The Liebster Award

The lovely Catherine @ Based on the Book/When it does nominated me for the Liebster Award - thanks Catherine!

The rules:

- Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.
- Nominate up to 11 other bloggers to receive the award.  To be eligible, they need to have 200 followers or less.
- Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
- Tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself.
- Give your nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post their nomination.

I've actually been nominated once before for the Liebster Award so I won't tag anyone, but I will answer Catherine's brilliant questions and share some facts!

Questions from Catherine:

Do you have a favourite song?

I don't know if I have one favourite song because there are so many songs I love, and I'm the kind of person who will obsessively listen to one song until I'm sick of it. That being said, there's a song I love because it means quite a lot to me, and that's 'Home' from the Beauty and the Beast musical; I love the version sung by Susan Egan, who was also the voice of Meg in Disney's Hercules.

What literary character do you think you're the most like?

Oo, that's a tough one. I don't know if I'm really anything like her at all, but one of the reasons I loved Signal to Noise so much last year was because I loved Meche so much; something about her reminded me of my teenage self.

Cats or Dogs?

I like both, but I think I'm more of a dog person. They're just so friendly!

What film always cheers you up?

The Mummy. It's one of my favourite films, and one that I could watch over and over again and never get tired of.

Frodo, Sam, Merry or Pippin?

Always Sam.

What would be your specialist subject on a quiz show?

It'd probably be '90s animated Disney films. I know way too much about those.

Who's your favourite Disney Prince/hero?

The Beast. He was the first Prince to really get a personality and have quite a lot of his own scenes, and I think he's such an interesting character. I also love Tarzan, Milo and Flynn/Eugene.

If you could bring back one fashion from the past (e.g. poodle-skirts, togas, scrunchies) what would it be?

It's probably a very typical answer, but I think flapper dresses are so much fun.

What's your favourite gemstone?

I've always liked emeralds, I don't know why. They're so pretty!

What are your current favourite baby names (boy and girl)?

I don't know if I'm ever going to have kids, but if I did I do have names: I like Alice for a girl (looking at my blog, you'd never tell) and Orion for a boy.

Can you tell us a piece of random trivia?

Of course, I'm full of pointless random trivia! The phrase 'fallen off the wagon' actually comes from executions; prisoners were taken to their place of execution on a wagon and allowed a last drink, if they decided to go and have that last drink they'd 'fallen off the wagon'.

Facts About Me

1. This year I've decided to keep a document in which I'm recording the authors I read throughout the year, because while I know I read more women than men (not on purpose, I just tend to read more books written by women) I don't know how many BAME authors or non-British/North American authors I read. And I like lists.
2. I accidentally ended up having dinner to celebrate my 21st birthday next to the Welsh rugby team.
3. When I was in primary school I was bullied by another girl called Jess, and in secondary school another girl called Jess accidentally broke my finger during basketball. Clearly I should stay away from other Jesses.
4. I didn't start wearing lipstick until I was in my 20s because I convinced myself I wouldn't suit it, and now I love it. To any other brunettes, orange lipsticks look great on us!
5. I love ghost stories and haunted house stories, but I'm such a scaredy-cat. If I watch a horror film I probably won't sleep well for a week afterwards.
6. Last year my friend Elena and I went to Rome for a long weekend and I fell in love with Italy. We decided then to try and go back every year, and next week we're off to Florence - I'm very excited!
7. I currently work in academic publishing. It's very busy, but very interesting.
8. Thanks to period dramas, Horrible Histories books and pure morbid childhood curiosity, I know way too much about historical execution and torture methods.
9. I'm not a big drinker - I've never been the kind of person who can just drink alcohol for the sake of it - but I do love toffee apple cider. Omnomnom.
10. I always struggle with fact lists. I don't think I'm that interesting.
11. Unicorns.

Thanks again, Catherine!

Liebster Award

My lovely friend Natalie @ A Sea Change nominated me for the Liebster Award - thanks Natalie!

Rules:

• Each nominee must have under 200 followers
• Thank and link to the nominated blog
• Answer their 10 questions and propose 10 new ones for your nominees
• Nominate 10 blogs and tell them that they have been nominated
• Write a post containing the questions
• Include these rules in the post

1. You can invite 3 people living or dead to dinner - who would you invite and why?

Hm... I'd invite Seanan McGuire, Nell Gwyn and Mary Anning.

Seanan McGuire, also known as Mira Grant, wrote Feed, which is one of my favourite books of all time; I know opinion of it is very divided, people either seem to love it or they really don't like it, but I first read Feed about a year and a half ago and I'm still thinking about it now. Plus Seanan seems like a really cool person and I'd love to be able to meet her and talk to her.

Nell Gwyn is my hero. She's one of those historical figures who just fascinates me. She started out life selling oranges, then she became an actress, and then she became one of Charles II's favourite mistresses, and I love her because she never seemed to be anyone but herself. She'd already been a mistress to several wealthy men before she became the King's mistress, which resulted in her calling him 'her Charles the Third'. She was also good friends with Aphra Behn, a 17th century playwright, novelist and poet, who also just so happened to be employed as a spy for Charles II in Antwerp. Nell seems to have had an amazing sense of humour and an even bigger sense of fun. Her son by the King - another Charles - became a Baron when he was six years old all thanks to her. I think she was fantastic.

