*Nominated & Awarded* | The Liebster Blog Award! | by The Geek’s Bookshelf!

Posted Wednesday, 2 October, 2013 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 11 Comments

Liebster Blog Award

I, Jorie, of Jorie Loves A Story, have been thus nominated to be awarded the coveted “Liebster” Blog Award, on 29th of September, (a Sunday), 2013! The blogger who contacted me to inform me of this honour is *Sarah!* | A Geek’s Bookshelf, of whom I am certain I have visited in the recent past, but I am forgetting the connection of my stop on her blog, by which, she reminded me, it was Bout of Books, 8.0!! She is also one of my Feedly readers!!

I not only accept this nomination and award, but I know exactly which bloggers I want to give the award too! Before I get into the particulars, I want to explain the origins of the Award, as they were described to me, with a few edits where I expanded on what was being said:

The Official Rules of “The Liebster Award”

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award and you choose to accept it, write a blog post about the Liebster Award in which you:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
  2. Display the award on your blog.
  3. Answer 10 Questions About Yourself. These should be provided to you by the person who nominated you, but hey, maybe they didn’t know!
  4. Provide 10 Random Facts About Yourself.
  5. Nominate 5+ blogs that you feel deserve the award, which have less than 1000 followers. I also read this to be between 200-3,000! Clearly flexible!

After you have posted your “Liebster Award” post, kindly inform the people whose blogs have been nominated for the Liebster Award. Provide a link to your post so that they can learn about the award (as they could be in the dark about it!) and make sure to send your 10 questions and tell them to provide their own 10 random facts!
Although many mistake this for a chain letter type of blog post, to me it feels more like a bookish community meme, wherein everyone enjoys sharing the love of blogging with the aspect of finding out a bit more about the blogs we come to love on our blog hoppin’ visits! The main idea behind the Liebster is to recognise your favourite new bloggers and help promote them! At its root, it’s a compliment you pay forward!

About my nominating blogger: Sarah has been blogging since 2011, she’s a member of The Classics Club (by which I join in January 2014!), and our paths originally crossed during Bout of Books, 8.0! In other words, it was rather serendipitous that our paths crossed at all! I am finding that this is the case a lot of the time I find new blogs & bloggers to follow! She lives in Scotland, a country in my ancestral past, and one by which I adore to watch such as through the BBC series “Monarch of the Glen”!! I look forward to dropping back by her blog, as to be honest, I had to suspend all of my Bout’er activities, but it’s still on my docket to complete, as the 7 Bout Books I choose are works-in-reading-progress (just follow my WWW escapades!) and I am still wanting to go back through the 108 blogs that I discovered during the Bout itself! :)

10 Questions of Jorie asked by Sarah:

{she provided me with a sheet of 50 Random Questions, of which I could select 10 to answer!}

