where would it be? Why?
Harry Potter, because I want to attend Hogwarts and practice magic!

3. Who is your favourite author and why? (You can name more than one if you want.)
I already answered this above, but here is my pasted answer, so you don’t have to search for it: For classics, definitely Steinbeck. As for young adult… in the contemporary genre, Sarah Dessen. It’s a tie between Cassandra Clare and Richelle Mead for ya paranormal. And J.K. Rowling is, of course, on the top for childrens fantasy.

4. What is your most prized book?
I have no idea why but I treasure my paperback copy of The Truth About Forever, I treat my hardcover pretty brutal though.

5. What character from a book would you like to meet, and why?
Louis Zamperini, because Unbroken was the latest biography I’ve read. And Zamperini was an exceptional and courageous man.

6. What is/are your favourite quote(s)?
I don’t have any, I’m not a big quotes person. I think next week’s Top Ten Tuesday is about quotes actually, and I’m seriously contemplating not participating that week (and that’s really rare for me when it comes to TTT).

7. What quality do you appreciate in a character?
It’s not really a quality I suppose, but I like characters to develop and evolve in a book.

8. What are three books you can’t live without?
Can it be series? HP, The Mortal Instruments, and Pride and Prejudice.

9. What places would you like to visit and why?
I really want to visit Ireland, because it’s beautiful and the people are friendly and good natured (that’s pretty much true everywhere though). I guess I’m also into Irish culture.

10. Who is someone you consider a hero?
I also answered this somewhere above, but here is my pasted answer again: My dad, because he’s awesome, kind, and loving. Plus, he’s been a single dad since I was a toddler, and I find that admirable. 🙂

11. What do you think are your best qualities?
Is this the question that allows me to brag? Hehe. Well I’d say I’m friendly and optimistic.

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Leanna’s Questions – 

1. Of the last three books you read, which would you burn, rewrite, and reread?
I would burn The Midwife’s Revolt, rewrite The Golden Lily, and I guess reread The Indigo Spell. I seriously need to stop being lazy and start writing reviews for these before I forget what ensued.

2. Most used app on your phone?
The music app, I think.

3. What is your favourite song at the moment?
Ooh, that was a smooth transition from the last question (well for me it was). I am in love with Hurt by Exo. The Chinese version (not that I can understand a thing.)

4. Favourite animated work (show or movie)?
Howl’s Moving Castle. Spirited Away and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast are close seconds though.

5. What’s the worst thing about blogging? (Because everything has a catch.)
It is very time consuming for me and takes a lot of effort. Does it take you a long time to make your posts?

6. You are now the protagonist of the last movie you watched. How awesome (or doomed) are you?
You all are going to kill me for watching Divergent before I read the book, I just saw it Friday. (I’m going to start it after I finish one of the books I’m reading now though). I choose Tris.

7. Do you have a lucky charm? What is it?
When I turned 18, I got a Pandora bracelet. I have a lot of charms I got from friends and family, so it means a lot to me and I practically don’t ever take it off. So I guess my lucky charm are literally charms strung on a bracelet.

8. Favourite dessert?
Pecan pie! After all, I am from the South.

9. We all had to read books for school. What is your least and most favourite book you were forced to read?
My least favorite was either Great Expectations, and I loved East of Eden.

10. Favourite fairytale?
Beauty and the Beast!

11. Who is your role model?
Whoa, this question has been popular, I’ve already answered this above and here is my pasted answer: My dad, because he’s awesome, kind, and loving. Plus, he’s been a single dad since I was a toddler, and I find that admirable.

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Poulami’s Questions –

1. How long have you been a reader?
Since 2007, it was when HP and the Deathly Hallows was first released.

2. Suppose you have a wide list of choice, how are you gonna pick which book to read?
By mood mostly. I used to read one book at a time, but that was back when I read books within a day or two. Now with school, I have to start 5 books from different genres to make sure I can pick something up when I’m in the mood for it.

3. Any recent favourite adorkable character?
Haha, I guess Adrian Ivashkov for now since I haven’t read that many books with endearing characters lately. Even he doesn’t fit this question that well, he’s more fictionally hot than adorkable.

4, Where do you like to buy books?
Books a Million, which is my local bookstore. But I do online shop on bookoutlet more often than I like.

5. What is your worst bookish habit?
This was already answered above, and here is the pasted answer: Does buying books count? I guess it isn’t a terrible habit, but it sure is bad on the wallet.

