Get To Know Me post: some favorite TV shows & the future of this feature

Hey guys :)

Since Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer had to cut back on blogging a bit and will only be doing the Know Me Better meme sporadically, I've decided that I will do my own version for the time being. To be honest, I've been planning a different Sunday feature for months now but I never seem to get around to the bits like making a banner (bad photo skills, terrified of copyright issues) and writing an intro post. And just now with having to move and all that (just yesterday my dad & sister carted three big boxes of books and CDs and DVDs out of my room to store at the family house... it felt like defeat, like there's no way I'll find a new apartment in time) I'm just not in the right frame of mind to write a topic about something I'm as passionate about as I am about the content of that feature and make it good.

So instead, the awesome Micheline from Lunar Rainbows had the idea that I could do a post or series of posts about favorite stuff. And well... since I talk about books alll the time on here and because many favorite lists like book boyfriends or whatnot can be found among my Top Ten Tuesday posts, I'd like to branch out a bit to other things in life. I guess it will mostly be nerdery like TV shows or movies or bands but maybe I could also do photo posts of cities / countries I've been to or would like to go to one day. You guys seemed to like that post about Barcelona I did in late January. I'd try to keep them a bit bookish too, if possible (I love visiting foreign book stores).
If there's any topic you'd like me to talk about or questions you'd like me to answer or whatever, just tell me in the comments or send me a tweet :)

So... for today  I think I'll talk a bit about favorite TV shows. Why? Because last night and this morning I finally started catching up on the new season of Game of Thrones. And I realized that 1) damn do I love this show and 2) damn who was that guy again and what did he do? Yeah... loads of characters. And I like to keep track of even the minor ones so I don't miss all the underlying complications and implied threats etc. But honestly I think the series is fantastic. The intro alone is epic. So many strong women characters! You have admire even the evil ones...

I don't own this image. I just thought Arya looked fab.

And of course the setting and the clothes are so realistic! And the dialogue. Not to forget the cinematic aspects of how it's all made, the angles from which they film, the switching from one setting point to another... my sister could tell you more about that, she studies film. But even I notice stuff like that because we discussed it in my English classes (film adaptations of novels) and I always appreciate great storytelling, no matter whether it's a book or film or music or just someone sitting there and really telling you the story.
Since we're talking favorites: hard to pick here, but I think Arya, John Snow, and Daenerys Targaryen (mother of dragons!). I also like how Sansa evolved! And Tyrion sort of grew on me.

Again, I don't own.

Another HBO series I love is True Blood. I wasn't a huge fan of season 4, but season 5 was a lot better again. And nope, I don't just watch it for the blood and gore and sex. I think they negotiate a lot of issues in that series that are interesting from a theoretic/critical point of view. I actually wrote a paper about season 1 once using Julia Kristeva's idea of the abject, the semiotic, the symbolic, boundary transgression etc. Can't go into too much detail here. And of course again, the way the series is made is great! I also like how it veered away from the books and is doing its own thing. And well... there's Eric ^^' I hated him at the beginning. I truly did. Then I started hating Bill and appreciating Eric. And... now I'll shut up and re-watch some favorite scenes :P

This post is getting rather long... another series I love is Vampire Diaries, but DO NOT TELL ME ABOUT IT because I'm awfully behind and I don't want to hear about any spoilers!! Why I love it: great characters, great acting, Damon Salvatore, and they cram stuff that would take other shows a season to sort out into one episode. Also, it's hard to say who's really the bad guy.

I'd love to watch a lot more series but it takes so much time and I can never stay caught up. I haven't seen any Bones past season 5, even though I love the show. I haven't started American Horror Story, or Misfits, or Revenge, or watched more of Supernatural (yet to start season 3) or 2 Broke Girls (my sister made me watch a few episodes and we laughed our asses off together). I try to watch Grimm on Mondays when it's on German TV.

