A Bookish Tag

Hello! Kara Lynn and Libby both tagged me for the A Bookish Tag a while back. I finally got around to answering the questions and thought it would be nice to take a little break from the usual post topics.  Thank you both for tagging me!

++ RULES ++   

You must be honest

You must answer all the questions

You must tag at least 4 people

1. Which book has been on your shelf the longest? Hmm... I'm not exactly sure, but the set of classic 19 Boxcar Children books that I've had for years would be among them. 

2. What is your current read, your last read, and the book you'll read next? I'm currently reading A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot, and Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis, my last read (besides the Bible) was Perelandra by C. S. Lewis, and my next read will most likely be King's Arrow by Douglas Bond. 

3. What book did everyone like but you hated? I'd have to say The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I haven't actually read the entire book, but enough of it to not really want to finish it. 

4. What book do you keep telling yourself you'll read but you probably won't? I'm not really sure....

5. What books are you saving for retirement? Probably certain "classics" like the complete works of Shakespeare, or maybe Les Miserables or something like that. xD

6. Last page: Read it first or wait until the end? Normally I'll never read the last page first, but occasionally I might skip forward if I'm just skimming a book or want to know the basics.

7. Acknowledgments: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside? I love reading acknowledgements in books! They're a whole story in and of themselves. 

8. Which book character would you switch places with? I wouldn't switch characters with anyone for good, so I'll change this to what book character would you like to spend the day with? And of course, who could answer that? I suppose I would have to say Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia. Because she's so sweet.... and then I'd probably see Aslan too. *smiles* 

9. Do you have a book that reminds of you something specific in your life? Yes, several. Either they were gifts for a special occasion, or it was a book that prompted a significant event in my life.  

10. Name an interesting book that you acquired in an interesting way. I'm not sure if it would be called interesting or not, but the only thing I can think of would be books I've won in a giveaway or as a prize for a contest. 

11. Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person? I've given away quite a few books to people. I can recall once when I gave someone a book they really wanted to read and hadn't been able to find. 

12. Which book has been with you most places? My Bible. 

13. Any required reading in high school that wasn't so bad two years later? Certain classics that I read (or tried to read) one or two years ago and didn't really like, I've found that they're usually better now. 

14. Used or brand new? Both, actually. Brand-new books are really fun to get and usually I'd prefer to get a new book over a slightly used one. But there's just something about really old books that I love as well.

15. Have you ever read a Dan Brown book? No.

16. Have you ever seen a movie you liked more then the book? The Princess Bride. As I said above, I didn't really care for the book. The movie's not my top favorite, but I liked it better than the book.

17. Have you ever read a book that made you hungry (cookbooks included)? Oh, yes... cookbooks pretty much always do if they have good photos. 

18. Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take? I have a couple of close friends whose reading tastes are very similar to mine, and I'll always take their suggestions and advice about books. 

19. Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g outside your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving? Counted Worthy by Leah E. Good. It's a YA dystopian-sort of novel, and I normally don't read from that genre. However, Counted Worthy is outstanding: the writing, the message, the plot. If you haven't read it, you should. You can check it out on Goodreads here.


I tag ||  Anna Casady || Anika Joy || Sarah Keatts || + you. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you answer these questions- I'd love to read your answers!

++++++

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. // Romans 15:4 

The Sunshine Blogger Award

Hello, lovely readers!

Savannah  kindly nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger award, and since I haven't done a tag for quite a long time, I decided to give it a try. Thanks again, Savannah!

~ Rules ~

 ~Answer 11 questions from your nominee

~Tag 11 bloggers

~Ask them 11 new questions

Do you own any signed books?

I have a signed copy of The Mystery of the Midnight Trespasser, written by the lovely Hosanna Emily.

What are three of the prettiest books you own? Here's two of my favorite book covers that I own:

What are five of your favorite blogs?  Having a Heart Like His, Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Father, Burning Youth, Scattered Journal Pages, and Saved By Grace. 

If you could re-write the ending of one book, which book would it be? I'm going to have to think about this one for a while.......

What is the last movie you watched, and what did you think of it? A recent new movie I watched was Is Genesis History? It's a great documentary, by the way. :)

How did you come up with the title for your blog? The title of my blog reflects what I wanted my readers to realize through what they saw here; their ultimate Purpose and Promise. I did have quite a time coming up with a name that fit, but I'm pretty happy with it. :)

What's one of your favorite memories from 2017 (so far)? 2017 has had some great memories so far, but I would have to say that one of my top favorites would be the amazing trip that I went on with my church's youth group in February. 

How is a raven like a writing desk? They are both related to writing. xD

What are your three favorite fandoms? I'm honestly not into the "fangirl" type of thing that most people are for their favorite music, movies, books, etc. Since I assume that most the things that most people have fandoms about fall into one of those three categories, I'll shift the question around a little bit. My favorite fiction book is definitely The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. One of my favorite musics artists is Casting Crowns, and the Anne of Green Gables movies would be up there with my favorite movies. 

