Mystery Blogger Award

Thank you to Lori for tagging me to do this!

WHAT IS MYSTERY BLOGGER AWARD?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.
– Okoto Enigma

RULES

Put the award logo/image on your blog
List the rules.
Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
Share a link to your best post(s)

3 Things About Myself

I’m obsessed with Star Trek. My favorite series are The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. From an early age, Star Trek taught me to respect other cultures and to embrace diversity. I’m always re-watching one of the series at any given time; right now my boyfriend and I are watching Enterprise. Side note: I still always giggle anytime I seek Commander Riker sit in a chair.
I have a couple of speech impediments, specifically rhotacism and a lisp. I was incredibly self-conscious about it for the first twenty-five years of my life or so before realizing that I would have to learn to embrace it. Now I’ve had two jobs in a row that entails speaking to large groups of people, and I no longer stress about the way I talk (or, at least not as much as I used to)!
I wrote a picture book about vampires taking a road trip in the fourth grade. It was in a composition notebook and I illustrated the whole thing. I was so immensely proud of it and dragged it everywhere I went. I don’t remember what happened to it – I recall searching for it in high school and never found it, and then my family’s house burned down when I was 19. It may be lost forever, but I’m still proud of that first book I wrote!

Lori’s Questions

Why did you start blogging?

Although Read Yourself Happy is just a few months old, I started my first blog during my freshman year at university in 2007. It was about politics and current events (I was a political science major), and I’m still proud of it. I called it Karmic Reverberations and it’s still available online. From the title and the fact that I was blogging under the name of Karmalily, I’m sure you can tell I was going through my hippy phase when I did this.

Less than a year later I started a blog about living as a vegan, which became much more successful than Karmic Reverberations. I named it Ahimsa, and it is also still available online. I spent years doing this blog until I left Asheville, NC and started eating eggs, at which point I felt it would be dishonest to continue writing a vegan blog.

What is your weird habit that you always used to do while growing up?

This will probably gross a lot of people out, but when I was a kid I would only eat bacon dipped in ketchup and Tabasco.

What book(s) are you hoping that you could finish before 2018 ends?

Becoming by Michelle Obama. I adore Michelle Obama, and I purchased her new memoir the day it was released. I can’t wait to get more of an inside look at her life.
Outlaws of the Marsh by Shi Nai’an.This book is massive at 1600 pages, and I’m only in the middle of volume 1. I had intended to finish it this month, but I’m starting to realize that there’s no way that is going to happen. Despite being written in a different language and nearly a century ago, it’s a very enjoyable read.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. I just got this book from the library and I can’t wait to start it. Originally it was the absolutely gorgeous cover that caught my eye, but the story sounds really interesting as well.
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography by Eric Idle. I grew up loving Monty Python, and I’m currently listening to the audiobook of this, which is read by Eric Idle and I highly recommend it because he sprinkles in singing here and there throughout it. It’s so hilarious!

A book that you would recommend to someone no matter what?

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood because it should terrify anyone that reads it. There’s a reason people are obsessed with how real the current television series depicting this novel seems, and that reason is that it’s not at all far-fetched. This is a cautionary tale that everyone should read at least once.

Have you played an instrument before? If so, what did you play?

I’ve attempted it twice – a guitar and a violin. Then I discovered that I have the worst ear for music ever. I still eventually want to learn to play the saxophone. I listen to jazz every day and the saxophone is such a relaxing sound. Saxophones are crazy expensive though, so that’ll have to wait.