The Sunshine Blogger Awards!

...also known as my first ever nomination at something blog related!! Ahhhhh. I feel sooooo happy and honoured! I was nominated by the lovely Savannah at The Book Prophet (which is a blog you should most definitely check out because she puts the oo in cool, the ass in kickass and she is rad and writes about a ton of books that I kind of wanna read).

Anyways, sunshine awards. Weeee. Okay, so let's start! (and I hope I will follow all the rules, 'cause this is my first time at this!)

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THE RULES

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- Thank the person who nominated you.
- Answer 11 questions set by the person who nominated you.
- Nominate 11 bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions to answer.

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SAVANNAH'S QUESTIONS

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1. If you could go back in time to fix a mistake you've made or to change something, what would it be?

Okay if I could go back in time and change something I probably would have:
a. Studied more for my media planning class because it would probably come in handy right now;
b. Read the book Os Maias when I should have (aka when it was an obligatory reading at school!)
c. Probably would have treated some people better in highschool, because I really liked them.
d. Have signed up for a programming class in uni.

2. If you could pick a place in time to travel to, when and where?

I would go to the court of Louis XIV because I would get to see Versailles being built and would have been able to live there which would probably be pretty ace. Also, cute boys at court. (but honestly, I wouldn't time travel because I love the present).

3. Pick one fictional object you'd like to own.

Invisibility cloak from Harry Potter!!!  I mean.... who wouldn't, honestly? You'd get to see everything and hear every conversation you wanted without people seeing you! It would honestly be so cool, you'd be a little fly on the wall.... just an invisible one at that.

4. Who is your favorite actor/actress?

After much consideration, I'm going with.... Benedict Cumberbatch. Because he is the Cumberbatch and I mean.... I will only really watch Doctor Strange/something comics related because of him and I think that means he is my favorite actor.
Favorite actress.... I don't know. I don't have one.

 

5. What is your current favorite TV show?

VIKINGS! no,wait... Outlander! Yes, between those two. This one is sooooo hard because I love so many shows and I am so addicted to so many of them . I suppose Vikings is that one show I always have to watch the epi when it comes out and Outlander is the show where I try to not watch the epis until the season ends because I know the hiatus will be too big and I want to watch them closer to the new seasons. So, yeah.

6. Name three fandoms you are a part of.

a. RAFAEL NADAL!!!! The first fandom I was in, where I learned to speak/write english and where I read my first ever fanfics. Oh my, I was only like...13. I'm still part of that fandom because Nadal is a huge part of my life and I love him to bits <3 <3

b. Sherlock!!!! BBC Sherlock is my addiction and I am super part of the fandom even if okay I don't write fics or anything but I adore Sherlock and the actors and I love everyone involved in this fandom and tv show and gaaaaah. Once, I even sent them an email to see if they wanted to collab with a company I was working with and that is the high point of my career.

c. Outlander! I don't consider myself a really active part of this fandom and I can hardly know all the dates and facts and everything that an avid fan should know but I just love this fandom and these books and this serie and these actors. Urgh.

7. Favorite childhood character?

Oliver and Benji from those soccer cartoons, probably, 'cause I watch them a whooooooole lot. Or like... Ash from Pokemon. Just...someone from the cartoons I used to watch as a child.

8. Favorite superhero movie?

I have only watched Spider-man soooooo............ (shame on me, shame on me)

9. If a zombie apocalypse were to happen, pick your weapon of choice, food of choice, shelter of choice, and fictional character to bring along with you.

DEAN AND SAM, OBVIOUSLY. or if I could only choose one character I'd choose Sam because he was always my favorite brother and I mean... how can anyone choose anybody else? These guys kill demons for a living! Weapon of choice would be... a gun??? A knife??? (how are zombies killed? okay, I'm going with a gun 'cause I can shoot from afar). Food would be just lots of canned food and water and sugar (just in case). The shelter of choice would be a bunker or a boat, because zombies probably can't swim.

10. Most anticipated book release of the year.

Nicholas Sparks' new romance because I am a sucker for Nicholas Sparks stuff and the new Alice Clayton book (named Cream of the Crop).

11. If you could choose one book that you'd be able to adapt into a movie your way, what would it be and who would you cast, where would you shoot, who would write the script, etc?

