Tag: Books + Chocolate (Basically Pure Awesome)

Why, yes, I did find a tag that involves both Chocolate AND Books! Yeah, "found." No one tagged me. Get over it. ;)

Oh, and before you go all crazy and think, "Hey, Maddie, didn't you do a free post last week? Doesn't that mean that this Tuesday's post should be your Monday's Minutes Challenge entry???" let me answer your question. In response to your query (before you ask it), yes, this is supposed to be the Tuesday where I post my MMC entry. However, a new challenge has not yet been posted, so I am obviously not capable of posting a story for it. :) So now you know what's up. Let's move onward!

Dark Chocolate

a book that covers a dark topic

I'm really not having a hard time with this one. Brave New World all the way. Yeah, this book was... interesting. I was going to read it for school, but then I started it and my mom didn't make me finish it. I think it was a really interesting and thought provoking idea, but I was just uncomfortable with actually reading something like that. Maybe later...

White Chocolate

your favorite light-hearted/humorous read

I think I'm going to have to go with Howl's Moving Castle. You could take almost every quote from the book and it will be funny, okay?

Milk Chocolate

a book with a lot of hype that you're dying to read

Hmmm. Let me think about this. I honestly don't know. I don't usually read popular books:P I know, I know. I'm an uncultured swine. But, truth be told, when I hear that a book is popular, I usually think, "Okay, what does it have in it that would make a lot of kids who usually don't like to read, read it?" And then I come up with a notion of what I believe the book contains in order to attract the modern teen, and when I do, I decide that if my list is correct, I am not going to read said book. Because what I think people believe are some (or all) of the things that YA fiction "needs" nowadays is romance (that doesn't stay pure), language (I mean the naughty kind, and not English or German, or whatever you were ready to sarcastically come up with, thank you very much), and/or teens saving the world (because when you're 16, you totally have the maturity, wit, and wisdom to do that, right? That was an issue that was foremost in your mind when you were that age, wasn't it? No? Oh.) And most of the time, I really would prefer to not read that stuff. Not that I have never enjoyed a single book that contains any or all of those things. I enjoyed The Hunger Games and The Book Thief... and anyone who has read them knows that the first is about teens saving the world, and the second has a lot (like, a lot, a lot) of language on almost every page and one scene that was absolutely unnecessary to the plot (aka something that sort of went along with not so pure relationships.... Not that it went to that great of an extent, but... I'm still including it.) So, I did enjoy those books, but I also felt like they had themes that were worth reading for. And when I read the synopsises (anyone know how to spell this???) of popular books, I just feel like they would be pointless + have junk in them, and that, therefore, I would be wasting my time reading them. Does that make sense?  

Chocolate with a Caramel Center

a book that makes you feel all gooey in the middle while you read it

Can we just appreciate how funny this question is? A book that makes you fell gooey in the middle. I always read books and think, "I just feel really gooey as I'm reading this book. And, what's more, I feel it in my middle." *Sarcasm off* Okay, so I don't know if I should say Downright Dencey or The Golden Thread. Just take both of them. I don't usually like romance in books, but those are hands down my favorite books with love stories. Howl's Moving Castle is also a romance, but I don't feel gooey - plus I've already used it.

Wafer-Free KitKat

a book that has surprised you lately

Oooh, I know! Hamlet and Macbeth! The only Shakespeare I'd read prior to these was A Midsummer Night's Dream, and let's just say it was not one of my favorite books. For one thing, there was no translation into modern English, so I was confused for the majority of the book, and I read it in 8th grade... and not considering those things, it wasn't the greatest story, anyway. So I just brushed Shakespeare off as dumb and bizarre. But I had to read Hamlet and Macbeth this school year, and I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed them. And I own Hamlet now:)

Snickers

a book that you're going nuts about

Basically all the books I've read by Karen Hesse so far: Out of the Dust, Witness, and Safekeeping. Gosh, so good. Also, The Golden Thread, and Moon Over Manifest.

Hot Chocolate with Cream and Marshmallows

a book that you would turn to for a comfort read

I think that the Book of Psalms really gives me peace. I feel so connected with David, and I love how he's so honest with God. It makes me feel like it's okay to just express my true feelings to God. Other than that, my favorite picture book has been Tea with Milk since my mom read it to me and my siblings when I was about nine. I haven't read it in ages, but I would really like to again, and I remember that it has a comforting feel to it.

