The Outstanding Blogger Award

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Spooky season is upon us, and I am starting to think this blog might actually be haunted. You may have noticed that I’m using a different font right now, but guys: It wasn’t me who changed it! I woke up this morning, and this was the way it was. I swear I did nothing! And the worst part is, I can’t change it back, because I don’t remember what my old font was called and none of the available options look like it 🙈

I’m trying to reconcile myself with the idea that this new font isn’t too bad, either, but I just don’t know… So feel free to let me know your opinions! Has anything like this has ever happened to you? Do I need to be worried that a ghost has taken over?

ghost GIF

Anyway, Maisy over at Hawthorn Book Reviews nominated me for The Outstanding Blogger Award forever ago (I’m serious. She has since written Round 2 of this post, and I haven’t even managed to do the first one 😅), so I thought finally answering her questions might be the therapeutic writing experience I need to stomach my shock at my mysteriously changing blog looks. Thank you so much for tagging me, Maisy! I’m sorry it took me a while to get to your questions, but, as you guys know, I’m notorious for being behind on tags 😉 It’s nothing personal!

So without further ado, let’s get into it!

The Rules

  • Link to the creator’s original award post.
  • Answer the questions provided.
  • Create 7 unique questions.
  • Nominate 10 other bloggers. Neither the award’s creator nor the blogger that nominated you can be nominated.
  • At the end of 2020, every blog that ping-backs the creator’s original post will be entered to win the 2020 Outstanding Blogger Award!

Maisy’s Questions

1. What is the first book that made you cry?

I don’t remember. My parents pretty much started reading to me the second I was born, so I am fairly positive that I must have cried during a whole bunch of books. After all, infants do tend to wail a lot, and although my mom swears I was a rather well-behaved baby, I don’t think I was completely abnormal, either…

However, the first book I actively remember making me cry was this children’s songbook we had when I was around three. I couldn’t find it anywhere, but I vividly recall it having this section of fall songs where there was a picture of kids eating berries. At the time, however, I did not understand that the red stuff they were covered in was juice and became convinced that these children were bleeding to death. Plus, one of the kids had this enormous, leering smile, so I was positive that he must have bitten or stabbed all the others. Don’t ask. Apparently, I already had a very vivid and gruesome imagination as a toddler. Anyway, my parents could not even open that page without me bursting into tears, and since I wasn’t exactly great at expressing myself back then, they were utterly puzzled because I usually loved to sing…

2. Have you heard of ASMR? If so, do you like it or not, and why?

Yes, I’ve heard of it, but I am about as ASMR-indifferent as it gets. I just don’t see the point of listening to random sounds when I could also be watching videos that teach me something interesting and worthwhile! [Says the hypocrite who loves to watch hours of completely non-educational decluttering videos on YouTube 😁]

3. What motivates you to keep writing (whether that be for your blog or WIPs)?

When it comes to blogging, it actually isn’t too hard to stay consistent. I decided I would stick to a Friday posting schedule, so that’s what I do – with a couple of extra posts like this one every now and then. Once I decide to commit to something, it’s usually not that hard to keep going. Plus, I love interacting with you guys, and writing consistently is probably the easiest way to do that!

As to my own works in progress, that’s an entirely different story. When I write fiction, I need huge chunks of time to actually immerse myself in my world, and then I can keep going for hours. The thing is, though, you don’t exactly have unlimited hours of time as a university student… Which is why my writing tends to be very sporadic. However, writing stories is what I love to do most, so it tends to be the time constraints and the crippling self-doubt that get in the way, not lack of motivation.

Also, to make sure that I write consistently, even when I don’t have the time to focus on a novel, I’ve found that short stories are a great alternative! They’re so much fun, I can experiment way more, and then afterwards I can reuse them as blog posts. They may not be popular, but they’re still my favorite things on here 😊

4. Do you prefer rainy or sunny days?

the new adventures of gilligan rain GIF by Warner Archive

If I want to spend the day outdoors, definitely sunny ones! But curling up with a book and a mug of tea when it’s raining outside also has its merits. I love the sound of raindrops pattering against the roof and watching the sky weep torrents while I’m snuggly warm inside. And I adore a good thunderstorm!

