New Year Q&A: Answering Y’all’s Questions!

Hello everybody! If you’re new here, welcome, I hope you enjoy today’s post! If you’re not new, thank you for coming back and reading this Q&A of mine! Let’s get straight into the post!

Anna asked:

What’s your favorite book series? I have so many, and it’s tough to choose just one! The Lord of the Rings series, set in a very intricate world with well-developed characters, has to be one of my favorites! The Hunger Games is another series that is at the top of my list!

How long have you been blogging? I started a blog to post school essays for my R.P.C. classes at the beginning of 2021. I don’t know if that would be considered blogging, as I was just posting school stuff. However, I loved the community and was interested in starting a blog to share posts about my hobbies, so I started this blog, Books and Hooks, during the summer of 2021! I have been blogging on here for approximately a year and a half, which is hard to believe!

BetsyJane asked:

What’s your favorite crochet project you’ve done? There are so many! I have been crocheting for a long time. There are some that I am very proud of, such as my first amigurumi doll, or the first pattern I followed, which was a baby blanket for my little cousin. It’s kind of difficult to come up with my favorite crochet project, considering there have been so many, but there have been a lot of cute amigurumi animals, dolls, and toys that I have made, and those are some of my favorites!

Who’s your favorite singer? I like listening to a lot of Christain artists and bands, such as Colton Dixon, Francesca Battistelli, Jeremy Camp, PJ Anderson, and For King and Country. Their songs are just so uplifting and inspirational! I also like listening to Taylor Swift, and I’ll often listen to instrumental pieces or movie soundtracks while I’m working on school.

Heidi asked:

What are the top three books you’ve read this past year? I feel like I didn’t read a lot of good books this past year, but there were some that stood out. My three favorites would have to be Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (check out my book review here to learn more about my thoughts concerning this amazing book), The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, and…maybe I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. I do realize that two of these are by the same author, but she just writes really good books, and I would recommend them to anyone who wants to read something historical. I always learn more about history through Ruta Sepety’s books, and I love how she writes about little-known times in history, and events that I had almost no previous knowledge of before reading the book.

Top three movies you watched this past year? I am not a big movie person, and I don’t really keep track of the movies I watch, so this is a bit of a difficult question for me. I first watched the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series on Netflix this past year, and I think that it was well-made, and I probably like them better than the books. I also watched the second Enola Holmes when it came out, and I liked it better than the previous one. As for a third movie…I don’t know. I do a lot of rewatches, so I didn’t watch a lot of new movies this past year.

Top five memories from this past year? There were some pretty great things that happened this year! My siblings and I went to visit family for a couple of weeks in the summer, which would have to make it onto this list. I also made my Confirmation, which was a big memory for the year. I finished both the first and second drafts of my dystopian novel, which…really surprised me, considering I didn’t ever imagine completing both of those. I ran seven miles continuously, which I never thought possible either! A lot of good times with family, too!

Top five to ten pictures from this past year? This is difficult, because many of my favorite photos are of me or my family, and I don’t feel comfortable sharing those on here. But, I did go through my camera and pick out a few of my favorites that don’t contain faces or anything! ☺

Anoushka asked:

If you could choose only one book to read for the rest of time, which one would it be? This is such a difficult question to answer! I cannot imagine just reading one book over and over again, because I like variety in the genres and books I read. I might go with Little Women, but that answer may just be because I recently finished it and it’s still fresh in my mind.

Book/movie characters you see yourself most in? I’ve never really thought of this before…🤔 Basically any quiet or shy book-loving character. I cannot think of any at the moment, but I’m sure there are a lot. There are a few characters in the books I’m writing that are very similar to me, but I’m not sure that counts toward this question, because it was me who created the characters.

Five tv shows/movies that define you? This is another one I haven’t really contemplated before, and, to be honest, I don’t quite understand it. Movies or shows that define me?

