Black Cat Blue Sea Award

Hi guys! Happy Sunday! Although I am so behind on awards and tags and haven’t yet updated our sidebar with our newest awards, I was able to do our tags for the Black Cat Blue Sea Award! We were nominated by Jannin from The Booknerd Dragon and Rendz from Reading with Rendz, two of the closest bloggers I have interacted with! They have amazing blogs, and I urge you to check them out! Thank you so much for nominating us!

 

black-cat

“This award is for bloggers who strive to write for everybody, and no matter how many viewers they get, make an impact on a reader. This award is an expression of gratitude to the nominee. It should be awarded to anybody that you choose deserves it, and it doesn’t mean that they must have hundreds of followers and likes.”

 

Rules

  1. Anybody nominated can nominate eight other bloggers.
  2. The nominee answers three questions posed by the nominator.
  3. The questions you ask while nominating can be any three questions.
  4. If any of the questions asked are offensive or the nominee simply does not want to answer, the nominee does not have to answer them to earn the award

 

Jannin’s Questions

1. What is your biggest fear?

Nope… Gonna keep this to myself! But one of my biggest fears is falling from heights. I’m not afraid of being high up, just whenever the chance of falling is great, like on a roller coaster where I get that weird feeling of my stomach shifting in my body. Ugh!

2. What is your favorite day of the week and why?

Sunday! It’s the day I can relax,  read, blog, and catch up on things. I love Sundays since it’s both the Lord’s Day and a day of worship and rest! I usually don’t have to worry about too many things on a Sunday. It’s great! I just pace myself that I don’t even try to stress myself!

3. Least favorite over-hyped book.

Fifty Shades of Gray. I don’t know why anyone would want to read it! Why? I haven’t read it and don’t ever want to! Just please no.

 

Rendz’s Questions

1. What is a book that brings up a good memory?

The Continuum Trilogy by Jennifer Brody. I remember those days when I couldn’t put it down! I could see the action, adventure, suspense, thrill, romance, and plot twists all unfold before my eyes! That’s why it’s my favorite series!

2. Do you have a person with whom you can fangirl/boy with at anytime of the day?

No because I’m one of the only big readers who actually like to talk about books with other people (I’m an ESFJ!). But sometimes I just geek out over books with a lot of my author and blogger friends like Shaila Patel (author of Soulmated which you should read), Stephanie from TeacherofYA, and Krysti from YA and Wine. There’s free promotion right there!

3. You can wish yourself into any fictional world you want, but you must leave behind this life (family, friends and books!) Would you do it and if so, where would you go?

Nope! I’d rather read about them than leave all my friends and family. I don’t want there to be no more blogging, La La La soundtracks, and violin, so I’d stay here.

 

Our Nominees

Stephanie from Teacher of YA

Krysti from YA and Wine

Mandy from Book Princess Reviews

Payton from Payton’s Book Thoughts

Kim from By Hook or By Book

Megan from ::bookslayerReads::

The Orang-utan Librarian

Olga from Olga’s Oddish Obsession

 

Our Questions

1. What is your favorite album or soundtrack you like to listen to and why?

2. Which book have you been wanting to get signed for such a long time?

3. Would you rather read only physical books but get a paper cut every 15 minutes or e-books but your device shuts down for 1 minute every 5 minutes?

 

If you were nominated, you are not required to do the tag! If you do, please tag us! I’d love to see your answers!

 

+ J.M.J.

Happy Reading!

~ Kester

 

 

 

 

 

Liebster Award

Hi guys! We’ve been nominated for our third blog award, and this time, we were nominated by four amazing people: Becca from Book Review Becca, Krysti from YA and Wine, Rendz from Reading with Rendz, and Not-so-modern girl! The LILbooKlovers team would like to extend to each of them a huge thank you for their support, and I urge you to check out all their blogs. I love them all! Now, here are the rules and questions they gave us with our answers! liebster

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you and answer the 11 questions they’ve written for you.

2. Nominate 11 people and give them 11 different questions to answer.

 

Becca’s Questions (Answered by Kester)

1. If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would it be and why?

Can I be friends with Thursday Next? If there was a book world, I would ask her to take me with her and introduce me to all of my favorite characters!

