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I am Ana, pleased to meet you.
I live in Portugal, am in my thirties, a lover of nature, books, movies and random stuff.
Since the last quarter of 2014 or so, when I discovered GoodReads and shortly after Netgalley, I have found that I absolutely love writing reviews on the books I read.
I am your typical introvert. I do however enjoy chatting with all you lovely folks online, so do come in, grab a cup of your beverage of choice, make yourself comfortable, look around and leave your comment.
Also feel free to email me at anaslair@hotmail.com
Welcome to my Lair.
In this blog you will mostly find book reviews, occasionally some movie ones as well, a few music videos which I feel accurately portray the genres I enjoy, and other random stuff – the large majority written in English, a few in Portuguese, my native language. I post other things from time to time but they are generally book related.
Navigating the blog should be easy enough, thanks to the sidebar and links at the top of the page:
Pages:
– Home displays all my posts by chronological order.
– Books: Book Reviews indexed by book covers and author.
– Chats: Stuff I would like to discuss with you guys.
– Movies: Movie reviews, indexed by movie title.
– Music: An index of the music videos I have posted.
Sidebar:
– Social Media: Follow Ana’s Lair on Facebook and Twitter and feel free to add me on GoodReads.
– Search my blog: Use this if you are looking for something specific.
– Recent Posts: The 10 most recent posts will be displayed at the top of the sidebar.
– Categories: The main categories come next. Most of them contain the information available in the pages at the top, though there may be the odd one not featured there.
– Tags: Most tags correspond to genres. As the categories above, if you click on a tag, all the posts containing it will appear.
– Currently Reading: This widget links to my GoodReads account and will show whatever books I have marked as Currently Reading.
– Netgalley: I get a large part of my books from Netgalley. I am very thankful to the site and publishers and wanted to display this button.
– Archives and Calendar: You can access my posts chronologically via these options.
– Random stuff like awards, challenges and a follow button.
What I read and review: Anything from short stories to novellas to full novels to audiobooks (which I have discovered very recently), mostly by new authors who are kind enough to share their work with me, but you will also find a few classics.
Favourite genres: Fantasy, horror, science fiction, some mysteries.
I usually stay far away from romance and certain themes I have grown tired of, like vampires, werewolves and zombies.
Favourite formats: Mobi, paperbacks.
Read for review requests: I am currently not taking requests as my availability has drastically decreased. However, if you think I will really enjoy your book please feel free to use the form below, mentioning in your message whether you have a date in mind by which you would like me to post my review. Do bear in mind that, by submitting this request, you are agreeing to let me post my fully honest thoughts on Ana’s Lair and GoodReads. Let me know if you also want me to post it on Amazon.
GoodReads group: Book Lair
Love the look and feel of your blog, great mix of books and music!
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Thank you so much, Leigh! I try to have the videos relate to the literature I enjoy reading, to keep it all in context. There’s some great artwork out there, sometimes where you least expect it!
I might add a page for pictures in the future, maybe movie review too, we’ll see. You know how writers say books write themselves? As in, often times the narrative and characters take directions they weren’t planning on? That’s what is happening here!
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Your blog is lovely. I’ve just been checking out your book reviews. Need to look into some of these more closely! I can feel my tbr expanding!!
Lynn :D
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Aww shucks, thank you so much! I am still pretty new to this, the blog must be roughly 3 weeks old by now. There is a lot I have been tinkering with and need to edit old posts but so far I have managed to keep it fairly clean which I really love, since it should make it easier to find stuff. Any suggestions are more than appreciated, though!
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Hi Ana. Do you have any interest in reviewing either of my unpuiblished novels. One is a pparanormal crime comedy, LAUGH OUT DEAD, the other is a sci fi comedy, INTELLIGENT DESIGN.
There are extracts of both on paranorensics.com
I’m hoping to publish them next year, but they need re-editing first and I am waiting on some covers.
Rupert
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Hello, Dr Rupert, thank you so much for stopping by and for offering your work!
I don’t think I have read anything of the sort and I would definitely be interested in reading and reviewing your novels.
Would it be possible to send me the books in mobi format? Also, do you have a date in mind for when you would like the review to be posted? I am a bit swamped at the moment so it might take a while.
Thank you again for this opportunity.
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Formatting may be a bit of a problem; I haven’t tackled that yet. Is pdf any good? PDF’s seem Ok on my kindle.
Re timeframe, no rush at all, I am just grateful that you have shown an interest. As an avid reader, your opinion would be most welcome while I’m still in the editing stage,
Ciao
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Oh, what a shame, I have tried reading PDF on my Kindle Paperwhite but the letters are just too small. I will have to read it on my computer, which will take me a while. I will send you an email to the address you provided for WordPress now so we ca discuss the details.
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Love your reviews, and how much detail you put into your reactions. Thank you for your hard work and enthusiasm.
I recommended this blog today in a list of great book blogs worth checking out, in the hopes others will find it useful too. It also serves as a nomination for a Liebster award, if you’re interested in that sort of thing. Recommendation and nomination here.
Thanks again, Ana!
