{Book talk #4} Would you rather...

Hallo meine Lieben,

hope you are all doing great and had wonderful holidays and a good time, no matter what you celebrated or not celebrated. I found these bookish questions over on Bookshelf Reflections and thought it would be fun to answer them as well. You will read some more meaningful posts in 2015 I guess. 

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Rather read only a series or stand-alone books?

Phew. That is a tough one to start with! I guess I have to go with the series because I just love my detectives from all the crime novels so much that  I would not want to spend my literary life without them. To name a few: Inspector Van Veeteren, Inspector Barbarotti, Inspector Wallander, Carl Mørck and Assad, Detective Erlendur, Dora Gudmundsdottir, Inspector Winter, Inspector Huss....so yeah, definitely series. 

Rather read a book whose main character is male or female?

I really don't care. I guess most of the characters I mentioned above are male but I guess that's because the majority of inspectors in crime novels are male. It does not have anything to do with my preference. The character has to be well written and interesting. The rest does not matter to me. 

Rather only shop at Barnes and Noble (or other bookstore) or Amazon?

Bookstores. Real ones. One of my fave things to do is to spend an afternoon in the bookstore reading the blurb of every single book they sell.  Of course I look online for books as well. It is probably easier to find books you are interested in online but nothing beats the experience of a real book store. So when I find a book online I usually go to the book store and buy it there. I do like to support small businesses. Of course I also order online, especially when I have a gift card etc. 

Rather all books become movies or TV shows?

Movies. Cannot even explain why but that was the first thought that popped up in my head. I usually like the book better than the movie/TV show anyway. Really, I cannot explain my answer here. 

Rather read five pages per day or five books per week?

Five books per week of course. It would be fantastic to always have the time to always read five books per week. It would be so much easier to catch up on my to-be-read pile. I could never stop myself from reading after only 5 pages. 

Rather be a professional book reviewer or author?

An author of course. I wrote some book reviews a couple of years ago and I am still planning on writing some for the blog. I really hope that will happen at some point soon. I love reading book reviews. But holding a book in your hands that you have written yourself would be a dream come true. I should give it another try to write a book. I started a couple but never finished one. 

Rather only read 20 of the same books over and over or get to read a new book every six months?

Get to read a new book every six months. That would be sad, indeed. But having the read the same 20 books for the rest of my life would be even sadder. I do love to re-read  books, especially the Adrian Mole diaries and the Harry Potter books but I do need to read new books as often as possible. I mean, I always get so terribly excited when there is a new book of one of my favorite writers, I would not want to miss that feeling. 

Rather be a librarian or own a bookstore?

Own a bookstore. I could be like Bernard Black from Black Books. Or maybe not. But owning my very own book store would be fabulous. I could impose all my favorite books to my customers and would only sell vegan cooking books and non that include meat. And the crime section would be the hugest one in the store. 

Rather only read your favorite genre or your favorite author?

Favorite genre of course. I mean, that would give me a bigger selection at least. Duh. 

Rather only read physical books or eBooks?

I guess I need to go with the physical books because I have so many of them. I do love eBooks, I have a lot of books on my iPad and Kindle and it is perfect for traveling, plus I always have a ton of books with me which always makes me feel nice. I do love to stand in front of my bookshelves and look at my books though. And libraries and bookstores are wonderful places. 

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Thank you for reading! It really means a lot to me that you always read my posts and leave so many lovely comments. Thank you! You are such great friends! I hope your new year will be filled with happiness and wonderful things! You are all fabulous and deserve the best!

Happy new year!

The one with the vegan cookie monster a.k.a. sweets I admire deeply.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I confess: I love sweets. A whole lot. Even more in winter time. All the lovely baked goods are just way too tempting. And as a vegan you can find even better sweets than the regular ones. Because: no cruelty involve. Who would not prefer that? Nobody. Which is why I want to share my favorite sweets with you today.

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Zero Zebra chocolate.

