TMST: Pandemic-Born Hobbies

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Have you kept any hobbies that you started during the pandemic?

Yes and no. The two main hobbies I picked up during the pandemic were gardening and working with polymer clay. Now, prior to this I had done some gardening before, but during the years of the pandemic I really brought this into overdrive. I have to admit that I have not only not calmed down, I have actually sort of gotten worse. My house is being taken over by plants haha.

With polymer clay, I used to use air dry clay, and always loved working with it. I finally decided to try polymer clay (you need to bake it in the oven to cure it, rather than the air dry variety), which I had been interested in for years but had been intimidated by it. I made a sort of palm stone/emblem to help a friend going through a really tough time and learned how the medium worked. Then my clay obsession transferred to this new style, and I haven't looked back. Now I mostly make magnets and figurines for my friends, and have tried a few pairs of earrings.

So although those two hobbies were definitely kicked into hyperdrive during the pandemic, they were activities I enjoyed in some form or another prior to.

What are some hobbies you picked up during the pandemic? Did you continue doing them afterwards?

TMST: Mid-Year Check-In

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Mid-Year Check-In: What books have you loved so far in 2024?

Hello! Excuse me while I get my bearings blogging again! Unfortunately my blogging and reading life have often had to take some hiatuses these past few years, but I've recently been able to push through and set aside some time for both.

I think the only book that I would say I thoroughly enjoyed so far this year was Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice. I've read a couple of  other things that were decent, but this has definitely been the standout for me. This is technically a sequel, but I didn't have any difficulty reading it without having read the first novel. The worldbuilding was wonderful and it was inspirational, informative, heartbreaking, and character-driven all at the same time. I would definitely recommend it!

TMST: Favourite Supernatural Creature

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

What is your favorite supernatural creature?

As a lifelong fan of fantasy and mythology, I think it's pretty safe to say that I can instantly think of a dozen supernatural creatures that I love. Picking a favourite is kind of like picking a favourite flower in a garden that you lovingly cultivated. And yet, there is always one creature that stands out for me in a different way than the rest...

The Phoenix.

I have always loved them. From their beautiful flame coloured feathers, to their sleek appearance, to their symbolism of rebirth - they have always fascinated and charmed me. So, if absolutely forced to choose favourites here, I feel very little torment at listing them as mine.

I feel that I would be remiss without mentioning a few others that fight for dominance here:

Gryphon
Manticore
Cŵn Annwn
Ouroboros
Cockatrice

There are so many incredible ones from different mythologies and cultures around the world, and I am constantly fascinated to hear more. Do you have any favourites? Tell me about them!

TMST: Libraries - Online or In-Person?

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Libraries: do you prefer to visit in-person or check out on-line?

No contest for me this week - I am a browser through and though (and no, I don't mean Google Chrome...ha...ha...ha). Whether it's a bookstore, thrift store shelves of CDs, or you name it, I love to stare down the endless racks and shelves until my eyes hurt. 

Online content is great - I love it for when I'm going on a trip, or when I desperately want to read or watch something that is out in its physical copy, or when I'm feeling sick. Otherwise I love to make the time to go to the physical library. And yes, even though I'm been working in one for a long time, I still love going to them. Any time I'm in a different city, I love going to visit their library. I love large libraries, small county ones - you name it. Show me how you catalogue and classify, how you file, what types of resources you have for kids or students. I just can't get that kind of experience online.

I'm so happy that the online content exists - it's an incredible option to have, and makes things accessible to so many people, but I will keep the physical libraries alive for us all with my enthusiasm for them.

TMST: Going on Vacation

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Overnights, long weekends, a week away: What's your preference for a trip?

Usually when I go on a trip, it's for about a week at a time because I end up going to a different province. Being from Canada, this is a pretty significant distance to travel a lot of the time, so a large chunk of the first and last day are spent exclusively travelling to and from that location. However, I find by the end that, although I want to experience more things, I desperately want to relax and be back in my own bed.

Overnights though, I feel like can be a bit too short. If I am in a different city, and want to experience a bunch of things, they may not be open on one of the days (especially if you go on a weekend), or I may just not have the time to fit them in on one of the days. Long weekends, although often busier with more people being off, are ideal. I just prefer to make it a weekend where it isn't already a holiday weekend to get the best of both worlds.