2. What is the first book or series that made you love reading?

In elementary school, it probably was the Magic Tree House or Hardy Boys series. I loved reading those! But then I didn’t like reading during middle school.

It wasn’t until last year as a freshman when I started to love reading again, so I would say that Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich was the book that first made me go “Reading is so cool and fun!”

3. If you could go to one fictional place for a single day, where would you go?

I would love to go to Hogwarts for a day, regardless of whether I can use magic or not! It’s so pretty, but I think that it would be better in person than in the movies!

4. What is your favorite TV series that is based on book or series?

Fresh Off the Boat! It’s my favorite TV show! It’s based off of the memoir with the same name by Eddie Huang, but I haven’t read it yet.

5. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

It would be my Bible! There’s so much in the Bible that can nourish me both mentally and spiritually! Fictional wise, I would choose… ooh this is tough… Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. It’s so beautiful and so deep that I would uncover new details about the characters if I kept on re-reading it! Either that or The United Continuums by Jennifer Brody. The story will never get old! Oh, I can’t choose just one!

6. What made you decide to start blogging?

My friend Lilly (the LIL in LILbooKlovers) and I thought that book blogging looked really fun, so we just made our blog! Our hunches were true!

7. If you could interview any author, living or dead, who would you choose?

Ruta Sepetys. I just want to meet her and just talk to her personally. I would love an interview with her. So many people say she’s the nicest person you’ll ever meet, and her books are just so amazing!

8. If you could turn any book into a movie, who would you pick to direct it?

Hey Jennifer Brody! For the Continuum Trilogy, would you like George Lucas to direct it? Because the series is a sci-fi one, I think George Lucas will do the job right!

9. Who would be your dream cast for this movie?

I think Jennifer knows the dream cast better than me. And she’s turning into The 13th Continuum in a movie soon!

10. Would you name a pet after a fictional character?

Yes! I’ve been wanting to have a pet pig named Hamlet for a while! That would be my dream! And I would dress him up in Shakespearean clothes and take pictures with him and a skull.

11. Do you like to write outside of blogging?

I am honestly not a writer. I like to write reviews and blog posts and that’s just it. I usually don’t have the time. But my author friend  Erin Beaty (whose debut book The Traitor’s Kiss you should pre-order right now) told me I should write more, and maybe I’ll try it out in the future. I’m probably going to do short stories like one of my other author friends J. L. Pattison, who writes some of the best short stories, does. I think it’s better for me to make a little anthology than an entire book!

 

Krysti’s Questions (Answered by Kester)

1. What hero from a Dystopian novel do you think our world needs right now?

I think we need Myra, Aero, and Seeker from The Continuum Trilogy by Jennifer Brody. They are the perfect examples of how stronger we are together, yet weaker we are if we are divided.

2. What book have you read that has lifted you up and made you feel stronger?

Although it made me cry, I think Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys definitely strengthened. It changed my life and my viewpoint on the world!

3. Name one book that has made you better understand a different culture.

Detour by Devorah Fox. I learned quite a bit about the Jewish culture in it and enjoyed reading it!

4. What’s your favorite diverse book you read in 2016?

I feel so bad since I’ve only read like one or two diverse books last year and didn’t enjoy them, but I know I’m going to read some more in 2017!

5. What diverse book are you most looking forward to reading in 2017?

Redemption time! As of now, my favorite diverse read of 2017 is Soulmated by Shaila Patel. Laxhsmi, an Indian girl, and Liam, an Irish guy, meet together in this cute romance that I loved so much!

6. What book would you make required reading for everyone in the world if you could?

I think everyone needs to read Salt to the Sea. It’s so inspiring, beautiful, poetic, and elegant that there’s so much to learn from it! Writers can definitely learn from Ruta’s style, and readers can learn lessons from the characters’ narratives!

