Armchair BEA: Introductions First!

While hundreds of bloggers, authors, publishers, and all-around-awesome people are flooding the streets of New York this week for BEA (so. jealous!), I am participating in Armchair BEA for the second year. It's not quite the same as battling crowds and hoping beyond hope to snag That Particular ARC, but I had an amazing time last year, and have high hopes for this year. Today, we getting things started with introductions, via self-interviews! The lovely leaders of Armchair BEA have come up with 10 great questions, and asked us blogger types to pick 5 to answer. So ... Here goes!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

My name's Rebecca, but you may see me appearing on the interwebz as RivkaBelle. I've been blogging for two years (as of Saturday, June 2nd!), and absolutely love it. I started this blog ages ago, as a place to stick poems or thoughts on books/movies/etc. I also used to record snippets of the conversations we'd have in the cafeteria, ha. Once I discovered the vast world of book blogs a few years ago, I decided to try my hand at evolving this "wordy place" into an actual book blog. So far, it's been a fun and - I think - successful experiment. I've learned so much, and absolutely love getting to chat with publishers and authors about books and life.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I really, really, really love frozen yogurt. And I normally end up getting 16oz at a time when I hit up my local froyo bar. (But hey, it's really good and it's healthy!)

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

This is a fun question! Hmm...Okay, I think it's probably this one...because it's so near and dear to my heart. But I also have a special place in my heart for this one, which is also worth checking out. (Yes, I realize I just gave you two posts -- so I fudged it a little, but they're both good!)

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

Oh man...Such an awesome question, and so hard to pick just one! I could answer this so many ways...But let's go with...Lady Galadriel. When I first read Fellowship of the Ring, I was - well, I guess enchanted - by Lady Galadriel. She fascinated me, captured my imagination, and I wanted to know so much more. She still is a figure of great interest, and I think it'd be lovely to have a cosy spot of tea with her.

Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?

I think this is a yes-AND-no answer...I think I'm probably just more aware of my reading habits now: I read a ton of historical fiction and YA. But I've also discovered there are a lot more options available - like the world of Austenesque reading (which I label "Austenia" here), and all the amazing fairy tale variations. I've also begun reading a lot more indie books - things I would never have known existed before discovering the blogging community. Maybe it's less a change in my reading tastes, and more a fine-tuning of my palette?

This has been fun! I can't wait to see what the other Armchair BEA participants have answered!