I saw this pop up on Becky’s Book Blog earlier this month and saved it to do for later. So while I wasn’t technically tagged to do it, I decided to fill it out anyway. Can’t stop me!

The Rules

• Thank the blogger who tagged you (Thank you for posting this tag, Becky)
• Mention the creator Lauren @ Lala’s Book Reviews
• Tag as many (or as few) people as you’d like
• Have fun and get to know one another!

Introduction

Introduce yourself.

My name is Celeste and I work in the STEM field. I live in northern Virginia. In addition to reading and blogging, I also enjoy gardening, baking bread, and watching various sci-fi/fantasy shows/movies.

Something most everyone wants to know…do you have any pets?

Yes! We have one cat. She’s about 12 years old, but still very much acts like a young kitty. She’s a dilute calico and is incredibly sweet. She loves laps and bed time cuddles.

What is your favourite thing to drink?

Maybe I’m taking this question too literally, but I don’t have just one favorite drink. With respect to alcoholic beverages, my go to is a gin and tonic. I’m not super picky about the gin I choose and enjoy trying new ones, but I do know I dislike New Amsterdam gin; no thank you. I probably like tea a little more than coffee, but only because I feel I can drink tea at any time of the day.

What is your favourite season?

Summer! Even though I don’t live in the deep south, it still gets as hot as Hades where I live, and incredibly humid. BUT summer time means gardening and I don’t have to carry layers when I leave my house. It also means cool thunderstorms.

Do you have any special talents?

Hm, not really. I used to play piano as a kid, but I got bored with the pieces my teacher gave me to learn, so I quit practicing and that was that. I do want to pick it up again and practice pieces of my choosing, though. I also have a pretty keen sense of smell.

Blogging

When and why did you start your blog?

I’ve answered this several times previously, most recently in my blogiversary Q&A. In short, I started March 2021 because I had a major book hangover about A COURT OF MIST AND FURY and no one with whom to talk about it. So I decided to join a community of fellow book lovers.

What is something that you wish you knew about blogging when you first started?

I more or less answered this in my blogiversary Q&A as well. My answer is still the same–the time commitment. Of course I knew it would take time, but I didn’t realize how much time something as seemingly simple as formatting would take. Something like a book haul post, which involves a lot of copying and pasting of synopses, still can take a long time to compose. Sometimes I’m surprised at how long it can take.

What has been the hardest part about blogging?

Yet another question I answered in my blogiversary Q&A. I expanded upon the time commitment in my answer.

What has been the most rewarding part of blogging?

Hands down finding others with whom I can connect with over books. It took a little while to find my little community within the larger one, but I did. I enjoy supporting and “chatting” with these folks via Twitter; you know who you are!

Do you write your posts ahead of time or write them the day of posting?

I write my posts ahead of time. Which is the complete opposite of how I approach reading in general. Most of the time I don’t plan my reads. I’m a hardcore mood reader. I like not having a schedule. I’m not at work so I don’t want to feel like I am. However, I write my posts ahead of time in case I get caught up in other life things. Having a backlog of written book reviews helps alleviate, for me, the stress of posting.

Reading

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Ok, there are very few authors for which I’ve recently read more than one book. Because of this I don’t have any “auto buy” authors. So based on what I’ve read, whether or not I’ve read more than one book by an author, here’s what I’ve got. This list is subject to change, obviously.

• Sarah J. Maas
• Hannah Whitten
• Sarah A. Parker
• Laura Sebastian
• Holly Black

What genre do you read the most?

Fantasy. If you read my blog or follow me on Twitter, I think this is quite blatant.

What genre surprised you by how much you love it?

This is more of a sub genre, but romantic fantasy–specifically whimsical romantic fantasy. THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEWOMEN WITCHES introduced me to this sub genre and it’s a nice reprieve from some of the heavier themes in fantasy as a whole.

Which popular book didn’t live up to the hype for you?

Most recently it was WILD AND WICKED THINGS by Francesca May.

Who are some popular authors you haven’t read?

Since I primarily read fantasy, I think Brandon Sanderson would be the biggie for me. Others include Madeline Miller, T.J. Klune, and Naomi Novik.

What upcoming release are you excited to read?

I’m very excited about FOR THE THRONE by Hannah Whitten, which is the next book and conclusion to FOR THE WOLF. I’m also excited for TO SNAP A SILVER STEM by Sarah A. Parker, which is the next book after TO BLEED A CRYSTAL BLOOM. I wrote my review for the first book, but still need to post it.

Do you listen to music while reading?

Sometimes. But I can’t listen to music with lyrics because I find it distracting. If I do listen to music while reading it’s usually some sort of lo-fi.

Where else can we find you online?

Twitter and Instagram.

Tags

I tag Realms of My Mind, Inking and Thinking, and Books from Tenelan. However, if you don’t want to participate, that’s totally fine!

Also, if I didn’t tag you and you want to do this, then feel free!