by Niraja @ Fantastic Books and Where to Find Them

The Sunshine Blogger Award

Thank you so much to Jasmine @ How Useful It Is, Nina @ By Page or By Plane, and Sam @ RiverMoose-Reads, for nominating me for this award; be sure to check out their lovely blogs for book reviews, literary discussions, and much more. I’ve picked a handful of the questions they’ve asked me to answer so this post wouldn’t get too long!

The Rules:

  • Thank the person who nominated you.
  • Answer 11 questions set by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions to answer.

Jasmine’s Questions

What inspired the name of your blog?

My blog is a quip on J.K. Rowling’s book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. You can find more information regarding this on my About page.

 What is your favorite genre?

It’s a tie between contemporary and fantasy!

What is your least favorite genre?

My least favorite genre is probably historical fiction. I like history and fiction, but I think it’s a little dull when the two are combined.

Do you read books by yourself or with a buddy?

I usually read books by myself, but I’ve buddy read a few times and loved the experience. It’s past time I’ve done another buddy read!

What would you do if you ran into your favorite author on the street?

I don’t have a favorite author – there are simply too many talented, capable writers to choose from! If I ran into an author I absolutely adore, though, I’d probably try to interview him/her regarding the writing process and his/her source(s) of inspiration. If he/she is currently working on a series, I’d also try to get a few hints regarding what to expect in the next book!

What is your second favorite thing to do besides reading?

Besides reading, I love writing, painting, listening to music, and watching YouTube videos and television.

Nina’s Questions

 What’s your favorite non-fiction book?

Paul Kalanithi’s memoir When Breath Becomes Air – his voice is authentic and his story, inspiring.

Describe the book you’re reading right now in one song.

“I Hate U, I Love U” by Gnash

I love this song, and I feel like it captures the confusion many characters experience in Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch Against the Night regarding their relationships with one another.

A book you will never get tired of recommending to everyone?

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo definitely deserves all the attention it’s been getting.

Do you prefer reading in quiet or with music/background noise?

I can usually concentrate better when reading in silence.

 Are you a night owl or morning person?

A bit of both, I suppose? I usually sleep late and wake up early.

Are you watching anything right now?

Dancing with the Stars and The Middle, as well as the presidential debates.

Sam’s Questions

How on target are you for your reading goal for this year?

I actually didn’t have a set number of books in mind; rather, my goal was to read as much as possible from a variety of genres, and I’m so far happy with where I’m at. I’ve definitely read more books this year than in past years.

Favorite current (or past if you are not in school) class?

It’s too difficult to choose! I love AP Biology, AP Government, and AP Calculus BC.

 What do you think of novelizations and/or retellings?

I absolutely love retellings!

What is your dream career?

I know I want to go into medicine, but I haven’t decided what I want to specialize in yet.

 Random fact you know, but don’t know why?

Flamingos get their pink color from the red cyanobacteria they eat.

Shout-out five of your favorite bloggers!

Honestly, if I follow your blog it’s because I love it; but, these five bloggers really stand out to me because they consistently provide their followers with quality posts! I’m proud to say I follow:

My Questions:

  1. Name the last song that was stuck in your head.
  2. What is/are your favorite book(s)?
  3. What is your favorite season and,
  4. Your favorite color?
  5. What is a movie you’ll never get tired of re-watching and,
  6. A book you’ll never get tired of rereading?
  7. Do you make New Year’s resolutions, and if so, do you stick to them?
  8. What is one goal you have in life?
  9. What is your favorite word?
  10. If you could rewrite any book, what book would it be and how would you rewrite it?
  11. I adore Sam’s idea of giving five amazing bloggers a shout-out, and I encourage you to do so as well! Share the love.❤

Nominees:

If you’ve already been nominated before, then feel free to ignore this. To all of you who haven’t, though, I hope you have fun! 🙂

~Niraja

68 thoughts on “The Sunshine Blogger Award”

    1. Honestly, just about everything. Some of my favorites include a watercolor of a hummingbird with flowers, a watercolor of a couple holding an umbrella on a rainy day, and an acrylic of some fruit and a violin on a table. I prefer working with acrylics, but I love the consistency of watercolors, and if oil paints weren’t so difficult to work with I’d use them more often, too!

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  3. Great answers! I also cannot stop…and will NOT stop….recommending Six of Crows or anything by Leigh Bardugo. The woman is an AMAZING!