  1. What books on your shelf are begging to be read!? |In no particular order: Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman (sequel to: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier; both on my tCC!); Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke; Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli; Moonrise by Cassandra King (which I believe is either a sequel to Rebecca OR Jane Eyre; going on my tCC!); Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline; The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne; Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter; Fly Away + Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah; and Mistress of my Fate by Hallie Rubenhold!
  2. Do you save old greeting cards and letters!? |I must certainly do! I started to write letters to friends’ who live outside my own country when I was younger, as there was a pen pal club for children. My first correspondents were to a Norwegian girl who lived near the Arctic circle and a Kiwi (New Zea lander) who lived in a large city compared to how small her island country truly is! I loved receiving their letters, as each letter was an adventure and a learning experience of getting to know someone who lived far, far away from me, with different customs and traditions! I continued to find new people to write as I entered my teen years, and onwards through to present day! My correspondents have become my cherished friends!! The treasure each of them, and quite a few of them read this blog now, and so, this is a special shout-out to them for always supporting me and being a bright light in my life! THANK YOU! Oh, to answer the forementioned question! Laughs! I not only save their letters and cards, but I make sure each friend of mine has their letters secured into a special folder whereupon I can re-read their letters at any point in time! I love seeing their handwriting, choice of stationery, typeface if they typed their letter, and of course, the pure delight of seeing which postage stamps were selected for the envelope!
  3. Which animals scare you the most!? | Hands down, snakes, spiders, and anything in the insect world!
  4. Do you have a catchphrase!? | Not only do I have a wide variety of them, but I tend to either compliment someone else who used one that I liked for myself by saying it whenever I feel it’s warranted to be used; but I oft make up new ones to try out OR to become part of my voice! :) The one that I use the most online though is “wicked sweet!” To express my purist joy over something that has caught my eye or attention!
  5. How and where do you prefer to study!? | Although, I am well outside the schooling years, being a writer who craves research as though its going out of fashion, my favourite places to study the research I need to stitch together my stories are in two places: a library | my study! I am sure most writers have a ‘study’ these days, as it serves a duality of purpose, part personal library, part research hub, part writer’s lair! It’s that special place where you can tune out the world, and focus directly on your writings and the characters that are pulling you deeper into their stories!
  6. What is your all-time favourite towne or city!? | I have several actually: Washington, DC; Uxmal, Mexico; St. Augustine, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and Key West, Florida! I think the appealment of the nation’s capital goes without question, as due to the history of the city, and the walkability of seeing that history is impressive by itself! Uxmal is one of the last standing relics of the Mayan age that still feels as though its heyday were yesterday rather than thousands of years! St. Augustine is a quirky, artsy towne that has an authentic charm of history itching out of itself! Seattle, was a lovely place to visit, and yet wholly unfamiliar to me, as you could see volcanic mountains no matter what your vantage point was downtown! To me, that was as impressive as the fact the ‘sun’ took a hiatus, rain fell without lightning, and the temperatures were heavenly! Key West is an enchanting city, which being at the very tip of the southern most point in Florida, I was always thrilled that I could have the opportunity to visit and say, “I’ve been tip to stern in Florida!” :)
  7. When do you find yourself singing!? | Whenever the mood strikes!! I love music, from the radio, iHeart radio, albums on CD, tape, or vinyl; whichever method the music is reaching me, and I feel the rhythm and lyrics inspiring, I start to sing! :) I know the Oldies like the inside of my hand, and the funk, soul, and folk of the 1970s holds a special place in my heart as well! :)
  8. When did you immediately click with someone you just met!? | You could say each friend that I cherish to have in my circle is an example of this, including the lovely souls I am sending this Liebster Award too! There are some people who alight in your life, as happily as a butterfly OR ladybug, who singularly know how to make you smile, engage you in a great conversation, and whose presence is always appreciated! I am quite blessed, indeed!
  9. What’s one thing you’d rather pay someone to do than do yourself!? |Being a creatively museful individual, if I could delegate two aspects of everyday life, they would be housework + yardwork! Those are the two areas of the domestic arts, that I could seriously do without! Although, I do enjoy vacuuming on occasion, as I find that its a great stress reliever! And, I would love to have a proper garden one day to maintain, but outside of that, yes, I freely admit it, a housekeeper and groundskeeper would be rather ideal! :) 
  10. What’s something that amazes you!? I would have to say the natural world, of whom I am always rapt in awe with what I observe, discover, and uncover through my lens, as I walk amongst the inhabitants of a world just a stone’s throw from our own! Comparatively, I can never stop seeking out the stars and constellations that slowly move around us in the upper cosmos and yet, reflectively are a constant part of our lives, as they’re twinkling never fails to impress me by their ability to transport me out of a living moment and into a pensively blissful one!

