Miscellaneous is the tagline to store random posts that don’t really belong elsewhere. They may involve tags, awards, challenges, and other book blogging nonsense.

What’s Miscellaneous Today?
The Liebster Award (#2)
& Choose Your Adventure Tag

Hey cool people of the world (that’s you), welcome back to another week of blog awards and tags I know you’re tired of reading about. So lettuce all thank Precious (at) Clockwork Desires, Cassandra (at) Life With Cassandra, and Maca (at) Books Are My Lovers for encouraging my completely serious answers to these completely serious questions.

There are three sections of Liebster Award questions followed by my questions that I designed for those who I nominated (I nom’d 30 people…) but I wrote it in a way that could be tag accessible so if you’d like to have a go at answering them…go right ahead!

Disclaimer: This post is text-heavy. Seriously.

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Link back to the person who nominated you.
2. Answer 11 questions from the individual who nominated you.
3. Nominate 11 new bloggers and come up with your own 11 questions. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.
4. Inform your nominee on being nominated.

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Questions From Precious (at) Clockwork Desires:

1. What’s your favorite thing about blogging?

Having my insanity validated somewhat.

2. What are three things you can’t live without?

Water, Oxygen, Internet. Not in that particular order.

3. What was the last movie you watched? Did you enjoy it?

The Divergent Series: Insurgent. It was awful—you can read my comments here.

4. If you could be a character from any novel, who would you be and why?

Maybe someone from Harry Potter? I don’t know…magical realism is necessary.

5. What’s your favorite animal? Why?

Quokkas. They’re very happy. Or otters…or red pandas…omg.

6. What is the ultimate dream vacation? (It could be to a fictional or real place.)

The ability to be conscious in my dreams. Basically, Inception.

7. What was your favorite childhood TV show?

I grew up always catching Spongebob during lunch (on the days I ate at home) and The Simpsons after school.

8. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to? 

Would I be stuck there? I do want to see the beginning of time…whenever that was.

9. Can you solve a rubix cube?

I think I can complete two sides.

10. What kind of music are you into?

Progressive house with vocal accompaniment;

Epic orchestral music (e.g. music for movie trailers, see: Thomas Bergersen “Final Frontier” aka Interstellar trailer music);

Or a capella covers—I do follow the International Championship for Collegiate A Capella (what Pitch Perfect is based off of, see: CMU Carnegie Mellon University Originals 2013 Semi-Final;

11. Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

I would not wish this onto anyone. Though if I had to choose, it’d be one of the kids in Fresh off the Boat television show (a show about my life basically).

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Questions From to Cassandra (at) Life With Cassandra:

1. How long have you been a blogger and why did you start?

On WordPress, I’ve been doing this for just over a year now. I’ve also blogged in the past using Freewebs, Xanga, and LiveJournal. In terms of why I started book blogging specifically, I answered this fully on a previous award, The Addictive Blog Award, but I’ll reword my answer in a roundabout way (because I’m all for uplifting speeches):

If you catalogue your thoughts in any way, you are a blogger. Yes—everyone is a “blogger”—just in different ways. Society likes to put things into bite-sized categories for ease of understanding all while diluting the importance of singular voices in a collective thought. You are a book blogger. You are a social media tycoon. You are a marginalized “person”. While you may fit into multiple boxes, you are also not these things because there’s another voice tapping your shoulder telling you that you aren’t relevant or legitimate or have any voice worth recognizing. And although that can be true, I’m calling bananas on that. So what I meant to say is this: are you breathing? Guess that means you’re still a blogger. 

2. Who is your favorite television character?

Oh shit, I have too many. Donna from Suits…? (BUT WHAT IS DONNA WITHOUT HARVEY, LOUIS OR MIKE? I kinda want to say Norma too…omg that episode was so feels :()

3. On a Friday night, what are you up to?

Depends what plans are in motion. But likely feeding my hangry.

4. You get to invite a book character to dinner. Who would it be?

The Monster from A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness).

“At the end of this meal, you will tell me a story.”

7pm: monster tells a story; 9pm: monster tells a story… 10pm: *food comas* lolololol.