I would choose Baltasar&Blimunda by José Saramago because it's one of my favorite books EVER. It would be shot here in Portugal, in Mafra because that's where the story takes places.Scott Eastwood would play Baltasar (because hotttttt) and Karla Souza as Blimunda (because I love her so much) and I'd cast Sean Connery as Priest Bartolomeu. I would write the script because it's my favorite book and I'd want to work closely with Scott Eastwood (wink wink).

 

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THE NOMINEES

(I have only know like 2 bloggers and one of them is Savannah so I'mma nominate blogs who I am a fan of, so don't feel obligated to do this!)

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Laura at The Sweetest Condition

Danica at  A Redheaded Bookworm

C. at O meu Reino da Noite

Tempo de Ler at Tempo de Ler

Tanya at Girls Plus Books

Everyone at The Broke and the Bookish

And anyone else who wants to do this (just leave me the link bellow!)

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QUESTIONS

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1. If you had to put together a perfect book: from which book would you take the plot, the characters, the villains, etc.? (i.e.: plot from Divergent, male character is Peeta from Hunger Games.....)

2. Would you rather read many books a year but them being meeh stories or only reading one book during a year but the story being WOW WOW WOW?

3. Books are always better than movies, but which movie is better than its book in your opinion?

4. If you could choose a fictional character to be your best friend in real life, who would it be and why?

5. Choose a favourite tv show. Who is your favorite character and your least favourite character?

6. What was the irst book you've ever read?

7. If you could be anything you wanted, what would you be?

8. What is your happiest memory?

9. What's your favorite quote?

10. If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

11. Name: your ideal holiday destination, who would go with you and 3 things you would take.

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Okayyyy, and that's it! Thank you Savannah for nominating me and I look forward to see everyone doing this award thingie because it was super fun for me (tho I acknowlege I have to start following more blogs!!!)

 

Me Thinks #1: The Hooker and The Hermit

Name: The Hooker and the Hermit
Authors: L.H. Cosway, Penny Reid
Warnings: few sex scenes; mentions of agression

After seeing various people on Goodreads reading and giving 5 stars to this book, I decided to check its profile and see what was it about this book that attracted so many people. The name, The Hooker and The Hermit, immediately made me think of a dirty classless erotic romance where a prostitute (hooker) became involved with an agoraphobic.

I was somewhat aprehensive. We're reaaaaally giving this thing 5 starts? I instantly imagined an even worse version of 50 Shades, very kink and naughty but not very well written. But then, I looked at the cover and saw this guy, a rugby player. Weird, I thought. Then I read two lines from the synopsis and understood it was a blog entry. With so many weird factors, I just HAD to grab this book.

And I'll tell you, I loved it. L-O-V-E-D IT!!!!!! There was no prostitute, no, hooker is apparently a rugby position and the hermit wasn't an agoraphobic but a girl with this super duper secret blog who works for an advertising/marketing/crisis control agency.

I was very dubious of this romance at the start. I think the title and the cover are horrible and they definitly don't sell the book, but the story is SO GOOD. I don't want to get too much into the story because I don't want to include spoilers of any kind, but trying to be spoiler-free: there's this rugby player, Ronan, who has to clean his image and Annie, the Hermit, is going to help him do so....obviously, they end up having some smooches. The worst is that, even before they met professionally, Annie writes about Ronan on her blog and obviously, Ronan sends her a very long email with a rant. From the first line, I thought I knew how this story would play out but I was wrong, wrong, wrong.

I thought this book was going to be the biggest cliché ever, boy meets girl and falls in love and I was already foreseeing a preface with a lot of babies running through rugby fields while blogging but I was wrong. I thought Ronan would freak out when he found out the whole truth or that Annie would react differently but no. I loved it so much because this book was so different from all these New Adults I've read that have pages and pages of smut! I read it in 2 days, the writing was so good and it was fun and light but still with a bit of drama... and yeah, it has some 50 Shade-ish moments but they are high class and not exagerated at all!

p.s.: I googled (or I goodread-ed) the author, Penny Reid, and I learned that I have several of her books on my TBR list! Will she be my Alice Clayton 2.0???

p.s.s.: I'm a lover of quotes so obviously I couldn't let a book like this one, with so many fun quotes, go without a little something. Here is one of the many messages Ronan sent to Annie:

"Dearest Annie, 
Roses are red. 
Violets are blue. 
I’m using my hand 
But I’m thinking of you. 
- Ronan 
P.S. Just to clarify, I’m using my hand to write this note…get your mind out of the gutter."

Saturday 4 Show: Best Mums Ever!

