So, yesterday, I received the honor of being awarded "The Irresistably Sweet Blog Award" by the immensely sweet Monica Marie, and I must say - I am absolutely delighted, grateful and extremely honored. Thank you!!! To me, however, the biggest honor of all is being part of an amazing community of bloggers (book bloggers, and otherwise) who are more than virtual presences to me, and are really more like friends. Just being their friend, interacting with them, is the biggest award/reward I could ever hope for. But...I never turn down CAKE! :)
The instructions, as they were passed on to me, are these:
1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 deserving blog buddies.
4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them.
Seven Random Facts about ~Enamored Soul~
1. Ok, I know I'm weird, but I only have ONE true "book-boyfriend" that I truly love. I mean, sure there are lots of male characters in books that I absolutely adore, love and cherish who I wish were real men. But in terms of a character I'd want to come to life just for ME, the fact is there's only one such man. This gentleman's name is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. There has been no other male character written who could possibly have my heart like him.
2. When I was younger, my parents tricked me into believing that books were little treasures which could only be earned through hard work & good grades. While other girls in my class would ask their parents for toys or video games for their good grades, I received books. The first "book treasure" I received from my parents was an Oxford English Language Pocket Dictionary in the 1st which I carried in my school bag all year round! :)
3. I absolutely love ARCs - I love buying the actual book upon release too, but ARCs hold a special place in my heart. Their presence in my library signifies (and pardon my arrogance and snobbishness here) that I got to read that book before the masses! I think that's truly an honor, and I absolutely love it!
4. I am a writer. My first poem was published in a children's magazine when I was in fourth grade (It was a plea to "Save the Earth"). My first short story was published in sixth grade. This blog was initially a personal blog, but I didn't want to subject you guys to my anguished thoughts - so the posts were erased (saved, but erased!). I have a rough draft on a manuscript that I am not actively working on, currently - but I definitely plan on picking up soon after I am done with my medical board/licensing exams.
5. I cannot NOT finish a book I've begun reading - regardless of how awful it may be. I may end up writing a scathing review, but I always finish it so that no one can ever say to me..."but you never REALLY gave it a chance!" Also, the fact is, regardless of how bad the writing may be, or how predictable the plot may be, I have a nagging need to know how it all ended. Yes, I'm crazy.
6. Ok, you know enough about my book habits, so here's something else. I love shoes. I love, love, love shoes. I mean, I love make-up too. But give me heels, and I'm happy for months! Some of you may have heard/read me say this before, and I stand by it now: "Finding a perfect pair of heels is the equivalent of multiple orgasms!" On my perfect day, I'd be wearing a pair of sexy heels, and have an amazing book in my hand, with a sexy man on my side feeding me chocolates. *BLISS*
7. I love different accents. Which doesn't really mean I automatically love the people with those accents - just that I find different kinds of accents, sexy. Be it the Southern accent (love!), or the British accent (adore!), or the Australian accent (cool!), or a Malawi accent (whoa!), or someone speaking in the Jamaican patois (*drool*) - I love all kinds of accents. Also, if a character in a book is described to speak with a certain accent, I begin to imagine them speaking that way in my head, and by the end of the book, I go through a few days of craziness where I speak to everyone (except work!) in that particular (mangled) accent. What? I already accepted that I'm crazy!
Okay, next I'd like to present the award. Just to be clear, I know some blogs are "award-free", and I'm sorry if this comes as an inconvenience. You don't have to be obligated to display the award, I just wanted to show my appreciation. That, and this list is in NO particular order - I love you all equally. Now, without further ado, let me pass this award onto some immensely deserving people [make sure to pick up your award at the bottom of this post]:
Awarded : Shannon at "Books Devoured" : http://BooksDevoured.com/
Why : Because she has been extremely supportive of me, is so very sweet, and as a blogger she takes care to reply to each and every comment left on her blog! :)
Awarded : Rachel of "Parajunkie View" : http://www.parajunkee.com
Why : Because she's another wonderful blogger who is always helping her fellow boggers through her "Blogging 101" blog posts. Plus, she's oodles of fun to interact with.