Find this pic here. And read the manga, it's gorgeous :)

I also used to watch a lot of Anime, but again I'm behind. In the case of Bleach, I'm behind more than a year. Some animes I've seen all episodes of and love are Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler <333), Vampire Knight, Wolf's Rain, Death Note (watched nearly all... in 2009. But I bought all the mangas). I also liked D. Gray Man and Hellsing (only the OVAs, not the 12 or so episode version). I watched a lot more anime but I don't remember all of them at the moment. When I was a kid I loved Sailor Moon, Pokémon (until they kept inventing too many new ones that were less awesome), Digimon (up to the end of season 3), Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Mila Superstar (you know, that volley ball playing girl), and a really old show from the 90s that would translate to Planet of the Dinosaurs. It was about a bunch of kids from the marine club of their school getting into a storm with their ship and being spirited away to a medieval-ish world where humans co-existed with dinosaurs.



Sorry for another terribly long post... can't believe I confessed to all the anime :P
Do we have any beloved series in common? Did I list any you hate? Let's battle it out discuss ;)
Also, if you have ideas for future topics in this feature, let me know! Same if you're also doing something Know Me Better-ish on your blog! Leave a link, I'd love to check it out :)

Know Me Better: cereal, hair cutting, and musical showers

Know me Better is a meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Every week she posts 5 questions from her author interview list that the participating bloggers then answer and link to.

This week's questions:

What is your favorite flavor of jelly beans?
What size shoe do you wear?
What is your favorite cereal?
Have you ever cut your own hair?
Do you sing in the shower?


What is your favorite flavor of jelly beans?
They're not that common around here and I haven't had any for years... also they usually just taste sweet or fruity to me and I can't identify what it is *shrug* What I can tell you: I like raspberry but I don't like melon or pineapple. If those jelly bean flavors even exist.
 
What size shoe do you wear?
Um... Swiss size: 36 or 37. I think that's a UK 4 and a US women's 6.5 or 7 depending on the shoe.

What is your favorite cereal?
I love cereal!! Crunchy cereal with cinnamon. Simple, unsweetened corn flakes or rice crispies. All bran flakes. Froot loops. Just nothing with chocolate, I don't like those. Putting some fresh berries or fruit in is always a plus :)

Have you ever cut your own hair?
Nope. That wouldn't turn out well. I'm even scared of professional hairdressers - I only go about once every 7 months, sometimes it even takes me a year. Partly because I keep forgetting, partly because a haircut costs minimum 65 bucks around here if you have long hair.

Do you sing in the shower?
Sometimes, when I'm in a good mood :)


That's it... any comments from your side? I'm also curious about other people's cereal and shower habits XD Link me to your post if you have one.

Know Me Better: kindness, high school, names, and adrenaline junkies

Know me Better is a meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Every week she posts 5 questions from her author interview list that the participating bloggers then answer and link to.

This week's questions:

What is the kindest thing anyone has done for you?
What is most memorable about your high school years?
Have you ever gotten up early for a "black Friday sale"?
Were you named after anyone?
Would you bungee jump, skydive or something similar?

What is the kindest thing anyone has done for you?

I've been racking my brain for something that stands out for a while now... many people have done kind things for me - my parents, my sister, friends... but I'm looking for this really small, seemingly-unimportant thing that came just at the right time and meant so, so much in that particular situation. I'm sure such things happened, but I can't remember right now.
But one thing that changed my life was finding people on Myspace who were from my country and listened to the same type of music! When I met them in real life they were so, so kind to me, inviting me along to shows, letting me crash at their homes, and asking things like 'hey, I'm organizing this show for a couple local bands at the Dynamo next week. Wanna help out at the  entry register for an hour or so or help with catering? You can come in and listen to the bands for free afterwards. And don't worry about catching the last train home, we're all camping out at my apartment and having breakfast together in the morning.' They just accepted me into their midst, and that year-and-a-half when I was 17/18 and met so many amazing people and bands and dared to actually DO things is still among my most treasured memories. They didn't have to do any of these things for me, but they did them anyway and I would be a completely different person if I hadn't met them.
 
