I <3 Literary Things

I just found a new online shopping website to fall in love with. It's like your cozy little neighborhood gift store but on the web! You can get t-shirts with the names of fonts on them, notebooks made out of recycled Dr. Seuss books, and a plethora of "Reading Is Sexy" paraphernalia. I myself really want to get the brown "Helvetica" t-shirt. It's chic and brainy! Yay! All you book lovers out there should definitely check out http://www.buyolympia.com for lots of cute trinkets, notebooks, shirts, and accessories. I've gotten a ton of gifts for my friends there as well as some prizes for my contest that I held a while ago...Let me know what you think!

 

Adorable, right?!

John Green is Freakin' Amazing

The "Puff"The Happy Dance

Two girls with some pretty awesome t-shirts

Last night, The Loft Literary Center in downtown Minneapolis hosted John Green, author of Looking For Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. I was lucky enough to be able to go with some of my friends at it was probably the coolest author event I've been to. I'm a big fan of his books and watch his Nerdfighting videos obsessively, so it was really neat to see him in person.

He spoke about his inspiration for his books, the "shape" of them, how he writes, the details behind the two covers of Paper Towns, and tons of other stuff. Strangely enough, the majority of the audience was adults. My friends and I might have been the youngest people there, and we're really not that young. Even so, the room was filled and everyone seemed really excited to be there, cheering loudly when John came in. 

He was very funny, nerdy, and engaging, which was what I had hoped for. :) He's the kind of speaker that you want to listen to. I loved hearing him talk about the Paper Towns covers and reading the prologue from it (you can read more about the covers in the post before this). I was totally hooked and can't wait to read it; which I can actually start doing now, as Paper Towns was on sale exclusively for the audience, three weeks before it's released. I need to start reading! Hopefully I'll get through it quickly, so that I can pick up Song of the Sparrow and finish that soon! They also had Let It Snow on sale, which John coauthored with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, which I think is being released on October 2nd, so look for a review of that soon too. 

The people in the audience asked some great questions and he gave some really insightful answers. He even did his Happy Dance for us. :P Overall, it was an awesomely fun experience and I'd love to go to an event of his again, if I could. I highly recommend that if John's coming somewhere near you on his tour that you go and see him. It'll definitely be worth it. 

The best part of the evening by far was when we were leaving. We were the last people to go and while walking out, John waved to us, we screamed to Hank through his phone, and he thanked us for "being awesome". A great way to end a fun-filled night. :)

Oh and one little tidbit that I learned last night was that the movie rights to Paper Towns have already been sold. Wow! And even better than that is the fact that John himself is writing the screen play and the movie's being made by the same people who did Juno (which is a fantastic movie, btw). That news made me super excited and now I definitely need to finish Paper Towns soon so I can start visualizing its complete on-screen awesome-ness in my head!

Booking Through Thursday/Saturday #4: Well, That Was Different!

On Saturday

What was the most unusual (for you) book you ever read? Either because the book itself was completely from out in left field somewhere, or was a genre you never read, or was the only book available on a long flight… whatever? What (not counting school textbooks, though literature read for classes counts) was furthest outside your usual comfort zone/familiar territory?
And, did you like it? Did it stretch your boundaries? Did you shut it with a shudder the instant you were done? Did it make you think? Have nightmares? Kick off a new obsession?

Before this school year I had never really read any unusual books. I read mostly mainstream YA fiction books which have normal plots, normal characters, and normal themes. But then during the first month of school, we were required to read Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I've read a few classics before but none as chilling and weird as this one. It's chalk full of symbolism and meaning that I was only able to decipher with the help of my teacher. It was definitely not a book I'd choose for myself to read. It is not a book that you read for enjoyment. At all. 

And after having gone through heated class discussions on loaded questions, I think that this is probably one of the most boundary-stretching books I've read. It makes you consider the nature of humans at their very core. Are we innately good or evil? Is a person born to one side or another? What would happen if we were left to our own devices without any structure or civilization. 

William Golding's viewpoint on those things is that we as humans are beings who are savage at heart. If we were left to ourselves we would regress to a point where there would be no order or structure. There might be a sensible person here and there, but the evil in us would win out in the long run. 

I'm not sure myself if that's what I think and it's too big and controversial of a subject to get into here, but reading about a situation like the one in Lord of the Flies really makes you consider yourself as a human being. And there are little snippets of symbolism thrown into the book to emphasize Golding's point. Piggy's glasses, the conch, the signal fire, and the beast are all crucial elements that help to get the story across. I would love to hear what you guys think of this book, if you've read it, or if you haven't, what your take is on the questions that a proposed. 

I think I enjoyed the book. Maybe "enjoyed" is the wrong word. Let's say I appreciated and valued it. I shuddered, felt sick, and sat on the edge of my seat while reading it, which are probably all the things that the book was meant to do to its readers. It succeeded in giving me a topic to analyze for the first time, which is good. I'd recommend that you read it as it is now a big part of literary culture. A must read.

Last night when I went to see John Green he actually talked about the good and evil parts of people, coincidentally. The two covers of Paper Towns show two misconceptions of the same girl. It says that no one person can be labeled all good or all evil as Margo is shown on the book. We each have a little of both in us. John talked about that in length and, like Lord of the Flies, it made me think. Hearing him talk about a subject like that was really neat as it totally related to what we've been talking about in class lately. It's definitely a topic which requires a lot of thinking and analyzing. 

What are your thoughts?

Little Things

So just a few reminders/catch-ups. 

Thanks soooo much to everyone who commented to help me pick out a laptop sleeve! I'm still having a hard time deciding but I think I've gotten it down to the first one shown (the one with the power lines) and a new one I discovered thanks to TC who commented like 15 minutes ago. She introduced me to the laptop sleeve site Snupped. Their bags are made out of cotton and are padded and they come in a ton of super cute patterns. I really am a polka-dot girl, but I do see the validity in some of the comments that said the sleeves with the dots that I picked below might be a little kidd-ish. Snupped has some really cute polka dot ones that I like so I might get one of those instead. I just have to decide between pattern or picture. :)

Another reminder is that I will be going to see John Green at the Loft Literary Center tomorrow night! According to his site there will be a neat surprise there (which will cost some money). I'm so excited to see what it is! Any speculations? I'll be sure to take tons of pictures and write about it in detail for those of you who aren't able to go to one of his events (click here for my original post about the event). 

Also, I will be posting my response to this week's Booking Through Thursday question on Saturday. I think it'll be pretty long and cool so be sure to read and comment with your opinions on that once it gets posted.

And that about sums it up for updates and reminders!

Bits n' Pieces - Brooke Taylor

Brooke Taylor is the author of the book Undone. You can find my review of the book here, or you can read my interview on the book over at Read, Read, Read here. You can also visit Brooke's website by clicking here. I have to say that Undone was one of my favorite books of 2008 so far and I'd definitely recommend it. Not to mention, that Brooke is fantastic and was a pleasure to interview. :) 

This or that:
Rain or shine? 

Rain (perfect for reading!)
iPod or mp3 player? 

iPod
Movies or TV?

TV
City or country? 

country
Mountains or beaches? 

Mountains
Dots or stripes? 

stripes
Dogs or cats? 

Dogs (but don’t tell my cats)
Cooking or eating out? 

Eating out
Coffee or tea? 

Diet Coke
Books or magazines? 

Books (of course!)

Favorites:
Book- 

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Book store- 

Tattered Cover in Denver
Movie- 

Heathers
Music artist- 

30 Seconds to Mars
Website- 

BrookeTaylorBooks.com (LOL)
Designer- 

Louis Vuitton (not that I can afford it)
Coffee chain- 

Starbucks
Guilty pleasure- 

Cake Batter ice cream from ColdStone
Restaurant- 

Fuddruckers
Color- 

black (but I’m told that isn’t really a color—so pale pink)

Have you ever:
Lived abroad? 

Sort of—used to live on a cruise ship and it traveled abroad.
Gotten a tattoo? 

Not at liberty to say at this time
Stayed up for the midnight release of a movie or book? 

No, but might for Twilight
Disliked your job? 

At times
Cried during a movie? 

Yes
Sang karaoke? 

No

Questions:
If you were on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you? 

My mom, brother, two dogs, and a lifetime supply of diet coke. I could write my books using a stick in the sand.
What’s on the list of things you have to do during your life? 

Win the Lottery
If you could have one super power what would it be? 

Become invisible
What’s your perfect music playlist? 

A very very long one—I’m always changing what I like to listen to.
What’s the one food you could eat day after day and not get sick of? 

Is Diet Coke a food?
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

I’d love to go back to Africa, and diving in the Galapagos would be amazing. Anywhere there are cool animals.
What moment in history do you wish you could’ve experienced?
I would’ve loved to seen the Wright Brothers first take to the sky—that had to have been surreal. Who would’ve thought people could fly?!?
What does your dream library look like? 

Gorgeous wood shelves filled with YA books, comfy couches, and dogs and diet coke allowed inside.
When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first?
YA section.
If everyone had to read one book, what would you have it be?
That’s tough—and fiction is very hard to recommend for everyone—so I’d go with a great “self-help” series called Toxic People.
Also for the ladies—I’d recommend How to Tell If Your Boyfriend Is the Antichrist: And If He Is, Should You Break Up with Him? A fun, but informative guide. 

Thank you so much Brooke! The winner of Song of the Sparrow from last week's post is Aella! Look for an email from Lisa soon! Congratulations!

Authors; want to be featured in a Bits 'n Pieces interview? Email me at livsbookreviews.blogspot.com and we'll make it happen!

Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

Claire Voyante has been having strange visions ever since she can remember. But the similarity between her name and her talents is purely coincidental. The name is French, and unlike the psychics on TV, she can't solve crimes or talk to the dead. Whenever Claire follows her hunches, she comes up empty - or ends up in pretty awkward situations. 

But all that changes on Claire's fifteenth birthday, when her grandomther Kiki - former socialite, fashion icon, and now permanent fixture at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel - gives her something a little more extraordinary than one of her old cocktail dresses: a strange cameo, made of onyx and ivory, on a gold chain. And it's not long before Claire's world becomes a whole lot clearer. And a whole lot more dangerous. 

New friends, old grudges, strange jewelry, and some creepy black-and-white dreams - if Claire can just survive sophomore year in high school, she might be able to get through anything.

(Summary from jacket flap)

It's a miracle that I actually finished a book. Wow. How long has it been? Like three weeks? I am infinitely sorry at my incompetence at reading right now. I'm trying so so so hard, I promise. I think part of the reason that I've been deathly slow lately is that Dream Girl had some frusterating spots. I'd hit a rough patch, stop reading, and then pick it up a week later. In between those rough patches, though, it was good. I enjoyed reading about Claire and her mischief. I might even say that Dream Girl is a better version of The Queen Geek series which I detested. This book has all the fun and nerdy elements but presented in a much more believable and enjoyable way. Claire is the leading lady who is just spunky enough to be fun to read about but not overly ridiculous like the characters in Queen Geek. Another character 

I loved was Kiki. I want a grandmother who is stylish and completely awesome like her. :) I'm so glad that she was included in the story because she added a fun new angle to the book. One of the random elements I enjoyed was the cameo necklace. I love that sort of silhouette-ish thing with the pretty black and white and I can totally picture myself wearing a necklace like that. The writing in Dream Girl might not have been all that wonderful or captivating but the whole mystery of the story and the fun romance between Claire and Andy kept it all moving and left me satisfied. I would recommend Dream Girl as a nice light read along the lines of The Gallagher Girls and The Queen Geek Books (although far better than the latter). I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Finding The Perfect Laptop Sleeve

I recently became the proud owner of a beautiful white MacBook. Before, I was using my family's shared PC and had to compete for internet and typing time but now I have my very own machine. :) It was about time too because I'm getting to the point in my education where having your own laptop or computer is essential for research, typing, more research, and just generally looking things up. I've also discovered that having the internet so easily accessible has eaten up more of my time than I expected. I can go on whenever I want which probably isn't the best thing...I will learn to control myself in time. My current internet obsession is watching The Secret Life of an American Teenager on the ABC family site. I didn't watch it while it was actually broadcasting, but now that it's over and there's so much hype about it, I'm catching up; and loving it so far.

Anyways, onto the subject of this post, I'm trying to find myself a laptop sleeve so that I can carry my comp with me wherever I go without worry of damage and scratching. When I went on Amazon, the choices were so mind-boggling that I don't think I'd ever be able to make a decision on my own. And that's where you, dear readers, come in. I'm posting pictures of my fave sleeves and you have to tell me which ones you like best. And they're kind of expensive so I want to make the right decision. :P Let me know what you think! I'm looking for some feedback. 

What say you to this difficult decision?

I've Been Inte(re)viewed!

Chelsie from Read, Read, Read, interviewed me about Undone by Brooke Taylor. It was neat to be able to go into depth on a particular book like that and I had a ton of fun chatting with her! You can check out the post here. Leave a comment!

Booking Through Thursday/Saturday #3: Autumn Reading

On Saturday

Autumn is starting (here in the US, anyway), and kids are heading back to school–does the changing season change your reading habits? Less time? More? Are you just in the mood for different kinds of books than you were over the summer?

Based on the absence of my normally frequent reviews, I guess you guys can see that my reading habits change once the school year starts. All the years before this, it hasn't been so bad. I didn't get too much homework and I was able to fit in quite a bit of reading time here and there. This year that has completely changed though. I have loads of homework every night and when that adds up with my two and a half hour nightly sports practice, I don't have as much time as I want for reading. I think I read the same type of books, but I just don't do it as fast as I do during the summer time. 

Right now I'm close to finishing The Lord of the Flies which I was required to read for school and I'm also about 20 pages from finishing Dream Girl. Look for some cool posts in the coming days; the first actual book related posts in quite a while. 

Twitter!

I've succumbed. Twitter just looked like too much fun to not be a part of. I'm not sure how diligent I will be about updating but if you want to follow me and see what I'm doing at random times during the week click here. Do any of you Twitter? Thinking of Twittering? Tell me your thoughts about it!

Bits 'n Pieces - Lisa Ann Sandell

Lisa Ann Sandell is the author of the YA novels Song Of The Sparrow and The Weight Of The Sky. Song of the Sparrow is next on the list of my books to review, but I have to read faster; is that getting redundant at all? Anyways, Lisa is probably the sweetest author ever, and I love, love, love her answers to the questions. You can find her website here. It's chalk full of fun info!

Enjoy the interview!

This or that:
Rain or shine? 

Shine--but a summer rainstorm, especially with lots of loud, raucous thunder, feels wonderful, too.
iPod or mp3 player? 

iPod. I'm addicted to all things Apple.
Movies or TV?

Movies.
City or country? 

Both.
Mountains or beaches? 

Beaches--I always prefer to be by water.Dots or stripes? 

I like solids.
Dogs or cats? 

Both.
Cooking or eating out? 

Eating out.
Coffee or tea? 

Tea.
Books or magazines? 

Books.

Favorites:Book- 

This answer changes with some frequency, but currently it is Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.
Book store- 

Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, WA.
Movie- 

Also ever-changing, but I will always, always love "The Philadelphia Story" with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
Music artist- 

Bob Dylan.
Website- 

Gmail.
Designer- 

Miuccia Prada.
Coffee chain- 

Well, I don't drink much coffee, but I suppose it's Peet's.
Guilty pleasure- 

TV crime dramas.
Restaurant- 

The Charcoal Pit, a diner/greasy spoon in my hometown, Wilmington, Delaware. The best burgers and milkshakes ever.
Color- 

Blue-green.

Have you ever:Lived abroad? 

Yes.
Gotten a tattoo? 

No.
Stayed up for the midnight release of a movie or book? 

Yes.
Disliked your job? 

Hasn't everyone, at some point?
Cried during a movie? 

Pretty much every time I go to a movie--even if it's a comedy.
Sang karaoke? 

Yes, and it wasn't pretty.

Questions:
If you were on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you? 

A copy of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (it's really long, so I'd have something to read for a very long time), a really big Swiss Army knife, a transistor radio, a large glass jelly jar, and a water filter.
What's on the list of things you have to do during your life? 

Ride in a hot air balloon, write a book, see a yak, visit the Taj Mahal, see the Himalayas, drive cross-country (in the US), and go on safari across the Serengeti.
If you could have one super power what would it be? 

Flight.
What's your perfect music playlist? 

A mix of sad songs that make me feel mellow and contemplative, and some upbeat ones that make me want to jump around and dance.
What's the one food you could eat day after day and not get sick of? 

Pineapple.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

Oh my gosh, there are so many places, but I think, right now, Thailand is at the top of my list.
What moment in history do you wish you could've experienced? 

I wish I could have heard Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address. I also wish I could have marched with the suffragettes, the Silent Sentinels, during their protests in Washington, D.C., in the early 1900s.



What does your dream library look like?

It's huge, at least three stories tall, and circular. There are massive oak bookcases built into the walls, and a ladder on wheels and a track that can spin around the entire circumference of the room. All of the books are alphabetized and shelved according to subject. And there are great big windows, as tall as the room itself, that let plenty of sunlight in, and huge cushiony chairs for curling up in. I think there's a fireplace, too.
When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first? 

The new arrivals in literary fiction, and then I head straight for the young adult section.
If everyone had to read one book, what would you have it be? 

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. It captures so much about the human experience, that tumultuous and hope-filled and wonderful time when a young man comes into his own and discovers who he wants to be, what he wants to do, and how he can master his creative powers.Thank you so much Lisa! If you'd like to win a signed copy of Song of the Sparrow, leave a comment on this post saying what you thought of the interview!

I'm thinking of starting a rotating schedule with the questions so there's some "new" ones each time and it doesn't get so repetitive and boring. Thoughts?

Authors; want to be featured in a Bits 'n Pieces Interview? Email me at livsbookreviews@yahoo.com and we'll make it happen!

Booking Through Thursday/Saturday #2: Villainy

On Saturday

Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I know that not all of you who read are in the U.S., but still, it’s vital that none of us who are decent people forget the scope of disaster that a few, evil people can cause–anywhere in the world. It’s not about religion, it’s not about politics, it’s about the acknowledgment that humans should try to work together, not tear each other apart, even when they disagree.
So, feeling my way to a question here … Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? Personally, I used to enjoy reading Tom Clancy, but haven’t been able to stomach his fight-terrorist kinds of books since.
And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?

I've never really read any war-based books before, but because of the war and the terror going on right now, I'm even less likely to pick up a book like that, I think. I'm reading Lord Of The Flies in school right now, and I think when you put it into today's world, it's rather disturbing. The book deals with questions like; are humans innately good or evil? And that kind of thing is something that's really difficult to answer, especially with what's going on around the world in this day and age.

And to answer the last question, I think the "evil" characters in books seem so much more mild and single-focuse to me. When you listen to the news and hear about bombings, suicides, struggles, and the like, it does get rather confusing, and when you compare it to YA novel villains, I like the latter so much more. It's easy to see who's good and bad and what they're doing wrong. When I read, that's what I need, something where it's easy to tell what the right path is.

What are your thoughts?

Aaah!

You guys have no idea how pumped up I am right now. I'm really really excited. Why, you might ask? Well, it's because one of the coolest authors ever, John Green, is coming to my state. And not just once, but three times. Yes, three. Once on Friday, September 26 at the Loft, which is a fantastically cool literary center, once on the following day at the Hennepin County Library in Minnetonka, which is where I get all of my marvelous reading materials, and then once on November 28 at Metro State University. You have no idea how amazingly cool that is. Minnesota is actually the most visited state on his tour (I think)! Whoever said us Minnesotans weren't cool?! I think I'm planning to go to the event at the Loft, because that place is really neat. I've been to workshops there before and I loved it. And it's small, which I like. :) You can check out John's complete tour schedule here. He's going to a ton of places, so hopefully he'll be coming somewhere near you! I'm hoping to get some of my friends to go with me, and we'll make a night of it. It should be a blast. My third author event! Yay! I'll definitely post pictures, and let you guys know all of the little details. 

And I'm trying so hard to get some reading in, but the whole beginning of the school year madness is killing me! Please bear with me and I'll give you guys a review or two as soon as I can! I'm so sorry for my lame-ness. :(

Bits 'n Pieces - Daria Snadowsky

Daria Snadowsky is the author of the novel Anatomy of a Boyfriend which will be released in paperback September 23rd. I am going to be reviewing it in the very near future and am looking forward to it. It promises to be a great book! You can visit Daria's website by clicking here and her fun blog by clicking here. She provided some really great answers to my questions; I hope you guys enjoy them! And look out for a review of Anatomy of a Boyfriend soon!

This or that:
Rain or shine? 

Definitely shine, so it's a good thing I currently live in sunny Las Vegas.
iPod or mp3 player? 

They both are great. Honestly, I'm not sure how I ever existed happily back when I had to schlep around a walkman and cassette tapes all the time.
Movies or TV? 

I wasn't allowed to have a TV when I was a kid, so I grew up going to the movies. I majored in film I loved it so much!
City or country?

I love ordering in dinner, so I have to say city.
Mountains or beaches? 

Beaches, preferably with a big umbrella and a pina colada nearby.
Dots or stripes?

Stripes, as long as they're vertical.
Dogs or cats?

 Not sure. I was never allowed to have pets, either, but I always envied my friends with bunnies, especially the floppy-eared ones.
Cooking or eating out? 

Although nothing is more enjoyable than a home-cooked meal made with love, when you live in a city known for its cuisine, it's practically a sin not to take advantage of it at every opportunity. For better or for worse, you can find me at restaurants more often than in my kitchen.
Coffee or tea? 

I can't take much caffeine, so neither.Books or magazines? 

Books! No advertisements.

Favorites:
Book- 

Judy Blume's Forever, which inspired Anatomy of a Boyfriend.

Book store- 

The NeverEnding Story here in Las Vegas. It's the only independent children's bookstore in Nevada.
Movie-

One of my faves is Big. The more I watch it, the more I appreciate what a perfectly-told little story it is.

Music artist- 

Billy Joel. I'm amazed how prolific his career has been.
Website- 

Project Rungay is pretty hilarious.
Designer- 

Anne Klein, for the eyeware.
Coffee chain-

Any place with free WiFi.
Guilty pleasure- 

Project Runway.Restaurant- 

Fix in the Bellagio. Their fried mac and cheese makes your tongue tingle it's so ambrosial.
Color- 

Burgundy. There's just something dramatic and sophisticated about it.

Have you ever:
Lived abroad? 

The summer of '00 I studied in Italy and England. I miss the gelato, but not the haggis.
Gotten a tattoo? 

No. Considering I've been battling acne for nearly twenty years, the idea of permanently marking my skin never appealed to me.

Stayed up for the midnight release of a movie or book?

In the summer of '99, my then bf dragged me to the midnight screening of Star Wars Episode 1. We stopped dating shortly thereafter.
Disliked your job? 

Once I was the teleprompter girl for a local news station. That was pretty soul-deadening.
Cried during a movie? 

All the time.
Sang karaoke? 

No, but I have done Dance Dance Revolution in high-heeled boots.

Questions:

If you were on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you?
Bottled water, antibiotics, sunblock, a fully-charged satellite phone, and the actor Richard Chamberlain (so he and I could reenact the beach scenes in The Thorn Birds while we're waiting for the rescue plane to pick us up). 

What's on the list of things you have to do during your life? 

Score stage-seating at Spring Awakening on Broadway.
If you could have one super power what would it be? 

Turning back time.
What's your perfect music playlist? 

The soundtrack to The Fantasticks, my all-time favorite musical.
What's the one food you could eat day after day and not get sick of? 

Caprese salad, with lots of balsamic vinegar.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

Antarctica. How cool to be in a place where there's virtually no human history or culture, just nature and science? Their twenty-four hour sunny summer days would be nice, too.

What moment in history do you wish you could've experienced? 

When Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon. I still get chills whenever I see the video footage.
What does your dream library look like? 

First editions of every Judy Blume book ever written.
When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first? 

The coffee stand for a hot cocoa with whipped cream.If everyone had to read one book, what would you have it be? 

Dorothy Tennov's "Love and Limerence." Love is the driving force behind most of our major life decisions, yet we never take the time to study love in a scientific and non-sensationalized way. Tennov finally put love under the microscope, and the result is one of the most illuminating and groundbreaking treatsies ever written.

Thank you so much Daria! And I just have to say that Piano Man by Billy Joel happens to be my all time favorite song, so we have that in common. :) He really is a fantastic artist. 

The winner of a signed copy of Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott is Alessandra! Congratulations! Look out for an email from Elizabeth soon.

Authors; want to be featured in a Bits 'n Pieces interview? Email me at livsbookreviews@yahoo.com and we'll make it happen!

Something Cool

Okay, so I just want to point you guys over to a new forum started by Kristi and Harmony. There's a ton of fun discussions to be had and awesome people to meet, and we really need some more members, so if you want to be a part of a very cool book loving community go visit City of Books and create an account! It'll be worth it. :)

And I'm trying my very hardest to get some reading time in. I hope to get a review of Dream Girl up in a day or two. Wish me luck!

Sound Off!

One of the things I incorporated into my previous contest was a survey about various things pertaining to my blog. I got a ton of responses to it and I loved reading about what you guys thought. I enjoyed reading what people liked and even what people didn't like. The whole point to it was finding out what I could do better on and what I should keep the same. So now that I've got a few people's opinions on my blog, I'm asking for those of you who didn't fill out a survey to let me know what you think. 

When I asked for your favorite thing about the blog, the majority of the answers said something along the lines of:
The quality of the reviews...they almost always match up with my opinion of the books.
I like how your reviews are short and to the point. They seem honest like you would say if you totally hated a book, which a lot of reviewers just won't do.
The book reviews
It's got like everything! You pick some awesome books to review =)
I enjoy reading your reviews.
I really love the book reviews of course. You seem to read pretty fast and have some really good reviews posted.
My favorite thing about Liv's Book Reviews are the reviews. They are great and and I like how you sometimes compare the book or tell why you did or didn't liked it.
You don't choose the same as everyone else all the time like other book blogs I visit. I like that when I check out your site I know that the book you review isn't going to be the same as any site that week or so.

I'm so glad to hear that! :) I work really hard on my reviews and I'm glad you guys like them!

One of the big issues seemed to be with my layout. I, personally, love it. But I there are some people out there that aren't too fond of it. 

When I asked about your least favorite thing about the blog, a lot of people said:
I would suggest changing up the color of the layout. It kind looks washed out to me.
the design isn't creative enough. can you kick it up a notch? kind of just a suggestion.
the background isn't my favorite color??
The layout is a little boring. Maybe a little more eye catching colors.
I would love to see a more exciting background/color scheme.
I don't particularly like the teal/sea green background
All the green gives me a headache.

But then I got comments like this:
I love the background color
I love your color scheme! Seriously! :P
I love the colors and your blog just has a really welcoming feel to it.

I think that was probably the biggest issue. What do you guys think? For the colors/layout or against them? 

The other thing which people were split on was the music player.
I have a confession. When I am at school and I can't get on my itunes I go to your site for music! We have similar taste in music and I constantly need music for typing anything!
The Music! While your book reviews are awesome, I think the fact that your site has music really sets you apart. 

Verses

I must say I'm not a fan of the music. I don't know if there is an option where the music doesn't play immediately upon entering the site, but if there is, I would like it if the blogs with the music implemented it. It's not I don't like music or the selection you choose, it's just often loud and not really what I want when reading reviews.
the music player scares me out of my mind when it starts playing automatically, but maybe I'm just jumpy.

I want to keep the music, but I've set it so that you have to actually click play to hear it so that those of you who are jumpy don't get scared. :D

Reading the surveys was just a really good way for me to get feedback; it was through that that I got the idea for the Bits 'n Pieces feature and the new banner at the top of the blog.

Also, I don't think a ton of readers comment regularily so it was a cool thing to see what a bunch of people, who I didn't even knew read my blog, thought!

If you guys would let me know what you thought of the comments and suggestions and your opinions on them, I would be so grateful. I want to get everyone's opinions. And I promise, if you say you hate something I won't hold it against you. :) I want constructive criticism, so the harsh opinions are the most valuable ones.

 

I Need Some Sort of Regularity

On Saturday

I feel like such a loser. I haven't picked up Dream Girl since last Sunday. It's so hard to balance everything. I have homework and a two hour sports practice every night of the week which means I get home late and only have time to finish homework and shower. I really really need to get back to reading. I miss it. 

While thinking about how much of a loser I am, I decided that I needed to use some sort of schedule with my blog. Right now, the only regular thing is the Bits 'n Pieces feature which isn't enough for me so I'm also going to start answering the Booking Through Thursday meme questions. On Saturday. So I'm not pressured into getting the post up right on the day that the question's posted. That's how lame I am. Let me know what you think about this little addition and leave your thoughts on the weekly question in the comments if you'd like! 

Question #1: I was looking through books yesterday at the shops and saw all the Twilight books, which I know basically nothing about. What I do know is that I’m beginning to feel like I’m the *only* person who knows nothing about them.

Despite being almost broke and trying to save money, I almost bought the expensive book (Australian book prices are often completely nutty) just because I felt the need to be ‘up’ on what everyone else was reading.

Have you ever felt pressured to read something because ‘everyone else’ was reading it? Have you ever given in and read the book(s) in question or do you resist? If you are a reviewer, etc, do you feel it’s your duty to keep up on current trends?

Um YES! I feel so much pressure to read current things. I want to write reviews on books that will actually appeal to people while at the same time maintain some sort of individual taste. It's hard to figure out what to read next and what to get from the library. Right now I have around twenty books waiting to be read and here I am NOT READING! Urgh! I need to start working on that pile. And a bunch of them are review copies that I recieved weeks ago or even months ago. But to answer the other question, I never really feel pressured into reading something. If others are reading it and the book is getting good reviews, I'll definitely add it to my endless pile just because I think I'd like it and I want to see what the draw is. It's not pressure, it's about seeing what other people are reading and trying to find good books to review and recommend to people. You know? So yes, I read books that I see others reading, and yes, I want to try to stay up to date in my literary choices. :)

How did I do? I think that was a decent first question. I'm actually looking forward to being able to get more of my opinions out there outside of reviews. 

Oh and just a little notice, I added a new gadget to the sidebar called "Followers". I'm not quite sure how it works yet, but I'm figuring it out. Click and follow my blog!

Bits 'n Pieces - Elizabeth Scott

Elizabeth Scott is the author of Bloom, Perfect You, Stealing Heaven, and Living Dead Girl, which was released yesterday! You can explore Elizabeth's website by clicking here. Her newest book Something, Maybe is set to be released in March, 2009.  You can find my review of Stealing Heaven here, and Perfect You here.  Elizabeth is a wonderful author and she provided some awesome answers to my questions. Enjoy!

This or that: 

Rain or shine?

rain.
iPod or mp3 player? 

iPod
Movies or TV? 

movies

City or country?

city
Mountains or beaches? 

mountains
Dots or stripes?

frogs. (I once knew a lady who had a pair of frog print pants. They were fascinating -- and also kind of terrifying)
Dogs or cats? 

dogs
Cooking or eating out? 

cooking
Coffee or tea? 

neither
Books or magazines? 

BOOKS!

Favorites:
Book- 

ah ha ha! Like I can pick just one.
Book store- 

whatever one I happen to be in at the time.
Movie- 

just one? you're killing me here!
Music artist- 

I tend to like individual songs more than anything else
Website-

ohnotheydidnt (you may be above celebrity gossip. I am not!)
Designer- 

on a writer's salary? Target.
Coffee chain- 

whatever serves water
Guilty pleasure- 

fritos
Restaurant- 

anything that doesn't put an e on the end to make itself look quainte

Color-

black

Have you ever:
Lived abroad? 

nope
Gotten a tattoo? 

nope. Why? Have you ever seen a saggy tattoo? I have. My eyes STILL burn.
Stayed up for the midnight release of a movie or book? 

yep
Disliked your job? 

YES

Cried during a movie?

yep
Sang karaoke? 

no

Questions:
If you were on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with
you? 

books, my husband, my dog, food, and water. Oh, and sunscreen,
so there would be at least a brief window of time where I didn't
look like a lobster.
What’s on the list of things you have to do during your life? 

own a car that isn't a stick shift (it doesn't sound like a big deal but

so far, this one thing has eluded me for about twenty years. (!))
If you could have one super power what would it be? 

putting more hours in the day
What’s your perfect music playlist? 

anything that makes me want to sing
What’s the one food you could eat day after day and not get sick of? 

Cake!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Wales
What moment in history do you wish you could’ve experienced? 

I'd like to have seen one of Marlowe's plays performed during his lifetime.

What does your dream library look like? 

Sadly, my house
When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first? 

YA! And then new releases.
If everyone had to read one book, what would you have it be?
Possession by A. S. Byatt

Thank you so much, Elizabeth! She's generously giving away a signed copy of Stealing Heaven to a random commenter, so post your thoughts in response to the interview to be entered. Comment on either of my reviews of Elizabeth Scott's books and get an extra entry or two. Only new comments count. The winner will be announced on next week's Bits 'n Pieces feature. 

Authors, do you want to be featured in a future Bits 'n Pieces interview? Email me at livsbookreviews@yahoo.com and we'll make it happen!

And the winner of a singed copy of Alive and Well in Prague New York by Daphne Grab is Dominique! If you could send me your address, I'll get that to Daphne. Congratulations!

Winners!

My big and festive contest has finally come to a close. I had a great time reading your surveys (more on those later in the week...), looking at the banners, and reading all of your emails. Without further ado, the winners are...

The Popsicle Pack - Kelsey!

The Leftovers Pack - Carol!

The Hairdresser Pack - Renee C!

Congrats you guys! I have emailed you all and if you have not repsonded in 3 days, I will have to pick new winners...

Now I thought that since I recieved such great banners and buttons for my blog I'd post some of them here. If you want, add them to your blog! Thanks to everyone who took the time to make me a graphic! You guys are the best.

And I'm still working on saving one more...

So thank you all so much for taking the time to enter. I'm hoping to have a little bit about the surveys up later this week, so look out for that. And congratulations to the winners!

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started no the day that I saw my first ghost - and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House...before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

(Summary from jacket flap)

Hooray for good books! I finished The Summoning in one day which is quite amazing because of all my first week of school homework weighing down on me. I really couldn't put this book down, which might cause me a late night or two of cramming down the line. I think it's all worth it though, because for the first time in a long time I was glued to the pages. I read while watching TV, eating, and listening to music. The plot was just so unique and enthralling that I was completely sucked in. The one little thing that bothered me about the book was the host of predictable characters. The magical boy, supportive aunt, and dangerous best friend card has been played many a time and I was disappointed to find something unoriginal. Other than that though, I think the book was a success. Every scene was very detailed and I felt as if I knew exactly what was going at any given time. The author did a fantastic job of keeping is in the loop with the plot. Also, the book felt like just a brief glimpse of a story, which was what it should have been. This is the first book in a new series and it left you wanting more which was great. Maybe a little too many open ends, but great all the same. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book, The Awakening and I suggest you go out and buy The Summoning if you haven't done so already.

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

When fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year's Day to find himself in a hospital psychiatric ward, bandages on his wrists, he's certain it's all a huge mistake. Jeff knows he's not like the other kids in there. They've got problems. But a funny thing happens as his forty-five-day sentence drags on - the crazies start to seem less crazy. Suicide Notes examines that fuzzy line between "normal" and the rest of us.

(Summary from back of book)

Hmm. I think this book is really hard to sum up. Yes, as some of you may have noticed, it took me around a week and a half to get through it which is why my blog has been completely dead for a while. But even though it was a drag, I can't stop myself from thinking about it. The book itself is far from perfect when you look at the writing, the plot, and the character development, but when you take in all the emotional parts of the book, you can't help but stop to take a second look. Michael Thomas Ford knows how to write to touch our feelings and that's the main purpose of the story; to get you to feel as Jeff feels and see the world through his eyes. And in that aspect, the book succeeds. I really felt as if I was looking at my normal life in a new way; through the eyes of a troubled and suicidal teen. That is not a view point I'd normally get, but the author was able to get me to step out of my shoes while reading the book. I was laughing out loud, gagging disgustedly, and crying along with Jeff. Maybe the plot got a little slow in parts...which is why it took me so long to finish, but the point is that the story was drawing enough to me that I had to come back and finish it. It's not anything spectacular, but I'd recommend it because it really made me think in a different way. It's worth the read, I'd say.

Suicide Notes will be released on October 14, 2008.