Liebster Award!

Thanks to the lovely Jody over at Spoonful of HappyEndings for nominating me. I love doing posts like this, it’s so much fun!

Here are the Liebster Award rules:

1. Post 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions created by the person who nominated you, then create your own set for the people who you are going to nominate!

3. Choose 11 people (that have under 200 followers) to nominate and link them to your post.

4. Let the people you nominated know they've been tagged. No tag backs!

11 Facts About Myself:

•  I’m obsessed with hockey, I follow our league here in Switzerland, but it’s nothing compared to the NHL. My fave teams: Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning. My favourite player: Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars.

•  I love musicals. Whenever I go to London I go see at least one. My highlight so far: Seeing Assassins and then meeting Aaron Tveit, he’s amazing!

•  The school I work for has a wonderful view down to he city, the only problem in winter: the snow, I don’t like driving in the snow.

•  I love being a Beta reader, it’s so much fun to get „behind the scenes“ if writing a book.

•  I haven’t read the Fifty Shades books (yet).

•  I love coffee, Starbucks is ok, but in Italy you still get the best one.

•  My English essays were always better than my German ones, and German is my mother tongue.

•  London and Vancouver are my second homes. I try to go back to London regularly, I wish it were that easy with Vancouver.

•  Singing is my way to relax. I have a rehearsal every week, without it something seems weird.

•  I love fashion and that’s why I started the Fashion Corner on my blog. I love trying out outfits and defining my style.

•  Starting my blog has been one of the best decisions of my life.

11 Questions:

•  What's your favourite colour combination? Different shades of blue and turquoise, like the sea.

•  Which book did you last read that was way better than you expected? That's kind of a hard question, because when I pick a book, I usually pick one I think will be great. Of course with review copies that's different. I'd say The Dandelion Years by Erica James, because it was my first book by her and I had no idea what to expect. I loved it!!!!

•  Which genre of films are you definitely NOT a fan of? Horror, I hate it!

•  Which character from 'Friends' are you most like? Good questions, I’d say Rachel probably, I always felt close to her and I did a playbuzz quiz on it and the answer: Rachel ;)

•  Cereals or toast? Both, it really depends on my mood.

•  If you would take part in a Miss World competition, what would your talent be? Playing the piano and singing a song.

•  What is the last thing you watched on TV? NHL Hockey.

•  Are you happy with your name? I am. My mum told me she wanted Vanessa, I’m glad my dad didn’t like the name, there are so many Vanessas out there. I wish they would have made my second name official though.

•  What is your guilty pleasure? TV series and coffee.

•  Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? Definitely Santa Claus, I never really was a big fan of the Easter bunny.

•  What's one of the most important things you've learned in your life so far? Be yourself and go after your dreams, it doesn't matter what other people think, you have to feel happy. 

11 New Questions:

·      List 5 things you want to do before the year ends.

·      What do you value most in a friend?

·      List at least 2 things that you like about yourself.

·      Where would you like to travel?

·      What fictional character reminds you most of yourself?

·      What was your favorite TV show as a kid?

·      What’s the first thing you’d do if you were the opposite sex for one day?

·      If you had to get a tattoo on your face to save your life, what would it be?

·      What is something you find romantic?

·      Do you focus more on the past, the present, or the future?

·      How many languages can you speak?

·      A book you could read over and over again?

11 Bloggers I Nominate:

Agata @ Vanilla Read

The Girl in the Moonlight

Maryline @ M's Bookshelf

Holly @ Bookaholic Confessions

Emma P. @ Star Crossed Reviews

Ashton @ Beauty Books and Babble

Eve @ Eve's Chick Lit Reviews
Laura @ Little Northern Soul
Finished Reading
Tika @ Fangirl Confessions
Dawn @ A Page of Fictional Love

Liebster Award II

What is the Liebster Blog Award?

The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

“Liebster” is German for “favorite”. This award is the “favorite blog award” then.

The Rules

1. Thank and link back to the blogger who presented you with the award.

2. Answer 10 random questions.

3. Nominate 10 blogs with less than 200 followers who you feel deserve the award.

4. Create 10 random questions for your nominees

5. Put the Liebster Blog Banner on your blog

I nominated for this award twice within two days and that made me so happy. You can read my first post here: Liebster Award I. This time I was nominated by the lovely Isabell from http://dreamingwithopeneyesreviews.blogspot.de . It's such an honor to be nominated twice and this blogging experience is just SO awesome! I got to know so many amazing people and I'm very grateful for that. 