{Zero Zebra}

I don't even know where to start. Vegan, fair trade, organic. Made with rice milk. The only sad thing: I always feel bad about eating them because they come in such cute animal shapes. But fear not, they also have chocolate bars that you do not feel sorry about. 

Vego Bar. 

{Vego Chocolate}

Oh, Vego Bar...my dear friend. You come in a handy 150g bar which is way too tempting to eat in one sitting. Filled with yummy hazelnuts, you will always be my dear companion. Thank you for existing. 

Chocolate peanut butter. 

{Peanut Butter & Co.}

I know you are supposed to eat it with bread but it tastes even better directly out of the jar. And all you need is a spoon. This stuff is seriously good. I did not even like peanut butter that much before I tried this. 

Manner Schnitten. 

{Manner}

I love it when stuff is "accidentally vegan". And a lot of the Manner stuff is. Be aware, not all of their products are suitable for vegans but they state it on their website which is pretty nice. Can't get enough of those wafers. 

Naturata chocolate, the vegan kind. 

{Naturata}

Not all the chocolates from that company are vegan but a lot of them are. I prefer the almond one. It is seriously so good. I swear you do not want cow milk chocolate anymore if you try this. 

Goody Good Stuff and Surf Sweets.

{Surf Sweets}

I have no idea why people still eat gummi bears that contain gelatin. I mean, if you ever looked up what gelatin is then you might want to switch to a vegan version. My friend Martha surprised me with Surf Sweets gummi bears and they were delicious. When I open a bag then it will be empty in 15 minutes, max. 

Dandies Marshmallows.

{Dandies}

Fun fact: I never had marshmallows before I went vegan. I always wanted to try marshmallows but was never able to find some without gelatin. And then my friend Em send me some and I was addicted. 

Earth Balance stuff. 

{Earth Balance}

This sounded kind of gross to me at first because it has cheddar flavor but I was also fascinated and had to try it. And it did not disappoint. Good stuff. Never even liked popcorn very much before I tried this. 

So Delicious Cookie Dough Ice Cream. 

{So Delicious}

It is vegan, it is ice cream and I can eat ice cream three times a day so I do not need to say more. 

Also, I really love Marzipan dearly. It is very popular in Germany, especially at Christmas time and I do prefer it in potato shape or covered with dark chocolate. I also need to mention that there is a vegan version of a famous coconut chocolate bar. It is called Mahalo and pretty delicious. 

Well, pudding is always a good idea as well. And cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes...

You can clearly see two things here: I have a huge sweet tooth and there are lot of vegan options for people with that kind of sweet tooth.

What's your favorite candy? Happy weekend. 

The one with the bunnies in disguise, the faith in humanity and the stupid onions which should stay out of my food. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Tuesday. I hope you are all having a wonderful December. You can link up with my friend Alyssa here. 

1. The most important thing first...please please pretty please sign this petition and help saving an animal shelter and 450 dogs in Serbia. Thank you so much!

2. I am a huge fan of socks because I always have cold feet. I am also a huge fan of animals because animals rule. Which is why I need these. 

{The Sock Drawer}

3. If this site would be completely vegan, it would be food heaven: Stupid onions, stay out of my food. 

4. Some things help to restore my faith in humanity. At least a little bit.

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5. I saw this quote on the internet (here and on Instagram) and I guess it is something to think about. 

No one wants Babe to be chosen for Christmas dinner.

No one wants the humans to foil the chickens’ escape plans in Chicken Run.

No one wants Nemo to be caught by the scuba divers.

When we watch these movies we see the humans as villains and we don’t want the animals to be killed or captured.
Then we go back to our lives and become the evil we hated in the movies.

Go vegan and stop being a villain.

6. Tea pot love. 

{Urban Outfitters}

7. The power of German engineering. Also works for turtles.

8. I don't know about you but I always loved Piggeldy & Frederick. I don't even know if they are famous outside of Germany but they were my childhood heroes. 

9. No words. 

{Cute Overload}

10. When I love a song then I usually listen to it a gazillion times in a row - without ever getting sick of it. Do you do the same thing or am I the only one?

