Chit•Chat with Caro (The Book Rogue)

Welcome to my new feature called


Chit•Chat!


What is Chit•Chat?

Well, it's me interviewing some fellow bloggers! :)

If you'd like to know more or like to participate,
JUST CLICK HERE!

It's time for another guest, so welcome, Caro!

Click here to visit her blog!

Tell us who you are!

I'm Carolin [plz don't address me with my full given name, ever], a 22 year old book blogger from Germany. Currently still in college, wanting to become a literature translator. We'll see how that goes, but I hope that one day my name will be on books - altough maybe only on the inside. ;)

How long have you been blogging? When and why did you decide to start blogging?

I started blogging at the begining of the year (2012), due to the simple fact that I was reading in English and a lot YA, and had just no one to talk to about it.
Well, I kinda wanted to try out blogging anyway, but it would've never ever worked as some kind of diary. So I needed a topic, and on Christmas 2011 frustration about non-comunication got to me, so I started my own book blog.
And since I feel a lot more comfortable with the English language, that's what I chose (you can reach more ppl, too!) to blog in.

Favorite and least favorite things about blogging?

Finding an endless flow of new titles I wanna read. That's as awesome as it is frustrating. x)
Another favorite is getting to know a lot of new people, especially with the same interests. Then meeting authors, maybe getting in touch with publishers over the years. That can only help my cause, right?
Last of the least favorite things: thoughtless comments, either because they have nothing to do with the post, or because they're just copy-pasted for... I don't even know why ppl do that!

Who is your favorite and least favorite literary villain and protagonist, and why?

Fave Male Protagonist: This isn't easy, really not easy. But I'll be going with Zachariah from Raine Thomas's Firstborn trilogy until further notice. His persoanlity is just so... wow, so is his life's story. Worst Male Protagonist: Edward from Twilight by Stephanie Meyer [although I am being a little influenced by Robert Pattinson here], Damen from The Immortals by Alyson Noel, and I am betting on Daniel from the Fallen series by Lauren Kate although I only read the first installment so far. You could say they share rank 3, coz it's the same cookie-cutter approach for all of them.

Fave Female Protagonist: Suzume/Rin/Yue [yes, her name changes like that] from Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott. You know Memoirs of a Geisha? This is like the YA-mystical version of it. Absolutely loved it, and simply the changes she went through, what symbolizes her name... She's my fave up til now. Worst Female Protagonist: You don't want me going into that... There's just so many heroines lacking depth despite having installment over installment to develop a unique personality, but simply don't. So yeah, not going there, I am sure you'll come up with enough yourself.

Fave Male Villain: Jonathan Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I think it's so awesome that he actually makes sense in his own twisted way, and look so good doing it. I'm sure there are more like him, maybe even better, but I can't think of anyone right now. Worst Male Villain: Nicholas from the Chronicles of Blood and Stone tilogy by Robert Newcomb. Just too creepy for comfort, and... I don't know, just no.

Fave Female Villain: Huan/Hrun from the Age of the Five triloy by Trudi Canavan. She was THE vicious goddess through and through, you might only argue the point that there was no real jealousy mixed into her hatred for the female protagonist, which does strike one as a little odd since Huan is the goddess of love/fertility after all.
Worst Female Villain: Stacia from The Immortals by Alyson Noel. She's just so... stereotypical jealous because the good-hearted, non-cheerleading girl gets the hot guy instead of her. Right now, I can't think of any more characters like her, but I am sure there are more. So feel free to fill in some blanks for me.

Vampire, werewolf, or something else?

a Minion of Day and Knight [really badass bat-winged warriors, created by Robert Newcomb], but a werewolf would also be nice, as long as I actually get a fluffy fur coat [not those versions from Harry Potter or Underworld, urghs]

If you could be any book heroine, who would you be and why?

I'd be Bella so I could tell Jake to kick Edward's butt into next week before settling in with Emily and the pack.
Just kidding! Well, maybe not so much, but Bella is definitively not the first pick. Really, I'd want to be Isabelle from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. She's simply my ideal female character, in all aspects like I would conjure up my heroine to be. Of course there are also a couple of others I'd like to slip into, just to test the powers, the boundaries... but I guess we all kind of feel this way, right?

What movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit? Spill!

