Saturday 29 June 2013

Shifting the Bulk.

Hey everyone! I decided that now is the time to shift a bit more of the Award Bulk (because let me tell you there is a lot to be shifted) so today I will be completing and passing on the Sisterhood of the World award, the Seriously! What A Great Blog! award and a Tag Without A Name! Having mulled it over I think it is in fact some version of the Liebster Award (does anyone else remember when said award used to be 10 questions? Cause now everywhere I see it it's 11) but I'm going to call it the Eleven Things Tag! :)

So, firrrrst up, is the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award! 



I was nominated for this by Abbie, but I cannot find her blog - it seems to have been taken off the web! If you have any information regarding where she's gone - does she still blog? - or about this award - did she nominate you as well all those months ago, and did you conscientiously do it at the time and therefore know what the questions are? - then please tell me! Hopefully I'll be able to answer her questions at a later date, but right now I just have to sit tight and hope someone enlightens me as to the situation.

So, I guess I should just move on the Seriously! What A Great Blog! award; this I was nominated for by Ella and Naana. I won't be doing this again because I have already received it once (for that post, click on the button on my right hand sidebar) and the questions stay the same each time, but thanks all the same girls!

Now, lastly (my, this award post is flying by, isn't it?) the Eleven Things Tag! 

[I did not make and do not own this button]

I was nominated for this by Kat at The World Crafter - thank you ever so awfully much my dear! It has rules, as is the way with awards and tags:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their site.
2. Post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer 11 questions from the person who tagged you.
4. Ask the people you tag 11 questions. 
5. Nominate 11 other blogs.

So, the first one is done and dusted! Now comes the 11 facts...~gulp~

1. Excluding this one I have received 9 Liebster Awards in my time (and another that I've not posted about yet, that's a joy for the future for you!) but this is the first time since the very first one that I've actually done the facts! A scary prospect...
2. I have no problem whatsoever with socks in bed; in winter, I almost always sleep with bedsocks on! It's funny how some people hate the idea so much...
3. I am doing Camp NaNo in July (that is, in two days) and my plot is still Pretty Darned Unclear. SOMEBODY SAVE ME.
4. I have a great fondness for cheese twists.
5. I am 5"2, which as my friends never let me forget is not very tall.
6. I have two dogs, a Lab and a mongrel terrier ^_^
7. I sometimes seriously wonder if I'm completely normal/sane. I know we all say we are, but I do occasionally think about it and think that maybe I do actually have some kind of condition.
8. I have hayfever in summer. WHICH IS HORRIBLE.
9. I get nosebleeds a lot :(
10. Right now, I'm wearing stripy socks with bulldogs on them :D
11. In defiance of the system, I'm not going to give a proper fact here. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.

Now, in accordance with rule number two, I shall answer Kat's eleven questions! Yay! Always the most fun part :)

1. What sort of *real* animal would you enjoy being able to shape shift into? What about a *fantasy* animal?
We-ell...being a bird would be pretty awesome cause, y'know, flying...I'd also love to try be something massive, like a whale or a giraffe or an elephant or a cow (I know cow is scaling down from whale, but hey, they're both bigger than 5"2!). As for fantasy, probably a dragon - then I could fly AND be massive! :D (I don't know why I want to be a really big animal so badly. I just think it would be fun...)

2. How quickly do you form opinions on fictional characters, and is your opinion subject to change if the character reveals an unexpected and hitherto unknown side to his personality?
Quickly. Quickly indeed. And, well, maybe...that's a very subjective question. It entirely depends on the character in question.

3. Given the chance, would you drop everything and fly to Italy, or would you rather have a few weeks to prepare, at least?
Erm...this is a random question! I'm actually going to Portugal in, ooh, two weeks on Thursday! But I would LOVE to go to Italy, probably more than any other country in the world - I mean, come on, everyone, the art galleries, the buildings, the fashion, the FOOD - so I would probably just drop everything, pretty much. Like, if I had the rest of the day to pack etc and my flight was first thing tomorrow, I would be a Very Happy Bunny! Going abroad now would, of course, wreak havoc with my NaNo plans, but Italy. Italy, people.

4. Do you know the difference between alligators and crocodiles?
Crocodiles are African and alligators are South American? Is that right? No. Probably not. I should just stop pretending and admit that no I do not know the difference.

5. Did you answer the above question on your own, or did Google assist you?
Pfft I did it all myself! Not very impressively, I must admit, but at least I retained my integrity!

6. How many books do you think you own?
Ooh...tough one...in the house we have easily over 1000, probably over 2000, maybe even 3000, but actually belonging to ME...100? I don't know. I'm not good at estimating these things!

7. If you had a choice, which would you be more likely to buy in Barnes and Nobles: books, or music, or TV shows?
BOOKS. Silly question!

8. How many TV shows are you catching up on right now?
None. My screen based entertainment comes from the internet! :D

9. Did you always want to be an archer before Hunger Games, The Avengers, and Brave made it "cool" again?
No. No I did not.

10. Who is your favourite actor/actress right now?
Well...I have many. James McAvoy. Anne Hathaway. Meryl Streep. Emily Blunt. Ben Whishaw. But let's face it guys....











Enough already? I THINK NOT.





OH GUYS.

