Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Blog-o-versary

On this February 25th, exactly one year ago, Liv's Book Reviews was birthed. 
The first post went something like this...

Hi-
I'm Liv if you haven't guessed that already. I've decided to start blogging on the books I've read but I don't know if it's going to go very far. I am a big reader but not very good at following through on things so we'll see how this goes. :) I'm going to try to post a plot summary and my opinion on every book that I read from now on. I will not be writing on books I have already read unless I reread them. So I hope you enjoy my blog and I will try to get on here as much as possible.
-Liv

Ah...personally, I like the "I'm not very good at following through on things" part. Because here I am, a year later. Proved my little old self wrong, didn't I? :)

I've LOVED blogging throughout this year. I've read more than I would've normally, I think, and I've met a ton of awesome people, bloggers, authors, and random internet friends. 

My blog might be relatively tiny even though it's been around for a while, but to me that's not important at all. I see other bloggers writing about how many page visits they get or how many followers they have, and even with the newer blogs, those numbers are way higher than mine. I used to care a little bit, but not so much anymore. I rarely check. The important thing to me is just getting on to post every now and then. I'm in it for the experience, which, I know, sounds super hokey...but hey. I've met authors and bloggers from all over the world and I've written 100 reviews. If that's not an accomplishment, I don't know what is. 

So thanks to everyone who reads my blog and to all the authors whom I've bugged and bothered. You guys are AWESOME! 

And in honor of this momentous occasion, I'm going to have a little giveaway...you knew it was coming, didn't you?

Prizes:
One book of your choice, under $10, that's available on Amazon
$5 giftcard to Starbucks
Bananagrams (BEST game ever, involving bananas, scrabble tiles, anagram making, and other fantastic literary objectives)
Mix CD (which I don't know if anyone would really want, but I want to make one)

Sound like good stuff to you? :) 

To enter: 
Write me a story, 100 words or less, starting with the words "Liv was looking out the window..." and ending with the words "and that's how it all began."
Leave your story and your email in the comments.
The winner will be chosen by a select group of anonymous judges (parents, friends, 10 year old boy). You have until Wednesday, March 11 to enter.
And yes, flattery will probably help you, seeing as the story your writing is about me and it's my blog's anniversary...SO. Get creative. Make me feel happy. XD

*All credit goes to A.S. King for this marvelous contest idea. I hope you don't hate me for stealing it...

And that's it! Enter away. 

36 comments:

  1. Congrats on 1 year! That's fantastic.

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  2. Yay!! Congrats on the anniversary. It's good you don't worry about followers/numbers, etc. I mean it doesn't always say everything anyway...I've been around for awhile too, and I'm still relatively small, but it's FUN, and that's the main thing.

    I'll try and do this later, I love the prize. YAY mix c.d.s!!!

    -Lauren

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  3. Happy anniversary! I love your blog and it's cozy tininess. :)

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  4. Yay! I hope I get some time this week to be creative and write a story. Congratulations on one year! I don't care how "tiny" you are your blog will always hold a bit place in my heart! Not to sound all graduationy and cheesy, but keep it up girl!

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  5. Congrats! Here's hoping you'll stay around for years to come :)

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  6. Congrats on the anniversary Liv. You've been doing really well. A book blog is a place we share love and passion about books and the likes so no need to worry about page view or anything right ^^

    Oh and I love the contest. The idea of A.S. King is really fun. I suck, but i'll give it a try. Is it international though?

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  7. Happy anniversary!

    And it's not the quantity of visitors and such, it's the quality that counts!

    L. Diane Wolfe
    www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
    www.spunkonastick.net
    www.thecircleoffriends.net

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  8. Well, here goes...

    Liv was looking out the window daydreaming. No one wanted to listen to her talk about the most recent book she'd read, Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (which is good, so it's a shame they didn't want to). Having considerable skills of the Google type, she found herself on blogger looking at other book blogs and decided that she could easily do it the same herself and rock at it, of course, and that’s how it all began.

    Laina1312@gmail.com

    (Also, I hope I posted that in the right place :P Otherwise I now appear absolutely insane.)

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  9. And also congratulations on your anniversary!!!!

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  10. Haha. You're in the right place Laina! :)

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  11. Congrats on your anniversary!

    Liv was looking out the window, thinking about what to do with her spare time. She had read some awesome books lately, ones that transported her away from the stress of everyday life and into infinitely interesting fictional places. While she was pondering how to advise other teens on which books were worth their hard-earned cash, the clouds all looked like books and she heard the computer buzzing, almost like it was calling her...and that's how it all began.

