Liebster Award Nomination

Hello everyone

Awhile ago I got nominated by Casual Book Reviews for the Liebster Award. I had only just begun blogging so I wanted to wait before replying via a blog because 1. I didn't feel like I deserved it and 2. I wanted to have a more substantial backing. The Liebster Award is about highlighting small blogs that you think deserve more support with less than 200 followers. I am most definitely a small blogger and I was very pleased when I got the nomination by Kelly. I had only just started and I was unsure if anyone other than friends were reading my posts or if I was just shouting into the void. So thank you Kelly, you helped me keep motivated with this blogging thing.

The rules for Liebster Award are simple:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Answer the questions given by the nominator

3. Nominate another 11 bloggers (with 200 or less followers) and link them

4. Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer

5. Notify all nominees by social media/blogs

Questions from Casual Book Reviews:

1. Why did you start blogging?

I've been wanting to blog for quite awhile but I never felt motivated to it or I didn't feel like I had time because of University or school. I think my self-confidence was also a reason I left it for awhile because I didn't think my writing was good enough. I decided to start this year because I had chosen to do the 2015 Reading Challenge as a fun resolution and I figured doing a blog would be a good way of illustrating my literature journey I was taking.

2. Indoors or outdoors?

I think I'm a mixture but I do tend to spend more time inside. I like being on my computer, reading books and watching movies/tv shows. The main sport I've played in the past was underwater hockey and that was in a pool inside so even my main exercise was inside... But I do enjoy going to the beach and going for walks. I've recently found a love of scenery and natural beauty, and have started to enjoy photography. Although I am very much an amateur, it is quite exciting when you take a really good picture.  

3. The last song you listened to?

Shatter Me by Lindsay Stirling feat. Lzzy Hale (the Halestorm lead singer)

4. A place you like to go to think?

Probably the place I have gone the most in the past to think is the Botanical Gardens in Dunedin as I used to live by there. To be honest, I mainly just need to go outside and go for a walk if I want to think. It's preferable if it is somewhere beautiful and serene. I also like long road trips in the car when I can just put in my headphones and daydream. 

5. Favourite thing to bake/cook?

I am not much of a baker or cook. It's more of a means to an ends for me. However, I do like making pikelets, I make them more frequently than anything else. Pikelets are my "I'm craving something sweet but we have nothing and it's two o'clock in morning" kinda thing. Cooking wise I would say my Grandma's chicken pie. It tastes so good.

6. Favourite day of the week?

I'm going to say Sunday or Monday as they are my weekend days. They switch around and sometimes one is better than the others.

7. A story that always makes you smile when looking back on it?

When I was three or four years old, I had a moon bouncer.

My moon bouncer looks something like this but I think it was green.

I loved my moon bouncer and one day my sister, Beth offered to help me. My sister is four, nearly five years older than me. She asked me if I wanted to make the moon bouncer more bouncy, so bouncy that I could jump as high as the roof (or something like that, my memory is kinda hazy). I, of course; agreed and asked how I could do that. She then told me that if I put a pin in my moon bouncer it would make it more bouncy. So of course, I obliged, I found a drawing pin and pushed the tip into the rubber of the moon bouncer. My moon bouncer obviously began to deflate and never bounced again. I was very upset and my mother refused to by me a new one despite it being my sisters fault. This memory has scarred me but at the same time I find it hilarious, at least now anyway. I think it's funny remembering how tricky my sister was. I also have never let her forget that she did this to me...

8. Chocolate or Vanilla

Chocolate, except in Upn'Gos (A morning cereal-esque milkshake), the vanilla is the best.

9. A book you never finished and why?

Boy, I have plenty of these. Atonement, I started reading this at school but got bored so stopped reading it. I might go back to it but at the time it bored me listening about a girl who had no problems kinda complaining about having no problems/secrets.  

P.S. Sorry if this is completely wrong but that's what I remember thinking at the time. I was only 16, that was 6 years ago... 

10. A book you will love forever?

The Harry Potter series, it needs no explanation.

