Worn Pages and Ink nominated for a Liebster Award!

Thanks to Karen at One More Page… for the nomination for a Liebster Award. Karen and I met through Twitter and our love of books. This is a great way for me to start off my day!

Karen has given me 11 questions to answer so you guys can get to know me a bit better. So, here are my answers:

1. How long have you been blogging? What made you want to start book blogging?

I’ve been blogging for six months now. I’ve tried and failed to start a blog in years past and the reason those attempts failed was because I wasn’t talking about something that I was truly passionate about. I began my blog in my final year at school in a post-graduate program for book publishing. My previous four years of university had taken away the enjoyment of reading. Before I started the blog it’d been ages since I’d really read anything for pleasure. Being immersed in books and book culture in the program inspired me to begin reading for fun. The blog became a way for me to hold myself accountable not only to read the books I wanted, but to write about them and share my thoughts and my opinions with other book bloggers. Writing this blog has sparked a fire in me to read more and more and more!

2. Have you always been a reader or was reading a hobby that developed as you grew up?

I’ve always been a voracious reader. There’s a story floating around my family that when I was just 6, a friend of the family was absolutely shocked one day when she came over to find me reading a novel well beyond what should be my reading level. I’m that kid that went to the library and took out the maximum number of book to read each week and when I ran out of things to read, I would write. It’s always been a passion for me.

3. Do you have any books that you attribute your love of reading to? Are there any titles that were really influential to you?

Definitely when I was younger, the Thoroughbred series and The Babysitters Club series were hugely influential on me and my love of reading. I loved that the series continued on and on. It was something to wait for and to look forward to buying or borrowing the newest book. Because both series are so vast in number, they definitely covered a large number of years in my childhood.

4. What is your favourite part about having a book blog?

The people I’m meeting, no doubt. As an obsessed book lover, all of my closest friends over the years have been enthusiastic readers and book lovers as well. But book blogging has introduced me to a world of book lovers that before, I only used to dream about. It’s wonderful talking to people about the stories we’re reading, going to events were we meet the authors, and just getting to know other people who share the same love. It’s not a love that can be understood by everyone.

5. Do you have a specific way that you organize your bookshelves? If so, what made you choose that system?

Alphabetical, always. I’ve thought about rearranging things according to colour. Have you seen those pictures of rainbow bookshelves floating around on Pinterest? But I’ve decided that I love alphabetical. It makes everything easy to find. But right now, at this transitional time in my life, many of my books, sadly, are imprisoned in boxes, awaiting the day when I finally have a permanent residence where they can be freed and happy on their new shelves. That day will hopefully come to pass soon.

6. What is one thing about you that most of your readers don’t know?

I’m terrible at telling jokes. I’m not usually the funny one in a group, but I love to laugh. I love books that make me laugh.

7. Do you annotate your books or do you like to keep them clean and pristine?

Until university, I’d been a bit of a freak about keeping my books in pristine condition. I didn’t write in them, dog-ear them, highlight them, or even crack the spine. Four years of university as an English Lit major changes things a bit. My university novels and anthologies are, of course, marked up to the point of no return and I love them even more. I’ve come to adore that personal touch hidden like secrets in the pages of books. I’ve switched to buying used books for this fact, because I love to see other peoples thoughts on the stories. I generally stick to dog-earring pages with my favourite passages or underlining in pencil.

8. Does a book’s cover influence whether you pick up the book or not? Have you read any books despite not liking its cover and been surprised by how much you liked the contents?

Most definitely. An intriguing cover draws me right away. It sets the book’s tone from the get go. It’s a crucial element in determining if I even consider picking up a book. I know that I probably should be more open, but I know the types and tones of books that I like, so I seek that out in a cover because the chances that I’ll enjoy the book are much greater if I’m drawn to the cover.

9. Where is your favourite place to read?

I don’t think I can pin it down to one particular place. I read wherever and whenever, as long as I’m reading. If I had to pick one place, I guess I’d say in my room. I have this cozy red chair with a blanket that my grandmother knit me hanging on the back. It sits in a big bay window from which I can see over the tops of the houses, across the city, to the lake. The house faces the south so the sun shines in creating a pillow of warmth where my chair sits, perfectly angled into the light.

10. What upcoming 2014 book are you most excited to read?

All of them! Ha, ha, I don’t know. I’m really open to reading whatever I learn about and whatever comes across my path. I don’t pick out particular books generally. I’ve been reading the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor so at the moment, I’m dying to go pick up a copy of Dreams of Gods and Monsters. I’m also going to start The Enchanted by Rene Denfield this weekend.

11. What book do you wish everyone would read?

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. This book for me, was one of the most moving books I’ve ever read. Still to this day (I read this years ago) it strikes me to the core. I found it an honest and raw portrayal of death, loss, and grief that resonates with me on so many levels. It’s full of beautiful prose and stunning imagery.

 

Thank you again Karen for the nomination! I hope you all enjoy reading my answers as much as I enjoyed writing them! I am going to nominate Christa from More Than Just Magic and Angel from Mermaid Vision Books to win the Liebster Award!

 

Here are my questions:

My questions:

1. How long have you been blogging? What made you want to start book blogging?
2. Have you always been a reader or was reading a hobby that developed as you grew up?
3. Do you have a least favourite book? Why or why not?
4. What is your favourite part about having a book blog?
5. Do you have a specific way that you organize your bookshelves? If so, what made you choose that system?
6. What is one fun fact that you want your followers to know?
7. Do you annotate your books or do you like to keep them clean and pristine?
8. Does a book’s cover influence whether you pick up the book or not? Have you read any books despite not liking its cover and been surprised by how much you liked the contents?
9. Where is your favourite place to read?
10. What upcoming 2014 book are you most excited to read?
11. What advice would you give to aspiring book bloggers?