Do you prefer writing by hand or typing?  It depends, really. For short stories and some poems, I like handwriting them, but I always type from second drafts on for longer works. 

What's a story you'd like someone to do a re-telling of? A Little Princess would be an intriguing start for a re-telling....

~ Questions ~

~ What is your favorite devotional book?

~What are five of your favorite blogs?
~What is your favorite book, music artist/band, and movie?
~ Is there a story behind your blog's name?
~ What question would you ask your favorite author is you had the chance?
~What is the last movie you saw, and how did you like it?
What is one tip you would give bloggers who are trying to reflect Christ in all their posts?
~ What are your three favorite books that you own?

~ What is one of your best memories from 2017 so far?

~ What is your favorite Christian Living post that you've read/posted in the last month?

~ Do you own any signed books? 

~ Nominees ~

Anika @ This Journey Called Life

Hosanna Emily @ Having a Heart Like His

Allie @ The Depth of My Faith

Anna @ Just Anna

Kara Lynn @ Saved by Grace

Mikayla @ Ordinary Girl Extraordinary Father

....and you! Feel free to use this tag if you'd like. 

Thanks for reading! ♥

Triple Tag Time!

Hello, everyone!

I have been tagged for several different tags in the past couple of months by several lovely people. However, like I mentioned before, I won't be doing all of the tags that I may get nominated for in the future. Please know that I do appreciate being tagged, and I will still be doing tags, just not very often. =)

However, today I have three tags that I decided to do...hence the title. I know that I was tagged for all of these last month, but hopefully you can still enjoy reading this month! xD

On to the tags!

> The Ultimate Writer Tag from Allie

R U L E S
> Link back to the writer who tagged you (Thank you, Allie!)
  > Answer all of the questions, including the "Ultimate Writer Question".
> Make up your own "Ultimate Writer Question".
>  Tag as many writers as you'd like.
> HAVE FUN AND BE NICE.

01. When did you first begin writing? I was about seven when I wrote my first real "story". However, it wasn't until recently that I begun writing longer pieces (such as a novel).

02. What are the best things (pros) about writing? One of my favorite things about writing is the way that writing allows you to express feelings and ideas to others in a way that not much else can. And the way that writing  can impact people is amazing, if you use it in the right way!

03. What are the worst things (cons) about writing?  To me, the worst thing about writing is when you know what you're trying to express, to put down on paper, and the right words just won't come! 

04. What is your favorite thing to write? (novels, stories, poems, etc.)  I like writing short stories and poems the best, although I occasionally write other things. 

05. What is your favorite genre of writing? Historical Fiction or Contemporary. I also like a little fantasy, but I really haven't written much in that genre up to now. 

06. What are your favorite writing resources?  WordHippo is great for finding new, unusual, or rhyming words. I also am excited to try NaNoWriMo for the first time this year!

07. Do you like writing in guy’s POV or girl’s POV?  A girls' POV most of the time, since it's the easiest for me to write. 

08. What is your favorite music to listen to while writing?  I normally only listen to Christian music anyway, so I don't have a particular favorite. In fact, sometimes I like writing in quiet better. xD  

09. What are your favorite writing snacks?  Chocolate, smoothies, or something crunchy, like chips. Although I don't really eat while I write, those are nice for breaks. 

10. What is your favorite place to write? I actually hardly ever write at my desk... it's usually on my bed, when it's quiet.  

11. What is your favorite time to write? At what time do you write the best?  I prefer to write at night, normally. Since I'm a night person, it comes naturally to me, and I do think I write better at night most of the time!

12. What are your favorite famous authors/writers? Some of my favorite authors include L.M. Montgomery, C.S. Lewis, and Martha Finley. You can decide if they're famous or not. :D

13. What/who inspires you to keep writing?  Jesus, my friends and blogger friends, and my family. 

14. How do you find inspiration?  Where do you find inspiration? I would have to say that I find inspiration for writing in very unusual places. Most of the time, I can't even remember where certain of my ideas came from. But I do know that I get a lot of inspiration from reading. 

15. Who are your writing buddies? Although it's sad to admit, I've never yet had a writing buddy that I actually *write* with! But it sounds like a great idea, so I need to find one. :)

 ALLIE'S ULTIMATE WRITER QUESTION: What is your best advice for editing your novels or stories? I'm not sure if I should be answering this, since I've not yet edited a novel. But when the time comes, I highly suspect that I will be clinging to the advice to NEVER GIVE UP!

 MY ULTIMATE WRITER QUESTION: What do you do when you're ready to just give up on your WIP because of writer's block?

