Three Birds With One Stone!

Happy Sunday, everyone!
In a time long gone (and I mean a seriously long time ago) I was hit in the schnozzle with some very good news - yours truly was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award! Three of them! I'm still reeling from the shock and pure ecstasy of having been considered worthy of this award by my fellow bloggers. The nominations arrived at a time when my blog hadn't even turned one, so you could imagine the last thing on my mind back then was Bring On The Ink receiving such appreciation! It just goes to show how wonderful the book blog community is! 

I'd like to thank Laetitia from Flurried Thoughts Called Book Reviews (she's got a really cute blog!) Tiana from Ethereal Book Reviews (I've collaborated with her in a book giveaway; she's amazing!) and Ruby from Feed Me Books Now (one of my first acquaintances in the book blogosphere!). 

Here are the rules of the Liebster Award:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you;

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees;

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen. (No tag backs)

4. Copy and Paste the blog award on your blog.
Questions from the nominators:

Laeititia:

1. What is your favourite book of all time and why?
It's agonizingly hard to pick one favourite book, because Tolkien's written a bunch, but I think I can safely settle for The Return Of The King, book three of The Lord Of The Rings. Why? Because as John Green so appropriately says, "Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” This book filled me with said evangelical zeal. It's perfect in the way nothing can ever be. Also because Tolkien is - Tolkien. 
2. Would you go to your favourite place in the world alone or stay at home with your best friends?
I would pack my suitcase and head to my favourite place in the world! I love travelling (and my best friends too, but gosh, I love travelling!)
3. What books can you see getting made into movies?
Under The Never Sky! Burn For Burn! Fangirl! I've even spent some time thinking up a dream cast for each!
4. Who are your top three book boyfriends?
*squeals* NO. This is hard. I'll try my level best. In no particular order: Adrian from Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, Warner from Shatter Me, and Leo from Heroes Of Olympus!
5. If you were to write a book what would be your main characters' names?
The protagonist would be Etheria. Then there'd be Charis, Lavender, Preid, Shiver, and Narsis.
6. Print or eBook?
Print to the max! Got nothing against eBooks, though!
7. What's your favourite pastime apart from reading and reviewing?
Stargazing - there's something simultaneously quaint, ethereal, and mindblowing about the realms of planets and stardust above us.
8. Samsung Galaxy or Iphone 5?
I'm an Android chic through and through!
9. What got you into blogging?
Reading and writing are two of my favourite things so the notion of actually writing about what I'm reading was what propelled me into book review blogging!
10. What book character can you relate to?
A book character who's not necessarily the same age as me, or going through an experience I might have had, but one whose thoughts travel along the same wavelength that mine do!
11. Oreos in milk: To dip or not to dip?
I say dunk it!
  
Tiana:

1. What kind of books do you like to read?

 Fiction! I'm especially a huge fan of historical fiction, epic fantasy, and magic realism!

2. Are you usually organized?

Erm...*glances at the junk languidly sprawled on my floor like it owns the place*... no.

3. Who's your favourite author?

J.R.R Tolkien. No one gets close. Never ever.

4. How tall are you? (just to figure out whether I'm short or not :P)

5 feet, 3 inches!

5. What are your hobbies?

Primarily reading, writing, blogging, fangirling, watching football, listening to rock, and skywatching!

6. Do you like stickers?

If they're good-looking, then yes!

7. Are these questions getting boring? (I'm really running out of them!)

No, no!

8. Which is your favourite Disney character?

Hercules!

9. Canada or the United States?

In terms of travelling, the U.S.

10. If you wrote a book, what would the title be?

The Ever-So Peachy Life Of A Wannabe Llama (I'm not sure where that even came from...)

11. Can you think of better questions than these?

 Yeah, I guess. These were great though! 

(I've scoured Ruby's blog but can't find her questions; as soon as I do, this post will be updated!)

