The Outstanding Blogger Award #2

Hello everyone,

It is that exciting time of the month where I take part in another tag, and I was ecstatic to be nominated – albeit some time ago now – by Florence for the Outstanding Blogger Award. Her blog is amazing and while she may be currently on hiatus, her posts are well worth a read!

Florence’s Questions:

1. Share an under-rated book that you absolutely love.

The Six Stories series is absolutely phenomenal and I know many others who have read them think so too, but they also seem like a very well kept secret from a mainstream perspective. They deserve more publicity and recognition.

2. What are your top three recommendations for diverse reads?

There are so many incredible diverse books out there that it is hard to choose only three, but With The Fire On High and in particular These Violent Delights are two of my absolute favourite reads and I simply could not exclude either of them.

There is diversity everywhere in These Violent Delights, from the Shanghai setting to the multitude of languages and cultures that are depicted. I have also chosen The House In The Cerulean Sea, as that celebrates diversity in such a positive and adorable way.

3. Which book character do you most admire?
My favourite characters are the ones who are strong-willed, spirited, and well intentioned. One character that comes to mind who epitomised all of those things was Sara from The Devil And The Dark Water by Stuart Turton, so I definitely admire her.

4. If you could have dinner with 2 authors, one living and one dead, who would be on your guest list?
A really fun question! It is so difficult to decide, but perhaps Richard Osman because we would certainly have a lot to talk about and there would be plenty of laughs. As for a deceased author, I shall say Daphne du Maurier.

5. What book would have been better without a sequel?

I really loved One Of Us Is Lying, it had a fantastic mystery and four main characters who I built a powerful connection with. Not only was the sequel average and slow-moving in comparison, it went away from the things that made the first book so impressive, such as focusing the attention of a group of different characters who were far less interesting.

6. What is a book that didn’t live up to the hype for you?

The Guest List is a fairly good book. I gave it a rating of 3.5 stars and it definitely keeps you intrigued. However, in my opinion the hype surrounding it was wildly excessive and it was not the sensational mystery it was made out to be. In short, there is nothing truly special about it and there are many better books in the genre.

7. Do you have any pets? If so, share a picture to brighten our day!
As I have recently moved into my new flat and away from my family, I no longer have any pets however getting my own cat is certainly on my agenda for the future. For the purposes of the question and cuteness, here is a picture of my family’s cat Freddie, which I have shared before in a couple of previous post.

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I Tag:

Farshana
Ari
Rosie
Aviaja
Livy

My Questions:

1. What is the best book you have read so far in 2021?
2. What is your most anticipated upcoming release?
3. What is a book that you disliked but everyone else seems to love?
4. What are your top three recommendations for diverse reads? (I am stealing Florence’s question because I am always looking out for great diverse books.)
5. What has been your standout personal achievement in 2021?
6. Is there a film or television series you have watched recently that you would recommend?
7. What is your favourite animal?

No pressure at all to do the tag, but if you do I would love to read your answers.

Happy reading 🙂