A Triumphant Return And Some Great News!

Hello there, my lovely readers! 

I know, I know... it's been a while hasn't it? I've been a bit rubbish about updating recently and for that I apologise. Sometimes life has a way of taking over and forcing us to prioritise our to-do lists, doesn't it? 

Lots of changes have occurred in Lauraland, but now I'm back on the blog and I fully intend to stay here! I've read a whole bunch of great books in my absence so will be blogging about them soon. I guess I'll have some updating to do with the different challenges I'm a part of too. If you're keeping score then have a gander at the Audiobook Challenge, the What's In A Name Challenge, and the TBR Challenge pages over the next few days. 

Before I start writing and posting reviews, I have some great news! I now have a teeny-tiny book review column in the South Wales Evening Post! By-line and all! Woop! It's an opportunity I've been given in my shiny new job as a librarian and I'm thrilled with it. It's going to be a challenge as I have to submit four reviews each week and they can only be 80 words each! I'm so used to rambling on that whittling down the wordcount might prove difficult. 

I always did talk too much...

Blogger Of The Week!

The very lovely Lisa of Turning Pages, has declared me Blogger of the Week! Yay! Click on the picture below to read the Q&A she did with me! And be sure to follow her lovely blog! 

Mailbox Memes in a Post "Sirengate" Bloggosphere!

So, I think I've been under a rock for a while. I was going through my Google reader yesterday, (you know you've been slacking when you have about five thousand new items to get through...) when I noticed how many new Mailbox Memes seem to have popped up recently. 

Mailbox Memes are weekly posts where us book bloggers offer a nice little round-up of the books and book-related things that we've received in the mail. The most popular of these was once “In My Mailbox”, hosted by The Story Siren. So I was curious as to why a whole bunch of new Mailbox Memes had suddenly emerged. 

Now, being occupied under my rock, I had no idea about the scandal surrounding The Story Siren -"Sirengate" as I'm calling it. For fellow rock-dwellers, this scandal basically involves allegations of plagiarism. I came to this late so, even though I have my own opinions on the matter, I'm not going to go and spew any late-to-the-party vitriol. 

Instead, I've gone through my Google reader and collected together a few of the different Mailbox Memes that have popped up since the proverbial hit the fan. I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones on my blog subscription list. If you run your own mailbox meme then please feel free to link to it in the comments! 

In My Mailbox

Hosted by The Story Siren

While this is from the site of the previously mentioned controversy, I'm willing to post it as an option, if only for the sake of fairness. This, as far as I can tell, is the original Mailbox Meme. It was certainly the most popular for a long time. IMM consists of: “...a weekly round-up of the books you've received each week. There is no right or wrong way to do In My Mailbox, you can vlog, you can take fun picture, you can use the books cover art, it’s up to you!”

Perhaps understandably since the allegations of plagiarism, many of the devoted followers of this feature have fallen by the wayside or started looking for a new meme where they can post the new additions to their bookshelves. 

There's a linky list for sharing and networking with other followers of the feature. 

Book Haul 

Hosted by The Non Reluctant Reader

This seems like a smaller but friendly version of the Mailbox Meme. Benji, The Non Reluctant Reader, describes Book Haul as,“...a weekly feature here that showcases all the awesome goodies I got this week!”

There isn't a linky list but you can share your newly received books by linking to your post in the comments. 

Sunday Shout Out

Hosted by Carrie from In the Hammock

This seems to be a combination of a Mailbox Meme and a weekly recap of blogging news. Carrie describes it as “...a place where I can give a special shout out to those publishers and authors who have sent me books over the week, as well as those bloggers who have hosted contests! I'll also be giving shout outs to any other cool books, blogs or bookish news that I've spotted during the week.” 

There isn't a logo (the pic shown is just the blog banner) or a linky list, but you can share your newly received books by linking to your post in the comments. 

The Sunday Session 

Hosted by Kat, The Aussie Zombie

Again, this seems like a Mailbox Meme with a little extra. Kat, (The Aussie Zombie) says this about the meme: 

“A Sunday Session is an Australian tradition usually held in pubs on a Sunday afternoon where people feeling a bit 'fragile' from a big weekend can listen to some chilled out music, have a late lunch, catch up with friends and maybe indulge in a little hair-of-the-dog. Usually on a Sunday I mooch about, read blogs, check out new releases and book news and just generally do SFA - so what better opportunity to look back at the past week's reading, posts and the new books I've picked up and see what's coming up this week?!”