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Oh wow thank you so much, Kimberly! I am beaming, my blog isn’t even 1 month old…
Not quite sure how this award thing works but thank you! *blushes profusely*
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Hello Ana,
I’m writing to ask if you would like to review my Paranormal/Horror novel “Line of Descent.”
Here is the Goodreads page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24983348-line-of-descent#other_reviews
Thanks so much for your time!
James
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Hello James, thank you very much for your offer. Your book sounds interesting. I am pretty swamped at the moment, so if you do send me a copy please know I am not sure when I will be able to review it. Thank you again for this opportunity.
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Hi Ana, thank you for the likes. As a beginner and technophobe my blog is in its infancy. Your site is fantastic and so well presented.You are very professional.
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Thank you, that is very kind of you. I am somewhat of a technophobe myself, so any coding skills applied in my blog sadly cannot be attributed to me.
I do like things simple, minimalistic even, so this layout appealed to me from the moment I set eyes on it.
Your blog looks great as well! Love the header image and the whole look of it. And the way you write your reviews, of course.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
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Hello Ana, thank you for visiting my blog Flights of Fancy, and for following. I’m sorry I’m so late in replying. I really like your blog, we seem to like the same genres, following back.
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Hello, thank you for your comment and for following back :)
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Hi, Ana! You’re one of my favorite book blogs and I’m nominating you for the Liebster Award. I hope you don’t mind. :) https://covers2covers.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/the-liebster-award-2/
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Thank you so much, Mimi!
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Hey there! Just a heads up to say I’ve nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Feel free to visit my post for the details if you’re interested :)
https://stacksofsarah.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/beautiful-blogger-award/
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Thank you so much, that is very kind of you!
I will check it out asap :)
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Ola Ana! Muito legal esbarrar com você por aqui. Eu escrevo livros de fantasia com muito romance e ação. Devo publicar o meu livro “A Courtroom of Ashes” por volta de Setembro deste ano. Você estaria interessada?
Grande abraço!
PS: Sou Brasileira hehe
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Olá! É bom finalmente usar a minha língua materna na blogosfera, eheh.
Muito obrigada pela oferta! Na verdade eu não sou grande fã de romance… Até tendo a fugir dele com todas as minhas forças eheh. Mas em todo o caso gostaria de saber a sinopse do teu livro. Mas não encontro informação sobre ele no GoodReads, podes deixar-me aqui um breve resumo? Obrigada!
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Ainda não o publiquei, é por isso rsrs. A sinopse está aqui: https://cswilde.wordpress.com/works/
Devo lançá-lo lá pra Setembro. O livro tem romance, mas o foco é na Santana e nos resultados das escolhas que ela fez para subir na carreira. Karma is a bitch! Se quiseres, tenho uma sample ^_^
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Ahah pois mas há vários livros lá ainda não publicados, apenas com data prevista.
Bem, pelo que li o livro parece muito interessante! Adoro a ideia de outro mundo por detrás dum espelho. E parece que há mais para além do romance, o que me agrada muito.
Mas pretendes que leia e escreva uma crítica sobre a versão final, certo? Não beta?
O teu inglês é mesmo muito bom, tens um vocabulário notável, muitos parabéns!
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Muito obrigada! Pois é, acho que assim que tiver com a cover pronta vou colocar lá no Goodreads! : ) Por enquanto ainda falta o proof read rsrs. Sim, sim, se você topar, você faria uma resenha sobre a versão final (eu te mandaria um ARC).
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Com certeza, gostaria muito, mas só se concordares numa crítica completamente honesta! Hoje em dia já nem costumo aceitar livros de autores porque sinto sempre aquela pressão de escrever algo mais positivo do que realmente sinto, e depois não me sinto bem porque não fui justa para com os outros livros que achei muito melhores, portanto espero que compreendas!
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Nossa, eu nunca imaginaria te pedir isso. Até porque é ilegal (na Amazon pelo menos). Muitos autores realmente ajem deste jeito, mas eu sempre coloco um disclaimer na sample que diz que se o leitor quiser, ele pode deixar uma honest review no site de preferência deles. Com ênfase no honest rsrs
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Oh, eu acredito que muitos tencionam aceitar uma crítica completamente honesta. Mas são humanos e é claro que ficam triste se não o for. Por isso é que prefiro obter os meus livros pelo Netgalley, não tenho de lidar directamente com pessoas, compreendes? :)
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Bem sei, politicagens não é? É claro que doi, mas se o autor é um seasoned pro, ele sabe lidar com isso sem descarregar no reviewer. É um business extremamente subjetivo.
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Pois, julgo que é mais complicado para os autores que estão a começar. Mas é um negócio difícil, nem todos conseguem persistir, principalmente autores auto-publicados. Então tento julgar todos de maneira igual, só posso esperar que compreendam!
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Oi Ana, você se importaria de me mandar o seu e-mail para que eu possa te adicionar a lista dos ARCs? É so clicar na tab “Contact” ^_^
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Acho que o fiz mas não obtive confirmação de que foi enviado. Se não recebeste nada por favor utiliza o formulário nesta página (About). Obrigada.
