I’ve been tagged by Dizzy C from Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog. I love participating in tags! I think it’s a great way to get to know people.

The Rules

1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them!

Questions from Dizzy C

1. Favourite room in the house: My bedroom because that’s where I do my reading and sleeping, my two favorite pastimes.
2. Favourite season and why: Spring because my birthday is in April and I love all things about my birthday.
3. Favourite drink: Water, very boring.
4. If you could travel back in time, which era would you like to drop into? I’d like to drop into the Victorian era or around the turn of the 20th century.
5. Technology wizard or not? Yes.
6. Favourite sandwich filling? I’m a child at heart–peanut butter and jelly.
7. Earliest childhood memory: I honestly don’t know. I remember a lot of things from my childhood, but I don’t remember which is the earliest.
8. Early bird or night owl? I’m definitely a night owl.
9. Favourite board game: I have so many! Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Bonkers, Life, Monopoly, Risk, and Crossing the Plains.
10. Sweet or savoury fan? I’m definitely a sweet fan, but I do like savory as well.
11. Favourite scent: Lilac, which is also my favorite color and favorite flower.

Questions for who I Tag

1. What is your favorite book of all time?
2. Who is your favorite author?
3. Who is your favorite literary character of all time?
4. When did you start blogging?
5. Why did you start blogging?
6. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
7. If money were not an issue, what would you buy yourself at this very instant?
8. Who is your favorite actor?
9. What is your favorite movie?
10. Who is your favorite musician/band?
11. What is your favorite song?

I Tag

1. Alison from Alison Can Read
2. Jenny from Alternate Readality
3. Jo from Fluidity of Time
4. Suey from It’s all About Books
5. Bonnie Rae from Just Words
6. Ninja Girl from Ninja Girl Reads
7. Hannah from Once Upon a Time
8. Lisa from Read. Breathe. Relax
9. Kathy from Read this Instead
10. Leah Marie from Reading with my Eyes Wide Shut
11. Alana from Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology

Last year, Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner posted a survey of all the books she read during the year just kind of for herself. A lot of other bloggers decided to join in so she decided to host it as an end of the year survey this year. I had fun thinking up my answers for these questions.

1. Best book you read In 2011?
   Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
2. Most disappointing book/book you wish you loved more than you did?
   I wish I would’ve loved The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney more than I did. I hope that I’ll like the second book more so that I can give the series more of a chance.
3. Most surprising book (in a good way) of 2011?
   The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. I wasn’t expecting to like it very much, but I really did enjoy it a lot.
   
4. Book you recommended to people most in 2011?
   Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
5. Best series you discovered in 2011?
   Heist Society by Ally Carter
6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2011?
   Stephanie Perkins. I absolutely loved Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door.
   Ally Carter. I really enjoyed Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals.
   Kendare Blake. Anna Dressed in Blood was awesome!
7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
   To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?
   Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
9. Book you most anticipated in 2011?
   City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?
    
11. Most memorable character in 2011?
    Atticus Finch
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2011?
    Crossed by Ally Condie. I love her poetic writing style.
13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2011?
    East of Eden by John Steinbeck
14. Book you can’t believe you waited until 2011 to finally read?
    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
15. Favorite passage/quote from a book you read in 2011?
    This is from East of Eden: “But the Hebrew word, the word timshel–‘Thou mayest’–that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’–it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.”
16. Book that you read in 2011 that would be most likely to reread in 2012?
    Everneath by Brodi Ashton. In fact, I plan to reread it first thing in 2012 so I can count it toward the 2012 DAC and because it’s just that awesome! (My review will be posted on January 3.)
17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling and dying to talk to somebody about it?
    The ending of City of Fallen Angels and Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. She has a way of leaving you in high anxiety at the end of her books.

Book Blogging/Reading Life in 2011

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2011?
   Alternate Readality. I love Jenny’s insights and views on things. She gets me thinking all the time.
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2011?
   I think the most thought out review I posted was either the one for To Kill a Mockingbird or East of Eden. My favorite that I wrote, however, is Everneath and unfortunately, it hasn’t been posted yet. Only a couple more days, though.
3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
   My post about Combating Reading Slumps was by far the most intriguing and well participated in post.
4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
   “I LOVE Twilight and I am NOT ASHAMED” at Alison Can Read. I really appreciated this discussion because it’s something I needed to read. I started to give into all the negativity surrounding Twilight and it bothered me because I do really love the books. This helped me realize that it’s okay if I love them even if others don’t.
5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
   I was very fortunate this year to attend a lot of author signings. My favorite signing was for Markus Zusak. He was just so personable and took time with each and every person at the event. He stayed until 1:00 am signing books.
6. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?
   Did you know that if you have Amazon prime and pre-order books, most books will be delivered to you on release day? I didn’t! I was so excited when I found that out with Lola and the Boy Next Door.
7. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
   I signed up for one challenge this year. The 2011 DAC. I failed miserably. I only read two books out of the twelve I signed up to read. Hopefully, next year I’ll do better. I also had a goal to read 25 books this year. (I know that’s low, but I’m a slow reader and school takes up a lot of my time.) I didn’t quite reach my goal but I gave it my best shot!
   

