The Autumn Book Tag!

At the start of the month, Ashly from Book 'N Go tagged me to do this and I finally found time to do it!

1) What is your favourite thing about Autumn?

I am a very big fan of Halloween, though I don't ever really go out.  Also, I love seeing all the leaves change colours.

2) What books on your shelves remind you of going back to school/ your school days?

Wow, so many could go in this category. Mostly the ones that I read while I was at school, favourites at the time being the Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling), the Saga Of Darren Shan/ the Demonata series (Darren Shan), all books set in Tortall (Tamora Pierce) and the Inkworld series (Cornelia Funke).

3) Find a book on your shelf that has something Autumn related on the cover.

The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss

The book has Autumnal leaves on the Front Cover!









4) What is your favourite Horror/Halloween story?

The Woman In Black - Susan Hill

I seriously love this book. It is short, but absolutely terrifying and having watched the Stage Show twice and the movie multiple times, it had to be on here!






5) What is your favourite Horror film?

The Woman In Black, The Grudge, Mama, Orphan, Let The Right One In etc. are just a few of my favourites. I'm a pretty big Horror fan!

6) Which book release are you most looking forward to this Autumn?

The Slow Regard Of Silent Things - Patrick Rothfuss

I haven't read the second book in this series yet, but I loved 'The Name Of The Wind' so much that I am very excited about this release!







7) Which film release are you most looking forward to this Autumn?

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (Part 1). I don't really count December as part of Autumn like some people do, for me it's Winter! This film is released in November in the UK and I'm so excited!

8) Show three books that you are hoping to read this season.

The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton
Scarlet - Marissa Meyer
A Natural History Of Dragons - Marie Brennan

These are probably the three books I'm looking forward to the most of my Autumn TBR list.

The Reading Tag!

I am so sorry Amy (That Hypermobile Girl) for taking so flipping long to do this! Seriously guys, she tagged me way back in July I think, and I have no real excuses as to why it actually did take me so long. Never mind though, time to get started.

1) Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I don't really no, I like to read in bed. Or on the Sofa. There isn't a special reading area for me, but I have to be comfortable!

2) Bookmarks or random pieces of paper?

Definitely the latter, though I wish I could say that I used Bookmarks more. I have plenty of them, they just never seem to be around when I want to mark a page! I end up grabbing whatever spare bit of paper, post-it note, old train ticket etc. that I can find!

3) Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a certain number of pages/chapter?

Hmmm. I can just stop reading but I don't like to if I can possibly help it. I try to reach the end of a chapter because it feels right. If I'm on the Tube or Train though, I sometimes have to just stop, and I do (even though it really annoys me).

4) Books you're currently reading?

I only like to read one book at a time, so currently, 'Under Fishbone Clouds' by Sam Meekings. After that, I plan to get onto 'Witch Of Salt & Storm' by Kendall Kulper.

5) Do you watch TV or listen to music while reading?

I have been known to do that yes. I find it easier to listen to music as noise doesn't distract me as much as moving images in the corner of my eye.

6) One book at a time or several at once?

Normally, as I said, I read one book at a time. It's easier to focus that way. I have found though, with intimidating, long books, that I might like to break them up a bit with another read.

7) Reading at home or everywhere?

Definitely everywhere. I read at home, on the Tube, the train, at other people's houses, if I'm waiting for something, etc. Anywhere that I can possibly read, I will (without being rude that is).

8) Favourite book?

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

9) Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

I like looking at new books but to be honest, if the spine breaks then I don't get overly upset. I don't like really worn looking books as much though.

10) Do you write in your books?

Nope! Never! The idea is just absurd to me. My teachers used to encourage me to in school copies, but I used post-it notes. I couldn't stand it!

11) Do you eat or drink while reading?

Yeah, all the time. I'm quite a messy eater too, but I try to be careful around the books. I'd hate to get them grubby!

12) Reading loudly or silently in your head?

I always read silently in my head, unless I'm reading for analysis (like I used to in English). Then I read aloud to make sure I don't skim anything.

13) Do you ever read ahead or skip pages?

