Book Tags

The Get to Know Me Tag

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Image credit to Freepik 
Thank you very much to Geraldine at Corralling Books for tagging me to do this! I love finding out more about book bloggers, and the person behind the screen (...okay, that sounds a little weird!), so I’m super excited to do this tag!

Vital Stats

Name: Denise
Nicknames: I don’t really have one? Sometimes Stephanie calles me Den, but apart from that, I don’t really have one! You can call me something short for Denise if you want, but it’s not really long enough to contract well, haha :D
Birthday: 27th March
Star Sign: Aries! Quick side note: How do you non-aries people manage when you’re reading any astrology things? Aries is always at the top, so it’s super easy to find. I can just read the top of the post, then carry on scrolling. Does it get really annoying, having to always hunt for your sign? *yelling* HOW DO YOU PEOPLE DO IT?!
Occupation: I’m in high school! I don’t do any jobs, so maybe blogging counts as an occupation...?

Appearance

Hair colour: Light brown! Some people say it’s blonde, but currently I would describe it as light brown. Sometimes when I’m camping, I do get a few blonde streaks from the sun, and I hate them!
Hair length: Super short! It probably now goes to just under my ears, but I’m hoping to get it cut super short again. I used to have really long hair (like down to my waist), but I plaited it, got it cut off, and donated it to charity, to make wigs for young girls with cancer! I like my short cut a lot more, as well as feeling good about donating my hair to a good cause ;)
Eye colour: Light brown, which maybe some gold specks in? Probably more like basic brown, haha
Best feature: Now this one is hard. Are we talking about appearance-wise? Because if so, I think my figure - I’m very tall, and quite slim with (I think!) nice curves. I feel weird saying this, though!
Braces: Nope! I never had, and I don’t think I ever will.
Piercings: I have single ear piercings in each ear, but I hardly ever wear earings. I’d love to get more though - I think when I’m older, I’d love to get more on my ear, and a nose ring! I also think eyebrow piercings look pretty cool ☺
Tattoos: NOT YET. But one day! I really want a tattoo... I don’t know what of though! I’m thinking maybe lyrics on the inside of my arm, or a beautiful floral design covering a thigh. I think tattoos are so beautiful!
Right or left handed: This is super weird, but I’m kind of both? Like, I write and brush my teeth and stuff with my right hand, but I do loads of other stuff with my left hand. I use the computer/mouse with my left hand, eat with a spoon with my left hand, and I’m left footed too!

Firsts

Best friend: I can’t really remember this one, so I think I’ll just say my sister! We’re only 2 years apart in age (she’s younger than me), and we get on really well.
Award: This is a hard one! I did dance for around the first 8 years of my life, and I did loads of exams so probably that. I have a rainbow trophy to prove, too!
Sport: I think dancing or swimming!
Real holiday: When I was really young, I went to Portugal a few times - it was lovely!
Concert: I saw Ed Sheeran on his X World Tour - I had one of the best times of my life! I’m not really a big fan of Ed Sheeran any more, but at the time, I WAS THE BIGGEST FAN EVER. I have 2 t-shirts, all his albums on CD, and 2 posters as well. I was a fan way before he was famous - even before + came out!

Favourites

Film: I don’t really have one! I love Turner and Hooch though... Hooch is the cutest dog, ever!
TV Show: DOCTOR WHO! I’m a proud whovian! However, I didn’t love the most recent series. I found the plot too predictable, and I’m not loving Peter Capaldi as the doctor too. I’m glad Clara’s going though! The first series was definitely the best, and the 9th Doctor is definitely my favourite.
Colour: For ages, I said I didn’t have a favourite colour, but now I think it’s black. (The absence of colour, of course)
Song: Okay, this is the hardest question ever. Am I allowed to pick 50? I think it might be Lie Awake by Creeper (my favourite band, gah, they’re so cool). I have a ‘favourites’ playlist on Spotify, so you can check that out here:
Restaurant: This is a hard one! I don’t have a favourite, but there’s loads of small cafes near me which are lovely ☺
Shop: B&M! If you’re British, you’ll know the greatness of this shop. It’s a HUGE chain shop, where they sell pretty much everything really cheaply. It’s more stuff instead of food, but they sell the cheapest sweets ever! I know I can always find a really great bargain there.
Books: Why, why, WHY are you asking me this, and why do you expect me to be able to answer it?! I have so many: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock; The Perks of Being a Wallflower; and Under My Skin are a few of them. You can check out all of my favourites on my goodreads shelf here.
Shoes: None! I hate wearing shoes, because I have really wide feet. I find most really uncomfortable, so I like to go bare foot around the house. If I have to choose, I’d probably say my slippers! (which I’m wearing as we speak)

Currently...

