Book Tag: I Mustache You Some Questions!

I love book tags. Which book blogger doesn't, right? So, I had a look online the other day and managed to find another fun book tag to share with all of you today, namely the 'I Mustache You Some Questions' tag (thanks to Myra at 'I'm Loving Books'!)

Four names people call me other than my real name:  1) Jo; nickname that's used most often. 2) Jojo; nickname that my mum uses every now and again. 3) Jods; what my nanna used to call me. 4) Bob; one of the many nicknames my sister has for me, don't even ask!
Four jobs I've had: 1. Sales assistant at a shoe store. 2. Freelance editor working for a publisher, checking and adjusting secondary school materials 3. Teacher of English 4. Invigilator Cambridge English exams
Four movies I have watched more than once: 1. Love Actually 2. Now and Then 3. Pitch Perfect 4. Mary Poppins

Four books I would recommend: 1. 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen - Simply because it's a classic which I think everyone should read. 2. 'Harry Potter' by J.K. Rowling - Do I even need to explain this one? 3. 'Something Borrowed' by Emily Giffin - A must-read for any chick lit fan. 4. 'A Walk to Remember' by Nicholas Sparks - An amazing love story and one of my absolute favourites of all time.
Four places I have visited: 1. Paris, France 2. Vienna, Austria 3. The Isle of Wight, UK 4. Porto, Portugal

Four places I would rather be right now: 1. Rhossili (Wales) <3 2. London 3. Bath 4. Cardiff

Four things I don't eat: 1. Sprouts 2. Squid 3. Sushi 4. Goat cheese

Four of my favorite foods: 1. Pizza 2. Pasta 3. Poptarts 4. Risotto
Four TV shows that I watch: 1. Hart of Dixie 2. Devious Maids 3. Gilmore Girls 4. Downton Abbey

Four things I am looking forward to this year (2015):  1. Christmas! 2. My first time visiting the USA (ahhh!) 3. Taylor Swift concert 4. The final season of Downton Abbey
Feel free to join in with the fun of this book tag and leave your link in the comments below! :)

Taylor Swift Book Tag!

I actually spotted this book tag quite some time ago on Emily's blog 'Books & Cleverness' and immediately knew I had to do it! I'm a big Taylor Swift fan; I love love love her music, so I couldn't possibly NOT take part in this! Besides, book tags are always fun, so here we go! :)

1. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (pick a book or series that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with)

I used to love Ann Brashares' 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' series and I still do, books 1-2-3, because book 4... I'm still in shock. For those of you who read book 4, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. 
2. Red (pick a book with a RED cover)

A red book cover immediately made me think of 'Catching Fire', the second book of the Hunger Games series. Don't particularly love this book cover, but it's red!  3. The Best Day (pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic)

'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'; I remember running to the book shops (I was in England around the time of the release) and being so happy when I finally had a copy of the book in my hands. As soon as I got home, I started reading it and I didn't want to put it down, while at the same time I didn't want it to ever end. Definitely one of the best reading experiences ever <3
4. Love Story (pick a book with forbidden love)

Nicholas Sparks has written some of the best love stories ever, 'The Notebook' being one of them, and it definitely includes a forbidden love in the form of Allie and Noah.
5. I Knew You Were Trouble (pick a book with a bad character you couldn’t help but love)

I really had to have a good think about this, because there aren't too many bad characters I end up liking! So, I guess I have to go with Harry Potter again! I couldn't help but develop a soft spot for Severus Snape while reading the series.
6. Innocent (pick a book that someone ruined the ending for)
I guess I've been lucky enough to not have this happen to me before *knocks on wood*, and I hope to keep it that way!
7. Everything Has Changed (pick a character from a book who goes through extensive character development)

Initially I wanted to go with Harry Potter... Again,yes. But then I decided to go for one of my other all-time favourites instead: Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice.' Both Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy go through quite a bit of character development in the story, and both come out a better person!
8. You Belong With Me (pick your most anticipated book release)

There are quite a few book releases which I am really looking forward to, but if I have to pick one I'm currently most excited about, it's probably Emily Liebert's 'Those Secrets We Keep.' I've loved all of Emily's works so far, and the cover for this one is simply gorgeous and I just know I will love it. I can't WAIT to have a copy of this book in my hands!
9. Forever and Always (pick your favorite book couple)

Landon & Jamie from Nicholas Sparks' 'A Walk to Remember'. I love everything about them and how they are such a good fit together, bringing out the best in each other <3
10. Come Back, Be Here (pick the book you would least like to lend out, for fear of missing it too much)

Probably my Jane Austen collection! I like to be able to pick up any of Austen's books whenever I feel like it, so I wouldn't want to lend out my collection of her novels to anyone (if it was the only copy I had, obviously!).
11. Teardrops On My Guitar (pick a book that made you cry a lot)

