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    Summer Sweatalong Book Tag

    Studious Saturday

    This week’s Studious Saturday post is a tag which has been really fun to complete. Thank you, Lori, for tagging me! If you don’t follow Lori yet you should definitely take a look at her blog!

    The Rules

    1. Link back to the original creator of the book tag (thebookwormdreamer).
    2. Start off with telling us your favourite season and why it is/isn’t summer!
    3. Tag five friends to take part.
    4. Enjoy!

    My favourite season: Winter

    I definitely do not enjoy the stifling summer heat here in Madrid. If I have to pick a favourite season it would most likely be winter because I always associate it with Christmas and New Year’s celebration which I love because I spend them surrounded by family. I also like being wrapped up and watching the snow fall from indoors (although we don’t get much of it around here).

    Don’t Stop! A book you couldn’t stop reading:



    Circe was just too good to stop reading and I had to force myself to leave it several times in order to not miss my stop and arrive to work on time!

    You’re a cheetah – A book you read in just one day:



    I remember starting this book during a flight and trying to rush and finish it but failing to do so. I then proceeded to finish it as soon as I arrived home.

    Couldn’t let go – A book you reread straight away:

    None! I don’t reread books.

    Calm it down! A book that got your heart racing:



    Twisted sure did get my heart racing on several occasions and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

    Second best – A sequel you read faster than the first:



    I am a huge fan of Cara Hunter’s writing and read the third book in the DI Adam Fawley series right after it was published!

    Books on fire! A series you read straight through:

    It only took me around one week to read Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series and I still remember the excitement of finishing one book and starting the next. This series is by far one of my favourites.

    Midnight Madness! A book that kept you up late:



    I stayed up very late several nights in a row trying to finish The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. It was tough because there are so many little details that end up being key to the story line so I was skipping pages and turning back to check facts the entire time.

     

    I won’t tag anyone this time but I really encourage everyone to do this tag. It is so great to look back on books that we hurried through because they were so brilliantly written!

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    Studious Saturday: The Out of My Comfort Zone Book Tag

    studious saturdays

    Hi everyone! I hope you are having a beautiful weekend and have been able to fit in some reading. I was recently tagged by Stephen in the Out of my comfort zone book tag which looks super fun. I am generally open to reading new genres and authors but I’m sure that I’ll surprise myself with some of my answers.

    Rule:

    You have to pick ONE GENRE that you frequently read about… and then, you can’t use ANY books from that genre while answering the questions!

    I usually lean towards books in the Mystery/Thriller genre but I am not sure that I would typically choose any books of this genre as my answer to these questions. Therefore I have decided to extend the rule out to include Contemporary Fiction too which will make it even more interesting and difficult!

    1. A Book That Is An Exception When It Comes To Genres Or Elements You Don’t Typically Like


    I don’t usually read Fantasy but I decided to read this as part of the book club that I recently attended and I was astounded by the unique storytelling and even more surprised by how much I enjoyed the book!

    2. A Book You Enjoyed From A Genre You Previously Held Some Stigma Against


    This book was everywhere a few years ago and I still remember all my friends discussing districts, characters and other elements completely unknown to me so I ultimately agreed to borrow it from my flatmate and read it in one sitting.

    3. A Book You Didn’t Know Was Out Of Your Comfort Zone Until You Started Reading It


    I am a huge fan of Dystopian Fiction but I honestly did not expect such a hard-hitting story and I definitely didn’t think that it would affect me as much as it did. Nevertheless, this is still one of the most memorable books I have read and I recommend it to everyone (or at least try it even if you don’t manage to finish it).

    4. Pick A Friend Who Motivates You To Pick Up Books You Might Not Normally Be Interested In – Is There A Book They Convinced You To Give A Try?


    Another one of my flatmates convinced me to read The Martian (and watch it afterwards too). Unfortunately we don’t have the same tastes in books or movies but I did listen to his suggestion and was glad to read something different.

