Book and a Beverage [74] – Bernadette from The Bumbling Bookworm

Welcome back to BOOK AND A BEVERAGE!

In case you don’t know the deal about Book and a Beverage, it’s a very simple yet fun feature: We read books, we drink beverages, we take pictures of them and then I share your photos and a little about you to the blogging world!

Give a big welcome to Bernadette from The Bumbling Bookworm!

Name & Blog Name: Bernadette, The Bumbling Bookworm
Tell us a little about your blog! I started my blog in January 2014, so I’m still a newbie 🙂 I love to read but I didn’t really have an outlet to talk about the books I was reading. I’d been following a number of book blogs for about six months and thought I’d give it a shot. I wasn’t sure how long I’d stick with it; I tend to pick things up and put them down again fairly quickly! This is certainly something I’ve stuck with for a lot longer than some of my other hobbies! Book reviews form a big part of the blog, but I also love to focus on all aspects of my bookish life. Books form such a huge part of my life and I love to share that, so come check it out!
What’s been your favorite post you’ve written so far? (Link us up!) I’m incapable of choosing just one so I’ll give you two 🙂 I loved writing my review of The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, the book was so great and the review practically wrote itself I was gushing so much! Also, it was featured on Simon & Schuster Australia’s YA Facebook page, Read Me. Love Me. Share Me., which I was so excited about. I also had a great time writing my review for Looking for Alibrandi; I adore that book so much and I really relate to it as an Italo-Australian.
Got anything special coming up we should know about? Not at the moment, but I’m starting to think about what I’d like to do for my first blogoversary in January. What can I say, I like to think ahead 🙂 So watch this space!

Whatcha reading? At the time of writing this, I’m just finishing up Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
Where did it come from? (Library, purchased, publisher, etc) I was lucky enough to be sent a copy by Simon & Schuster Australia
Any special reason you chose to feature this book? How gorgeous is that cover?! The UK/AU cover is quite different to the American version and I absolutely adore it. The typography, the image, the colours, I love it all! It’s probably a bit hard to see in the photo but that image in the circle perfectly captures what the book is about, it’s like a hidden gem. Love it!
What’s important that we should know about this book? Would you recommend it? I haven’t finished it yet but, from what I’ve read so far, this is not the book for you if you’re looking for a happy fun times read. It’s about loss and heartache, and if that’s your thing then I’d definitely recommend it.

Whatcha drinking? English Breakfast Tea in my summery mug, only two months to go! (Not that I’m counting down or anything…)
What’s your favorite thing to drink while reading? Water, and lots of it! I usually have a water bottle sitting next to me on the couch, although sometimes I’ll swap it for a chamomile tea with a drop of honey 🙂
Favorite beverage of all time. Go! Gah, that’s too hard! If I HAD to choose just one, I’d probably have to go with hot chocolate, it’s been a favourite since I was a little kid. There’s a place near my work that does an AMAZING Belgian hot chocolate, it’s pretty hard to resist!

What are your top three books you would recommend to other people? Gosh, I’m so indecisive when push comes to shove, I love so many books! I push On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (aka Jellicoe Road in the US) to everyone — actually, I push any book my Melina Marchetta, she’s AMAZING. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, such a beautiful book. And last, but definitely not least, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Honourable mention goes to the Harry Potter series, but I don’t think that’s one I necessarily have to recommend to other people :). This is my favorite book of all time, and I ship Darcy & Elizabeth with all that I am.
What’s your proudest blogging/reading/writing moment? I’m not so sure about this one… It’s always lovely when authors tweet me in response to my reviews. I was pretty chuffed to reach the stage where I’ve been accepted to receive ARCs, I never thought I’d get to that stage so that was kinda amazing 🙂
Anything else you’d like to share? Not that I can think of… Except to say thanks for having me Brittany!