10 Random Quirks About Jorie:

  • I am a girl with yarn on the brain, to the extent, that my eyes tend to outweigh my abilities to knit up my WIPs [works-in-progress] + UFOs [unfinished objects] as quickly as I’d prefer! I am keenly addicted to natural, plant, and animal fibers for knitting, but I do a lot of charity knitting, where I am at the mercy of the donated yarns! My favourite charity knits thus far along are prayer shawls + mini prayer shawl crosses! I currently have |11 WIPs: 3 prayer shawls, 2 shawls/wraps, 3 afghan blankets, 1 set of fingerless gloves, 1 headband, & 1 earwarmer! | Its my desire to knit through my Harry Potter Knitting Book, as much as to be able to learn how to make amigurumi animals! I dream in fiber! :)
  • To put it mildly, I am a reader who can become jazzed about a book as quickly and as simply as wandering through a library, a book shoppe, a card catalogue, a book tour, random bookish blogosphere reads, OR anywhere else my eyes alight to find the creative scope of a story! Due to this magnetic attraction, my TBR Mountain has grown a bit past Everest in both height and depth! Therefore, I will be implementing the bookish sphere’s project: The TBR JAR in October! Stay tuned!
  • I have a very low-tech (or lo-tech!) sensibility (as you may have read about in my sidebar!), to where I not only dream about owning a retrofitted and restored vintage typewriter, but I am quite determined to make it my sole writing machine once I do acquire a workhorse model! Having suffered 3! computer crashes and deaths within 15 years (PC / Mac), and losing countless hours of work, files I’ll never remember having, and data that cannot be replaced — I am finding myself less akin to using a computer to write, than I was agreeable too prior to this! This is not to be misunderstood — I am quite a happy book blogger who adores her blog, and the bookish community she has become a part of — I am simply referring to my writing life ‘off-blog’ and how thankful I will be to have a machine independent of electricity + tech! The typewriters of the 1930s + 1940s are my absolute dream machines!!! :)
  • I am most comfortable being away from our hectic lifestyles by absorbing myself into the simplicity and serenity of the natural world! I breathe deeper and feel an internal balance whilst swept into marshlands, prairies, mountains, lakeshores, forest, and oceanscapes! I love the curious creatures who inhabit these diverse ecosystems as much as I like taking stock and notice of the natural environments that live counter-current to our own lifestyles! The random joy of seeing birds of prey within a stone’s throw of your stance and to be caught up in the beauty of a shorebird alighting on a path inches from your camera lens is a true blessing to behold! Nature affords such a calming effect on me, that I always ache to return into her folds of grace, if too much time has elapsed since my last visit!
  • Cats will always have a place in my life, because I cherish having their presence in my life! The hardest part of Spring, (as read here) was the sudden death of my beloved cat! He has left an impression on me, due to his strength at the height of an insidious illness, as much as his uncanny way of knowing when you’re not feeling well yourself! His kind soul-filled eyes could melt your heart, and warm your wary soul! He was outspoken, considerate, and a true diplomat when it came interacting with other animals! Cats tend to know instinctively how to fit into your life, and for that, I am forever blessed to know them!
  • Although I have the tendency to watch quite a heap of medical examiner series (fictional ONLY!), I am squeamish about how visual and graphic I am willing to go to watch them! This is most readily a ‘true quirk’ because although I adore: Crossing Jordan, Castle, and NCIS, I oft long for the softer edges of Quincy, M.E.!! At the same time, police procedural dramas and detective mysteries are amongst my favourite tv serials to watch! Case-in-Point Examples: Nash Bridges, The Sentinel, Walker, Texas Ranger, McMillan & Wife, The Mentalist, Castle, Monk, NCIS, NCIS: LA, Hawaii Five-O (original/sequel), Cagney & Lacey, The Division, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbach), Hetty Wainthroppe, Rosemary & Thyme, Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis, Endeavour, CHiPs, and a heap more I am sure to have forgotten to mention!
  • Pottery was a passion of mine, but not from the artisan side of it, but rather the hobbyist side!! I used to love to pick out unfinished bisque, sit down with water-based paints, and just paint the world of time away by absorbing into that piece and seeing where the day took me! I was going to have my own locker at a pottery studio, complete with array of paints, white & green bisque (there is a better word for that, but I’m forgetting it!), and a lovely gathering of artsy souls, but the place went out of business the very day I went to put my ‘lock’ on the locker! Oyy vie!
  • My latest best find of the past year is the CDBaby newsletter free music programme! Artists select tracks each month to give to listeners as a way to get to know their artistry and music style! I cannot tell you how many of those artists I’ve either grown to love OR am personally starting to connect with! I recently discovered that Rolling Stone offers a daily download option as well! :) I’m not really into digital music per se, as I am a traditionalist a bit in that regard, as I still love to collect CDs | vinyl, but this is one way where the industry falls in your lap, as you get to stay on the inside edge to the indie artists!! :) :)
  • I am a late bloomer in the kitchen, as like Julia Child, I didn’t pick up an instinctive hankering to ‘cook’ until I was on the brink of my 30s! She followed me and started cooking in her early 30s, which is why I can always jokefully lament, that I bet her to it by a few years! :) Laughs. I always was keen to bake though, so I suppose in some ways it was a natural progression, but what truly captivated my joy of cooking, was simply by observing my Mum all these years! She cooks like my grandmother did, where each recipe has its own ‘hidden’ steps and each ‘measurement’ is really not one that can be writ down! Laughs. I developed a keen sense for spice, herb, and supplemental ingredients from a young age, and I am definitely a girl who loves her garlic! Yet. Getting to the point to read recipes and cookbooks and actually feel like I understood what to do with the information took time to evolve! The fact that I’m evolving out of an omnivore into a herbivore makes it even sweeter! :)
  • I thrive on four seasons yet I struggle to survive in a sub-tropical volcanic heat intense state such as Florida!

