Sunshine Award!

The fantabulous Robyn Hoode from Spiral Bound has kindly nominated me for the Sunshine Award, which is a bloggy questionnaire thing with even fewer requirements than our well-known Liebster.

So, here are the five questions that Robyn has asked me, and my corresponding answers:

1.What is your earliest memory?
Well.
The most specific one is probably when I was about two-and-a-half years old and we just bought our new grey van. It was evening - quite dark - and I was already in my PJ's. My parents announced to me that we had a new car, and so I rushed into my parents' room (which looked out over the street) and peered out of the window.
OMG we have a VAN! WOW!
For some reason I also remember my sister toddling next to me, but that would make no sense, since she had only just been born, or was a couple months old.
By the way, we still have that van. The AC is crap and the drivers-side window won't open and it smells like years of sweaty kids and spilled food, but it still takes me places!

2. What’s your favorite color?
I really don't have a specific favorite color. I enjoy green, as well as orange, but a shady sort of purple is also pleasing, as is a calming sort of blue.
I would like to point out that my first ever favorite color as a kid was yellow, which I've discovered not an oft-named favorite. I am proud of my unique childhood.

My special book

Also, I would like to mention that my sister's favorite color as a kid was "tutti-frutti," which gift-giving relatives interpreted as red, for some reason.

3. What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
Ugh this one is hard hard hard.
I'm going to go with:
My aunt and uncle got me the Complete Chronicles of Narnia with all the original illustrations by Pauline Baynes for Christmas a bunch of years ago. There it is:


4. Who is your current (living) favorite author?
Aw, you had to make it hard and put in that parenthetical, didn't you.
I'm going to have to say Maggie Stiefvater. I've only been a fan for a few months or so, but I am entirely in love.

5. Whatcha readin’ now?
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.

Now then, my questions for the Nominees:

1. Do you buy books from a bookstore, or borrow from a library more often? Why?

2. If you could have one fictional character as your best friend, who would it be?

3. Have you ever written a letter to an author - and actually sent it? (If so - did you get a reply?)(Note: I have done none of these things. Bad me.)

4. What is your favorite reading place?

5. If you could pick one kitchen utensil that describes you, what would it be and why?


And my nominees are:

Skylar Finn @ Life of a Random

Sky @ Further Up and Further In

Meg @ Adrift on Vulcan

That's it for this one, I think!
BUT: if you like my questions and I didn't nominate you, feel free to nominate yourself and grab the award. Just link back to me, please - and link me your post in the comments so I can read it!

~Sophia

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

Guest Post: Samantha talks about Book Awards

  Greetings fellow readers, I'm Samantha. Sophia is so thoughtful - she picked me because our names start with the same letter so there's less to adjust to. Like Sophia, I am a reader. Unlike Sophia, I have not been blogging for years. This isn't really a post of thoughts on a subject with a point in mind. It's more like a compilation of information and recommendation. So bear with me - Sophia will be back soon*.

3 ALA Children's Book Awards

So let's take a look at a very well-known award: the John Newbery Medal and its honor:

They are awarded yearly, criteria being literary merit for children. The honor can be given to up to five books. This one has been around since 1922 so some older winners may be hard to find. Also, the method of choosing a winner has changed over the years.

The 2014 winner is Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures,

written by Kate DiCamillo(Author of The Tale of Despereaux):

I have some favorites in that list, but more Super Favorites List come from the Micheal L. Printz award which is a little more recent (2000):

​

This award recognizes the best book for teens based on literary merit.

There can be up to four honor books.

The 2014 winner is ​Midwinterblood By Marcus Sedgwick:

Several winners and honors that I recommend in order:

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Dodger by Terry Pratchet

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Along with the Newbery, the Randolph Caldecott Medal is considered one of the most illustrious awards for children's books.

The Caldecott annually recognizes the best picture books for children since 1938.

If you've never read a Caldecott, you're missing out. Now, I realize that you may have to go over to the children's section to find them, but it's worth the walk. Caldecott winners are so beautiful and diverse in the different styles and mediums.

The 2014 winner is Locomotive, written and illustrated by Brian Floca.

Interesting Fact: Author and illustrator Robert Lawson's books have been recipients of the Newbery, the Caldecott, and both honors!