5. Name three things that you like to collect!

#1 Books, obviously. I need my constant source of reading material! And while libraries are great, I don’t think they’d let me check out my favorites for years at a time so I can reread them over and over again.

#2 Shells. I used to live half an hour away from the Gulf of Mexico, and it was an absolute dream! There’s probably nothing I miss more about living in Florida than its beaches… However, while other people going there might have been more interested in swimming, I would comb the sand for hours, looking for discarded shells. They’re so beautiful! Unfortunately, though, Bavaria doesn’t really have that much to offer when it comes to seashells, so that hobby is usually on hold. Though I do still like to collect shells whenever I get the chance. In fact, I may or may not have had a very close call with a customs agent while trying to smuggle a (very smelly) bag of seashells into the country after coming home from studying abroad. Oops… Let’s just say it pays off to travel on Christmas; people tend to be much nicer to you.

#3 Stamps. My mom collected postage stamps when she was young, and when I was around five, she gave her old albums to my brother and me. Since then, I’ve kept collecting, snagging the envelopes of whatever mail makes it into the house and removing the stamps. Which is actually pretty cool, since we get way more international post than you would expect, and I find it fascinating to see how different countries design their stamps! Plus, when I was around thirteen, I took my stamp albums to my violin lesson so I could rearrange them while I was waiting for the person before me to finish, and ever since then, my violin teacher has also been bringing me new stamps to every lesson. And since he’s from Japan, I have a lot of really cool Japanese stamps now. Honestly, he’s the sweetest!

6. Have you taken up any new hobbies in the past six months?

No, not really. I spent pretty much all of those six months studying for the most important exam of my life, so that kind of put a damper on hobby acquisition 😅

7. If you could design your own candle and perfume scent, what would you choose?

I’m actually not the biggest fan of scented candles – I don’t know how to describe it, but so many of those scents just smell really “fake” to me, and I feel myself getting lightheaded if I breathe them in for too long. However, I absolutely LOVE the scent of bee’s wax. So if I had to design a candle, it would definitely be made from that.

25697806. sy475

As for perfume, do NOT let me design any. I’m serious. I am utterly clueless. In fact, when I was in 9th grade and we were reading Patrick Süskind’s Perfume in German class, my teacher had the brilliant idea of letting us brew our own perfumes during one of her lessons. Let’s just say she probably shouldn’t have announced that she would try them out beforehand… But even if she hadn’t, I’m sure no one in their right mind would put on anything I designed. I have no idea what goes well together, and what scents you can actually realistically create. I’ll leave that up to the experts.

Anyway, that was it for this tag! I hope you learned a little more about me, and feel free to let me know your own answers to some of these down below!

And to spread the blogosphere appreciation, I nominate the following people to also receive this award (I’ve linked to a post of theirs I enjoyed recently – even if I don’t always have the time to leave a comment and have been a bit absent due to exams recently, I hope you guys know I really love your content!):

No pressure, though! If you don’t want to do this or tags and awards just aren’t your thing, I definitely won’t be mad!

My Questions

  1. You get tasked with creating a required reading list for your country’s national curriculum. Which book would you add first, and why?
  2. What do you most look forward to doing when the pandemic is over?
  3. If you desperately needed warmth and only had books on hand, which one would you sacrifice to light a fire?
  4. Which really cool skill would you love to master one day?
  5. Name a book you haven’t read yet but are really excited for!
  6. If you could travel back to one point in time, when and where would you go?
  7. What’s an interesting fact about you that many of your followers probably don’t know?

And that’s it for today! Let me know which of my answers surprised you, and which questions you would have answered differently!