Looking Ahead …

1. One book you didn’t get to in 2011 but will be your first priority in 2012?
   The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I started it in 2011, but I didn’t finish it so after I finish my reread of Everneath, I’ll finish The Book Thief.
2. Book you are most anticipating for 2012?
   There’s a tie between Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, and Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.
3. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging in 2012?
   I like my reviews, but I feel like they could have more sustenance. I intend to do some research on this and see if I can figure out a better way to do it.

A saw this quick, little bookish survey on The Broke and the Bookish and thought it’d be fun to participate.

1. The book I’m currently reading: The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. It’s for my book club tomorrow. I’m a little behind. But, I hope I’ll finish it by tomorrow evening anyway. It’s really fun so far!
2. The last book I finished: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Awesome, awesome book. Check out my review.
3. The next book I want to read: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. I can’t tell you how excited I am to read this book! It’s killing me to put it off this long.
4. The last book I bought: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare.
5. The last book I was given: I’ll actually highlight these books on Saturday in my Secret Santa post. (I need to wait when I can take a decent picture of them with good lighting.)

How about you?

I’ve seen this meme floating around a few blogs lately and thought I’d join in. I love these types of things because it helps me get to know the blogger behind the blog.

Age: I’m 33 and a half–my half-birthday was just a few days ago.

Bed size: Queen. I need a new mattress, though. We’ve had ours since we were first married almost 14 years ago, and it definitely shows its age.

Chore that you hate: I hate folding the laundry. I don’t mind doing it; I just don’t like folding it.

Dogs: I’ve never had a dog, but I do like them. I prefer cats, though.

Essential start to your day: A shower and breakfast

Favorite colors: Lavender, but I do like all purples.

Gold or silver: Silver

Height: 5’4.5″, the half inch is very important because it means I’m taller than quite a few actors.

Instruments you play: I can play the piano and I played the oboe once upon a time. I wanted to learn how to play it so I could charm any cobras I came in contact with.

Job title: Dentrix Profitability Coach

Kids: I have three cats that I consider as my children because I can’t have children of my own.

Live: Utah

Mother-in-law’s name: Beth

Nicknames: Jenni is my nickname since my full name is Jennifer. However, my coworkers sometimes call me Jenni-leesifer or Jenni-lucifer because I’ve changed my name several times: first from Jennifer to Jenni, then from Jenni to Elyse, and then from Elyse back to Jenni.

Overnight hospital stays: Never

Pet peeves: My main pet peeves are hypocrisy and two-facedness.

Quote from a movie: There are too many to list, but most of them come from Clue, Galaxy Quest, Big Trouble, and The Emperor’s New Groove. “Mrs. Peacock was a man?!”

Right- or left-handed: I’m a southpaw and I feel a kinship to all southpaws. I also notice when other people are southpaws.

Siblings: I’m the youngest of seven. I have five sisters and one brother.

Time you wake up: 5:30 on weekdays and between 9:00 and 10:00 and weekends.

Underwear: Um, yes.

Vegetable you hate: Lima beans and beets

What makes you run late: I’ll admit it; I do.

X-rays you’ve had: I’ve had X-rays at the dentist and then of my foot.

Yummy food that you make: I make mean spicy oatmeal cookies. It’s a recipe I got from my mom. I’m not sure where she got it.

Zoo animal: I love all animals! But, I’m very partial to llamas.

On Tuesday, I was give the Blog on Fire Award by Amy from The Ramblings of Amy. Thanks so much, Amy! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!

This award has the same requirements most blog awards do–thank and link to the person who gave you the award, list a few things about you, and pass it on to other bloggers.