    5. A Book That Is Out of Your Comfort Zone, But You Would Like to Read


    Although I love suspenseful thrillers, I am not a huge fan of blood and gore but I have heard so much praise for Hunter Shea’s Creature that I have decided that it’s going straight to my TBR list.

    6. A Book/Genre So Outside Of Your Comfort Zone That You’ll Probably Never Give It A Chance

    Although I am open to many genres I don’t expect to read any Christian Fiction any time soon.

    So those are my diverse and somewhat random answers to this tag. It’s been fun looking back at some of my odd choices and although I won’t tag anyone this time around, I hope those of you that decide to do the tag enjoy it!

     

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    Studious Saturday: 50 things that make me happy

    studious saturdays

    Happy Holidays! I hope that you will all get to spend a truly relaxing and peaceful time surrounded by people you love. In the spirit of Christmas and holiday time I felt that today was the perfect Saturday to post the 50 Things that Make Me Happy tag after I was tagged by the lovely Molly. Thank you, Molly, for the tag!

    50 things that make me happy:
    1. The spirit of Christmas
    2. Meeting the New Year with high hopes of a successful coming year
    3. The excitement when booking flight tickets
    4. The even more exciting feeling of stepping on an airplane, ready for an adventure
    5. Seeing my mum’s happy smile when I walk into Arrivals
    6. Writing out and activating my out of office email at work
    7. The chatter of strangers in the Madrid metro every morning
    8. Hearing a song I associate with my university days
    9. Skyping with a dear friend
    10. Mastering a complicated dance routine after hours of practice
    11. The frenzy and enthusiasm when stepping out onto the ballroom competition floor
    12. The joy of a fast and fun quickstep
    13. Starting a new booking
    14. Sitting down and relaxing after having cleaned the whole house
    15. Watching the latest episode of a TV show that I’ve been following
    16. Going to the cinema with my mum
    17. Coming up with a good idea for a blog post
    18. The satisfying feeling of writing a blog post in advance and scheduling it
    19. Watching a loved one open a gift from me
    20. Spending time at my aunt’s house with the whole family
    21. My aunt’s dogs – Riley and Jacob
    22. Any dogs in general
    23. Skiing down from the top of a mountain with friends
    24. Summer BBQs
    25. Seeing friends after months apart
    26. Stumbling upon old photos from school and the nostalgia that follows
    27. Remembering fun nights in at home with friends at university
    28. Planning the next city trip with my boyfriend
    29. Spending summers in Bulgaria
    30. The joy in my grandma’s expression when she sees me after one year away
    31. My grandma’s homemade meals
    32. Finding a new favourite restaurant to eat at
    33. When a difficult recipe is a success in the end
    34. The relief of sitting a final exam
    35. Lazy at home Sundays with my boyfriend
    36. A crisp but sunny winter’s day
    37. When a wish comes true
    38. Picking strawberries in summer
    39. Cooking a meal for my favourite people
    40. Going on a walk in the park
    41. Spontaneous spa nights at home on Friday evenings
    42. Sleeping in on a weekend
    43. Having a bath after a long day
    44. Learning a new word or phrase in a different language
    45. Reading in coffee shops and blocking out the rest of the world
    46. Playing board games with the whole family
    47. Remembering the lyrics of a song I haven’t heard in a while
    48. Having three places in the world that all feel like home
    49. Seeing or hearing something that reminds me of a loved one
    50. The prospect of many good moments to follow in the future

    This was a fun and rewarding tag to do and I highly recommend it to other bloggers! I won’t tag anyone this time as I am sure that everyone has plans to spend time with family and perhaps even schedule their blog for next year. Next Saturday’s post is the final one of the year and it has been one of the hardest ones to write although equally enjoyable. Stay tuned for more and sending you all warm wishes for the holidays!