I love the sound of this one because, at the time of writing this, it's Sunday and I'm soooo indulging in a little “hair-of-the-dog”. Once again, there isn't a linky list but you are encouraged to link to your own posts in the comments. Oh and the logo is cute!

Book Haul

Hosted by Ange, The Moonlight Reader

This has the same title as the one hosted by The Non Reluctant Reader, but seems to be even more of a personal effort. Ange describes the feature as a “...weekly Book Haul […] where I showcase the books that I received for review or bought myself over the last week.”

There's no linky, but people seem to be linking up in the messages here too. I should also mention that the logo has no "official" host so I'm assuming that this is just Ange's brain-child. 

Just A Book Haul

Hosted by Cathee from Forever Lost In Books 

This one has a nice little logo, complete with Cathee as the official host. She introduces Just A Book Haul by saying, “In light of the drama in the blogger world, I have decided to make a post like In My Mailbox. It's called Just a Book Haul... because that's what it is!”

This is fairly indicative of how the blogging world feels about The Story Siren scandal. This is a meme in keeping with the IMM format, but unfortunately there's no linky. You can, however, link up to your own posts in the comments again.

Cathee also asked me to say: "This was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie! All the credit goes to her!" Now that's what I like, a nice honest blogger who gives credit where it's due! 

Letterbox Love

Hosted by Lynsey Newton from Narratively Speaking

This is a UK version of IMM. Lynsey describes Letterbox Love as, “...a new weekly feature that I'm hosting on the blog and basically, the idea came out of a discussion with other UK book bloggers about the need to do a weekly meme with more of a British feel to it....

"Letterbox Love is a way for us to share the books that come through our letterbox, galleys and ebooks (through our electronic letterbox - see what I did there?!) and any other bookish goodies that we want to tell you about.  Letterbox Love is intended to showcase upcoming books and build up some excitement for them as well as let you know what is available out there..."

This seems like a great UK alternative. This is definitely one of the most popular new Mailbox Memes I've come across. A Linky is planned for the future but, for now, links are posted in the comments.

The Sunday Post

Hosted by Kimba, The Caffeinated Book Reviewer

The Sunday Post looks like another very promising newcomer. Kimba describes it as “... a chance to share news, post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.” 

There is a Linky list already up and running for this one, and I rather love that logo!

Stacking the Shelves

Hosted by Tynga, of Tynga's Reviews 

This seems like the most popular newbie on my list! The linky list (yup, there is one) for this week's Stacking The Shelves is 113 strong so far: much higher than the others on this list. Tynga says this about the meme: 

“We are all book lovers and the need to share our enthusiasm is sometimes overwhelming. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

“If you’re anything like me, you are probably hoarding books and even though you are excited about your latest book arrival, it might be a while before you get to review it and Stacking The Shelves is a good way to express your undying enthusiasm for those titles!”

Showcase Sunday 

Hosted by Vicky from Books, Biscuits and Tea 

This is another fairly popular new Mailbox Meme. It too has a linky list and this week's is 46 strong so far. Vicky says: “I’m not participating in IMM anymore for reasons you may have already heard about. I do not support or approve of plagiarism and most importantly, lying about it. Hence I’m starting a new weekly meme which will replace IMM on my blog – and of course, everyone’s welcome to join in. The aim of this event is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.”

Conclusions and Questions. 

It's nice to see that so many people are willing to continue with the Mailbox Meme. It's a great way to share enthusiasm about the books we add to our shelves, as well as an opportunity to thank those who send said books our way. 

The hard part now is going to be choosing which meme to take part in! In my wandering, I spotted some duplicate posts on the linky/comment lists of the above options, so it seems like bloggers have no qualms about sharing across multiple memes. I guess it's all the same thing, right? Personally, it seems like savvy blog-promotion to me, but I wonder if it's also bad etiquette? Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, a reminder that if you run your own mailbox meme then link to it in the comments! 

I hope this list helps you to discover new blogs and new bloggers! Let me know your thoughts!

Happy meming and pleasant reading! 

Lx

[Note: Many of the bloggers wanted to mention that they credit Kristi and Alea for the original idea, despite the scandal.]