 I   T A G-

Allie Taylor, Rebekah and Autumn 

> The Liebster Award [2] from Julia

{There were no rules included in Julia's post, so I'll just skip it as well}

01. If someone handed you a puppy, what would you do?  Probably pet it, then give it to one of my little brothers. 

02. Would you rather camp in a tent with nothing for a month, or be snowed in a log cabin with everything for 4 months? Yikes! I'd prefer neither, but if  I had to pick, I would definitely take the log cabin. I like camping, but not that much. And not without necessities. xD 

03. Your most used word? (i.e. dude. yo. bro. huh. uh. whatevs) Definitely "like". I say it way to much. 

04. If you HAD to move and got to choose the place, where would you go? I have no idea, so I think I'll move on...lol...

05. Are you involved in any Instagram group chats? If so, include a short and utterly goofy snippet.  I'm not on Instagram, so no.

06. Would you rather have poison ivy or chicken pox? Poison ivy (although why must you ask such questions, Julia?!)  

07. What do you do when you're nervous?  Twist my hair, which is a rather unfortunate habit to have.  In fact, I do it all the time, whether I'm nervous or not.

08. Do you write poetry? If so, include a poem. Yes, I do like write poetry. And yes, I'll include a poem, since I must. It's not one of my best, but it's pretty short. 

Sometimes

It takes a while

For our prayers to seem to work

We see it

From our narrow viewpoints

And not from God's

Who sees it perfectly

Much better than we do

When we're tempted 

To give up

To give in

To anger

And hate

And bitterness

We should remember

How narrow

Our viewpoint really is

And how His plans

Are so much better

Than ours 

09. Can you remember passwords??  Most of the time. Unless I get too creative, which I try not to do.

10. What are you looking forward to right now?  Several things, really, but one of the first ones would be cool weather for fall!

I  T A G-

Whoever would like to do this! Julia's questions are really good, so I'll just go with those.

> The Music Tag from Jessica 

R U L E S

 > Thank the person who tagged you (Thanks again, Jessica!)

> Answer the questions.
> Tag others.
> Add your own question to the tag for your nominees to answer.
> Include the rules in your post.

01. Do you play any instruments? I've played the piano for about  7 years (although I've gotten rather rusty lately!), and am learning to play the violin, which I really enjoy. 

02. What is your favorite music genre? I like a lot of different genres, really. Classical music and old hymns, as well as some modern Christian music. I suppose it's better to ask which genres I don't like! And yes, I do normally only listen to Christian music. Just a personal thing. ;)

03. Is there a music genre you absolutely cannot stand?  I don't like rap (even Christian rap... sorry!), or hard rock, etc.

04. What is your favorite way to listen to music? (CD, vinyl, MP3, radio, etc)  I usually listen to music either on the radio, on a CD, or on my iPod. 

05. What/who are your three favorite bands/singers?  Three? Well, I don't think I can narrow it down that much, since I tend to like certain songs from a lot of different bands more than just certain bands themselves. But a few that I do enjoy include Casting Crowns, Matthew West, Francesca  Battistelli, Chris Tomlin, MercyMe....

06. What are your three favorite chords? Interesting question! I like C major on the piano, just because it's basic and easy and soft. Besides that, I'm not sure if  I have any favorites...

 JESSICA'S QUESTION: What do you think is the purpose of music? What a great question! I think that music has a lot of valuable uses, include uplifting and enhancing our lives, for our pleasure and enjoyment, for worship, and a lot more. 

MY QUESTION: How has a certain piece of music influenced your life?

I  T A G -

Anna | Kara Lynn | Hannah 

I hope you were not too swamped by three tags in one post!  I'd love to hear your answers to some of these questions, so if you want, pick your favorite question (or two) from the tags, and answer it in the comments. :)

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely weekend!
//Emily

The Wisteria Writer Tag + the By the Book Tag

Hello! I hope you've had a great week getting used to August! :)

 In the last month or so, I've been nominated for a couple of tags that I'm doing today. I have decided that I will be limiting the number of tags that I do from now on (unless they're related to what I normally blog about, such as books, writing or photography). So please don't be offended if you happen to tag me for something, and I don't do it for some reason! But I do have a couple here that I really enjoyed doing.

Both Anika from Anika's Avenue and Allie from Sincerely Allie  nominated me for the Wisteria Writer Tag. Thank you, Anika and Allie! ( Who else loves that picture? <3)

Rules

1. thank the blogger who nominated you

2. answer the ten questions

3. add ten (writing or book) questions of your own

4. nominate ten people

~Allie's Questions~

are you writing anything at the moment? if so, what?

Yes! I'm currently working on a story/novella that I finally thought had a good enough storyline. It's a historical/allegorical type story. (If you've read the Terrestria Chronicles series, you know what I mean. ;)

who inspires you to write?

