The Mutating Meme

I've been memed yet again by Book~Adorer!

The Rules:
1. Copy and paste the questions, then fill in your answers. Post this on your blog, livejournal, etc. There’s a catch, though. You have to change/add a question from the meme you were tagged with.
2. Post the rules.
3. Link to the person who tagged you.
4. Tag 3 people, by commenting on their blog.
5. Link back to the original (you can visit it here) to see how much it has mutated.

Now to the questions:
1.) If you were writing a book, what would your lead characters name be?
Oooh. That's hard. Probably Leah or Maddie. I kind of like the cute and simple names. And then for a guy, I'd choose Noah.
2.) What is your least favorite food?
Any kind of bean. Except for garbanzo beans. Those are good. I am especially disgusted by baked beans even though I don't think I've ever eaten them. There's just something so wrong about putting any veggie in nasty brown sauce. Ick.
3.) Are there any songs that get stuck in your head really easily?
Oh my gosh yes. Any song with a really simple melody and stupid words, I'll inevitably get stuck in my head. And then I'm humming it for the rest of the day! It's so annoying!
4.) If you could be (or are) a mythical creature, what would it be (or what are you)?
Hmmm. I think that I would like to be a shape-shifter because then you can take on all sorts of disguises and be whatever you want to be.
5.) What do colors taste like?
What a good question. I think colors taste like what you kind of perceive them as. Like brown tastes warm and thick and yellow tastes light and airy. It would be so cool to taste colors!
6.) Which Disney princess is your favorite?
Aack! That's so hard! I really like Belle because she sings all those cool songs and is a bookworm. But I also like Mulan. I don't think she's technically a princess though.
7.) What kind of toothpaste do you use?
I use that all natural stuff.
8.) If you could chose one superpower, what would it be?I
I would want to fly. I think it would be so cool to see everything from a bird's eye view!

Now then, I tag Em, Harmony, and The Magic Of Ink Girls. Have fun!

My First Contest!

So last night, I was lucky enough to go to a book signing of Meg Cabot's. I was so excited that she was visiting my chilly state of Minnesota. The whole night was very fun. She was upbeat, witty, and very funny. You could tell she really tried to connect with the audience which was great. And afterwards, I got to get my whole Mediator series signed (which is a very good series that I highly recommend, btw) as well as a copy of one of Meg's more recent books, Jinx. So therefore, I am having a contest to giveaway a signed copy of the book Jinx by Meg Cabot. I have read it and I thought it was very good so I'm sure you will all like it.

Now for the rules:

1. To enter either leave a comment on this post that includes your email or just send an email to livsbookreviews@yahoo.com.


2. If you blog about my contest and help spread the word, be sure to send me the link back and I will give you two extra entries. How cool is that?


3. The dead line for entries is Saturday April 12 at midnight, central time.


And that's it! I hope you enter!

The Earth, My Butt, And Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Virginia Shreves is living a tough life. Being overweight in a family of perfect, popular, and fit people is hard. She is constantly being pressured to change who she is to please those around her. To make it worse, her best friend just moved across the country leaving Virginia to fend for her own in the vicious world of highschool. And her brother was found guilty of date rape. Her perfect, flawless brother let her down. Virginia's world is crashing down around her and if she doesn't do something fast, she's going to be lost in the tidal wave of lies, expectations, and troubles that are filling her life. Can she find a way to be herself and assert who she is in an unaccepting world?

Yes, I finally finished this book. It's not that it was hard to get through or anything, it's just that I listened to it on audiobook. I find it so much harder to listen to books than to read them because to listen to them, you have to have no distractions. I usually listen to music in the background and it's hard to have to focus completely on listening to something. On the other hand, I'm able to read with tons of distractions. I can tune out the world and get lost in a book so much easier, so I think I'm going to stick with that from now on. :) Anyways, this was a really good book! I really loved Virginia's unique voice and her cynicsm. I think the author approached the difficult topic of obesity in a great way. You could really get into the main character's mind and see the world through her eyes. The media definitely presents a distorted picture of the perfect body and I think that this book really proved that you don't have to look perfect to be happy. I especially liked Virginia's doctor. He was so open and didn't pressure her at all. He said that it isn't about having the perfect body, it's about feeling good about yourself, which I think is a great viewpoint. I enjoyed seeing Virginia discover who she was and showing her family and friends that she was unique and special and that she wasn't going to let anyone push her around. I think that everyone should think about themselves that way. I think that the ending was really satisfying also. I liked that Virginia used her own experiences to help others. Overall, this book was very good. I would highly recommend this as a book that will change your thinking on a difficult subject. It really opened my eyes.