Making Pinterest more about productivity and less about procrastination!

I love Pinterest! It's one of those amazing internet tools which allows you to spend time doing absolutely nothing, while providing the illusion of productivity! 

For a while I've been using my Pinterest account as little more than a source of funzies. Today, however, I've made it useful! 

I have created a pin-board of every book review I've ever posted here on Scattered Figments! So if you fancy a quick glance at all the books and the star-ratings they've received, just click HERE! 

If y'all have review pin-boards of your own, link them up in the comments below and I'll look forward to stopping by! Lx

Challenges update - The Good, The Bad and The "Could Do Better"...

Well we're four months in to 2012 so I thought I'd take a look at the challenges I'm doing this year. I found out that I'm well ahead of one challenge, well behind in another and I've not even STARTED the last! I shall be sure to do so as soon as I hit "post" on this one. 

The Good - 2012 Audiobook Challenge

I'm aiming to listen to twelve audiobooks this year and I'm currently on my eighth. That's not bad going! March, however, was taken up entirely by Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind. I've wanted to read it for ages and I'm glad I finally have, but oh-dear-lord Scarlet O'Hara is a pain in the arse...

The Bad - 2012 To Be Read Challenge

Four. I've read just four books from my TBR piles. I completely blame this wimpy statistic on the fact that there are just so many awesome books coming out this year! But I know... I deserve a good spanking for my poor performance so far!

The "Could Do Better" - 2012 What's In A Name Challenge 

When I decided to do a quarterly round-up of my challenges so far, I realised that I hadn't actually written down anything for this challenge. I put this post on hold and quickly created a dedicated page for it: something I've been meaning to do since the start of the year. Oops. So far I've hit three of the challenge targets, but it's only a teeny tiny challenge list so I feel I could've blitzed this by now! I must do better in future! 

So what about you? What challenges did you sign up for back at the start of 2012? How do your stats compare to my lame-ass ones? Comment and let me know! 

The Joy Of Spine Bending And The Pleasure Of Visiting Old Friends.

I love books. Big surprise, eh? I love them in all their guises, whether they be the digital kind, the audio kind or the good old fashioned dead-tree kind. 

I love eBooks because the Kindle app on my iPhone allows me instant access to title after title, without inconveniencing me with the need of getting out of my pyjamas. 

Audiobooks allow me to read wherever I am and whatever I'm doing. People who complain about doing housework should try it with an audiobook playing. It's brilliant. Hate commuting? Drive and read at the same time!

And good ol' dead tree books. I love the smell, the feel. the coarse joy of the pages. If I have a favourite kind of book, it's the paper kind. Not because I'm old fashioned, but because, as a reader, I'm brutal. 

People who know my reading habits will tell you that I am a destroyer of books. Plenty of people look on in horror when, upon acquiring a new book, the first thing I do is to open it wide enough to crack the spine. I've seen people look away, turn pale and grey, their eyes wide and horrified. I've heard their outrage as they ask, "How can you do  that to a book?!"

My response is generally along the lines of an eye-roll. Mostly, I'm comfortable breaking spines and dog-earring pages because it's just paper. Mostly, I want to tell these people to get a grip. But I'll argue my case today, just the same. 

You see, I'm not just a reader of books, I'm a devourer. When reading books, I crack their spines, I bend their pages, I curl and shape them to try and get them to fit in my smallest bags and pockets. You can spot my favourite books on my shelves by their torn front covers or the varicose-vein creases lining their spines. 

Look at my copy of Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin. I've read it six times and I know some of you will recoil in horror at the condition it's in. But to me, it looks loved. 

And how about my copy of Gerald's Game, by Stephen King? The front cover is on its last legs and its spine is a map of creases. But I've read and loved it over and over again. I adore it. I recently wanted to read it again, and bought the audiobook. It rocked. 

You know what? It takes a lot of love to kill a book. It takes a lot of reading. It takes being thrown into a bag so that I can read in queues and during moments of "down time". 

Now, take a look at my copy of It, another by King. It's cover is pretty decent. Its spine has only the faintest traces of breaking. (Oh, and by the way, if you manage to read a 1000+ page book without breaking the spine, then you aren't human.) 

It doesn't look good because it's one of my favourites (which it is) or because I've tried really hard to take care of it (which I haven't). It looks good because this is my eighth copy. I also have a copy of the audiobook. I've read it too many times to count (or admit). 