Funnily enough the rule on Isa's post were a little different from the other one I got, but that doesn't matter, I'm following the listed ones here. 

10 questions from Isabell: 

1. If you could travel anywhere in the world and money was no object, where would you go? Why?

New York and California, because I love the states and I’ve heard great things about these places. New York has so much to offer with shopping, sight seeing and Broadway and travelling around California and the states near by has always been a dream for me.

2. What does you family think about your blogging?

They actually quite impressed about it and always ask me about it. My parents are on Twitter as well and I always get some comments from them which is really nice. I tried to explain them how it works and they it’s great. I should still focus on my studies though, they tell me this all the time.

3. Where do your blogging ideas come from?

Everywhere I guess. I am confronted with other blogs and tweets every day. They all make me think and then ideas come to mind. I always try to develop these ideas and make them unique and fitting form y blog.

4. Do you blog according to a schedule or is it more random?

I started without a schedule, but I have one now and it really helps me organizing everything. It gives you a great overview and you can still change some things.

5. If you have a day job, what is it?

I’m still a student at the moment. I’m going to finish my studies in June and then I’m going to work as a primary school teacher.

6. What is your goal for 2014?

Successfully finish my studies, find a great job and have a good start with my new class.

My other goal ist o have a great year with blogging.

7. What was your favorite age to be?

The age from around 20 onwards, where everything around your future is decided: job, family etc.
I really enjoy being a student :)

8. What genre do you prefer reading?

I love reading chick-lit and romance books.

9. What was your favorite thing about 2013?

Starting my blog and my trip to London back in August. I just love this city so much <3

10. What was your favorite stuffed animal as a kid?

A rabbit, still have „her“, her name was Schnuffel. 

I nominate the following bloggers:

- Becky @ Becky's Blog

- Jill @ Jill loves to read

- Abbie @ Tales for Females

- Janet @ From First Page To Last

- Sharon @ Chapter One Page One

- Zara @ Page 394

- Jenny @ Amallgirlbigdreams1993
- Rebecca from @ Good Books Good Tea
- Victoria Browne @ Writing The Wrong
- Frances @ Reviewed by Fran

My questions for the bloggers:

      - Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.  
      - What book character would you be, and why? 
      - What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?  
      - If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?   
      - If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
      - Who is your favourite author?
      - What is your favourite season?
      - Where is your favourite place to read?
      - Favorite hobby besides reading?
      - Top 5 most charming male fictional characters.
      - Most emotional book you've read?

- 

I've been nominated for a Liebster Award!

I'm so happy to let you all know that I've been nominated for a Liebster award. The wonderful and lovely Amanda at Adventures from the Bookshelf has nominated me for the award, along with a few other fellow book bloggers.

The Liebster Blog Award translates to "the beloved" or "the dearest". The award is given as a way to celebrate smaller blogs. (Only blogs with under 200 followers can be awarded.) Before you accept the award, there are a certain set of tasks you must complete. The first is to reveal 11 facts about you, answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you and then create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer. Phew! Now let's do it!

11 Facts about Me

 1. I don’t like cheese. I know it’s weird with me being Swiss, but I tasted a really bad one when I was a kid and since then I never touched it again, except for Mozzarella.

2. I still live at home with my parents and my brother. Rents are really expensive here and my student loan is not enough. I plan on moving out as soon as I earn some real money.

3. „Elena“ isn’t my real second name, I actually don’t even have one. My mum told me that they just forgot and then it was too late. She likes the name Elena though and me too and she told me it would have been a great second name for me, so that’s why I call myself Simona Elena everywhere now.

4. I could really image being an author later on in my life. I wrote some fanfictions in German and now I write some short stories. I even have ideas for a novel. I guess when I’ve settled down as a teacher, I’m going to write more.

5. I speak 4 languages: German (Swiss German doesn’t really count), English, Italian and French. German is my mother tongue, I learned Italian because of my grandma and I learned the other two languages at school. I’d really like to learn another one, maybe I’ll go into Spanish, it’s similar to Italian and when they speak slowly I understand them.

6. I am member of an English Theatre group here in the area. We mostly perform Musicals, I was in Oliver! And we’re going to do The Sound of Music this year.

7. I am also member of a choir, it’s actually a classical choir, but in the past few years we did a lot of modern things as well. They’re trying to get younger members, especially young people between 20 and 40. I’m one oft he youngest ones at the moment and our average age is 50. In July we're going to the World Choir Games in Riga.

