E. G. Bella

Happy Friday!

If you can’t already guess, I found this tag on KristinKravesBooks (click here for the link to her blog tag collection post), and just like the tag a couple of weeks ago, I figured it’s a great opportunity to do a Valentine’s Day themed post.

I would love for you to share your answers to these questions! There are some pretty fun ones.

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The Rules

1. Link back to this and mention Taiwo @ Stuffed Shelves as the creator of this tag.

2. Link back to the person who tagged you and thank them! (no one tagged me, but I stole this from KristinKravesBooks!)

3. Answer the questions (of course!)

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The Questions

What book(s) have you been given as a gift that you loved?

All of these books were gifts from family, and I absolutely loved them all! Wishtress was still in the preorder status when my birthday came around, so my parents printed off the preorder receipt and wrapped it for my birthday. That was such a fun gift to look forward to. Operation Lionhearted was a Secret Santa Christmas gift exchange from my aunt, and Dust (and the sequel, Shadow) were birthday gifts another year. I highly recommend each and every one of them!

What book(s) would you like to give as a gift to someone else?

Honestly, any of the ones I mentioned in the previous answer, as well as these ones! They’re all very different in terms of genre, but all of them are at least clean (if not with explicit Christian themes), and hooked me from the start. Depending on the preferred genre and age of the person I was gifting, I’d be comfortable and excited to give them any of these!

If you could gift a random person any bookish item, what would it be?

Ooh, this is tough. My first thought is a bookish-themed candle from Lamplighter Literary Candles. They are all-natural, beautiful, and hand-crafted candles from a Christian small business owner and author, and her candles are so unique! You can find certain scents for different genres, environment, and even some series. Regular chemically-scented candles give me migraines, so I’m looking forward to getting a few of these one day, and I think it would be a very fun gift for a fellow reader.

(Here’s a link to their site!)

If you could gift a random person any non-bookish item, what would it be?

Hmmm, that would really depend on the person, I think. In general though, my go-to gifts are either blankets or homemade crochet dish cloths. I make crochet dish cloths and have found that a lot of people appreciate the practicality of them. Otherwise, especially if the recipient doesn’t do many dishes, cozy blankets are always awesome. You can get so creative with them, and really, who doesn’t like being cozy?

What do you say when a person gives you a gift you don’t like?

I would never say anything other than “THANK YOU” (unless the gift was inappropriate or something, I guess?)! I’ve honestly yet to receive a gift that I can say I haven’t liked in at least some way. For me, while I will definitely appreciate the gift, it’s not so much about the gift itself but the fact that someone took the time to try and find something special for me. It’s sweet, and I will always, always appreciate it.

Mention a book based around Valentine’s Day.

You know, I don’t think I’ve read any books based around Valentine’s Day. Probably because I don’t read many contemporary romances, and I imagine that’s where you find them. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Mention any two tips for blogging as a gift to other bloggers and to those who may want to start a blog.

I love this question! I could go into so much detail here, but for brevity’s sake, I’d say:

1. Write what you love
2. Find others who love the same things as you

If I could go back to little Bella when she was starting this blog, that’s what I’d tell her to focus on right away. The reasoning being that blogging is hard work. And the only way to stay motivated, to keep writing, is to ultimately love what you’re writing about. Why are you doing it? What do you want to share? What’s on your heart, and what unique perspective can you offer through your blog? Don’t try to force yourself into molds that you’re not comfortable with or excited about.

And as you write about what you love, search out other bloggers and readers that love the same things as you do. Community is so important with blogging, and the more tight-knit of a support system you have, the easier the process will be. When you’re feeling down, when you’re struggling, or when you’re just looking for some advice or encouragement, those people will be there to chat, brainstorm, and fangirl with you. The wonderful people I’ve met through this blog is one of my biggest reasons for continuing it.

Link to some posts by other bloggers that you loved or were very helpful.

Oh my goodness, I can’t even begin. Instead of going by individual posts, I’m just going to link a bunch of my favorite bloggers recently and let you explore. These are bloggers whose posts I never miss, and I highly recommend checking out all of their sites! You won’t regret it. (Click on their names to visit them.)

• Liesl @ Quote, Unquote (she’s consistent, so sweet, and has such helpful posts)
• Kellyn @ Lilacs & Reveries (her content is so thought-provoking, and she’s very kind)
• Saraina Whitney’s site (her enthusiasm is contagious, her posts so fun, and she’s a good friend)
• Virginia @ Books by Virginia (such a friendly and fun person, and her reviews are great)
• Kate @ Once Upon an Ordinary (she writes wonderful books and is very supportive of authors)
• Bella Raine’s site (I just met her and she is such a talented and sweet writer)
• Grace @ Of Blades & Thorns (she doesn’t post very often, but when she does, they are pure quality)
• Katja @ Little Blossoms for Jesus (she’s so nice, and posts a lot of helpful book reviews)

And those are just the first few that come to mind! There are so many wonderful bloggers out there!

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How would you answer these questions? Have you read any great blog posts lately? What are your go-to gifts for others? I’d love to read your answers, so please feel free to drop them in the comments below, or hop in on this tag on your own blog! Thank you!

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