Hmm... Personally, I'm not really embarrassed about it, but I guess most ppl would be, so I'm saying the 2004 Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff. This is probably the most girlish thing about me, and I think it's the most pink I own. Other than that, most people consider it embarrassing to watch anime at my age, but I do so and I enjoy it.

Your favorite book of all times and why?

Uhm... Really not sure about this. My best read in 2012 so far was Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, and it is definitvely one of my all time favorites, with high potential for staying THE ONE favorite book for the rest of my reading life. I highly recommend all of you to pick it up! Like, now.
However, The Thief Lord and the Inkworld trilogy by Cornelia Funke were my first YA fantasy novels, and I would read them any time over again.

Tell us 5 random, (non-bookish, if you wish) things about yourself!

• Egypt is the only country I've been on vacation more than twice AND STILL want to go back there again [the US doesn't count, coz I lived there for a year, so of course I wanna go back!]
• I'm engaged. Well, at least for the authorities. Privately, I kinda got an engagement tattoo...
• When I am finally getting married, I am keeping my last name, because it's really special.
• I love musicals. I'll be seeing Dance of the Vampires in a few weeks. So excited!
• I've been to a concert in a wheel chair, and it was awesome. Me and the boys had fun with that, and the concert was worth about double than what we paid.

Your favorite...

• .. ice cream?
  Tiramisu, and in a lack of that I go for chocolate


• .. author?
  Hmm... There are a lot of authors with good writing styles out there, and they are all good for another reason. But if I had to pick out the most striking style, it'd be Tahereh Mafi. If you haven't read Shatter Me yet, you'd better start ordering now.


• .. smell?
  Smoke from blown out candles or matches, I even like gasoline. Essence of roses is nice too - makes a lot of people turn tail and flee, among them my mom and grandma. Loved to open that tiny bottle we had for decoration to annoy them when I was little. Muha.


• .. color?
  Black and red, even more so in combination


• .. movie?
  Gladiator


• .. quote?
  From Friedrich Nietzsche
  
  "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

If you'd like to say something to my followers, go ahead! :)

Dear Mind Readers ;),
it is awesome of you to step by here today, thank you. I hope that many of you are very faithful readers of Monaliz', which I am thankful for once again, but if you happen to be even the slightest bit able to pull yourself off this blog, then maybe you might want to check out my giveaway: http://the-book-rogue.de/a-new-beginning-giveaway/ ;)
But that's already gonna be it from the self-promo corner, and I'm turning back to more important matters: the question if you can actually read minds - or if you just mind reading? o.O Do I really want to go into this discussion with you? Maybe not, but tell me the truth anyway! And in case any of you answer yes, please leave me a way to contact you to fill out my next questionnaire/interrogation for me.
Thank you very much! :)
D

Thank you Caro for stopping by!

And I have to spill.. I watch 2004 Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff all the time. Well, actually, I watch movies with Hillary Duff all the time.. I have all the Lizzie McGuire dvds. Don't tell anyone ;D
And do I read minds.. Guess you'll never know. Though you better only think nice things, just in case ;)
Again, thanks for stopping by! And if you, my dear reader, would like to be interviewed, email me zaturna [ at ] gmail [ dot ] com!

Chit•Chat with Leah (The Pretty Good Gatsby)

Welcome to my new feature called


Chit•Chat!


What is Chit•Chat?

Well, it's me interviewing some fellow bloggers! :)

If you'd like to know more or like to participate,
JUST CLICK HERE!

It's time for my second victim -- I mean, guest! Welcome, Leah!

Click here to visit her blog!

Tell us who you are!

I'm Leah! I'm a soon-to-be 24 year-old living in the heart of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bookseller by day, caped crusader by night~

How long have you been blogging? When and why did you decide to start blogging?

I've been blogging since 2001 (oh, hello livejournal!), but it wasn't until last August that I decided to focus solely on book reviews.
All throughout high school I was the editor of the school paper and continued in college. While other staff members would write articles about the up-coming basketball/football game, I chose to include music reviews.

After high school I wrote reviews for a website but, sadly, that came to an end a few years later when the site was bought by a larger company.
I put things on hold after that and it wasn't until I took a job as a bookseller that I decided to get back into it.

Favorite and least favorite things about blogging?

My least favorite is definitely the competitive feeling. I don't want blogging to feel like a contest. We’re here to share our love of reading, not boast about the number of books you can read in a week.

My favorite aspect is being able to interact with super cool authors and discuss books with bloggers who love them just as much as I do.