Last night, I bought a copy of The Stand for my Kindle app. My paper copy of the book is currently in work and it's in a similar condition to Gerald's Game. The copy in work is my fifth, the Kindle copy is my seventh. The sixth copy is an unabridged audiobook version. 

What happened to copies one through four? I gave them away. I left them on trains. I lent them to friends and never asked for them back. I left a copy of It in a holiday apartment which I suspect was a little bit haunted. I never throw a book away, no matter how tatty it gets. I'm not interested in having perfect bookshelves which look like I've never touched any of the books. 

In my opinion, books, like old friends, should age with you. And my favourite books are like my constant companions. Yes, I know that makes me sound like a lonely old spinster. I'm not. I can't be: I don't have any cats! 

When I got my latest copy of The Stand last night and started reading it, it was like visiting old friends. I've read it so many times that I know the characters and their stories as well as I know some of the walking-talking humans in my life. 

A lot of people won't understand me here. You won't see the point in reading a story when you know how it ends, even though you might have a favourite movie which you've seen a couple of dozen times. Hell, you might have seen movies you hate more than once. Don't you wish you'd spent the time it took watching some daytime-television catastrophe reading something good? Even if it was something you'd read before?

I have a TBR (To Be Read) pile that is taller than me. I have dozens of books to read which would be new and shiny to me. And yet, right now, I'm happy reading something which I know and love. Am I the only one who does this? Maybe I'm happy to do this because I'm a quick reader. 

If I love books so much, enough to spend hours of my life re-reading stories I know inside out, how can I bear to treat them so abominably? I don't know. But before you criticise, think of your own bookshelves. Think of the books there which you've loved but which will never be read again. Think of the dust they gather up there on those shelves.

Varicose-veins: a sign of
love or abuse? 

When I've spent to long sat on my butt doing too little, I always find it immensely satisfying to stand up and stretch. Sometimes, when I do this, my back clicks. It never hurts. In fact, it makes it feel better, looser, happier. Every time I break the spine of a new book, or stretch back the pages of an old friend, I can almost hear its sigh of satisfaction. It's a sigh which says Ahh...that's better!

If that argument isn't good enough for you, then think of it this way. Maybe you love books so much you never turn down a page to mark your place. That book will last you forever, granted. One day, when eBooks rule the world and paperback books are a novelty, you can be smug that your £7.99 paperback has lasted you so long. 

Me? Take that £7.99 and triple it, quadruple it, octuple it! I might love the odd book to death, but the money I've poured into the industry by being such a carnal reader might just keep our paperback friends around a little bit longer! 

...At least, that's going to be my argument the next time I need to buy a copy of It or The Stand and my husband asks what happened to the last one! He he...

What are your thoughts? Do you re-read the books you love and enjoy nothing more than spine-breaking? Or are you a one-time reader who treasures and protects their favourite reads? Let me know in the comments!

Not A Team Player

There were a lot of things that irritated me about the Twilight movies. In fact, there weren't many things which didn't irritate me about them. However, topping the list, even above Kristen Stewart's one facial expression, was the "Team" phenomenon. 

I don't know how it began. One moment I was quite happily reminding myself that movies never live up to the books, and then Taylor Lautner took his T-Shirt off in New Moon and the horror began. Don't get me wrong, my breath caught along with everyone else's in the cinema when he revealed his ridiculously ripped torso, but get a grip! Suddenly, the question on every Twi-hard's lips was "Team Edward or Team Jacob?"

Damn that was irritating. Because where was Team Bella in all this? What happened to supporting the female protagonist? In part, I know the question is flawed. Bella was okay, but she wasn't someone you could really get behind and cheer for. At least in my opinion she wasn't. You know the one person who never managed to piss me off over the course of the four books? Bella's dad, Charlie. In both the books and the movie adaptations, Charlie was cool. Where the hell was Team Charlie?!

The team thing moved onto another vampire series, True Blood. Team Eric or Team Bill? And once again, no mention of a Team Sookie! Now Anna Paquin's accent (face, teeth and annoyingly perfect body) irritates me in the TV series, which I gave up on at the start of the current season. But in the books, Sookie was kind of cool. There was more to get behind than there was in Bella. She could be irksome at times, but characters should be flawed. 