My Nominees Are:

[Due to the elusiveness of # of followers, my nominees have less than 200 &/or 3000 total followers! At least by the best of what I can deduce by visiting their blogs and seeking the information! IF they have more than they were meant to have, I did the best estimations without contacting them directly! Afterall, it’s an award we each elect to give to another blogger who has made an impact on our blog reading life, (as much as our personal life!) to which end we wish to draw others to discover their blog in return! As this award is elusive, I doubt this rule is strictly finite!]

Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy | I originally found Charlene’s blog through her post about “Finnikin of the Rock“. At the time of nomination she has a total of: 1,648 followers [via Twitter, Linky Followers, & Bloglovin’] What I love about Charlene is her lovely way of drawing you into her interests, and for never letting you feel as though you’ve let her down if time swept you away from something! She has a kind-hearted spirit, and is as mad-crazy about authors and books she adores as I am! She has a great sense of knowing how to convey her thoughts in her reviews, and she’s always there to cheer you when your downtrodden and celebrate your joys when you’re accomplishing something rather grand!

Lianne @ Caffeinated Life | Lianne & I were matched through a Blog Pen Pal Exchange, hosted by Stormy @ Blog. Book. Bake. At the time of nomination she has a total of: 50 followers [via Bloglovin’ + Feedburner] Curiously we each were going through a heap of life moments that were sweeping us away from our ability to compose our thoughts onto paper, but we did each manage somehow to get out one letter that fateful month! However, what endeared me the most was her listening ear, whenever I had a ‘blog’ question to pitch to her, OR to ruminate about something I had learnt to do myself on JLAS! She has a great spirit for sharing not only her life, but her passions contained in motion pictures, books, and blogging! She is an incredibly patient soul, and I am quite eager to see where our next conversations take us!

Maggie @ An American in France | Brought together through a read-a-long of Jane Eyre, neither of us expected to find a true blue friend in each other! At the time of nomination she has a total of: 63 followers [via Bloglovin’ + Twitter] It is always said to be that the people who cross your path are the ones you might not see alighting into view! You never know who you’re going to meet, when you will encounter them, or how radically altered you will feel by having their presence bless your life! Maggie came out of the ether’s of Septemb-Eyre and we have been stitching together our friendship ever since! Including starting to exchange letters by postal mail which delights me to no end!