What is most memorable about your high school years?
High school is sort of split up differently here. At 12, after 5 years of primary school, all students are assessed and put into one of 3 different schools according to their grades, for 4 more years. At 16, most enter an apprenticeship. Only those in the 'smartest' school-type who manage an average of at least 4.7 (6 is the best grade) can opt to go to school for another 4 years, and only if they pass the finals there can they enter university (no application necessary, just pay 700 bucks for the first semester and you're in).
So, high school... the first 4 years (age 11-15 for me) were awful. Awkwardness, bullying, and lots of fear. After that when I could start over in the new school that would prepare me for university, things got a lot better. Many people in my new class (you're with the same people for all your subjects in Switzerland, and you have at least 12 of them) had been through similar things. So it was a lot better. I made friends I'm still close to, got into writing, got a better grip of who I was. I think that's what I'm mostly taking away from it. Finally having the space to actually grow and be myself, not trying to hide in fear all the time anymore. The first few weeks I had sore muscles in my cheeks because I was laughing so much more than before!
 
Have you ever gotten up early for a "black Friday sale"?
There's no such thing in Switzerland, so nope. I probably wouldn't do it to myself anyway - from what I've heard it's full of grabby, buy-crazy people crammed into too little space. Horror.

Were you named after anyone?
No. My parents weren't fully aware of the meaning of my name, either. My mum always told me it means 'the woman from the mountain of Carmel', who apparently was a wise/cunning woman (some sort of witch). Imagine my surprise when I was cramming my Latin vocab and stumbled across my own name! It means 'song' or 'poem'. From then on I liked my name a lot more :)

Would you bungee jump, skydive or something similar?
Hell no! I'm sort of afraid of heights and not at all an adrenaline junkie. I never go on rollercoasters either. Skydiving is the one I could imagine I'd be most likely to do if forced though because it must be like flying...

That's it... some very long answers again. I wanted to put a picture in originally (of some of my friends mentioned above) but then decided against it. Anyhow... comments on my answers? And please link me up to your own :)

Know me Better: hated chores, and where I'd go if I had to board a plane this instant

Know me Better is a meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Every week she posts 5 questions from her author interview list that the participating bloggers then answer and link to.

This week's questions:

What was the last thing that made you cry?
What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
What is your favorite form of exercise?
What is your current desktop picture?
You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?


What was the last thing that made you cry?
Um... this is kinda embarrassing. A week ago, I made a stupid movement and somehow pinched a nerve in my shoulder. My mum then massaged my shoulders/back (it's always insanely tense) and somehow she pressed a spot that first made me feel like I had to throw up, then like I was going to faint (my legs wouldn't carry me when I tried to get up) and then made me break down sobbing (not in pain). It was very strange and disconcerting.

What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
Cleaning the bathroom.

What is your favorite form of exercise?
I'm not a very sportive person at all. I do crunches though, and I guess if I had to pick I'd go jogging or swimming. But I don't really work out or anything, I prefer dieting to keep my figure. I'd rather not do something (eat) than do something (sports).

What is your current desktop picture?
The cover of Fiona Paul's Venom. Love that picture! I'm probably gonna change it soon though, it's been over 3 months!

You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
San Francisco or Tokyo :)


I love these questions! What do you guys think of them, and what are your answers?

Know Me Better: books to movies, time wasters, games

Know me Better is a meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Every week she posts 5 questions from her author interview list that the participating bloggers then answer and link to.

This week's questions are all from a top ten list.
I probably won't do ten for each though...