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What about you? What's your preference? Is there a trip or vacation you are looking forward to soon?

TMST Favourite Summer Thing

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

What is your favorite thing about summer?

My favourite thing about summer...would have to be the long days. What I love more than anything, is being able to go for walks in the evening, and the long summer days are the perfect time to do that. It's not too cold or too dark, and I can catch the sunset while out for a stroll.

There are so many reasons that I love this season, including the pace of things, and the chance to be outside all of the time. I'm Canadian - I try to avoid being out too much in the winter because of how cold it is! So summer is my beautiful opportunity to soak in as many rays as I can. I love summer activities, and the Olympics, and summery foods and ice cream. I feel like it's a time where I truly come alive. I get motivated to read and write (and blog!) and take part in all of the wonderful hobbies I have that I can barely keep up with it all - and I love that. The long days help me feel like I can accomplish so many more of those things too.

So, although I would say that the long days are my favourite part, it's really so much more than that.

What's your favourite thing about summer?

TMST: TBR Pile

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Have you found a way to cut back significantly on your TBR pile?

I have! Although I really, desperately need to go through my Goodreads list, I have mentally cut back on so many books that used to be part of my TBR pile. For me, I stopped adding books in that other people wanted me to read. Recommendations are one thing, but so many people constantly tell me I "have to read this" so I eventually would cave to the pressure of it and, since it sounded interesting, would add it in. Now I just add in what I legitimately want to read. Sure, some of them are because of recommendations from other people whose tastes I trust, but a lot are ones I discover on my own.

Working a library is both a gift and a curse for a TBR pile because I get to see everything. At the same time though, it means that people always ask you if you've read this or that and it can be a lot of pressure to feel like you need to cater to that. Although I do still feel that sense of pressure sometimes, I've been able to squash a lot of it.

TMST: Movies or TV Series

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

7/26/2022 Do you prefer movies or TV series?

Traditionally, I prefer movies if I had to pick between the two overall, however there is definitely a bit to talk about here! (Forgive me, this post is a bit scattered this time!)

Movies, for me, are that lovely escape for a few hours, with everything self-contained. TV shows  can go on for a long time, you don't know if or when you are going to get a conclusion on things (and don't even get me started on when they don't pick the show up for the next season!). I really like that shows are broken up into smaller chunks of time and you can hold onto them longer than movies, but I really prefer the defined beginning and ending of movies, and how fully formed everything has to be to work together. I know that shows can be especially great if you're just looking for something quick to unwind or to watch with dinner. There are less issues with continuity often in movies than in television series (except in the case of films that have had large chunks cut out in edits).

And yet, I would like to cheat a little and say that I think the absolute perfect medium is mini-series. I don't personally consider these to be TV series, although I believe that some people do classify them that way, but I think of them closer to movies honestly.

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What about you? Are there reasons you prefer one form over the other? Do you find that you prefer one over the other because of your schedule/watching habits?

TMST: Bookish No-No's

TW: This post briefly discusses assault/violence in point 2. 

Whoops, I'm a little late getting this post out, but it was one I was definitely interested in doing, so I figured better late than never!

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

6/21/2022 What are book no-nos that make you figuratively want to toss a book across the room?

1) When everyone (or the two leads, in the case of a romance) has a quirky name. Nicknames, sure, that's fine (ex. The Divergent series - Tris and Four don't bother me only because they are nicknames, but they drove me insane before I read the books and learned that). Or, if for some reason it is part of the plot, I am okay with it, but otherwise? Please stop.

2) Characters experiencing sexual assault/violence that is described within the book. I know that these types of situations are real, and I don't think we should cover up their existence to make people comfortable, but I find it far too upsetting to read these situations described in full detail, and often cannot handle books that do this. If it is mentioned for a moment without description really, I can manage...but my imagination is far too vivid to handle much more than that.

3) Short, choppy dialogue that is formatted oddly. You know those books that don't use quotation marks, and poorly define their characters' speech? And then they also try to mimic conversation, but it ends up being extremely choppy? Yep, this is one of my largest pet peeves. 