8. I was never a big fan of Ron Weasley in the HP series, I always wanted Harry and Hermione to end up together.

9. I’d love to be a member of a rock band as a singer and also learn to play the guitar.

10. I am not a big fan of Ryan Gosling (sorry ladies).

11. I’d love live by the sea. 

11 Questions from Amanda

•   Whats your favourite book and why?

That’s a really hard question for me to answer, there are so many books I adore and my favourite book changes all the time. I’ll go with Connectivity by Aven Ellis, because I just fell in love with this story. I read it back in January and I still have a book hangover and I really miss the story. Aven’s writing is brilliant, passionate and so gripping. And I have a huge crush on the male lead ;) I actually have to add her new novel Waiting For Prince Harry here. I just finished it and it's brilliant. HUGE book hangover.

•   What made you decide to start your blog?

That’s simple: My love for books. I took me quite a while to find my genre to read after I’ve grown out of the Fanatsy ones and I found my new home with chick-lit and romance last summer. I started reading lots of books and looked for a way to put down my thoughts and discuss them with others, so here I am now.

•   What would you say has been your greatest achievement so far?

Oh wow! Well, I guess it’s finding my dream job in teaching. I know I’m not finished with my studies yet (soon though), but I know it’s the right thing for me and I’ve learnt so much about it in the last few years. It also includs my love for languages (C2 diploma in English, C1 in French) and music. I love teaching kids and seeing that they learn something and theat they are passionate about a topic. As soon as the understand something, their light goes on and that makes me smile.

•   Who would be your ideal dinner guests (living or dead)?

I guess that also depends, but I’d really like to have dinner with J.K. Rowling, get to know her better and ask her many questions (Potterhead ;))

Or Henry Cavill, he's great ♥

•   Who are the top five people you'd most like to meet? 

Firstly my two Twitter besties: Mary and Ana, we’ve built such a strong friendship, now we only need to meet in person.
The most amazing and brilliant author Aven Ellis, I'd love to meet her in person and chat a little over coffee or wine ;)

Then I’d really like to meet some other authors I adore and since I have only 2 people left I’d go for Hannah Beckerman and Paige Toon.

•   If you had to live in a decade other than your own, which one would you choose and why?

The 7oties or 80ties I guess, because I love the music from these decades. Other than that I don’t have a special connection to any specific decade, I think I was born at the right time ;).

•   What's your favourite season?

Summer! I love the sun and the beach. Being outside with a book, sightseeing and exploring the nature, that’s great. I guess you could also count spring, but I prefer it when the temeratures are a bit warmer.

•   If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why?

There are many places I’d like to visit, but I’d really love to go to New York and California. I’ve read so much about New York and it seems tob e my kind of city and it’s always been a dream to travel California, I love sun, beaches and great cities, so...

•   Where's your favourite place? 

I don’t just have one favourite place. It’s either a beach (Siesta Key or the Riva del Sole beach in Italy), where I can relax, have the sea close by and can read a book or my beloved cities London and Vancouver, because they’re just amazing.

•   What's your favourite type of food?

Good question ;) I guess I’m a typical Italian girl, I love pasta and Italian salads. They always have special pasta with salmon or artichoques... I LOVE THAT!

Oh and I’m a SUHSI girl.

•   How do you like to spend your free time? 

I love reading, so I spent a lot of my free time with books and blogging about them as well. I also love blogging about other things like traveling, music and food. I love music and I sing in a choir, we have rehearsals every week and I’m currently also rehearsing for a Musical. Other then that I love to play the piano, go shopping and spend time with my friends.

 I nominate these lovely bloggers:

• Charlotte @ Miscrawl

• Clare @ A Book and Tea

• Rebecca @ Becca's Books

• Alba @ Lost in Chick Lit

• Maryline @ M's Bookshelf

• Erin @ Erin's Choice

• Jess @ A Novel Thought

• Laura @ Laura's Little Book Blog

• Emma @ Chicklit vs Fantasy

• Aven @ Aven Ellis' Blog

• Katie @ Into The Bookcase

My questions for the nominees

• How long have you been blogging and why did you start doing it? 

• Who is your celebrity crush and why? (you can also have more than one ;) )

• What inspires you?

• Which is the book which has made the greatest impact on you?     

• What's your drink of choice?


• In your opinion, what is the best blog post you've written so far? Give us the link.


• What is your favorite restaurant?

• What does your dream house look like?

• 3 authors you’d really like to meet and why?

• What are 5 items you never leave home without?

• A favorite childhood memory?