Then the "Team" epidemic moved on to every book, movie and show with a love triangle. 

It occured to me this morning that soon, cries of "Teem Peeta or Team Gale?!" will echo around cinema lobbies everywhere. And if it annoyed me that there was never a Team Bella, or Team Sookie, then it's is going to really piss me off if there isn't a Team Katniss. 

Already, the trailers are worrying. Jennifer Lawrence, the actress cast as Katniss has had her natural beauty humbled somewhat for the role, and this I like. But in every trailer and movie still I've seen, her expression is the same. Could she be another Kirsten Stewart? In Twilight, Bella was emotional. She had a habit of crying whenever she was angry and she got angry frequently. But Kirsten Stewart played her (I'm going to imagine it was a conscious decision...) as an emotionally closed girl who couldn't express anything but bored confusion. And worse than that... in both book and film, Bella struggles to feel whole without her man. Tut. 

Katniss is a closed book. We have insight into her character in the book, but we know that she wears a mask to hide behind in her cold dystopia. Jennifer Lawrence is likely to be tarred with the same brush of "can't act" if she doesn't have more life behind her eyes than Stewart... or the shark  in Jaws. 

The Hunger Games trilogy kept its romantic element as a sub-plot. It was interesting, but it was never the be-all and end-all of the books. The books were about Katniss. It was about her survival, her sacrifice, her kick-ass awesomeness. 

If Lawrence is wooden, then the Peeta/Gale debate is going to become the central conflict of the movies. I can see it already. I'm sure they've deliberately cast a better-looking actor as Gale just to add fuel to the fire of the debate. Or am I the only one of this opinion? 

It would be so sad if The Hunger Games went the way of Twilight. If a story of such dark intensity got lost behind a sappy should-be-sub-plot about Katniss having to choose between two handsome fellas.

Consider this post a plea to the masses. When someone asks you if you're Team Peeta or Team Gale, then only two answers are acceptable.

1. You politely smile and tell them that you are "Team Katniss", because the story is about her strength, not her potential boyfriend. 

2. You politely smile, shake your head, and tell them, "I'm not a team player..."

Predictability in Books

Isn't it great when a muse shoots an arrow of inspiration into your brain which makes your thoughts go all sparkly with ideas? This morning, my muse is Raimy, from Readaraptor. Earlier today, she posted about the idea of predictability in books. Go and check out her post and see if it sends your thoughts whizzing like it did mine. Maybe you'll want to get involved in the discussion too! If you decide to blog an answer, as I have, be sure to link back to her post!

So. Predictability in books. Here goes. 

I think that all books (all films and TV shows too, for that matter) are predictable, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Can you think of the last book/film/show that made you think, "What the fu...dge?! I didn't see that happening!"

I'm going to go back to A Level media studies for a second. Those of you who took it might remember the name Todorov well. Those of you who didn't might have heard of him anyway, but here's a quick refresher. 

Todorov said that every plot consisted of five stages:

Tzvetan Todorov

1. A stage of equilibrium

2. A disruption to the equilibrium occurs

3. The disruption is recognised by the protagonist

4. An attempt to repair the damage is made by the protagonist

5. A state of new equilibrium is reached

Even if you've never heard of Todorov, you can probably apply this structure to most narratives. We know this structure, we like this structure and we expect this structure. So in that much, pretty much all narratives are predictable. 

I had to wrack my brains to think of my own example of a book which ended (as far as I was concerned, at least) in an unpredictable way. To do so I had to go back eight years to 2004, when Stephen King released the conclusive book in his The Dark Tower series. I'm pretty sure that was the last time an ending really knocked my socks off, and you know what? I didn't like it, at least not at the time. 

With the final book of a series I'd followed with love and devotion, Stephen King broke my heart. And you know what? He knew he was doing it. Before the epilogue of the book, Stephen King inserted an authorial note which basically said, "If you really want to know how this series ends, then read on. But, I'm warning you, you probably don't want to know how it ends..."

Well I, along with everyone else, promptly ignored his warnings and turned the page. Only now, after nearly a decade, am I able to see that King's ending  was, like Baby-Bear's porridge, just right. But a lot of people still haven't gotten over those final pages, and King has been repeatedly slated for basically not ending the tale the way everyone hoped and expected. 