11. Something people may not know about you?

I'm actually quite introverted. That probably isn't that surprising amongst the blogging world. I'm very social and I get along with new people fairly easily but I do love my alone time a lot. Sometimes, I like it more than being around people. I think I'm very much a mixture between extroverted and introverted.

My Nominations:

Amy - Wonderings Of an Old Soul 

Aimee - An Author's Inspiration 

Spencer - Science to a Student 

Siobhan - The Only Blonde in Osaka 

Carmen - Carmen Huter 

Kalliope - Frick Frackin Feminist

Kristelle - Forever Dreaming 

Sam - Life of Sam

Amber - Fawntales 

Dallas - Sister Blog 2

Dulce - Chamber of Creation

P.S. It took me ages to find these blogs, I wanted to make sure they were good and they all are!
P.P.S I have assumed all these bloggers have less than 200 followers but sometimes it is hard to tell so bear with me...

My Questions for Nominees:

1. Favourite memory?

2. What is the top location in the world you would like to visit?

3. Why did you start blogging?

4. Favourite book at the moment?

5. If you could only eat one food for the rest of you life, what would it be?

6. Favourite song at the moment?

7. A place you go to get away from everything?

8. What is a weird dream you've had recently?

9. Who inspires you?

10. Who is your favourite blogger? 

11. What is quote to you find inspiring?

Thank you Casual Book Review once again for nominating me.

Jenny

Highland Guard by Hannah Howell

2015 Reading Challenge

8. A book your Mum loves: Highland Guard by Hannah Howell

Well, I have a confession to make. I sometimes like reading Mummy porn-esque books. They're my guilty pleasure, don't judge me. I wasn't initially going to write a review about this book but then I thought "I'm an adult and I shouldn't be embarrassed." I'm quite picky on what books of this kind I read because I still want a good story. (So I guess 50 Shades is out of the running...) If I wanted to read pure smut I would just go online and google it. If I'm honest, the main reason I read these books is they don't make me over think and the endings are always happy. When I was studying these were the the main kind of books I would read if any because I couldn't deal with anything really substantial. My Mum loves Hannah Howell's books and she has got me hooked as well. Howell has a couple of different series, the Murray/Highlander one, the Wherlocke one and the MacNachton Vampires one. I've read most of her books except for the vampire one because I really dislike vampires. This is the newest book out and I had to read it straight away. It was perfect timing because I really needed a silly book like this.

This book is set in historic highland Scotland, they don't give a specific date in this one but sometimes she does. The book is centred around Annys MacQueen and her difficulties in keeping her young son's lands safe from a cruel kinsman after her husband has died. This is quite a typical storyline for Howell to make. She requests help from Harcourt Murray to come and help her as her deceased husband once saved his life. They have a bit of a complicated history that gets unravelled during the course of the book. The book is full of intrigue, action and sexual tension. Howell's book always contain strong female characters which is pretty refreshing. Though there is always a level of submission involved but that's usually because of historic setting.

I really enjoyed this book because although there was an aspect of the storyline which was quite typical to Howell's other books, she managed to mix it up a bit. The romance aspect was quite different as for once the female protagonist wasn't a virgin. I know shock, horror but seriously some of the previous books where the female protagonist had been married, she still managed to be a virgin. These highland men love their virgins, I tell ya. But you don't expect much in that regard so its not that big of a deal and if I'm honest Annys is nearly a virgin in this book too. Another aspect Howell mixed things up with was the two main characters had this complicated past. I won't get into it because it may ruin the beginning of the book but it is quite intriguing and unique. But ultimately this book was full of cliches. However, the silver linings are that you read these books because you want cliches and Howell managed to make them difficult to see coming, at least to an extent. I also appreciated that she didn't over do the sex scenes. Sometimes in other books I'm thinking "Guys, can you stop with all the sex, there's a murderer on the loose! You need to focus!" but then I continue reading...

I'm really quite a fan of Howell's books even if I don't hold them in the highest regard. Her books have been great for me when I just want to read something with a happy ending, that won't make me think to hard and has a small sprinkling of smut... I recommend that you should try out these type of books if you are a bit stressed and like a sweet love story. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I do really enjoy them but they are still more of a guilty pleasure rather than my favourite books.

Thank you for reading!

Jenny