Story ideas you’re most excited to write about? Okay, so there’s this story idea I have, and I don’t know how good it is, but I think it would be interesting to write. The basic idea is that there is one character who was in a house fire (Landon is the name I’ll give him for now) and lost almost everything. Another character (whose name will be Magnolia) donates a crochet blanket to the hospital, and the blanket ends up going to Landon who is at the hospital. The blanket is one of the only things he has in those dark times after losing his house and everything, and when he gets out of the hospital, he sets out to find who made the blanket. That’s the general concept, but I don’t really have any further ideas and I’m not sure where the story would go. I am not going to start writing it yet or anything, because I already have a couple of books I’m working on at the moment, but I will save the idea and maybe use it in a later novel! I also like the idea of writing a historical fiction novel, but I know how much research is required to write one accurately, and I do not particularly enjoy researching…maybe someday!

Favorite genre? I like reading a variety of YA genres and am always in the mood to read from different genres. My favorite, though, are between contemporary (like Kasie West’s books!) and historical fiction.

Pertsfarms asked:

What are some of your favorite memories of 2022? I listed a few of them earlier in this Q&A. Visiting relatives and meeting some of my newest cousins were definitely some of the happiest memories from this past year. I also feel like I completed a lot of goals, and got really far with blogging and my other hobbies, which is amazing and definitely produced some of my favorite memories of the year!

Lydia asked:

Do you think we owe Aragorn, son of Arathorn, our allegiance? Yes, I think we do! 😄

Polka dots or stripes? Polka dots!

Who do you look up to the most? I look up to both of my parents, and a lot of my older family members, such as my nana, aunts, and you, my older sister! There are a lot of saints that I look up to as well, drawing inspiration from their stories, and looking at their lives and the examples they’ve set.

What is one of the saddest deaths in a book or movie/tv show? I know that there are many, but I just can’t think of them right now. I guess that there were many deaths in A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir, and they were heartbreaking. Also, (spoiler warning for anyone who has not read The Hunger Games series) Prim’s death in Mockingjay is just so tragic, especially considering all that Katniss did for her, and how Katniss responded. Finnick, too. I think that his death, unlike Prim’s, was sort of unnecessary. Salt to the Sea also had a lot of sadness. The Book Thief as well…there are just so many sad books! 😢

Least fav book of 2022? Probably the Summer I Turned Pretty series. The first one was okay…nothing great, but not horrible either. The second and third books were just awful, and I hated the ending!

Jan asked:

Who is your favorite author? I have read all of Ruta Sepety’s YA novels, and I’d have to say that she’s definitely one of my favorite authors. Her books are very well-researched and historical, yet contain interesting characters that drive the plot forward. As I said earlier in this post, one thing I like about Ruta Sepety’s books is that she chooses to write about occasions in history that I don’t hear about a lot, which makes them very interesting and educational. I like the characters, and…yes, she’s just an amazing author! I hope she writes another book soon!

What made you start blogging? I started a WordPress blog at first to just share school essays, but after following a few other blogs and interacting with other bloggers, I decided to start a blog to post crochet patterns and book reviews!

Who is your favorite fictional character? There are many different characters that I like, but one of the first people who comes to mind is Peeta from the Hunger Games series (preferably the books, but he’s not bad in the movies either.) I just really like his personality, and contrary to what the majority of my family believes, he is not a wimp! I also like Laia’s character in the Ember in the Ashes quartet and I like watching her character development throughout the series.

Diamond asked:

What is your favorite family memory? There are so many! I don’t think it’s possible to choose just one! 🥰

What made you start blogging? As I said earlier, I started this blog as a space to share patterns for crochet and book reviews! I have always been interested in talking about my hobbies, but it wasn’t until I started a blog to post school essays that I realized how simple it was to start a blog, and I created Books and Hooks!

Where do you see yourself in five years? I will likely be graduated by that time, and maybe be pursuing a career. I’m not sure what else. I don’t exactly know what I want to do when I am older, so this is a bit of a tricky question.

Mayim asked:

Favorite breakfast food? I love bagels with cream cheese, especially when the bagels are homemade! Smoothies are another favorite of mine!

Favorite store? I don’t do a lot of shopping, so…does a thrift store count? That’s the main type of shopping I do. Ooh, used bookstores as well! 😁

Cheese or supreme pizza? Supreme pizza!