11 Facts About Myself:
1. I love everything equestrian.
2. One of my biggest dreams is to attend a war reenactment. Particularly a medieval one.
3. Vintage freak.
4. I like Greek, Roman and Norse mythology the best.
5. My favourite person in the world is Alex Turner, lead vocalist of The Arctic Monkeys.
6. I'm into paleontology. Go ahead, call me weird, but c'mon Land Before Time was epic!
7. My dreams are very strange. Truly.
8. I want to visit New Zealand some day so I could pretend I'm traversing across Middle-earth.
9. I'm a fangirl by profession.
10. The scariest moment in my life was when I was stung on the ankles by a jellyfish while on vacation. I remember bawling my eyes out and thinking I'd be disabled for life.
11. There's a special place in my heart for hand-written letters.

Questions For My Nominees:
1. Which book did you read in your childhood that's stayed in your heart through the years?
2. Imagine walking into a drugstore and seeing one of your favourite characters there. What would your first reaction be?
3. Who is the one author you would love to take a selfie with?
4. What's your sense of humour like?
5. Is there any place where you're not comfortable reading?
6. Three bookish pet peeves?
7. What came first - the chicken or the egg?
8. One character you initially liked but later started disliking?
9. Which world would you rather go to: Neverland or Narnia?
10. What is your Patronus?
11. What skill do you want to acquire before the year is over?

My nominees are listed below, in no particular order. I nominate them because their blogs are beautiful and their posts fresh, original, and fun to read. They deserve recognition!

Athina @ Between My Lines
Ilina @ A Book Lover's Ramblings
Kat @ The Realm Of Books
Mary @ Young Adult Fantasy Novels
Izy @ A Fortress Of Books
Sandee @ Book Ramblings Of A Whimsical Reader
Caitlin @ Caitlin King's Blog
Louisa @ A Novel Adventure 
Isabelle @ Isabelle Adrid 
Kimmy and Rinny @ Opinionated Cupcakes  
Nikki @ Love At First Write

 

My Inky Folios: The View From The Periphery

Happy Sunday, people! Quite a while since I did an Inky Folios post - hope you enjoy this one, inspired by A Choice Of Three by Alex Turner! 

The young man wearing the crimson hat and the sycophantic smile - both lopsided - hands you your ice cream. It's a simple double-scoop of blueberry and chocolate fudge and, from my vantage point two places behind you, appears toothsome enough, yet the woebegone look on your sun-kissed face as you turn away from the van discloses the notion that you're pining for something more than what you're now clutching in your right hand, while with your other hand you absently tuck renegade strands of hair behind your ears. Perhaps your favorite flavor was out of stock? I ruminate on what it might be, as you walk away with shoulders slumped underneath your sweatshirt, and I'm resigning myself to the fact that this is it - the cessation of our fleeting encounter, devoid of salutations; not an acknowledging glance on your part, not a  deferential word to spark a conversation between two strangers on mine. If the weather had been more interesting than a big yellow ball of fire glaring down on people's idiotic ways and some scattered clouds slogging along the azure sky as if reluctantly heading off to a day job they abhor (but the promise of wages always wins in the end), perhaps then I might have plucked the courage to engage in eye contact with you and - if your mien doesn't indicate hostility - initiate a chat.

My defeatist thoughts on never seeing you again are transient however; you swivel around on the sidewalk to face me - the queue, I rectify myself immediately. Your eyes dart sporadically from the cone in your hand to the tall, tan man standing in front of me. He's taking his sweet time ordering, perusing the list of flavors taped to the sliding window. I think he may be your gentleman caller yet the look you're giving him may just be as arctic as the dessert you're unenthusiastically consuming.

On the pretence of being greatly interested in the boutique's window behind you (the mannequins were modelling someone's summer collection with vacuous looks on their faces), I sneak another furtive glance at your countenance. Hazelnut, I decide. I'm not certain why, but I think if you are to attempt one of those personality quizzes on the internet, that will be your defining flavor.

Your expression is now carefully noncommittal  to fool the world, yet it behooves me to think that under the cool facade is a sea of churning emotions, boisterous and inclement. I wonder for the second time what it is that is gnawing your conscience, and I yearn to be the one who rescues you when you slip off the edge. That coveted post is already taken, though, much to to my bitterness, and I turn my eyes to face the broad back of your partner. He's chosen chocolate chip and caramel for himself and is fishing in his trousers' pocket for loose change. But then I remember the look you gave him earlier and I think he's not the rescuer, but the one who trips you and sends you falling into the chasm. Even if I decide on a whim to jump in after you, I won't have an unobstructed view of the sky with which I can display my weather observation skills. Perhaps I'll have to resort to a commentary on geology.