I used to be one of those awful people that reads the last page to see of my favourite characters were still alive. Those days are over now, I don't like to do that!

My Tags:
Valerie from Innocent Smiley Reviews
Chrissi from Chrissi Reads
Mel from The Daily Prophecy
Julia from Books, Babies and Boredom

The British Tag!

Today is turning out to be somewhat of a slow day, so I thought I'd break it up a bit by catching up on some tags. I was actually tagged in this one about a month ago by Amy at That Hypermobile Girl and it looked like a lot of fun. I've only found myself with free time recently, so here I go!

1) How many cups of tea do you drink in the day? And how many sugars?

I love tea, for me it is the drink of the Gods. My tea drinking habits vary. I like one in the morning and one in the evening, and if I'm home, one at some point during the day (normally afternoon). I've been known to drink 5 cups in one day if given the opportunity, but I have to have at least one. As for sugars, my ideal mix is one sugar and one sweetener with a generous amount of milk. I'm looking back at this paragraph and realising I've managed to write a paragraph about tea. I think I need professional help.

2) Favourite part of your roast?

Okay this is going to be difficult. For me, a roast is not right without gravy. The more, the better. Therefore it would probably be that, but I love the potatoes and Yorkshire puddings too!

3) Favourite dunking biscuit?

Hands down bourbons. I'm not too fussy though, I like chocolate digestives, cookies, malted milks, rich teas, etc. As long as it's a biscuit I'll probably dunk and enjoy.

4) Favourite quintessentially British past-time?

I would say probably going to the Theatre, especially if it's to watch Shakespeare. Is that quintessentially British enough?

5) Favourite word?

Tricky, but probably 'Shenanigans'. It just makes me smile every time I hear it, I have no idea why. It's why I have it as one of my weekly posts!

6) What would your pub be called?

I have absolutely no idea! Probably 'The Southern Star' because it's a play on the Northern Star, my surname is Southern and I like stars!

7) Cockney rhyming slang?

Oh I know a few of these but not many. Apple and Pears is Stairs, Dog and Bone is phone, and one of my favourites is saying "I'm absolutely Frank Marvin'" which is the same as saying I'm starving! Also, a Cup of Rosie Lee is Tea which is very British!

8) Number one British Person?

Oh now this is tough. I'll immediately discount all politicians. The Royal Family, as patriotic as I am, are not exactly top of my list either. I'm a huge fan of a lot of British Actors and Actresses, and a lot of people will probably expect me to put Tom Hiddleston here. However, I have always said that Stephen Fry is just the very definition of British for me, and I absolutely adore him. He wins hands down.

9) Favourite shop/restaurant?

I actually did a post on my favourite restaurant yesterday, in which I wrote about a lovely Indian Restaurant called 'Little Raj' in my home town. As for shops, I love walking into little stores but I don't particularly have one that I visit often. It would probably be Waterstones, because of all the books!

10) One British Pop Song that pops into your head?

Space Oddity - David Bowie.

11) Marmite?

Keep that vile stuff away from me.

My Tags:
Joy from Joy's Book Blog
Vicky from Books, Biscuits And Tea
Zara from Page 394
Saira from Growing Wings

Daily Shenanigans, 15/05/2014: 'Godzilla'.

I've had quite a busy day today but I'll try to keep this fairly brief as I'm knackered! I started off the day writing my 'Life Of A Blogger' post and drafting the answers to my 'Book Blogger Test' questions (I had to wait to get the picture, which is why the post ended up going up so late). Imogen, the friend that was coming over today, arrived not long after and I spent a lovely few hours with her talking about my Multimedia Project as well as catching up and playing games. It was a lot of fun and really good to see her again after such a long time! After Imogen had gone, Mat came over with the car and we made our way to the cinema to watch 'Godzilla' this evening!