I'm not trying to cheat, or anything, but honestly, Jesus is the one who inspires me the most in my writing! One of my main goals in writing is to point readers to Him. I also get  inspiration from my family and friends in real life, and my lovely blogger friends. :)

what is your favorite book?

NO!! NOT THIS QUESTION AGAIN!! xD

what resources do you typically use when writing?

It depends. I use a lot of different things, from Wikipedia to random other things, such as browsing Unsplash photos of certain subjects. ;)

what is your favorite genre of writing?

Probably historical fiction, but I do like to try other genres sometimes.

what are your favorite characters to write about?

Um, ones that cooperate? :P I like to write stories with characters that seem real and relatable to those who I'm aiming the story at.

when did you start writing?

I've always liked writing and reading, but I do remember the first story that I wrote, when I was about 7. I was quite proud of it  because it had chapters and illustrations! :D  

what is a writing pet peeve that you have?

It's rare when I have bursts of inspiration when writing anything (contrary to how I read, I'm not a speed-writer), so I really hate to be interrupted during those times! 

what is your favorite thing to write? (stories, books, poems, skits, etc.)

Probably my favorites are short stories and poems.

have you ever designed a book cover? if so, can we see a picture?

Yes and no. I haven't done a cover for a book that's actually been written, but I have played around with making some before. 

~Anika's Questions~

When did you start taking writing seriously?

Probably in the last year or so.

 Have you ever taken writing classes?

No, not officially, but I am doing a writing course this year.

Have you ever gotten published?

Not yet, although I'd love to some day! =)

Favorite book(s)?

AHH! See my answer to #3 above!

Favorite book(s) you've written?

Not books......I do have a few favorite short stories I've written, but I haven't shared them anywhere yet.

How's your grammar?

Umm, what am I supposed to say to that? Hopefully my grammar isn't too bad...I have more issues with proofreading before I publish a post. (What do you  think? How is my grammar? Please enlighten me in the comments! :D)

Who inspired you to start writing?

I've always liked writing... see my answer to #2 above.

What is your worst writing pet peeve?

Again, see the answer to the 8th question above!

Reading pet peeve?

I hate to be interrupted while reading, so I suppose that's one!

Favorite place to write?   

My room, usually on my bed or at my desk.

My Questions

Are you writing anything at the moment? If so, what?

Who inspires you to write?

What resources do you typically use when writing?

Writing pet peeve?

Reading pet peeve?

Have you ever designed a book cover? If so, can we see a picture?

What's your favorite thing about writing? 

Have you ever taken writing classes?

 Favorite place to write?

Are you a planner or a pantser, when it comes to writing?

I Tag...

Sarah|Emma|Kara Lynn|Anna|Tane Hannah|Katie|Hosanna Emily|Blessing Counter|Megan| Ivy Rose

I was also nominated by Faith for the By the Book Tag. Thanks, Faith!

Rules

1. Answer the questions

2. Tag 3 others 

What book(s) are on your nightstand now? 

Right now, I'm reading Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers who Changed the World, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

What was the last truly great book you read? 
Oh goodness, I've read so many good ones recently! But I'd have to say that Do Hard Things still ranks pretty high on that list, along with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

If you could meet any writer - dead or alive - who would it be? And what would you want to know?
Another hard question! I think it would be interesting to meet L.M.Montgomery, and see what kind of personality she had. There's so many others though! C.S.Lewis and Amy Carmichael are probably my next picks.

What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves? 
Maybe the Boxcar Children books? I've read almost all of the ones published, old and new (there's over 100!), and I own at least 30 of them. I loved those when I was younger, and by now I have quite the collection saved for my younger siblings. The original ones were my favorites, though!

How do you organize your personal library? 
I have a small bookcase plus another long shelf. All of my Life of Faith books are on the long shelf, and then the others are arranged by topic and size on my bookshelf. (Sorry, no picture!)

What book have you always meant to read and haven’t gotten around yet? 

Emily of the New Moon by L. M. Montgomery. I've been wanting to read this one forever (and not just because it has my name in it,lol!)

Anything you feel embarrassed never to have read? 
I just have started on The Chronicles of Narnia (See #1 above ^--^) So I guess that's one classic that I felt I should have read before now.

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: what book did you feel you are supposed to like but

didn’t? 
I'm going to say The Princess Bride, even though I actually haven't read the book.The movie wasn't quite what I was expecting, although I did like it, so we'll see about the book!

Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing? 

I stopped and put down Stepping Heavenward several times before I actually finished it.

What kind of stories are you drawn to? Any you stay clear of? 
I love historical fiction, as well as the older classics and good mysteries. I typically try to avoid  romance books, and I usually don't read much of the YA stuff that's out there now...

If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be? 
The Bible!

What do you plan to read next?
The rest of the Chronicles of Narnia series, and The Birthright by Janette Oke.

And I tag... 

Mic|Bonnie|Abigail

I hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I did answering them! =) 

//Emily