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.

New Feature: Bits 'n Pieces - Daphne Grab

Yes, the very exciting and hopefully fun-filled new feature is here! I figured that since I had no regularity or schedule to my blog I had to add something that everyone could look forward to and be excited for. I know that a bunch of other blogs out there do author interviews and guest blogs and while I still wanted to incorporate authors into the feature (how could I not), I wanted it to be different than anything else out there. Hopefully you guys like it!

So the basics of the new "Bits 'n Pieces" feature are as follows:

It is designed to focus on the author more than their works. I wanted to get down to 

all the fun little details about the people whose books we know and love. It's not a traditional interview format, but rather a collection of different little questions.

There will be a new feature posted every Wednesday. There might be some book giveaways, but that is obviously up to the author. 

If you want to see any authors featured or have any cool ideas, email me! I want to hear your thoughts on it. Definitely let me know what you think in the comments of this post. Other than that, enjoy!

Daphne Grab is the author of the marvelous book Alive and Well in Prague, New York. You can find my review of Alive and Well here. You can also visit Daphne's website here, and the awesome blog she shares with seven other authors here. What better name for it than The Longstockings? Pippi is, after all, one of the original spunky females of children's books. I am so glad that Daphne's the one kicking off my new feature because she provided some fun answers and is an all around great author. :) 

This or that:
Rain or shine?
I want to be artistic and like the rain but honestly I hate it- I hate the grey skies and I hate my feet getting wet. I am all about the shine!
iPod or mp3 player?
iPod loaded with ABBA and other embarrassing music.

Movies or TV?
Both but when pressed, movies. I am totally addicted to movies.
City or country?
I grew up in the country and like to visit, but I am a total city girl now.
Mountains or beaches?
Beaches! I love the beach.
Dots or stripes?
Hm, this one is a challenge but I’ll go with dots since I just bought some polka dotted rain boots that I love.
Dogs or cats?
I am a total cat person and worship my two kitties.
Cooking or eating out?

Both, though I love not having to do dishes after a meal.
Coffee or tea?
Herbal tea.
Books or magazines?
Definitely books. The only magazines I read are sports related.

Favorites:
Book-
It’s so hard to pick just one but probably THE CATCHER IN THE RYE which is the best portrayal of grief I’ve ever read.
Book store-
I love the Bank Street Bookstore which is my local indie.

Movie-
I am pretty in love with THE LIVES OF OTHERS- it blew me away.
Music artist-
I hate to admit it but ABBA.
Website-
I really love Go Fug yourself- those girls crack me up and are spot on in their fashion assessment.
Designer-

The lovely people who design for Anthropologie.
Coffee chain-
Since I’m an herbal tea geek I’d have to say the Tealuxe.
Guilty pleasure-
Cookies- I am a cookie fiend.
Restaurant-
Candle 79, a swanky vegan place on the Upper East Side. My husband and I went there to celebrate when I sold PRAGUE.
Color-
Pink even though I’m a redhead and redheads aren’t supposed to wear pink.

Have you ever:

Lived abroad?
Yes, in China, Colombia, England and Costa Rica, all terrific places.
Gotten a tattoo?
No, I’m too scared of pain. And I worry that a year later I’d hate the design I chose.
Stayed up for the midnight release of a movie or book?
I waited many hours for Star Wars tickets, both for RETURN OF THE JEDI when I was a kid and then the first of the new trilogy- does that count?
Disliked your job?
Oh yes! I think the worst job I ever had was doing cleaning in a hotel. The woman I worked with was mean, the work was boring and I got paid close to nothing since people never left tips. But the worst was the mean woman- I think any work is doable if you are working with fun people.
Cried during a movie?

Yeah, I am a crier during good books, TV and movies. I cried buckets at the end of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (one of my favorites) and even a half hour later was still tearful on the subway home which was kind of embarrassing.
Sang karaoke?
No which is funny because I love to sing and ABBA is great stuff for karaoke.

Questions:
If you were on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you?
Soap, because I am a neat freak and would want to wash up every once in a while, and four books, long classics like ANNA KARENINA that I’ve never read. Oh, maybe three books and a box of cookies.
What’s on the list of things you have to do during your life?

Travel to more places. I really want to see Egypt, Jordan and Chile.
If you could have one super power what would it be?
Probably to be able to go without sleep for the rest of my life- is that a super power? I could get so much done if I never had to sleep.
What’s your perfect music playlist?
A mix of ABBA Gold and the soundtrack to WICKED.
What’s the one food you could eat day after day and not get sick of?
Besides cookies I’d have to say my husband’s chicken tikka masala. He is a master of that dish.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
There are the countries I want to see but if I was offered a free ticket to anywhere leaving next week I’d choose Melbourne Australia because that’s where my best friend lives.

What moment in history do you wish you could’ve experienced?
The Civil Rights Movement. I’d love to have been part of something like that.
What does your dream library look like?
Filled with YA’s and MG’s that no one has spilled any food on. I hate reading a great book and turning to a page with a big smear of chocolate on it. Or what I hope is chocolate!
When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first?
Teen section every time.
If everyone had to read one book, what would you have it be?
This is such a good but hard question. Probably THERE IS NO ME WITHOUT YOU, this amazing book about the problems facing people, especially kids, in Ethiopia. It has some really eye opening info that is tough to believe and she also has some re

ally touching adoption stories that I loved since my kids are adopted.

Liv, thanks for having me on your blog!!

Thank you so much Daphne! Daphne has also generously agreed to give away a signed copy of Alive and Well in Prague, New York to a random commenter who posts their opinions of the new feature. Post a comment on my review of Alive and Well and get an extra entry! The winner will be announced on next week's feature.

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

Not Reading is Not Fun

I'm so sorry I haven't posted a review in a while. The book I'm reading right now is slow going, but I'm trying to get through it. It gets difficult though, when school starts tomorrow! This week I was drowned in early morning sports practices, school shopping, and organizing. I'm not at all looking forward to the school year as it means that I'm going to be so much more busy. I'm sorry if I'm not posting reviews as often as I was during the summer, but I'm sure you can all understand my reasons. Oh, but the thing that's brightening my outlook is that I got a laptop! I used to have to use our family PC which was very slow and I had to compete for time on it with the other members of my family, but now I'm the proud owner of a shiny white Macbook. Yay! 

One thing in which I may redeem myself and my non-reading is that I'm starting a new feature next week (hopefully). It's fun, it's cool, and I think you guys'll like it. So definitely be on the lookout for that and a few new reviews. If I can squish some reading time in.