5. If you attended Hogwarts, what house would you belong to?

I asked Savindi (at) The Streetlight Reader for an honest answer and she said I’d be in Slytherin. I was like “lolwat?” and proceeded to do a quiz online. Got Syltherin…dang.

6. You are a demigod (Percy Jackson series), who would you hope to be your parent?
   I only watched both of the movies so I really don’t know. I can’t say Poseidon because Logan Lerman’s the boss. So, I don’t know.

7. Most played song on your playlist?

Hardwell – Young Again (feat. Chris Jones).

8. What country are you from?

The land of the True North Strong and Free (Canada).

9. Your favourite television programmes (name as many as you want)?

Game of Thrones? House of Cards? Suits? Fargo? The Mindy Project? HTGAWM? Orphan Black? Big Brother? Ugh, I hate this question.

10. Favorite superhero?

….Groot?

11. If money and time were no object, what would you be doing right now?

Assuming ideas easily formed itself in my head: writing.

If ideas are hard to come by: …eating my sorrows of the above?

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Questions From Maca (at) Books Are My Lovers:

1. What book are you currently reading right now?

Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

2. Do you like book-to-movie adaptations? Which adaptation lived up to your expectations and would recommend?

Here’s the problem: I do enjoy adaptations but I usually end up seeing the movie before ever reading it. The only adaptation that current comes to mind if Catching Fire—it was pretty legit.

3. In your opinion, what book has the best cover ever?

The hardcover of More Than This (Patrick Ness)

4. Which book genre is your favourite(s)?

Science Fiction..?

5. The name of the book you’ve read the most number of times?

Couldn’t tell you—I don’t really read books more than once.

6. In the case of a calamity (fire, flood, etc) and you only have a chance to save a few books that you can carry in your arms, which books do you save?

The book I’m currently reading: Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. If you’ve seen the hardcover, you know it’s behemoth in size.

7. What do you enjoy doing aside from reading?

Enjoying the moments of choosing; whether it involves writing, gaming, eating, binging shows/movies.

8. What do you prefer, physical copy or ebook? Why?

Hardcovers. They feel nice.

9. If you had the opportunity of being close friends with an author, who would it be?

Go view Patrick Ness’ tweets. They’re amazing.

10. What is your favourite part of the year?

I’ll be very specific and say that I really enjoy the Winter Olympics. (Canadian nationalism gives me feels.)

11. What is the first book you would instantly recommend someone you just met?

I wouldn’t recommend anything. It has to be methodical. If the person I just met is a relationship worth cultivating, I’d profile said individual before making claims. A bad recommendation can be telling, you know?

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Liebster Award Questions (or Choose Your Adventure Tag?)

Here are some mind-bending and super cheesy questions. I apologize for the shoddy narrative writing (and I promise I’m way less corny in what I really write.

#joeysbrainreferencingallkindsoftropesinfiction

All bolded areas are questions/prompts for you to answer!