Here are a few things about me that I haven’t shared on my blog before (I think):

1. I have an obsession with Stitch from Lilo & Stitch. I love him! He’s cute, funny, and mischievous, and I want to be just like him.
2. When I was little girl, I’d role play with friends that I was a member of the G-Force from the cartoon Battle of the Planets. It’s very much like Voltron–five members with secret identities that turn into superheroes; they just don’t ride in lions that turn into a giant robot. Until yesterday, I couldn’t remember what the name of this cartoon was. My coworker Sean found it on Google just by my description of it.
3. I wish 80s cartoons were as cool as I once thought they were. Now, when I watch them, they disappoint me with how cheesy they are. I’ve stopped re-watching them so that I can remember them like I did as a child, as the best shows on TV.
4. Peanut butter is my protein of choice. I’m not a vegetarian, but I’m not particularly fond of most meats (although I’ll eat them), and the meats I am fond of (fish) are not allowed in my house because Corey is severely allergic to them.
5. One of the llamas near my house is no longer in the field I drive by daily. I worry about him each time I drive by. I wonder where he is and if he’s going to come back. I also worry that the other llama is now lonely, even though he has sheep to keep him company.

I’m going to pass along the Blog on Fire award to the following blogs:

1. Ninja Girl Reads
2. Kristin Can Read
3. My Head is Full of Books
4. Library Mosaic
5. Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog

What I Like About You is a tag created by Roxy of Keeping Up With Roxy’s Books that answers some questions about other bloggers to help spread the blogger love. Everybody can do it. Just answer the following questions!

1. Name the blogger who first left a comment on your blog. I started my blog so long ago that my first comments just came from friends and family members. None of them had blogs yet. I was the first out of the group.
2. Name a blogger who has the cutest button. I don’t really keep track of buttons. I don’t like to clutter my sidebar with them so I never pay attention to them.
3. Name the blogger who blogs about a lot of things other than books. Brodi Ashton blogs about the struggle she had with getting published, the joys of getting a book deal, and many more things. Her blog is a ton of fun to read because she presents things in such a unique and hilarious way. I highly recommend her blog (and book Everneath) to everyone!
4. Name the most creative blog. Brush Up On Your Reading is such a creative blog. I love that Nina and her pet monster ARGH talk about books. They often have different opinions and talk about why they think the way they do. It makes for a really fun discussion.
5. Name the blogger with the prettiest blog design. I really like Emily’s Reading Room. Her design is modern and fun, yet simple and clean. I’m all about uncluttered blogs. The more cluttered a blog is, the less likely I am to frequent it because it’s hard to read and takes forever to load.

I tag anyone who wants to do this! Let’s spread the blogger love!

Yesterday, I received a comment from Jennifer at Books & Barks telling me that I’d be very interested in the post she had just published. I was intrigued and not disappointed when I found out the reason for her enthusiasm. She has been generous to nominate me for the Liebster Blog Award. Thank you so much, Jennifer! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness! You made my day when I read your nomination!

The Liebster Blog Award is designed to bring additional recognition to those bloggers with less than 200 followers. If you receive the award, you should link back to the blogger that nominated you and nominate five more blogs. Also, don’t forget to let them know that you nominated them.

My Nominations

1. Jenny from Alternate Readality
2. Laura from The Shabby Rabbit
3. Ashley and Alysa from Everead
4. Sarah from Writer, Reader, Dreamer
5. Lari from Lari is Writing

Nina at Brush Up On Your Reading gave me the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award.  Thank you, Nina! You’re the best! If you hadn’t given me this award, I would’ve given it to you!

This award has four requirements:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and list his/her blog (with a link).
2. List four of your guilty pleasures.
3. Pass on the award to six other bloggers you think are irresistibly sweet.
4. Notify the bloggers you choose for the award and hopefully they’ll join in.

I’m glad this award is more specific about the things I can write about myself.  I’m running out of things to say that I haven’t already said before. Anyway, here are four of my guilty pleasures.

1. Games. Any type of game–video, computer, board, paper, head, made up, etc. I’m obsessed with games and I’ll use them to avoid responsibility, which has been a problem in the past.  Hence, the reason it’s a guilty pleasure.
2. Reading. I love to read. The reason it falls under guilty pleasure is that, just like games, I’ll use reading to avoid responsibility. But, I feel a little better about reading than playing games because when I was little and bored, my mom always told me to do something constructive, which reading fell under (according to her) and games didn’t. Also, I don’t always read to avoid responsibility.
3. Ice cream. Pink bubble gum ice cream from Baskin Robbins is my absolute favorite ice cream. I’ll eat it in any kind of weather, even if it’s 50 below zero.
4. Twinkies. I love Twinkies, even though they’re probably one of the worst things I can eat. I love their taste and their moist fluffiness.  I also love Tiger Tails, which are Twinkies with raspberry drizzle and coconut on top.