4) Very short chapters of no purpose. A short chapter can be an extremely useful and effective writing tool. It can be used to briefly peek into the mind and eyes of a character who is otherwise "off-screen" in the book. But here's the thing: it has to be for a purpose. Some writers just do this for dramatic effect, and it often feels just like a space filler to me. Or, if you write a short chapter that is only about a page without any revelation...this just feels like something you refused to let your editor get rid of.

TMST: Do You Use Your Library?

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

This week's topic is: Libraries...do you use yours? 

...Nah. End post.

I'm kidding. It's a bit unusual though, working in a library. I see the usage of it very differently than I used to, however this also comes from a change in lifestyle from when I started working there.

There are certain features of the library that I use extremely often (books, movies), some I use occasionally (music, online courses, audiobooks), and some that I don't make use of at all (newspapers, legal resources, etc.). I used to take out tons and tons of fiction, but now I mostly take out movies, cookbooks, and some fiction, with a smattering of other things in between.

The hardest part is the overwhelming desire to read and watch...well, everything. You see it come in, you talk to people about it, and you realize that there are just not enough hours in the day. It's definitely a struggle, and sometimes it can be a bit paralyzing if you are not careful, in that, there are so many choices that you don't even know where to start. But man, will I never complain that that is my problem rather than not having access to all of these beautiful things!

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What about you, do you use your library? What are some resources you especially like?

TMST: Buddy Reads

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

This week's topic is: Do you like to read with others (buddy reads, readalongs, bookclubs, etc)?

This is one of the ideas that I go back and forth on. Sometimes I think it would be super fun to be able to read along with someone, and other times I think it's too much pressure, and I dislike it. Also, I tend to read a lot of things when they are no longer at the height of their popularity (or classics), and so it can be difficult to have someone else want to reach with me.

That being said, I have done this kind of thing in the past, albeit, unintentionally. When the Harry Potter books came out, and the Hunger Games series did (or in this case, the movies), I read these along with friends and family and got the opportunity to discuss them - and that was tons of fun! I loved those experiences so much, that I later tried to get my boyfriend to try and do buddy reads with me. Unfortunately this didn't end up panning out, and since then I've sort of been intimidated by the pressure to read at a certain pace with someone. I think I'd like to try it at some point, but I don't think it would be something I would do any time soon.

For bookclubs, I truly think I would only be content reading along with friends who are on a remotely similar brainwave as myself. I am all for different opinions, but I can find a lot of debates turn into arguments and are frustrating, which I feel like can be tempered a bit amongst my friends, but maybe not so much with a group of unknowns.

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How do you feel about buddy reads and bookclubs? Do you like to debate topics?

TMST: Favourite Types of Posts

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

This week's topic is: What are your favourite posts to read?

My favourite types of posts to read would have to be lists! I have always been pretty obsessed with making lists myself, and I really love to read other peoples' ones too. Your favourite books? Movies? Quotes? In order or not, it doesn't matter to me. 

I do tend to prefer lists that don't have super long explanations following each item, but I like both posts that have a little blurb with each item as well as ones with no explanation at all. These types of posts are fun to flip through and relate too, but also don't take a lot of effort on my part on those days where I'm tired. I find them not always easy to comment on though, other than "those are on my list too!" or "I've always been interested in that one".

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What are you favourite posts to read? To do like to read other people's lists, and if so, do you prefer explanations of why that item is on the list?

TMST: Favourite Form of Media

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

This week's topic: What’s your favourite form of media (apart from literature, that is)?

Ouch, what a question! (It's fantastic, but also a bit painful to choose). If you asked my best friend what my answer would be, she would most likely tell you it's music. However, even though I am a big musical theatre nerd, and am constantly singing...and don't even get me started on how large my music collection is (in both physical and digital forms)...my answer is film.

TMST: Introvert or Extrovert

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

This week's topic is: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

TMST: Blogging Challenges

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Blogging for the past year or so has been very difficult for me, and I'm working my way slowly back to it. But there have been other moments where I've wondered about the best way to continue. My biggest challenges have been:

Finding my reviewing style difficult to manage

Reading/watching things with no intent to review

So, what have I done to try and circumvent these?

