5 Years Time

After the blog awards, it's time for a tag. This is seriously one of the most amazing tags I've come across! I was tagged by the amazing Raashi @ Be the Change you Wish to See in the World (read her version of the tag).

This is me, 5 years ago. I know that I haven't really shown you my face up until now, so there you have it. In this photo, I am 20 years old, I'm in a beautiful little, hidden beach in Corfu (where I studied) and I haven't changed that much in those 5 years (although I did change my hair and I'm happy about it). 

My goals for the future

1. I really hope to find a job in the field of my interest, which is usability and user experience. But, to be honest, I don't have only this particular career in mind. Being able to support myself and having a pleasant working environment would be great. 
2. In about three weeks, I'm moving in with my boyfriend in a city that I've never been before and I have no idea what it's like. In five years, I'd like to have a comfortable place to share with my loved one.
3. I want to finish my novel! Ok, I hope that this one will take much less than 5 years, but it's something to look forward in the future. 
4. I adore cocker spaniels! So at some point I really hope to adopt one (they are the cutest dogs!)
5. Like Raashi said in her own post, I'd really like to keep blogging. I enjoy it immensely and it's something that would make really happy to continue doing. Plus, the community is so great, I've made so many amazing friends :)

I won't tag anyone in particular, but I would very much like to see your goals for the future. If you decide to do this tag, please share a link in the comments below :)

One Lovely Blog Award and Sunshine Blogger Award

I've been nominated for these blog awards for a long time and I finally got the chance of doing the posts. Because they are both awards I will nominate some bloggers at the end of this post, for both of the awards.

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you so much Ranu @ The Araliya Bookshelf for nominating me for this award!

The rules for this award are:

•  Say Thank you to the person that nominated you
• Explain the rules of the award
• Say seven random facts about yourself
• Nominate 15 other bloggers
• Display the badge/logo of the award in your blog

Seven Random Facts About Myself

• I can't start my day without a cup of coffee! I'm addicted.
• I usually try to use a magnetic bookmark I got from the National Gallery in London with a painting of Monet on it.
• I can't even describe to you how excited I am that the release of the new David Mitchell novel is only 27 days away.
• Also, I expect new albums in the next months by some of my favourite groups/artists.
• I've just started watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and I LOVE IT
• I still find Amnesia: The Dark Descent the scariest game I've ever played
• Finally, Artemis Fowl will be adapted into a film!

Sunshine Blogger Award

Thank you so much Wren Love @ For the Love of Books for nominating for this award!

The rules for this award are quite simple:

• Answer the 11 questions provided for you
• Nominate other bloggers
• Ask them 11 questions of your own

1. What was your favourite book as a child? The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

2. Why did you start your blog? What inspired you? On an implulse really. I want to make my reading more challenging and I thought that it would be nice to share it with the world.

3. Explain your blog's title! The Reading Armchair: the most comfortable place in the house for reading.

4. Do you run or contribute to any other blogs? I've guest blogged and I enjoyed it very much. But I don't really write systematically for another blog.

5. What book do you recommend to everybody? You are probably tired of hearing me recommending this book to you, but here you are once more: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

6. Worst book-to-movie adaptation in your opinion? Best book-to-movie adaptation in your opinion? The worst book-to-movie adaptation would most probably be Eragon and the best The Princess Bride.

7. Favourite book cover? There are so many beautiful covers! The Remains of the Day is one of favourite.

8. Do you prefer ordering books online or visiting a bookstore? Visiting a bookstore. Nothing beats browsing the shelves!

9. Are you OK with buying used books or do you always have to get new ones? Yes, there is something exciting about used books. I've even found some with dedications in the front pages.

10. Do you write your own stories, poems, etc? Yes. In the past I wrote more poetry, but now I've started a novel.

11. If you had to transform into a character from any book, which character would you become? Can I just be Lizzie Bennet? I mean, she gets Mr. Darcy!