Things you’d rather be doing right this moment
Time wasters
Books they should make into movies
Things you wish you knew before.... (for authors the question is before you published but fill in the blank with whatever applies to you)
Games you like to play

Things you’d rather be doing right this moment
Not sit around with pain radiating all through my shoulder and down my back >.< I made a stupid movement while stretching...
I'd like start a new book but can't make up my mind about which one yet. I could also watch a movie. I should read something for a university class...

Time wasters
I first thought this was about stuff we think is a waste of time, but judging from Kathy's answers it's about stuff that eats tons of our time. So...
Tumblr. Love it, but I can get stuck on it for hours...
Twitter, though lately not so much.
Blogging in general - I love it but it takes so much time!
Organizational stuff like cleaning, bills, laundry, grocery shopping...

Books they should make into movies
I'm not necessarily a fan of books made into movies. But if a book is made into a movie, I'm not a purist - I want to movie to differ from the book and be an interpretation of it. Doesn't mean I'm always okay with the outcome.
That being said, I wouldn't mind a movie for A.G. Howard's Splintered, Kim Harrison's Hollows series (though there a TV series would work better), or maybe Holly Black's Curseworker trilogy (the cast would have to be phenomenal though). I'd like to see Daughter of Smoke and Bone as a movie but it could never do justice to the writing, so I'm opting out of that one.

Things you wish you knew before.... (for authors the question is before you published but fill in the blank with whatever applies to you)
Um... let's go with before I started blogging. I thought I knew more or less what I could expect - I'd been following quite a few blogs and lurking around for over a year before I started this blog. I knew it was time-intensive. But I was still unprepared for just how much time it takes to make a post look good, link everything, to answer comments, to keep up-to-date with what is happening, what tours are being scheduled, what books are coming out... Another thing I wish I'd known about is how long it takes me to fiddle around with my design for what little actual difference >.< Not talented here, which is why to this date I still don't have a header or blog button. Also, having a blog makes me buy even more books than ever before, which is a double-edged sword ;) But I love it! I love that I'm finally connecting with other bloggers, that authors sometimes favorite my tweets with links to reviews of their books, that I get to read books for free before they're even out!

Games you like to play
I don't know if this means video games... if so, I don't really own any. As a kid, I wasn't allowed to have a GameBoy or PlayStation or whatever, as a teen I had no money to buy anything like that, and right now it's just not a priority and I'm not used to it. I liked the Harry Potter PC games though, and I should finally continue my Alice - Madness Returns game (but I always forget I own it).
As for other games, I like playing poker every once in a while, also Jass (a Swiss card game played 2 against 2), scrabble, uno and probably a couple others I can't remember right now. I don't play often though.

Sooo... your comments on my answers? ^^' Also link back to your own post if you're participating in the meme! I'm curious :)

Know me Better - books, food, movies, and I dump my bag

Know me Better is a meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Every week she posts 5 questions from her author interview list that the participating bloggers then answer and link to.

This week's questions:
Books You Are Dying to Read
Foods you wish you could eat and never gain a pound
Things you have in your purse/bag/wallet now
Movies you never want to see again
Movie you watch over and over again

Apparently this is also a top ten thing, but we'll see if I can come up with ten items for each point...

Books You Are Dying to Read
Some of these I already own, some not, some aren't even out yet:
The Eternity Cure - Julie Kagawa
the third book in Kelly Creagh's Nevermore trilogy
Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare
The Secret of Ella & Micha - Jessica Sorensen (I own it)
Flight - Alyssa Rose Ivy (that one too)
The Jelly Bean Crisis - Jolene Stockman (yup, that one too)
Shadow and Bone  - Leigh Bardugo
Lola and the Boy Next Door  - Stefanie Perkins
Dearly, Beloved  - Lia Habel
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black

Plus many more, and many books I wish  I could re-read...