I'll write a little something about the film. I wasn't expecting it to be all that good, but as far as remakes go, I was pretty taken aback by how much I actually enjoyed it. They made Godzilla look pretty cool, the use of Modern CGI effects for this one were well placed and I really like his new look. I also really liked the story-line as well. I watched the original film a very long time ago and don't remember much about it but I would be interested to see how the two compared. This felt very modern and pretty realistic, though I wasn't totally blown away and something about the end reaction felt a little off to me. I did enjoy the focus on other things, namely family, in this one. It turned the film into something more than just a disaster film. Also, Alexandre Desplat's score was gorgeous. Some really nice moments in there!

All in all, I've had a nice, relaxing day! Tomorrow I'm back to Uni to work on my Project a bit more (it's my final Uni assignment) and I'll get some more reading done. Whew!

The Book Blogger Test!

It has taken me such a long time to get round to doing these questions after Val from Innocent Smiley Reviews tagged me, but they're finally here! The rules of the Book Blogger Test are simple, answer the questions then tag five people! It was a bit of fun and I hope you enjoy reading.

1) What are your top three book pet hates?
- Okay to start with I cannot stand when characters make stupid decisions or have opinions that don't make sense. I know as a reader I'm granted a bit of hindsight that they don't have in most cases, but even when it's blindingly obvious that it is the wrong decision to make or opinion to have, they still do it! It drives me mental!

- When facts are wrong or not well researched. I find myself getting so mad when an author has not done their research properly and gets something really wrong. Context, be it of the author's invention or factual, is key for me when reading. If it's wrong, it can often ruin the book. Luckily I haven't encountered this too much!

- Endings that don't tie up loose ends properly. Even in a series I still expect a certain amount of finality to a book, but this one particularly applies to standalone novels. If they start well, really build up to something then just leave me with more questions at the end you will find me a very frustrated reader indeed.

2) Describe your perfect reading spot.
Sat in my bed actually. It's not particularly original or exciting but I love being propped up by cushions, snuggled in a duvet and absorbed in a book. Perfection.

3) Tell us three book confessions.
- Okay so this is going to be hard. A lot of people like to grant themselves the ability to put a book down if they hate it so much they can't finish. I cannot do that. Partly because I like to give it a fair chance but partly because I can't stand the thought of an unfinished book.

-  I do a tiny bit of judging books by their covers. And by 'a tiny bit' I mean a lot. If a book looks poorly covered or it doesn't look nice I tend to not even pick it up, even if the blurb or synopsis look interesting. I have a bit of an obsession with having books in a series have similar covers too and I have even avoided absolute bargains in the past because the cover isn't right.

- Like Val, I often base my opinions of a book on a gut feeling and rate them quite early on. Once I have a star rating in my head, it takes a lot to shift it! It doesn't normally move more than a star either way as well.

4)When was the last time you cried during a book?
Without a doubt, 'The Fault In Our Stars'. I bawled my eyes out at that one!

5)How many books are on your bedside table?
Strangely enough, none! I normally crowd my bedside table with them but I've recently cleared it off. A lot of my current and upcoming reads are on the Kindle too so that contributes to it. I have a lot scattered around my room though!

6)What is your favourite snack while reading?
Hands down, tea and biscuits is the superior reading accompaniment in my opinion. I could eat and drink them for a long, long time. I do enjoy eating chocolate while reading too.

7) Name three books you recommend to everyone?

• The Book Thief; Markus Zusak
• The Invention Of Wings; Sue Monk Kidd
• Pride & Prejudice; Jane Austen

8) Show us a picture of your favourite bookshelf on your bookcase.

I really don't want to show this because it's a mess and I don't really have a favourite shelf! But I do have a pretty neat bookshelf which is actually an old looking cupboard that belonged to my Grandmother. I really love it so you can have a picture of that instead!

9) Describe how much books mean to you in just three words.

In three words? That is ridiculous!

I love them.

I'm ashamed that this is the best I could come up with.

10) What is your biggest reading secret?

Reading secret? I have no idea! I let it take over my life sometimes, I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do! I might have to seek help soon...

Tags

Myra at I'm Loving Books

Chrissi at Chrissi Reads

Bev at Tutus And Ballet Shoes

Lois at You, Me And A Cup Of Tea

Ashly at Book 'n' Go

Hope you enjoyed this post and finding out a little more about me!