My questions

1. Which is your most anticipated book?

2. Do you read graphic novels? Which is your favourite one?

3. Which was your favourite book so far this year?

4. Do you like winter?

5. How would you like to spent the Halloween?

6. Who are your top 3 authors?

7. Is there a series that you would like to be continued, although it doesn't?

8. How do you choose which book to read next?

9. Would you buy a book because it has a beautiful cover?

10. Do you prefer detailed descriptions or witty dialogues in a novel?

11. Which book would you recommend?

My nominees (for both of these awards)

Carrie @ The Book Goddess

Floryie @ The Travelogue of a Book Addict

Raashi @ Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Becca @ The Bookkeeper's Apprentice

Izzy @ The Reading Izzy

Clare @ Dual Reads

Cody @ Literaly-ly Obsessed

Less Reality, More Books

Erika @ Book, Stars, Writing. And everything in between.

The Nerdgirl Review

Thursday Quotables: Assassin's Creed, Renaissance

Hello, everyone! Welcome to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies. Every week we highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week.

So, this week I'll share with you a passage from the first book of the Assassin's Creed series, Renaissance (2009) by Oliver Bowden. This is the first time that we see Ezio climb the walls, which is also a very important element in the game.

By the time Ezio had reached the rooftops, his brother was twenty yards ahead. He set off in pursuit, his pain forgotten in the adrenaline-fuelled excitement of the chase. Then he saw Federico take an almighty leap across a pitch-black void, to land lightly on the flat roof of a grey palazzo slightly below the level of the one he had jumped from. He ran a little further and waited. Ezio felt a glimmer of fear as the chasm of the street eight stories below loomed before him, but he knew that he would die rather than hesitate in front of his brother, and so, summoning up his courage, he took a massive leap of faith, seeing, as he soared across, the hard granite cobbles in the moonlight far beneath his feet as they flailed the air. For a split second, he wondered of he'd judged it right, as the hard grey wall of the palazzo seemed to rise up to meet him, but then, somehow, it sank below him and he was on the new roof, sprawling slightly it was true, but still on his feet, and elated, though breathing hard. 

Have you read any of the Assassin's Creed books? Have you played any of the games?

The Reading Book Post, September 21st

Hello, everyone! How was your week? I'm in the mood for fall, hot tea and lots of books and finally it's started to get chillier. Anyway, let's see what happened in the literary world the previous week.

• It's Stephen King's birthday today! To celebrate let's take a look to 20 things we probably didn't know about the famous author. I sure didn't know some of them and I really really with that Danny Boyle would make a remake of Pet Sematary.

• But today, I have some more Stephen King to share with you. In this video, the writer is talking with Lee Child about the latter's very successful (and I have to admit favourite) series of books, Jack Reacher. Hurray!

• The seventh novel of Kate DiCamillo will be published on April 12, 2016. The novel will be called Raymie Nightingale and you can read an exclusive excerpt. Plus the cover is so beautiful! 

• Another exclusive excerpt you can read right now is from the upcoming novel of Ruta Sepetys, which is call Salt to the Sea. The book will be published on February 2, 2016.

• Sad news this week. Jackie Collins has passed away at the age of 77. Some of her most popular novels are Lucky, Hollywood Wives and  Rock Star.

• More than 40 authors have signed a letter addressed to Xi Jinping concerning the freedom of expression in China. Among the authors are Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Franzen and Ian McEwan.

• Any John Green fans? You can watch his TED talk on Paper Towns and Why Learning is Awesome. Very interesting talk.

• My favourite article this week is about folklore (as you may know I love folklore). English Magic: how folklore haunts the British landscape. Check it out!

• A vending machine that delivers random used books? Yes, please! Biblio-mat is such a great idea...

• This week's quiz is a little tricky! Is it a Twilight quote or a Fifty Shades of Grey quote? I have to admit that I had trouble with some of these.