Who is your favorite and least favorite literary villain and protagonist, and why?

He wasn’t exactly the main character, but Atticus Finch is, hands down, the greatest literary character of all time. OF ALL TIME.

My Favorite Villain Award goes to The Crooked Man from The Book of Lost Things/any and every incarnation/reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin. He’s such a wonderfully creepy character and I think he’s great.

As far as least favorites go… I’m sure I’ll get a lot of flak for this, but Jane Eyre. I just couldn’t, guys. I was assigned the book in school when I was 11 and I couldn’t get through it. Friends that read it once we got a little older absolutely love it and SO many people I know practically worship that book. I’ve been debating whether or not to give it another shot.
I’m a huge fan of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series and in one of the books, the main character actually goes into the novel. Since then I’ve been a teensy bit interesting in revisiting the original work.

Least favorite villain? Oh man. Does a real person count? One of my biggest interests is Tsarist Russia, particularly the fall of the Romanovs and one cannot discuss that era without mentioning Rasputin. If a book is set during 1917 or deals with the Romanovs in any way, I NEED to read it.

Vampire, werewolf, or something else?

Hippogriff!

If you could be any book heroine, who would you be and why?

There are SO many I love, but the first one that came to mind was Enola Holmes. She’s Sherlock’s 14 year-old sister. ..does anything else need to be said? She’s awesome. Sherlock’s awesome. It’s an entire family of awesome.

What movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit? Spill!

HA! I’m not embarrassed, but my all-time favorite movie ever is The Road to El Dorado. Love, love, love it. I actually wore out THREE VHS tapes before finally getting it on DVD. I celebrate the anniversary of its release every year and watching it with me is awful: I recite the lines.

I guess I’m a bit of a masochist. I LOVE bad movies and my boyfriend and I host Bad Movie Nights. Some of my favorite awful movies are Rubber (a killer tire named Robert!), The Room, and Triassic Attack.

Your favorite book of all times and why?

Tuesday by David Weisner. There aren’t any words, but the book is breathtakingly beautiful.
A lot of my other favorites come from my childhood: The BFG, Redwall, anything by Diana Wynne Jones. Even now I love going back and revisiting these books. They’re just as wonderful as when I first read them.

Tell us 5 random, (non-bookish, if you wish) things about yourself!

• I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 1 ½! My nerdly tendencies started early.
• In 2008, I played Quidditch on an amateur team and we wound up going head-to-head against a pro team! Unfortunately, we lost, but we made it the farthest out of all the amateur teams (third place) and wound up in the city’s paper.
• I have a secret crush on ebola. And deadly viruses in general.
• Instead of getting sprinkles on my ice cream cones, I put Nerds on top. Yum!
• My boyfriend and I just got our first house! I spent all of last month moving in and now we’re finally settled.

Your favorite...

• .. place?
  Gettysburg. One of my majors in college dealt with history and the Civil War. It’s always been a passion of mine and my grandfather is to credit for that. Stepping onto the battlefields is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’d love to be a reenactor someday.


• .. author?
  Where to begin. Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore, Michael Chabon, Brian Jacques, Roald Dahl, Steve Berry. I could list them all day.
  My ultimate favorite is Edgar Allan Poe. For my 21st birthday I visited his house and graves (yes, plural! He actually has two gravesites) and it was incredible. I actually own an original copy of one of his works!


• .. smell?
  Freshly cut grass. MMM.


• .. color?
  Grey! I’m also such a girly girl and adore pinks and purples.


• .. movie?
  The Road to El Dorado!


• .. quote?
  Tons. I have entire notebooks dedicated solely to favorite quotes. There’s a line from Dante’s Divine Comedy that has had a special place in my heart for years:
  
  "It was early morning still, the fair sun rising with the stars attending it as when Divine Love set those beautiful lights into motion at creation's dawn."

If you'd like to say something to my followers, go ahead! :)

Be gentle!

Thank you so much Leah, love your answers! :)

And congratulations on your new home, we're still trying to find our first one, but hopefully we'll be soon in a same situation! :) Aaaand I'll definitely have to check out The Book of Lost Things, since I'm so in love with Rumpelstiltskin. Especially with the one from Once Upon a Time ;)

Again, thanks for stopping by! And if you, my dear reader, would like to be interviewed, email me zaturna [ at ] gmail [ dot ] com!