       These previous children's award winners have all been selected by committees of adults based on the book's literary merit. Now I am going to point something out using Harry Potter. Because what better way is there to point something out?

        The Nestlé Smarties Book Prize was an award chosen in part by children. The first three Harry Potter books won the Gold Smartie awards three years in a row! (J.K.Rowling actually removed The Goblet of Fire from the running to let others have a chance) Harry Potter books didn't win the literary merit awards. They were bestsellers, editor's picks, ALA Noteable Book title, bestseller lists. They won the children's vote. There is a difference between being voted popular by children and being chosen by a committee of adults.

       That concludes the compilation of information and recommendation. You know it was awesome. ...Don't unsubscribe?

________________________________________________________

*How soon is soon? It's relative. It may be several lifetimes if you're a mayfly.

~~~~~~~~~

Also could you refer to me as Samantha Gamgee?

Where you can find me:

my G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/115056706263106972558

DeviantART page: http://samanthagamgee9-75.deviantart.com

Thanks so much for this awesome honor!

Liebster Award!

How pleasantly surprising to open up my email a few days ago and see that I had been nominated for the Liebster Award by Cleopatra from Classical Carousel! I am so excited and grateful.

The Rules:

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Display the award somewhere on your blog.
3. List 11 facts about yourself.
4. Answer 11 questions chosen by the blogger who nominated you.
5. Come up with 11 new questions to ask your nominees.
6. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you think deserve the award and who have less than 1,000 followers. You may nominate blogs that have already received the award, but you cannot renominate the blog that nominated you.
7. Go to their blog and inform them that they've been nominated. 

11 Facts about Me!

1. I am 100% Ukrainian, but have never been to Ukraine (and neither have my parents).
2. I am going to university this Fall, and am majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Creative Writing (because I just couldn't ignore that literary part of me!).
3. I have a tree house in my backyard that my dad, my sister, and I built a few years back.
4. I love paperwork and organizing documents and papers and shopping for school and office supplies.
5. I am a Grammar Nazi, but I am an undercover one, because I don't want people to hate me. 
6. I can recite Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll by memory.
7. I will also gladly sing you the Major General song from Pirates of Penzance (I might need a quick brushing up - I haven't done it in a while), as well as a few of the other famous songs from that operetta.
8. I wrote my first book when I was 8. It was self-illustrated, and involved a family of children who's names all started with the letter "S" visiting their Great-Great-Aunt. She was very spry for her age.
9. I have a lot of nerdy math and science T-shirts. 
10. I have a younger sister who is my best friend. She is awesome... though she still hasn't forgiven me for the time I basically spoiled a good many books for her when we were young, because I so desperately wanted to discuss them and she hadn't read them yet.
11. My handwriting drastically changes depending on my mood. I have around five distinctly different handwritings.

Cleopatra's 11 Questions:

1. What book(s) are you currently reading and what do you think of it (them) so far? 

I'm actually sort of in-between books right now, having finished The Island of Doctor Moreau and not yet begun Madam Bovary. However, I am in the middle of The Mabinogion, and I do think it is an interesting book, though I am getting a little bit tired of it. This is most likely due to me taking an actual course dealing with Arthurian literature, so I've sort of analyzed it to death.

2. If you could only read books from one country, which country would you choose? 

Oooh that's a tough one! My first thought was England, because I ADORE British lit, but then I would miss out on all the great American literature, like Poe and Twain and Fitzgerald... And then what about France? And my darling Les Miserables? 

If pressed, though, I would probably pick England.

3. Can you name a book that you've read and expected to enjoy, but ended up hating it?

I rarely hate books, but one that I absolutely hated was Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant. I love Maupassant's short story The Necklace, but Bel Ami just bugged me. I actually wrote about it on a Top Ten Tuesday once... you can read about it HERE.

Oh, and also, Moby Dick. That book was boring. I didn't HATE it, per se, and Ahab is one of the most famous characters when discussing motivation, but I just was so BORED by it. 

4. Can you name a book that you thought you'd hate and ended up liking? 