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  12. I am like dying from not sleeping...so this story is pretty much random.

    Liv was looking out the window when suddenly lightening struck the power line. The lights went out and boredom seeped in. Deciding with nothing else better to do, she went to sleep. And she dreamed. Light pored in—green was the grass, and blue was the sky. The unicorns were galloping gracefully and the rainbow flourishing above the waterfall. Liv walked her way down the yellow brick road and came upon a hard leather bound book. She sat down and read, and read. What she discovered was an endless supply of possibilities…to conquering the world! She woke up the very next morning and started her own book blog. And that's how it all began.

    And it's coming true :D i.e. the mention on the book!

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  13. Liv was looking out the window, thinking about the latest book she had just finished. For some reason, she couldn’t remember the exact title. All she could remember was that the title started with “The Crazy and Awesome Adventures of Liv the.” Only, what was the rest of the TITLE? Liv just couldn’t figure it out. She knew that the story had been wonderful. And that it had been the best book she had ever read. The novel had involved excitement; multiple stories and really, it had been a dream come true. Except for that title. WHAT WAS IT? Liv was possessed. She logged on to her computer and found herself at blogger.com. She found herself registered with a site called “Liv’s Book Reviews.” Realization dawned on Liv. She smiled. The story had been “The Crazy and Awesome Adventures of Liv the Book Blogger.” She knew there would be many more adventures to come....and that is how it all began.


    I know it's crazy..BUT HAPPY BLOG ANNIVERSARY!!!

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  14. Liv was looking out the window one day watching her puppy play. Suddenly he came running up to the house with something in his mouth. When Liv saw it was a book she ran outside to wrestle it away from her puppy. As Liv tugged on the book, the dog pulled back even harder. Liv then went flying into a mud puddle but she’d won! Dirty and tired, Liv went inside and sat down at her computer to email her friends about her fight for the book. Realizing that it was quite funny, Liv thought it would be fun to share with book lovers everywhere. Liv logged onto blogger.com, and that’s how it all began.

    It's silly but I hope you like it anyway!

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  15. ok i cantttttttt write
    but
    Liv was looking out the window...and saw the mailman pull up to her mailbox, and since she was waiting for books to come in, was very upset. She was there again the next day watching for the book, and then the mailman didnt leave them again, so that made her very upset and the next day, she beat the mailman to death with a rolled up newspaper and the judge said the mailman deserved it "and all the other mailmen, made sure to leave books onthe day they come in due to Liv "and that's how it all began."

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  16. Haha I'm not very good at writing stories but I'll try to make it entertaining.

    Liv was looking out the window... and suddenly saw a bush moving. It was really eerie, so Liv went out to investigate. Turns out it was a bunny. That talks. The bunny said to her in an extremely deep voice, "G'day ma'am." Totally shocked, Liv backed away, but the bunny yelled, "STOP. Come back here!!" Liv froze as the bunny went up to her and handed her a book. It was about carrots. Liv jumped for joy because carrots are great, and that's how it all began.

    I hope that made you happy! And I hope you like carrots, cause then this story is horrible... haha.

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  17. Liv was looking out the window, trying to figure out how to kill Carol for being so awesomely cool when an arrow was shot out from nowhere. Liv, panicking, ran to call 911 but there was no dial tone. Liv, now sobbing and fearing for her life, called Khy to come over and help her but Khy lived to far away.Not knowing what to do, Liv grabbed and knife and got ready for whatever was coming to get her. And that's how it all began.

    I hope I win!

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  18. Liv was looking out the window, pondering on how Kangaroo’s manage to get into libraries to return their books, if they kept them on the couch or in their pouch.
    ‘Why don’t I ask people about it’ she thought. “I can blog for a frog, review for a gnu.” She picked up a book she’d been reading… “I wonder if people will be interested in what I think?” she said to her pet platypus. “Will they care what I say?” Not sure what she was doing in Australia she called it “Livs Book Review” and that's how it all began.
    Storyheart
    acrossthepond@mail.com

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  19. Liv was looking out the window one summer day, watching the cars go by. It was breezy, cool, and she wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary. Until the front door of her house swung open and she heard thunderous footsteps.

    Liv ran to the stairs courageously, ready to take on any robber -- but she stopped dead. It was a walking book. Liv took the book gently and opened it -- it was "North of Beautiful," by Justina Chen Headley.