It's saturdayyyyy, it's the weekend! Wee-hoooo. Dance-Party!!! And this weekend we have a special dance-party in honour of our beloved mums. Thank you girls, for giving us life!

In my native language I can remember a lot of  songs or poems to quote in honour of this day, but english isn't my mother tongue so I will refrain from posting that kind of thing and make a fool of myself. If you do know a song or poem related to mother's day, leave it to me in the comments! That way, I can use it next year (wink wink).

Anyways, let's do this! Let's honour the mums that grace our tv shows, mums we would like to have or that are so so so so cool. My number 1 is a super-mom, my number 4 is also a super-mum so like... this top has no preferential order whatsoever (but Abby is my fav anyways):


1. Abby Griffin in The 100
 

 

(source)

 

Abby is a super-mum! Eventhough she is Clarke's mum, she is actually mother of all of us. Yes, even of us, viewers. When she understood that things were wacked up there in space, she wasted no time in trying to create a spaceshift that could bring her to Clarke and since she has been on earth she has done everything she could to help her daughter and her friends, the Deliquents....even if sometimes they speak crazy. Abby trusts, loves and supports everyone and she is my fav mum ever (even if right now she is doing questionable choices).


2. Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones

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Cat!!!! Who doesn't like this lady? She accepted Ned's bastard and took care of all of her children with love and fondness. She was an attentive mum who had a very sad final (as per usual in this show, anyways) that she didn't deserve in the slightest. I am sure that if she was still alive, her heart would be hurting a lot nowadays seeing all her children separated and in pickles. She's a mum who is no longer amongst us but who is still a hell of a mum!

3. Meredith Grey in Grey's Anatomy

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Meredith doesn't win the mum of the year award or anything, especially because her kids don't even show up that much and I'm 80% certain that she spends half her life at the hospital. But I like her and I think she is sweet and she has been able to be a good mum  even if she, herself, had the worst mum ever. And even after Derek died, she was able to stand strong for her kids instead of drowing herself in Tequila like she used to do in the first seasons.

4. Melissa McCall in Teen Wolf

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Okay, so I haven't watched Teen Wolf in ageeeeeees but I loved (still love) Melissa! She is that kind of mum who is your friend and is always there for you. She is besties with her son and his best-friend and let's be real, she trust them a lot to believe every wacked thing that comes out of their mouth and help them! Melissa is simply this: fantastic!

These are my choices for the day! So if you do this, leave your blog's link on my comment box so I can check it out and see which mum's are your favs. Next week I'll bring you: Shows that I never ever ever plan on watching. Might be a cool post!

Sunny Fridays!

(so much love for this man)

Top 5 Wednesday: Maternal/Mother figures

It's wednesdayyyyyyy....which means it's Top 5 Wedneday day!!!! I haven't done one of these in a long while because I've been a little busy but also because I haven't got any book for any of the past topics.

If you want to know everything about this T5W, you can click in this amazing link which will take you to Goodreads. This Y5W was created by Lainey but is now managed by Samantha!

Today's topic is the best mums or best maternal figures we have found in books! This is a perfect topic because this week is gonna end in this great and amazing day that is Mother's Day! So these weeks posts are dedicated to all the great mums who have carried us in their belly for 9 mums! (Thank you, mum!!!! <3)

This was such a difficult list because I feel like there aren't enough decent motherly figures in fiction??? Am I reading the wrong books? Either ways, we need to have more great mums in books!!!! So I'm only going to do 4 books today.

And here are my choices:

1. Jenny Fraser in Outlander

Jenny isn't the main character, she is actually Jamie's sister but it just so happens that she has a gazillion kids! So she is a mum and is qualified to be here. She also happens to be the most kickass woman to have ever existed. I think she even kicks Claire's ass, and I love Claire! The fact is Jenny does everything a man does and then some... she is bold and strong and she manages the house, the farms and if needed, she will fight. All this while taking care of her football team like babies and sometimes, pregnant with the next goalie.

2. Ma in Room

Ma is Jack's mum, in Room. I don't think her name was ever mentioned in the book but to be truthful, I haven't finished reading this book. I watched the movie and it was one of my favorites from Oscars 2016 but when I picked this book up, I was so disappointed. Still, Ma is one hell of a mum, raising her child in the room and doing everything she could to protect him and save him.

3. Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl

I have raved about this book in the blog countless times because this is one of my favorite Philippa Gregory books. When one was a part of the court, one couldn't simply live with their kids but Mary Boleynn didn't stand for it. When her children were taken from her, she gave everything up to be with them: she gave up on the King and the court and even the wealth. And that makes her a hell of a mum! (Even if only in fiction).

4. Margaret McLachlan in The Beauty Trilogy

This trilogy is one of my favorites because it's so fun and light and sweet (even if the covers make it look very 50 Shades. It's not!!!!). One of my favorite characters is Margaret because she is so funny and brings this book into a whole new dimension. She supports her children a 100% but she also provides her daughters in law with advices to tame them. I liked her so much, I laughed so much because of her.

And voilá! It wasn't easy at alllll.... C'mon, book writers, let's give mums more space in novels, shall we?!

Saturday 4 Show: Couples who make me eww

It's Saturdayyyyy, it's the weekenddddd, it's TV Shows list dayyyyy! Weeeeee.

Today, I bring you the top4 couples who make me EWWWW. We all have those couples that we simply hate to see on screen and who make us wonder why the heck did anyone think they were a good idea? They bring nothing new to the series, they don't even look good together and just....why?!

I thought of this topic because of some stuff I bumped into on tumblr, even from series that I no longer watch (but of course then I had to check them out again just to see if this was true or not). This is an offence to love, I tell you. These couples...oh, no....these couples.
But let's find out, who my top4 are!


1. Spencer and Caleb from Pretty Little Liars

(source)

I gave up on Pretty Little Liars because the whole A drama was too much and it wasn't even gullible anymore, like I could honestly write a whole rant of PLL because this series that I loved so much turned BORING. Anyways, several years went by in my life and then I saw there were these new epis where the girls were grown up and I got curious so I checked the show out again and urghhhh. That's when I found this couple....this awful, awful couple: Spence and Caleb. That's right. What the heck?? I think it's weird because we went from 6 seasons where Toby+Spencer and Hannah+Caleb were a thing to.... Spencer+Caleb??? I just don't even like them together...even if, okay, they have some stuff in common but urghhh. It hurts my eyes.

2. Asher and Bonnie of How to Get Away with Murder

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Asher and Bonnie are my two least favorites characters of HTGAWM. And I kind of like Asher now but when he dated the annoying, silly and not-interesting-at-all Bonnie, he lost all of my respect. I haaaaaaate Bonnie. I honestly do. Now, in the last few episodes of season 3 (?? I think), Asher begins dating somebody else and I didn't even see those two people together at first but then I kind of liked them and also, I like it the most because Bonnie is out of the equation. She was so mumsy to Asher and when they were together, they put me to sleep... still, with the rhythm of the series I suppose it was good to have a moment to catch my breath (and a wink).

3. Bellamy and Clarke in The 100

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This is a impopular opinion, I know!!! And they are not even a couple as of yet but I don't even see it?? Fine, Bellamy mighttttt have feelings for Clarke but Clarke is in love with Lexa. And I'm fine with it, because I love Bellamy and I don't like Clarke. I may be one of the few people who dislikes Clarke but she is soooo annoying and she takes all these decisions by herself without consulting her "partner in crime" but whenever Bellamy messes up she comes and judges him? At least he didn't run away when things got hard, Clarke!!! And then she goes 'I need you, Bellamy'....oh please, give me a break. No, no, no.

4. Jo and Alex in Grey's Anatomy

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Ahhhh, Jo just needs to chill. At first I really liked Jo because she understood Alex and they have the same background and they came from similar places in life but then they started dating and Jo became a pain in the ass. She is so whiny, she always thinks everyone is against her and she always manages to bring personal life into work-related situations. I don't know why the writers always find the worst girlfriends for Alex because he certainly doesn't deserve that and I haven't lost hope that Jo will get better and win my love and affection again but as of right now... I just can't figure her out. And I don't think Alex can figure her out. Maybe Jo needs to figure herself out, first.

And that's ittttt. That's my top4 of eww couples. If you do make your own top4, link me so i can check it out. Next weekkkkk, it's Mother's Day  in Portugal so I'm going to bring you Top4 Motherly Characters to spread the looooove.

TAG: The Outlander Book Tag

Sing me a song of a lass that is gone, say that that lass could be IIIIIIII..... That is right my friends, I am here to talk to you about Outlander!!!

 

I basically saw this on some blogs and then I went on youtube and watched a bunch of videos with this TAG but the person who created it was abookutopia. I love, love, love Outlander, I'm currently reading the 3rd book (Voyager) and I adore Jamie and Claire and everyone so much and I wanna marry this book and they are my ultimate OTP so obviously I couldn't let this TAG pass me by.