Mary Anning was a Victorian lady who became both a fossil collector and palaeontologist despite living in an era in which the majority of scientists were men. She discovered the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton, the first two plesiosaur skeletons and the first pterosaur skeleton outside of Germany, amongst other things. Many of her discoveries contributed to the change in the way people studied prehistoric life and the history of the world. She became well known in geological circles across Britain, Europe and America, but was rarely given full credit for her work and struggled financially throughout her life. If anyone deserves a nice dinner and pleasant company, it's her.

2. What is your favourite poem and why?

I guess it's more of a song than a poem, though there are many links between music and poetry when it comes to old legend, but I've always loved 'The Lambton Worm', which is a legend from the North East of England. I have very fond and vivid memories of my dad reading it to me, and reading it in a very strong geordie accent (he and my mum are both from Gateshead) because it made me laugh.

I also love 'The Flea' by John Donne, 'Lamia' by John Keats, 'Sonnet 130' by William Shakespeare, 'On My First Son' by Ben Jonson, 'Phenomenal Woman' by Maya Angelou and 'Bog Queen' by Seamus Heaney.

3. What did you want to be when you were a kid? For that matter what do you want to do now?

For a long time I wanted to be a vet, but then I watched an episode of Animal Hospital where a vet stuck his arm up a cow's backside and it put me right off. I loved Animal Hospital, but now a lot of my memories of it are tainted thanks to the recent revelations about Rolf Harris.

Now? I just want to be happy.

4. Tell me a joke - any joke - as cheesy as you like!

What do you call a fat dog?

A flabrador.

5. You can have any animal in the world for a pet - what do you have and what do you call it?

I'd have a quokka, and I'd call him John.

They're so smiley!

6. Favourite Film/Worst Film - why?

Well my favourite animated film is Beauty and the Beast, I adore it. The animation's stunning and the music's beautiful - seriously, Alan Menken's score for that film is just gorgeous - and I love the story, too. One of the things I love about Beauty and the Beast is that we actually get to know the prince, too; he's not a stock character, and because of that the two of them develop an actual relationship. Plus Belle's a bookworm, so I was always going to love it.

My favourite non-animated film is The Mummy. It's such a fun adventure film and I adore it, and it's another film with a bookish heroine at its centre. Accompanied by a very pretty Brendan Fraser.

As for worst film? Probably Immortals. I hated that film, and I didn't like 300 either.

7. Describe yourself in one word

Lost.

8. What would your superpower be?

The ability to always be able to put eyeliner on without looking like a member of KISS who's been left out in the rain.

9. What country do you most want to visit?

Well I've done Italy now, which would have been my answer before last month, so now... there are so many. I'd like to go to Thailand, I haven't been to Asia at all, and I'd like to go to America and Canada and Mexico. Northern Ireland, too; I've been to the Republic of Ireland, but not to Northern Ireland. Oo, also Jersey! And Spain. And Austria. And Hawaii. And Norway...

10. You can give 3 book recommendations - what are they?

To give as diverse recommendations as I can, I'm going to recommend a classic, a graphic novel, and an 'ordinary' novel.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu: This is a 19th novella about vampires that pre-dates Bram Stoker's Dracula, and I think it's better than Dracula, too. I really enjoyed this book, and you should definitely check it out. If you're a bit reluctant to read something from the 19th century, not to worry - Carmilla is very readable, and it's very short, too. You could easily read it in one sitting!

Rat Queens, Vol.1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch: Female-led, female-centric high fantasy complete with innuendo, humour, diversity and bad-assery. It's great, and you should totally check it out.

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: I will never not find a way to include this book, just FYI. This is such a fantastic debut novel, and it's a standalone, too. I love it so much and I feel like it's one of those debuts that hasn't received as much attention as some of the other new releases this year, which is ridiculous. Read it read it read it.

My Questions

1. Do you like book adaptations?

2. If you were a protagonist in a book, which genre would you like your book to be in? 

3. Do you consider yourself a diverse reader?

4. Would you rather be an Ancient Greek, an Ancient Roman, or an Ancient Egyptian?

5. How do you spend your New Year's Eve?

6. Have you ever cosplayed? If not, would you like to?

7. What's your favourite book of 2015 so far?

8. Which season is your favourite?

9. Have you ever broken any bones?

10. Go to your bookshelf. Pick the seventh book from the left from the shelf of your choice. Go to chapter seven. What's the seventh word?

I tag

Mallory @ The Local Muse

Deanna @ Deanna Writes

Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Michelle @ In Libris Veritas

Beth @ The Quiet People

Faith @ GeekyZooGirl

Alison @ Hardcovers and Heroines

Emma @ Emma's Bookery

Tessa @ Tessellated Tales

Kaja @ Of Dragons and Hearts

Liebster Award

I was nominated by the lovely Mallory for the Liebster Award!