    "Ah! I can finally read it!" she said, and that's how it all began.

    poet.1234 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  20. Liv was looking at the window, reflecting on her beauty. But despite her fabulous reflection, she also wanted to prove that she was worth more than her looks. She had already rescued North America from an asteroid, discovered twelve more planets, and become president of the US. However, she felt like something more was needed, so she considered starting a book blog. And that's how it all began!

    Ta-da!! Hopefully enough flattery is included ;)
    Happy birthday!!!

    mrsmagooreads@gmail.com

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  21. Here's my attempt!

    Liv was looking out the window as the bus went along when suddenly she decided her regular stop just wasn't interesting enough. Instead, she rode the bus until nothing outside looked familiar, then hopped off to explore. She gasped when she came upon a cozy-looking bookshop, with aisles full of wonderful books, and settled herself in a comfy armchair to read. She opened her book, and was immediately transported to its setting--literally! It was a magical bookshop! And that's how it all began.

    teenbookreview at gmail dot com

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  22. Liv was looking out the window when a hand gripped her shoulder. "Joe? I thought we weren't going to meet 'til Monday. The project's almost done and it's not due for a week!"

    "I'm sorry," he said. He didn't sound sorry, his words clipped and quick. "You need to come with me. All this time I spent working with you . . . they think you mean something to me."

    That hurt. Liv had thought the same thing. "They?"

    "Just come with me." The hand on her shoulder tightened and Liv acquiesced. She went, and that's how it all began.

    100 words exactly, according to MS Word.

    inbedwithbooks AT yahoo DOT com

    Okay, so it's not about your blog, but you get a romantic set up! Joe's hot, I promise.

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  23. Happy blogiversary! :D

    I'm a horrible writer, but I do love starbucks ;) I'll give it a shot!

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  24. I DIDN'T ENTER YET?? *smacks self in head*

    oh yeah... i remember... i wanted to write a really good story, so i clicked away and then forgot to click back.

    okay.
    here goes...
    PLEASE PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE CRAZY LINE BREAKS; THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD KEEP TRACK OF THE NUMBER OF WORDS.

    Liv was looking out the window at the seamless sky,
    its blue mingling freely with the yellow of the sun.
    The kind of sky, the kind of day, to make anyone
    believe that things could happen, that things WOULD happen. She
    closed her eyes, sealing them shut as she wished on
    the perfect sky. She wished that something would be real,
    that the stories in the books she adored might come
    to life. She wished, then opened her eyes, the sight before her a different one than she'd closed her eyes to. "Welcome," said the librarian, "to Storyland."

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  25. Liv was looking out the window as the rain drizzled down the pane of glass. The sun hadn't been out for days, and she wondered when or if she would see him again. He would only show up if it was sunny. Without the sun he didn't exist. They had been meeting at the beach everyday so far that summer. Tomorrow was her last day. Her last chance to tell him how much she would miss him, and that she would be back next summer to see him.

    She didn't know if he was real, or if he was figment of her imagination. All she knew was that she had to see him again. If only the rain, rain would go away. The last time she was on the beach all that remained at their meeting spot was a silver locket with the inscription "until next time" on the back. The inside was filled with sand. Maybe the locket was his own way of saying good-bye.

    She could remember the first time she saw him. She was on the beach with a book, like every other sunny day that summer. He seemed to float towards her up out of the ocean, and that's when she realized that no one else could see him but her. He had brown hair that hung past his ears and fell in his eyes. He was tall and had the body of a surfer. His eyes were the color of the ocean, a beautiful sea green that twinkled in the sunlight. She smiled and he sat on the sand next to her. They talked until sunset when he disappeared, and that's how it all began.

    There you go! It's a little rough! AND is probably more than 100 words, I didn't count! I also noticed that most of the entries are how your blog started....oops if that's what you meant for us to write! This is just what came to me. :D

    bacarleton at gmail dot com

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  26. Liv was looking out the window when something caught her eye. It was a squirrel. It was so cute. Liz had to go pet it. So, she went outside. When she got outside, everything seemed so wonderful and perfect. So what she did was lay down in the grass and make grass angels. She didn't get grass stains on her clothes, but she did make many friends. She saw the squirrel again and it gave her a book and a laptop. "You were called to make a book blog, Liz. It is your duty." And that's how it all began.