Feeling: Content! We’ve just taken my dog on a walk in the sun, so now I’m just relaxing with some left-over Easter chocolate ;)
Single or Taken: Single!
Eating: Some Easter chocolate - a chocolate orange aka THE NICEST CHOCOLATE EVER. I feel sorry for everyone who doesn’t have it in their country - I adore this chocolate! :D
Thinking about: How much I hate pop music (the radio is on, and I’ve been hating practically every song that’s been on)
Watching: I’m not watching anything right this minute, but at the moment I’m watching Shadowhunters, which is so good! I know loads of people have been saying they’re hating it, but I’m actually really enjoying it. I’m looking forward to every Wednesday, when there’s a new episode!
Wearing: Leggings, a top, and a hoodie. Not very interesting, but comfy!

Future

Children: Nope. Never. I would not want the responsibility of looking after someone that intensely, and I don’t think I would be able to do it. Pushing soemthing that big out of me would hurt so much too! Also, I hate kids #sorrynotsorry
Marriage: Noo! No way! I do not ever want that level of comitment, and marriage means nothing to me anyway. It doesn’t mean you’ll be together forever, and (imo) is just a waste of money.
Careers: I have no idea. Maybe something to do with music, art, or design? I’d love to do blogging as a career, but I’m not sure if that would be possible. Being a music journalist would be amazing! I’d love to work in publishing as well. Or something to do with space.
Where you want to live: A big city! If it was going to be in the UK, then definitely London because of all the book events. New York or Chicago look amazing too!

Do you believe in...?

God: No. I’ve had the experience of religion, and I don’t think it’s for me. I find it hard to believe, sorry.
Miracles: No (same reason for not believing in God)
Love at first sight: Nope! (I’m starting to sound very cynical here). I think someone can like another person based on first sight, but I don’t think you can fall in love with someone by only seeing them once.
Ghosts: No! I’m really good with stuff like this, in the sense that I can watch/read any horror stuff, and it doesn’t affect me at all afterwards.
Aliens: Hell yeah! The universe is infinite, so do you really believe that there is only one planet - Earth - that has life on? Definitely not! There must be life out there, somewhere!
Soul mates: I’m not sure... I think yeah! I think that some people are made for each other, and naturally get on a lot better. This doesn’t have to be romantically, but I do think that some people just suit each other so well.
Heaven/hell: No. I’m an atheist, so I believe that death is the end.
Kissing on the first date: If both people want to, then why not? I haven’t been on a date, so I can’t speak from experience, but I don’t see why not.
Yourself: This is a really hard one for me, and I’m honestly not sure. There are times when I believe in myself, but at the moment, I honestly don’t know if I do.

I tag...

Book Tags

The Readers Confession Tag

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Thanks to Erin for nominating me for this tag!



1. Have you ever damaged your own book?
I used to crack the spine multiple times in a book, but thankfully I don’t do that any more! I also sat on the corner of Ignite Me, does that count...? Oops.

2. Have you ever damaged a borrowed book?
Nope! I don’t borrow books very often anyway, though when I do, I try to keep the books in perfect condition. I know I would want people to treat my books with the same respect!

3. How long does it take you to read a book?
It really depends on the book - sometimes, if I’m really gripped, I can read a book in a day or two (see Ignite Me or The Art of Being Normal!), but if it’s slow, or really long, it can take me over a week. School also plays a big factor - if I have lots of work to do, it sometimes takes time away from my reading!

4. Books that you haven’t finished?
There’s a lot! I actually never finished Mockingjay or Angelfall, and I had to put down The Maze Runner and The Goldfinch too. I found Will Grayson, Will Grayson unbearable, The Darkest Part of the Forest boring, and Since You’ve Been Gone was not for me.

5. Hyped/popular books that you don’t like?
The first ones that come to mind are The Fault in Our Stars, The Selection, and All the Bright Places. I also didn’t enjoy Red Queen and Eleanor and Park as much as everyone else did.

6. Is there a book that you wouldn’t tell anyone you were reading?
I have to agree with Erin on this one - I certainly wouldn’t admit to reading Fifty Shades of Grey! I wouldn’t mind sharing this on the internet, but I don’t think I would tell anyone that I was reading Anna and the French Kiss. The title is just too cringe worthy!

7. How many books do you own?
98! (and counting!) I didn’t realise I owned so many until I counted for this question!
Some of the prettiest books I own
8. Are you a fast reader or a slow reader?
I think I’m quite a fast reader, but I don’t get through books super quickly because I don’t have much time to read. In the holidays though, there’s no stopping me! :D

9. Do you like to buddy read?
Yes - I love it! I don’t do loads of buddy reading, but I find it so fun. I love discussing ideas and opinions on books, but I find it hard to read the books at the same time as my buddies, haha. 