At first I wanted to go with Harry Potter again, because especially the last part of the series made me cry, cry, cry like a baby. However, another novel that also made me cry, which I didn't expect at first, is Nicholas Sparks' 'The Last Song.' The last few chapters of the novel were so touching, and I just couldn't help myself.
12. Shake It Off (pick a book that you love so much, you just shake off the haters)

'Has to be the Twilight' series. I honestly love these books, especially the first two parts, and I don't care what other people say. The love story between Bella and Edward is amazing, end of story.
I'd like to tag all Taylor Swift & book lovers, and a big thanks to the people who created this! :)

Weekly Meme: Do Judge a Book By Its Cover!

The lovely Gill over at The Book Magpie started a new weekly book meme a few weeks ago, Do Judge a Book By Its Cover! I love weekly memes, and this one focuses on pretty book covers, which I can never get enough of!
The basic idea is to write a post each week with a picture of your favourite book cover following the theme of the week, which can be found on Gill's blog. The theme for this week is: 
FREE CHOICE!
Okay, I think I definitely need a specific theme because I just spent way too much time looking up all kinds of lovely book covers! I decided to go with one of my absolute favourite book covers of all time for this week's pick:

One of the best chick lit book covers has to be the cover for Lindsey Kelk's classic chick lit novel 'I Heart New York.' I remember falling in love with this cover as soon as I saw it for the first time and luckily the story inside turned out to be just as amazing! I still love everything about this cover from the colours to the pretty pink dress blowing in the wind to the gorgeous font of the title... Love it!
If you plan on joining in with the 'Do Judge a Book By Its Cover' meme, be sure to leave a comment because I'd love to see your picks! :)

New Book Meme: Do Judge a Book By Its Cover!

The lovely Gill over at The Book Magpie started a new weekly book meme last week, Do Not Judge a Book By Its Cover! Unfortunately, I was unable to join in with the fun last week, but I definitely plan on joining in more often in the upcoming weeks! I love weekly memes, and this one focuses on pretty book covers, which I can never get enough of!
The basic idea is to write a post each week with a picture of your favourite book cover following the theme of the week, which can be found on Gill's blog. The theme for this week is: 
Cover of a Fantasy novel!
I have to admit, I hardly ever read Fantasy. It's not really my genre, but there's one Fantasy series which I absolutely loved (like a lot of other book fans) and I almost loved the book covers just as much:

Of course I'm talking about J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series! I have to admit these books covers from the Bloomsbury Children's Edition of the books also have sentimental value, since I remember being SO excited to finally have a new HP book in my hands, and not being able to wait until I could race through it and knew what was going to happen to all the characters. However, I still think the covers are amazing and fit the stories incredibly well!
If you plan on joining in with the 'Do Judge a Book By Its Cover' meme, be sure to leave a comment because I'd love to see your picks! :) Thanks for organising this, Gill!

Liebster Award!

Thanks to the lovely Emma over at Emma's Bookery I was nominated for the Liebster award! I love fun things like this to learn more about other bloggers and it's a great way to visit some other blogs you might end up loving! :) 

Here are the Liebster Award rules:
1. Post 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions created by the person who nominated you, then create your own set for the people who you are going to nominate!
3. Choose 11 people (that have under 200 followers) to nominate and link them to your post.
4. Let the people you nominated know they've been tagged. No tag backs!
11 Facts About Myself:

• I've been blogging for almost 2 years now, wow! I can't believe how fast time has flown by!
• I am secretly obsessed with the Carebears. I used to love the TV show and films when I was just a girl, and I guess I never grew out of that love!
• I'm a hopeless romantic who can't stand unhappy endings.
• I can't read two or more books at the same time; I just can't.
• I hope I will be able to move to the UK one day.
• I wish I could see my nanna, who passed away two years ago, one more time and get one of her amazing hugs.
• I'm currently addicted to 'Hart of Dixie' and 'Jane the Virgin', which are both such great TV shows <3
• I love love love anything cinnamon.
• My favourite author of all time is Jane Austen.
• I love pretty dresses and own way too many.
• My favourite drink is a chai tea latte (particularly Cafe Nero's Chai Latte, yum!)