Foods you wish you could eat and never gain a pound
My body is stupid. It gains weight from everything, so that list is much much longer than these few top items...
Bread / cereal. Sounds stupid, but sometimes I actually binge on the stuff in the worst way...
Vermicelles. In case you're wondering what the hell that is, it's a Swiss specialty, pronounced 'wear-me-cell' in English words. It's made from chestnuts and it's delicious!!! Too bad the season's already over again, but I could eat tons of it... this is what it looks like:

Underneath, there is usually meringues ^^

These mints:

Ice cream
Peas
Mashed potatoes (self-made)
Gnocchi
Zimtstern cookies
Chocolate, or Schoggi as us Swiss people say. I especially love that by Cailler, Lindt, and the Munz prügeli...  but I rarely eat it because I have no moderation. I can't just eat a piece or two.

Things you have in your purse/bag/wallet now
My bag: agenda, wallet, notepad, notebook with Oscar Wilde quotes on the bottom of every page, one of those small folded umbrellas, pens, purple gloves with little black stars on them, mirror, eyeliner, hairpins, comb, chapstick, tissues, a tiny mini-sewing kit with scissors, needles, thread and everything that used to belong to my grandma.

Movies you never want to see again
Um... I'm sure there are awful movies I'd rather not watch again, but I can't come up with anything completely dreadful right now... maybe Blair Witch Project because it was so terribly boring? (I am not joking, I was zero scared and just waiting for something interesting to happen half the time).
I also dislike all comedies that give me secondhand embarrassment. I'd watch dumb action movies over those any time - at least the fight scenes look badass.

Movie you watch over and over again
Back to the Future. The Lord of the Rings movies. Heathers. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The Breakfast Club. Matrix. Easy A. The Swedish 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' etc. movies - Noomi Rapace is forever my Lisbeth Salander! Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Sleepy Hollow. Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Crow. Memoires of a Geisha. Finding Forester... I'm sure I forgot a couple really important ones!!

Erm yeah... I might have gone a bit overboard with some lists ^^' What do you guys think? And can you come up with a couple really terrible movies?

Know Me Better: where I'd like to live, what makes me happy, favorite sayings and characters

Know me Better is a meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Every week she posts 5 questions from her author interview list that the participating bloggers then answer and link to.

This week's questions:
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Favorite Literary Characters?
In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with?
Things that bring a smile to your face?
Do you have a favorite saying?


If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
This is a hard one. I love Zurich, but for what I want to do with my life, Switzerland just isn't the best country for me (even though I really appreciate our health and general insurance and education system). I'll probably have to move to the US or UK sometime within the next 5 or so years. I've been to London several times and really love the vibe of that city and how many different faces it has! But I'd also really like to go to California one day, especially San Francisco. And I've wanted to see Japan for a long time, though I can't imagine settling there permanently. Basically I just love to travel :)

Favorite Literary Characters?
Ugh are you trying to kill me by making me pick? >.<
Alright, some favorites from Classics: Jane & Rochester, Dorian Gray, Marianne in Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White, Hermia in Midsummer Night's Dream, Septimus and Thomasina from Tom Stoppard's Arcadia...
From more modern books: Cassel Sharpe from Holly Back's Curseworkers Trilogy, Nick & Mae from Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon, Mackie from Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement, Varen Nethers from Kelly Creagh's Nevermore, Adrian from Vampire Academy/Bloodlines, Death from the Sandman graphic novels, Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices, Steve & Ghost from Poppy Z. Brite's Lost Souls, Rachel from Kim Harrison's Hollows series, Tris from Divergent... I could go on forever.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with?
This is total wishful thinking and there are tons of authors I admire, and I don't even know if I *could* co-write with anybody, but I think my top pick would be Holly Black. Her writing is just amazing and very courageous. Sharp as needles. I've loved her books for almost 10 years now.