That was really fun! It gave me a chance to explain why I don't usually read books that have a lot of hype, and which book (books, actually, cause I'm a rule breaker like that) make me feel like a caramel covered in chocolate, and also which ones I'm going ridiculously mad about. Now you also know which books to buy for me on my birthday, based on what category you're planning on picking them from. So, how about you? What's the book (or books, if you're like me) that you can turn to when you need soothing? A book that has surprised you lately? What are some books that you are dying to read? Do you share my opinion on YA fiction? (I'm not saying that all YA is horrible or that I don't like it all, by the way. Because I really do love some that I've found. A lot of times, I just need to be introduced to them. In fact, I would love it if you decided to recommend some YA books for me!) Let me know all your answers in the comments!

-Maddie

The Tag of Happiness

Abi tagged me for this, and it looks about the cutest tag I've seen:) Thanks, Abi!

~Take the banner and put it in your post~

~List as many things as you want in each category~

~Come up with more categories if you wish~
(I added Shows as a category)

~Tag as many people as you want~

Songs That Make Me Happy: Anything from Les Miserables, My New Philosophy from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Steady My Heart by Kari Jobe, Rise Up by Matt Maher, Best Thing by Adam & I, Through All of It, Limitless, Where I End, and Never Gone by Colton Dixon, Land of My Sojourn, and Ready For the Storm by Rich Mullins, Jai Ho sung by Peter Hollens and Alaa Wardi, Hot Air Balloon by Owl City, I See Fire sung by Peter Hollens, Carol of the Bells 
Books That Make Me Happy: Downright Dencey, Howl's Moving Castle, Out of the Dust, Tea With Milk, On the Banks of Plum Creek, The Golden Thread, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist, Moon Over Manifest, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, To Kill A Mockingbird, Dave At Night, The Boy on the Porch, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Art of Loving God, The Book of Tobit, The Book of Judith, The Psalms, The Screwtape Letters, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Invention of Hugo Cabaret, The Little Catechism of the Cure of Ars, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Films That Make Me Happy: Tangled, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, UP, Gimme Shelter, Heidi, The Sound of Music, Les Miserables: 25th Anniversary, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Singin' In the Rain, Saving Mr. Banks
Food That Makes Me Happy: Um, Chocolate, okay? Sour Patch Kids, Mini Chewy Sweetarts, Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream, Bierocks, Bacon Alfredo Pasta, Taco Soup, Summer Sausage, Cheddar Cheese
Words That Make Me Happy: Loverly, twirl, long, bright, create, ridiculous, crazy.... I'm a writer; what's wrong with me? I can't think!
Scents That Make Me Happy: Coffee all the way, fresh baked bread, restaurants, Mexican food, Marshmallow Fireside scented candle from Bath & Body Works 
Random Things That Make Me Happy: Spending time with Jesus in adoration, *AHM* Getting comments on my blog, watching Blimey Cow on youtube, playing family games and watching family movies, playing Nancy Drew games, chatting on gmail for hours with Mia:), dancing, singing, acting, writing and reading something I'm surprised I wrote, winning contests, laughing with my sister Meredith, reading good books
Shows That Make Me Happy: BBC Robin Hood, BBC Bleak House, BBC Little Dorrit

Let me think....

Joy and Rana, you've been tagged to do this:)


auf wiedersehen, darling

- Maddie

Songs

Joy at Just Joy tagged me for The Song Tag! It's my first official tag:) This is going to be super fun. I mean, really, music is almost my life. So without further ado - Oh, wait, I gotta mention the rules.

~List the rules and include the button in your post:

                                    Ta-da!

~Tag a couple of other bloggers to do this tag (let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog).

And now, I present the questions and my answers to them.



1. First song that comes to your mind

Happy, by Pharell Williams. I think the original version is kinda boring, but I love the Africanized version by Alex Boye. It's a really, well, happy song and it always makes me dance.

2. A song that always makes you happy

So, a few weeks ago, we went to a concert at our friends' house. They had a duet called Adam & I play, and I loved them. We hadn't heard of them before we went, but we bought both of their albums that night. I love them because their music is so honest.* They write about things that I like to imagine I would write about, and you should give them a listen. Anyway, one of their songs that always makes me happy is We Have Love. It's a song that laughs at trouble and says everything's going to be all right <3

3. A song you hate

Current popular song that I hate? "Watch Me" (Whip/Nae-Nae). Just no. That is not real music, Emmet (sorry, I had to use that reference). "Gangnam Style" is also a really dumb song. Let me tell you that I went to a Christmas party once in the Philippines with my family and my friends' family. We watched about 30-40 performances from the different chapels that day, and at least 5 of them did a dance to "Gangnam Style". Plus, they played it in between performances, so yeah. Needless to say, we groaned every time we heard it playing.

I also don't agree with the song "Flawless" by MercyMe. I don't hate it, but it irritates me because I think the message is so *ahem* flawed. "...the truth is the cross has made you flawless" - really? I don't think so. Just because Jesus died for us does not make us perfect. He has opened the gates of heaven for us, but that doesn't mean that whatever we do is now justified.