Perhaps neither of us will survive the drop.

Your partner leaves at last, slurping his ice cream, and I move to take his place, tilting my head slightly sideways so I can watch as he puts his arm around your shoulders and steers you down the sidewalk. A trickle of ice cream is carving a path down your cone and I think it's rather ignorant of him not to warn you before the ice cream soaks into your sleeve and ruins it. 

For the second time today, you turn away from me and this I know is the true ending. I watch you round the corner and disappear from sight, and the next second you're nowhere, and I feel like I've been woken from a strange dream of undiscovered secrets when the ice cream man prompts me with a 'And what would you like, sir?'.

A brief scan later, I notice that the container labelled 'hazelnut' is quite empty. I pay for a blueberry single-scoop and stroll in the opposite direction you've gone.  

THE END

As always, I would absolutely love to hear any sort of feedback so feel free to comment below!

 

Musing Monday - On Spoilers

Musing Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

Why do people spoil books? Do they get a perverted sort of satisfaction when they spout out spoilers - major and minor - to destroy the reading experience of fellow bookworms? Don't they realize how sacred reading is to the reader? 
A reader's journey is personal. Of course, we share our experiences, and our opinions on books. Of course, we passionately discuss books with others - debating over the newest plot twist, who's going to end up with whom in yet another love triangle, and our absolute favorite: which character(s) is going to die in the end. But spoilers?
Spoilers are a different thing altogether.
Revealing major parts of a novel's plot on the net, leaking them out and ruining the book for readers caught unawares, is NOT cool. 
You know what? It should be made illegal.

To quote my friend, Penn -fellow reader, fangirl, and completely anti-spoilsport- "if you can't preserve the sanctity of all feels, then you might as well give up on readerdom, because it's not made for you".
True, buddy. 
I mean, come on.
Allegiant's case is the most recent one. Three deaths were spoiled for me thanks to some random spoilsport at school. THREE. One of which was the last one - the big one.
And this was before I could even get my hands on a copy.
My initial reaction?

And then - 

Throughout the course of the next three days, this was me:

For those bookworms who have gone through similar suffering, here's an Wikihow article that might help.

I bawled my socks off for three whole days after the spoilers. They were DEVASTATING, to say the least. Please, please - for the sake of humanity and all that is good on this earth - avoid spoiling books (and movies and television series) for other fans. And if you're acquainted with a spoiltroll, beware.

My Inky Folios: Eva

Hello readers! I penned this one down a couple of months back. Not exactly top-notch, but I just felt like posting it. Comments are always welcome. Happy reading!

Eva

I've seen darkness here

The silence seeks out my words

And I hear you shouting at her

Bittersweet moments like this.

Glimpses of a past

Memories that won't last

You try to take your rage out on her.

The future's overcast

And time moves too fast

Blessed is he who finds solace in words

The looking glass, she found it cracked

The sun waves goodbye to you

Death is a sweet friend to play with

You may run but it always catches you

Chained to the earth

Lessons she can't learn

Vanity is the new mockery 

Beggars face the brunt

They're prey in this hunt

Your designs, they fail miserably

And I'm watching you cry

Your son was never meant to die

But that's the jigsaw of life isn't it?

Not everyone was born to fit

I've seen darkness here

The silence seeks out my words

And I hear you shouting at her

Bittersweet moments like this.

Graceling (Graceling Realm, 1) - Kristin Cashore

Pages: 471 pages

Published: October 1st 2008 by Harcourt

URL: http://gracelingrealm.com/books.html

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy 
Rating: 4 out of 5 

Synopsis:

In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

My Thoughts:

In Katsa's world, there are two kinds of people: the regular folk, going about their mundane lives in a medieval world, and the Gracelings - people with special skills known as Graces. And while Gracelings are fairly respected in a kingdom like Leinid, being Graced in the Middluns - like Katsa - is bad news. It doesn't matter if you're the niece of the King; what matters is that you have an extraordinary skill no normal human should.