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  8. Thank you very much for nominating me! 😀
    I adore the name of your blog! It’s seriously amazing! I also agree that Six of Crows needs all the attention, after all it’s a seriously fantastic book. I’m actually currently reading and loving Crooked Kingdom and I couldn’t be more exited! 🙂

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  9. Ohh, thanks for the tag! I can’t wait to get around to your questions for this one. Also I really enjoyed reading all your answers. I totally got your blog name being a reference to JK Rowling and I really really love it as well, massive JK Rowling fan over here too! 🙂
    Fantasy and contemporary are two favourite genres of mine as well, and now I’ve read more contemporary books I feel like I can actually say that! Oh and I LOVE retellings as well, honestly all a book has to reference in the blurb is that it’s a retelling and I’ve put it at the top of my to-read list! 😀
    Great answers for this tag, and once again thanks for the nomination! 😀

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    1. You’re very welcome, Beth, and I can’t wait to read your answers!❤
      Aha I’m glad you understood the reference; I’m such a Potterhead!
      I’m happy to hear that you’ve not only been reading more contemporary novels but enjoying it, too. I finished Lock and Key today (it was superb) – thanks again for recommending that one! I definitely plan on reading more of Sarah Dessen’s works soon. Meanwhile, I just started P.S. I Like You, and I already have a feeling this one will be good. 🙂
      Thanks for stopping by! x

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      1. Hopefully I’ll be able to post my answers soon in that case!
        Yeah, it’s a great title for a book blog as well! 😀
        It’s become my second favourite genre now, and I have a few more on my to-read list to get around soon which I have high hopes for. Oh I am so glad to hear you enjoyed Lock and Key, I’ll be keeping an eye out for your review of that one! And I hope you enjoy the rest of Sarah Dessen’s books as well, and P.S. I Like You.
        That’s all right! ❤

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  10. I’m with you on historical fiction. I find it so boring even though I love history. Although, I’ve been recommended a few that seem to have potential and so I might give them a try. We’ll see if I end up liking them though lol. Great post! 😊

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    1. Thank you, and I’ve heard that All the Light We Cannot See and Salt to the Sea are amazing historical fiction novels, so I’ll definitely have to give them a try sooner or later; however, usually I find the genre too dull, the main exception being The Book Thief. That book was stellar! I hope you enjoy them, and I look forward to reading your thoughts. 🙂

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      1. I’ve heard the same about Salt to the Sea but this is the first I’ve heard of All the Light We Cannot See so I’ll definitely have to look that one up. As for The Book Thief that one has been on my TBR for the longest time. I need to get around to reading it already haha. I hope you enjoy the ones you plan on checking out as well! 😊

        Also, I had a redraw for my giveaway for the autographed copy of It Ends With Us and you were the winner. I sent you an email.

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        1. All the Light We Cannot See has won the Pulitzer Prize as well as many other prestigious awards, so I have high hopes for it! Oh my gosh, you need to read The Book Thief soon – it’ll definitely be worth your time!
          Yay, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for letting me know (and for the fabulous giveaway); this is great because It Ends With Us has been on my TBR for so long! Now I won’t have an excuse for not reading it, haha. x

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          1. I know. I’ve heard so many great things about it. I haven’t even seen the movie adaptation yet because I’m putting off until after I read the book. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my hands on a copy soon. 😊
            Nope problem! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did because honestly it was such a fantastic book. I’m still not over it. Coincidentally enough we both live in the same state so when I do get it shipped out it shouldn’t take too long to get to you. I’ll be sure to email you back with the tracking number once I do. 😊

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    1. Argh I’m so sorry, I thought I’d commented already!🙈 Thank you so much for the nomination and I am really excited to get to answer your questions! And I also love Retellings so much – great answers!

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  13. Ahhh, thank you so much for the mention! Somehow I didn’t see this notification until today, oops. I’m really glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed my blog, that means a lot. 💕

    And lucky you for being a night owl AND morning person, teach me your ways! I’m a huge night owl but waking up early is like pulling teeth for me. I’m not exactly cranky, but I’m just so sleepy and it’s RIDICULOUSLY difficult for me to get out of bed.

    Also I haven’t read Six of Crows yet, oops. 🙉

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  16. Ohh thank you so, so much for mentionning me in your post, it means SO much to me that you like my blog and the things I write, really. I can’t thank you enough, you’re fantastic ❤
    I really liked reading your answers, and just like Reg said above me, it's crazy how you manage to be both a morning person and a night owl. I'm mostly a morning person, but…well, oh the things we could do if we didn't sleep hahaha, I always wonder about that.
    I'm a huge contemporary reader, but lately I have been reading more and more fantasy, and loving it as well. I think if you give it a few more months I'll be just like you, and wouldn't be able to choose between the two 😀

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    1. No problem, Marie – your blog is truly amazing! We’d all be infinitely productive if we didn’t need sleep… sometimes I wonder what it would be like for our days to be longer, too, like 48 hours instead of 24.
      That’s exactly what happened to me; I started reading fantasy this summer, and now I’m hooked! These days I tend to alternate between contemporary and fantasy (I’ll read two books of one genre, then two books in the other), so I never get tired of either. x

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  20. I also sleep late and wake up early, I don’t remember what it’s like to sleep in! I vaguely remember doing it as a teen, haha! Historical fiction is tricky, it’s only interesting if done right, because it can easily get boring! Loved yours answers!

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