I'm working on changing my reviewing style. I find it hard to accomplish, and it's kind of dry, and not very fun. Sure, it's trying to avoid too much bias...but, if you didn't want my opinion, why are you reading the blog, right? I can still provide some unbiased content, but it's much easier to just be myself and less structured!

I think that reviewing things in smaller chunks, and with the change to my reviewing style, this will sort itself out. But yes, I think about how I have to pay attention to something because it is something I will need to review later, and then lose interest in watching it. But, if I have a shorter, and less structured review, I think this will solve that. We'll see!

I have a lot to work on, and it's a bit of an uphill battle, but I think it will all be for the better in the long run.

TMST: Social Media

This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday feature is about social media! TMST is a series hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team including my lovely friend Roberta @ Offbeat YA

March 9th: Social media: love them or hate them?

Both. Very much both for me. In some ways, I find it a lovely way to connect and show love to people you don't often get to talk to. For example, I love it for being able to interact with friends from university who have moved away. When one of my old buddies got accepted for their doctorate, I was able to celebrate with them - many, many miles away.

And yet, there is that pressure of what to portray. When things are tough, do you tell people, or keep silent? Is this the time to post photos of food instead? It's a hard balance to find, and then you still have to consider privacy. Do you only have your close friends on there? Co-workers? How to decline a "follow" or "friend request" to someone you see often, but don't want to share as much with?

From a blogging perspective, I enjoy it, but can find there to be more pressure with it than with the personal accounts now that I am older. If I don't post, will people still want to read my blog? If I talk about something other than blog content, is that okay? (I've learned that it is!) I do find it difficult to keep my content engaging though.

Long story short, I suppose, is that although I do enjoy it, I would be alright getting rid of it. I more like looking at other people's content rather than posting my own! I'm trying to pick up my engagement with it, as it is nice to connect (especially lately), but it's something that will take time, and I'm not in a rush.

What do you think?

TMST: Winter Reads

It's been a while since I've participated in a Tell Me Something Tuesday! This is a great feature run by Heidi @ Rainy Day Ramblings, where we get to share our opinions about a variety of topics! This week's question is: What type of books do you like to cuddle up with in winter?

Comfort books. It's really as simple as that. I know a lot of people favour short, cute reads over the summer, but that's when I'm more likely to pick up something dense. I find that the dreariness of the season (I live in Canada, so let's not even get started talking about our winters, haha) can really affect me, so I want things that make me happy and are soothing.

I often during this time will pick up books I have read before and loved. It's not an uncommon sight to see me sitting on the floor in front of my bookshelf, reading something unintentionally. I'll have started browsing through my books, flip through to read a single passage, and end up there for 45 minutes pouring over the whole book until I realize my back has cramped up.

TMST: Authors for Dinner

No, I'm not eating writers...but I am talking about which ones I'd like to have over for dinner. This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday question is "If you hosted a dinner for authors, who are the six authors you would invite (alive or deceased)?" Thanks so much to Rainy Day Ramblings, who hosts these fun discussions. I can't wait to hear who you all come up with!
For my personal list, I didn't necessarily pick my favourite authors (although some of them are), but instead I picked people I would be interested to have discussions with for various reasons. I've tried to include some of the reasons why I think they'd be fun to sit down with.

1) Ann Radcliffe
- one of the first Gothic writers, and a woman
- an inspiration for many works, and she was popular throughout her life and after her death

TMST: Favourite Blogs

It's been a while since I've participated in a Tell Me Something Tuesday, and I've been meaning to get back into it! Thank you to the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings for this week's topic about some of your favourite blogs. Now, I have some bloggers that I enjoy that aren't related to books at all...but this time I'm just going to focus on my bookish buddies. This isn't a comprehensive list of course, but these ones deserve some extra special attention.

In no particular order...

TMST: Blogging Misconceptions

Super quick post from me today! Thanks to Rainy Day Ramblings for this week's Tell Me Something Tuesday, which is all about misconceptions you had when starting book blogging. Here's my list: