The Liebster Award!

I am so excited to be nominated for the Liebster Award by the fabulous Lark and Lily! The last time I got an award was when I won a ping-pong championship in 2013 (roundabout), so I'm ecstatic to have something to show for the past 6-ish months of blogging. Prior to being nominated, I had never heard of the award (or Lark and Lily, for that matter), but I'm so glad I've been introduced to both! The Liebster Award is meant to help promote book bloggers in the blogging community, and Lark and Lily is certainly a good one! So, here's the rules:

Rules

If you have been nominated for the Liebster Award and you choose to accept it, write a blog post about the Liebster Award in which you do the following:

• Thank the person who nominated you and post a link to their blog.
• Display the award on your blog by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a widget or gadget.
• Write a 150-300 word post about your favorite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog and provide links.
• Provide 10 random facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5 - 11 blogs who have less than 200 followers that you feel deserve the award.
• List these rules in your blog post.
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award
• If you have been nominated before at any time, please share the love. Many people believe the Liebster Award is similar to a chain email/letter and it shares similarities, but the underlying idea is to help promote each other's blogs.

Questions from Nominators

1) Favorite author?
This is like asking a parent who their favorite child is. I don't really have a "favorite" author so        much as I do favorite books within an author's works, but if I had to pick one, I'd say probably Hilari Bell. I LOVE the Knight & Rogue series and the Goblin Wood (which I just posted about recently).
2) Favorite quote from a book?
Does a poetry book count as a "book book"? If so, it's gonna be this one from Rupi Kaur's "milk and honey":

 If we're saying that doesn't count as a "book book", I'm going to have to go with the oh-so-classic:

 Call me sappy. You're not exactly wrong, but you can't tell me you don't love Mr. Darcy.
3) Would you rather win an Olympic gold medal or an Academy Award?
Simone Biles. This is all.
4) If you could be any character from a book, who would you be?
I would definitely pick Will from the Ranger's Apprentice. That's the first book series I ever loved and I was OBSESSED for the longest time. I still kinda am, but I hide it better.
5) What is the last book you read that was so bad you had to put it down?
I've started lots of books and never finished them, and almost all of them have been e-books. I can't remember the title of the last one, but it was the cheesiest, worst romance story I have ever had the misfortune to download. Boy did I get out of there quick.
6) If you were in a movie, would you rather play the villain or the hero?
I spent 99.7% of my childhood loving Batman. It's too late in the game to switch sides on him now.
7) Infinite chips or infinite candy? (That you can eat without getting fat)
I was going to say candy until I remembered the world's greatest invention: ranch dip. Original Ruffles and ranch dip is all you need, my friends. 
8) Vacation to South America or Asia?
South America is sooooo beautiful, so I'd probably have to pick there. There's lots of places in Asia I'd like to go, but just picking one for a vacation, I'd pick South America.
9) Least favorite book cover?
I hate it when they remake book covers from movie shots. Like, can we just not? Please? I also can't stand when really really good books have terrible covers. If you're a cover judge-r, you might miss out on a really great read because of an awful cover. 
10) Least favorite book to movie cast?
Generally speaking, Harry Potter is one of the best-cast book to movie conversions I've ever seen, but specifically, Peeves is the worst because his movie version DIDN'T EXIST. (Yes, we're all still salty about that.)
11) Physical books or e-books?
There's something really comforting and magical about a bookshelf stacked high with your favorite reads. Also, tea and paperbacks go together a lot better than tea and e-books.

Questions for Nominees

1) If everyone in the world had to read one book and you got to pick it, what book would it be and why?

2) Chocolate chip cookies or apple pie?

3) If you could be a fantastical beast, what would you pick?

4) What book have you read that made you the most emotional when reading it?

5) Would you rather zipline or skydive?

6) What's your favorite genre?

7) If you could suddenly know how to play an instrument, which would would it be?

8) Batman or Superman?

9) What's your favorite movie?

10) Why do you enjoy reading?

11) How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Favorite Blog 
Prior to being nominated for the Liebster Award, I really hadn't done much digging into other book bloggers. It takes me so long to actually write up a post that I find acceptable that I'm usually exhausted by the time I finish. Consequently, I really had to go out and dig for a blog I'd be comfortable recommending to others. And this is how the hunt ended with The Crazy Bookworm. This blog reviews books on a variety of topics, but what really got me is the gifs randomly interspersed throughout the reviews for dramatic effect. I. Love. Gifs.

10 Random Facts 
1) I've seen every episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. At least twice.
2) I've broken the same bone three times, each time on or near Mother's Day.
3) I could happily live my life with nothing but Blue Bunny chocolate sundae crunch bars to eat.
4) I really want a horse.
5) I've caught the microwave on fire because I tried to heat up an Arby's sandwich in the wrapper.
6) Vanilla chai with two sugar and a dash of milk is the world's most perfect brew for reading.
7) If I had a pet camel, I would name it Alexander Camelton.
8) I can sing all the songs from Phantom of the Opera (while hitting most of the notes) AND role hop between singers. Boom.
9) I study Brazilian jiu-jitsu and jeet kune do.
10) S'mores are life.

Nominees 
1) Thinking Like A Fangirl
2) Of Stacks and Cups
3) You, Me, and a Cup of Tea
4) Books As You Know It
5) The Life of a Mirkwood Elf

So ends the longest post of my blogging career. I hope you find some great new blogs to inspire your reading!