Chit•Chat with Patricia (Book Exhibitionism)

Welcome to my new feature called


Chit•Chat!


What is Chit•Chat?

Well, it's me interviewing some fellow bloggers! :)

If you'd like to know more or like to participate,
just go here!

I'm so happy to introduce my first guest, Patricia from Book Exhibitionism!
I love her snarky reviews and hope you'll love them too.

Click here to visit her blog!
And now, let the grilling begin! ;)

Tell us who you are!

My name is Patricia, I'm a 19 yrs old German bookblogger. I've been stuck at home for the last 2-3 years now because of my health (insert melodramatic coughing and moaning in pain) and that's actually also the reason why I read as much as I do: I have the time and it helps me a lot. :)

I also don't love cookies.

How long have you been blogging? When and why did you decide to start blogging?

I've started bookblogging in February/March 2011, though back then in German. As for the Why. Well, I've been blogging for years, but never only about one topic.

Then I realized how big a part of my life books became and it felt natural to talk about them. I wanted to share my opinions and question them, get them questioned. I also wanted to have something like a reading diary, you know? A place where all of my reviews would go.

In May or so I realized that blogging in German wasn't nearly as satisfactory as I had hoped, so I switched to blogging in English, got my own webspace and domain and the rest is history.

Favorite and least favorite things about blogging?

Talking books is the best thing ever. I don't think I'll have to explain that to you, though. ;)

Not so cool.. Captchas, Copypaste-comments and when people don't read posts but leave comments anyway that contradict everything that has been said in mentioned post.
(I read a comment a few weeks ago that cracked me up. Below a rant.. And the comment said "I totally agree, I loved that book!!" - I suppose the commenter only looked at the two gifs, both of which made it seem as if the reviewer liked the novel.)

If you want more followers or higher stats in general, well, you'll have to work for it.

If you could be any book heroine, who would you be and why?

I wouldn't want to be someone else, though I would like to live in Nalini Singh's Psy Changeling world.

Which four books are at the top of your TBR pile?

I have no TBR hierarchy, sorry. ;D

Who is your favourite literary villain and why?

I have dozens. There is a funny story here, actually: I loved Ken from Digimon Adventures Two. I always liked the evil guys. But when he became the tortured "Woe is me" dude I fell out of love.
I was around 7 yrs old at the time, and think it's sort of silly to see how strong my opinions about tv shows and characters were then, and how easy it was for me to admit that, considering how hard it became when I grew older.

I also like Algaliarept, a millenia old demon from Kim Harrison's Hollows series. He is sophisticated, and in a very twisted way, honest.

Hannibal Lecter simply rocks, though I'll be honest and admit that I haven't read the books out of fear that they'd creep me out too much.

The thing is, I want my villains to be highly intelligent. Considering all the villains I liked so far, they have that in common. They are sophisticated, probably educated, clever. They are very true to their nature, they are honest when it comes to that, too. Yes, they might manipulate people, but they won't pretend they don't.

Vampire, werewolf, or something else?

Shapeshifter. But not just lupine or feline. I want to be able to shift into anything. :D

What is your favourite movie adaptation of a book? Or if there's none, what book would you love to see turn into a movie?

None. God, I hate movie adaptions. Okay, no, I don't hate them, but books, music and movies.. They all tell a story, but differently. They have a format and trying to translate a song into a book is just as hard as trying to make a movie based on a novel. Stuff will be added, other things will get lost. I wish I could take movies just for what they are, but I really can't.

What is the ONE book you tell everyone they 'have to' read? What is your favorite scene in the book and why do you love it?

Oooh. Hard one! I suppose I'm not allowed to say Harry Potter? Well, then.. Probably something by Kelley Armstrong or Nalini Singh?
I love those two ladies.

I also loved the Windflower by Sharon Kurtis. That book cracked me up. The heroine tried to run away with another guy and he gets eaten by a crocodile!

Also just finished A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare. If someone wanted a Historicals recommendation.. Those two are the first that come to mind. In A Week To Be Wicked the hero always made up stories while he and the heroine travelled to Scotland, those were hilarious.
But despite those funny parts, the book still managed to be deep and complex. There was one scene, and mind you, I've been waiting for such a scene for more than 7 months now, in which the two of them are someplace, and there are lots of other people, but he cuddles her to him and says that she should just rest a little.. And it's so sweet, and comforting, because she really relaxes and feels safe. There's nothing sexual about it, but it was so intimate. LOVED that scene.