NaNoWriMo, an event hosted every November where writers all over the world pledge to write 50,000 words in a month, is where I first came across the terms "plotter" and "pantser". If you're a plotter, you like to outline your stories. Yoou have the end in sight before you even type the words "Chapter One". Pantsers write according to the "hold on to your butts" rule and fly by the seat of their pants through their works. 

Stephen King is (by his own admission in On Writing) a bit of a pantser. He begins his stories with a "What if?" situational idea. Then he lets the characters go wherever they want. Fellow Stephen King fans will know that he likes to disappoint people who are looking for a happy ending. But he says that the characters take him to his endings, not the other way around. Sometimes, this leads to some unpredictable events. Don;t believe me? Go and read The Stand. You'll follow the book and love the characters and then, when things are getting cosy and going just how we want them to, King will break your heart, too. If you don't like predictable reads, King's early stuff is what you're looking for. 

But...there is something reassuring about predictability, isn't there? In Raimy's original post, she discusses different types of predictability. In some books, you know what will happen from the start, the characters are two-dimensional and you end up putting the book down in favour of something less "predictable".  The next book you pick up might have an equally transparent plot, but the characters are full and dynamic so you stay involved. Then there's the third type: the book where, as Raimy puts it,  “I know what’s going on but I don’t actually care because seeing X work it out is the best bit!”

I think this can be true of many books, particularly those which involve an element of romance. We all know, almost as soon as the future lovers set eyes on each other, even when that first glance is filled with hate or annoyance, that at some point they're going to get together. And we keep reading because that was exactly why we picked up the book in the first place! We want things to turn out how we expect them to.

I am a huge advocate of the YA genre. I defend it at every opportunity and can't abide people who slate it without having sampled a few of the books on the premium menu. I particularly hate it when people judge YA based on movie adaptations. I'll go into this in more detail in tomorrow's post on "teams". For today, I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean. For too many people out there, YA is now synonymous with sparkly vampires. Sigh.

However, I think that YA is sometimes more predictable than some other genres. But then, I'm an adult. I've read thousands of books and seen thousands of movies. I've watched too much TV, too. People like me, and you too, perhaps, have spent our lives immersed in narratives and so of course we might be able to spot the next not-so-shocking "plot twist" on the horizon, without even having to shield our eyes or reach for a pair of binoculars. But young adults? For even the most avid young reader, there are still plots to be explored and narrative arcs which are yet to be admired. 


I wonder if predictability comes with age..? Are younger people more able to be surprised by the books that people of my age find predictable? At my ripe old age of 27, am I fine with books being ultimately predictable (as long as the writing is good, characters rounded and situation gripping) because I crave stability? He he. I don't know, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I think, over all, as long as the situation is intriguing and the characters are full and engaging, it doesn't matter if a plot is a bit on the predictable side. We read to escape, to read stories about others. And when you're invested in a character, you want things to turn out a certain way for them. Is it really a bad thing when just that happens?

Tag! You're it!

I was tagged by Kelly (aka Anime Wookie) over at My Gallery of Worlds. It's been years since a played a good ol' game of tag, so this might be fun!

The Rules 

1. Answer the eleven questions that were asked of you by the person who tagged you

2. Make up eleven new questions and tag eleven new people to do the meme! 

3. Let them know you tagged them!

So first of all, here are the questions Kelly asked me and my answers to them.

1. If you could describe your life in a colour, what would it be and why?

I think I'd probably choose purple. Purple has the potential to be a warm and vibrant colour, but it also has the association with bruising. Life is all about ups and downs and I think purple can be both lovely and ugly.

2. Do you have any pets? If so, what are they, their names and why do they fit your personality? 

I have two dogs: a Border Collie called Rikku and a Shih Tzu called Ewok. They “fit” my personality in different ways. Rikku (a bitch, but hopefully that's not the bit that fits me!) is intelligent, affectionate and cuddly. Ewok is slightly daft, has bad hair days and likes to be warm and lazy. So they both reflect aspects of my personality. Oh, and their names highlight my geekiness! Rikku is the name of a character in Final Fantasy X and Ewok...well if you don't know what an Ewok is then you've no place in my universe.

3. Where did you fit in in high school...jock, band geek, popular crowd...etc?

I'm not sure I “fit in” anywhere, really! Then or now. I was one of the clever kids in school and I often had my nose in a book and my head in the clouds. I did have a few friends though. I guess we were the off-beat-outsiders.