Awarded : Jessica of "Total Bookaholic" : http://www.totalbookaholic.com
Why : Because Jessica is an unbelievably sweet person who is incredibly sympathetic, sensitive and kind. She and I became friends while the Tsunami in Japan took place, and we sat at our computers staring at the news in apt horror. She made it all bearable.
Awarded : Yara of "Once Upon a Twilight" : http://www.onceuponatwilight.com
Why : Yara has been another incredibly supportive blogger. Her kind words, and her extremely thoughtful ways, have been a source of comfort for me for a while now.
Awarded : Margaret of "Lovely Lit" : http://lovelylit.blogspot.com/
Why : Margaret awarded me my first blog award, but that is not why Margaret is receiving this award. Long before the award, she had been an extremely sweet friend who I'd corresponded with, and she always displayed such affection, it was impossible not to love her.
Awarded : Evie of "Evie Bookish" : http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com
Why : I came across Ji-ye's blog not too long ago, but it's an amazing blog. But it was her beautiful comments (on my blog and Goodreads), tweets etc that truly made me realize what a thoughtful, sweet and kind person she is.
Awarded : Moni-Marie of "Monica-Marie a Work in Progress": http://www.moni-marie.blogspot.com/
Why : Hello, have you interacted with Moni-Marie? It's a hoot and a half! She's charming, sweet and is sure to make you smile.
Awarded : Karen of "Bookin' with Bingo" : http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
Why : Karen Haney was an educator, and it clearly shows in everything she does. She is kind, sweet, warm, thoughtful, and is always trying to find ways to spread awareness and knowledge. She's an incredible person!
Awarded : Courtney of "Stiletto Storytime" : http://www.stilettostorytime.wordpress.com
Why : Because Courtney has an amazing blog, and great giveaways. She is so much fun to interact with, and is full of warmth. Once you begin reading her reviews, posts, Facebook comments, and comments that she leaves in answer to her followers, you're sure to fall in love with her personality.
Awarded : Angela of "Reading Angel" : http://www.readingangel.com
Why : Angela is one of the most open-hearted, generous, kind and sweet people I know. But I am not giving her this award because she has displayed her generosity to me, but because she has been a supportive and immensely sweet tweet-friend and blogger.
Awarded : Misha of "My Love Affair with Books" : http://books-love-affair.blogspot.com/
Why : Misha has been a constant source of sweetness, kind words and comfort for me. Her taste in books is very similar to mine, and I thoroughly enjoy discussing books, televisions (read: drooling over Cesare Borgia together) and various other subjects makes me feel like I've acquired a life-long friend in Misha.
Awarded : Mary of "Sweeping Me" : http://sweepingme.com
Why : Mary is an extremely sweet person, a darling mother of two who may be busy as all hell, but never misses an opportunity to make me smile. Her kind words, and her thoughtfulness make her deserving of this award.
Awarded : Gabrielle of "Mod Podge Bookshelf" : http://themodpodgebookshelf.
Why : If you've ever talked to Gabrielle, you know precisely why she deserves this award. She's a beautiful person, inside and out. And her kind words, and her friendliness make me feel like I've known her forever. And you better not call her Gabby, or you'll have to deal with ME!
Awarded : Darlene of "Peeking Between the Pages" : http://www.peekingbetweenthepages.com/
Why : Darlene is thoughtful enough to read my posts, make comments on them. Her kindness, and sweetness bring a smile to my face, every time. Plus, she's mommy to darling Sammy, whose puppy-dog eyes (literally) make you melt.
Awarded : Samantha of "Kreative Karing" : http://www.kreativekaring.com/
Why : Samantha & I have both experienced some losses recently, but her strength and maturity have made me respect her that much more. I consider her a friend, and as she has been there with kind words during my difficult times, I am here for her during hers. She's a darling person, extremely sweet, kind and thoughtful.
*Special THANK YOU to @SniffkyKitty0 and @SafariPoet for helping me understand "text areas" and how to put this award on my blog!*