Have a fantastic rest of the week! Thank you so much for reading!

Huge piles of books all over the place....

Hallo meine Lieben,

I hope you are all having a fantastic week. 

I guess it is not a secret how much I love books and that huge piles of reading material are desperately waiting for me all over my place. 

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My lovely friend Chrissy gave me the opportunity to write about my winter reading list on her fabulous blog The Brave Wanderer - which you should all check out if you have not already...Chrissy is such a wonderful, smart, funny,creative, loving and beautiful person. Her blog is one of my daily reads. And I feel so honored that she let me be a part of it!

Thank you, Chrissy! You are so fantastic and I am proud to be able to call you my friend!

So if you feel like reading what I have to say about a bunch of books, then you can click here. And also say hello to Chrissy!

Have a great day!

The one with the vegan sweet tooth, the bunny hammock and more bookshelf porn. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Tuesday! Hope you are all having a good time. You can link up with my friend Alyssa here if you wish to do so. 

1. I started playing "Words with friends" with Martha which is a perfect thing to do because it is a lot of fun plus Martha is my friend. If you like playing Scrabble then you should totally start doing this as well. 

2. Last weekend I made the most delicious Christmas cookies I ever ate (Except of the ones my Mama and Oma made of course). I have no idea how they are called, I made the recipe up but they contain all the good stuff. Marzipan, almonds, coconut flakes, dark chocolate, apple sauce and some alcohol. I am pretty sure one has ca 27485 calories and I made 40 of them so you can do the math. But they are worth every calorie plus calories do not count at Christmas time. 

3. Do you have any interesting youtube channels you watch? Maybe vegan or book themed? Or  just something funny in general? 

4. I think my bunnies are in desperate need of a hammock because who does not need a hammock? Bunnies surely do. 

5. I got so excited when I found vegan chocolate Santas in the store that I bought 4 of them. I just cannot resist chocolate. Also bought chocolate covered marzipan, plain marzipan and vegan gummi bears. I also bake at least once a week. Plus my daily hot chocolate. I cannot deny my sweet tooth right now. 

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6. I am finally trying to figure out how exactly my camera works. 

7. I want to sleep here, please. Then I do not have to walk that far to get a new book. 

{Bookshelf Porn}

8. And my living room should look similar to this. Just with a comfy couch, maybe a fireplace and a globe bar of course. 

{Bookshelf Porn}

9. I had three car accidents in my life, none of them were my fault. When there is a lot of traffic, driving freaks me out. I prefer to take the bus. 

10. Pretty much. That counts for all animals. 

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Have a fantastic rest of the week!

The one with the crazy cat lady cardigan, the non-Christmassy movies and the crappy cake. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy December! I hope you are all doing great. You can link up with my friend Alyssa here. 

#1. December means it is time to watch Love Actually (even though I hate Liam Neeson), the Harry Potter series, The Holiday and my very special Christmas Eve movie Dirty Dancing. Which is not a Christmas movie at all but it is my tradition and I will stick to it. 

#2. What movies do you watch in December? What are your favorite Christmas movies? Do you have any non-Christmassy movies you like to watch at Christmas? 

#3. I am in love with this cardigan so please magically appear on my doorstep. Thanks. 

ModCloth

#4. I bought vegan curry mayo today which sounds kind of weird but also kind of awesome...considering I hated mayo so much before I went vegan. It is one of the grossest things I can imagine...only topped  by onions and meat etc. of course. But give me vegan mayo and I am a happy girl (and I only discovered my love for it a couple of weeks ago). 

#5. I drink a hot chocolate every night. It is good for your brain, it warms your heart, it tastes yummy and I do not even need a reason to drink it.

#6. My hair sucks.

#7. I want this to be a place in my house. Just add a globe bar. 

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#8. Last weekend I made a cake that looked like crap but tasted like heaven. Banana, hazelnut and chocolate. I did not bother to take a picture because it was so ugly.

#9. I am still not over the fact that I have to wait until April for the newest Jussi Adler-Olsen novel. I need a Danish speaker to translate it for me. 