Favorite song? There are so many! I am always listening to different types of music depending on my mood, and what I feel like listening to at the moment. I really like Taylor Swift’s lyricism in her songs, but I don’t know how I could decide on just one song. “Miracles” by Colton Dixon is one of my favorite upbeat Christain songs, and “Love Will Heal” by PJ Anderson is a calmer song that I find myself listening to a lot. So, my basic answer is that my music tastes are always changing and it is hard for me to choose just one song! These two, though, are some of my top picks.

Are you a Starbucks fan, and if so, what’s your usual order? I have actually never been to Starbucks because there is not one very near to my house. 🙁

Sophia asked:

Favorite movie? I am not a big movie person, because I often find it hard to sit still and concentrate on a whole movie. With that being said, there are some that I really do like. The Lord of the Rings films are amazing (as are the books). It’s a Wonderful Life, I’m Not Ashamed, Miracles from Heaven, the Hunger Games movies, and the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy are some of my favorites!

Favorite show? I do not find myself watching a lot of tv shows, but my favorite is no doubt the Stranger Things tv series! I like many of the characters and a lot of the themes relating to friendship and courage. I am also going through The Chosen, which is really good! I am only on the first season, but I want to finish the series soon. I would definitely recommend it, based on what I’ve watched so far.

Favorite holiday? I love both Christmas and Thanksgiving! In the end, I’d probably go with Christmas, but Thanksgiving is an amazing holiday as well, with food, family and friends, and being reminded of all to be thankful for. However, on Christmas, we are celebrating Christ’s birth, which makes it my favorite holiday.

Where do you want to go on vacation? If I could go anywhere in the world, I’d probably choose somewhere in Europe, such as Italy or France. They seem like they have such good food, as well as many historical landmarks that would be interesting to see. Ireland would be another interesting visit!

That’s it! Thank you so much to the amazing bloggers who asked questions; I had lots of fun answering them and writing this post! How would you have answered these questions? Were you surprised by any of my answers? I’d love to hear from y’all in the comments!

I hope that you enjoyed this post! I also hope that you are having an amazing start to your week! I will probably be back next Monday, though I know I haven’t been the most consistent blogger lately, so we’ll have to see. 😄 Thanks for reading, and bye for now!

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New Year Q&A: Ask Me Some Questions

Hello! I know I already posted today, but I thought I’d do a Q&A post for the new year! So, just ask me some questions in the comments, anything you want to know. They could relate to the new year, or this past year, or they could just be general questions: hobbies, blogging, life, etc. I won’t answer any questions that I don’t feel comfortable answering, however. I’ll answer them sometime in January. Have an amazing day, and be sure to ask some questions in the comments!

~ Rebekah

Answering Y’all’s Questions

Hello! I’m back with a new post this week! I’m going to be answering the questions you guys have asked in this post!

Thanks so much to Addie and Maggie for asking some questions! Be sure to look at both of their blogs, because they share some great posts!

Let’s get into the questions, now!

Addie’s questions:

1. Have you ever been out of the U.S.? If so where did you go?

I actually haven’t ever. I think it would be really fun to travel sometime, though! I just don’t like plane rides.

2. Do you have any pets? (you may have answered this question before I just can’t remember lol)

I think I did before, but I don’t mind answering it again!! I have a cat named Luna! 🥰 Here is a pic!

3. What’s your favorite hobby?

Uhhhh…this is a hard one, considering the fact I have so many hobbies! 😅 Writing, crochet, and running have to be my top three. I don’t think I can choose just one!

4. If you could live anywhere you wanted in the world where would you go and why?

I would really like to visit Italy or France! If I had to choose one, though, it would probably be Italy! I’d love to go there for many reasons, one being the food! Pasta, pizza, gelato…yum! I don’t know if I’d like to live there, but just for a visit would be fun! To live…I’m not sure! I don’t have a very good understanding of different places, because I haven’t traveled a lot, so I don’t know if I would be able to answer that!

5. Any college/future plans?!

It’s funny you ask this because it’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. I plan to become a doula when I’m out of high school, and then maybe go to college to become a midwife if I like that career area!