7. What book quote do you find most inspiring?

I can’t just pick one, so I got to list a few that I think are inspiring:

“We don’t deserve to be hurt by the ones we love.” – If You’re Gone, by Brittany Goodwin

“There is pain on Earth. But it’s worth it anyway.” – Eden’s Wish, by M. Tara Crowl

“The thing I realize is, that it’s not what you take, it’s what you give.” – All the Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven

“The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it’s the small things that count.” -All the Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven

“Fear isn’t the measure of our true worth. It isn’t even the measure of our abilities as a soldier. Fear is simply a normal emotional reaction to danger- and we are in grave danger now. We only become cowards if we give in to the fear and let it dictate our actions.” – The United Continuums, by Jennifer Brody

“United we are strongest.” – The United Continuums, by Jennifer Brody

” ‘I can survive on my own.’ His voice took a harsh turn. I didn’t like the hurt in his words. bo
‘I’m sure you can, Dov. But the point is you don’t have to.’ ” – Golden, by K. M. Robinson

8. If you could have any super power, which one would you choose?

To multitask. I can literally get so many things at once if I can multitask multiple things at once… did you know humans actually can’t?

9. Pick a genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Dystopian, Mystery, or Science Fiction.

None of the above! Historical fiction is my genre! (I know you wanted me to pick out of the five, Krysti, but I’m sorry!) I love history and older cultures and time periods! It transports me to a time that has already existed, but totally different than today’s society!

10. What is your favorite book series of all time?

The Continuum Trilogy, hands down! If you want to know why, just read my reviews!

11. And because I just have to, if you could have a chat with any book character over a glass of wine, who would you choose?

Yes, Krysti!!! I love this question!!! So even though I’m underage by a little more than 4 years, if I could chat with a book character over wine for him and sparkling grape juice for me, it would be David from the Fire in the Woods Trilogy by Jennifer M. Eaton. I want to know more about the Erescopian culture! I think alien cultures are fascinating!

 

Rendz’s Questions (Answered by Cayli)

1. Name a place you wish to one day visit. (Real/fictional)

I would love to visit Narnia one day. That would be SOOOOO epic. Or maybe a loop from Miss Peregrine. Oh man, that would be AWESOME.

2. What is the best movie quote you know?

Oh no. I honestly have no idea. I don’t have any inspiring quotes from movies, but I will always treasure the Mortal Instruments movie when Alec was sure they were all going to die, and Jace’s actor said, “Have a little faith” even though it wasn’t scripted. It fit perfectly with Jace’s character, and I laughed so hard at the awkward looks he was given.

3. Do you ever buy books you never read? 

YES. 100% YES. I say I’m going to read them, but then I buy books that I plan on reading the moment I get them, so I never have time to read the ones that are not as important.

4. What is your favourite non-book related activity?

I was about to say writing, but I guess that’s book-related… I love art. Painting. Sketching. Crafting. I get a lot if my ideas off of Pinterest (Love it so much!)

5. Do you read a lot of non-fiction?

Not really. It depends on the book. I love non-fiction that is about WWII, mostly. It’s really interesting and heartbreaking to see the people go through that time period.

6. Do you take a book wherever you go?

Yes, I do. And I end up forgetting to read it because I’m having too much fun or I’m just too busy. But I do bring one just in case.

7. What is/was you favourite subject in school?

I would say English right now if I wasn’t stressing out about it right now. I love my pathway Digital Arts and Design. It’s very interesting and it allows me to make art over a computer; I’m not too accustommed to it, so it’s really fun

8. Cats or dogs?

Dogs all the way!!! (Love you, Alli <3)

9. What would be your super power?

Like the famous wizard Justin Russo once said… Read in the dark! That, or transportation. That’s be nice, too.

10. Which character would you go on a lunch date with?

OH BOOOOOYYYYYY. Who do I pick? It’s between Jacob Portman, Will Herondale, and Simon Lewis… Simon…??? I don’t know 😥

11. What is your favourite sweet?

Chocolate covered pretzels. LOVE THEM.

 

Not-so-modern girl’s Questions (Answered by Kelsey)

1. What three words best describe your reading habits? 

Contemporary. Relaxing.  Crying. 