11 Questions:

• What made you start blogging? - I had been thinking about starting my own blog for quite some time, but I wasn't really sure what to blog about exactly. Then I suddenly thought how amazing it would be to share my love for books with others, and I decided to just give Blogger a try and start my own blog... And suddenly here we are, about two years later!
• What blogs do you check daily? - I have to admit there aren't that many blogs which I check daily, most of them I check weekly. However, there's one blog which I've been a big fan of for a couple of years now, 'The Joy of Fashion', and I even became friends with Marie, the owner of the blog. She's an absolutely wonderful person and her blog always makes me smile! :)
• What are your top five favourite books? - Ahhh, this is such a difficult question! Alright, in random order:
• 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen
• 'Harry Potter' series by J.K. Rowling
• 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott
• 'Something Borrowed' by Emily Giffin
• 'From Notting Hill With Love... Actually' by Ali McNamara
• If you could travel to anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? - Right now I'd probably go to Hawaii for a relaxing week at the beach after the busy week I had at work!
• What is the one wish you would like to be granted? - For my family and friends to live happy and healthy lives until they're very old. But I guess that's something all of us wish... So, another one: I wish I would be able to work at a university, researching and teaching English literature courses, specialising in Jane Austen. 
• What is your favourite quote? - I don't have one!
• Favourite childhood hero? - Do the Carebears count...?
• What are you most excited for in 2015? - My trip to the USA in the summer!
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? - Hopefully happily married with a couple of kids and a great job!
• Do you enjoy summer or winter more and why? - I definitely enjoy winter more, because I really dislike hot weather. I love sitting inside when it's cold outside, with a nice cup of tea, a good book, and a blanket on the couch!
• If you could go back in time when and why would you go there? - I'd either go back to the time when Jane Austen was still alive and become her best friend; or I'd like to go back to when my grandfather who I never got to meet was still alive, so I could get to know him.

11 New Questions:

• What's your favourite colour combination?
• Which book did you last read that was way better than you expected?
• Which genre of films are you definitely NOT a fan of?
• Which character from 'Friends' are you most like?
• Cereals or toast?
• If you would take part in a Miss World competition, what would your talent be?
• What is the last thing you watched on TV?
• Are you happy with your name?
• What is your guilty pleasure?
• Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?
• What's one of the most important things you've learned in your life so far?

11 Bloggers I Nominate:

Becca @ Becca's Books

Dawn @ Crooks on Books

Isabell @ Dreaming With Open Eyes

Kevin @ I Heart... Chick Lit

Simona @ Sky's Book Corner

Laura @ A Bookseller Blabbering

Ananda @ This Chick Reads

Jenny @ Jenny in Neverland

Gill @ The Book Magpie

Busy Brunette @ Busy Brunette's Bookshelf

Sharon @ Shaz's Book Blog

Thanks again, Emma! :)

New weekly meme: Stacking the Shelves!

Since it's a new year, I had a look around the Internet searching for some new fun book blogger memes to participate in. I stumbled upon Tynga's Reviews, a blog that has been hosting 'Stacking the Shelves' for quite some time now!

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! 

I immediately loved the sound of this weekly meme, so decided to start taking part in 2015!

Books bought
Erica James - 'The Real Katie Lavender' Catherine Alliott - 'The Old Girl Network' Monica McInerney - 'Hello from the Gillespies' Miranda Dickinson - 'I'll Take New York' Rowan Coleman - 'The Memory Book' Alexandra Brown - 'The Great Christmas Knit Off' Chrissie Manby - 'Getting Over Mr. Right' Nicola Doherty - 'The Out of Office Girl'

Review copies received Lucy Diamond - 'The Year of Taking Chances' Lucy Diamond - 'One Night in Italy' Deborah Disney - 'Up and In'

 

Books added to wishlist
Colleen Oakley - 'Before I Go' Jill Mansell - 'Three Amazing Things About You'

 

The Book Blogger 'Get To Know Me' Tag!

Another book tag, yay! As I mentioned before, I love book tags, so I'm really happy the lovely Laura over at She Loves to Read tagged me to do this super fun book tag in order to get to know each other a bit better!

Tell us five random facts about you. 

• I’m ¾ Dutch and ¼ Welsh, and it’s particularly the ¼ Welsh which I’m incredibly proud of. My grandmother was Welsh, and since I’ve been a little girl I’ve been spending lots of time in Wales and other parts of the UK. I absolutely love it there and it feels like home, more than the Netherlands does.

• I went to university and have 1 Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Culture, 1 Master’s degree in Western Literature and Culture, and a Research Master’s degree in Literary Studies. I love books and I love researching literature, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a job within this particular field when the economic crisis hit. I now have a job doing something completely different, but I sincerely hope I will be able to do what I love with all my heart one day... Fingers crossed!

•     I’m quite a girly-girl when it comes to clothing: I almost always wear dresses, preferably ones with cute patterns, flowers, skirts I can twirl around in. I used to work in a supermarket where I was forced to wear jeans, so I’m glad I have a more formal job now where it’s okay to dress up!

•     I’m a true sucker for anything romantic. I adore love stories and I always want stories to have a happy ending in one way or another. That’s also how I picked the name for my blog: A Spoonful of Happy Endings (which is also a reference to Mary Poppins, one of my favourite films of all time!