I have never done one of these TAGs but basically there are a few questions based on the book and I'll answer them with what I see fit. I'll try to not reply 'Outlander' to every single one of these questions butttttt....bare with me.


Here we go!



  
1. You touch some standing stones and get transported back in time, what year would you hope to land in?

The history geek inside me would like to be transported to a. World War I; b. dictatorship times butttt the human inside me is currently hitting the history geek in the head. I would like to be somehwere in the 17th century because of the dresses and Louis XIV and yeah... just like, the lazy life of a woman who had no respect or rights whatsoever *note the sarcasm*.

2. Claire is a very good nurse, what type of skill would you want to have that a fictional character excels at? 

I'm going to go with Blimunda from Baltasar and Blimunda (José Saramago). She has this gift of seeing people's aura and if they are truly good at their core and I think that would be quite cool, it would be cooler than to be a kickass master. And like, she only has this gift if she doesn't eat so it's very controlable and I can avoid things going wrong.

3. Jamie and Claire are ultimate relationship goals, who is your favorite fictional couple?

JAMIE AND CLAIRE. Oh wait, I have to choose another? My 2nd OTP is honestly a tie between Simon and Caroline (Wallbanger, by Alice Clayton) and Emma and Aidan from this little indie book called The Proposition by Katie Ashley which is soooooo good and cute and sweet and the reason why I thank whatever platform Katie Ashley chose for allowing to publish this book (I mean...I've only re-read it like 4 times!).

4. The ending of Outlander was shocking, what is one book you read that totally blew your mind?

Since I am trying to get out of my typical choosen books I am not going to go with Allegiant (which, I reckon, would be more wow if I hadn't been spoiled!), I'm going to choose Father Unknown by Lesley Pearse because... WHAT THE HECK IS THIS BOOK???? At first I was like 'Okay, Leslie, nice stuff' but when I got to the middle I'm like WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!! This book surprised me so much and I still remember it nowadays, eventhough I read it while I was in highschool (aka, a lifetime ago).

5. Scotland has lots of castles and we see quite a few in Outlander, what fictional kingdom would you want as your own (castle included)?

Hiiiiii, Cinderella, do you need a roomate??
Either that or Hogwarts. I never read Harry Potter but since it's a school, I suppose I could learn a thing or two between all the drama Harry creates.

6. Outlander has some very steamy scenes, what is your favorite romance novel?

I really like the Beauty trilogy written by Georgia Cates. It may start off really steamy but it's not like that at alllll, it's just a really cool romance between Jack and Laurelyn. The covers might give the wrong idea since this is not a 50 Shades book AT ALL. Also The Proposition/The Proposal by Katie Ashley is love.

7. The Jacobite Rising is a huge plot point in the Outlander series, what book has your favorite battle in it?

I am a very relaxed person who does not like fights, however if you bring me into a fight....oh boy, be prepared. So. For my favorite battle, I'm going to go with....Divergent. Like all the battles divergents have with the top guys. It's hard for me to choose a battle because a. I kind of forget some bits of the books; b. I usually read fluffy romances or historical things with few to none battles.

8. Jamie and Claire get married very unexpectedly, what fictional character would you want to marry on a whim?

JAMIE! Obviously, duh.
Alright... other than Jamie...I'd hook up with Four from the Divergent. He is a nice boy, a little whiny sometimes but still okay. I wouldn't say no to Colin from See Me (Nicholas Sparks)

9. Scotland is a beautiful place, what is one fictional world you would love to visit? 

Okay, so I don't read a lot of fiction and the fiction I read is mostly dystopias where the world has either ended or is a complete mess so I wouldn't want to go near those worlds, anyways. I'm going to go again with Harry Potter.... just because it seems pretty neat.

10. If you could change the past, would you?


I....would. I don't know, on one hand I believe everything happens for a reason but on the other hand I feel like if I hadn't acted a certain way towards certain people or situations, different outcomes could have happened. I don't know. I probably wouldn't change anything just because if I did things a certain way, it was because I had reasons to??? I don't know.

11.Tag somebody!

I am tagging my friend Laura because she is a book lover like moi, and she is the only person I know with a blog. So, there.

And now, I'm going to watch Outlander. Obvi.

(All the pics, I found in Google and I think belong to Starz and they are allllll season 1. So, no spoilers!)