I pass the Irresistibly Sweet Blogger Award onto the following blogs (not all of them are book blogs):

1. Alison Can Read: She’s always so sweet to me on Twitter, my blog, and even her blog. I also love her posts! They’re always so thought provoking.
2. Book Purring: She’s sweet enough to comment in Spanish so I can hone my Spanish-speaking … writing … skills. Plus, she’s a cat lover!
3. The Campbells: I love these two! They have made working infinitely better and I love hanging out with them. I also love all of Courtney’s cute posts; they’re so much fun to read.
4. The Eager Readers: If you’ve ever met Violet in person, you’ll know she is one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet!
5. Manga Maniac Cafe: She has the best posts on her blog! And, she’s always so sweet to reply to my comments.
6. Maw Books: She has to be as sweet as she is.  Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to do all the networking she does between authors, bloggers, and readers. She’s the first book blog I came in contact with and it’s thanks to her, I decided to make my blog more exclusive to books.

Kacie at Aussie Book Shack gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. Thank you, Kacie! That was very kind of you.

This award has four requirements:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and list his/her blog (with a link).
2. List seven things about yourself.
3. Pass on the award to 15 recently discovered great blogs.
4. Notify the bloggers you choose for the award and hopefully they’ll join in.

I’m going to attempt to write seven things about me that I haven’t written on my blog before.

1. When I’m not worrying about eating healthy, my all-time favorite sandwich is a grilled cheese with a lot of cheese and extra butter to make it extra crispy.  Zupa’s Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich is to die for, especially when it’s coupled with their tomato basil soup!
2. I love eggs, but I’ll only eat them when they’re prepared a certain way.  I like them scrambled, but I have to scramble them because I don’t add milk to them and I scramble them a with a very special technique that makes them extremely delicious.  I also love them deviled, as long as they’re made with Miracle Whip not mayonnaise.  And, I’ll eat them hard-boiled if they’re on salads.
3. I used to watch the Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Lab when they were on Cartoon Network.  Bubbles is my favorite powerpuff girl because she and I are one in the same (other than the superpowers thing).
4. When Voltron was syndicated on Cartoon Network, I watched every episode because it was my favorite cartoon as a child.  I was severely disappointed in how cheesy and stupid it was.  I don’t remember it being that bad and cartoons nowadays aren’t that cheesy or stupid.  Was my generation too naive and dumb to notice? Or, was that the phase for cartoons in the 80s?
5. I’d much rather text someone than talk on the phone.  I hate talking on the phone.  I didn’t always feel like that; it wasn’t until I spent three years as a support tech that talking on the phone became such a loathsome activity.
6. I want an ocelot. (To be honest, I want one of every animal in the world, except spiders or poisonous snakes or anything poisonous for that matter.)
7. I love making checklists.  It’s actually doing the things on the checklist that’s the problem.

I pass the Stylish Blogger Award on to the following blogs:

1. Alison Can Read
2. Blkosiner’s Book Blog
3. Book Purring
4. Cafe of Dreams ~ Book Reviews
5. The Delusional Diaries
6. Fluidity of Time
7. Icey Books
8. Late Bloomer Online
9. Library Mosaic
10. Manga Maniac Cafe
11. Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf
12. My Bookish Ways
13. My Head is Full of Books
14. Preternatural Primer
15. Writer, Reader, Dreamer

I thought this sounded like a fun idea!  Froggarita is hosting it over on her blog in lieu of the Friday’s Fab Five post today.  Answer the following questions with a book you’ve read.  Try not to use the same book twice:

1. Describe yourself: Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard
2. How do you feel? The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. Describe where you currently live: City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (one of our city’s historical buildings caught on fire last night)
4. If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
5. Your favorite form of transportation: My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
6. Your best friend is: Kimberly by Jack Weyland (one of them, anyway)
7. You and your friends are: Matched by Ally Condie
8. What’s the weather like? Sunshine by Robin McKinley (that doesn’t mean it’s not cold, though)
9. Favorite time of day? Night by Elie Wiesel (I didn’t use the obvious one there, did I? Ha!)
10. What is life to you? Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan (sometimes, anyway)
11. Your fear: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
12. What is the best advice you have to give? You Are Special by Max Lucado
13. Thought for the day: Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson M.D.
14. How you would like to die: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
15. Your soul’s present condition: Post Mortem by Patricia Cornwell (after the semester I’ve had)