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.

Pictures of the loot

So here are some pictures of the wonderful goodies you can win if you enter the contest that I'm running right now. I had to switch the candle to a "future librarian" button because when I went to find the candles at my favorite little gift shop, they didn't have them anymore. That made me really sad, but I hope you guys like the button! I think it's super adorable. If you'd like to find out more about the contest, click here. Comments on this post will not count as entries towards the contest. Remember to get your entries in by Saturday, August 30th, at midnight, central time. Good luck! 

Undone by Brooke Taylor

1. Sing with Bleeder Valve.
2. Get a tattoo.
3. Work things out with Shay.
4. Confront D.
5. Tell Serena.
Kori Kitzler is the "dark angel" of her high school: beautiful, mysterious, the subject of rumors. Serena Moore is just an average girl: unassuming, not sure exactly who she is or who she wants to be. But then a seemingly chance encounter ignites a fateful friendship - allowing Kori to draw Serena into her world.
When the girls are given an assignment to list five things they would never dream could really happen - their five ways to tempt fate - Serena doesn't take it very seriously. But then a tragedy leaves Serena shocked, alone, and in possession of Kori's five secret impossible possibilities. Can Serena complete her best friend's list, or will she leave Kori's dreams undone?
(Summary from jacket flap)

After hearing a lot of great things about this book, I was expecting fantastic things. The only thing that really bothered me about the story was that at some points it got rather confusing. Everything was cleared up eventually, but I just didn't like the little parts where I was left hanging. Also, Serena's character got a little annoying after a while, in how she was always trying to be like Kori and didn't discover who she herself was until the very end of the book. That being said, there were tons of things that I liked about this book. The plot was very good. Even though it was a little bit predictable, I was still anticipating the next twist and flipping pages to get to the next part of the story. I also loved the character of Anthony Beck. He's the ideal boyfriend; a good kisser, supportive, and gives you your space when you need it. I'm completely in love with him. He treated Serena so well even as she was chasing after Kori's old boy toy. The best part of Undone was the huge twist at the end. I'm not going to give it away, but let's just say that it knocked me off my feet. I wasn't expecting it at all which was the greatest part. I also liked how the PostSecret postcard project was incorporated into the book. Brooke Taylor did an excellent job of having relative pop culture references in the story which added a nice edge to the narrative. All in all, I'd definitely recommend Undone. It's dark, captivating, and edgy. You won't be able to put it down.

Book Vault's Birthday Contest Riddle

This is the next leg of The Book Vault’s birthday book riddle contest! For more information on the contest, go here.
Each correct answer counts as an entry into the drawing on August 29th!
(Please enter by Aug 28th, midnight, EST)

Riddle: Falsely accused of a crime, this teenage boy is sent to a “camp” where he must dig a hole of specific dimensions each day. Is there more to this drill than the character-correcting & character-building that the warden claims it’s for?Which book is this?

Know the answer? Send Dominique an email at bookvault@yahoo.com with:

“BDAY CONTEST” in the subject line
and:
Name:
The Riddle: Falsely accused of a crime, this teenage boy is sent to a “camp” where he must dig a hole of specific dimensions each day. Is there more to this drill than the character-correcting & character-building that the warden claims it’s for?Which book is this?
Answer: (full book title + author)
The name of the site where you found the riddle: Liv’s Book Reviews
Your site’s URL: (if you have one)

Please send a separate email for each riddle you answer!

Good luck!!

Ta-da!

After playing around with the layout code and the header a little bit, a present to you a new and improved header for my blog! Yay! I like it a lot; it's much more interesting than the old one. Thank you wordle!
When I was going through the surveys I've gotten so far for my contest, the bland header was a main thing that most people commented on, and I had to agree with them. It was kind of boring and not fun.
If you guys could let me know what you think of the new one, that would be awesome! Love it, hate it, somewhere in between? I just want to know if it was worth my trouble. :) Thanks so much!

Violet by Design by Melissa Walker

I was gong to get out of the modeling business for good. But now I'm having trouble sticking iwth my decision. After all, if it wasn't for modeling, I might still be be the invisible wallflower. Hot guys like Paulo wouldn't be interested in me. And I'd never have seen Brazil or Spain - and now France! On the other hand...I also wouldn't have to choose between my best friend from home and my agent's shrill demands. Or anguish over my body the way only runway models do. Not to mention all this trouble I'm getting into for speaking out in the press about eating disorders. Maybe the life of an international model isn't for me. But if I quit for good, I might always wonder...what if?
(Summary from back of book)

I fell in love with the first book, Violet On The Runway, and I think, if possible, I liked the second book even more. In this novel, Violet matures and grows into the title of super model. She learns more about the business of modeling and what it takes to make it. She then has to decide for herself whether all the trials are worth being publicly recognized and admired. After reading a true story about modeling, the book Model, I think I've gained a little better insight into a world I previously knew nothing about and I was able to compare what the Violet books said to what Model said. What I found was, much to my surprise, that the Violet books, although they are fiction, are extremely accurate and not only do they capture the real world industry vibe, they also involve a plot that is easy and fun to follow. I don't think we could ask for much more in a book! The best part of the whole series is how we get to focus on a leading girl who is so realistic that we feel as if we know her personally. She doesn't hold back any thoughts or questions, and she gets to know herself better throughout the story. I also loved how the whole Roger/Violet dynamic worked out in this story, even if it is a little bit cliched. I can't wait to read Violet in Private to see how that drama turns out. I'm hoping for a happy ending for our heroine, and for a third book that lives up to the high standard that Violet By Design set. I have to get to the library!