Audra @ Unabridged Chick | At the very heart of her blog, is a reader who isn’t afraid to read something with a controversial subject if at its core is a story of the human condition! At the time of her nomination she has a total of: 1,771 followers [via GFC, Bloglovin’, and Twitter] Audra was an unexpected stop on a tour hosted via TLC Book Tours, for “Freud’s Mistress“!! As I started to read her blog, visit more of her tour stops, and get an insight into her reading life, I started to realise that I wanted to keep dropping back on her blog each day &/or week, just to get caught up! She was reading and reviewing a LOT of books that turned my eye, but maybe, I had hesitated to seek at the library, for one reason or another! Finding out that she is a fellow writer was simply happenstance and pure bliss!

Christine @ Readerly Musings | I quite literally ‘stumbled’ across Christine’s blog within hours/days of her launch! I felt like I was able to pass forward something that I did not experience myself, which was a fellow blogger who found my blog unexpectedly and jumped into a a hearty conversation about reading, books, and the merits of spontaneous joy + discovery! Our conversations exploded on her blog, and I am forever grateful now, to the WWW Meme, which was responsible for bringing our blogs together, and for giving us a new friend we were not expecting to meet! At the time of nomination she has a total of: 7 followers via WP!

At present, Jorie has 31 followers [via Bloglovin’, FeedBlitz, Feedly, WP, and Email!]

[Although, I do know that I have regular readers who are not officially following me!]

[My gratitude overflows to each person who drops by Jorie Loves A Story!]

[I gained 1 more follower before I could post this awesome news!]

Questions for my Nominees to Answer (if they accept the award!):

  1. How did you initially get caught by the bookworm, to develop a passion for reading as you entered adulthood!?
  2. What are your go-to yearly reads if you have been able to curate a short list of books you MUST re-read!? IF not, which books would you love to re-read if you had the time!?
  3. What is one hobby or interest that you maintain that is a close compliment to your reading life!? (ie: for me its knitting and writing letters!)
  4. What is one of the biggest joys that book blogging has brought into your life!?
  5. Were you surprised how dedicated you became to curating content for your blog!?
  6. What makes you awe-struck to the brink you just have to stand there in rapt amazement!?
  7. What city would you love to visit if you haven’t already!? Why is it of interest!?
  8. Do you have any books that are winking to you from your shelf and you simply haven’t had the time to read them!?
  9. What is your favourite bookish character &/or tv serial!?
  10. Do you seek out classic motion pictures OR only watch modern films, outside of book adaptations that is!?

{SOURCE: To the best of my knowledge, the Liebster Blog Award Badge is freely given to be used by any and all bloggers who are nominated for the award. I haven’t been able to source the origins of this award anymore than anyone else who has failed in their attempt at time of nomination and acceptance! Therefore, if further credit is needed, please alert me, as I was not readily able to sort of whom to give it to and by which to attribute the source. Until then, from my understanding of this award and meme, we are given permission to have it on our blogs. Which I was going to do, until I realised I had a free post lovely from Shabby Blogs that “fit” this award quite well! Post lovely provided by Shabby Blogs with edits by Jorie in Fotoflexer. 50 Random Questions provided by The Greek’s Bookshelf but originally was sent to her by The Most Happy Reader!}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Related Articles:

A Liebster Blog Award – (ageeksbookshelf.blogspot.com)

The Liebster Blog Award – (inaroomofmyown.wordpress.com)

The Liebster Blogging Award -(thewanderingsoles.com)

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Wednesday, 2 October, 2013 by jorielov in An American in France, Awards & Honours for JLAS, Bookish Whimsy, Caffeinated Life, Jorie Loves A Story, Readerly Musings, The Liebster Blog Award, Unabridged Chick




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11 responses to “*Nominated & Awarded* | The Liebster Blog Award! | by The Geek’s Bookshelf!

    • Hallo Sarah,

      I was both humbled and honoured to receive this award, and I had the most joy in giving it to five of my new bookish friends, of whom, I would not have crossed paths without my dear blog; it simply felt fitting to me, the inspiration behind the Liebster and the method in which it is given!

      I’ll never forget that you bestowed me with it!
      I even have it featured in my sidebar, up near the top!

