#kat-from-minasmorgul

[hiramslodge]

AHHHH AMBER HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I HOPE YOU HAD THE MOST AMAZING DAY 🎉🎉❤️🎉❤️

THANK YOU KAT ILY 💖

[greymeetsblue]

The Literary Grand Tour of the World: October points

I was going to post this like a week earlier but then I was busy doing some actual travelling and forgot. Still, better late than never :) @kat-from-minasmorgul

The Murmur of Bees - Sofia Segovia: 3+2

Mexico

Non-white cast

Physically disabled protagonist

Blood of Tyrants - Naomi Novik: 2

Japan/China/Russia (pretty much equally and they all give the same amount of points anyway, so it doesn't really matter)

One of the main characters is technically Chinese, but he's also a dragon so I don't think it really counts for diversity points :)

Almost Love - Louise O'Neill: 2

Ireland

The Winter of the Witch - Katherine Arden: 2

Russia

October task: 5 

see here

Total: 16 points

[just0nemorepage]

Birthday Response Post!!

✨ @heronstairspotter ✨ @sandylipstick ✨ @myownlittlebookcorner ✨ @soggywarmpockets ✨ @anaisreading ✨ @bookblowndust ✨ @kat-from-minasmorgul ✨ @cautiousbookrebel ✨ @merchantsoft ✨ @givethatbooknerd ✨ @two anonymous’s ✨

My birthday was nearly a week ago on the 13th, and I only just got back from my vacation yesterday. I'm only just now finding time to respond to everyone's lovely messages - I'm so sorry it took so long! - and I just wanted to say thank you so, SO MUCH for all the wonderful birthday wishes!! I had the birthday week of a lifetime at Disney World, though I can't say I'm not glad to be back home.

My queue should be back up to normal soon, and I hope to get back to daily BPC posts both here and Instagram too! 💖💖

[another-word-shaker]

Around the World in 100 Days: Venice, Italy

Herr der Dieben (The Thief Lord) by Cornelia Funke

“Let's run away to Venice, and hide out in an old movie theater. We can dye our hair blonde, so no one will ever find us!” 

Coincidentally, I read this book while in Sardinia - just off the coast of Italy.

[greymeetsblue]

The Literary Grand Tour of the World: December points

December was not the greatest reading month. I only managed to add 3 more books to the reading challenge. Though on the bright side, I surpassed my yearly goal of 30 books and read a total of 45 books in 2019. The last of them I only finished in the final hour of the year because I just wanted that nice number :)

@kat-from-minasmorgul

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson: 1

USA

Enchantée - Gita Trelease: 2

France

Circe - Madeline Miller: 3

(Ancient) Greece

December task: 5

here

Total for December: 11 points

October points, November points

Final total: 45 points

This was a fun challenge! I do wish I’d read a bit more countries or at least some books set in my own country. But sometimes things just don’t work out the way you want. Here’s to new reading adventures in 2020!

[greymeetsblue]

The Literary Grand Tour of the World: December task

For December @kat-from-minasmorgul​ asked: Which book(s) represent your country the best? Why? 

It’s obviously hard for a reader to choose which books are the most important, so I set a few guidelines for myself: 

I didn’t want to turn this simply into a post of “Estonian classics everyone must read in school”

I chose books based on my personal preferences and only stuff I’ve actually read (or at least parts of)

Estonia is a small country, so I mostly gave up on finding translated options and just added whatever I wanted to :)

Also, I didn’t feel like writing so much this time, so unlike the October task, this post is mostly photos.

Children’s books

Best representation of how nature is important to us. Weird old men and alien creatures are obviously the best characters for children to read about. If you want know more, check out this post.

Young Adult

Books represented here are what I read when I was a teen so not the most popular YA books right now, but they still represent Estonians well. Our YA is mostly about bullying, but often also about substance abuse and mental health.

Life in Estonia

Great look into what everyday life in Estonia is like. You can also find out more here. 

The whole My ... series is about people describing their experiences in various countries. Sometimes the writing quality is not the best and sometimes the life described can be a little boring, but overall still worth checking out.

Historical

Most of Estonian classics are about farmers and their hard life. Or ghosts in medieval churches. Or various forest spirits. But always about people dying.

Poetry

Okay, so these are all women, but I don’t care. Poetry is hard to recommend, because a lot gets lost in translation. Especially with Keiti Vilms, whose whole thing is playing with the Estonian language.

[oneawkwardcookie]

1,8&18 for the end of the year asks :)

1. Song of the year?

Banks - Gimme

8. Game of the year?

I don’t really game, so let’s stick with Snake :P

15. A memorable meal this year?

I made myself some beef stir fry that I was very proud of, because it had a similar consistency to takeaway :D

I also made some chicken rice soup from scratch, with some home made sesame covered bread buns, so I felt very accomplished (and stupidly full because I had too much bread…)

[greymeetsblue]

The Literary Grand Tour of the World: November points

So November went better than October. I managed to read more books, though half of them were set in USA and so don’t give that much points. The other half were set in some very different places, so that’s something :)

@kat-from-minasmorgul

The Fishermen - Chigozie Obioma: 3+1

Nigeria

Non-white cast

Nerve - Jeanne Ryan: 1

USA

Nothing to do with the points, but for once I liked the movie better than the book

Vengeful - V. E. Schwab: 1

USA

The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Calloway: 4

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Girl in Pieces - Kathleen Glasgow: 1+1

USA

mental illness

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan: 5+1

Singapore

non-white cast

Total: 18 points