Review: Tales Designed to Thrizzle by Michael Kupperman

Title: Tales Designed to Thrizzle

Author: Michael Kupperman

Publisher: Fantagraphics

Date of Publication: 2009

Number of Volumes: 2 (8 issues)

Number of Pages: 144 (each volume)

Find it at: Book Depository (Vol.1), Book Depository (Vol. 2)

Summary

These tales are more thrizzling than ever! What are Tales Designed to Thrizzle? Tales Designed to Thrizzle are about evil girls and their owls. They are about Jesus half-brother Pagus, the Mysterious Avenger, Dick Crazy, scary snakes, delicious bacon, Private Eye Johnny Silhouette, the Silver Knight, Murder She Didn't Write, the Mannister, the Space Patrol, portraits where the eyes move, Pablo Picasso, sex blimps (and their logical inverse, sex holes), the hot boy band Boybank, soccer joust, Underpants-On-His-Head Man, Hercules the Public Domain Superhero, Cousin Granpa, Mister Bossman, Mark Twain, the silent robot Citobor and, of course, the Thirties.

Review

To thrizzle is to thrill and dazzle are the first words of Michael Kupperman in the introduction of the first issue of Tales Designed to Thrizzle. Indeed, I cannot imagine a better word to describe these hilarious volumes of thrizzling tales. Plus, I'm going to use this word in the future. I knew so little about this graphic novel, besides the fact that it is really funny, that I didn't know what to expect.

First of all, there isn't a certain story in Tales Designed to Thrizzle. This is a collection of funny, surreal and crazy stories, as well as various advertisements for imaginary and totally unnecessary products. It's like watching a variety comedy show in comic book form. But this doesn't mean that various characters from the sketches don't return with new adventures. In fact, there are several running gags throughout the volumes. I can't even describe how funny it was when I came across something that begun several pages (and sometimes issues) before.

I cannot really say that there was a sketch or a character that I didn't particularly like, but there were some that I cared more than the rest. Some of my favourites were Snake 'n' Bacon, Twain and Einstein, Cousin Grandpa and Sherlock Holmes vs. Jungle Boy. Especially the first time we encounter Snake 'n' Bacon, they travel back in time and meet Casanova the night he was murdered. One of the greatest mysteries is still unsolved. That's one of the funniest and most memorable stories I've read. Twain and Einstein also have some great adventures especially in the second volume. As for Cousin Grandpa, you should definitely read the Ever Approaching Grandpa! I can't stop laughing! Jesus half-brother, Pagus, has the funniest running gag in the graphic novel.

But as much as I loved the sketches, I had trouble with the advertisements. I found them unnecessary. Sometimes, when they were placed at the end of the page, or on the sides, like in a newspaper, I didn't really mind them. But there were pages that were filled with them. In these circumstances, I just passed them, in order to find the next story.

The art style of Tales Designed to Thrizzle is amazing. From the first page, it caught my attention and by the end of the second volume I was completely taken with it. The truth is that there isn't one concise style. Each story has different art, there is even a story made with actual photographs of people. Some segments were black and white and others were coloured. At the end of each issue, there was a final image. These are so surreal and impressive, it's worth checking them out.

All in all, Tales Designed to Thrizzle is one of the most memorable and funny graphic novels I've ever read. Although I wouldn't say that it's perfect, I loved it and I would reread it. Actually I'm constantly describing one sketch or another taken from this book to my friends. I would recommend it to those who want something amusing to read, but you should expect that the craziest things are happening just because.

So, my advice is...

Prepare to be thrizzled! 

Confession Saturday: Dear Arthur Dent

Hello, everyone! Confession Saturday is a weekly feature, in which we will have the chance to express our feelings towards certain characters. This time of the week we will choose one character and write to him/her about all the things we would like to say. We can explain why we like or dislike each character, which of his/her actions we don't understand and generally whatever comes to mind. 

Today I'll write a letter to Arthur Dent from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) by Douglas Adams. This is probably the funniest book I've read and I've just finished a funny books themed read. Arthur finds himself in the center of many peculiar and most of the times surreal situations.

Dear Arthur,

first of all, let me tell you how lucky you've been! The Earth was destroyed and you were one of the few humans (was it only you and Trillian?) that managed to get away in time. The circumstances that made you friends with Ford proved to be the starting point of many great adventures.