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Nao recebi nada, mas enviei uma mensagem com o seu contact form ^_^
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Obrigada! :)
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Hello there! I have nominated you for the Beautiful Bloggers Award. Just wanted to let you know. You can find it here: https://bookstogetlostin.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/beautiful-bloggers-award/
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Thank you, that is so kind of you ^_^
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Thank you Ana – lovely to meet you. Your book reviews are fantastic and so thorough. I will try to return and read as much as I can. :) BTW my creative writing workshop is run by Isabel De Avila Winter from Portugal. She is a published author. Her family lives in Lisbon and she visits regularly. She is a fantastic teacher.
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Thank you very much for your comment and compliments!
Hmm sad to say I have never read anything by her, but will look her up, thank you!
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She only published one book. :) I must find the title for you.
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Sure thing, I couldn’t find anything myself…
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Hey Ana. I’ve tagged you to do the “Would You Rather” Book Tag (https://thebookvenom.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/would-you-rather-book-tag/)
If you aren’t interested or have done it before, feel free to ignore this.
Have a nice day :)
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*gasp* Oh my, that is one of those tags that requires a lot of imagination, isn’t it? I will try my best to put my procrastination aside and come up with something. Thank you for remembering me, I am honoured!
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Yeay! Can’t wait to see your answers :D
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I will try to get it done within the week! :D
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Hello Ana!
I’m pleased to follow your blog. Nicely written reviews and the ‘about’ page is awesome, so neatly described!
Looking forward to read more from you! :)
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Thank you so much for the follow and kind words!
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Hi Ana! I tagged you in the secret life of a book blogger tag.Here’s my post:
https://dreamyaddictions.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/the-secret-life-of-a-bookblogger-tag/
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Oh wow cool thanks, I had actually never heard of that! I will check it out as soon as I can ^_^ Thanks for tagging me!
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You’re Welcome! :)
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I’ve nominated you for the Blogger Recognition Award! I hope you take the time to do this awesome award! xoxo
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Good to meet you Ana and thank you for following my blog.. look forward to your posts.
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Thank you, same here, and thank you so much for reblogging my post :)
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Hey Ana! I have a tag for you~ https://vivliohora.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/book-tag-3-days-3-quotes-challenge-part-2/
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Thanks for tagging me, I will check it out as soon as I can sit at my computer :)
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Take your time hon!
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Hi there! I have nominated you for the Blogger Recognition Award.
Here’s the link:
https://dreamyaddictions.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/blogger-recognition-award/
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Oh my, thank you so much!
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You’re welcome! :)
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Hi, love your blog, I’m nominating you the Liebster Award. You can find out more here:
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Hello and thank you very much for your nomination; unfortunately, I have already done that one, but thanks!
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No worries!
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Hello Ana! I’ve tagged you for the Blogger Recognition Award! Congrats! Here’s my post: https://datlittleblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/15/the-blogger-recognition-award/
Have a great day! <3
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Thank you so much, Melanie!
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No worries! You deserved it! :)
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Thanks hehe, I have done it very recently though so I hope you don’t mind me skipping it. Thank you so much for thinking of me, though :)
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Sure, no worries ;)
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Hi Ana,
I just wanted to say how much I love your blog. Another 30 something year old here, lovely to meet you and I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts !
Nicola :)
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Hi, Nicola, thank you so much for your kind words! I will be sure to take some time to read your posts as well, thanks for stopping by!
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Thank you Ana and great to see you on Goodreads too :)
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Thanks for accepting my request ^_^
Easier to see what folks are up to that way eheh
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Thanks for recently following me Ana, I liked your blog, you have similar interests to mine, if you need something, just ask, the language for me is not an obstacle! God bless you!
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Thanks, Eder!
Your blog was just too interesting to pass on!
Are you brazillian? I am portuguese so yep, English should not be an obstacle :)
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Yes I am! Podemos conversar em português! \o.o/
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Yep eheh :)
Que tipo de literatura preferes? :)
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Gosto mais de Ficção, fantasia
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Pois, calculei, tendo em conta o conteúdo do teu blog também deves gostar de ficção científica, não?
Gosto muito desses géneros e também de terror. Ultimamente também leio thrillers psicológicos contemporâneos. Reparei que me ajuda a não cair em reading slumps, ir alternando géneros.
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Adoro! Terror também gosto
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hey, I don’t where to put this, I nominated you for a blog award 2 months ago and I don’t know if you saw it! https://thewhiteriddler.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/blog-awards-real-neat-blog-award/
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Hi! I don’t think I had noticed it, no. Thank you so much for nominating me, I really appreciate it :D
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:)
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Hi Ana, I’ve nominated you for the Champions’ Award. https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/champions-blogging-award-courtesy-of-the-amazing-seumas-gallacher/
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Thank you, that was very kind of you!
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I nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award at https://ajoobacatsblog.com/2016/06/21/the-versatile-blogger-award-3/
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Aww shucks thanks, that is very kind of you!
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Just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award. If you have already done it, or just don’t want to, no pressure. You can check out the post here: Sunshine Blogger Award
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Thank you so much for thinking of me! I will check it out as soon as I can but no promises! I suck at these xD But thank you so much for remembering me, I really appreciate it!
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