Maggie’s questions:

1. Would you rather visit a library or a bookstore?

I like them both for different reasons! I love bookstores because I can actually buy the books, whereas at a library I’d have to return them in a few weeks. I also really like the library, especially if I don’t have any money to spend on books. Overall, though, I’d have to go with a bookstore!

2. What’s your favorite savannah animal?

Elephants! For some reason, I’ve just always loved them, and I don’t know why, but that’s definitely what I’d choose for this question!

3. What are a few countries you’d love to visit?

Like I said earlier, Italy and France are two countries I’d love to visit! I also really like Ireland!

4. Do you prefer lemonade or tea?

I like both, but lemonade is my favorite!

5. What were some of your favorite games to play when you were little?

When I was little, I really loved to play Monopoly and Risk! I love the games that rely heavily on strategy, instead of just luck. These games sort of combine the two, so I really enjoyed them! I also liked Scattegorites, I think, though that was a bit later.

6. How would you describe your art/decorating style?

I like really simple and cute decorations that are bright and cheerful! 😊

7. Do you prefer drawing or painting?

I don’t do much of either, because I’m not the best at it, but I do like drawing better.

Thank you all for reading! And, thanks again to Addie and Maggie for asking some questions! I had so much fun answering them! See y’all Thursday!

Bye!

~ Rebekah

Reacting to and Answering Your Assumptions About Me

Hello everybody! I hope you are having an amazing day!

A couple of weeks ago, I reached my one-year blogiversary, and I asked for y’all to comment with some assumptions you had of me! Today, I’ll be reacting to these assumptions! 😃 Thanks to everyone who commented with their assumptions! I had such a fun time reading them, and answering them!

Heidi’s assumptions:

You enjoy road trips

I do! I love traveling, as well as going on fun road trips! There’s just something so exciting about them, even if I am crammed in the car with my siblings for hours. We can usually find some fun things to do, and activities to keep us occupied! I can’t usually read in the car very well, or crochet because I get car sick, but I love to listen to audiobooks and music during car rides!

You like to hang out with friends often

I would like to, but most of my friends don’t live super close, so I don’t see them a lot. I do like talking to them, though, and talking to all of my blogging friends on here!

You like Mac and cheese over pizza

Mac and cheese is really good, but I still like pizza better! Pizza is one of my favorite foods, if not my overall favorite! 😋

Briar’s assumptions:

You like the color blue

Yesss! Blue and yellow are my favorite colors! 😊

You own a cat

I do! Her name is Luna, and she is adorable! Here are a few pictures of her:

I went on my photos app to find a picture, but I couldn’t find one that was from the past three years. I realized that most of the pictures I have of her are on my camera, so I went outside and took a few pictures! Isn’t she so cute?

You like alpacas

I guess I do. I’m not super into them, but they are cool!

Maggie’s assumptions:

you love puppies and kittens!

I do! They’re adorable! 😍💕

you like neutral color palettes

I do like neutral colors! They are one of my favorite color palettes. However, I do really like pastels and blues as well!

you’d love to go canoeing

I love canoeing! My family has a couple of canoes, and I love going out on the lake with them! It is always a chaotic thing: my brothers intent on crashing into the other boat, or one of the little kids crying because we’re drifting too far from the shore, but it is a really fun thing, and definitely a great family bonding experience! 😃

you’re more of a saver than a spender

Absolutely correct!

you like butterflies

Yes, they are very pretty!

Victoria’s assumptions:

You like birds

Yes, birds are really nice!

You like cute animals

Doesn’t everyone? 🤔

You prefer pop music to rock

Yes! I don’t really enjoy listening to rock unless I’m in the right mood, which isn’t that often. Rock music just isn’t my favorite. I don’t totally know what is considered pop music, but I listen to Taylor Swift a lot, and she does pop music I think.

Your favourite ice cream is strawberry

Strawberry ice cream is nice, (especially the kind with the chunks of strawberries 😋) but my favorite is probably mint chocolate chip, or some type of chocolate fudge ice cream!

You don’t like math

I actually usually enjoy math! I used to like it even more before I started algebra and geometry, but I still like it quite a bit! (Yes, I know it’s weird.)

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Were you surprised by any of my answers? Are there any more assumptions you have of me that I can answer in the comments? I’d love to hear from y’all! 😀

See you in a little while! Have an amazing day!

~ Rebekah

Celebrating 50 Followers: A Q&A Post! (Part two)

I can’t believe I haven’t posted for two weeks! But, anyways, I’m here with part two of the Q&A! Here’s part one, if you haven’t read it yet. I’ll be answering the rest of the questions from this post. Okay, here we go!

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Rajonya’s questions

If you could be an animal or mythical creature what would you be?

Hmmm… 🤔 maybe a cat, but I don’t really know. Cats can be social sometimes, but are also pretty independent.

Dogs or cats?

I’d go with cats, but I don’t hate dogs or anything!

Favorite series?

What??? How do you expect me to answer this!?!? Okay, I have a lot…I guess I’ll choose one from each genre I read 😅. Contemporary: “To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before” series by Jenny Han. 💌 Fantasy: “An Ember in the Ashes” series by Sabaa Tahir. Dystopian: “The Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins. I don’t really know any for historical fiction, because most of them are just standalones!

Cookies or cupcakes?

I guess it would depend on the type of cookie or cupcake. Overall, I’d go with cookies though. But, I like to bake cupcakes better; they are so fun to decorate!!

Wanna collab?

Sure, I’d love to!!

Heidi’s questions

What is your favorite part about blogging?

I love getting to know different people, who share my interests! I think that that’s a very big part of blogging. I also really love sharing posts with others. And, reading other people’s awesome posts is so fun too!

What is your favorite thing you have crocheted?

I love to make so many things!! Maybe I would choose the crocheted pumpkins I made last fall. I just really love how the pattern turned out! It was definitely my favorite pattern I designed. I also like making amigurumi dolls (this is my favorite pattern!) because they’re so fun to customize, and I love making different clothing and hair colors for each of them! ❤

Are you an animal person?

I like animals a lot, but I’m not super into them. I do absolutely love my cat, Luna, though.

Addie’s questions

When is your birthday?

I don’t know if I feel comfortable answering that, so I’m not going to.

Favorite thing about 2021?

I liked blogging; this was my first year with a blog, so that was a pretty big thing! I also liked that I got to visit family more than usual, too! 😊

What is the first thing you look for in a person?

Well, I think that a friend should be nice and kind, but I think that being trustworthy is a really good trait for everyone to have.

What would a perfect day look like for you?

I guess I’d wake up early, then go for a run by the lake. After that, I’d eat breakfast, and then write a little by the lake. Then, I’d probably go shopping and maybe go out to lunch with some friends. Maybe go to the library then, and pick up some ice cream. When I got home, I would probably go for a walk, spend some time with family, and then maybe watch a movie and eat some ice cream!!

pertsfarms questions:

What is your favorite piece of furniture?

Probably a really comfortable chair that I could read or crochet in!!

Favorite species of wood?

Uh, I’ve never really thought of this.

Hannah’s questions:

What is your favorite stories of saints and favorite book(s) of the Bible?

Great questions! I love Saint Gianna’s story because she was just an ordinary person–a wife, mother, and a physician–but she was really brave to sacrifice her life for her child’s. Click here to read more about her.

As for my favorite book of the bible, I’d probably choose the book of Psalms or Genesis.

Lydia’s questions:

What are some things you are looking forward to this year?

I’m looking forward to a nice year of blogging, but besides that, I’m looking forward to just having a fun year with family! 😃

What’s something interesting or uncommon that you like about yourself?

I don’t really know. Maybe that I crochet, because I don’t really know any other teenagers who like crocheting.

If you had three wishes, what would they be?

Some people might think I’m crazy, but I don’t think I would actually want three wishes. Think about how much one wish could change everything…or, maybe I’d use one wish and if it made a good impact on everything I would keep it, but if it turned out to make everything worse, I’d use one of my other wishes to reverse it.

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Okay, so thank you for reading! I’d love to know what you would have answered to some of these questions, in the comments!!

Again, thanks for all the questions you guys asked! This was a really fun post to write up!! I’m going to have a fun crochet-related post on Saturday, which I’m looking forward to doing. Okay, well, see you guys then!!