2. On average, how many books do you read a month?

2-3

3. If you could visit any time in the past, where would you go and what would you do?

Renaissance. Go to a masquerade ball. 

4. Which character in a book has the same name as you?

Kelsey from The Thing about Truth by Lauren Barnholdt

5. What is your best reading memory?

Staying up until 2 o’clock in the morning crying my eyes out over a fictional character. 

6. Who is your favourite classical author (if you have one!)?

C. S. Lewis

7. If you could only have one type of weather forever, what would it be?

Slightly Cloudy. 

8. If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

Tank tops, jean shorts, and converse

9. If you could swap places with one character from a book, which character would it be and from which book?

Violet Markey from All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

10. Have you ever borrowed a book and never given it back? Or has someone borrowed your book and not given it back?

No. I’m too paranoid that I would ruin the book. Or they would. 

11. Cats or dogs?

DOGS!!! 🐶🐶🐶

 

Our Nominees

Kourti from Kourtni Reads

Mandy from Book Princess Reads

Jannin from The Booknerd Dragon

Stephanie from Teacher of YA

Olga from Olga’s Oddish Obsessions

Melanie from Mel to the Any

Janelle from A Rogue Librarian

Megan from ::bookslayerReads::

Orang-utan Librarian from The Orangutan Librarian

Payton from Payton’s Book Thoughts

Tiana from The Book Raven

 

Our Questions to Our Nominees:

1. Have you ever read a book that made you cry? What was it?

2. What do you eat or drink while you read or write?

3. If you were in charge of making a soundtrack for a movie adaptation of a book, what songs would you choose, and which book would it be?

4. What is one thing about book blogging you love and one think you wish could be improved?

5. What book is your most anticipated book that is releasing or has been released in 2017?

6. Out of all the books in your collection, which one do you prize the most?

7. Who is an author that lives in your state (or country if outside the US) that you love his or her books or are looking forward to reading?

8. If you could travel back in time to meet any author and ask that person one question, who would it be and what would you ask?

9. Who are some bloggers that you’d like to meet in person?

10. Do you have a favorite musical? What is it, and what are some of your favorite songs?

11. If you could live in any book world for a year, which book would you transport yourself to?
If you were nominated, you don’t have to do this award, but I would love to see you do it! Please tag me when you’ve posted yours! If you’ve already been tagged, you don’t have to do this, but it’s a little token of me saying “I like your blog!”

Thanks for reading! Have a great week!

 

+ J.M.J.

Happy Reading! ~ Kester

 

 

Sunshine Blogger Award

sunshineHi guys! We got nominated a few weeks ago for the Sunshine Blogger Award, our second award, by two bloggers, Mandy from Book Princess Reviews and Jannin from The Booknerd Dragon! Thank you so much, Mandy and Jannin, for your nominations, and if you have the chance, go check her blog out! Cayli and I were so excited to answer these questions, and we hope that you’ll enjoy them!

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.

3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write then 11 new questions.

4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

 

Mandy’s Questions (Answered by Kester)

1.  Favorite Disney character – look at me, I’m not even limiting it to a Princess! Can we call this progress?

I would say Joy from Inside Out or Olaf from Frozen. They’re always so positive, and I would be them if I were a character in their movies.

2. What can always make you laugh?

Pretty much anything funny can make me laugh. Sometimes I’ll just burst out laughing in class and I’ll be the only one laughing.

3. What is your favorite quote?

I live by many quotes, but for now, this is the one that sticks out a lot in my mind:

“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different…” – C. S. Lewis

I always think that I’m not improving as a person each and every day, but this quote reminds me that we might not see our changes each day, but in the future, we’ll see the big changes. I want to be a better person, one who’s more selfless and charitable to others in my family, in school, in my church, and everywhere I go. Sometimes it does not seem that I’m improving, but I know that I’m becoming better little by little. Like they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” We might not see our improvements now, but we will definitely see them later.

4. If you could have any animal in the world (or beyond) as a pet and you knew for sure that it wouldn’t eat you, what would it be?

I would have want to have one of those cute little puppies with big eyes, fluffy fur, and a little tongue that tickles you when he licks you. They’re super cute! I can’t resist cuteness!