I’ll see you on Friday with my regular post!

45 thoughts on “The Outstanding Blogger Award”

  1. Maisy says:
    Reply

    Thanks so much for answering my questions 🤗🤗 I wish I had your motivation when it comes to writing 😂 The font on my blog changed too! We can wallow in the pain together ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Riddhi B. says:
    Reply

    Thank you so much for nominating me Naemi!! It really means a lot. Also, loved your answers and your questions! Cannot wait to do my post!! Also, since you are probably going to reach 200 followers in a couple of days, congratulations on hitting the milestone!!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Abby @ Beyond the Read says:
    Reply

    I love this post Naemi!!! The shell incident with the customs officer (agent?) made me laugh 😂 And I agree about rainy days — there’s nothing like snuggling up with a book while the wind howls outside. Also I love your questions so I’m going to have to stalk the blogs you nominated to see what other people come up with 😆

    By the way this font looks really good as well!! Amazing post as always Naemi 😄

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      I’m so glad you liked the post and that that made you laugh 😊 Though, honestly, at the time, I was scared they might put me in jail or something 😅 Luckily, I got off with a warning that technically, you’re not supposed to import organic material 😁

      And it’s nice to hear you approve of the font – it’s slowly growing on me, too 😉 Apparently, WordPress decided I needed some revamping done 😂

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Anonymous says:
    Reply

    I love when you answer questions like these!! It’s always so fun to read your answers ☺️

    I don’t really get ASMR either, but I know some people that are really into it 🤷‍♀️ Also, I think it’s so interesting that you collect stamps! I’m aware that many people do that, but for me it’s kind of unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stamp in real life. We don’t really use mail where I’m from 😬

    Congratulations on your nomination!! You definitely deserve it 😉 And also congrats on almost reaching 200 followers 🥳!

    Liked by 1 person

      • abookowlscorner says:
        Reply

        No, I couldn’t 😅 – I was about to ask who wrote this nice comment so I could properly thank them, so thanks for clearing that up 😂 But between that and the changing fonts, I guess you’re not the only one who has weird tech stuff going on 😉

        And yeah, Germany is kind of unique concerning mail, I guess. That and cash – most other countries around us have transitioned to email and credit cards, but I guess we still like doing it the old-fashioned way. But since I love getting more stamps, I can’t complain 😁

        And thank you!! That means so much 😊❤

        Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      You’re very welcome!! And yeah, it’s a fun hobby that really doesn’t require much effort 😁 I know some stamp collectors are quite serious about it and also go hunting for specific stamps, but I don’t do that. I’ll just take whatever comes my way! Which makes it even nicer that my teacher never fails to bring me some 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Nefeli says:
    Reply

    That story about the children’s book making you cry has to be one of the funniest stories I heard recently, thank you for sharing it!! I wish I could write consistently too but I’m a perfectionist who can’t commit to simple tasks :). I’ve been quite consistent with blogging, though, so I guess that’s progress. Also, shells are great to collect. They’re so beautiful!! My mom and I always collect pretty shells and rocks when we go to the beach.

    I loved reading your post, Naemi and the new font looks really nice, albeit a bit tiny for my poor eyes.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      I’m glad you thought my weird childhood thoughts were amusing rather than disturbing 😂

      And trust me – I feel you on the perfectionism! That’s why I usually only post once a week. I’d much rather write a long, thoroughly edited and hopefully engaging post than a short, mediocre one 😅 For my other writing, it’s not as bad, because I actually love editing a lot. So I don’t care how bad it is at first; after all, no one gets to see it until I say it’s ready (so realistically, with my expectations, never 😁).