This one's a bit harder. I'm going to have to say - no. I never enter any book with expectations of it being bad. And if it is a book I've heard SO much bad stuff about from people I know have similar reading preferences to mine (ahem, Twilight, ahem, Fifty Shades of Grey, ahem), I just don't read it.

5. Where is your favorite reading place?

I will read ANYWHERE. If I get lost in a book, I will ignore cold toes or uncomfortable seat backs. In fact, this has been made fun of so much in my family that I wrote a post on how I would die. Don't worry, it's not morbid, and does have something to do with the topic at hand.

But if I picked a spot, I do like the couch in our front room. It's very sunny in the middle of the day. And if it's warm, we have a screened in porch with a comfy wicker couch we got last summer. 

6. Do you have any "bad" habits when reading, such as dog-earing, writing in books, talking to the books, etc.? (although I'm not sure if any of those are "bad" habits! :-) )

I do dog ear, particularly because I somehow just can't use a bookmark. I have a nice collection of bookmarks, but - here's another "bad" habit - I fidget with my fingers when I read: with the edge of the page, with a strand of my hair, or with the aforementioned bookmark. I don't want to destroy them, so I end up just not using one. Which is a pity, because I have so many nice ones.

7. If you had to live as a character from a book, who would you choose and why?

I'd like to say it would be someone exciting - like Eowyn from LOTR or a character in Narnia.
BUT, I think that I'm too much of a coward for that. :-) I KNOW I live in a place where I'm never faced with much danger, and I appreciate that heartily. I read books to be able to temporarily travel into another mind, another world, with more danger sometimes - while always staying safely in my nice, safe house. Soooo, I'm a bit too scared to actually choose a character - unless I can be assured of not dying. Then, I'd probably pick Thursday Next from the series by Jasper Fforde. She has an awesome life and gets to interact with Bookworld and characters from books. She also has an adorably sweet husband that's just as much of a literary nerd as she is.

8. Would you/have you challenged yourself to read in a genre or era that you wouldn't usually choose? Which one?

My slow transition to contemporary literature (especially YA) might be considered a sort of mental challenge. I used to NEVER read books that weren't expressely recommended to me by someone with similar reading tastes, or that weren't universally popular (like Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, Eragon, etc.). I am now more willing to pick up a random book at the library that looks decent. It's just that I hate wasting time on a bad book.

9. Can you think of a popular writer (or two) with whom you were unimpressed?

A lot of the popular YA books that I have read (again, Hunger Games, Eragon, Divergent) are good, but not great (Harry Potter excluded). So I would say I was unimpressed because my reaction to them was just "meh" - I definitely wasn't impressed.
Also, see  Q.3.

10. If you could live somewhere other than where you live now, where would that be?

Well, I do adore Chicago, and I think it is the best city in the US, so anywhere else in that country is out of the question. But I think I would like London. I've been there before, and it's cool.
Quebec is nice, too, but a bit too small for me. But it would work.

11. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

An introvert. But an introvert that generally appears extroverted, because she isn't shy.
A word in defense of introverts worldwide: introvert does not mean shy. Introvert means that I don't mind going a day without seeing people. Or even a week, most likely. Socializing is not what drives me, like it drives extroverts. I can be social, but it requires a bit of preparation beforehand.

Questions for My Nominees:

1. If you could meet any author - dead or alive - for dinner, who would it be, and why?
2. What is your most prized possession?
3. How many books do you read at once (on average)? If you read more than one - do you have a special way of managing it?
4. What is your least favorite book and why?
5. What book(s) are you reading right now? How do you like it (them) so far?
6. What is your least favorite literary cliche?
7. If your house was about to burn down in a fire, which five books would you grab immediately (assuming you had time to do so)?
8. If you could take a vacation in any fictional world, where would you go?
9. If you could have one fictional character as your best friend, who would it be?
10. What book completely changed your life?
11. Do you prefer writing with a pen or a pencil? Why?

YAY! Off to go nominate awesome people!

~Sophia

UPDATE: I will be linking up to the various blogs that I nominate as I nominate them. Go check them out! Remember, this list is incomplete as yet (I'll be notifying a few more nominees over the next few days or so), so feel free to check back to this post to see whom else I picked!

My Nominees So Far!
Kayla at The Thousand Lives
Elyssa at Unscripted 
Lauren at Books, Tea, and Me
Mitchii at Aeropapers
Ruth at A Great Book Study