In Bitten by Kelley Armstrong Elena, Clay, Karl and another werewolf are at the police department and Clay is behind this one-way-mirror, so he can't really see them. Elena is alone with the other two werewolves and they are sort of the bad guys. One of them tries to intimidate her (douchebag) and she goes to the mirror and looks at Clay, he walks to it and places his hand exactly where hers is. Even though he can't see through that freaking mirror. And it spoke volumes. Also.. That was totally one book.

What movie/book do you watch/read that you'd be embarrassed to admit?

Over the last few months I actually learned how to admit to my guilty pleasures, so there isn't much I could say here. *shrugs* And the things I am embarrassed about.. Well, they are so embarrassing that I won't name them. *grin*

A few months ago I'd probably have named Paranormal Romance novels. They were my junk and I felt weird reading them..
But nowadays and mostly because of blogging I realized that they are.. well, they are good. There is lots of good things in them, things I can carry away from then, lessons I have learned. What's there to be ashamed of?

If you could be one of the Greek Gods, which would it be and why?

Oh no! I don't want to be any of them! I read the Illiad and other such works in Latin and later just for fun and research. I love them, but they are full of incest, cannibalism, rape, betrayel and revenge. Do I really want to be a powerhungry douchebag who is the child of a rapist and his daughter? Yeah..

BUT I can relate to Persephone, so I'd probably be her.. Hades is one hot dude, too, and I think there's lots to him people don't see. (You know, because he's a real person and all..)

One food you would never eat?

Human? Though I'm not sure. Maybe I would eat human..

Describe your most embarrassing moment.

I almost send this email with the initial story, which was about my biology-teacher, the new girlfriend of my then-ex and me being called something close to Pussy by said biology teacher in front of her and all of her friends. (It's an inside joke between him, me, and some other classmates)

But that's too embarrassing, right? ;P

Tell us 5 random, non-bookish things about yourself!

• I've been diagnosed with burn out. (When I was 17. It still cracks me up.)
• I'm in an on-off-relationship with vegetarism. (I do eat meat, but only if it's from humans. Obviously.)
• I love forearms. Seriously. (Look at Timothy Olyphants forearms in any of his movies and shows.)
• I want to go to a slutwalk.
• I know how to say "Do you want to pee with me?" in Vietnamese.

Favorite place?

With my mom.

Best present ever?

I have no clue.

Favorite Book?

Right now.. The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Favorite author?

Plural, please? Kelley Armstrong, Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook, Kim Harrison, Julie James.. Dozens.

Favorite smell?

I have a new soap (actually also shampoo) and it smells like lemon cake. This is just absolutely amazing!

Nickname?

Erbse. Which means "pea". Maybe I was green and round when I was a baby?

Favorite movie?

The Silence of the Lambs was very impressive. Serenity killed me. I love the Doctor Who Christmas Specials and I consider every Season of Sherlock a movie, so those, too.

Favorite color?

A mixture of green and yellow.

Favorite quote?

Either

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."
- Anais Nin

or

"Dear diary... A chipmunk asked me my name today. I told him it was Joe. That lie will haunt me forever."

because both of them are so very accurate.

Favorite ice cream flavor?

Again, I haven't got the faintest.

I hope I'm allowed to do some self-promotion while I'm here: Every (sort of meaningful) comment on this interview counts as an entry for the Giveaway I'm hosting right now over at BookExhibitionism. The more followers BE gains in this time, the more books I'm going to give away, so maybe check it out while you are still young and fresh. (Or not so much)

Sorry for any mistakes I made, my only excuse is that I am still on painmeds after an evil dentist cut me open and all. *grin*

Satu, thank you very much for having me, and also for not throwing up in my face when you read the questions I had in mind for your interview over at my blog. (Wow, I'm good with the self promo today)

Did I mention the word "interrogation" earlier..? I may have got little excited about this! So again, thanks to Patricia for putting up with my questions! :)

And I love your nickname! I was basically called "troll" when I was a baby, because I was all hairy and stuff.
So I'd definitely prefer being pea, or even a green mini-shrekbaby over hairy troll! ;D

Oh, and I'll come for you if I ever need to learn Vietnamese and if I'm afraid it'll get too lonely to pee alone!