  1. Oh you changed your blog layout! It’s lovely! The colors are fantastic!! I enjoyed reading your post and getting all these interesting tidbits about you! I envy you your knitting talent, your cooking abilities and for traveling to some great places. I really need to visit more States in the US.

    Thank you so much for nominating me and for the wonderful things you said in your post – you are entirely too nice! I did receive this award before and posted about it, so I’ll answer those questions in your post here – I hope you don’t mind!

    1. I was a reader since I can remember – I don’t recall a specific time when I really caught on to it.

    2. Jane Eyre is number one on the reread list of course! Austenland by Shannon Hale I find so entertaining with every reread. And maybe The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books because they are really fun too.

    3. My other number one hobby is going to live theatre I think- normally when people ask what I like to do, I immediately say reading and seeing musicals. :)

    4. My biggest joy from blogging is finding like-minded enthusiastic readers to talk to and who understand how much joy there is in reading – like you!

    5. I was pretty surprised that I got into it so much – I have a lot of failed hobbies, so I wasn’t sure how long I would stick with this.

    6. Well, I’m just going to go off the top of my head here and say some well-written Doctor Who episodes make me pretty awe-struck sometimes. I just love that show. :)

    7. I’d say Orlando would be great to visit – because of Disney World. :)

    8. Books that are calling to me to read?? ALL OF THEM. Seriously so many I would love to get to asap – like 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, The Darkest Minds…

    9. Oh easy question- definitely Jane Eyre for fave bookish character!

    10. I love both classic and modern films – my Mom started my love for the old films. Do you like classic films Jorie?

    Well, I’m about to turn in for the night, it was great to read your lovely post as always!

    • Hallo, Hallo Charlene!! :)

      I knew I wanted to come back and give you a proper reply, but I wanted to wait until after my “Chronicles of Ave” posts went live!! And, eek, isn’t it exciting, Finnikin starts this weekend!? I am starting to re-settle into Eyre & Jane as well! Sometimes you have to give yourself time to decompress! Yes, I did switch-up my blog’s theme, colours, and layout (although truly, the colours came with it! I think their rather smashing!) as I was tired of not being able to ‘view’ my own blog in Firefox! I was always worried that the theme breaks I was seeing on my end could be seen by others who visit JLAS, and I didn’t want to risk that any longer! I truly feel more at peace with this theme, as although I loved the edgy vibe of Greyszed, I think this one suits me rather well!! :) Thank you for noticing and for your compliments, esp in regards to cooking, knitting, & traveling!! :) I wanted to attest that ANYONE can get into knitting, trust me on this, because I actually knit a combo of American & Continental style knitting! The way I figure it, if a dyslexic (moi!) can learn, anyone with a desire to learn can too! You just have to seek out a patient teacher who can guide your hands to the needles and help you find your own rhythm with the fiber! It helps if you practice on a scarf or something like that, to get the groove set! :) I am so thankful to be where I am in knitting right now, as although I started in 2009, this was the first year I could “cast on” without assistance! A proper milestone!

      I was a reader from a young age as well, but I had obstacles to overcome to where it became the true pleasure it is for me today! I think I can honestly say, that my first ‘readings’ were best when Mum was reading to me, as I listened to the stories aloud in the same way most find audiobooks to be their favourite format! :) I think this is why I know a bit more specifically when I started because of the learning difficulties I had to off-set and overcome! I think its grand though that your own reading past is seamless to the point where you cannot discern a beginning! That’s truly beautiful and a great testament of how to cultivate a life-long appreciation of the written word!

