Liebster Award

I've been hoarding tags and awards for a while now and it's time to finally make a dent in my collection. I've been nominated to the Liebster Award by Isabelle @ Nine Tale Vixen a while ago. Here are the rules:


Rules

• Acknowledge the blog that gave it to you and display the award
• Answer 11 questions that the blogger gives you                                   
• Give 11 random facts about yourself
• Nominate 11 blogs and notify them of their nomination
• Give these blogs 11 questions to answer

Let's get started! 

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1. What are the top three qualities that endear a fictional character to you?

First of all they have to have a good motivation. No matter what they're doing, if they're a villain or a hero, their motivation has to be solid for me to truly enjoy their story.

Second, they speak the language of sarcasm. I will most definitely love a sarcastic character, but it has to be good sarcasm. There's a fine line between sarcasm and assholishness and it's difficult sometimes to not fall into the asshole category. Good sarcasm will always make a character latch onto my heart.

Last but not least, they have to not be all "woe is me". Sometimes I like a character that complains about the situation they find themselves in, but like with sarcasm, there's a fine line between "I'm having a bad day" and "Let me complain about the rain outside, the Universe has it in for me". I like gloomy characters, but let's not exaggerate.

2. What are the top three qualities that endear a potential (IRL) friend to you?

Sarcasm is definitely a quality I appreciate. I am pretty sarcastic and if I'm really comfortable with someone, I find it really hard to tone the sarcasm down. So a potential real friend should definitely be able to understand and dish out sarcasm.

I truly appreciate a person that is both able to express how they're feeling, but also listen to how others are feeling. I don't really get along with people that are very focused on their own life story, without listening to how others are feeling or their problems.

Last but not least, I appreciate a good sense of humor. By good I don't mean anything crazy. I'm someone that tends to find humor in the craziest of places, and I'm very easily amused, so I appreciate someone that is like me and laughs easily and at inappropriate things.

3. Do you set reading goals? If yes, do you usually accomplish them? If no, would you ever consider it?

I do set reading goals, as you probably know if you've followed me for a while, I seem to collect reading challenges like others collect vintage stamps. I do well with them as long as a reading slump doesn't hit me in the face. Take 2020. I probably would have been way past the 50% mark on my Goodreads challenge had my reading slump of almost 3 months not been a thing.

4. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate?

Milk chocolate and white chocolate. I choose to believe dark chocolate is not a thing because honestly I hate it.

5. It’s said that some tragic heroes are just in the wrong story. Name a character and a story (other than their own) that you think they would thrive in.

Ooooh this is an awesome question! The first character that came to mind as I was reading this question was Crowley from Supernatural. I think this character would be thriving in Larissa Ione's world of demons and horsemen of the apocalypse.

6. Have you ever found any literary name twins, either authors or characters? How do you feel about them?

I can't think of any Rubys that I've read about, my blogger name, and there are definitely a lot of Joannas out there, both fictional characters and authors that I've met. I honestly don't feel any different about them just because we share a name. They're definitely easier to remember though.

7. Bed / Wed / Behead: Will Herondale, Gale Hawthorne, Rhysand OR Tessa Gray, Katniss Everdeen, Feyre Archeron.

Oooh. Since I have YET to read her book, I'm definitely beheading Katniss. Sorry, Hunger Games fans! I'm bedding Feyre, and marrying Tessa, because as I recall she has access to a HUGE library and honestly...that's just what I want in life.

8. Are there any books you love that everyone you know has added to their TBR but no one you know has actually read yet? (If yes, name it/them!)

OH!!! I am calling out Sammy Sam here. I know she's added the magnificence that is the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn McQueen on her TBR, but she has yet to read it. I'm waiting patiently for her screeches once she does read it.

9. Name your favorite color and a book with a pretty cover in that color.

My favorite color is blue and Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins is very pretty, very blue. Just look at it!

10. Do you fancast characters? (ie, imagine certain actors playing them in a hypothetical adaptation)

No, usually characters in my head are a mix of actors and actresses with whatever features the author describes for those characters, but I generally don't have just one actor that fits their description to a T.

11. Is there a series where the author could write twenty-plus volumes and you would read them all? (Assuming each one was of equally high quality.)

I have definitely done that. I love long series, they're my catnip, and the more complex the world gets, the better. The only true requirement is to not focus on the same main character. As long as there's a different main character, or couple, each book, or every 2-3 books, then I'm all for long series.

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Random Facts:

1. I love learning languages and I'll never get tired of learning new languages. 
2. Much like I'm a mood reader, I'm a mood music listener. It's very hard to get me to listen to a genre that I love but that I'm not in the mood for. Example: Summers are usually when I listen mostly country music, and extremely few rock songs.
3. I find it very difficult to read the last book in a series, or watch the very last episode in a TV show, so I'll put it off as much as possible, because then it means the adventure isn't truly over yet.
4. I'm a very picky eater.
5. I love creating music playlists for books.
6. If my Kindle library were to suddenly become a collection of physical books, I'd need to buy a house just to fit all the books.
7. I tend to read the last paragraph of a book before I start reading the book, even if that means spoiling the story. It's also how I decide if I'm buying a physical book when I go to a bookstore.
8. I love swimming.
9. I don't drink a lot of coffee during summer because I tend to get sick from the combination of heat and caffeine. 
10. I love cooking, but I hate baking. I'll try any cooking recipe that sounds good, and I'll try different cuisines from around the world.
11. I want to try my hand at gardening.

My Questions:

1. What is your most read author?
2. If you weren't a book blogger, what would you like to blog about?
3. Have you ever met your favorite author(s) and was it what you had hoped for?
4. If you could have one of your favorite books made into a movie or TV show, with the certainty that the production company would follow the book precisely, not changing a thing, which book would it be?
5. Tea vs coffee? 
6. What are three main characteristics a book needs to have to end up on your 5-star shelf?
7. What is one trope that you can't get enough of?
8. What is a book that makes you cry no matter how many times you reread it?
9. What is one villain that you hoped would win in the end and why?
10. What is one book everyone loves but you haven't read yet?
11. Do you find it easy to DNF books, or do you keep reading until the end even if you don't enjoy a book?

I nominate:

Sam | Clo | Jayati | Jamsu | Michelle | Soph

Haley | Cami | Heather | Kris | Marley