Sunday Spotlight - Consumed by Books

Today I have a fun blogger that I chat with on Twitter quite a bit. She's another goodreads and blog addict and has a fun blog! Learn more about Liz below.

Name: Liz
Nickname and/or blog name: Consumed by Books
Blog URL: http://consumedbybooks.blogspot.com/

Tell me a bit about yourself.
I am a twenty something recent college graduate trying to find out what I want to do with my life. I majored in English and have loved reading pretty much my whole life, but especially after reading Matilda by Roald Dahl. Both of my parents are English professors and it's what my brother majored in, so I grew up surrounded by books and highly encouraged to read. Aside from reading, my interests include writing, running, being outdoors and playing the violin.

When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog at the end of this May. I would have started it sooner but senior year of college kept me pretty busy. I actually discovered the concept of book blogging in the summer of 2009, when I spent a considerable amount of time on GoodReads. I realized that one of my friends had a link under her website section, so I clicked out of curiosity and stumbled upon her blog. After discovering that more of my GoodReads friends had blogs, I decided that it looked like a fun way to network with other book bloggers, discover new books and channel my creativity. Since I've spent the past year reading and discovering new blogs, I'm so excited that mine is finally up and running! It hasn't been very long yet, but I'm having lots of fun with it and love talking to fellow bloggers.

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
I review YA and adult books, although I anticipate that the majority of my reviews will be of YA books. I also participate in some memes, but I try to make them substantive if I do and not post more than three in a week. I recently started a feature called Adaptation Corner, in which I discuss film adaptations. I'll only feature something if I post a review of the book as well. I've only done one thus far, but I've had a lot of fun with it. I'll probably do it once or twice a month, and may consider making it a meme if my readers would be interested in me doing so.

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
This is a tough question! My favorite genres are fiction, YA, fantasy, science fiction and classics. However, I read pretty much every genre except for suspense, thrillers and horror because I've hardly tried them. Some of my favorite books are Matilda by Roald Dahl, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot, I Am Really A Princess by Carol Diggory Shields and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. Some other books I've read recently and loved are the first two books of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I think they'll need to stand the test of time before I really think of them as favorites, but I suspect they'll make the cut :) I should add that I could add several more books to this list, but I'll show some self restraint.

How do you find out about the books you read?
Many different ways! I discover a lot through reading blogs and the tweets of bloggers, as well as through GoodReads. I've also gotten lots of recommendations from my family, professors and real life friends. Between all of these suggestions I have an insanely long TBR.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
When you're picking out your blog's name, template and layout, be patient. Sometimes it takes a while to decide what you think will best suit you. Once you get started (or if you're already had started), blog about what you are passionate about. It's much more fun that way, and it'll really shines through in your posts.

Contest Alert!
Liz is currently holding a contest to celebrate reaching 100 followers! The giveaway ends on July 24th and you have a choice of preordering 8 different books! There will be TWO winners! Here are the options: Mockingjay by Suzane Collins, Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa, Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund, Firelight by Sophie Jordan, Parnormalcy by Kiersten White or Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. Open to US Readers only! Enter NOW!


Thank you Liz for stopping by today! I'll have a spotlight review written by Liz up later this morning, so stay tuned for that!

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