Edwina - Patricia Strefling

Remember that chat we had on a previous post about e-books? Well, I'm back with yet another great find! I know what you're thinking: "what in the name of Alexander Hamilton is an Edwina?" or maybe "why is the cover pic such terrible quality?" To answer the first, Edwina is a very old-timey sounding name. Like Agnes. Or maybe Ethel. As for the low-resolution cover, I'm guessing it's because few people actually bother buying a physical copy of an e-book, which means fewer available pictures for use by bloggers like yours truly. But enough about that.

Edwina Blair is a small-town librarian whose greatest aspiration is to write the perfect romance novel. Painfully practical, plain, and a little overweight, Edwina's life is as routine as her father's yearly sock purchase during the January whites sale. Contrarily, Edwina's half-sister, Cecelia, is beautiful and business-minded, believing that her success has nothing to do with her good looks and movie-star mother. Despite their differences, the two get along well aside from the occasional spat. When Cecilia books a relaxing vacation to Scotland, she naturally tries to get Edwina to go with her. Anticipating a negative response, Cecilia took the liberty of including Edwina in her plans before letting her know about the trip. Once she finds out, it's too late for her to cancel without significant cost to Cecilia, and Edwina, never one to throw away money, resigns herself to a tour through Scotland. The two are preparing to board the plane out of the States when Cecilia is called away by an emergency. Alone and inexperienced, Edwina flies to Scotland without her wordly sister's help. Once there, she realizes just how far in over her head she is: the ritzy hotel, booked by and held for Cecilia, refuses to accept Edwina in her place. The overwhelmed and exhausted Edwina faints dead away at the desk and comes to a few moments later in the arms of a very handsome Scot who was in line behind her. Aware of the ordeal facing the American and anxious to get home to his fiancee, he insists that Edwina come to stay at his home until she has recovered enough to get back on her feet. Edwina, too overwrought to protest, finds herself the guest of one Alex Dunnegin, a Scottish laird and owner of the beautiful castle Edwina is taken to.

Once situated in the Scot's home, Edwina realizes she's been given the opportunity of a lifetime; the romantic Scottish hills, handsome laird, and rich surroundings are the perfect fodder for her romance novel. Soon, however, she realizes that there's something more going on at the castle than what's on the surface.; Laird Dunnegin is constantly being called away on mysterious legal matters and there are murmurs of a tragedy not long past. Edwina tries to take everything in during her short stay, but she feels oddly remorseful when she leaves for the rest of her trip. After some vigorous touring, Edwina is surprised to find Laird Dunnegin calling on her at the hotel. A dinner meeting reveals a job proposition, one made relevant by the departure of the now ex-fiancee, but it's cloaked in secrecy. True to her nature, Edwina ultimately declines, citing her job, family, and obligations at home as the reasons she can't possibly accept. Believing the matter to be closed, she returns to her tiny apartment and routine life in Michigan.

Edwina finds that things have changed since her trip, but she's startled to discover that she's changed too. When she's fired from her librarian position on false claims, she's almost relieved to be free of the daily grind her life was before the impromptu vacation. She decides to go visit Cecelia in one of the new apartments she's fixed up in New York, especially as she's preparing for guests Edwina invited from Scotland. The guests arrive as planned, but the accompaniment of Laird Dunnegin comes as a shock to Edwina. Once again, he has a job proposition for her, but now he reveals some of the details that were in the dark the last time. Should she choose to accept the position, Edwina would act as a teacher for Laird Dunnegin's daughter, who is currently the focus of a legal dispute meant to take her away from him. His wife, who died when the child was very young, was the daughter of a rich American, groomed to take up the family business. With her dead, Paige is next in line for the business, and her grandfather intends to get her however he can. Again, Edwina declines the offer, but she realizes that the things that had prohibited her last time were no longer an issue. Aside from that, she desperately wants to help her knight in shining armor and show that his faith was not misplaced. A little nervously, Edwina accepts the position. As she uproots her life to move to Scotland, will she be able to fulfill her duties without her feelings for the handsome laird getting in the way? Will Laird Dunnegin be able to keep his daughter from the clutches of her grandfather? Most importantly, will a common bond bring the two closer than the employee-employer relationship they have now?

To be honest, this is a pretty far cry from the books I normally read/review. This is, unabashedly, a romance story. Yeah, it's got a little bit of mystery and some fun cultural tidbits, but not enough to make it anything but a romance. With that being the case, it's a teeny bit surprising that I love it as much as I do. Generally speaking, I'm the one laughing at the sappy romance cliches, but I really relate to Edwina and her struggle to find her place in the world. Her safe life is a result of her insecurities, but all it takes is one spur-of-the-moment trip to Scotland to make her realize that there's so much more to life than saving a few bucks a month by having a shower instead of a bathtub in your apartment. She's got some really fun, quirky habits and she's surprisingly funny. 

My biggest critique of this book is a structural issue. I don't know if it's because it was converted from an e-book or what, but my paperback version is LOADED with misspellings and formatting errors. Of all the books on my shelf, Edwina easily has the most errors in it, which drives me absolutely insane. As far as problems with the actual text, there are a couple of instances where Edwina comes across as really whiney, which also drives me absolutely insane. Additionally, sometimes the timeline is a little confusing; for example, a few days in Scotland translates to a substantial first part of the book, but when she returns, a couple of weeks go by in a page or two. While that actually ties in kind of well with how her life goes in general, it can still be a little disorienting.

Pros:

• Handsome Scottish lairds with castles
• Not your typical "beautiful girl and handsome boy fall in love and live happily ever after" story
• Relatable characters with really great development arcs

Cons:

• SO. MANY. FORMAT. ERRORS.
• Not consistent in how much time is represented per chapter (awkward wording, but check the last paragraph and you'll see what I mean)
• Really (really really really) short chapters, probably another side effect of e-book to actual book