The Sunshine Blogger Award – Takes II, III and IV

Hi everyone!

I can hardly believe it – I AM FINALLY DONE WITH ALL OF MY EXAMS!!! My oral actually went really well, and my relief is indescribable right now. After studying for this thing for over two years, it’s suddenly … over? Just like that?

Season 5 Starz GIF by Outlander

Honestly, it feels so weird to suddenly have free time again 😁 So much so that, immediately after my exam on Wednesday, I wrote an email to my professor asking if I could get started on my master’s thesis right away. Cleary, I never learn… πŸ˜… However, in contrast to memorizing loads of material that I will probably have forgotten in a few months anyway, working on unsolved math problems actually sounds really exciting!!!

But before I start going on mathematical tangents (*yes, this pun was too terrible for me to resist*), let’s get into what this post is actually about! I was nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by Riddhi @ Whispering Stories, Carl @ The Pine-Scented Chronicles, AND Meena @ Strawberry’s Corner, so clearly, they are telling me that I need to stop procrastinating and finally get to all those tags in my overflowing drafts folder absolutely amazing and you should check their blogs out! But, seriously, guys: I am honored you considered me worthy of this award, and I hope to do your awesome questions justice!

What Is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

How Does It Work?

  • Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Also, if you’d like to check out my previous take on this award, you can click here.

Question 1

Riddhi: When and why did you start blogging?

I wrote my first blogpost (*spoiler alert: it sucks*) forever ago, on January 16, 2017 – for a homework assignment. At the time, I was taking a course on HTML-programming, and one of our many projects was to set up a blog and write one post for it. Let’s just say it was pretty much the easiest grade I’ve ever gotten…

cat coding GIF

Still, the assignment actually only pushed me to do what had already been at the back of my mind anyway. I had been quietly stalking BookTube for years, lurking on my side of the internet connection, and had completely fallen in love with the online book community 😊 However, I was way too scared (and still am) to ever consider joining BookTube. Trust me, you do not want to see me on camera. The level of awkwardness is so cringe-inducing, you probably wouldn’t make it past the first few seconds… But I have always loved writing, and having a book blog? It did not sound nearly as intimidating as a BookTube channel.

So, when working on that assignment, I set this blog up with the idea of maybe turning it into a more serious thing. And, eventually, I did πŸ˜‰ In 2018, I started posting pretty regularly, recording my latest reads, doing tags that I thought looked fun, writing stories. However, I was still way too self-conscious to go public and expose my weirdness for all the world to see, so at the time, A Book Owl’s Corner was private. A few of my very close friends had access, but to the public eye, this blog was invisible.

And that brings us to this year. I don’t know what it was exactly that changed, but, for some reason, I just decided to go for it. In a spur-of-the moment decision, I changed my accessibility settings to public, and I haven’t regretted it since. I love how welcoming this community is and how many wonderful people I’ve gotten to meet through blogging! 😊

Carl: If you are to write a book about something important to you, what would it be?

Hmm, this is hard. I have actually written a couple – albeit terrible – books (I talk about that a little more in this post), and I guess I always include things that matter to me in some way. Family relationships. The struggle to find out what you want to do with your life. The importance of making choices. Whether to put your own interests or someone else’s first. The terrible things hatred and fear can lead people to do. The general complexity of being human. Those are all themes I love to explore, so while I can’t really think of a concrete topic that I would want to write about above all others, these are some of the more general things I try to weave into every story I write.

Meena: If you were an animagus, what animal would you want to be?

flying national geographic GIF by Nat Geo Wild

An owl, obviously. They are the coolest animals ever, so there really shouldn’t be any debate! And while we’re at it, I also think my patronus should be an owl. Or at least something other than that stupid dragonfly Pottermore gave me years and years ago and that my siblings and friends refuse to let me forget about. Once and for all: My patronus is not a dragonfly!!! I will duel anyone who suggests otherwise.

Question 2:

Riddhi: What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Having a space where I can be creative and write about whatever weird idea I want to. With all the dry, academic texts I have to write for university, it’s really nice to also have a place where I can just write for fun! And I love how this blog records my thoughts for the future, kind of like a diary. Although some of them certainly make me cringe, I do love going back to read my old posts every once in a while. Those bring back loads of memories, some good and some bad 😊

And then there’s you guys! You make this journey so much better than I ever could have hoped for, and interacting with you always makes my days a little brighter! ❀️

Carl: What is that one book that you really looked forward to but you ended up disliking?

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I could pick a very obvious play that is most definitely not the eighth installment in an extremely popular series here, but since I hate it so much that I don’t think it deserves to be talked about, I’m going with William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! instead. When I studied abroad in Virginia, I took this absolutely amazing class on African American and Latin American utopian fiction with one of the best English professor’s I’ve ever had, and he suggested I try Absalom, Absalom! because it was one of his favorite books. Suffice it to say, it is not one of mine. Do people honestly think Faulkner’s writing style is brilliant, or do they just say that because they want to sound clever? Because I have never come across any that I’ve hated more πŸ™ˆ

Meena: Name one book or book series you would like to have a TV series or film adaption of.

This puts me in a bit of a dilemma… Because most often, I end up hating adaptations of books I really love. The only exceptions I can think of are Jurassic Park, The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Rings, so there definitely aren’t many. But I don’t particularly want to see an adaptation of an awful story, either. So I guess I’m going to cautiously go with Victoria Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy. It’s not one of my absolute favorites, so I don’t think I’d be devastated if the show turned out to be terrible, but I do think it’s great story that would translate well to screen. Just imagine how cool the different Londons would look!

Question 3:

Riddhi: What is your least favorite thing about blogging?

I Hate My Job Reaction GIF

Spending so much time online. I hate it! I would much rather write my posts on an old piece of parchment and then have them magically appear on this blog, beautifully formatted. All the technical aspects of blogging are seriously annoying, so why can’t I just write and have someone else worry about the beautifulness and accessibility?

Carl: If you were given the opportunity ask your favorite author one question, what would it be?

I don’t have a favorite author (see Question 11 for more of my thoughts on that), but confronted with any author, I’d probably just ask them about their writing process, and how books they’ve written have changed since the first draft. Since I absolute love to write myself, these types of author discussions are by far the most interesting!

Plus, I’d be way too scared to ask for any background information on their books. What if they tell me something that contradicts what I imagined while reading? I’d better stay well clear of that!

Meena: Name one book or book series you think should not have had a TV series or film adaption.

Need I say more? [Though if you look at that poster very closely, you will also find the name of what is probably my second-to-least-favorite series adaptation ever – very unpopular opinion, I know πŸ˜…]

Question 4:

Riddhi: What are your hobbies besides blogging?

Reading and writing (duh), swimming, and music! I play violin and piano pretty seriously, ukulele, guitar and recorder not-so-seriously, and I absolutely love to sing. Honestly, one of the things that has hit me hardest during this pandemic is that I haven’t had a single orchestra rehearsal in over eight months… I miss it so much, and have been binging way too much TwoSet Violin content to make up for it 😁

Our university orchestra. If you look carefully, you might be able to find me πŸ˜‰

Carl: What literary or fictional place do you want to visit or want to live in?

Hogwarts, obviously! But Camp Half-Blood or The Castle from the Septimus Heap books would also be pretty neat.

Meena: What’s been your favorite read this year?

Katherine Arden’s Winternight Trilogy and Cynthia Hand’s The How & The Why. I keep thinking I love one a tiny bit more, but then remember how amazing the other was, so I just can’t pick!

Question 5:

Riddhi: What would the title of your biography/biopic be?

The Very Boring Biography of an Ordinary but Weird University Student

My life really isn’t that exciting… But if you think you have a better title, do let me know!

Carl: What one title do you recommend to non-readers or someone who wants to start reading?

I don’t really think there is one! The best way to get someone into reading is to give them a book that relates to their interests, and those differ vastly depending on the person you’re trying to convert. So my tip is to spy on your target until you know everything about them, and then ambush them with a topic they can’t possibly resist πŸ˜‚ This worked on my brother using Percy Jackson, and it also worked on the second grader I used to read to after school. In his case, the conversion material were these absolutely terrible Lego retellings of superhero movies, but he loved them and started reading voraciously, so who am I to judge?

Meena: What TV show are you currently binging on Netflix or whatever streaming site you use?

Π›ΡƒΡ‡ΡˆΠ΅, Ρ‡Π΅ΠΌ люди (Better Than Us) and Osmosis. Both are pretty dark dystopian/sci-fi series: Π›ΡƒΡ‡ΡˆΠ΅, Ρ‡Π΅ΠΌ люди is about an android that develops feelings for a kind-of-dysfunctional family, and Osmosis follows a company that has developed an implant which is supposed to lead you to your perfect partner. The sole reason I started watching them was to improve my Russian and French, but I’m honestly kind of hooked now…

Question 6:

Riddhi: Some advice for people who have just started blogging?

Just be yourself and write what you want to write! Everyone has something to contribute to this community, and truly genuine content is bound to resonate with people way more than something generic that tries to emulate what everyone else is doing.

And don’t care too much about numbers! I think what really matters is that the people who read your stuff respond to it, and even if there are only a few of them, you’re doing something right! Don’t hesitate to engage in those conversations, and before you know it, you’ll have made lots of blogger friends πŸ˜‰

Finally – don’t be scared to reach out! Maybe it can feel a little intimidating to comment on someone’s blog when they have way more followers than you do, but trust me: we all love engagement! I am insanely curious as to who my readers are and want to get to know them, so even if we’ve never spoken before, I’d love to hear your thoughts on my posts! Though it can also be a good idea to look for people who started blogging at the same time as you did, since they’re probably just as eager to make friends as you are. If you’re a book blogger, maybe check out a few Book Blog Newbie Tags and write one yourself – those are always a great way to get to know people!

Carl: Is there a book or books that has inspired you? How did it influence your life?

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Every single book I’ve ever read has probably inspired me in some way or another. But Andrew Clements’ The School Story is one that particularly sticks out. It is about a twelve-year-old girl trying to get a novel published, and I love it to pieces. I have dreamed of becoming an author my whole life – even when my “writing” consisted only of pictures – but reading this book when I was in fifth grade made me feel like those dreams were achievable. It hugely inspired me to keep trying, even when what I wrote sucked, and though I definitely didn’t publish a novel at age twelve, this book has inspired me to keep writing and never give up.

Meena: If you could speak to one type of animal which one would you want to be able to talk to?

Maybe bugs would be kind of neat? After all, there are loads of them, and they are so small that they’d probably be really useful for spying on people and getting access to confidential information… Just think of all the things I would know! Though I would only use that knowledge for the good of all animal-kind, of course. *Cackles evilly*

Apart from humans, you mean? Because I don’t want to be isolated from society because I can’t talk to other people anymore! I guess I would love to be able to talk to my pet cats. Though we do understand each other pretty well without words, too, and I can imagine that they might be extremely annoying when they want food…

This is my cat Mira. If I could talk to her, I guess I would ask her why she thinks sleeping in this position is comfortable…

Question 7:

Riddhi: Describe yourself in seven words? (Cause it’s the seventh question)

Idealist, Nerd, Book-Obsessed, Music-Lover, INFJ, Perfectionist, Human

Carl: What does reading mean to you?

Reading is my way of immersing myself in other worlds, of discovering things I don’t know about yet, and of escaping from my own admittedly pretty boring life (see that biography title…) into excitement, wonder and intrigue!

Meena: Three books you regret buying?

None, really. Weirdly enough, I even have a pretty strong sentimental attachment to the ones I hated πŸ˜‚ But since I have to pick, I’ll go with Golden Son, The White Rose and Someday, Angeline. Those were definitely a waste of money.

Question 8:

Riddhi: Dogs or Cats?

Cats! I love dogs, too, but cats are better.

Carl: Apart from reading, how do/did you cope with the quarantines/lockdown measures?

I spent almost the entire lockdown in a study-frenzy, so I guess we’ll have to see what I come up with now that I actually have free time again… However, I am a huge introvert, so most of my hobbies involve spending loads of time stuck in my room all by myself anyway. 😁 (My friends and I did call each other frequently, though, so I’m not completely anti-social!)

Meena: Do you prefer coffee or tea?

tea GIF

Tea. It is one of the best things ever invented 😍 Coffee, on the other hand – bleurghhh! It’s abominable! Seriously, how do people drink that stuff?

Question 9:

Riddhi: A TV show you can binge-watch forever?

Star Trek: Voyager. It is the epitome of science fiction, and I don’t care that I’ve probably seen some of the episodes well over 50 times by now. They’re perfection 😍

But since you probably already know that if you’ve been following me for a while, I also recommend you go watch Carnival Row. I recently rebinged it with my siblings, and I still love it just as much as the first time!

Carl: What qualities from fictional characters would you take and how would you use it to improve yourself or the world?

Sometimes, I really wish I was more outspoken. I’m incredibly shy, and when I do talk to people, I just want everyone to get along and be happy! So often, I actually end up being too nice to people instead of calling them out for things that upset me, or end up sacrificing my own well-being because I feel bad about telling a person I don’t actually have the time to help them. To aid in those kinds of situations, I really think I could use a bit of Ripred‘s (from Suzanne Collins’s Underland Chronicles) brutal honesty!

Also, I’d love to have some of Piper‘s (from Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series) persuasiveness! Not that I want to fool anyone into believing me, but wouldn’t it be great if some people could just be forced to listen to one another and see each other’s perspectives? It would solve so many problems in this world!

Meena: Do you drink or eat while reading?

All the time 😁 I have truly mastered this skill. While I am very likely to drip food all over my clothes when I’ve just gotten dressed for some fancy event, I have never spilled anything on my books. You just gotta prioritize what’s important…

Question 10:

Riddhi: A song you relate to? / A song you will never get tired of listening to?

Call me basic, but I love Shawn Mendes’s Treat You Better πŸ™ƒ

Carl: Give three things you enjoy about book blogging or blogging in general.

To summarize my answer to Riddhi’s second question: Having a space to be creative, being able to look back on thoughts I had when I was younger, and, of course, interacting with all of you guys!

Meena: Do you read during day or night?

Both! You can never read enough, so why should I limit myself to one? πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ

Question 11:

Riddhi: Who is your favorite author?

I don’t have one. It used to be J.K. Rowling, and I still admire her for writing what are undoubtedly my favorite books in the entire world, but after her most recent antics on Twitter and that horribly Rita-Skeeter-like essay (you’ll be surprised how many truths she conveniently distorts once you start researching the claims she makes in there…), she has lost most of the respect I’ve ever had for her. But maybe, in a way, her example has also shown us that it’s dangerous to put people on a pedestal. Writers are human, too, and we shouldn’t blindly idolize them.

Carl: When do you feel most accomplished?

When I feel as though I might have contributed something to make the world better, even if it’s just by a tiny bit. When someone smiles because of me. Whenever the Syrian refugees I’ve been teaching German to for the past three years learn a new word. When someone reaches out to me and tells me that something I’ve written means something to them. When I solve a complicated math problem. When I have deep and meaningful discussions with someone who disagrees with me and we both come out of them understanding each other a little better.

Meena: Do you follow a TBR list or are you a mood reader?

I am a total mood reader πŸ˜‚ Usually, I’ll just run to the library or a bookstore (or the online equivalents of the two) when I’m feeling in the mood for something, and then start reading immediately. I do always have a variety of books on my radar, but once I make the conscious decision that I want to read them, I’ll usually do it straight away. Which is why the TBR pile of gifted books I acquired during exam preparation time is stressing me out a little. I don’t like having this many unread books! (Yes, I know there are only ten of them and some people have hundreds (How do you cope???), but it’s overwhelming, alright?)

Anyway, that’s it for today πŸ˜‰ I know this post was hecka long, but then again, many of you have actually said you like the long posts. All I can say is: Be careful what you wish for 😁

Finally, to spread the blogosphere love, I nominate the following amazing people to also receive this award:

As always – definitely don’t feel pressured to do this if you don’t want to! If tags and awards aren’t your thing, if you just have a lot on your plate right now, or if you really hate my questions, I won’t be mad! (Okay, maybe don’t tell me if you hate the questions. But those other things are totally valid reasons not to do the tag πŸ˜‰)

And everyone else – do check these blogs out! They’re pretty awesome 😊 I’ve linked to a post of theirs that I particularly loved recently.

My questions:

  1. If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for? (Obviously, the genie has rules that prevent you from asking for more wishes. Sorry.)
  2. Which book do you think is way overhyped?
  3. If you had to give up watching movies or listening to music for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
  4. How do you organize your bookshelf/bookshelves?
  5. What is one of your proudest achievements?
  6. If you had the chance to redesign the covers for one book or series, what cover-change would you bless us with?
  7. Which food from your country should foreign readers definitely try?
  8. What is one of your most unpopular bookish opinions?
  9. Which five emojis and/or GIFs best describe you?
  10. A book you think I (and everyone else) should go and read already?
  11. Which post that someone else wrote did you love recently?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this tag, and if you’ve made it to the end of this onslaught of words, let me know what you thought of my answers! Do you agree with me on any of them? Which questions would you have answered differently? I would love to know!

53 thoughts on “The Sunshine Blogger Award – Takes II, III and IV”

  1. Tiction says:
    Reply

    Congratulations on the nomination!
    And, ah thank you so much for nominating me, I really appreciate it!
    This post reminded me that I have to prepare drafts of so many Sunshine blogger awards, I have around two or three maybe of these, and I haven’t even made the draftsπŸ˜‚
    Also, high five! Even though I have a TBR, I always end up not following it, too much of a mood readerπŸ˜†
    I really loved reading your answers, and I absolutely loved the questions you asked!πŸ’›

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Pilar says:
    Reply

    Congrats on the nomination and finishing your exams πŸ₯³πŸ₯³!! As always I loved reading your answers ☺️ Though, how come you don’t like The Philosopher’s Stone movie adaptation 😳?!?! I really need some background on that. And you’re an INFJ! I did that personality test years back and I got that too, but then I took it again last year and changed to INFP-T. I don’t really remember what that means anymore πŸ˜… But it’s fun looking up characteristics and memes on it that I can relate to most of the time!

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thanks, Pilar! That means a lot 😊❀
      And I actually don’t like any of the Harry Potter movies much πŸ˜… I guess Philosopher’s Stone is still okay, and up until Goblet of Fire, they aren’t absolutely terrible, but whenever I watch them, I just get really upset about the many amazing things they left out. Or the simply awful things they added, like those super awkward Ginny and Harry scenes, The Burrow being on Fire, or Death Eaters flying around with weird black jets coming out of their butts… I just love the books so much that the movies feel horribly mediocre in comparison, and somehow, I can’t see the adaptation as separate enough from the original to enjoy it much πŸ˜… I know I am very alone with my opinion, though πŸ˜‚
      And I think those personality tests are so interesting! I’ve done a couple by now, and I always get INFJ-T – and the descriptions are eerily accurate 😁 I’ll have to look up INFP again now, though! I don’t remember all of the characteristics, either πŸ˜‚ But it’s definitely enough to enjoy the memes!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Pilar says:
        Reply

        Well, you do make a good point. I love the movies but they did cut out many things that would have made them even better πŸ˜• I honestly would watch 7 or 8 hour long movies if they promised to include EVERYTHING. And that’s a lot for me to say cause I don’t like long movies, but people don’t realize how much they actually cut out that’s important. I recently made my friends marathon (remotely obviously) all of the movies cause they hadn’t watched them. I had to explain so many things and answer so many of their questions so that they really understood all aspects of the story. Or maybe that’s just us being overly invested πŸ˜…

        Liked by 1 person

        • abookowlscorner says:
          Reply

          Oooh, I’d totally be down for 7-8 hour movies that include everything πŸ˜ŠπŸ˜‚ Maybe they could just go ahead and adapt it into a TV series? That way, they can make it really long but we wouldn’t have to watch all of it in one go…
          And yes, I’ve also had the experience that my friends who hadn’t read the books had a hard time following some of the movies. Order of the Phoenix was particularly bad – I was basically explaining stuff nonstop πŸ˜… (Though can you really be overly invested in Harry Potter? πŸ€”)

          Liked by 1 person

  8. jawahirthebookworm says:
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    Congrats on your nomination! Owls are my spirit animal. A Darker Shade of Magic IS confirmed to be adapted onto the screen! And best yet it is V.E.Schwab approved!

