The 15 Weird Questions Tag

Yesterday I saw that Jen @ The Starry Eyed Revue answered 15 weird questions and since it looks very fun and since I'm super weird, I decided to answer them as well. Here we go

1. A nickname that you get called

It used to be Tweety up until a few years ago. These days I'm called by my name, which is kinda good. Makes me feel slightly normal, which is a nice feeling :))

2. A weird habit

My habits aren't weird, they're just unique. Before I get out of the house, I triple check everything, from the stove, to the windows, to the doors. EVERYTHING. If I don't do that, I will be bothered by the idea that I may have forgotten to check something all day long. That sounds OCD-ish, doesn't it?

3. A weird phobia

Spiders are disgusting. I am also terrified of the times when I need to get up on a chair to reach something in my upper kitchen cabinets.

4. A song you are ashamed to like so you blast it in private

I'm not ashamed to like any songs, really. I do make sure I'm not surrounded by minors if I blast some hip hop because you know... curse words.

5. A pet peeve


"A" pet peeve? I like how this one is phrased. Like I have just one. The biggest one...it's... Look. I have sensitive hearing. I hate repetitive noises. Like people who click a ballpoint pen on and off. WHY THE HELL DO YOU DO THAT???? WHY? After 5 minutes spent in the company of those people I wanna smack them. Hard.


6. A nervous habit

Cracking my knuckles, bouncing my feet, tapping my fingers. You know, signs of a well-adjusted individual *laughs nervously*

7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

The middle. I have a big-ass bed, so I get to sleep in the middle.

8. The name of your first stuffed animal.

Benny. It was a pink bunny that has somehow survived for nearly 3 decades (gosh, I'm old!). I still have it today and he sometimes makes himself noticed in some of my Instagram photos. But he's a shy bunny, so he doesn't let me take photos of him every day.

9. What do you buy at Starbucks?

I live in Italy, so no Starbucks, at least not in my town. But I usually get espresso when I go to cafeterias. On rare occasions, I'll drink cappuccinos, which are delicious, but not strong enough :)) I've also discovered ginseng coffee recently. It's not bad, and the coffee fiend in my appreciates it, but again I need something stronger.

10. Beauty rule

Whatever you decide to do, try out a new haircut, put on makeup, dress in fancy clothes or comfy clothes or whatever, do it for yourself. Because you need to like yourself, regardless of what other people think of you.

11. Which way do you face in the shower?

Ummm...I...rotate? I mean... Damn, I never thought of that. I usually stay with my back to the shower, because I need my back to be warm, otherwise I don't enjoy my shower. Does that make me weirder?

12. A weird body skill

I'm flexible which in my case is a negative thing. I can bend my left thumb backwards to touch my forearm. I can bend my toes and keep them in a "fist" for long periods of time. I'm too flexible, which can create problems and in fact has created some problems in the past for me.

13. Comfort food

Chocolate. I eat chocolate when I'm sad, when I'm happy, when I'm feeling crappy because of my period (TMI there, I know), when I feel like I need to reward myself after managing a full week of healthy diet. Chocolate is very versatile for me :D

14. A word or phrase that you say all the time

Do curse words count? Hell, I say hell a lot.

15. What do you sleep in?

A t-shirt. Or sometimes, if I'm really cold, I'll sleep in a PJ shirt.

This was fun! I might do more tags soon. If you want to do it, go ahead. Let me know so I can check your answers :D

Sunday Book Soundtrack #20: Firstlife by Gena Showalter

Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 

I read with music. If there's no music, I can't read. And not just read, but almost anything, like studying of cooking or doing chores around the house. The only time I don't have music is when I sleep. And during exams, but that's a different story.

Sometimes it happens that a certain song and a book or a scene from the book I'm reading sort of... click. It's like they were made for each other. At least for me. And so I will almost always think of that particular book when hearing that song. I thought I'd share my book soundtracks with you.

Keep in mind that I have a very... weird taste in music. You'll find mostly rock music, country or the 80s-early 90s music in these lists. I might use some "contemporary" songs from now and then, but don't bet on it being something other than those particular genres. Also, not always the songs will be in English. If I have a link to a translation for the lyrics, I'll post it. If you like a song I'm using, that's fine. If not, that's fine too, just don't say I didn't warn you.

The songs aren't always on a book's playlist for their lyrics. Sometimes they're there for an instrument or for a feeling I get when hearing them. Also, I won't always mention what scene I used them for. If it's not a spoiler, I'll share the scene, if it is a spoiler, I'll let you guess.

Anyway, I hope you like my playlists :)

Hey guys! I've discovered the magical place called Spotify, which means I get to make bookish playlists so much easier. I'm also thinking about uploading my old Sunday Book Soundtrack playlists there soom. Thank you Kara @ Great Imaginations to recommend it to me *sends hugs and kisses*

This week's playlist is inspired by Firstlife by Gena Showalter. I loved this book so much and I had fun creating this playlist. I hope you enjoy it. Also, if you want to check out my review, click here.

Obsessed With Covers #33: 5 to 1, Rebel of the Sands, Mind Games

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

This week's edition of Obsessed With Covers is inspired by Zentangle. I recently discovered the pleasures of Zentangle and of making something out of my random doodles and these covers are way too pretty not to resemble some of the best doodle art I've seen so far.

I've always been fascinated by the art of henna tattoos. They look absolutely gorgeous and I always get curious to know if the designs mean anything, either spiritually or just if they have a hidden meaning for each person that wears them. It's no wonder that the cover of 5 to 1 caught my eye. Just looking at the cover, however, I don't really get a sense of what the connection between the cover art and the title is. I did read the blurb, so that helped me understand that connection a bit more. I also love the different colors used to make the drawings pop.






5 to 1 - Holly Bodger

That's a lion, right? I'm not the only one who sees it, right? Having recently watched Aladdin, it is very easy for me to make the connection between the cover art and the entrance to the Cave of Wonders from the movie. And that is such a cool thing, because it makes me instantly interested in reading the story. I love how the mane was drawn. I love how the rider is so small, making it seem like the viewer shouldn't see him, like he (or is it she?) should've managed to get out of the frame unseen, undetected. I also love the sand dune and the sand lines overlapping most of the photo, almost as much as I love the silhouette of the palace.

Rebel of the Sands - Alwyn Hamilton

I love how simple this cover is, and yet it really makes the title make sense. I really like the placement of the words. It's almost as if the mind games refer to what you see, not what you think. Does that make sense? That's the idea that I get from the cover. I am very curious about this book, based only on the cover. I wish the paperback version were embossed, though. I feel like that would be such a cool thing, for the cover to be embossed. Or maybe the background is matte? All I know is that I can't wait to get out of my book buying ban to get my hands on this pretty :D







Mind Games - Teri Terry