Things that bring a smile to your face?
Lots of little things mostly, many of them silly. Seeing people do every-day, kind things for each other. Watching teens be silly. Seeing someone read a book I love. Watching goofy interviews with bands I love. Being with my sister or a good friend. Seeing the sun glint off of the lake or the snow. Anything I find beautiful :)

Do you have a favorite saying?
Many, but of course they slip my mind right now. Also, some of them are Swiss German and don't have a good translation...
'Karma is a bitch' tends to be true.
I also like these quotes by Oscar Wilde: "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." and "Be yourself - everyone else is already taken."
I don't know where this one is from but I think it's accurate: "When the soul can't find words, it sends tears."

Your thoughts / reactions? I'm also curious about everyone else's answers, so leave a link to your post or tell me in in the comments if you didn't make a post :)
You can hop to the other blogs here:

Know Me Better: what I can't live without, city vs. country, book trailers

Know Me Better is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader Not A Writer to learn new things about your fellow-bloggers. Each week, she chooses 5 questions from her author interview list that the participants then answer.


This week's questions are:

I can't live without...
Do you make your bed each morning?
City or Country?
Most embarrassing moment?
What do you think of book trailers?


I can't live without...
Diet coke or preferably coke zero. I drink at least 1.5 liters of the stuff every day. Also, coffee. Oh, and most of all reading and writing and any kind of art or creative outlet. It's humanity's redeeming quality, in my opinion. I suppose I should say something about love here, but to be honest I've never experienced that earth-shattering, I-would-risk/sacrifice-anything type of love. I'm not convinced it really exists (am I bitter/cynical? Maybe...). I love my friends and family, but that's not the same kind of love.
Another supposedly trivial thing: the internet. Wouldn't want to go without that - it connects me to pretty much everything I care about. I wouldn't mind never having another phone call though. I hate phones. I rarely ever use my smartphone for actual phone calls. If I want to talk to someone, I either message them or just meet up in person.

Do you make your bed each morning?
I used to when I lived at home. Now I can't remember when I last made it. Seems kinda pointless when I just crawl back in every night between 1 and 3 a.m...

City or Country?
I was born in the country, in a village of around 700 people. I had few friends there; people's mindsets don't agree with me in that place, though I do love the landscape there. I wanted to move for years and finally managed two months before my 22nd birthday. I'm living in Zurich now, which is Switzerland's biggest city (ca. 400k people) and also where I study (I commuted for over 2 years). I love the city :) It's alive and vibrant and there are things to discover and cafés to go to! There was no café or movie theatre in my village. There's an abundance of both here. People are more tolerant and society is more diverse. There's a drive to the city, a feeling of moving somewhere, that I really like. Back in my village, I just felt stuck and like I couldn't develop as a person anymore. I felt in the wrong place and like I didn't belong 24/7.
Sometimes I need to get out of the city though, so I pack my stuff and go live with my parents and sister for a couple days. It's nice to be able to choose :)

Most embarrassing moment?
Haha, I try to forget those asap or just laugh them off ^^' Can't think of anything recent that was bad, though there were quite a few in my teens. Many of them were because of slips of the tongue, so there's no point listing them here because the 'joke' would be lost in translation. But one involved my crush back then and yeah... I kinda wanted to die at that moment >_<'' Glad those hormonal years are over...

What do you think of book trailers?
Honestly? I'm only slowly warming up to them. Most of them are just so badly made, or they just repeat the description I've already read without providing more info. There are a few I find awesome though, like those for Gina Damico's books. I also liked the one I posted for The Watcher on Monday, one I saw for Under The Never Sky (didn't previously feel like reading the book), or the one for Something Strange and Deadly. That's what comes to mind for the moment, there were probably a few more that I liked. I like the idea of giving a more cinematic aspect to books, but usually there just isn't enough funding to do it properly. And in that case I'd rather people didn't do it at all, unless they're really creative and can work within the monetary restraints and still make it look awesome.


Agree / disagree with anything? Surprises? If you didn't make your own post, feel free to share your answers in the comments :)

Know Me Better: meeting authors, movies, family, snacks

Know Me Better is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy from I Am A Reader Not A Writer to learn new things about your fellow-bloggers. Each week, she chooses 5 questions from her author interview list that the participants then answer.