    Also you’re literally trying to learn the two languages I most want to learn: Russian and French!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Line says:
    Reply

    A long post means I have too much to comment on obviously πŸ˜„

    I laughed a little over your patronus-fight with Pottermore. I think you must have confused Pottermore with your intense love for owls that you broke it. It should definitely have been an owl. Mine was a boar, which I interpret as Pottermore telling me I’m basicially Pumbaa. I can live with that.

    And you don’t like Philosopher’s Stone? I also don’t think it was amazing but compared to the rest of the movies, I’d call it passable. But genuinely confused by people who deem those movies good. I have the unpopular opinion that I actually didn’t mind the first Percy Jackson movie. I quite enjoyed it *runs off to hide*.

    And of course you’re watching a Russian TV show. It’s very on-brand of you πŸ˜‰

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Why did everyone else get normal patronuses and I got stuck with that dragonfly?! πŸ˜₯ I could live with a boar, too – I mean, Pumbaa IS pretty awesome. Though I did take a buzzfeed patronus quiz afterwards and got a lynx, which I actually think is almost as good as an owl. So maybe I should go with that πŸ˜‰ Though I’m glad you agree it should have been an owl 😁

      And I guess I didn’t express myself too well – I meant that the Harry Potter movies in general are my second–to-least-favorite series adaptation (I will have to politely disagree that Percy Jackson is waaaay worse πŸ˜±πŸ˜‚). I do think Philosopher’s Stone is probably the best out of the eight movies, but it still really let me down. And those later ones – we probably shouldn’t go into that… I could rant about them forever πŸ˜…πŸ˜…

      And of course 😁 Russian TV shows are great. The problem is just that there aren’t really that many on German Netflix… Or I just haven’t found them yet.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Line says:
        Reply

        Lynx works too and we all know that Buzzfeed quizes always give you the most correct answer anyway πŸ˜‰

        Ah okay now I understand. I agree that the first is the best, maybe in competition with the second because both at least managed to hit the right tone and feel. The rest just went off on a tangent πŸ™„

        I would have been surprised if the German Netflix had a ton of Russian shows. But it’s great that Netflix has so many foreign langauge shows. I know I will never stop being grateful for getting to experience Dark 😍

        Liked by 1 person

        • abookowlscorner says:
          Reply

          I’ve actually only seen the first couple of episodes of Dark πŸ˜… It seriously creeped me out and was horribly depressing, so I just didn’t want to watch in on my own… I’m such a scaredy cat, I know. But maybe I’ll eventually get my siblings to watch it with me πŸ˜‚

          And I’m actually really glad you agree with me on the Harry Potter movies! I always feel so alone in my dislike for them, and most people just don’t get how I could be such a huge fan of the books and not like the movies too…

          Liked by 1 person

  12. Nefeli says:
    Reply

    I really enjoyed reading your answers, Naemi! Your questions are great, too, and I’m excited to answer them (at some point. it will happen) Thank you for nominating me!

    The fear of joining booktube is also a reason why I decided to finally create a blog. Not all of us are made for the camera flashes πŸ˜‰. I for one am glad that you made your blog public and I discovered it!

    Mira is so cute omg!! Please give her an extra petting from me (if she likes to be pet)! Your opinion on coffee hurt me, but I have a similar stance against Treat You Better, so I think we’re even.

    I totally relate to the wish to be more outspoken. I am the same way when it comes to social interaction, putting others’ feelings above my own. Why is it so hard to stand up for ourselves? Everyone else seems to be doing it easily.

    Teaching Syrian refugees must feel so rewarding! It’s something I was seriously considering doing before the pandemic hit if my anxiety let me. I have the highest respect for people who go out of their way to volunteer and help our fellow humans.

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thank you, Nefeli! You’re very welcome for the nomination – take all the time you want (and thereby make me feel better for never getting to my own tags until months later πŸ˜…πŸ˜‚)!

      I’m also very glad I made my blog public and ran across yours as a result 😊 I guess the internet is not as scary as I originally thought… Except for booktube, of course πŸ˜‚

      Also, Mira will definitely love the extra petting! That cat is one of the most attention-seeking animals ever, and she will literally shove her siblings out of the way so she stays at the center of it… And nooo, Treat You Better may be mainstream, but it’s soo good! Though I guess I’ll forgive you since your taste in music is otherwise pretty great πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‰ I’m still slowly but surely listening may way through that second music post of yours!