So, I answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated me, state 11 facts about myself and then list 11 questions for the bloggers I nominate! Cool? Cool.

Mallory's Questions

1. What is the saddest book you have ever read?

I've read quite a lot of sad books, Of Mice and Men being one of the first to jump out at me, and while books like The Book Thief and Feed have made me cry I think I have to go with the very first book to make cry: Noughts & Crosses.

2. Do you write in your books while you read them?

While I was at university I scribbled in the books I had to read for my course. When it came to writing essays I found it a lot easier to remember which quotes worked in my favour if I underlined them and wrote my thoughts next to entire passages. I wish I was the kind of person who treated every book like a Wreck This Journal, but I'm not. I love people who make their books their own and write all over them and personalise them. I don't mind my books getting a little battered and lived in; I like it when books look as though they've been read, but I don't like to write in them.

3. What literary character are you thinking about naming your future children after?

Well if I ever have children and I wind up having a daughter, I'm determined to call her Alice. Not only because I think it's a lovely name, but also because I really love Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

4. What book are you really excited to start?

I'm really looking forward to reading Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, and as Christmas draws nearer I'm really in the mood for some fun, romance reads, so I'm also excited to borrow Milly Johnson's A Winter Flame from my local library.

5. What's your favourite hot beverage?

Mint hot chocolate. I love mint hot chocolate.

6. What's one of your favourite book to movie (or tv show or mini series) adaptations?

Ooh, this is a really good question. Honestly the first film that popped into my head was Catching Fire; I honestly think it's one of the best book to film adaptations I've ever seen, which is great for me because Catching Fire is my favourite book in the trilogy!

7. What TV show are you loving right now?

I need a new show to watch because the three main ones that I watch aren't coming back until next year. Game of Thrones is an obvious one - even though it really needs to sort out the way it portrays any character that isn't a straight white man - but two of my favourite shows that need some more love are Hannibal and Orphan Black. They're both amazing.

8. What celebrity would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

Natalie Dormer. She's literally nothing like me in any way, shape or form but I adore her.

9. Approximately how many unread books do you think you own?

Somewhere around 150. Probably more. I know, I have a problem.

10. What are some of your favourite poems/poets?

I need to read more poetry, because I just don't read enough of it. I love Lamia by John Keats, The Narrow Way by Anne Brontë and The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. There's also an entire poetry collection I read earlier this year that I absolutely adored called The Undressed, by Welsh poet Jemma L. King. I don't read an awful lot of poetry, but that collection is definitely one of the best books I've read this year.

11. What is your favourite board or card game?

Not gonna lie, I love a bit of Trivial Pursuit. While I was studying for my MA one of my friends worked at one of the campus bars, and on the nights when there was basically no one in the bar but us around five of us would play a game of Trivial Pursuit. I have very fond memories of those nights.

Eleven Facts About Me

1. My full name, Jessicca, looks like a typo. Thanks Dad.
2. I'm still not over Sirius Black.
3. I've broken four bones, but I've never dislocated anything.
4. I've been scared of clowns ever since one yelled at me when I was around 5 or 6.
5. Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year and it's stressing me out that I haven't been able to start my Christmas shopping yet.
6. I've recently come to the realisation that I probably have some form of social anxiety, but if I ever told anyone that I don't think they'd believe me because I'm not that shy.
7. I love unicorns. I know a lot of dragon people, but I've always been a unicorn girl.
8. I'd really like to go to Florence and visit all the museums and art galleries there.
9. I'm rubbish at other languages. I wish I was fluent in more than one, but I just can't grasp them and I really admire people who can.
10. Guinea pigs, pugs, unicorns and quokkas are some of my favourite animals in the entire world.
11. The only film I've ever found Ewan McGregor attractive in is Angels and Demons. Not really sure what that says about me...

My Questions

1. You're hosting a dinner party and you're allowed to invite three guests. One guest must be an author (dead or alive), another must be a King/Queen/Pharoah/Emperor/You get the idea (dead or alive, from any country) and the third and final guest must be a deity (from any religion/mythos). Who do you invite and why?

2. If you could time travel, where would you go?

3. Which Hogwarts House do you think you'd be in?

4. How long would you last in the Hunger Games?

5. Where would you like to go on your next holiday?

6. Would you rather be able to speak every language in the world or be able to play every musical instrument ever invented?

7. Would you ever get a tattoo? If so, what would you get? And if you already have one/several, what is it/are they?

8. Do you read non-fiction?

9. Which book would you recommend to somone who hasn't read in a year?

10. Your favourite Christmas film? If you don't like any or you don't celebrate Christmas, is there a particular film you enjoy watching at this time of year?

11. If you watch anime, do you prefer it dubbed or subbed? If you don't watch anime, what was your favourite childhood show?

I nominate:

Laura

Emma

Cole

Chrissi

Carrie-Anne

(Apologies if you've already been nominated!)

Thanks again to Mallory for tagging me! :)