Liebster Award Number Two!

Here we go again! I am utterly honored to have received the Liebster Award yet again, this time from Skylar Finn at Life of a Random

Here are the rules, which I will conveniently copy from her website:

Here we go with 11 facts about me (they will be slightly more random than last time, I think):
1. My sister is taller than I am even though she is two and a half years younger.

2. I have $30-ish dollars in gift cards for Barnes and Noble that I need to spend. (Shopping spree coming up!)

3. Having only recently expanded from Classics into more contemporary literature (aka - my reading options have opened up tremendously), I am slowly becoming aware of the depressing fact that I will never read all the books that I want to.

4. I have a stuffed animal E.Coli, and my sister has a stuffed animal neuron. (They are from Giant Microbes, if you were wondering what the heck I'm talking about.)

5. I am doing July Camp NaNo!

6. The ceiling in my bedroom is painted like a mildly cloudy blue sky (my dad and his twin sister did it when I was born). When some friends came over when I was little, their dad said, "Look! The ceiling is like the Hogwarts' ceiling!" I finally understood what he was talking about when I read Harry Potter many years later. And my ceiling's better than at Hogwarts because in my room it's always sunny.

7. Following up on the theme of that last one: I have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies.

8. I like Thai food. You probably know that already from the left side bar. But I really do like it.

9. I also like my mother's chocolate cake. It is superb.

10. I like drinking my mother's iced mint tea on a day like today where our bit of the world is one big oven.

11. I am reading Allegiant right now and am loving recognizing the references to Chicago. And I really want to climb the canopy thing in Millennium Park now - but I'd probably get yelled at by some security person.

Here are Skylar's questions:

1. How did you come up with your blog's name?
So "Ravens and Writing Desks" is from Alice in Wonderland, from the question "How is a raven like a writing desk?" You can read more about it in the About page of this blog.

2. Given the choice between having blue hair forever or a dragon tattoo on your arm forever (duh), which would you choose?
Probably the tattoo. It can be hidden with sleeves, and dragons are cool.
Hair should be a changeable thing. I don't like a single permanent hairstyle.

3. Do you like reading book blogs or watching booktuber videos better?
I'm going to go with book blogs, because I don't watch that many booktuber videos. I feel like people can occasionally be awkward and rambly on videos, so I'd rather spare them the awkwardness and let them think things through in writing. (Of course, not all people are like that. But I am, sorta. So I empathize with those who are.)

4. Do you have a bucket list?
Casually. It's in my head and changes constantly, but the one think that hasn't changed is "Publish a book."

5. I couldn't live without my computer... or books, obviously. BUT, excluding your computer, books, and cellphone/phone (you know, the essentials), what is one thing you couldn't live without?
(I'm guessing things like family don't count.)
I'm going to go with my piano, because music is a super important part of me.
But writing utensils and paper are up there too.

6.What is your least favorite food?
Papaya and any vegetable in the squash family, excluding cucumbers.

7. Do you make up new endings in your head for books or movies that stunk because they were so sad?
No. The writer wanted the tragedy (or whatever sadness) to end the book, and usually I can find their reason. The book wouldn't be the same without it. (I'll have an Allegiant review coming up next week talking about this.)

8. What does your handwriting look like? 
My handwriting depends heavily on my mood.

I try to use the nice cursive as much as I can, but it generally evolves into the sloppy fast cursive or this hybrid of cursive and print:

Then there's my Ukrainian handwriting, which also depends on my mood. (The Ukrainian alphabet is Cyrillic.)









You don't want to see my Ukrainian print. It is a MESS.

9. What do you want to accomplish in five years?
Well, a bachelor's degree would be nice. And a published book.

10. Hardcover or paperback?
I have nothing against paperback, but I do like hardcovers a teeny bit better.

11. What is your favorite sound?
Awesome question! (And a tough one, too.)
I really like orchestral sounds, especially strings. As for non-musical... I sort of like the whoosh of tall grass in a field.

My Questions:
1. What color describes you and why?
2. What is your favorite writing utensil?
3. Do you take notes when you read?
4. What color are your socks right now?
5. Would you rather go zip lining or scuba diving?
6. What's your opinion on owls?
7. Do you wrap presents in wrapping paper or in gift bags with tissue?
8. What is your favorite reading spot?
9. What does your handwriting look like? 
10. Would you rather be able to read any books you liked - but no rereads - or only read the works of one author of your choice? If you pick the latter - which author?
11. Staples or paperclips? Or folded-over corners?

My Nominations:
So, I'm supposed to nominate nine blogs with less than 500 followers. But since my last Liebster, I haven't added that many new blogs to my reading list, and I don't want to re-nominate people. So this isn't nine, but oh well.
Here we go:
Cleopatra @ Classical Carousel (getting her back for that first Liebster!)
Robyn @ Spiral Bound
Lois @ You, Me, and a Cup of Tea
Jean @ Howling Frog Books
YOU if you want it! I'm making this award free to take, so if you like my random questions and want to answer them - go ahead and grab the Liebster! [And if you don't have a blog, you can still answer the questions in the comments.]

~Sophia