      I know! Social interaction is sooo hard! But whenever I even think about being more outspoken, it just seems so rude and bound to lead to conflict, and stresses me out even more than saying nothing would πŸ™ˆ I guess we still have a lot to learn…

      And yes, teaching refugees is so rewarding! At first, I was pretty worried that I’d suck at it and turn them into terribly incompetent German speakers, but it’s been so much fun! They are among the most eager students I’ve ever had, and I’ve learned so much about my own language in the process. And I think the most important part for them has been getting to know people here and have the opportunity to practice talking, even if my teaching skills could probably be better 😁 And plus – they’ve introduced me to Kurdish food, and I honestly don’t know how I lived without it before… 😍 So yeah, if you have the time, I would highly recommend it!

      Like

  13. Noelle says:
    Reply

    Wow. Your answers are absolutely amazing!
    I think you have some great ideas for the stories you write. A lot of those subjects you mentioned are dear to my heart as well.
    And I’m glad you mentioned Ripred from the Underland Chronicles. I think I actually enjoyed that series more than The Hunger Games!

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thank you, Noelle! I’m glad you have faith in my ideas 😁 And I’m also really happy to have found another fellow Underland Chronicles fan!! πŸ€— Personally, I think I do like The Hunger Games a tiny bit more, but both series are definitely among my favorites 😊 And The Underland Chronicles certainly deserve more attention! They’ve been so overshadowed by The Hunger Games’ success that I feel like no one mentions them anymore…

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Abby @ Beyond the Read says:
    Reply

    This post is brilliant as always Naemi!!! Ahahaha a dragonfly Patronus would be hilarious. I agree, an owl would so much cooler πŸ˜‚

    And omg I relate about hating the tech aspect of blogging. Formatting WordPress posts remains one of my greatest weaknesses πŸ˜…

    The Percy Jackson movie was… pretty atrocious. I haven’t even read beyond the first book yet and I still managed to be offended by how badly Hollywood mangled the story πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈπŸ˜‚

    Thank you so so much for nominating me Naemi!! Your questions are amazing and I can’t wait to start answering them β€” is what my heart says, but my brain likes to procrastinate, so let’s see how that goes πŸ˜‚πŸ˜… Great post!!! ❀️

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thank you, Abby!! ❀

      Yeah, I don’t know why that dragonfly patronus was even an option – who would want one when you could also have something as amazing as an owl? But I suppose there are some insect-obsessed people out there who might be thrilled about it… πŸ˜…

      And, gosh, yes – formatting is a nightmare! I am absolutely in awe of people who have a beautiful blog aesthetic with lots of original graphics, because I could never! How do they even create such amazingness? And have fun with it, too?

      That movie… The Disney+ adaptation had better make up for it, or I’ll be seriously upset πŸ™ˆπŸ˜‚

      And you’re welcome! I always love reading your answers to tags, so it was purely in my own best interests 😁 Though take all the time you want! (I still have to do a Liebster Award you tagged me in months ago, too, so there’s certainly no rush πŸ˜…πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ We procrastinators have to unite πŸ˜‰)

      Liked by 1 person

  16. universewithinpages says:
    Reply

    Congrats on being nominated and thanks for nominating me! I love Shawn Mendes too even though he is basic! His music gives me good vibes haha.

    I totally agree with you on being a mood reader! I do the exact same thing, and I’m just as sporadic with my reads. I do have soooo many gifted books on my TBR that I just never felt like reading, so they’re kind of sitting on my bookshelf too πŸ˜‚

    Liked by 1 person

    • abookowlscorner says:
      Reply

      Thank you and you’re welcome! 😊 And yay, I’m glad you also like Shawn Mendes! To be honest, I don’t think all of his songs are that great, but his gems more than make up for the mediocre ones if you ask me! 😊

      And I totally feel you on those unread gifted books πŸ˜… It’s not that I don’t want to read them, but the amount of choices is so overwhelming πŸ˜‚ And then I’ll see another book somewhere that I’m more in the mood for, so those poor novels get neglected even more 😁

      Like

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