About Me

 

So Alysia from littlepocketbooks asked her readers this question and I thought it would be fun to answer! I thought this was quite interesting so if you are reading this and want to do this too, by all means, please! I'd really like to read your answers too!

1. Name please. If you have a nickname tell me what it is and where did you get it from.
Theoretically my Name is Stella-Marie, but usually I only go with Stella and I sign with Stella-M. The only ones how call me Stella-Marie are family members. I just think it's too long... But when translated from Latin into German you get starfish which, I think, is rather funny :)

2. Which city, state, county are you in right now?
I'm in Munich, Germany

3. Name three things on your left.
My half finished drawing of Jane Eyre, a purple pencil and my cellphone.

4. How many books do you read a month on average? 
 Maybe about 3-4? But I was so stressed out the last two weeks so it's only going to be maybe 2 this month.

5. If you could change one thing about the last book you read, what would it be? Tell us the name of the book too.
The last book I read was "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown and I'd change very many things, but I wish Dan Brown had at least said what happened to Sophie after the last book. All in all it was a bit cliché and sometimes predictable. I hope the next one, "Inferno", will be better.
  
6. Do the books you read influence your dreams at night? 
I don't know, honestly. Especially during school time I can never remember them, but I think I dreamt about Sherlock Holmes a few times, but rather the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock...

7. How are you doing on your reading challenges? How many did you sign up for? 
None! I should probably look into that though. Which ones do you recommend?

8.  If you have 2 extra hours a day that no one else could get, what would you do?
Well, I'd read, I'd draw, that sort of thing. I'd definitely catch up with my TV-Shows and maybe start a few new ones. And actually, a few hours more a day are a wishful dream of mine, I'd get so muh more done.

9.  Is there a book on your bookshelf not getting any love at all from you and the book blogging community?  If so, shout it out.
I've had "Nanjing Requiem" by Ha Jin on my bookshelf for a year or so without reading and a things doesn't seem to get much love from the blogging community are travel journals. I really enjoy those! One I've recently read and liked would be "On the Noodle Road - from Beijing to Rome with Love and Pasta" from Jen Lin-Liu, it's an interesting journey about food and cultures from Asia, the middle East, eastern Europe and finally southern Europe.

10.  Each one teach one moment.  Tell us about an app, software, program you have just found out about and love.   
I don't know? I'm a purist when it comes to organising etc, I write in physical planner and make my weekly plans in Excel, I'm not really one for gimmicks or something and aside from social networks the only thing I use is Feedly, to keep track on the blogs I follow.

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My Bookish Life (2) - The Best Day of the Year - so far

YEEES yesterday really was the best day of my year so far! Unfortunately I couldn't write about it right then, you know, it was late and all but now I can tell you all about it!

School

Yes that was how my day started out. School until 1 pm and after that, we all drove into the city and listened to a lecture about HIV and STDs. Sounds fun right. Well. It wasn't *too* bad but at least I had time to read during the lecture. And after that, I already was in the city so that was a good thing.

The Item Shop

So, after that lecture, I went to the Item Shop for the first time. I've linked their FB page, I really loved it. It's disguised as a cute little shop but actually it's a nerd's paradise! They had so many stuff! Minecraft pickaxes, Breaking Bad  dolls, Sherlock Cluedo, Pokémon costumes, T-Shirts of all kind, Star Wars chopsticks, you name it!

And they had such, -such a huge Doctor Who selection! Doctor Who mugs, standees, earrings, key chains AND THEY HAD THIS TARDIS FITTING ROOM! I WAS IN A TARDIS! 

I ended up buying eleven's sonic screwdriver and suspenders. And check out my picture of myself, Ten, and the TARDIS. One of the three women who run the shop took it, she was really sweet! I love this shop already.

In Between

So after that visit, I went to the Irish Pub with my mom and her colleague. I had fish and chips and got a little tipsy on cider. Then we went to Muji and I got two pairs of stockings which is a great deal since I love stockings and wear them like... Everyday.

Donna Tartt

So now, for the event of the evening, I saw Donna Tartt, the author of one of my recent favourites, "The Goldfinch"! Heio von Stetten read two chapters of the book in German and ... he was great! He has a nice voice and he read all the characters so well! Then, in between the moderator asked Donna a few questions about the book, they discussed about it a little and in the end she read one part. 