    Please enjoy!
    Sara
    babyprincess716@yahoo.com

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  27. Liv was looking out the window, when she saw a monkey. She decided to go outside to make sure wasn't seeing things. She went out there and asked her brother if he saw it to. "You're crazy Liv you seeing things nutball" he said. Then Liv started to look up monkeys on the internet, and saw a add for a book blog. She then decided she would start a blog because she's crazy and loves books. And that's how it all began.


    Enjoy, Hope I didn't offend you by calling you crazy, but in a good way.

    Megan (the book geek)
    bookworm8675309@yahoo.com

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  28. Okay, it's not that great...but I'm in pain at the moment. LOL

    Liv was looking out the window, trying to figure out where she was at the moment. Her house looked the same, but the outside was shiny and unfamiliar, yet beautiful. She ran into her room and grabbed a dusty tome hidden in the back of her closet. It was a present from her mom, given to her just the other day, about the day she would rule the world. She opened the first page and read the words “The world would change when Liv was ready to rule. Diamonds fell from the sky. And that's how it all began."


    -Sorry it's late too! I was planning on entering, by the way. I just completely forgot. It's been a rough week. hah

    -Lauren
    lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

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  29. Liv was looking out the window at midnight when she saw a shooting star. Curious, she went outside to see the star hovering right above her front lawn. It shimmered and glimmered, and Liv was immediately attracted by the twinkling golden ball of fire. She clambered on top of it, and the shooting star took off for the Milky Way Galaxy. After a long, looooong ride through blackholes and asteroid belts, past comets and whirling planets, Liv finally landed on... a piece of rock. She was very disappointed and distraught that she was stuck on a boring gray rock in the middle of nowhere, for she had imagined living on a beautiful planet with friendly aliens and fountains of gold.

    Suddenly, a piece of chocolate popped out of a hole in the ground. And then a Krispy Kreme box with a dozen donuts inside. And then vanilla cake with purple and blue sprinkles.

    Liv was overjoyed that she had found the legendary "dessert hole." As the desserts kept popping out of the whole, Liv packed them up in giant glass crates and sent them back to Earth on her very own shooting star. She started her own business, Liv's Awesome Desserts, and she became a millionare. And that's how it all began.


    -Priya

    priyagan@gmail.com

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  30. Liv! This was impossible to get to less than 100 words. I could totally write the rest of this story. *sigh* Maybe I will, anyway. :) But here's my entry. 98 words. :

    Liv was looking out the window, as she was prone to do, when something of a sparkly green pallor obscured her line of vision. Startled, she finds it to be a regular ol’ garden fairy. Opening her window to feed him an F Biscuit and shoo him on his merry way, she’s shocked when the fairy speaks to her.

    “Liviana, my fair one. I am King Leopold, here to grant your wish.” He says, fluttering his hands and wings in an extravagant matter. “What your heart desires - it shall be yours.”

    And that’s how it all began.

    -thepageflipper@yahoo.com

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  31. Liv was looking out the window, feeling that something important was missing in her life. She saw a missing piece in others as well, and they seemed to be unconsciously searching for it.

    Pondering this thought, she didn't notice at first when the 8-foot tall man with an unnatural golden glow appeared in front of her window seat. He cleared his throat, which quickly got her attention. Before she could say a word, the man pulled a scroll out of his shirt and unrolled it with a flick of his hand.

    "Hmm... Are you Liv? I suppose I must make sure you are her before I begin."

    Once again, Liv had no chance to say anything before he began to speak again. She only had time to notice another strange feature of the man. Were those wings on his shoes?

    "That's silly, of course you're her. They said you were beautiful for a mortal female."

    Mortal? Then...

    "Well, with that aside, I am here to tell you that you have been selected for deification, reception of the elixer of immortality, etcetera, etcetera. Shall we begin?"

    Liv just sat there, openmouthed, staring. But something in her said to go with the flow.

    "O-kaaay," she answered.

    "Splendid. All you have to do now is drink the elixer and I'll get you moved out of this place and into the Realm of the Gods. Must be quick, though... Always so many duties for a messenger."

    The man pulled a golden goblet out of a pocket on the side of his pants, already filled to the brim with gold liquid.

    "Declare your intended patronage," he said, holding out the goblet.

    Liv didn't quite understand what he meant, but she spoke the first thing that came to mind; a way she felt she could help those people she was watching. Then she drank deeply of the elixer, and became the Goddess of Book Blogging. And that's how it all began.

    ------------------------------------------------

    I know that's more than 100 words, but cutting it down would kill the story.

    Happy Blogoversary!

    paradoxrevealed (at) aim (dot) com

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Pour your heart out. :)