      I vaguely remember picking up Austenland, but I don’t believe I sunk into it as you did! I’ll have to give it another whirl! Ooh, I adore *live theatre* myself! Musicals have always held a special affinity for me in my heart, as I grew up on “Annie” and my love of the music and songs of musicals forevermore became etched into a passion I wanted to pursue! This is one reason the tv series *Smash!* was most beloved and most ached for after it was cancelled earlier this year! :( I know!? That is singularly the best part of book blogging, is the interactions with other readers who we find are just as passionate as we are! (Thank you!) I think you overcame your commitment issues because your blog, is absolutely amazing! Speaking of which, maybe you should put a link to it on your WP page!? Otherwise, people only see a blank page!? I’ll have to get back to you on “Doctor Who” as I start to watch my first episodes of that soon! (as part of Sci-Fi November!) Laughs to self. Orlando, yes, dear, dear Orlando — I will say for the Mouse, it is a magical place!! I have many fond memories of the theme parks; Disney & Universal (alongside Epcot) will always be fondly remembered! :) Just don’t come during May-October, those are our hottest months! Temperatures should dip a bit in November, but last year we had 100+ degrees in November, so you can never be too sure! :( I keep hearing about “Fangirl” yet I am in the dark on what that even pertains too!? I’ll have to research your selections! I just smiled when I read your #9 answer! I had a feeling you’d say that!

      I developed a hearty appetite for classic films around 2009, when I started to take better notice of TCM (Turner Classic)!! I slowly have become acquainted with so many wonderful new-to-me actors and actresses as well as expanding on the filmographies of actors/actresses I was already familiar with! So much so, I could write an ENTIRE POST about it!! Laughs. Maybe I will one day!? I am drawn into the films of the 1920s-1940s for the most part, but of course, if its on TCM and it has a story I can wrap my head around, I watch it all the same! Halloween is a time I try to dip into classic horror because its more psychologically bent than gory! This is how I came to find my favourite Spencer Tracy role (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, 1941); “The Haunting” (about Hill House) from 1963, and of course, the original “House of Wax” which was “The Mystery at the Wax Museum” 1933! My favourites now include: Claudette Colbert, Myrna Loy, William Powell (The Thin Man series!), Marilyn Monroe (Niagara), Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Buster Keaton, James Cagney (Footlight Parade), Van Johnson, Rosalind Allen, and so many more!!!

      And, likewise: Cary Grant, Jimmy Stuart, Raymond Burr, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matheau, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, etc, were already known!

      I honestly I cannot get enough of them!

    • Thank you for the tip about putting my blog link on the WP page – Just did that!

      Also I hope to get into knitting someday – maybe I can take a class or something! I can knit a scarf, but when it gets to doing designs or even reading the pattern, I’m just completely confused! So definitely I’ll need someone to show me.

      I am glad that you got into reading despite the obstacles! It is such a joy to slip into a new story, and I feel sad for people who can’t appreciate reading!

      And I’m so happy that you liked Smash! I really enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes of Broadway and musical theatre, and I wish they had lasted longer too. I thought they did a brilliant job with it, but I think perhaps musical theatre geeks don’t make up the wider audience they wanted to reach. It’s really too bad. I think with the TV show Glee, networks are taking a chance on more new musical related shows, so I hope there will be something similar to Smash soon to come!

      I think you should definitely write a post on Classic films! Actually we should both write on why we love it and post it on our blogs the same day! :) It’ll be our little tribute to that time. If you would like to do this, you can pick any date and I think I am available (except Wednesdays and any upcoming Finnikin related days)

      My absolute favorite is Gene Kelly – I fell in love with his films a few years ago because it made me so happy when I was very unhappy at work. But all the actors you mention are fantastic of course! I remember watching a Buster Keaton biography when I was in college and just completely fell for his work too – his ingenuity and his humor.

      Oh and in case you haven’t had a chance to look up Fangirl – it’s a coming of age story for a huge fan of a fictional book series – sort of Harry Potter-ish- and how she has to come out of her shell, while also remaining true to what’s important to her – which is her love of these books and characters. I definitely feel like I can relate to that!