It’s either that or a pig named Hamlet that I’ll dress up in a Shakespearean outfit. I’ll also place him next to a skull when taking pictures of him.

5. What book do you wish that everyone could read?

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. People need to see the untold stories of World War II, and Ruta Sepetys does an amazing job of that. My eyes were truly opened by her book, and I think reading this book will certainly change the way people see about the world. 

6. Coffee, tea…neither?

I am a coffee drinker, except when I have a choral audition the next day or the day of. Then I’ll drink tea. But if I could drink at Starbucks I would jump at the chance.

7. What authors are insta-buys for you?

Ruta Sepetys. I really don’t have an “insta-author” since I don’t buy books frequently, but it’s usually just books that I really want to read.

8. How do you feel about classic books?

I like classics, but the language is what makes me not want to read them. It’s so hard to read the olden, flowery language of before, and it makes it harder to understand the text and easier for me to get confused or bored. Some of my favorite books are classics, but if I have to read it for school, it kind of feels forced upon. I’m reading Animal Farm by George Orwell right now for English, and although I love it, it feels like a chore at times because I have to read two or three chapters every few days, which makes it more like work and not pleasure.

9. What song is stuck in your head right this very minute?

“A Lovely Night” from La La Land. It is such an amazing song, and I love the ending with the strings! The entire La La Land soundtrack is “lovely!” I got to go buy it on my phone soon!

10. And last but not least, what do you think your favorite book of 2017 will be?

The United Continuums by Jennifer Brody. Nothing will top that book. It was so amazing!


Jannin’s Questions (Answered by Cayli)

1. What is your favorite color? Why? 😀

I honestly don’t have a consistent favorite color. It’s whatever matches at the time. My room is blue… blue curtains. Blue walls. White dressers and nightstands…. my doors are brown. I guess I have to say blue, brown, and white are my favorite three colors when put together. They create this elegant look that I adore. Very calm and clean. A color isn’t as grand until you set it next to another.

2. Would you rather be smart or beautiful?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I would would rather be smart. Being smart gets me into college. Getting into college gets me a good job. A good job gets me money. Money gets me a good haircut and a manicure. So in the end, being smart lets me beautify myself.

3. What is the most boring book you ever read? 

When it comes to fiction, I’ve never really read a boring book. I want to say nonfiction in general, but I have read good nonfiction books in my time. If I had to say one fiction book… I have to say Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly. ImsorryIdidntfullonhateitIpromise. I just didn’t like it in terms of what it could have been. Oh jeez, I honestly cannot tell you what I didn’t like specfically other than there was way too much dialogue (last time I read it was like two years ago) I would go further into it but I’ll just leave here for later. 

4. Name one famous author with bestselling books that is not just your cup of jam. 

Urrrrgggh I don’t know… lol I loved Divergent. I loved the Hunger Games (but not as much as I could love it but that’s another story). I love anything from Cassandra Clare. I love The 5th Wave. I guess I have to say The Giver… I read the first book, and it was awesome, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know… I wasn’t quite into it all that much. I have the other three books on my shelf, and I feel bad because I still haven’t gotten to read them (out of choice). I know one day I have to, but I don’t see it coming up soon.

5. If you could change nationality/race, what would it be? Why? 

BRITAIN. I want a British accent. I want to go to England, and I want one of their cool accent. I watch British people on YouTube and they say “Zeb-ra” instead of “Zee-bra” and I find it so oddly amusing. WHY CAN’T I LIVE IN BRITIAN? 😥 

6. What language do you want to learn fluently? Choose only one. 

French. I don’t take the class yet, but I will. Beautiful language. People tell me I should take Spanish because I would encounter more of that language than I will French. I told my mom, “One day there will be that one person who speaks French and will need my help to translate. Then you’ll all be sorry!” I play around too much…

7. You are given a chance to become a book jumper (nope, I haven’t read that book yet),what’s the first book you’ll jump into?