      And I’m so jealous you have beaches near you! I’ve never been to Greece, but all those pictures I’ve seen of the coastline look absolutely stunning 😍

      And I’m glad people seem to agree the font isn’t as bad as I think! I’ll have to experiment and see if I can make it a little bigger, though 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      • Nefeli says:
        Reply

        I need to adopt that mindset of yours when it comes to writing! And yes, this country might be a mess, but we have beautiful scenery to balance it out 😉. I hope you get to visit one day, there are so many shells in the sand!

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Strawberrys Corner says:
    Reply

    Thank you so much for the nomination! I will be doing this tag, I love it and the questions you gave are pretty amazing! I do have one question though, do the books for the curriculum have to be written by people from my country or just any book?

    I did notice your font was different and while it was strange to see that before I read the reason then it became funny :p it’s a good font!

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      You’re welcome! I look forward to reading your answers! 😊

      Feel free to choose any book you want! After all, it’s good for school children to get a global education, right? Just pick one that you think they’d benefit from reading, no matter what country it’s from 😉

      And I’m glad people apparently approve of the font. As much as I hated it at first, it’s slowly growing on me 😂

      Liked by 1 person

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  16. ahaana @ Windows to Worlds says:
    Reply

    ahh! i’m sorry this comment is so late, but, omg omg awww!! before saying anything else, how cute were you as a baby?! congratulations on your nomination, and thank you so much for nominating me 🥰 it means a ton! i loved reading your answers – when i was tiny i was obsessed with collecting shells whenever we went to a beach, so now i have bags and bags of shells in weird places of my home!! the font isnt too bad either – it actually looks good with the whole aesthetic of your blog! have a good day ❤❤

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Don’t worry about being slightly late – I’m way worse, trust me 😂😂😂 So I completely understand 😉
      And I’m glad you think I was cute back then – unfortunately, I have since outgrown that… 😂
      But yay, a fellow shell collector!! 🙌 I have shells in completely random places, too, so I totally get what you mean!
      Thanks for stopping by, and I can’t wait to read what answers you come up with!! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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  18. Malka @ Paper Procrastinators says:
    Reply

    I just wanted to thank you for the tag again! I know you’ve already seen our answers, but we really had so much fun answering the questions you provided!
    I also loved reading through your answers! I think it’s so interesting that you remember that book scaring you when you were younger. To me your reasoning makes perfect sense, but I understand how your inability to verbalize what scared you at the time might have baffled your parents!
    As for a sunny day versus a rainy one, I’d go for sunshine any day! I practically refuse to leave the house except in dire circumstances when it rains, I hate it so much!
    And I can definitely relate to the love of collecting things. For one, I adore collecting books, like you might imagine! Although I am pretty specific about the books I collect. I also used to collect coins for a while because all the different currencies FASCINATED me! (To be honest, it still does. I’m just not as actively involved in learning about it as much now). But I think it’s super cool that you collect stamps! And it’s so sweet that people know that you’re passionate about that and give you interesting stamps! If for whatever reason I’m ever sending you a letter, I’ll try to remember to make sure I use an interesting stamp!

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thanks, Malka! That means a lot, and I’m glad you two had fun with the questions 😊 I had so much fun reading your answers, too!

      And I’m glad you think my weird childhood reasoning makes perfect sense 😂 In retrospect, I’m kind of wondering whether I should be worried that my brain immediately jumped to that conclusion.. That’s probably not normal, right? 😅

      As for rain, you absolutely won’t get me to go outside in it either, unless it’s absolutely necessary! But I think there’s nothing cozier than watching it rain from inside the house 😊

      And I agree that different currencies are fascinating! Especially when the coins and bills come in different shapes, colors, and sizes! My dad once brought home these coins from a business trip (I think it might’ve been to China?) that had a hole in the middle so you could string them up and keep them organized, and I thought that was really smart! But I’ve never really went out of my way to collect coins, so it’s really cool that you did 🤗 So I guess if you do ever send me that letter with the interesting stamp, I’ll have to retaliate with some cool coins 😉 I do have some pre-Euro currency lying around somewhere…

      Liked by 1 person

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