This week's questions are:

Is there anything you would like to say to or ask your favorite author?
Are you a dreamer or a realist?
Theater or Rental?
Share a family tradition.
Favorite late night snack?


Is there anything you would like to say to or ask your favorite author?
Oh God. I'm not even sure who that would be! I have so many of them ^^' I would probably just stand there and either stammer or gape like a fish or blurt something really stupid. I just feel like everything I could say has already been said. Things like 'your book really helped me / touched me / made feel / made me cry / made me re-think my life'... they must hear it all the time. I would want to find better words to express what I mean, but I don't think I could just come up with them on the spot. I'm not even sure they exist.
As for asking them things... I wouldn't want to know where their inspiration comes from. I would probably have more craft-related questions, or ask for advice they could give, or ask them what they do about fear and discouragement when they strike. I don't really know. I'd hope that a conversation just... develops.

Are you a dreamer or a realist?
I think I used to be a dreamer, but now I think I'm becoming too much of a realist. Though not completely. But I'm veering in that direction, and it scares me a bit. I think I should take more risks. But I guess that what growing up does to you...

Theater or Rental?
Um, are we talking movies? *oblivious non-American person*
I never rent DVDs, it's super expensive if you want to keep them for more than a day. I usually buy them a while after they came out, when they're cheaper.
I love movie theaters! I love how it's all big and quiet and the sound and image quality are amazing! I'm also one of those strange people who like the break in the middle. Helps me digest what I saw if I can get up and go buy another coke and start discussing the movie with whoever went with me. I also find it hard to ever sit through a movie from beginning to end without at least one break. But I'm not sure you do breaks in America? I've heard something like that, anyway.

Share a family tradition
Um... *thinks really hard*
The only thing I can come up with is Christmas stuff. On the 24th, we always have dinner at our place with my mum's side of the family: her brother & his wife & my two older cousins. And well, my grandparents when they were still alive... It's always really fun! We usually get talking and forget all about the presents until it's suddenly 11 pm. We've been doing this for about 20 years.
On the 25th, it's dinner (lately it's become brunch) with my dad's side of the family, which means a lot more people. 6 cousins! Also all older. One of them has 2 kids of his own already. Plus my dad's two brothers, my grandfather, and sometimes a few of the people who work on their farm. And my cousin's boyfriends/girlfriends. It's also always a lot of fun and we all like to play card- and boardgames. With presents we always do a secret santa kind of thing. Everyone draws a name and only gives that one person a present, and only receives one present of their own. Makes it easier for everyone :)
So yeah, Christmas to me is completely family-related and for catching up. Never been to church on Christmas Eve.

Favorite late night snack?
I have strange eating habits anyway... and what's your definition of late night? ^^' Anyhow, it'd probably be some fruit, or maybe some of the sugarfree candy I sometimes buy, if I haven't eaten it all by that time. Plus of course lots of coffee and coke zero. Or maybe some type of cereal, if I have any. I avoid buying it because I usually binge-eat the whole box in like two days >.<


*ahem* I might have over-shared a little here ^^'' Any reactions on your part? Things that surprise you, things you would do differently? If you're participating in the meme too, leave me a link :)

Here is the linky with the other participants:
 

Know me better #2

Know Me Better is a weekly meme hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer to get to know your fellow bloggers a little better. Each week the participants answer 5 questions.

I apologize in advance for wonky formatting and typos. I'm writing this on my phone in a hotel room in Barcelona after a loooong but interesting day :)

*This Week's Questions:*

Top 5 songs on your playlist?
Um... I usually have my iPod on shuffle so I'll just give you 5 songs I really like.
Young Guns - Bones
AFI - This Celluloid Dream
Asking Alexandria - Closure
Parkway Drive - Carrion
Funeral For A Friend - The End of Nothing

I love music so I could go on & on & on...

