Bookish Updates + Book-Related Questions

Hi everyone! Happy Easter for these holidays, by the way!

So it's been quite a while since my last post, so I thought I'd say hi to you all again!

I've had tons to do recently, with studying and everything, so I haven't exactly had as much time to read as I've wanted to - but I promise, now hat it's the holidays I'll get back on track.

Here are the books that I've managed to finish since my last post:

-King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard: 5/5 stars (this one was so emotional and I still haven't gotten over the ending)

-The Princess Diaries - A Royal Disaster by Meg Cabot: 4/5 stars

-The Princess Diaries - Princess in the Middle by Meg Cabot: 5/5 stars (I loved this one SO much! So beautiful!!)

-Far From the Tree by Robin Benway: 5/5 stars (This one was INCREDIBLE! Full review to come 😊)

And I'm currently reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, which is really good so far!

Anyways, so for this post I've decided to answer some book-related questions for you guys, so here goes:

1. Favourite childhood book?

The Harry Potter series, HANDS DOWN. I am a huge potterhead and will always be. This series has always been close to heart, and I am planning on rereading it someday in the future because honestly, I have forgotten some major details about the plot which is so bad! I was so obsessed with Harry Potter when I was younger, I even had a replica of Hermione's wand! I remember once I came to school for Book Week and dressed up as Hermione and gosh I looked like such a hopeless Harry Potter fangirl older me would have been embarrassed... but nope. Younger me embraced this, and didn't care.

And yes, that is a time turner necklace in that photo. And a Gryffindor scarf. And I have a badge somewhere...

2. What books do you have on request at the library or out of the library right now?

So from the library right now I have the fourth and fifth books in the Princess Diaries series, the first Raven Boys book and Dorothy Must Die. On request I have the second Raven Boys book, because the first one is just so good that I NEED the second one ASAP!

3. Do you have any bad book habits?

Not really. I don't dog-ear books (let's be honest, what kind of monster actually does!?!), I don't put them down without a bookmark inside (usually anyway), and I am not particularly careless with them. Although I do tend to take them everywhere, which does mean that they tend to get bashed a lot, and I do often eat while reading which means that occasionally, crumbs will fall into the middle of the pages an GAH THAT ANNOYS ME SO MUCH.

4. Actual books or e-books?

Actual books all the way! Tbh, I kind of find e-books annoying, although strictly speaking I've never read a full e-book before. But I just find that one of the reasons why I read is to come off screens, so I really don't like reading them off a screen. Also, I love to have a physical copy of the book that I'm reading, so that I can kind of feel like the book is there with me. Is that just me!? Ah well.

5. Favourite book you've read this year?

Okay, so I do love the Red Queen series, but honestly, my favourite book that I've read this year is Far From the Tree by Robin Benway. It is the most beautifu

lly-written book I have read in a long while, and it's broken people trying to move on and fix their lives and adoptive siblings meeting each other and the importance of family in people's lives and what makes a family and it has cinnamon rolls in it (Joaquin I'm looking at you!!) and IT WAS SO GOOD OKAY!?

I strongly recommend you to read it, because I loved it , and I obviously have a good taste in books (haha I'm kidding but still).

6. What do you think is the most important aspect of a book?

For me, it's not necessarily the plot itself but the characters. If you give me a book that has a good plot but the characters are the most boring, one-dimensional people, chances are I will just stop reading it. For me, it's all about the characters, I won't be emotionally invested in a book unless the characters are on-point. Some of my favourite characters ever include:

-Tris Prior from Divergent

-Mare Barrow and Cal Calore from Red Queen

-Joaquin and Grace and Maya from Far From the Tree

-August and Via Pullman from Wonder

-Bronwyn and Nate from One of Us is Lying

-Brand Sayers from Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index

-Gansey and Ronan from The Raven Boys

-Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series

-Hazel Wong from Murder Most Unladylike

-Clancy Crew from Ruby Redfort

7. Do you do the awful sin that is to read the end of books before you have finished them?

Well... okay maybe. I know, it's HORRIBLE. I have little self-control. I really need to quit doing this. But I just need to see that my favourite characters are still alive after the book finished, and that my favourite ships have happened, okay!!?? Don't judge me. :)

8. Favourite villain?

Maven from the Red Queen series, hands down. He is an incredible villain, and so three-dimensional, and so real, and so broken inside but so conflicted but yet so upfront but so confident but so small but so innocent but so guilty but so evil but so cinnamon-roll-like AT THE SAME TIME. How is that even possible!? I have no idea.

9. Have you ever met an author and had their book signed?

I do have two signed books: Divergent, Undercover Princess and Mistletoe and Murder. Divergent I just got off the internet because of reasons, Undercover Princess I saw at a bookshop and I love the youtuber who wrote this so I got the book to see what it was like (no, I still have not read it yet), and Mistletoe and Murder someone got signed for me because I wasn't able to go myself. But I sent the author, Robin Stevens, a letter and she replied and sent me her book-themed badges, which was AWESOME!

Also, I am going to see Victoria Aveyard (author of the Red Queen series) at a conference, and get my book signed there, hopefully, which is SO EXCITING! I can't wait to meet her 😇.

10. Do you have book-themed merchandise?

YES. YES I DO.

As I mentioned earlier I have a Harry Potter scarf, necklace, badge and wand. I also have a Divergent-themed bracelet which I love, about three book-themed bags, and a few book-themed pins. So yeah! It's pretty obvious when you walk into my room that I love books.

So yeah, wow, I just typed a lot!

I would love to hear your answers to the above questions, so if you could comment below (or to the side!) with your answers, that would be awesome! I'll be sure to get back to you.

Happy reading, as always!

Bubbles xo