11. If you had to choose between steak, fish, and chicken, which would you choose?
I choose Johnny Depp.

Now then. ~exhales shaky breath~ You guys should probably stop me before I add that many pictures...it's just...I can't...I mean...I mean...~has mild hysterics~ ~composes self~ 11 questions. 11 questions. 11 questions.

1. JOHNNY DE-- I mean, uh, that's not a question! For you, what makes a good question?
2. Are you a writer? If so, what is the longest work you have ever finished? (Don't make me jealous.)
3. Do you get jealous easily?
4. What is one thing you dislike about your personality?
5. What is one thing you like about your looks?
6. Do you like the set-up/layout of your bedroom?
7. As you type this, what would you rather be doing?
8. Fears?
9. What are some words that you only recently learned how to pronounce?
10. Have you ever been in love?
11. Are you disappointed that this 11th question is really no 11th question at all?

And finally, the nominees! In NO parTICular ordeeeerrr.....

1. Kat @ The World Crafter (sending it back where it came from!)
2. Marian @ Accio Wonderland
3. Ruby @ Feed Me Books Now!!!
4. Sophie Louise @ A Day Dreamer's World
5. July @ July A. Emmance
6. Treskie @ Occasional Randomness
7. Seana @ The Totally Insane Writer
8. Althea @ Blue Sky Gazing
9. Cait and Mime @ The Notebook Sisters
10. Naana @ Meet the Girl
11. Amy @ Old Fashioned Girl

Wow, award posts really do take it out of you! I feel like a great athlete having just won the Olympics...OK maybe not...anyway! See you guys on Tuesday - or so we would hope. CAMP NANO, GUYS. THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. Love you,

Friday 28 June 2013

Monthly roundup // BEST BOOK OF JUNE // This Month's Hearts

Hello there blogglings mine! How are we all - all right? Today is the 28th of June, which means that in three days it will be July (and CAMP NANO OH NO WHAT AM I DOING), and that means that it is time for a monthly roundup - links to this month's posts - the best book of June and TM<3s.


Let's get started then, shall we? Monthly roundup!

Blog awards

Book reviews

Fashion Tuesday

Haul posts

Monthly roundup

Recipes

And ALSO, a post on the move to Bloglovin (sneakily included in the same post as the truffles recipe) which if you haven't clocked by now you probably should because GFC is being withdrawn on July 1st (which incidentally brings us back to CAMP NANO WHY WHY WHY). 

To be honest, I think that I've done pretty well this month on the posting front - admittedly, it's not like Back In The Day when I posted every single day, but it's a lot better than other recent months! Now it's time for the best book of June. This is a super-tough choice because I've read some blimming amaaaazing books this month....but I'm going to have to go for....

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff! It is possibly kind of cheating to pick a re-read as best book of the month, but I just couldn't not - it's so fantastic! I won't say too much now - there is a gushing review coming soon - but I will say that I completely agree with Mark Haddon's comment on the front cover there. Completely.

Now for TM<3s, which in case you don't know is a list of good things that have happened/things I've loved this month. 
~ REGINA SPEKTOR. Not only is she stunningly beautiful 

- which is reason enough to love her -
she is insanely talented and just generally fabulous.

This is my current favourite song. It's called Samson and honestly, guys, it's beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.


This song...Summer In The City is its name.

Don't get me wrong, dear, 
in general I'm doing quite fine 
It's just when it's summer in the city, 
and you're so long gone from the city 
I start to miss you, baby, sometimes.

Basically the whole album, Begin to Hope. Watch out or we may elope together.

~ SCHOOL IS OVER. That's right! It's done! Ended! Finis! Summer is HERE! I have progressed from an Ickle Third Year to a Big Bad Fourth Year! I am now in the top half of the school! THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT! (Well, the future is my first ever external exams, but who cares?! Right now, it's the SUMMER HOLIDAYS!)

~ I won several prizes at Prizegiving - not too shoddy, if I do say so myself - and received some absolutely GORGEOUS books. Watch out for them in June: The Best And The Rest. Their covers will make you weep with joy.

~ Yesterday evening, I finally picked up pen and revisited my neglected, dusty novella Gold, and fingers crossed I am on the point of finishing! When I've finished writing this I'm going to go and have a write :D :D

~ I've joined Bloglovin (refer to post mentioned earlier for more details). I don't really know how I feel about this at this point in time but I don't really have much choice so I guess I should welcome the change with open arms! Follow me by clicking here.

~ I have tidied and reorganised my room and my books now have two shelves of their own. Which is good! 

~ I went to the Degree Show at Glasgow School of Art and saw some beautiful work! I also saw some crazy modern art, and some stuff that was downright unimpressive, but such is the way with art exhibitions.

~ Heard Don Carson speak. Pretty amazing.

~ Read some fantastic books - as well as How I Live Now there was Down With Skool by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle, which is hilarious and brilliant, Room by Emma Donoghue - poignant and beautiful - and Battle Lines, the amazing third book in the Department 19 series by Will Hill. They were all sososo good - reviews of most coming soon! (Apologies for overuse of exclamation marks and gushy adjectives. What can you do, eh?)

~ Had some of my artwork presented in school Art Show! There may - may - be pictures at a later point, if you guys would like that is! 

Aaaand that's about it! Hope you lot have had a good June and see you in July! (When CAMP NANO STARTS, WHAT EVEN.) Love you,