As anybody who has read me reviews interviews or heard my comments on either my own radio program or where I have been a guest, you will know I am a great believer in what I call the “Small Blogger”. These are the people who read, write and live books are “The ‘sham wow’ of Teen/YA literature”.
Today my special guest is Liv from Liv’s Book Reviews
Hi Liz, welcome to my Across the Pond tell me about yourself.
Name I write under – Liv
Blog spot name – Liv’s Book Reviews
Blog address – http://livsbookreviews.blogspot.com
How long have you been blogging?
Let’s see here…I think it’s been since February 2008 which seems like SO long ago. When I started, I never imagined that I’d keep it going this long. In that time, I’ve done over 300 posts and written over 100 reviews. What’s funny is that at first I exclusively posted reviews. No memes, no random posts, no features, no nothing. Now, I don’t post as many reviews as I should. I post waaay too many posts about nothing. Haha. I guess that’s the way it goes.
What books do you read?
I mainly read young adult fiction and within that, contemporary and urban fiction. It’s the stuff I relate to most. But lately, I’ve been adding more and more “adult” books to my pile. I’ve requested a bunch of Jodi Picoult’s books from Bookmooch as well as James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces and Seabiscuit. I’ve been branching out more.
What is your favorite book and author of 2009?
If I had to pick just one, I’d say Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers. That book was just so real and emotional and precise. As it was her debut novel, I’m excited to see what she has coming out next. This year I also read Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld which was released a while back but it has definitely become a favorite of mine. Those two books outshine every other book I’ve read so far this year, I think.
What is your favorite author/book of all time?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Hands down. I give the same answer every time. That book is phenomenal. It’s just got so much to offer to everyone. It can’t be classified as a “girl book” or a “boy book” or even a young adult book. I had my dad read it and he loved it. And that’s saying something because my dad normally sticks to his murder mystery books. I’m really excited to see what Catching Fire has in store for Peeta and Katniss.
How many books do you have in your library?
Maybe 120? I don’t buy a ton of books because they’re super expensive but I do make good use of Bookmooch. It’s kind of funny though because I’m super particular about how my books are shelved and organized. I have them all in alphabetical order by the author’s last name and I only shelve the books I’ve read and liked. If I haven’t read them they go under the bed in a pile. If I don’t like them, they go to Bookmooch.
How many books do you read a week?
About two, which is not enough in my opinion. I used to be able to read a lot more but now that I’m in high school, my education and my studies are my priorities, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for reading. I do try to sit down and read for a little bit each night though. It’s a nice little ritual. And it helps me to slowly and steadily get through my books.
Not counting yours, what is your favorite blog to follow?
Oh gosh. I don’t think I can pick just one but I’ll name a few…I love Reviewer X because Steph’s amazingly blunt and tells it like it is. Plus she gets tons of great ARCs so it’s nice to get an early opinion. I also really like Pop Culture Junkie because she posts about all sorts of book-related stuff, not only reviews. As for non-book-related blogs, I like Color Me Katie and Little Brown Pen.
When is your favorite time/location to read?
Late,late,late at night, laying on my bed. It makes me feel rebellious. Haha.
If you could be a character in any book who would that be and why?
Maybe Diana Holland from the Luxe series. Which might sound strange because so far Diana’s been pretty unfortunate. I like her because she’s sassy and spunky. Plus, it would be fun to be a part of that whole drama-filled world. So either her or Katniss. Because Katniss is just bad-a**. And she gets Peeta.
Have you ever thought about or actually written a book yourself?
Actually, no. I don’t think I’m that great of a writer. I’ve tried to write some short fiction pieces for school before and it was a disaster. All of my ideas are just ridiculous. I’m better at opinion writing. And I like that more too because it’s personal and direct. I have thought about going into the publishing industry in some other form though. Like as an editor or publicist or…something else. Writing’s just not for me.
If you had a chance to advertise your blog in any way you could, what would you chose and why?
Oh dear. I have a horror story about this. So last year, my cousin mentioned that I had a blog to the school librarian. Bad. Because the librarian told all of the teachers. So a bunch of the teachers that had had me as a student over the years were now aware of the fact that I was publishing my thoughts/opinions on the internet and that I was actually getting a little bit of attention for it. A few comments here and there. And then the principal caught wind of it and he thought it would be a great idea to give me some sort of honor in front of the whole school. I swear, I bawled for an hour. And, I know, I know, the internet is a public thing and it’s out there for everyone to read, but the odds are that none of those teachers would have ever known what I was doing. Which is the way I wanted it. For me, my blog’s a private thing that I’ve only told a few people about. It’s like an escape. So. If I was able to advertise my blog I don’t know if I would. I kind of like it the way it is. Although it would be quite cool to have an excerpt of a review of mine published in a book or two or something like that. I have a little blurb in John Green’s Paper Towns which makes me sooo happy.
If you had a chance to interview any one author who would that be and why?
John Green. But not just interview over the internet. I’d want to go sit at a coffee shop and video tape it all. Because while John Green is an awesome author, he’s also an awesome person, and to be able to sit and talk with him would be beyond cool.
What is one thing about you that readers might not know?
Ummm. I have no idea! Maybe my age? People are always surprised to learn that I’m just in my early teens. I’m no college student.
If people are interested in being a guest on your blog or sending a book to you and your blog what is the best way to contact you?
email. livsbookreviews@gmail.com I try to respond to all of the emails that I get.
Have you ever seen a tree kangaroo? (that is just for me, one of my fave weird animals)
No! But I’m going to google them right now. 🙂
Thank you so much for being my guest Liv, good luck with your blog and keep up the great work
Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
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