•     I’m a really big Jane Austen fan. I love her six novels and collect almost anything that is in a way related to her or her work.

When is your birthday?

The 27^th of May. I’m not a big fan of birthdays, even though I love presents and cake, like most people, haha. I just never feel like really celebrating my birthday by having a party and I also never take the day off because it’s my birthday. It’s just another day!

What is your favourite colour?

I know this is supposed to be a simple question, but it’s a question I always answer differently or don’t answer at all! I guess I don’t really have one specific colour I love the most. I really like pink, but at the same time I also love royal blue, emerald green, ochre yellow... So, I honestly can’t pick just one!

What is your favourite memory?

All the memories I have of the holidays I spent at my grandparents’ house in the Gower, in the South of Wales. They used to have this amazing house, right next to the beach, and I had some of the best and happiest times of my life there: playing in the garden, waking up really early to watch CBBC, building sand castles on the beach, going shopping with my mum, taking walks with my dad, helping my nanna in the kitchen... I’d do anything to go back to those days.

Describe a day in your life.

Well, on an average weekday I get up at 6:15 and leave the house at about 6:45 to catch my train to work (I have a full-time job working as a policy officer within the field of education). It’s a 2-hour commute to get to my office building, which I always spent reading. You could say I have a typical desk job, so I spent most of my time sitting behind a computer. Occasionally I have meetings in other cities, which means I get to travel around the country a bit every now and again! At the end of my day, generally somewhere between 17:00 and 17:30, I get on the train again and I’m usually home around 19:00. My lovely boyfriend usually makes sure dinner is ready as soon as I get home, so then we have dinner together and spend the rest of the evening being lazy and watching telly, unless we have other things planned, such as dinner with friends.

Name five of your favourite songs.

Hmmmm, I have to pick 5 good ones! *rubs chin*

Phil Collins – Can’t Hurry Love

Busted – You Said No

The Beatles – Let It Be

Taylor Swift – Red

The Beach Boys – God Only Knows

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I think I’d have to go for Italian in general, because I couldn’t possibly choose between pizza or pasta. I love both, yummmm, SO good!

What is something you really dislike?

Spiders. I hate spiders, from the really tiny ones to the incredibly scary larger ones, and I’m really scared of them. Next to that, I really dislike conceited people and people who take credit for other people’s work.

Summer or winter?

I have to go with winter, because winter means Christmas, my favourite time of the year! I’m not a big fan of warm weather, so while I love a nice Spring day with lots of sunshine, I’m not really the summer type.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where you would live and why?

I’d like a lovely cottage or pretty country house somewhere in Wales or England, close to the beach, somewhere slightly in the middle of nowhere but not too far from a big city. I’ve always wanted to live in the UK, so having a beautiful house there would be a dream come true!

Name five of your favourite films.

Just five?! I love all romantic comedies and chick flicks, so it’s difficult to name just 5 favourite films. Alright, here we go: Love Actually, Mary Poppins, Notting Hill, The Wizard of Oz, Grease. 

If you won the lottery what would you buy?

I’d immediately give up my job and buy that amazing house in the UK (with a large library in it!) I just talked about! I’d also probably go on a nice, long holiday, just to get away from it all for a bit. Oh, and I’d definitely give a large part of the money to my parents, because they deserve it!

Favourite day of the week?

It has to be either Friday (because it’s the start of the weekend) or Sunday (because it’s always a lazy day I usually spent blogging and reading, which I love!).

What three things would you take to a desert island with you?

My favourite book, my boyfriend, and a lamp with a genie in it who can grant me three wishes, so I could get out of there if I really wanted to!

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury, even though I looooove home-made goods like cookies, cheesecake, brownies… But at the end of the day, I’d have to go for savoury!

Early bird or night owl?

Early bird, definitely. I love getting out of bed early and making something of my day. I can't stay up too late because I just get really sleepy. 

Name five of your favourite books. 
Once again, it's difficult to only name five!

Louisa May Alcott - 'Little Women'
J.K. Rowling - 'Harry Potter' series
Nicholas Sparks - 'A Walk to Remember'
Jane Austen - 'Pride and Prejudice'
Emily Giffin - 'Something Borrowed'

Favourite drink?

Chai Latte, yummm!

Favourite animal?
At the moment, I'm just a tiny bit in love with Boo the pomeranian. He's just the cutest dog EVER, and I'm not a big fan of dogs at all, but I just want to take this one and hug him all day long, I can't help it!

Who do you tag next?

Jo @ Cometbabesbooks
Isabell @ Dreaming With Open Eyes Reviews
Eve @ Eve's Chick Lit Reviews
Kim @ Kim the Bookworm