1. Dazed eyes open to warm rays of light welcoming another day of stories to be experienced. School? Work? Whatever. You pack your bag with the essentials: a Ziploc bag of snacks, the book you’re currently reading, your tech, the book that tops your list of favourites within the past three years, more food, and the book you’d give to your worst enemy. Just because.
2. Putting on your favourite kicks, you open the door to see your best fictional friend greeting you with a beverage. It has your name on it. What’s your character name? (You can be an existing protagonist or create your own.)
3. Grinning, you step onto your porch and reach for the screen door. As your finger traces the unlocking latch, you notice that you’re staring at a different door and a mat under your nose informing of your welcoming. A click is heard as your hand moves away from the chiming doorbell, the aged wooden door opening to an individual of importance (ideal fictional significant other? perhaps a fictional parent?). You hug the shit out of them.
4. But the once affectionate embrace now feels cold, distant, and dirty. Your limbs are constricted and bound by something scratching your skin raw. A voice echoes in the dark, hollow room; followed by laughter, the amusement of your futile predicament. Who is this villainous captor (i.e. could be your most hated villain)? As they bring their head closer to yours, your headstrong protagonist-willpower tells you to do what you do best: use your head as a weapon. Quite literally.
5. A squint-inducing lingering pain thumps in your skull as battle cries drum to the beat of the men and women marching toward tall, stone walls. Your heart races with excitement and you grip your weapon tighter, first igniting the roaring fire within and then giving hoots to cheer your invading comrades on. What book had a moment that got your heart racing? You grab hold of the battering ram and ramp it up you shall.
6. Bang. A destructive boom resonates through the corridors. The castle gates are flooded with enemies. The war is lost; and they are coming. Your shelves are filled with hundreds of books. Of them are texts with secrets of war, of rebellion, of hope in a dimming world—books of true insight to leverage a victory—that you know must be burned immediately. Which book(s) do you destroy? If any.
7. The flames cackle as it dances before you, smoke rising and funneling into the open air. Clear to gray to tar; fumes seeping down deep into your lungs. You begin coughing hoarsely, suffocating from the toxicity. Releasing the door to the battle beyond your chambers or suffocate alone; all options are dreadful. What book was a painful experience to endure; whether it is personally or thematically powerful? Your eyes clamp shut.
8. When you open them again, they flutter at the torrential rain being doused everywhere, soaking your body as it sways like a clock’s pendulum. “Ship’s bout’ to capsize, Cap’n!” a voice calls. The undulating sea smashes against the starboard and a crate scatters open various books and scriptures. You reach for your favourite book of all time and open to the page with a moment/quote that had changed your perspective. You rip the page out, and find a plastic bag, a Ziploc it tells you, and seal the passage, hoping that the ink doesn’t leak. You bring the clear plastic to your eyes and stare at the words trying to live in the moment once more.
9. The ink bleeds everywhere and as you lower the packaged piece of paper and look ahead, you’re now sitting in a room, amongst others, waiting for the moment of no return; of truths, of failures, of self-fulfilling prophecies. A moment passes and then your name is called. What trial, test, prophecy, or situation would you not want to undergo under any circumstances whatsoever? You proceed to the door; a ringing signals the start of your journey.
10. Your eyes open and hear the murmurs and static from the television. You tilt your head toward the noise, recognizing that the scene about to play out is one that was adapted; a book-to-film change you didn’t enjoy. What adapted scene is on the screen that you disliked (or thought was poorly executed)?
11. With a click of the remote, you silence any reservations. Sitting up, the windows radiating light emits a tone of difference than what you can remember. Approaching the window sill, the expanse beyond stretches increasingly far, where intrigue and uncertainty have become more than unsettling. What world have you woken up into (fictional or realistic) and what are your next steps?

Liebster Award (or CYA Tag) Nominations:

If you want to call it Liebster Award, go ahead. If you want to call it the Choose Your Adventure Tag, go ahead. (It just happened to look like CYA/See Ya, it was unintentional LOL.) Do whatever makes you feel happy, mates. I figured since so many of you may have been awarded the Liebs before, I ought to change it up!

Alex @ Alex In Bookland

Alyssa @ Life of a Book Enthusiast

Alyssa @ Reading, reading, READING

Anjie @ Love Thy Bookshelf

Born and Read? @ Born and Read

Brandie @ Brandies a Book Junkie

Cristian @ The Bookish God

Cristina @ Girl in the Pages

Elena @ Elena Square Eyes

Elyssa @ Books and Iced Coffee

Erika @ Rickus Bookshelf

Jade @ Book Muffin

Jocelyn @ 52 Letters In The Alphabet

Justin @ Just Harping On Libros

Katie @ Bookish Tendencies

Kimberly @ Come Hither Books

Krystal @ Books Are My Thing

Levi Isaac @ Levi Isaacs Blog

Liam @ Liam’s Library

Mari @ Story and Somnomancy

Miguel @ The Quirky Reader

Precious @ Clockwork Desires

Rachel @ Confessions of a Book Geek

Rita @ Books and Stuff

Savindi @ The Streetlight Reader

Shelumiel @ Bookish and Awesome

Stacie @ Confessions of a Reader

Stefani @ Caught Read Handed

Summer @ XingSings

Tasha @ Head In The Clouds Heart In The Books

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Afterthoughts:

Tagging/nominating other bloggers took me so long to compile from the hundreds of you that I follow. But I do not love you less if you are not in the list–you are all cool peeps. I think that it was way more fun for me to write this narrative tag thing more than you’ll enjoy answering them. Let me know what you think of it!

Cheers,
Joey