#10. My current food addictions are: apricot cream filled wafers, applesauce mixed with soy yogurt and cinnamon, Müsli with lots of nuts, Vego bars and bananas. 

Have a great rest of the week and thank you for reading!

The one where I need to learn Danish because I cannot wait four long months for a book. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Tuesday! You can link up with Alyssa here.

1. I am a bad blogger at the moment but I am hoping that will change soon. 

2. Today I found out that I have to wait until April 1 for the German translation of the latest Carl Mørck novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen. I don't know if I can wait that long. The lady in the book store told me it would be February. But April 1? I guess I need to learn Danish after all. And I am not sure about the English edition. 

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3. I am cold. Just cold. I need more blankets, more hot water bottles and something to keep my damn hands warm. 

4. I love hedgehogs. 

{Cute Overload}

5. Last weekend I made gingerbread men shaped peanut butter chocolate chip and poppy seed cookies which all lost their legs or arms trying to get them out of the baking pan. well, except of one. I guess the dough was too crumbly. I won't give up and try again.  I need to make real gingerbread men. I love vegan baking. 

6. I recently discovered Wills Vegan Shoes aka shoe heaven for animal lovers. Look how cute these are. 

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7. Last week I yelled at a rude and heartless woman at the vet's office. I should have yelled even more. Sometimes I am too polite. 

8. Lumpi is so incredibly cute. He loves his teddy and his blanket. 

9. A humane future. Check it out here. I hope we will be able to achieve this. One can dream. 

{The Humane Society}

10. I am thankful for the person who invented Vego bars. That was a fantastic idea. She/he is in my vegan cool book.

Hope you are having a wonderful week! Thanks for reading. 

A tea preparing manatee, a baking obsession and invisible cats. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

I know, it's Wednesday already! Hope you are having a great week. You can link up with my lovely friend Alyssa here.

1. I am so into baking right now that I added lots of baking books to my wishlist, bought baking pans and other accessories and search for lots of new recipes to try. Last weekend I made a vegan apple pie with almonds, marzipan, soy yogurt and vanilla pudding. The picture doesn't do it any justice (and the quality is crappy). 

2. I am still confused if this is a pie or a cake. Don't know the difference exactly but I do know it tastes great, no matter how you call it.

3. Next weekend I will bake gingerbread men. 

4. I'd say that tea tastes even better when you prepare it with a lovely tea infuser. You can find some really funky ones here. This is my fave. 

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5. I had vegan mayonnaise yesterday which I enjoyed very much...which is kind of odd since I never liked mayonnaise before I went vegan. 

6. I swear, Tiger can make himself invisible. Sometimes he just vanishes and I have no idea where he is. The next second he appears out of nowhere. 

7. Look what happens when a guy babysits his coworker's plant.

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8. I heard that hot chocolate sharpens your brain which is a good enough excuse for me to drink a cup every day.

9. My current food addiction: any kind of baked goods. And vegan "nutella". 

10. This is basically me as a dog.

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Have a lovely rest of the week!

Lessons learned #1.

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Monday! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Today I want to share some of the things I have learned. And I hope you will share some of your life lessons with me. 

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1. Animals cheer you up, no matter what.