6. Do you wait for the paperback or grab the hardcover?
It depends on the author and how long I’ve been anticipating for the release. If it’s an urgent “ERHMAGAH, I WILL KILL FOR THIS,” it’ll likely be purchased as hardcover.

7. What’s your hobby beside reading?
I like to play the piano, it’s actually my oldest hobby. I’ve been playing since 8, and I’ve only enjoyed reading when I was 11 or 12.

8. Do you watch any tv shows? If yes, what are your favourite ships.
I don’t watch much TV, but when I do, I like Big Bang Theory or Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t have ships since I hardly even watch those two.

9. What gift did you get on your last birthday?
Books galore.

10. Which flavour do you love the most?
Strawberry!

11. What are you passionate about?
Human rights!

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Bani’s Questions – 

1. What do you think of my blog and me? (Contructive criticism will also be accepted graciously!)
I think your blog is great! To be honest, you’re one of the few non-book blogs I follow. I think I only follow 10 of them, so I love your writing. I also think you’re super kind and friendly. 🙂

2. Describe yourself in one word.
This is really hard… why don’t you describe me in one word?? I’m just kidding, I guess “happy”?

3. What is your dream occupation?
I aspire to become a research pharmacist someday.

4. If you were granted one wish right now, what would it be?
I apply this July, so I guess getting into pharmacy school is my biggest goal and wish this year.

5. Which place would you want to visit if you could teleport once?
Do places include the impossible? For me, the center of the Earth!

6. If you could go back in time and meet someone who is no more, who would it be? (Could/could not be someone famous.)
Probably Alan Turing just because I recently saw The Imitation Game.

7. Would you like to change something about yourself? If yes then what would it be?
I would like to be more of a forgiver, I tend to hold grudges in the real life. I’m working on it.

8. Your current and/or all-time favourite song?
Already answered above, it’s Hurt by Exo.

9. Your current and/or all-time favourite book?
This is way too hard of question. My favorite classic is Steinbeck’s East of Eden. The best young adult contemporary is The Truth About Forever. My favorite adult nonfiction is The Glass Castle. And from my favorite genre, ya paranormal/fantasy, I loved HP or City of Glass, which is a part of The Mortal Instruments series.

10. Your current and/or all-time favourite movie?
Both versions of Pride and Prejudice. I like the one with Colin Firth because of Colin Firth (duh) and the accuracy of the movie in comparison to the book (but it is 5-6 hours, so that could be why it is that similar). The 2005 one with Keira Knightley has beautiful scenery and the soundtrack is breathtaking.

11. Your current and/or all-time favourite dish/cuisine?
I love anything with tofu quite a lot, since I’m vegetarian. I’ve only been veggie for 5 years though.

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My Questions –

1. What is the meaning behind your blog name/title (e.g. mine is xingsings)?
2. What inspired you to begin blogging?
3. What are your top three favorite books?
4. What is your favorite movie? (I suppose you can list a couple if it’s difficult to choose.)
5. What time of day is your favorite?
6. What is the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?
7. What are your biggest fears?
8. What are some of your hobbies (other than the ones you discuss and share on your blog, for instance don’t mention reading if you are a book blog)?
9. Do you judge people that mix up “your” and “you’re”?
10. (Like my last Liebster award, I am going to test your creativity and add this —>) There is going to be a zombie unicorn apocalypse. The closest thing to you is your weapon. What is it and how would you use it to defend yourself?
11. And again, 11 questions is throwing me off! So, thank you for participating, and congratulations on being a Liebster nominee! Have a great day! ^.^

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I nominate these wonderful dumplings – 

(like all award posts I do, hover over your link for a message)

• Badgers Love Books Too
• Caviar to the General
• Confessions of a Bibliophile
• Crazy Antics Reviews
• Effective Thoughts
• I Read Therefore I Am
• Pastel Faerie
• The Prattle of Hastings
• Soundtrack of a Photograph
• The Streetlight Reader
• Turn the Page

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Phew! As you guys can tell I color coded this post to make it easier for the bloggers that nominated me to navigate to their questions, since wordpress doesn’t seem to like html coding and I can’t make page jumps. And like in the title states, I think this will be my last Liebster Award post. Thank you all again that nominated me, I am grateful for receiving this award again!

Also, thank you for those of you that read/skimmed this post, I hope your eyes aren’t bleeding now.

And I’ve recently reached 100 followers. The number doesn’t really matter to me all that much, but I feel extremely appreciative for the feedback, interaction, and conversations I’ve had with you all! 🙂 Making new friends is the best! Happy Friday everyone!