10. Do you read better in your head or out loud?
In my head! In my head, I read everything eloquently and smoothly; out loud, I stutter, cough, and sometimes even manage to choke on my own spit. I hate reading aloud with a burning passion. 

11. If you were only allowed to own one book, what would it be and why?
Why do you make me answer this?! I think I would either go for Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock because it’s my favourite, and so beautiful, or The Bane Chronicles, because it’s a pretty long book, and never fails to make me smile! Or The Art of Being Normal, because it's one of my favourites, and it's signed and personalised!


My nominees:
Bhavya | Books n' Calm
Mishma and Jillian | Chasing Faerytales
Rachel | Rambling Reads
Geraldine | Corralling Books

Book Tags

I Mustache You Some Questions Tag

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A while ago the lovely Theepika from It's Theepika nominated me to do the I Mustache You Some Questions tag. I’m a sucker for a great pun, so I’m super excited to be nominated for this tag!


Four jobs I would like to have:
1. A zoo-keeper: who wouldn’t want to spend all day with animals?
2. An editor: I love changing people’s work, and I think it would be amazing to be paid to read!
3. A journalist: I like writing and I’d really like to get my opinions out there.
4. A librarian: I love libraries so much and I’d love to help everyone out too.


Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. Turner and Hooch: an absolute classic, and probably my favourite film.
2. My Neighbour Totoro: I love Studio Ghibli and this is on TV so often!
3. Mamma Mia: I have this on DVD and it’s just such a feel-good film (and who doesn’t love musicals?).
4. Harry Potter: I don’t think it’s humanly possible to not have seen all the HP films at least once.



Four books I would recommend:
1. First Year by Rachel E. Carter for a really original fantasy.
2. How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran for some vulgar British humour.
3. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill for a feminist dystopian done right.
4. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli for a super cute, light-hearted romance.



Four places I have visited:
1. Paris, France
2. Tuscany, Italy
3. Edinborough, Scotland
4. Lake District, UK



Four things I don’t eat/drink:
1. Pancakes (they’re just so disgusting)
2. Bananas (again, ew)
3. Milk (it’s so gross)
4. Tea/Coffee/Hot Drinks



Four of my favourite foods:
1. Chips!
2. Cake
3. My Mum’s homemade pasta sauce
4. Curry




Four bands/artists I listen to (I’m changing this one because I don’t watch much TV):
1. Halsey (aka Queen)
2. Twenty One Pilots
3. All Time Low
4. My Chemical Romance


Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Christmas
2. The holidays!
3. Carry On being released
4. Panic! At the Disco’s new album

Four people I tag:
2. Anna @ Enchanted by YA
3. Carrie @ The Book Goddess
4. Shikha, Leah, and Nina @ Book Baristas
Also, if you enjoyed reading this post, consider yourself tagged! Make sure to leave the link below to your posts so I can check out your answers. 


Awards

The Book Fangirling Blog Award

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Thank-you very much to Carrie from The Book Goddess for nominating me. It’s very kind of you! I guess this award suits me pretty well because I always seem to be fangirling over books to anyone near me.

Rules
1) Create a post to accept your award.
2) Add the blog award button into your post and put it on the side of your blog as a widget.
3) Answer the questions I have above.
4) Nominate between 5-10 book bloggers who you think also deserve this award.
5) Come up with your own 5 questions for your nominees.

1. Why did you start blogging?
I just wanted to share my love of books! After having a fan account on Instagram, I saw some people had book blogs, and I decided I wanted to make my own. I thought that even if it wasn’t a success, I could always just shut it down (I’ve had previous experience on blogger so I kind of knew what I was doing). I really enjoyed it, so am still here today!

2. What is your favourite book of 2015 so far and why?
This is a really hard question because I’ve read so many great books in 2015, but I think it has to be Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. The reason I loved it so much was because of the protagonist, Leonard. He was so unusual, yet loveable and I cared about him and his story so much. It was a dark story, yet witty and sarcastic so had me laughing out loud.

3. Have you ever done anything embarrassing while fangirling?
Thankfully I haven’t done anything too embarrassing, but once I was talking to my best-friend about Malec, and I fell off my chair because they were just too cute.

4. What was the book that got you into reading?
According to my parents, I’ve loved reading ever since I could read. Divergent and The Hunger Games (I know, so cliche) introduced me to YA as a genre though.

5. Who are your book boyfriends?
1. Will Herondale - Okay, we can talk about books together. What more needs to be said?
2. Aaron Warner - Inside we all know he’s just a cinnamon bun.
3. Noah Shaw - Don’t even get me started. He’s just too sweet.

My nominees:
1. Theepika @ Just That Girl
2. Aisha @ Inkwell of Words
3. Anna @ Enchanted by YA
4. Haley @ In Paperback Heaven

As always, if you want to do this award, consider yourself nominated by me!