2. Onions are evil.

3. Anise tastes like feet.

4. Tea is always a good idea.

5. Don't worry too much.

6. Decide to be happy.

7. Be kind to people. Your relatives from hell not included. 

8. Read as many books as you can.

9. Adopting a pet will make you feel great.

10. Becoming vegan is one of the best decisions to make.

11. Don't count calories. 

12. Do what makes you happy. As long as you don't hurt others.

13. Don't care about what people might think of you.

14. Trust your guts.

15. Believe in yourself, no matter what others say.

16. Don't give up on your dreams, no matter how hard it is. 

17. Eat more veggies.

18. Always give money to homeless people with dogs. 

19. Eat more chocolate.

20. Life is way too short.

21. Help others.

22. Always make sure to have warm feet.

23. Always be kind to animals.

24. Buy the globe bar you find at the flea market. 

25. Your life, your terms. 

26. Do not be afraid.

27. Be yourself.

28. Kitty cuddles rule. 

29. Never stop learning. 

30. Baking is fun. 

31. Never apologize for being yourself.

32. Spoil your pets. 

33. Laughing is important.

34. Crying too.

35. Mary Poppins and The Sword in the Stone never get old.

36. The German version of the Inspector Gadget theme song is better than the original.

37. Cats prefer cardboard boxes over cat beds. 

38. Deep water is a pain in the ass. Stay away from it.

39. Never drive a car in Paris. You will regret it.

40. Onions ruin every meal. 

...to be continued.

Have a great week!

The one with the Christmas wish, ravens and owls and a fluffy teddy bear bathrobe. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

you can link up for Ten On Tuesday with my lovely friend Alyssa.

1. Dear Santa, here is my wish for Christmas. Please be so kind and let this be my gift. When you come by, you can have some vegan cookies and almond milk. Thank you.

{CompassionCo}

2. I drives me crazy when I search for something and cannot find it. It happens way too often. Currently I am searching for some copies I made a while ago. I swear, I have a ghost living in my house.  

3. I am in love with Abraxas the raven (from "Die kleine Hexe", a book from my childhood) and Archimedes the owl (from my favorite Disney movie "The Sword in the Stone"). Perfect pet names, by the way. 

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4. When I was a kid I wanted to be friends with a talking raven. Well, that would still be cool. 

5. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by all the books that are on my to-be-read-list that I have no idea what to read next. Which is why I always read several books at the same time. 

6. I want to spend a lot of time there. It is just missing a fireplace and a globe bar. 

Bookshelf Porn

7. Yesterday I bought a cozy white bathrobe which has a hood with teddy bear ears. It's so fluffy! 

8. How beautiful are those sculptures carved out of books by artist Tomoko Takeda? You can find more of them here.

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9. On my winter to-do-list (among lots of other things): knitting a scarf, doing a puzzle, start drawing again, bake a lot. 

10. This is why I do not like Thanksgiving. 

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Have a good rest of the week!

{Book Talk #3) Books are a girl's best friend (a.k.a gift ideas for bookworms).

Hallo meine Lieben,

hope you are all enjoying your Sunday! Obviously book lovers are always happy when they receive a book as a gift....but there are so many other things you can make a bookworm happy with. And here are some of my favorites. 

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A bookish candle. 

Frostbeard {Etsy}

The Frostbeard store sells soy candles for book lover's. Well, vegan and books. What else can I say. They also have candles called "Dumbledore's office", "Sherlock's Study" or "Christmas at the Burrow". I am officially a fan. I want them all. 

A cozy armchair.

{Pinterest}

Preferably a comfy armchair next to a globe bar and in front of a chimney. And all of that in my personal library. My dream. 

Shirts for bookworms. 

NerdGirlTees

I like shirts with a message and this one combines two great things. Cats and books. 

Foxy bookends. 

{DesignAtelierArticle}

I have a weak spot for bookends. And when you combine books and animals then I am in love. It's that easy.

A bookish laptop cover. 

{BookBook}

I'd say that everything looks better when it looks like a book.

A book lamp. 

{Light up your world}

That's pretty much the prettiest lamp I have ever seen and I am sure it would look good in one of my bookshelves. 

A bloody bookmark. 

{Designboom}

If you are a fan of crime novels like me then I would say this is the perfect gift. I think you can never have too many bookmarks. 

Monopoly for book lovers. 

{Bookopoly}

I love board games and this one is definitely cooler than the regular Monopoly. 

A book journal. 

{Moleskine}

I love Goodreads to keep track of my books but I also love all things oldschool so this would be the perfect gift. 

A nightstand for readers. 

{Brookstone}

You can never have enough books next to your bed. And this is clearly fancier than just a pile of books on the floor. 

What's your perfect gift?

Have a fantastic Sunday!