4. Favorite romantic song

Grrr. Favorite? Okay, most of the romantic songs that I like are from musicals (I've never actually watched the last two, I've just heard these songs) :

"On My Own" from Les Miserables

"A Little Fall of Rain" from Les Miserables

"Come to Your Senses" from tick, tick...BOOM!

"Someone Else's Story" from Chess

And, yes, they are all sad romantic songs:)

5. Favorite sad song

This was a hard question. I was going to say The Last Goodbye by Billy Boyd, but I think I like I See Fire (the cover by Peter Hollens), better. All the feelings from this song...from both. 

6. A song that brings back memories

Oceans by Hillsong United always makes me think of a death. The death of a certain little baby boy whom I had the pleasure to know. They played this song at his funeral, and it seemed so fitting because he died by drowning. I will always and forever remember him whenever I hear it, and I know that he is in heaven praying for the rest of us to get up there, too.

7. A song that you have been playing on repeat

This was at the beginning of the year, but I have to say this. The cover of Jai Ho done by Peter Hollens and Alaa Wardi is probably the song I have heard on repeat the most times in one day. We were visiting our friends for Christmas and a wedding, and we stayed with them for a few weeks. Both sets of our parents went out one day, and we were left to babysit our siblings with our friends and their siblings. I remember playing music almost non-stop that day, and about every third song that we would play was Jai Ho. It just makes you want to dance, and dance it made us do. Everyone had their own little dance they would do to it when they would walk through the room, and it was so fun to watch everyone:)

But the song that I've been playing on repeat currently is "Topsy Turvy" by Family Force 5. It's Alice In Wonderland themed...of course I'm listening to it constantly because of NaNo. 

8. Favorite song by your favorite artist

I guess I'm going to say that Owl City- gosh, but I love Rich Mullins, too. I'm gonna say that they- oh, and Taylor Swift -are my favorites. So favorite one from each:

1) "Hot Air Balloon" by Owl City
2) "We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are" by Rich Mullins
3) "Back to December" by Taylor Swift

9. Weirdest song you like

Okay...I'm pretty sure that I have more than just one that can fit into this category. The question is...Do you guys really want to know the answers to this? I'm gonna go ahead and give three examples: 1) "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift. It's not got the best lyrics and it's super repetitive. I guess I like it more for the beat. 2) "Bird With A Broken Wing" by Owl City. I'm not ashamed that I like this song. It is weird, especially if you listen to the commentary behind the song, but I like the dark and strange feeling that comes when I hear it. There's also a tinge of sadness. 3) This is the weirdest one. I saved it for last, for the impact:p *takes a deep breath and says really fast* "Dum Dum" by Tedashii featuring Lecrae. *exhales* I'm not even sure why I like this song. It's definitely not real music, Emmet (I had to say that again; sorry). Maybe it's cause it's one of the only rap songs I've heard that's appropriate, even though it's still dum dum (*laughs at her dum joke*...okay I'll stop now). There you go. Now you know some things about me that make me weird.

10. All time favorite song

This is not even a fair question. I'm really bad at saying my favorite anything, especially when it's a general question. I can answer better when things are in categories, like All Time Favorite Broadway Song or All Time Favorite Pop song, though I will still tell you three answers to the question (like I did for all other questions up there). So I think I'm gonna have to give you my top favorite from some different categories.
1) My favorite musical ever is Les Miserables, and my favorite song from that is "Turning."
2) My all time favorite Catholic song is "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent."
3) All time favorite credit song is "When Can I See You Again?" by Owl City.
And I guess I'll spare you from having to read any more.

So there you go. I officially gave more than one answer to all but one of the questions, and probably had a little more fun than I should have:D

And now I tag

Esther @ An Indefatigable Little Scribbler
Katie @ A Writer's Faith

Natalie @ On the Wings of Imagination

Annie @ Curious Wren

I hope you guys have as much fun as I did:)

*I'm going to do a post about "Honest Music" sometime. It may not be soon, but it will happen!

How's everyone's NaNo going? My novel is...almost non-existent:P Oh, well. I'm trying.

auf wiedersehen, darling

-Maddie

The Bookish Tag

I recently started following Annie Hawthorne at her new blog: Curious Wren. She posted this tag for anyone who is following her to do...So I will:) I confess that I've been wanting an excuse to do a tag, but I haven't specifically been tagged by anyone yet. So, yes, I did jump on this opportunity.

1. What was the last book you read, and would you recommend it?

That would be Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. Yes, I would definitely recommend it. It is a children's book, but it didn't feel like one. I loved its style. Novels in verse are some of my favorites.