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn

It all starts in prehistoric times when a young man and a young woman fight over a precious jewel. From then on, they share a special connection that is linked with green stones. Each time they are reincarnated as different beings, they are both undeniably attracted to each other when their paths cross, no matter the obstacles; but each time, their love never has a happy ending. Their affinity is put to many tests, but will it all work out in the end? Will true love prevail?

Yay for good books! I didn't really have any expectations coming into this book because I hadn't heard anything about it. It really surprised me though. It has a very unique plot line that draws you in immediately. The stories of the two souls are so intertwined and complex, and as the book progresses, you really start to root for them to work it out in the end. I loved how you got to experience different time periods and circumstances. And in each of the stories, everything is somehow connected. Like, in the first prehistoric story, the man gets stabbed in the head and the side and in later bodies, he has headaches and even experiences a ruptured kidney. And the girl has a beautiful singing voice as well as a lame foot that turns up in each of her reincarnated forms. I also liked the little twists that the author threw into the story. They really helped the book not seem so predictable and showed many some of the many different angles that love can have. One of the aspects of the story I particularly liked was that you got to meet the two side characters who have to work out their part in the story for themselves. You get to see the smaller characters really grow into themselves as well as the more important characters. The small complaint I have about this book, is that it is confusing. And you kind of have to expect that if there's around ten different stories that are intertwined in one book! It was good though, how in the end everything got unraveled and you could see how all the different parts were related. I felt like this was a well though out, well crafted story. It immediately drew me in and kept me entranced for the whole book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a quick, captivating read!

Six Random Things Meme!

I was tagged by Em for the Six Random Things Meme! And since this is my first meme, I figured I had to do it. And then while I was thinking about what my answers were going to be, I learned that it is really hard to think of random things about yourself! But, I tried my hardest to be interesting and creative, so here's my attempt:


1. I love chai tea. Whenever I go to a coffee shop, I never get coffee, I always get a chai. It has vanilla, spices, cinnamon, and warm milk. What more could a girl need on a rainy day?

2. I have never been able to pick a favorite color. I like all of them; it depends on my mood. I especially like the cooler pastel colors but if you can find a bright pink, orange, or yellow, then I'll be sure to fall in love with that color too. So whenever people ask me what my favorite color is, I say the first thing that pops into my head that day.

3. Best movie ever = August Rush. I saw it about a month ago at this little theater about two blocks from my house and, oh my gosh, it was amazing. I loved the music and the ambience, the plot line, and the characters. It was one masterpiece of a movie and you should all go out and see it ASAP. It just came out on DVD and I am just waiting until I have enough money to buy it so I can watch little Freddie Highmore with his adorable accent over and over again.

4. green beans are gross.

5. I love snow. Maybe not the actual wet flakes, but I love the whole idea of it. Right now, I'm staring out of my bedroom window at the branches of a tree that have little puffs of snow resting on every twig. It's sooo pretty. It snowed over night here, so nothing has had the chance to be messed up yet, and it's truly beautiful.

6. I'm going to the mall today! Yay! I get to go shop a little for my spring clothes, of which I have none. I swear, I think I have some ratty t-shirts and a pair of shorts or two and that's it. I don't think that's really going to get me through the summer.


And there you have it. Six random things about me that you didn't know yet. I hope that was at least a little bit interesting/entertaining!

The Rules For The Meme:
1. You link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

So, I tag: Enna Isilee, Teen Book Review, Page Numbered, The Page Wanderer, Shelf Elf, and Kelsey