Bookish Banter #4

Monday, February 17, 2014 18

Welcome, welcome to the fourth edition of Bookish Banter! This is a weekly blog post where I talk about bookish topics with Elizabeth of Redhead Reader and Ellen of Pottermorebooks!

This weeks discussion is...

How often do you read outside your preferred genre?

MY ANSWER:

Hmm. Well, I'd say every once and awhile. I guess it mostly depends on if I'm getting sick of a certain genre. For instance, I used to be a reader of any and all dystopian and granted, I still love a good one when I can find it, but here lately, I've been picking up a lot more Fantasy, which used to be something I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole!! I even picked up a contemporary or two in the past few weeks, and historical fiction! So mostly, it just depends on what I'm in the mood to read, and if a book in a genre I don't normally read is getting a TON of hype, then I am def going to pick it up ASAP!! That darn hype monster gets me all the dang time!

What about you? 
How often do you read outside your preferred genre?
Did you like this new feature?
Have any topics you would like us to discuss in the future?


Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to check out the other two blogs to read their answers for the week! Also I have a GIVEAWAY (here) so be sure to enter it too!! :)

Stay updated on everything on Pivot Book Reviews and the ever popular Cover Puppies posts by following me! Don't be afraid to connect with me! I love talking about books with other book lovers! 



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BOOK BLOGGER LOVE-A-THON - Day Two

Sunday, February 16, 2014 35
Book Blogger Love-A-Thon Day Two is finally here! YAY! Day one was SO much fun, even though I was a little late to the game. Oopsies. Forgive me? Anyways, I'm super excited to start Day Two's Mini-Challenges. I will be updating this post throughout the day that way I don't blow up everyone's feeds with separate posts so be sure to check back! Thanks again to Alexa and Katelyn for hosting! You ladies rock my socks and I love you both! <3

Mini-Challenge #4: Mash-Up!
(12 p.m.)
For this challenge, we ask you to mash-up your bookish life with a non-bookish hobby/passion/talent that you have in real life.

I sort of already do a weekly feature that is Mash-Up on my blog, which is Cover Puppies. I mashed up my love for my dogs and YA book covers and recreate the covers using my dogs! So if you haven't seen them yet, there is a tab at the top of the page that has all of my Cover Puppies posts linked in one convenient location. BUT I still wanted to participate in this challenge, so I came up with another Mash-Up for my love of skating! Below I'll list the top five fictional characters I'd want to go roller skating with AND the top five authors I'd want to go roller skating with! 

Top Five Fictional Characters
1. Trevor from Pivot Point.
Because *le sigh* 
Isn't that reason enough?

2. Dee from the Lux Series.
Because Dee is such a fun character!!
I love her enthusiastic personality and she would make anything fun to do!

3. Adrian from the VA novels.
Because watching Adrian try to master roller skating with his sarcastic remarks over constantly falling would be hi-lar-i-ous.

4. Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games.
Because what in the world would she wear? Talk about entertainment.

5. Warner from the Shatter Me series.
Because I can't even finish this thought without fanning myself..

Top Five Authors
1. Kasie West
Because I'm Kasie West's biggest fan, I tell you. But I'm not sure much skating would happen, because I'd be too busy fangirl-ing and begging for another Pivot Point novel and another The Distance Between Us novel and just more books in general from The Writing MASTER!

2. Sarah J. Maas
Because Sarah needs to get out of her writing cave, and breathe some fresh air, and maybe I could convince her to act like she was Chaol while we skated. ;)

3. Wendy Higgins
Because Wendy has a brilliant personality!

(Does anybody get that reference, or did I just show my age?)

4. Rainbow Rowell
Because HELLO, it's Rainbow Rowell and she's adorable.

5. Tahereh Mafi
Because we would keep it weird.
We would keep it awkward,
And we would totes make it walk-ward.
(Or Sk-awkward, because we would be skating.)

Mini-Challenge #5: Letter to Yourself!
(4 p.m.)

Dear Future Becca, 

As you know, I suck at these things, but I just want to make sure you are still blogging for the love of reading, and also make sure you're keeping it sk-awkward! Hopefully Cover Puppies is still something you do weekly, because I'll be honest, those posts are the bomb diggity, if I say so myself. 

That's all I can think of. Like I said, I suck at these things.

Love, 
Past Becca


Mini-Challenge #6: Love-A-Thon Awards!
(7 p.m.)

Best Weekly Feature:
Waiting on Wednesday by Breaking the Spine

Most Creative:
The Broke Book Girls Cookies

Favorite Author twitter:
Tahereh Mafi

Friendliest Blogger:
Katelyn from Tales of Books and Bands
Alexa from Alexa Can Read

I wish I could give awards to everyone because I LOVE YOU ALL!! LoveAThon was so fun to participate in for the first time, and I cannot wait to do it again next year!!