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    Studious Saturday: Mystery Blogger Award

    THE AWARD
    “Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion. – Okoto Enigma

    THE RULES
    • Put the award logo/image on your blog
    • List the rules.
    • Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
    • Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
    • Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
    • You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
    • Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
    • Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
    • Share a link to your best post(s)

    studious saturdays

    I have been nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by Darinda and Molly. Many thanks to both of you for thinking of me and for anyone who hasn’t yet come across their blogs I encourage you to visit and follow them because they both publish great content!

    THREE THINGS ABOUT MYSELF

    1. I always struggle when answering the question “Where are you from?” because I consider myself a citizen of the world after having lived in various countries. I have friends from all around the world and am constantly changing between languages and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.
    2. My biggest dream in life since I was eight years old is to have a dog and I am slowly getting closer to making that dream come true.
    3. Apart from reading, my biggest passion is ballroom dancing which I started when I was seven and hope to never give up.

    MY TOP POSTS

    Exploring bookshops in London

    Book review: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

    Disappointing books and managing high expectations

    MY ANSWERS TO DARINDA’S QUESTIONS:

    1. How many books are on your TBR, and how long will it take you to read them? – I currently have 99 books on my TBR list, which I know for many isn’t a lot but it’s the most I’ve ever had! I usually read around 50 books per year on average so it would probably take me around 2 years to read them but unfortunately the list keeps growing so I don’t know when I’ll ever finish them!
    2. Who is an author you will read without reading the book blurb first? – Jodi Picoult
    3. Name a fictional character you love to read about, but would find insufferable in real life. – Robert Langdon because I can just imagine how technical our discussions would be!
    4. What are three things on your bucket list? – Have a dog, travel the world, start my own business
    5. Funny: If you could have a superpower, what would it be? – Teleport so I could visit my family who are scattered around the world all in one day

    MY ANSWERS TO MOLLY’S QUESTIONS:

    1. Do you have any favourite festive reads? if so, what are they? – I don’t unfortunately but I have seen some great reviews for Josie Silver’s One Day in December so I am planning on making it my festive read for this year!
    2. Who is your all time favourite book character? – Lisbeth Salander
    3. Are you planning on posting Christmassy content in December? – I sure am!
    4. What is the one book you would recommend to anyone? – The Great Gatsby
    5. Do you have any Christmas traditions? – Oh, so many! We still have a Bulgarian Christmas on the 24th where we make an odd number of dishes as tradition calls for and on Christmas Day we tend to have a leisurely morning with cake (it’s my mum’s birthday) before we open the presents and start preparing our usual lunchtime roast.

    NOMINATIONS

    Asha

    TheBookReader

    Mani

    Reyna

    Nikola

    Naty

    Kelly

    (As always there is no pressure to do this tag at all!)

    MY QUESTIONS:

    1. Which is your favourite ever book series?
    2. Do you ever go to the cinema more than once to watch a movie you really loved?
    3. Where is the most unusual place you have fallen asleep? *weird/funny question
    4. Which is the best birthday/Christmas gift you have received to date?
    5. Do you play any musical instruments? If so, which, and if not would you like to learn?
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    Three Days, Three Quotes Challenge: Day 3

    Three Days Three Quotes Challenge

    RULES:

    • Thank the person who nominated you.
    • Post one quote per day for three days.
    • Nominate three blogs per day to take part in this challenge.

    Today is the last day in this challenge and I wanted to thank Stephen one more time for tagging me! For the final day I chose a quote which describes the magic of books perfectly:

    “Cada libro, cada tomo que ves, tiene alma. El alma de quién lo escribió, y el alma de quiénes lo leyeron y vivieron y soñaron con él. Cada vez que un libro cambia de manos, cada vez que alguien desliza la mirada por sus páginas, su espíritu crece y se hace fuerte.”

    -La Sombra del Viento de Carlos Ruiz Zafón

    “Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”

    -The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

    I adore this quote and I think it’s the perfect one to end this challenge.

    Here are my nominations for the final day:

    Simant

    Evelina

    Raya

    There is no need to do this challenge if you have done so already or if you don’t feel like it but if you decide to do it please link back to me so I can read your chosen quotes. Thanks to all who read my posts during these past three days!