It was a shock to see your whole planet being destroyed. It must have been one of the hardest feelings! I'm sure that the home-sickness you felt at that point was unbearable. And being surrounded by unknown things wasn't the greatest help you could have. 

But a tiny bit of myself is jealous of you! You've seen wonders, the space, other planets. You even learnt the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything! Ok, nobody knows how to use this answer, but you've learnt it. And the mice? You saw their true form, you managed to discover their motives, who would have thought!

At times, I felt that you were the only sane person in your travels, although I have a soft spot for Marvin, as well. How did dinner go at the End of the Universe?

Yours,

Aeriko

P.S. Don't forget your towel!  

Thursday Quotables: Daniel Deronda

Hello, everyone! Welcome to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies. Every week we highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week.

I've started reading Daniel Deronda (1876) by George Eliot for the Classics Club Spin #10. I am completely taken with the writing style of Eliot and I believe that I couldn't be luckier in the spin. Anyway, today I will share with you a small passage about home.

A human life, I think, should be well rooted in some spot of a native land, where it may get the love of tender kinship for the face of earth, for the labors men go forth to, for the sounds and accents that haunt it, for whatever will give that early home a familiar unmistakable difference amid the future widening of knowledge: a spot where the definiteness of early memories may be inwrought with affection, and - kindly acquaintance with all neighbors, even to the dogs and donkeys, may spread not by sentimental effort and reflection, but as a sweet habit of the blood.

Have you read Daniel Deronda? What do you think of this passage? What makes a home to you?

The Reading Book Post, September 15th

Hello, everyone! I've been silent the previous week, but now I'll make it up to you. From the next week, The Reading Book Post will return on Monday and I hope that I'll post some interesting stuff until then (reviews and the infamous new feature I've been talking to you about). But let's see what happened in the literary world the previous week.

• Joy Harjo has been awarded the Wallace Stevens Award for her mastery of poetry. Also, the longlist for the National Book Awards is made public these days. Yesterday, the longlist for the category of Young People's Literature and today those for the category of Poetry. Lastly, the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize 2015 was announced.

• Into the River by Ted Dawe, a coming-of-age novel, was banned in New Zealand. In protest to this, many silent readings of this novel are planned all around the country. 

• Marvel has just announced a new superhero! It will be the first Native American superhero and he will be called Red Wolf. The series is due on December. 

• This year Twilight celebrates its 10th anniversary. For this reason, a new edition of the famous series will be published on October 6th with bonus material. There is not yet a word as to what this bonus material will be, though. 

• Going on a road trip? Author Leila Sales has made the ultimate road trip playlist. The cause? Her new novel, Tonight the Streets are Ours, is centered around one. Enjoy!

• Which Jane Eyre Character Are You? Take the quiz to find out! I got Blanche Ingram, a character I never quiet liked. Which one did you get?

The Reading Book Post, September 8th

Hello, everyone! It's been a pretty busy week, but I just couldn't miss The Reading Book Post. So, although it's not Monday, here it is! Let's see what happened in the literary world the previous week.

• Two authors, Stephen King and Tobias Wolff, will receive the 2014 National Medal of Arts. Also, the 2014 National Humanities Medal will be awarded to four authors, Annie Dillard, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Larry McMurphy, and Jhumpa Lahiri.

• But this week there are more award news. The Bratislava Children's Books Illustration Award 2015 was given to Laura Carlin. What lovely illustrations! The National Book Foundation will honour Don DeLillo for lifetime achievement in a ceremony, which will take place in November.

• Any Jeff VanderMeer fans? You can read his short story The Goat Variations. The story is included in the anthology In the Shadow of the Towers: Speculative Fiction in the Post-9/11 World.

• Watch exclusively the beautiful book trailer for Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. Crenshaw will be published on September 22, 2015. You can also read a small excerpt.

• Time for something completely adorable! Watch this video of a baby that loves literature so much that he starts crying every time a book ends.

• Who Would Be Your Literary Nemesis? Take the quiz to find out! I got   Isabella Thorpe, who did you get?

Books Adapted to/from Video Games (next themed read)

So, the next themed read is officially Books Adapted to/from Video Games. For this list, I chose books that are based on popular video games, but I also included one that inspired a very successful game series.