Some of the Gracelings have rather unremarkable talents. A Graced baker can bake the most scrumptious cakes. A Graced tree-climber can give monkeys a run for their money. A Graced swimmer can tread water not unlike a hammerhead shark. Despite these being unharmful Graces, ordinary people in the Middluns will avoid you like the plague the moment they see you have eyes of two different colours - the tell-tale sign of the Gracelings. They'll devour the excellent coffee crunch cake for sure, but they'll be terrified of the Graced baker. 

Katsa, unfortunately, isn't Graced with baking or singing. Hers is much more monumental, horrific and socially awkward - she can kill people with virtually a touch.

I know. That is not the sort of Grace your friend would take lightly . What if you accidentally sent them to death's doors with an innocent hug?

Katsa can reduce even the toughest of the King's soldiers to whimpers. The king - her uncle Randa takes full advantage of her Grace, sending her out to other lands to teach those who irk him a painful lesson. Her job ranges from merely breaking the fingers of nobles to pulling their arms out of their sockets. 

Does she enjoy this? Absolutely not.

Katsa starts a Secret Council which puts her skills to good use. But one such mission brings with it enigmatic questions, and to figure out the answers, Katsa travels with Prince Po - a prince of Leinid - undertaking a journey that would test her trust in him, and the notions she and the rest of the people believed true.

The action elements were gripping. Understanding the Graceling Realm through Katsa's eyes was an enjoyable experience. This is one of my favourite historical fiction novels, and if you liked the Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (you can read my review of the first installment here), I can guarantee you'll love the Graceling Realm series. 

My Inky Folios: Reincarnate

Another poem - but this one has nothing to do with dying queens or tortured women (referring to my previous compositions). I tried to incorporate an aura of awe - the tale spoken of in the poem has grasped the imagination of the village-folk, and they're never tired of retelling it to travelers in the inns. I would love your feedback!

Reincarnate

There is a tale woven

In the inns of old lands

And it speaks of men

The dauntless of their clans

Of times when suns

And moons failed to shine

And beasts that swallowed

Stars that rose high

There were seas, a deep blue

With caverns, crystal clear

And the songs of sirens

Brought sailors to their lair

The story tells of

Wolves that roamed homes

And giants, one-eyed

Turning gladiators to loam

Tombs that lay cracked

Lonesome in the hills

While raiders sold remnants 

Of kings and their frills

A peak that touched 

The sky in its mirth

And a pit that boiled 

With the rage of the earth

By old illusions

The fog was unwelcome

Until the day a queen rose

From the land seen seldom.

 

Back to Blogging!

Oh. My. God. I still can't believe I'm done with my first O Levels sitting. The past few months have been hectic and having been forced to leave Bring On The Ink since January in order to focus on my studies, I'm now absolutely thrilled to return to the blogosphere I love. I MISSED YOU GUYS. I missed blogging about the novels I'm reading, the novels I want to read and all those crazy bookish news popping up every now and then. And I know I'm rambling, but I want to make the most of this opportunity by thanking YOU guys, my lovely readers, for keeping this blog alive during my absence. Bring On The Ink gained 20 new followers while I was away with my nose buried in my text books, and I have almost reached 10,000 page views, while I remember distinctly that I had about 6000 pageviews in December. So yeah - I love you guys seriously. :) Cheers! 

I'll resume my reviews, memes, and challenges really soon. I read some amazing books these past couple of months. Altered! Under The Never Sky! Through The Ever Night! And I'm almost done with the epic Graceling. And so many books have been released - it's all I can do to not gobble them all up at once. I even changed the template (hope you guys find it pleasant); credits go to Inventing Inspiration - truly amazing designs.

And yeah, my blog will turn a year old in August, so I'm planning on doing something for the bloggoversary. I'm definitely going to take part in more giveaways and book tours. And I can promise you one thing - no one's coming between my blog and me for the rest of the year. I hope my lovely readers stick around and enjoy my reviews and ramblings. 

That wraps things up. It's bye from me for now! :D