Booking Through Thursday/Saturday #10: Presents!

On Saturday

What, if any, memorable or special book have you ever gotten as a present? Birthday or otherwise. What made it so notable? The person who gave it? The book itself? The “gift aura”

I never really get books as presents because my family knows that I'm super choosy with what I read and they don't want to risk picking the wrong thing! They'd rather stick with B&N giftcards. I did get signed copies of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange for my birthday this year, though. I pointed the site where you could get them out to my parents so it wasn't exactly their own idea, but it was nice that they knew that getting those books would be one of the best presents I could ask for. I'm a huge fan of Melissa Marr and so both the books themselves, and the "gift aura" that they have, make them infinitely valuable to me. Another book that I've received was the seventh Harry Potter book for Christmas from one of my friends which was really cool. I love Harry Potter so being able to own my own copy is great. :) Other than that, I've never really received presents in the form of books...maybe I should make up a very specific list this year. :P 

Freefall by Anna Levine

Aggie is eighteen and getting ready to do her service for the Israeli Army. She could get a cushy assignment - maybe pushing paper somewhere - or she could just take her chances. Only, Aggie isn't like that. Despite her small size and the fact that she needs to gain weights to even make the grade, and despite the total disbelief of her entire family (except her grandmother, who is an old freedom fighter and don't you forget it), Aggie is trying out for an elite combat unit.

Ben - Aggie's crush of the moment - isn't at all convinced that she's making the right choice. Shira, Aggie's best friend forever, is bewildered (and perhaps a bit too interested in Ben). Then there's Noah. And the serendipitous snow. And a good-bye kiss that turns into, well, a real kiss.

Luckily for Aggie, her backbreaking, sand-in-mouth, completely-lost-in-the-desert training produces an unlikely dividend: friends. The kind she never imagined she could have. The kind you'd go to war with - and for.

(summary from jacket flap)

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was definitely an interesting read. I had never read  anything remotely related to it so in that respect it was a breath of fresh air. I have never actually read very much that's based outside of the US at all. Israel is a very prominent country and it has a culture that's so unique and different from my own, that while I was reading I was also receiving a lesson in world culture. You could tell the author knew what she was talking about on that basis. Also, Aggie was a wonderful character. She is spunky, energetic, and never gives up. Throughout the novel you can watch her grow and come to realize that she can be anything she wants to be. I also liked Lily a lot because she had so much life in her despite all of the troubles and problems she was dealing with. You have to admire someone who can keep a strong and positive attitude in the face of misfortune. Also, her and Aggie's relationship was one of the high points in the book for me. I could never really predict what would happen next with them! There were a few things about the book that didn't really click with me, though. One of my main problems was that there was too much going on. I found it hard to keep all of the characters and names straight. I think it would have been better if the book had been made a little longer so that the author could go more in depth with all of the characters and plot events. Also, I think the writing was just mediocre. While it got the story across, it wasn't exactly beautiful or flowing. In my mind, I think it was because Anna was rushed to get all of the story packed into a small amount of pages so she didn't have enough time to elaborate and focus more on the writing style. I definitely think that if the book had been maybe 100 pages longer, it could have been way better. And that's not saying that it isn't good already. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Aggie's pursuit to follow her dreams and stay true to her friends and family. The story was a unique one for sure and I'd recommend it to people who'd like to read something outside of the stereotypical "American teenager" books.

Bits 'n Pieces - Ben Furman

 Ben Furman is the author of Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal and Sam's Quest for the Royal Trident; both of which are on my reading pile. I hope to review them soon! I hope you enjoy his answers. :)

This or that:
Rain or shine? 

Shine
iPod or mp3 player? 

Mp3
Movies or TV? 

Movies
City or country? 

Country
Mountains or beaches? 

Mountains
Dots or stripes? 

Stripes
Dogs or cats? 

Dogs
Cooking or eating out? 

Cooking
Coffee or tea?

Coffee
Books or magazines? 

Books

Favorites:
Book- 

The Civil War, by Shelby Foote
Book store- 

Park Road Books, an independent
Movie- 

Casablanca
Music artist- 

Sinatra
Website-

Mine. www.blackhawkpress.com
Designer- 

Whoever designs Wrangers
Coffee chain- 

McDonald’s
Guilty pleasure- 

Anything chocolate
Restaurant- 

The Palm
Color- 

Red

Have you ever:
Lived abroad? 

Yes
Gotten a tattoo? 

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

No
Disliked your job? 

No. I’d have to hate myself since I own the business. Boy do I love this job.
Cried during a movie? 

Yes
Sang karaoke? 

No

Questions:
If you were on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you?
The family and survival gear are given. Other than that: My dogs, Jack & Jake; oil paints and canvas; my favorite music; books that I can read time and again; the world’s best hammock.
What’s on the list of things you have to do during your life?
Nothing out of the ordinary. Stay involved with family, friends, church and community.
If you could have one super power what would it be?
Healing power.
What’s your perfect music playlist? 

Classical: Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Litz, and others, depending on my mood.
What’s the one food you could eat day after day and not get sick of?
Ice cream
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
New Zealand. Haven’t been there.
What moment in history do you wish you could’ve experienced?
The signing of the Declaration of Independence
What does your dream library look like?
A miniature of the NYC main library that hosts innumerable first editions of all genres.
When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head first?
The fiction section to see if my books are there
If everyone had to read one book, what would you have it be?
The Bible

Thanks so much, Ben! 

Sorry this post is rather late. My week's been quite hectic and I'm struggling to stay caught up. I'm hoping to have two reviews posted by the end of the week! Yay! And finally... :P

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

Coming soon!

Bits 'n Pieces will either be posted later today or early tomorrow. Sorry for the delay! :)

A New President

Yes, me and my friends made Obama shirts. :P

Wow. That's really all I can say. I've been a pretty strong Obama supporter from the get-go, as I am a complete liberal. I'm really excited that we get to have our first African American president and that he won by such a huge margin. It really says something about our nation, I think. 

This election was a big deal and it was definitely an exciting event to live through and participate in, even though I couldn't vote. Next time I'll be able to, though, and I'm really looking forward to that. 

It's been a long journey, and I'm glad it's over. :)

And I promise that there will be a new review up within the next few days! Yay! Finally.

A Miraculous Discovery

Have you guys noticed how I've been doing a bunch of completely non-book related posts lately to cover up for the fact that I've been reading at the pace of a snail? Well this is another one of those, but it's a cool one, I promise.

This week I discovered one of the coolest companies EVER. Really. Maybe some of you guys have heard of Threadless? It's a t-shirt company unlike any other. All the designs for the shirts are made by and voted on by users. Some of them are really unique and fun and I myself can't imagine ever being able to create designs like that. 

I just ordered myself a shirt and I'm super excited for it to come! If any of you have bought a shirt from Threadless, how do you like it? And if you haven't, you should definitely go check out the site. Let me know which designs you like!

My shirt design:

Booking Through Thursday/Saturday #9: Conditioning

On Saturday

Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?

I think I'm actually pretty rough with my books. I never bend back the covers because that does make me cringe, but I admit, I'm a dog-earer. I never am responsible enough to have an actual bookmark so I resort to bending the corners. I do that a lot with library books, but if it's a book that I own and value then I'll be a little more careful. It's nice to have your books look well-loved though, right? :P In my mind, a book is meant to be read and loved, even if that does mean it gets a little roughed up and damaged. It only adds character.