The Mystery Blogger Award

This week Rae is taking a break so there’s no This or That question for me to answer so I thought it was the perfect time to post one of the tags I’ve been meaning to get around to. Today I’m starting with The Mystery Blogger Award that Bex at My Shelf and Myself nominated me for – Thanks Bex! You can find her post here. Okoto Enigma created the award.

RULES:

• • Put the award logo/image on your blog.
  • List the rules.
  • Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog!
  • Mention the creator of the award and provide a link to their blog as well.
  • Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
  • You have to nominate 5-10 people.
  • Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify).
  • Share your link to your best post(s)

3 Things About Me

1. My paternal grandparents migrated from Barbados to London in the late 1950’s / early 60’s. I’m lucky enough to have visited the island 3 times and absolutely adore it, the scenery, the weather, the people, the beaches! 6 weeks out of my life is so not long enough to have spent there, though I appreciate that’s more than many others manage. I really must start saving up for another holiday. The logical part of me totally understands their reasons for moving but at the same time I wonder why on earth you would leave paradise for the UK – but hey I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t so I guess I should be grateful.
2. I live almost 500 miles away from my parents. I guess for those of you in the US and places that doesn’t necessarily seem like that huge a distance, but here in the UK it’s pretty close to being completely at the opposite end of the country – I grew up in the South West on the coast near Exeter – at 20 I left home to go to Dundee for university and never really went home, I spent 18 months working just outside London before moving back north of the border to work in Edinburgh and live in the beautiful Kingdom of Fife.
3. I work in procurement, which on paper sounds a little dull, but I get to help health boards in Scotland buy some really interesting pieces of equipment from ultrasound scanners to MRI scanners. It’s great because no two days are ever the same and I get to meet some wonderful people who work in our hospitals.
   

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Bex’s Questions

1. What’s the prettiest book you own? I’m a bit of a sucker for pretty books, I think my prettiest books are probably the two cloth bound penguin classics I picked up in the bookshop at the New York Public Library in Manhattan – The Secret Garden and The Little Princess.
2. What’s your most embarrassing bookish secret? Probably the number of classics I still haven’t read – The Lord of the Rings, Nineteen-Eighty Four, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Just a few of them I’m still to read – I should also admit that I have no actual wish to read The Lord of the Rings I just don’t get the hype (which is probably embarrassing bookish secret number 2)
3. What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d had when you started blogging? I made a conscious decision that I was doing it for me and not to get too caught up in things like stats so I guess for me it’s something kinda minor like – When you discover NetGalley don’t get carried away requesting books assuming you won’t get them – you’ll be approved for more than you think and spend the next 6 months catching up to bring your ratio back up
4. Would you rather read only three star books for the rest of your life, or have to reread the same five star book (based on your own star rating system)? I think I’d probably have to read 3 star books. For me 3 stars means I liked it – 5 star means I absolutely loved it but I’m not sure I could spend the next 70 something years reading the same book over and over – Even if I just like the 3 stars books at least it’s some variety!
5. Random: What would you call your autobiography? Oh this requires creativity – and at half 8 on a Monday evening I’m struggling. Maybe something like G&T and Me although I just found an old Playbuzz quiz and apparently it should be Are We There Yet?
   

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Some of my favourite posts

Sharing Your Love Of Books – A discussion post I wrote at the beginning of April – I really loved doing the Whomping Willow as I mentioned. If anyone fancies doing something similar (probably UK based to be realistic) let me know!

Spotlight On Harry Potter – This was a post I did, not concentrating so much on reviewing the books, but why they were important to me. I’m planning a couple more over the next couple of months.

This or That – Book Subscription Boxes – Rae asked a question about book subscription boxes and I looked into some different boxes available – I still need to order one!

My Guilty Pleasures – Not book related but something I saw on another blog and Claire was happy to do my own version.

Keeping My TBR In Check – Another discussion post, I like this one because it prompted me to get my own TBR in check and I’m always up for hearing how other people organise theirs!

The Book Blogger Award Nominations – I liked this post because it was a chance to share what I love about some wonderful blogs. I think the whole idea has been wonderful and it’s been great to see the love in the community! Also I discovered some great blogs from other people’s nominations

My Questions

1. What made you start blogging?
2. What’s the first book you remember reading by yourself?
3. If you could only ever recommend a single book what would it be?
4. If you were to write your own book what genre would it be?
5. Random Question – Pineapple on pizza – yay or nay?

I’m not going to nominate anybody because I suspect most people have already been nominated! If you’d like to do it consider yourself nominated! If you’d just feel like answering my questions please do so in the comments!

Thanks again for the nomination Bex!