I am here with my first every Sunshine Blogger award! Thanks so much to Leslie at Books are the New Black for the nomination and some seriously great questions. It took me a few days to get to this. One of the kiddos got sick so my routine got seriously messed up this week and I spent a few days doing everything but blogging. What a great post to come back with.

WHAT IS THE SUNSHINE BLOGGER AWARD?

The Sunshine Blogger award is given to those who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine into the blogging community. Each blogger chosen is given questions by the nominating blogger, and they will then:

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated them in a blog post and link back to their blog.
• Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated them.
• Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
• List the rules and display the award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Here are Leslie’s questions:

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading a historical fiction book called In His Shadow by Audrey Blake, which is actually a pseudonym shared by two different women, Regina Sirois and Jaima Fixsen. I’m really enjoying it despite the fact it’s very full of medical jargon. From the cover, it sort of has a softer vibe more similar to a romance novel, but it’s quite intricate and has a really strong feminist undercurrent. I was really expecting something completely different and I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I’m enjoying it. Looking forward to finishing it today. I’m also listening to Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us, which is a novel recommended by a friend. Honestly, I’m not really sure how I feel about this one yet. I’ll get back to you.

What is your most anticipated read this year? If you’ve read it… did it live up to your expectations?

My most anticipated read I haven’t read yet. It’s Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. I look forward to any new Moriarty read and have so far been through them all. This one I should be able to read soon.

Have you read a book that surprised you this year (good or bad)?

Unfortunately, this isn’t a good surprise. I found myself pretty surprised by how disappointed I was in The Nature of Witches. I wasn’t very nice to that one in a review, and I’d had high hopes for it. I was seeing good reviews come in for it and the cover was extremely appealing. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations.

Which book has the nicest cover on your bookshelf?

Oooh, this is a good question. I’m going to have to say the nicest cover is for my leatherbound Yale Shakespeare collection. This isn’t a very readable book. I’ve never actually read out of it because it could be used as a murder weapon if dropped from a certain height, but it’s more decorative and I keep it on the top shelf of my bookshelves with the other nicer books.

What are your favorite blog posts to read?

I would say I’m a bit more traditional, in that I love a good book review. I enjoy reading spoiler free reviews for books, that is, as this is where I get a lot of my TBR’s. I also like the WWW Wednesday posts where I get to see the progress of my colleagues and get a quick overview of what they liked/didn’t like throughout the week.

Do you judge a book by its cover?

Yes, absolutely. And as I alluded to in my post about the surprise, this can sometimes bite me in the ass. Some books look incredible based on the cover and then wind up being a letdown. I will say this… I won’t usually NOT read a book because the cover isn’t extremely compelling. But I will sometimes read one because the cover draws me in. I guess what I’m saying is it takes a lot more than a cover to get me to read something but if I’m just walking through the library or a book store, I will allow a cover to grab me and pique my interest. I hope that makes sense.

What is the most recent book that made you laugh out loud?

Oh my… Hmm… good question. I’ve done some mild chuckling to some recent reads, but the last book that left me in stitches was probably Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. That book was positively delightful.

Do you have any hobbies besides books and blogging about them?

Hmm… while I’ve really let myself go by way of hobbies lately, I have recently started playing piano again. I used to do it a lot and after getting married and having kids I let it slide. My husband seems to be going through some kind of mid-life thing where he’s decided to pick up the saxophone as a new hobby at age 40, so I decided it’s about time for me to get back into music as well. Boy am I rusty, but I’m bent on getting back into the swing of things. I also really enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles from time to time. And I often allow myself to get way too frustrated with Bingo Blitz on my phone. It’s a problem, and I’m working on it.

What was your last 5 star read?

I have read a book I gave 4 1/2 stars to (One Two Three by Laurie Frankel) but the last full-on 5 star book I read was Project Hail Mary back in May. I positively adored that book and couldn’t really think of anything that Weir could have improved upon. I can’t wait for the movie, despite the fact that I think Ryan Gosling is a terrible choice for Ryland Grace simply because he’s not at all what I see in my head. No offense, Ryan, but boo…

What was in your last book haul?

Ok, here’s a terrible truth. It has seriously been a minute since I’ve done a book haul. I haven’t bought a book in ages. Perhaps it’s Covid or just the busyness of life but I just haven’t been to a bookstore at all. I think the last time I received books that were actually purchased was when my husband gifted me two books for my birthday, I Am Mahala and Becoming. And that was for my birthday two years ago. I’ve also bought a couple of books online from authors I follow. They were Night Witch in Berlin by Joanna Brady and The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell and both were several months ago, at least. EEK! Maybe I need to plan a trip somewhere.

What is your favorite color?

My favorite color is green. I think that’s because, to me, green represents life. Without green things in this world nothing would be possible and we wouldn’t be here at all, so I think it’s the most beautiful and most important color.

Hope you’ve enjoyed visiting with me for my first Sunshine Blogger Award post.

For the bloggers I tag, here are your questions:

1. Do you have a book or author that first got you into reading? If so, what or who is it?
2. What book do you find yourself recommending the most to other readers?
3. To which character in a book do you find yourself identifying with the most and why?
4. Do you have a book in mind in which you actually wound up liking the movie adaptation better than the book? *GASP, I know, but I find that we all usually have at least 1 (Looking at you, Forrest Gump)* lol
5. To which Hogwarts house do you belong, or is HP not your thing?
6. What’s one food that you could eat every day for the rest of your life and not get tired of it?
7. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you not be able to live without?
8. Unpopular opinion time… name a book that you seemed to have the opposite reaction to than the majority of other readers. Either they loved it and you hated it or vice versa…
9. If you could live anywhere other than where you do right now, where would it be?
10. What’s the perfect place for reading? comfy chair at home, coffee shop, outdoors? What do you think?
11. What do you find to be the most surprising aspect of having a book blog?

I’m nominating the following bloggers for the Sunshine Blogger Award. These are all bloggers who have wonderful, inspiring bookish content and they are a joy to follow. Check them out! Amy Leigh Reads Tessa Talks Books Charley with Books and Bakes Jolie with Read With Me Lori at Fifty-Two Books Adira with Introvert Interrupted Molly with Silver Button Books Laurel-Rain Snow Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies Jess at The Booked Reader Ahaqir at Books of Brilliance