I've been nominated for a Liebster Award!

To my sheer delight I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by Casey at Story Notions. Thank you so much, Casey for nominating my blog, Captivated Reader, for a Liebster Award!! I feel honored that another book blogging peer liked my blog enough to nominate it for this award! 

Quite frankly, I'd never even heard of the Liebster Award before. So, I did a little research of my own and discovered varying information about the Leibster Award, the origins of the Liebster Award & its rules.

The Basic Rules of the Leibster Award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and post a link to their blog in your blog post. 

2. Display an image of the Liebster Award in your blog post.

2. Share 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer 11 questions provided to you by the person who nominated you.

4. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve the award and have less than 300 followers.

5. Create a new list of 11 questions for the bloggers you've nominated to answer.

6. Let the bloggers you've nominated know you've nominated them.

7. List the rules for the Leibster Award in your post.


11 Facts About Me:

1. My love for reading books began as a toddler when my mom use to read Babar the Elephant stories to me and other children's books. I thank my mom for my love of reading!
2. I was born, raised and have lived most of my life in California.
3. I have a BA in Russian from the University of Iowa.
4. I've been an active member of Bookcrossing since 2008 and actively participate in the Bookcrossing forums. I've enjoyed exchanging books with readers around the world.
5. I've been a World Book Night Giver the past three years in a row and have enjoyed passing out books to other people in my local community.
6. I'm happily married to the love of life and we have been married for 12 years now.
7. I'm an only child and have no children of my own. I'm close to my family.
8. My most exotic vacation was one I took with my husband in 2012 for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We sailed through the Panama Canal and had a blast visiting cities in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
9. My husband & I started geocaching together in May 2005 and it's a hobby we enjoy doing together.
10. I've lived near the Pacific Ocean most of my life.
11. I enjoy visiting zoos, aquariums, museums, historical sites, botanical gardens, parks, beaches and cultural/theatrical events (like plays, musical events, symphony performances, ballet performances, etc.)


Casey's Questions For Me:


1. When did you start blogging? And why did you start?

I began my book blog on January 1, 2012! 

I've been a life long lover of reading books and wanted to share my passion for books and reading with the world at large. But I didn't want my blog to be solely filled with book reviews of the books I've read. So, I have included posts about the independent bookstores I visit, author signing events I've attend, book related quotes, book memes, and anything book related I came across from literary awards, book news, etc. 

Another reason I started my book blog was to connect with other readers and bloggers... Little did I know how much fun it would be to interact with other readers and bloggers around the world. I've really enjoyed discovering new book blogs as well as participating in book memes, read-a-thons, reading challenges and so on! 


2. What's the last book you reread? And why did you reread it? 

Well, I recently listened to the audio version of a short story written by Guy De Maupassant titled 'The Necklace' that I had originally read in high school for an English class. I had decided to listen to the audio version as I had remembered liking this short story when I'd first read it all those years ago.... Too many years ago to count!

3. Favorite TV/movie? (that isn't based on a book)

I like lot of different movies and television shows, but my recent favorite television show is 'Breaking Bad'. I've seen the entire series and loved watching it!! Too bad it's over as it was a fabulous series!!

4. Book/series that changed/influenced your life the most.

A tough question, but a good one at that... Which book has changed or influenced my life the most??? There are so many books that I've read over the years that have changed or influenced my life and my thinking for the better in some way, large or small.

However, I'd have to say that Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself by Lissa Rankin MD, has made the most impact on my life recently. I listened to the unabridged audio version of 'Mind Over Medicine' late last year and it became one of my favorite books of 2013. I've been having some health related issues for almost a year now and it has been one scary, daunting journey for me to deal with my symptoms. Overcoming the stress, fear, and anxiety that come along with dealing with a health issue and how to move forward in a positive direction has been a big issue for me personally.

After reading 'Mind Over Medicine' by Lissa Rankin MD, I felt empowered and have a new perspective of the healing process/journey. Now moving forward doesn't seem quite so scary or overwhelming. I'm currently taking small, baby steps to move forward towards optimal health. Life is good!!

5. Fandoms you're apart of and your 'favorite'.

Sure, I'm a fan of certain genres, authors, books and many other things aside from reading.... But I am not part if any fan clubs if that is what you mean. 

6. Hogwarts house.

Gryffindor!!

7. Weird reading habits or needs to be able to read?

No weird reading habits for me. I just like to be sitting in a comfortable place/position with adequate lighting and have the temperature be just right... Not too hot or too cold. So, reading at home in bed, sitting on the sofa, on a bench at the park or beach... Or even a coffee/tea house all work for me. 

In the past, I've enjoyed drinking hot tea (preferably organic jasmine green tea sweetened with stevia) or coffee with sweetened hazelnut creamer.... These days, however, I simply focus on my reading and skip the beverages!

8. Favorite book that was, at some point, 'required reading' for any reason.

'A Hero of Our Time' by Mikhail Lermontov. I had to read this novel for a Russian Literature class in college and it is now one of my favorite books of all time... I've read it 3 or 4 times now.

9. What is your OTP (couple you most like/want together)? And what is your NOTP (two characters you should never be together romantically, in your opinion)?

Not sure about this question... I couldn't come up with an answer for it.

10. Do you like ebooks? How often do you read one? Do you have an ereader?

Yes, I like eBooks! I've owned and used a Kindle quite regularly since 2008 and have upgraded to newer Kindles as time has gone by over the years. I vary my Kindle use though as I still read physical books and also still listen to books on compact disc... I'm also beginning to listen to more books from Audible.com this year as well. 

As a side note, I've become quite addicted to audio books the past few years and have actually listened to more books this year than read books.

11. What author, whose alive, do you most wish to meet and why?

Oh, that's a difficult question to answer! Let's see, there are three authors I'd really like to meet that come to mind immediately --- Diana Gabaldon, Maya Angelou, and Sherman Alexie. 

I've read many of Diana Gabaldon's novels and have enjoyed them very much. I think she'd be a neat person to meet. 

I love Maya Angelou's poetry and memoirs. I've heard Maya Angelou speak before a live audience twice in my life and enjoyed hearing her speak. She's filled with so much wisdom and knowledge that I'd love to meet her in person.

I loved reading Sherman Alexie's novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and fell in love with his writing. I'd love to met the person behind the writing.

I Nominate the Following Book Blogs for the Liebster Award:

Bookish Realm
Cold Tea & Crumbs
Geeky Chiquitas
Literature Martini
My Reading List


Here are my 11 questions for you:

When did your love for reading books begin?

Where's your favorite place to read? Do you have any favorite foods/snacks or beverages that you eat or drink while reading?? Or do you solely focus on the book you're reading?

Nostalgic question for you! What was your favorite book growing up?

Do you have an all time favorite book & why is it special to you?

Name the last book you reread!

Do you like attending literary events (book signings/book festivals, etc.)? If so, share with us a favorite literary event you've attended!

If you were to host a dinner party and could invite any author(s) to attend your dinner party, from the past or present, who would you invite and why?

Which fictional character (from a novel) would you most like to meet in real life?

What has been the best experience you've had as a book blogger?

Do you participate in weekly book memes, online read-a-thons, reading challenges, etc? If so, which one is your favorite one to participate in?

What do you enjoy doing for fun when you aren't blogging and reading?

Good luck and have fun with the Liebster Award!! I look forward to reading your comments below!