Almost one year ago, or what more accurately feels like a lifetime now, Dedra @ A Book Wanderer tagged me for The Mystery Blogger Award! To say that I’m “behind” on tags/awards would be a slight understatement but better late than never, right? Thanks for the nomination, Dedra! ❤️ If you’re not already following her blog, please do go check it out! Dedra has some really great content and I especially love she always makes great playlists and great song connections to books! Super fun 😍

So, what’s the Mystery BlogGER award?

The Mystery Blogger Award is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; they do it with so much love and passion. The award was created by Okoto!

some rules…

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

3 things about me…

I USED TO BE QUITE THE SHOPAHOLIC…

So… I used to rely on retail therapy for a lot and that meant that I would frequently go on major shopping binges when I was younger. This only worsened when online retailers started popping up and made it that much easier to spend money without having to do more than lift a finger. It got pretty bad! Let’s just say that I’m now a totally different person and no longer shop much–although I have to admit that I still get carried away with book buying 😂

I HAVE A DECENT EAR FOR LANGAUGES & ACCENTS

Maybe it’s because I grew up internationally and from a very young age have had friends from all over the world. Whatever it is, I’ve become pretty good at detecting languages people speak and also differentiating accents. This is something I always thought everyone could do easily and I still get surprised when people can’t 😅 But it’s fun! I love being able to tell what tourist is from where, even when I’m a tourist myself!

I WENT TO BOARDING SCHOOL IN AUSTRALIA

I went to boarding school out in the middle-of-nowhere Victoria when I was in high school. It’s always funny when I see stories set in boarding schools because they’re always so full of wicked things and the reality, while exciting at times, was so very far from those sordid tales. 😂 I had some pretty great times in boarding school!

DEDRA’S questions:

WHAT’S THE BEST READING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE EVER HAD?

The first instance that comes to mind is when I picked up Persuasion in 2012. I’d just moved to the UK to start my Masters and I was going through a pretty rough time in my personal life. I honestly can’t even remember how I got the book or when or even why I decided to pick that one up specifically but… It was just the perfect timing. You know when you read something and everything just… CLICKS? And it feels like the book was written for you and that it’s speaking to that instant in your life? Just me? Well, that’s what happened when I read Persuasion. It made me feel hopeful when I needed it and that’s why it became one of my favourite books of all-time 😊

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WHERE WOULD BE YOUR FAVOURITE DESTINATION-REAL OR IMAGINED?

One real-life destination that I haven’t been to yet but I have a feeling I’ll fall madly in love with New Zealand. Just picturing the beauty of the surroundings–the wide open spaces, the lakes, the valleys, the mountains, the lush greenery… The CLEAN FRESH AIR. 😂 Yeah, I can definitely see it becoming a favourite destination! A favourite imagined world is Nevermoor–I keep coming back to that world because it’s so whimsical and magical! 😍

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DO YOU FOLLOW A TBR OR ARE YOU A MOOD READER? AND WHY?

Most people who follow my blog know by now that I am 1000% a mood reader! I know nothing about that TBR life 🤣 I make “possibility piles” but even those very loose possibilities don’t have much of a chance to be read unless my mood calls for it. My moods can be quite fickle and when I read something that I’m not sure I’m in the right headspace for it simply ruins the book for me and that’s defo not fair on the book/author! 😂

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WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF BLOG POST TO CREATE?

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I love me a good weekly meme and 90% of the content on my blog is basically that. Sometimes it can get tiring when I don’t feel inspired by a particular topic, but I usually have a lot of fun looking through my Goodreads TBR and rediscovering books that I forgot or revisiting my love for some of my all time faves! I think my favourite weekly meme would probably be Top Ten Tuesday (it was the first one I ever did)! But another weekly meme that I’m enjoying and that pushes me out of my comfort zone is the Let’s Talk Bookish discussion post meme!

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WHAT’S A BOOK YOU DIDN’T LIKE THAT EVERYONE ELSE LOVED OR A BOOK THAT YOU LOVED AND EVERYONE ELSE HATED?

Well, this is kind of easy. While I didn’t hate the book, one book that I didn’t enjoy half as much as everyone else seemed to love was The Night Circus (don’t come for me, please). In all honesty, I was a bit bored and though it was beautifully written I just never connected to the characters or story! 🙈 A book that I ended up really loving (and with a love that grew over time lol) is Normal People and though not everyone else hated it, I know a lot of people really really didn’t like that book! 😂

my five questions

1. What’s one of your favourite songs of all time?
2. What was the last book you read and if you’d recommend it, why should people read it?
3. Who’s an author you recently discovered and feel like everyone should also read ASAP?
4. What dish or cuisine could you eat for the rest of your life and never get sick of?
5. What type of post is always a struggle to write?

I’M TAGGING:

If tags and awards are not your thing, please feel free to ignore this! Don’t forget to link back so I can see your answers too 😍

Mandy | Elnade | Nadine | Etta | Alexis