Liebster Award

This is so exciting! I’ve been nominated for a Liebster Award by my fellow blogger over at The Daily Dosage. First of all, I just want to say thank you to The Daily Dosage and that this was just the kick I needed to get back into my blog! I’ve felt pretty overwhelmed these past couple of months and just haven’t been able to make blogging a priority. I’m working through one of my last semesters of grad school, just got engaged in February (yay!), and am prepping to move in May, so I’ve been pretty swamped with some major life transitions. Every time I think about how I’ve been neglecting my new blog, I get a little down; but, I fully plan to have some new reviews up soon, so bear with me (I have been able to keep up with some reading and just got a new shipment of books in TBR!). After doing a little research on the Liebster Award, I’ve decided to stick with the traditional rules: list 11 facts about yourself, answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you, and nominate some other bloggers with 200 followers or less.

11 Facts About Me

1. I’m a late bloomer – when it comes to reading, that is! I didn’t really get into reading “for fun” until college.
2. I met my fiancé when I was 16 in my Honors Algebra II class. I don’t know how I even ended up in that class; I hate math and I’m terrible at it, but it all worked out in the end.
3. My favorite meal is chips and queso with frozen margaritas. Yes, this is a meal. Did I mention I live in Texas?
4. I have two dogs that are sometimes a pain, but they’re kind of like my children and I love them anyway.
5. I’m an avid runner, but I’ve yet to run any marathons.
6. My favorite flowers are gardenias.
7. I’m related to Sir Francis Drake. I’m supposedly also related to Pocahontas, but I’m not so confident about the validity of that.
8. My name is not short for anything. Also, it’s pronounced Lie-zuh, like Liza Minnelli or Eliza without the E. More often than not, I get called Lee-zuh by strangers (mainly Starbucks baristas).
9. My favorite TV shows are Game of Thrones (shhh…I haven’t read all the books yet) and Sherlock. And just because I’ll take any opportunity to use this GIF:
10. I absolutely hate cold weather, and to me, anything below 50 degrees is too cold. Although I think snow is beautiful, I’d rather look at if from inside a cozy cabin while drinking coffee and reading a book than be doing anything outside in it. Fortunately for me, it doesn’t snow here (and when it does, it barely qualifies as real snow).
11. I’ve been bitten by a venomous snake. It was a copperhead and I had to use crutches for several weeks.

11 Questions from The Daily Dosage

1. Do you have a specific way that you organize your bookshelves? If so, what made you choose that system? Alphabetically by author. I figure I’ll have enough practice organizing books as a librarian, so better to keep things simple at home, right?
2. How has your reading changed since you started blogging, if it has at all? There’s definitely pressure to read more and faster, but I certainly don’t want my reading to feel like a chore. I think I’ve been making an effort to read things in a more timely manner, but I don’t force myself if I’m not feeling it.
3. Do you ever wish you had chosen a different career/education path? If so, what? Maybe something that could make a little more money? Haha, kidding. No, I like where I’m at right now. However, I did want to be a vet growing up, and I get a little wistful thinking about it. Also I really love baking, so I think I might’ve owned a bakery in a previous life.
4. If you had to guess, what percentage of your  reading do you think is done in print, e-book and audiobook? 100% print. I don’t have an e-reader and I’ve never listened to an audiobook. However, that might change soon because I’m considering reading George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire via audiobook.
5. How did you choose the name for your blog? It was definitely a struggle! I wanted to pick a name that reflected my approach to reading, and after several embarrassing attempts, I came up with Paperback Wanderings. Disclaimer: I don’t read everything in paperback…I mainly just liked the sound of it.
6. What was the best book you read last year? That’s a toughie. The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway and The Rook by Daniel O’Malley are two strong contenders.
7. What was the last movie you watched? Did you like it? Were you at home or in a theater? The last new movie I saw was Dallas Buyers Club and I watched it on DVD. Yes, I did like it very much; the acting was excellent and I think it’s an important film to see. The movie I actually watched last was How To Train Your Dragon, which I’ve seen several times. Do I still count as an adult?
8. Do you read hardcover books with or without the dust jacket? Why? Without, because I don’t want them to get ruined! They remain safely on the bookshelf until I’m finished reading.
9. What is a book you haven’t read but everyone keeps saying you should? Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It’s in my TBR pile, though.
10. What upcoming 2014 book are you most excited about reading? Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon. It will be the eighth book in Gabaldon’s Outlander Series and I’ve been impatiently waiting for it to come out for FIVE YEARS.
11. What book do you wish everyone would read? Ummm this is hard, so I’m going to cheat and just pick from the books I’ve read this year. I’d have to say The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness is one of my most recent favorites!

My Nominations* and Questions

• Dekotah at If Books Could Talk
• Elizabeth at Bibliobeth
• Kristen at Kristarz Reviews
• Lauren at Great Minds Read Alike

1. Do you have a specific way that you organize your bookshelves? If so, what made you choose that system?

2. How has your reading changed since you started blogging, if it has at all?

3. Do you ever wish you had chosen a different career/education path? If so, what?

4. If you had to guess, what percentage of your  reading do you think is done in print, e-book and audiobook?

5. How did you choose the name for your blog?

6. What was the best book you read last year?

7. What was the last movie you watched? Did you like it? Were you at home or in a theater?

8. Do you read hardcover books with or without the dust jacket? Why?

9. What is a book you haven’t read but everyone keeps saying you should?

10. What upcoming 2014 book are you most excited about reading?

11. What book do you wish everyone would read?

*It was hard in some cases to determine how many followers you actually have, so I mean no offense if you have way more than 200!