Ico: Castle in the Mist (2005) by Miyuki Miyabe

When a boy named Ico grows long curved horns overnight, his fate has been sealed - he is to be sacrificed in the Castle in the Mist. But in the castle, Ico meets a young girl named Yorda imprisoned in its halls. Alone they will die, but together Ico and Yorda might just be able to defy their destinies and escape the magic of the castle.

Based on the video game: Ico










Bioshock: Rapture (2011) by John Shirley

It's the end of World War II. FDR's New Deal has redefined American politics. Taxes are at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has brought a fear of total annihilation. The rise of secret government agencies and sanctions on business has many watching their backs. America's sense of freedom is diminishing... and many are desperate to take that freedom back.

Among them is a great dreamer, an immigrant who pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and admired men in the world. That man is Andrew Ryan, and he believed that great men and women deserve better. And so he set out to create the impossible, a utopia free from government, censorship, and moral restrictions on science - where what you give is what you get. He created Rapture - the shining city below the sea.

But as we all know, this utopia suffered a great tragedy. This is the story of how it all came to be... and how it all ended.

Based on the video game series: Bioshock

Assassin's Creed: Renaissance (2009) by Oliver Bowden

Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honour, he will learn the art of the assassins. To his allies, Ezio will become a force for change, fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat.

Based on the video game series: Assassin's Creed












Alan Wake (2010) by Rick Burroughs

Welcome to Bright Falls - a seemingly idyllic small town in the Pacific Northwest. The perfect place for Alan Wake, a bestselling crime novelist, and his wife, Alice, to relax for a few weeks. Maybe a second honeymoon and the fresh air will cure Wake of his writer's block.

But when Alice goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Wake's desperate search for her leads him into a hell only he could imagine. In the depths of nearby Cauldron Lake, a dark and malevolent presence has awakened from a long slumber. It's reaching out now, turning the townsfolk into mindless killers. Sheathed in shadows, vulnerable only to light, they are Taken.

Wake's journey will lead him to the very edge of madness, and deep within the dark woods, he will come face-to-face with a story he has no recollection of ever writing.

Based on the video game: Alan Wake

The Last Wish (1992) by Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin.

And a cold-blooded killer.

His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good... and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Video Game it inspired: Witcher









Have you read any of these? Which is your favourite video game to book adaptation? Which video game would you like to be adapted into a novel?

Confession Saturday: Dear Victor Frankenstein

Hello, everyone! Confession Saturday is a weekly feature, in which we will have the chance to express our feelings towards certain characters. This time of the week we will choose one character and write to him/her about all the things we would like to say. We can explain why we like or dislike each character, which of his/her actions we don't understand and generally whatever comes to mind. 

This Saturday I'll be writing to Victor Frankenstein, the science student and creator of the well-known monster from the novel Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley. I have to admit that I don't like him that much and I'll explain all of my reasons in the letter below.

Dear Victor Frankenstein,

you are irresponsible! You had a hypothesis and you wanted to test it, but you weren't willing to deal with the consequences. You managed to give life to a new body, thing which is admirable when it's studied alone. But instead of protecting this creature and guiding it, or even trying to figure out what to do with it, you decided to just ignore it, let it flee and go on with your life. You only didn't consider one little detail: this creature had feelings and thoughts. He was like a baby and would learn anything that you would judge fit to teach him. 

Another thing you didn't consider at all was what would this creature do when it would be given its new life. This was something that you should have planned carefully before the experiment. It was only natural that no-one would accept it and that it would have to face racism and discrimination, even hatred. And when eventually these things happened you weren't there to take his side.

Are you still surprised that he wanted to hurt you? I consider it a good thing to try new experiments and have science move on, but sometimes you just have to be ready to deal with the consequences. In this case, you didn't handle well at all. This is the reason why it turned out as it did. Would you abandon a child? Probably not, then why should you abandon your own creation? It came in this world without its own will and this world neither understood him nor wanted him. That wasn't fair.

Yours,

Aeriko