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Split Second by Kasie West - Book Review

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Split Second by Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point #2
Published by: HarperTeen on February 11th, 2014
Pages: 360
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5/5
Buy the Book   or   Add it to Goodreads!
FROM GOODREADS: 
Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can't believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She's always been able to Search the future when presented with a
choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too ...but not without a price.

When Addies' dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He's a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie's memories... once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don't want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school- but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot... and a future that could change everything.

MY THOUGHTS:

After completely devouring Pivot Point last year and deeming it my top fav book of 2013, I would be lying if I said I didn't have extremely high expectations of Split Second. I mean, I'm not sure my expectations could have gotten much higher, because they were so high. Pivot Point was just that amazing, in my opinion. I was so scared that I was setting myself up for disappointment, but thank the gods, that wasn't the case.

Split Second starts right up where Pivot Point left off with Addie. I was kind of thrown for a loop when I started reading, because somehow I had missed the little tidbit that Split Second would alternate chapters between Laila and Addie's POVs, unlike it Pivot Point, which alternated between Addie's POV on her different paths. I wasn't sure if Kasie West was going to be able to make me love Laila and her story like I did Addie's, but boy, was I wrong for even contemplating whether Kasie could pull it off. BOW DOWN TO THE MASTER OF WRITING, FRIENDS! I ended up loving Laila and Conner's story nearly as much as Addie and Trevor's. Hold up, I said nearly! Because nobody will be able to knock Trevor off his book boyfriend pedestal in my head. NOBODY! ;)

I really had no idea how Kasie planned on wrapping up this series, because every time I thought I knew what was going on, I would get thrown for a loop again. Kasie West delivers nothing less than a fast-passed mystery, where I continued to root for my favorite characters and grew to love the new ones. I really was not ready for this series to end, and I pray every single night that we get the surprise news that there will be another book set in this world. Even if it was a companion, I would be so stoked, because there is so much left to discover in the Compound! I wouldn't mind diving a little deeper into it, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! 

Without a doubt, Split Second met every single expectation I had, and even managed to rise above them. I totes cannot recommend this series enough. If you haven't picked up Pivot Point yet, the only thing I have to say to you is DO IT NOW!!! At least so we can fangirl together! Just keep in mind, Trevor. Is. MINE. *Ahem* I gave Split Second by Kasie West a well-deserved FIVE hearts. This author is and forever will be on my auto-buy list, not even kidding.

If  you're interested, I also recreated the covers (with my dogs) of BOTH Pivot Point and Split Second for my weekly feature of Cover Puppies this week! Check it out here!



Was this review helpful?
Have you read Pivot Point or Split Second?
Let me know in the comments!
I heart comment love! 

Thanks for visiting Pivot Book Reviews! 
P.S. Don't forget to check out my BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!


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BOOK BLOGGER LOVE-A-THON - Day One

Saturday, February 15, 2014 19

So I'm like extremely late on this whole Book Blogger Love-A-Thon, because I was oblivious to the fact that it existed until I started seeing all the tweets earlier, so after some research I came across Alexa and Katelyn's blogs and discovered what all the fuss was about!! If you (like me) haven't heard of the Book Blogger Love-A-Thon, it's two days full of spreading the love for book blogs and the bloggers behind them, full of fun mini-challenges, chats, and prizes! Thanks ladies for coming up with this awesome idea and hosting!! I'm so excited to participate for the very first time and meet new blogging buddies!! I noticed a lot of the blogs are putting all their challenges on the same post so I'll do the same for today! I'll make a new post for tomorrow though!

Book Blogger Interview



How did you come up with your blog name?

I really wanted a unique name for my blog. I mean, who doesn't, right? But while I wanted it to be unique, I also wanted something that related to me in a sense. I used to play Roller Derby, and in Roller Derby, there is a position called a Pivot.  It's the Pivot's responsibility to direct the rest of the team, and I think that kind of relates to what I strive to do on my blog. I want to "direct" people towards books that they will love with my reviews! And there ya have it! Pivot Book Reviews was born!

What genre/subject matter do you read and review most on your blog?

I mostly read YA books, anything from Dystopian to Fantasy with an occasional Contemporary in the mix.

Name the 3 books you're excited for in 2014!

JUST THREE? Oh, wow. This is going to be difficult to narrow down to just three!! Let's see...

1. On The Fence by Kasie West
2. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas 
3. The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings 

Where in the world are you blogging from?

OKLAHOMA, USA!


Tell us -- how did you get into blogging in the first place?

Honestly, I've been following blogs for a few years, and reading ever since I was little. All it took was a  constant inner monologue with myself, trying to give myself the guts to just go ahead and do it. It was one of my New Year's Resolutions last year, and I was so upset with myself that I didn't do it that I just sat myself down on Jan 1st this year, and forced myself to (like Nike says) just do it. I am so grateful that I did, because it has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I absolutely adore blogging, and wish so much that I would've done it earlier!

Apart from reading, what other hobbies/interests do you have?