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures, but I recorded everything. Donna has such a young voice, it's weird. She looks like about mid thirty, her voice sounds early twenties and I just looked it up - She's fifty years old! How weird. And she's really short too. That was really interesting, from reading the book I would have imagined her differently. 

She talked about that her books always have something dreamlike about them. And she talked about memories. She used this metaphor that your mind is a suitcase and you pack memories in there like clothes and every time you take one item of clothing, look at it and put it back in, it always goes back into the suitcase a little differently. And that's how memories change in your mind, depending on what yo put emphasis on the memory morphs into something someone else would remember completely differently.

In the end, she signed my copy of "The Goldfinch" and I bought a copy of "The Secret History" and she signed that too, that was really nice. I could even thank her and tell her how much I loved the book. So, I went to my first reading and I've got two signed copies so yay, I guess I qualify as collector now.

Thor Loki - The Dark Kingdom

Obviously I got home late but still, Loki was waiting for me! Well, sadly not Loki himself, but the DVD of his recent adventure with his brother Thor. I already watched it in the cinema and loved it, I'm actually watching it right now. 

I love all the Marvel superhero movies but the Thor movies got to be my favourites because there's so much of Loki I just... 

God I'd keel to Tom Hiddleston anytime. And with Loki's black hair and this mad villain attitude he gets even better. 

But really Thor isn't half bad either. Chris Hemsworth is massive though, I mean his biceps are probably as broad as my whole frame. I saw him naked in "The Rush" and I'd probably prefer that, there he's ripped but not so bodybuilderish. 

Okay yeah back to Loki. I sort of miss his youth and innocence on the first Thor movie, he's just so mad now but he has also evolved so much. And in the deleted scenes you can see Tom Hiddleston in the tight Captain America suit.

 Have you ever read something by Donna Tartt? Do you love Doctor Who? Are you as obsessed with Loki as I am? Just talk to me pleease.

My Bookish Life (1) - Doctor Who, Donna, Emma and Rufus

Over the course of the week a few little things happened that I just wanted to share here so now and in the future, when a few things accumulate I'll just make a post like this.

Doctor Who

Yes I guess I just outed myself here as a huge Whovian.

Finally my instagram is put to use!

My mum came home from the US and she brought me a Doctor Who bookmark with the eleven Doctors on it (sorry War Doctor and twelve), which is pretty cool since I don’t really have one (my last one ripped) so I used the tag that was on my Jeans. 

But no more! Behold of my new great bookmark!

Donna Tartt

I’m going to see the author of one of my recent favourite books - Donna Tartt! On March 20 she’s going to hold a reading of “The Goldfinch” in the Hugendubel at the Fünf Höfe here in Munich! She’s going to sign books, too, so I’ll just bring my copy. And I was really lucky and got one of the last two tickets.

"Emma" by Jane Austen and "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown

I finished "Under the Dome" and after all the people who died in there I wanted something happy so I thought what's better than a classic romance. But... I find it absolutely boring and   family friend lent me "The Lost Symbol" and "Inferno". Those are easy to read and I have to give them back so I already started.

Rufus Wainwright!

My current favourite singer, Rufus Wainwright, brought out two new albums -  "Live from the artists den", a live recording, and "Vibrate", a Best Of. I highly recommend you to listen to "Vibrate". Just listen to "Go or Go Ahead" and you'll hear what a genius he is. I also recommend you "Do I Disappoint You" or, if you prefer something smoother, "World War III".
Elton John said Rufus is the best songwriter of our time but unfortunately he just isn't popular! It's probably because his music is rather complex and a little demanding rather than the simple stuff that's mainstream right now.

He's also touring right now but unfortunately he isn't coming to Munich and I can't make it to the other locations :(

Books /O.o/
As I already said, I've lent "The lost Symbol" and "Inferno" by Dan Brown and for my birthday I got a illustrated book by my aunt. It's called "London" and was written by M. Sasek. The Illustrations are just so beautiful. Plus, I got money for my birthday so that just calls for a trip to the bookstore!

Other
I'm just really stressed out at the moment with school, tutoring and driving lessons so I had really little time for reading and drawing and watching my TV-Shows and sometimes I just want to curl myself into a ball and lie on the floor

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