~ Rebekah

Celebrating 50 Followers: A Q&A Post! (Part one)

Hello, welcome or welcome back to my blog! 😊

Today’s post is the Q&A post I’m doing to celebrate 50 followers!! Last Wednesday, I did a post labeled “Thank You For 50 Followers”! Thank you so much for all the questions!!

Because I got so many questions, I am going to split it into two separate parts. This is part one, and I’ll publish the second part on Saturday!!

So, if you have any more questions, this is your last chance to ask them on this post!!

Okay, here are the questions:

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Lydia’s question

What are some of your favourite memories?

This is a hard one! There are so many good memories I have!! I loved the time last summer when I went and visited relatives for a few weeks!! It was so fun! But, there are many more amazing memories I have; that’s just the first one that came to mind. 🙂

Raegan’s questions

What is your favorite thing to do with your free time?

I have a lot of hobbies–reading, writing, crocheting, photography, running, soccer–and I usually do one of those when I have nothing else to do!! I also like to go outside, go on walks, and I love to play with my cat, Luna.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what animal would you choose?

Ooh! I don’t know! I like bigger dogs, but cats are also just…so perfect!!! I think that I’d have to go with a cat!

What is your favorite holiday?

I love Christmas!

Rylie’s questions

Standalones or series?

I like both! Standalones are just great quicker reads that don’t require much dedication. But I love series because there’s so much that goes on during them! You get to follow the characters through a lot. I think that if I had to choose my favorite, I’d pick series, but I like both.

Do you listen to music a lot?

Yes! I love listening to music while writing, reading, and running! I think that it’s also a really good stress-reliever! I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift (I’m actually listening to her 1989 playlist while I write this!) and I also listen to Christian music!

Favorite age group of kids?

I like babies, but they can sometimes be…a little too much to handle. I like kids that I can play with, and talk to, but I don’t like when they’re too old. I think that I like the 2-5 age range best!

Gelina’s questions

All time favorite dessert?

I love ice cream!! It’s just sooo good!

Who is your favorite musical artist?

Like I said earlier, I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift! My favorite albums of hers are the 1989 album and Red, as well as the Fearless album!

When did you start blogging?

I started my school blog, where I post essays and other schoolwork, in January of 2021, but I don’t know if I would count that as blogging, because I was just posting essays and stuff for school. After that, I decided to start a blog for fun, and I started this blog on July 1st!!

Do you read a lot?

Yessss!!! I love to read! It’s one of my favorite hobbies.

Suhani’s questions

Favourite blog post you’ve ever written?

Ooh, this was a hard one! I really love making aesthetics, but I think that I’d choose this post as my favorite! I listed 10 small things that I loved because I think that it’s important to focus not only on the big things, but also to think of the small things that give you joy!

Worst book you’ve ever read?

Hmm… I don’t really know. I’ve never really read any books that I’ve hated. Most books are at least okay. Okay, so I looked at some of the lists of books I have, and I guess I’d choose Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. (This isn’t counting any of the books I’ve read for school.) I don’t know if this is the worst, but I didn’t really like it.

Favourite social media app?

I use Instagram a lot. I just have a private account where I can look at my friend’s and family’s posts, to see what they’re up to!

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That’s all for today’s post!! Again, I’ll be posting part two soon, so keep an eye out for that!!

Okay, so I hope you have a great day, and I’ll see you guys on Saturday!! Bye!

~ Rebekah

Thank You For 50 Followers!

Hello, welcome back to my blog! I hope your week is going good so far! I’m doing okay; I got sick on Sunday, but I’m feeling a bit better now.

Anyways, when I started this blog, I never thought I would get 50 followers, but here I am! Thank you so much! I have 47 blog followers, and 5 email followers now, and I’m so grateful to everyone who has followed me, liked my posts, or commented on various posts of mine!

To celebrate, I decided to do a Q&A! I never did anything like this before, but I thought that it would be a fun thing! So, if you have any questions, just ask them in the comments, and I’ll do another post where I’ll answer them soon!

So, just comment any questions, and I’ll probably answer them next Saturday, depending on how many people comment before then!

Bye!!! ☺

~Rebekah