Other hobbies exist? Haha just kidding. I really spend most of my time reading, but on the rare occasion that I'm not doing that, you can find me roller skating, drawing, painting, or writing! I totes live an exciting life, wouldn't you say? ;)

If you were stuck on a deserted island, which books would you bring with you?

All of them? Does that answer count? I say it does! 


If you were stuck in some dangerous situation (like a fire, a sinking ship, a warzone), which book boy or girl would you want to come and save you?

I would want Chaol from the Throne of Glass series to come save me, because let's just face it, he's a total badass.

You’re attending a party with your friends. Suddenly, the DJ changes the song and it’s YOUR song – what song would that be?

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. I've been obsessed with that song for the past year now. It's just so awesome.

What 3 movies would you love to have your favorite author write into books, or vice versa?


Can someone PLEASE write a YA book like The Sound of Music?! That's the only thing I'm asking for! For now, at least, because that's the only one I can think of.... 
 
Mini-Challenge #1: Book Spine Poetry
(Late)

For this challenge, make up a poem only using the spine of your books!


I've tried my hand at this before, and it's SO HARD!! I still think I suck, but this is what I came up with. I hope you all like it.

Mini-Challenge #2: Book Valentines
(Late)

For this challenge, we are asking you to write a love letter to your book boyfriend(s)/girlfriend(s)!

My ultimate Book Boyfriend is Peeta Mellark, so this was a pretty easy choice for me. I'm sure you all know who Peeta is, but here's a picture for your viewing pleasure!

Dearest Peeta, 

I baked you a cake with orange frosting.
It may or may not taste good.
Be at my house tonight to find out. ;)
Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while.

Happy Hunger Ga-
Wait.
Uh.
Well, this is awkward.
I thought..

Uh.

Love, Becca

Mini-Challenge #3- Mad Lib 
(7 p.m.)

For this challenge, fill out the Mad Lib provided.

Without further ado, here's my Mad Lib. I got quite a kick out of it after I filled in my words!! I hope you all get a few laughs like I did. 
One day, I was CRASHING with PEETA. Out of the blue, a FLOWER came out of nowhere! It was so PRETTY, SOFT, and RISKY. At first, we were afraid, we were petrified, but we JUMPED. We hopped on A UFO to make our getaway. 

As we escaped, we turned up the radio because SINCE YOU BEEN GONE BY KELLY CLARKSON came on and made me SCREAM. Everything was extremely smooth sailing until a LAMB appeared in the middle of the road. We swerved to avoid it, but while PEETA stayed on THE UFO, I got thrown onto my side in the woods.

I couldn't get up, and felt SNARKY as I lay there staring up at the trees. What was I going to do? I heard a POP among the leaves, and felt ANXIOUS. Surely, this was going to be my end. As my eyes fluttered shut, the last thing I saw was a head of TURQUOISE hair and HOT PINK eyes.

When I woke up again, I was on a DESK. My body hurt a whole lot less, and I could sit up. There was a SHOE and CANDLE in the room, along with PRETZELS and WINE. The door suddenly opened to reveal TREVOR, a concerned look on his face. I blushed and averted my gaze, but he SKIPPED and said, "Don't be shy. It's okay."

He came over to sit by me, and we started talking after I told him my name. We chatted about PLAYING FOOTBALL, BAKING CAKES, and READING and realized we had a ton in common! I thought he was ROUGH and couldn't help feeling a little swoony. 

Just as he reached out for my hand, the door crashed open and in came ADRIAN. "Don't let him charm you away, my love!" He yelled, running at TREVOR. They each had SPOONS in their hands and began to fight. "Stop!", I yelled, feeling so HAPPY. They didn't listen to me. Before I could intervene, TREVOR fell to the floor and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"What was that?" I asked, staring at the empty space. ADRIAN dropped his weapon, and came over to me. "Magic, but you are safe now, DARLIN'." He hugged me close, and I suddenly knew that this was the real deal and not just a dream.

Just as "CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE BY ELVIS PRESLEY" started playing in my head, I woke up. I cursed my SILLY luck. Why had it only been just a dream?

**
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Stacking the Shelves #7

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, where bloggers share their weekly book hauls! This is my seventh time participating, and I absolutely love showcasing what I received over the week, and seeing what goodies everyone else got as well!!!

Bought:



Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (which I got for $2!! Couldn't pass up that epic deal!)
Split Second by Kasie West (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! <3 TREVOR)

Gifted:

 

(THANKS MOM & DAD FOR THESE AWESOME BIRTHDAY GIFTS!!! EEEK!)


Traded:






(I got both of these from Lena @I Love Books Club 101! I traded her for them and I love her so so so much for these awesome reads!! I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THEM!!)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:


Overall, I am extremely excited about every single book I received this week, and I wish there was more time in the day so I could devour them all at once!! It's so hard trying to pick which one to read first!!!

 If you participated in StS this week, leave me a comment with a link so I can check out your goodies! Thanks for visiting, and make sure you follow so you can keep up with my weekly musings!




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