I really should say Chronicles of Narnia. I really, really should, and I want to. So bad. But I also want to jump into the world of Percy Jackson. Where I could train at Camp Half-Blood and make the gods mad and almost die over and over again because I made wandered into some monster’s lair… get cursed… visit the Underworld…haha… what fun… okay, which warbrobe should I step through…

8. Give one to/or three frustrating things about being a reader/booknerd? 

Number one, movie adaptations. When the producers decide they can just do whatever they want to a book that I LOVE. How dare they? I understand a few twists and turns to fit tue audience. Like the Miss Peregrine’s movie? Loved it. The played around with th ending, yeah, but overall, it was a wonderful film. But then you got movies like Percy Jackson and Chronicles of Narnia and The Mortal Instruments and The 5th Wave…. why? Why must they tick me off this badly? Annabeth was a brunette in the first movie and then decided to cover up their little mistake by dying her hair for the second movie… only made it all even worse. #salty

Number two… when you need to rant to someone because someone just died or the characters are being idiots…. and no one understands, therefore no one cares. Here I am in my bed, crying my eyes out, talking to Kelsey about how so and so are being adorable and how they will most likely die in the end…. and she has no words. She sits there and nods her head. “There, there…” 

Number Three? When the characters do something embarrassing, and you just want to hide yourself. I wasn’t the one who got drunk and confessed my love to someone across the street. I wasn’t the one who decided going against orders and got yelled at in front of everyone. *I* wasn’t the one who said made herself look like a fool during arguement in front of everyone. I did none of these things, yet I can’t help but cringe. Their emotions hit me. I cannot pick up the book until I am ready to face the horror that is this the aftermath of this embarrassment. These characters will be the death of me. 

9. Do you play sport? What sport? 

I’m not really a sports person. Im not competitive. But I love Volleyball. I play it now with a small group of girls. Maybe one day I’ll play for the high school? Who knows…. Time will tell. 

10. Would you rather be the author? Or the character?  

Well, since a lot of authors love killing off their characters (looking at you, Roth), I think I’ll play it safe and be the author. I’ll do the killing. Don’t worry, though, I am not as heartless as some authors (Cassandra…)

11. Favorite movie of all time. 

Miss Peregrine’s, probably. I don’t rewatch movies unless there is some time in between them, but I love this film nonetheless. I watched it again a month after the first time with a friend of mine. Still laughed and cried at all the memories and the “Your lives were so easy back then…. sniff sniff… you sillies think your burned down house is the biggest problem…”

 

Our Nominees

Stephanie from Teacher of YA

Joana from Bookneeders

Rakel from MiRakelBooks

Rendz from Reading with Rendz

Rafael Ray from The Royal Polar Bear Reads

Jamie from Book Pandamonium

Payton from Payton’s Book Thoughts

Kim from By Hook Or By Book

Mikaela from the well-thumbed reader

Sophie from Blame Chocolate

Klara from Ribbon Reviews

 

My Questions for My Nominees

1. What is one book that made you cry?

2. If you could travel one place in the entire world and all your expenses were paid, where would you go?

3. Where is your favorite place to read? Like in front of fireplace, outside on the grass, on your bed in a blanket… what?

4. Which TV show would you choose to binge watch?

5. Would you rather meet your favorite author but you cannot say a single word, or would you have a signed copy of your favorite book made personally to you but every 10th page is missing?

6. What is your top reading strategy to maximize how many books you will read in a year?

7. What is the talent or achievement that you are most proud of?

8. What is your favorite movie adaptation of a book, and why?

9. If you were going to recommend me one book, which one would it be, and why?

10. Which fictional character would you go out on a date with, and do you think it would work out?

11. What kind of book swag (e.g. buttons, bookmarks, postcards, bookplates, wristbands, etc.) is your favorite?

 

I hope you guys will do this tag! If you were already nominated or tagged, I am not making you do this, but you are free to do these questions if you’d like! Thanks for all of your support! We have another award coming up- the Liebster Award- and we’ll be nominating another batch of wonderful bloggers! Thank you, and we hope that you may continue share our blog with your friends! It’s fun to meet more book lovers!

 

Til next time! ~ Kester