2. Describe the perfect reading spot.


I can read just about anywhere. But - this may come as a surprise - I have always loved reading in the car. I don't know what it is, but I feel more involved in the book when I read while we're driving somewhere. Maybe it's because I'm more focused on the book and not getting distracted by the internet (yes, I am guilty!), or by little siblings coming into my room and asking for things;) That's the only thing I don't like about being able to drive on my own now - I can't read while I'm driving. Like, what will happen when I move out and have to drive myself everywhere?


3. Favorite book beverage? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Tears of your readers?


I love that last question, but my answer is coffee. It's warm and a little sweet with a bit of earthy flavor mixed in...And if you're propped up on the bed with fluffy pillows...And if it's a rainy day...


4. Share favorite quotes from four books.


Pretty sure that this is the hardest question. Don't do this to me:P

(All quotes were found on goodreads)


“Sometimes I come up here at night...just to look at the city. I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” - The Invention of Hugo Cabret


“...there would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness, too. That was writing.” - The Book Thief

Howl said, “I think we ought to live happily ever after," and she thought he meant it. Sophie knew that living happily ever after with Howl would be a good deal more hair-raising than any storybook made it sound, though she was determined to try. "It should be hair-raising," added Howl.

"And you'll exploit me," Sophie said.

"And then you'll cut up all my suits to teach me.” - Howl's Moving Castle


“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” - Alice In Wonderland


5. What is your most loved fantasy read? Dystopia? Contemporary? Sci-fi? Classic?


I'm going to say fairytale fantasy. I haven't read many books in the other types of fantasy.


6. List three authors you’ve collected the most books from.


Well, I confess that I...don't really...collect...books. There, I've said it. I love books; I am a book nerd. But I don't collect books. The thing is that I feel like if I own a book, it won't be hard to get, and therefore, it will make my interest in it dwindle. It's the same about a lot of the things I love, like TV shows and movies, for instance. If I can have something at my finger tips, it seems less special to me, somehow. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? So, I don't have a large collection of books that I can hold in my hands, BUT my kindle does have a pretty wide collection...the fact that I haven't read all of them yet is irrelevant. 

• Charles Dickens (19)

I have only finished three of his books (A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations), and Oliver Twist is one of my favorite books ever. In all of Dicken's works, I love his characters; how he has an abundance of them; and how he ties them all together somehow in the end, in a way you didn't expect.

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (11)

Oh, I love Holmes. I love his brilliance and the suspense that he puts us all through. The Hound of the Baskervilles... Oooh, I was actually scared. And I liked it. 

• Mark Twain (7)

I've read Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the abridged version of The Prince and the Pauper, and I read most of Joan of Arc. I love his humor, and just his storytelling ability.

7. What are your thoughts on magic in literature?


I've actually been wanting someone to ask me this question.  

I love magic in literature - if it's used in a fantasy world. If an author uses it in our world, I usually won't read the book. Why? Because the only way anyone in this world would be able to work magic is if they got the ability from the devil. In another world, if magic is a part of their culture or their everyday lives, it could only be that way because God would have set it up that way for them. Or maybe not "could only be", but that's usually how I feel it is presented in that genre.

So, that is my thought on that.

8. What types of book covers capture your imagination most strongly? Feel free to include images.


I think that when I choose a book at the library, or any book anywhere, it is usually for the title. I have picked up a few books before because of the cover, though. The two that I can remember having done so to are:


                    

And these are some that I didn't read for the cover, but I do love the covers, anyway.

                            

                                                   

9. Mention the first book character that comes to mind. Elaborate on this.


Can I cheat? Some characters have come to mind, but I don't have much to say about them; mostly because I've watched the movie and haven't read the book. Hmmm.... Dencey. Dencey Coffyn from Downright Dencey by Caroline Dale Snedcker. I read this book a few years ago, and reread it this year with some friends and my sister. I love this book. I love Dencey's stubbornness, and how she is usually that way because she thinks she is doing the right thing. I love her care for Jetsam, and how her passions are what get her into trouble - she usually is not trying to be bad, but is trying to do what she thinks is right.


10. Do you lend out your books? Or is that the equivalent to giving away your babies?


Actually, I don't think I have ever lent out a book, ever. No one's ever asked to borrow one of mine because, like I said, I don't really have any. I would probably lend you a book if you asked me, though. Just as long as I'm not currently reading it, and I know you'll give it back;)


So, do you agree with me about magic in literature? Do you like the book covers I chose, too? Should I create my own tag? This was really fun to do! If anyone wants to tag me for another one, go for it;)


auf wiedersehen, darling

-Maddie