Hi everyone and happy Wednesday! Today I have a tag for you all which was supposed to be a video. Unfortunately I am sick and currently look+sound like a goblin. Quite frankly, nobody needs to witness that. I still wanted to do this tag though as I'd seen it over on Jean's channel and thought it looked like a fun one. At least with writing it out you get less of my 'umming' and 'ahhing'. Anyway, here's the tag. Enjoy!

-What book(s) are currently in your bag? Truthfully there are no books in my bag right now. Although when there has been a book in my bag it's been The Girls by Emma Cline. My book club's read for July. 

-What is the last great book you read? Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders. This was a re-read, as I last read it when it came out three or so years ago. I seem to always want something funny to read or watch when I'm sick. Anyone else? Anyway, it was brilliant if not a bit too short for my liking. 

-What book have you gifted the most? Confession time, I don't give books as gifts all that often. I feel like there's a high risk factor involved, probably of my own making but I always get scared people won't like the books I gift them. When I do buy books as gifts I tend to get people different ones so there's not really a repeat-buy. 

-What's your favourite independent bookshop? Even though I hardly get to go there, Time Out books in Mt Eden. They have the most friendly, helpful staff. While the shop may be small, it's crammed with an impressive edit of books. The children's room out the back is pretty awesome as well. 

-What's been your favourite book recommended by a bookseller (or fellow Booktuber)? This wasn't a recommendation from a booktuber or bookseller per se but I did see this on someone's blog. Does that count? I'm picking The Versions of Us for this one though. I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I expected and loved Laura Barnett's writing style.

-What's your favourite bookshop memory? Epic trips into the city during the school holidays to go to Borders and always leaving with something. Sitting in their cafe drinking chillers and reading the magazines. I could've spent hours in Borders. I miss it. Tied with that has to be the mornings spent queuing up waiting for the new Harry Potter books to be released. The excited energy and enthusiasm in the air were always so infectious. 

-What do bookshops mean to you? What do you love about them? As much as online shopping is convenient, you cannot beat a browse in a physical bookstore. To me, bookstores are a place of comfort, relaxation and happiness. They're the one shop I can just zone out and relax in whilst I browse. I love, with the exception of the chainstores, that they all have something different to offer. Particularly the independent stores which are all so meticulously edited and curated depending on taste of the owners and their booksellers. Plus it's instant, no waiting around for your books to come in the mail. *cough NZ Post cough*

-What are the books that made you? What books have most affected or influenced you? The Harry Potter series hands down. They were and still are such a pivotal part of my life. While I was already an avid reader before I found them, they were and always will be a part of me. Another book that really affected me was The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. High school wasn't always a sunshiney, rose-tinted nostalgia filled time for me and I often felt like an outsider. This book made me feel better about that. It's hard to explain but it helped me come to terms with some of the things that went down during that time. I only wish I'd found it sooner.

-What book is currently at the top of your TBR pile? I don't own this book but I really, really want to read Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. I've only seen positive reviews for it and while I don't know a great deal about its overall plot, deliberately obviously, it sounds right up my street.

*Let me know if you do this tag or how you'd answer these questions! Sorry it wasn't in video form but hopefully I'll be back filming very soon. x