I have never done a tag before, and I thought that now would be a good time to start! I decided to do Jenn’s Sweater Weather tag, because, in case you haven’t noticed, I am super hyped for fall!
Hot Chocolate: what is your comfort book?
I feel like such a cliche saying this, but for me it’s definitely Harry Potter. I can with 100% confidence say that it’s the only series from my childhood that I still revisit from time to time. I love everything about the Harry Potter world, and some 14 years later I’m still not sick of it. It’s the one series I can count on cheering me up, or dragging me out of a book slump.
Pumpkin Carving: what is your favorite creative outlet?
Hmm, let’s see… I’m not a super creative person, but I used to like to draw from time to time! I haven’t done it in forever though. I think my other creative outlet would be book photography that I of course use for me bookstagram! I love taking pictures and spending a good amount of time editing them. Lastly figure skating would be an outlet for me, too (sports count right?). It’s something that has absolutely nothing to do with books, my job, or other day-to-day things. It’s just me and the ice.
Falling Leaves: changes that appear bad, but you secretly love?
This is a hard question. I’d say the biggest change that happened “recently” in my life is that I moved from The Netherlands to the United States. Nine out of ten people I told were super happy for my family that we got the chance to move to the United States again (we lived here earlier, but our time got cut short). Some people thought it was a horrible idea though. I’d leave behind my friends, I’d have to adjust to a whole new country, and I’d step away from the Dutch culture. Joke’s on them though, because I’m thriving and I want that to be known.
Pumpkin Spice Latte: something you love that others tend to judge
I don’t know if I’m being judged about something I love, to be honest. And if I am, then those people are doing a great job keeping it secret, haha!
Okay, actually, one of the things people definitely judge me for is my love for black licorice. I’m Dutch, I can’t help it! I especially love the salty kinds. My favorite thing is handing them out to unsuspecting Americans and watching them struggle between chewing politely and dying a little, or spitting it out.
Maybe another one would be my music taste. I generally enjoy classic- and hard rock the most, with a dash of the more mainstreamed metal. Which isn’t super uncommon, but sometimes I branch out to super obscure goth bands. And let me also include pirate metal, melodic metal, speed metal, glam metal… You get it.
Bonfire Night: what makes you explode with joy?
I love this question because 9 out of 10 times I’m a super happy and positive person, so everything brings me joy! So let’s go. *Takes a deep breath.* I love books, well stocked libraries, book stores, recommending books, making people cry over those books, puppies, kittens, all animals, bookstagram, nights out, my friends, going out for dinner, figure skating, ice hockey, cute clothes, good sales, Halloween…
Okay I think you get it.
Fright Night: favorite scary book or film
I’m a wimp, so I never really watch anything scary. But I do enjoy reading scary books because I’m less confronted with creepy visuals that way. So a few of my ~spooky~ favorites are City of Ghosts, the Lockwood & Co. series, and House of Salt and Sorrows.
Funnily enough, the scariest passage I’ve ever read is to be found in The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown. There’s a scene where on of the characters is being chased through an empty and pitch dark Smithsonian warehouse. The suspense thoroughly creeped me out.
Halloween Candy: favorite thing to eat
In terms of snacks, I love salty things. My current favorite is jalapeño flavored kettle chips. I love the spicy varient!
In terms of regular food, I love basically all forms of pasta, you can absolutely wake me up at 3 a.m. to eat sushi, and whenever my mom says we’re having cauliflower for dinner I get irrationally happy.
Scarves: your autumn must-have accessory
I don’t really accessorize often with jewelry and such, but when it gets colder I always have a pair of emergency gloves in my bag. You never know when it suddenly gets cold, and my hands get cold so easily.
I’ve also invested in cute handbags lately, and I love matching my outfits with a cute bag now! Most of them are black, but so are my clothes, so that’s not a problem at all.
Fire: a book or film that burns your soul
This is hands down Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares for me. Both made me SOB. I still recommend them to anyone that will listen. They’re sometimes a teenee bit slow, but the writing is absolutely whimsical, and you can’t help but be drawn into the world of Weep. It’s also heartbreaking, which we book readers tend to love for some reason.
Toffee Apples: a book or film that seems one thing but really has a different inside
This is a tough question again. The only thing I can think of right now is when I started the Raven Boys, for some reason I thought it was set in a fantasy setting like most other fantasy books. You know, kind of medieval-Europe-esque. You can imagine my surprise when I found out it takes place not only in Virginia, but also in current times. The blurb didn’t mention any of this, but then it also didn’t mention it was set in a fictional world, so I don’t know why I thought that.
And there are my answers! I’m not going to tag other people because I don’t know anyone enough yet to feel comfortable tagging them haha. If you’re going to participate in this tag as well, don’t forget to link back to Jenn’s blog!