How much time do you spend reading each week?
I don't really know. 2-3 hours a day? I usually read 2-3 books a week.

What is the last thing you Googled?
Stuff about sights and public transport in Barcelona.

Favorite places to travel?
I looove London! Ive been there four times and I'm going back this summer. I also liked Prague, Florence, and Dublin a lot. I'd love to see Tokyo and San Francisco one day!

What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day?
In my PJs, reading and sleeping late and maybe watching a movie or writing :)

Do you guys know any of the bands? How would you answer the questions? Leave your links if you're participating :)

"Know Me Better"-meme: let's give this a try...

Hey guys! I've been thinking about making a post about who I am / what I do apart from blogging for a while, but I've always been reluctant because... I don't know, what if no one cares? What if I make a post saying 'ask me questions and I'll pick some to answer' and I get zero comments... it'd be embarrassing. Also, I want the focus of this blog to be books and not me.

On the other hand, I feel like I haven't connected to the rest of the community to the extent that I'd like to, and maybe sharing a little might help with that and start a conversation.

So I've decided to occasionally take part in the new meme Kathy from I Am A Reader Not A Writer created where bloggers can answer 5 questions she usually asks in her author interviews.

Today's questions are:

10 words that describe yourself?
Favorite TV Shows?
If you could take over the world, would you?
Who was the first boy you kissed?
How do you unwind?

10 words that describe yourself?
Hm... I guess I'm made of contradictions, so: book-crazy, sarcastic, kind, fearful, non-judgemental, lazy, busy, loyal, distant, brainy. Not sure this really captures the core of my personality but yeah...

Favorite TV Shows?
This changes a bit depending what's on, but: Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Supernatural (only seen the first two seasons so far), Criminal Minds, Bones (seen up to season 5)... I think I'm forgetting some. I've been meaning to get into Carnivale, Revenge, American Horror Story, Downtown Abby, but there's no time.
There was also a time when I watched lots of anime. I really like Vampire Knight, Kuroshitsuji, Death Note, Bleach (not the fillers), 07 Ghost, the Hellsing OVAs, Wolf's Rain, and probably lots more that slip my mind right now. When I was a kid I was a huge Pokémon fan, but then they started making too many...
If you have suggestions for what I could watch to get into anime again, bring them on ;)

If you could take over the world, would you?
Haha, no way XD I have no interest in ordering others around, I'm lazy and disorganized, I don't like being the one in power (I'm not a mindless follower either. I'd be the right hand woman or something). I also don't want to spend my life expecting to be stabbed in the back. Nor do I think I know what's right for other people/the world. To each their own.

Who was the first boy you kissed?
My first boyfriend, about a week after I turned 17. He lived 2.5 hours away and I was spending some days with him at his family's house over the winter holidays because usually we could only see each other every second weekend. I think it was even on the eve of Valentine's Day! We'd just finished watching The Crow, the credits were rolling, and it was really late and we were lying on his bed staring at the screen. I was so nervous I didn't really get to enjoy it all that much and it was sort of... less... than I had hoped.

How do you unwind?
I'm a very boring person. I don't really go out much, also because I can never do it on Fridays because I have to get up at 7 a.m. Saturday morning to go to work (I tutor groups of kids on Saturdays for an organization, and I have a different job in addition to my English Lit studies during the week).
So I basically just read a lot, hang around on the internet, maybe watch TV (rare), go for coffee with my writing, a book, or a friend, sometimes visit my family, listen to music and go to concerts (I love metalcore and... you know... other genres where bands scream at you, you get awesome guitar solos, and people mosh instead of girly-scream at the lead singer).


This all came out a little more rambly than I had thought ^^'' Dunno what you guys think of it, but feel free to tell me. Is this what you expected of me, or were there some surprises? Anything we have in common? Also, if you made a post for this meme feel free to leave a link :)