4. How do you react in an emergency...fight or flight, go get help, the calm one?

I'm surprisingly good in an emergency, especially as I often struggle to keep my shit together when it comes to the everyday business of being.

5. If they were making a movie of your life, who would you chose to play you... why?

Ooo that's a really tough one! I don't hold much love for a lot of the younger actresses out there. A few too many of them have too-little talent and too-prominent clavicles! I haven't seen my clavicles in a while... Three young actresses who spring to mind who I do like a whole bunch are Emma Stone, Saoirse Ronan and Ellen Page. None of them look like me, but I like them.

My favourite actresses of all time are Sigourney Weaver and Kathy Bates. Unfortunately Weaver is 36 years my senior and Bates 40 years! Still, if it's an “ideal world” sort of question, then I'd pick one of these two. Hopefully Kathy Bates wouldn't have to don her Annie Wilkes outfit...

6. Why is your best friend your best friend, what makes them so special?

I'm bad at keeping friends. My head is constantly absorbed in some story or another and I often pay less attention than I really should to the real world. Luckily, my husband is forgiving of my madness and my family have 27 years of not taking it personally.

7. If money was no object, and you were going to buy yourself something completely frivolous, what would it be, and why?

An iPad plus THIS!

Oh my God, do you see how cool that is?! It's a typewriter for an iPad! It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

7. (Yes, I know. Another one...) Three words that describe your personality?

Changeable. Creative. Quirky.

8. Who was your favourite teacher and how did they influence you?

My English teacher was my favourite, of course! All of them. I'm not sure any teacher “influenced” me, but I liked those teachers who loved what they taught and those who taught what I loved. English teachers were the best of both worlds.

9. What do you consider true strength?

The ability to stick to your guns when the going gets tough, even when it seems like the whole world is against you. Strong people can always stand up for what they believe in.

10. What is your favourite game? (video, board, card...any kind)

I'm going to love Final Fantasy 'til the day I die. Although the recent instalments have let me down, the earlier games were great. I've also been a little bit in love with Ragnar Tornquist ever since I played The Longest Journey, and cannot wait until The Secret World goes live this year. Have a gander at this trailer for said piece of awesomeness!

See? You want it too, right? You can check out more about TSW at the website. 

11. What season do you love the most, why?

Summer. I love the scents of suntan lotion, grass and warmth. Here in Wales it's usually cold. Wet and clammy so every truly sunny day is like a rare treasure. I often fail to make the most of these days, but I'm planning on having my garden fixed up a bit this year, so that should hopefully change! I like the promise of Spring, the cosiness of Autumn and the crisp cold of Winter too, but nothing beats a family barbecue on a hot day.

Now the point of this is to tag eleven other bloggers to answer the eleven questions I set them, which is hard because whole bunches of other bloggers have already been tagged! So let's see...*Browses Google Reader...* I'm a-tagging...

1. Catrin at So Catrin Says

2. Chelsea at Hyper Critic Reviews

3. Sharon at Beck Valley Books

4. Annie at Annie in Wonderland

5. Andrew at The Pewter Wolf

6. Laura at Sister Spooky Book Fangirl

7. Raimy at Readeraptor

8. Brett at Demons Read Too

9. Jessica at Starlit Reading

10. Lena at Lena Sledge Blog

11. Elizabeth at Book Attict's Rants & Reviews

But if anyone wants to enter then go ahead and answer THESE QUESTIONS!

Question 1

What is your favourite thing about blogging?

Question 2

Who is your favourite literary hero or heroine and why?

Question 3 

Who is your favourite villain?

Question 4

If you ever wrote your autobiography, what would the title be and why?

Question 5

If you could choose any famous figure (dead or alive, past or present) to spend a day with, who would it be and why?

Question 6

As a kid, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?

Question 7

What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

Question 8

What happened in the last dream you had? 

Question 9

Do you have any bad habits that you're willing to admit to?

Question 10

What was the worst job you ever had and what made it so bad?

Question 11

Are you a practical person or a bit of a daydreamer? 

I hope you enjoyed my Q&A. If you decide to answer the questions and continue the tagging yourself, then put a link in the comments below. Oh, and if you don;t know how to already, you can learn how to embed your links into comments here.

Lx