BB Love-A-Thon 2014: Get to Know Me

Woohoo! It's Saturday, February 15, which means it's time for the 2014 Book Blogger Love-A-Thon hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books and Katelyn @ Kate's Tales of Books and Bands! 

The Love-A-Thon is meant to spread the love for book blogs and their bloggers, and is a way to discover new blogs or rediscover old favorites. I'll be participating in a series of mini posts today and Sunday, so check back periodically for those! I also hope to discover some great book blogs this weekend, so if you have a blog you'd like to share with me, please feel free to link in the comments!

First up is a series of interview questions from Alexa and Katelyn themselves.

1. How did you come up with your blog name?
When I first started book blogging over on tumblr, I wanted to come up with a blog name that really encompassed what reading meant to me. Life in the Pages seemed like the perfect name because so much of my life has been spent literally flipping through thousands of pages of books. I've also always kind of liked the idea of living through books--when I read, it's like I'm going on an adventure, or experiencing an alternative life.

2. What genre/subject matter do you read and review most on your blog?
I'd say that about 85% of what I read is YA fiction, which, as you all know, can encompass so many genres. I started out loving paranormal romance and that still makes up the bulk of what I read. But I also love dystopian, fantasy, and contemporary, or "real life," YA. As you can see, I haven't done much reviewing on my blog yet, mostly because after finishing a book it takes me a while to process my thoughts and then regurgitate those thoughts onto paper (or a Word document) in a way that is vaguely coherent and interesting. When I really love a book I go through a period of time after finishing it when my only thoughts are something like word vomit: "ASDFGHJKL;OMGILOVETHISBOOK!" It takes time for me to come down off my book high and think seriously about the reasons why I loved a particular book.

3. Name the 3 books you're excited for in 2014!
Inland by Kat Rosenfield, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton, and Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman.

4. Where in the world are you blogging from?
Indiana in the US! Go Hoosiers! :)

5. Tell us -- how did you get into blogging in the first place?
Well, if we're going back to the true beginning, I started out blogging on Xanga in middle school (anyone out there remember Xanga?). When I was in the eighth grade I was obsessed with anime and manga, but didn't have any RL friends who shared my enthusiasm. So, I turned to the magical world of the internet and got into roleplaying, which I loved because it gave me the chance to practice my writing and talk to other kids who loved manga as much as I did. At some point (though I can't quite remember when) I made the switch to LiveJournal, and then, as my LJ friends began to move over to tumblr, I ended up blogging there. Once I started gaining more and more followers, I decided I wanted to create a more "official" blog, where I could do more than just reblog posts and also where I could more easily communicate with my blog audience (it really helps to have a comments section!).

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

My initial reaction to this question is always:

My main hobby in life is and always has been reading, and all my subsequent hobbies are pretty much related to it in some way, like sorting my books into different lists on GoodReads, or reorganizing my bookshelves, or going to the library, or finding new bookshops to explore, or, of course, book blogging! Rare is the moment that I'm not reading or doing something book-related. But…in an effort not to sound entirely boring, I've racked my brain and come up with a few other hobbies. I love to knit, even though I'm not particularly skilled at it. I love watching movies (probably my second favorite thing to do after reading). I also love coloring in those really fancy art coloring books--the ones with really intricate kaleidoscope patterns or optical illusions. Sometimes I do logic puzzles and fill-it-ins. OH, and tumbling (tumblring?)! I lied. That's actually my second most favorite hobby after reading. I am so hopelessly addicted to tumblr. 

7. If you were stuck on a deserted island, which books would you bring with you?
My complete Harry Potter and Twilight collections.

8. 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?

Edward Cullen

Duh.

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

Oh, man! I have so many favorite songs that it's hard to pick…but the one song that always energizes me and makes me happy is "Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous. It's one of those songs that you want to listen to full blast in your car in the summertime with the windows rolled down, singing your heart out. It just makes me want to live and do something amazing.




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

I have a feeling that turning my favorite movies into books would only end in disappointment for me. I've tried reading a few movie tie-in novels in the past and I hate to say this but they are never good. I prefer movies based on books. At the moment, I would pick Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus (which has such beautiful imagery), Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone (because I can't get enough paranormal romance), and Gail Carriger's Soulless (which, done right, could be totally kick-ass and hilarious).