  2. Thank you so, so much for nominating me, Jorie, and I will most definitely be accepting!

    Reading through your answers to the questions in this post, I have found we have even more in common! I too have Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke on my TBR list (and will be looking at the others you listed to see if any others intrigue me *laughs*); I love visiting Washington DC, and once went to St. Augustine, Florida in my childhood and am hoping to someday visit it again *fingers crossed*; I am incredibly jealous of your ability to knit because it’s something I’ve wanted to learn for years but still haven’t gotten around to; I am the same way when it comes to getting excited about a book (seriously, it can take two seconds with it!); I love typewriters and even own a working one from the first half of the 20th century; I love cats and have a 3-year-old brown tabby with lots of white named Aurora; I too watch Castle, The Mentalist, NCIS: LA, Sherlock and Hawaii Five-0 (the new one), as well as the original NCIS as we’ve previously discussed; and I do not do well with heat, which is why I’m very glad to be living in a state where all four seasons are drastically different so I only truly suffer during the summer!

    I’ll be writing up my official acceptance post this afternoon, but it may take a little while as I can already tell a lot of the answers to your questions will be mini-essays! :D

    Thanks again, Jorie!

    • Hallo, Hallo Christine!

      :) You’ll note that my replies are coming a bit infrequently today as my internet was a bit hit/miss today; as much as it was gone completely yesterday! I have been wanting to reply back to your lovely note since I first read it this morning whilst taking advantage of local wi-fi! :) I am thrilled to bits that you are accepting the award, as I saw that Charlene accepted it right after you, and I heard from Audra as well; I truly felt warm inside knowing how happy it was to see this award being accepted in the way in which I intended!!

      I could not believe my eyes when I saw how much you and I have in common! Not just the books to read, nor the cities that cross-sect our paths, but its everything you mentioned as a whole! We tend to gravitate towards the same things outside of reading as much as we do when we read! :) How interesting is that!? I will tell you a bit of a secret on the level of knitting,.. I struggled to learn due to being dyslexic, which is why to this day I knit in my own hybrid way between American & Continental styles! I recommend that you find a friendly knit shoppe with a kind + caring teacher who will guide your hands on the needles and help you get the yarn to knit up into the pattern your attempting! My first project was a scarf!!

      Since then, I am literally amazed at how many different ‘stitches’ I have learnt to master, and how I can now ‘cast on’ is something rather keen, as I was always needing assistance in that! Only 5 short years since I first attempted to knit, and I can say “Yes! I can cast on!” I celebrate each milestone because its not a race, and the joy I get from knitting is not comparable to anything else as it allows me to mediate and simply ‘enjoy the moment’ whilst I I feel the yarn between my fingers and shaping into the form of what it will be when its completed! Frankly, if I can learn to knit, I daresay, ANYONE can learn to knit! Even Mum took it up again after a 40 year hiatus, and she was adamant that she’d never remember! She’s a quickfire learner these days and can even use YouTube videos! Impresses me to no end! Never say never!

      What is your make/model of your wicked sweet typewriter!? Where did you find it!? Deeply curious, now!!

      Ooh, there is so much more to say, but this is nearly a letter in length! I hope this keeps you, as dinner is calling my name!

      You gave me the best gift in return: accepting the award and understanding why I gave it! :)

      • That’s okay, I totally understand the problems with internet connectivity problems and other everyday demands – plus our convos tend to be long ones, so I don’t expect responses right away :)

        Oooh, I’ll definitely have to give YouTube videos a chance because I’ve tried with books before and failed miserably, so I still have some yarn hanging around somewhere. So YouTube first, then Googling for knit shoppes if I have no luck with the videos :)

        Also, I never knew there were two methods of knitting. I wonder what method I was trying to learn before…. Very cool about your Mum picking it up again after so long!!

        I actually got the typewriter off eBay of all places. I was browsing with no intent to buy anything, just wanted to look at some pretty pictures of them since the various times I’ve looked in antique shops the ones I’ve found always seem to have a sign saying something along the lines of ‘not working, for jewelry’ which makes me so sad! Typewriter key jewelry is pretty, but typewriters should be for writing, not making jewelry!

        Anyway, my typewriter is a L.C. Smith-Corona Sterling, and came complete with case and key and the original manual and finger guide! One of the best purchases I’ve ever made, I swear. Here is a partial picture I took of it when I first got it. :)

        Aww, you’re welcome!

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