Meet a Blogger...Krista of Tower of Books

Hello, readers! Meet Krista of Tower of Books. My favorite thing about her site is how many new books you can discover there.! The following is a short interview so that you can learn more about her. If you have any questions, just leave them in comments.

What inspired you to begin a blog?
I've wanted to have a review blog for quite some time, so when I stumbled upon a few book blogs last year, I realized a book blog would be perfect me.

What is your favorite classic book?
Do plays count? If so, I would have to say MacBeth. I absolutely loved the ending and the characters.

What is your favorite "guilty pleasure" book?
I don't really have a guilty pleasure read. I'm not embarrassed by any of the books I've read.

If you had to pick a song to describe this past week, what would it be?
Weightless by All Time Low because of these lyrics:
"And maybe it's not my weekend
But it's gonna be my year
I'm so sick of watching while the minutes pass
As I go nowhere"

I'm been spending way too much time at home lately. :-P

And last, but certainly not least...what makes you a geek?
I love to find out random facts whenever I can and mention them when the time is right. There's just so many interesting facts out there that I want others to know about!


Thanks, Krista!
And readers- don't forget to stop by Tower of Books here.


always,
~bella aire~

My Big Nose (And Other Natural Disasters) by Sydney Salter (review by Bella Aire)

Synopsis:
It’s the end of junior year, and summer is about to begin. The Summer of Passion, to be exact, when Jory Michaels plans to explore all the possibilities of the future--and, with any luck, score a boyfriend in the process. But Jory has a problem. A big problem. A curvy, honking, bumpy, problem in the form of her Super Schnozz, the one thing standing between Jory and happiness. And now, with the Summer of Passion stretched before her like an open road, she's determined for Super Schnozz to disappear. Jory takes a job delivering wedding cakes to save up for a nose job at the end of the summer; she even keeps a book filled with magazine cutouts of perfect noses to show the doctor. But nothing is ever easy for accident-prone Jory--and before she knows it, her Summer of Passion falls apart faster than the delivery van she crashes. In her hilarious and heartbreaking debut novel, Sydney Salter delivers a story about broadening your horizons, accepting yourself, and finding love right under your nose.

Review:

My Big Nose (And Other Natural Disasters) is a heartfelt and hilarious tale of one teen’s torments and troubles.

At first I was worried that Jory, the narrator, would be a whiny/angsty/cliché teen…but I didn’t have to worry long. Jory’s sarcastic marks were witty and her concerns genuine, if somewhat exaggerated. The author (Sydney Salter) proves her genius in the awkward but side-splitting situations that Jory finds herself in throughout the novel.

Not one to shirk on relationships, Salter thoroughly develops the familial, camaraderie, and romantic based connections in My Big Nose. The male characters are an absolute delight- each one with a distinct and unique personality.

Jory’s preoccupation with her features can be sometimes overwhelming and off-putting. However, with the external obsession that society displays today, it does not come off as a far-fetched plot point. Though I felt that the nose-fixation dragged at points in the novel and sometimes distracted from the amusing tales of Jory’s summer, beauty fixation is an important issue that needs to be addressed to reverse much of the damage that modern magazines and “perfect girl” images have done to female teens. Jory’s interaction with her mother moved me most regarding the beauty topic.

Wrapping up with a superb and beautiful ending, My Big Nose was truly a lovely coming-of-age novel.

always,

~bella aire~

Purchase My Big Nose (And Other Natural Disasters) here.

Meet a New Blogger...Reggie of The Undercover Book Lover

Hey, readers! Meet a fellow geek and book blogger, Reggie of The Undercover Book Lover. I'm loving the organization and set-up of her blog and reviews. Reggie is a bit new to the blogging world, so I've asked the following questions so we can get to her a bit better:


What gave you the idea of beginning a book blog?
I saw a blog called A Garden of Books. It's by Iryna. I loved it and thought that I could share how FANTABULOUS books are. I wanted to show people how talented people (authors) can be.

What was your favorite book as a child?
I HATED books as a child. Up until the fourth grade, I hated them with a passion but my dad and my aunt pushed and pushed me until I learned to love them. Now, I'm a total book nutt!

What is your current favorite genre?
My favorite genre is YA paranormal romance. It seems cliche, but many of the debut 2009 authors have amazing fantasy(ish) books! Of course, I also love verse novels (*ahem* Lisa Schroeder).

What is your favorite time period to read about?
My favorite time period to read about is the present. I'm not really into old, medieval and futuristic times. One exception is Academy 7. I LOVED it!

If you had to pick a favorite song based on lyrics alone, what would it be?
It would have to be Ready to Fly by Amy Pearson. She's Australian and she isn't that well known but she is the BEST!

And, last but certainly not least...what makes you a geek?
You should ask my family. They think I'm a total book geek. I actually joined this contest in our local bookstore called Book-Geek of the Month. I qualified, but I didn't win. But what truly makes me a book geek is that I have at least three books in my bag. Anytime, anywhere.


Thanks for stopping by, Reggie! Keep up the good work.

Don't forget to visit Reggie here at The Undercover Book Lover. And if you have any additional questions for Reggie, just leave a comment, and I'll make sure that she gets it.

always,
~bella aire~

New Winners for Suite Scarlett

Unfortunately, out of our five winners, two did not respond in time! So now the new winners are:

Sarah Brooke
and
MssJos

I will be sending out an email shortly- please respond within 3 days. Thanks for entering!