Larissa's Bookish Diary {Chapter FIVE} - Moves Like an eBook Thief

As most of you might have noticed, I don’t usually get involved in internet/bookish debates and issues. I do get fed up sometimes and decide to post my point of view on a topic and this is one of those.

I have always been a book addict. Since I was a little girl and my parents fed my habit with a spoon. Books were the one thing they said we would always have money for and I devoured them constantly. Mainly books that were not assigned by school LOL.

However, my book addiction only became a real “problem” (read obsession) when I moved to Israel, back in 2007. That was when I started using Twitter and started getting connected to other readers, bloggers and authors. They kept recommending books to me and I just had to succumb to the temptation.

I have a confession to make, back then I did not really understand the damage of downloading books. I downloaded them a lot, especially since I am a fast reader. Soon there after I started connecting with authors and falling in love with their work, and I realized how damaging it is for them and for us fans. Since the continuation of a beloved series depends on sales.

I am ashamed of my past, but I am proud to say that when that realization came, I actually bought the books I had downloaded and read. From then on I have not downloaded another book again.

Why am I saying all that?

There is a website that is in evidence right now (I won’t add a link to not drive traffic there), that is offering A LOT of books for free download and is taking advantage of the difference in laws between the U.S. and Canada.

Which to be quite honest is pure BULLSHIT! I live in Brasil, for that reason should I simply ignore the laws of other countries when doing illegal acts online?

The piracy of entertainment content is an epidemic, however more than Music or Movie downloads, the industry that suffers the most in the Book industry, where smaller numbers count much more than one would think.

The people that created this website are THIEVES! There is no other word for it and Dakota Cassidy has said a lot and much better than I could ever had on her Facebook page.

One could argue that people that download these books, would never really buy them. I would argue the opposite, look at my own example, I did it because of ignorance. I was not ignorant that it was something illegal, but that it really did damage those authors I love so much.

If you are as much as a book lover as I am, you know what I mean. Who wants to see another favorite Book series “cancelled”. I for sure don’t.

SAY NO TO eBOOK PIRACY NOW!

<a href="http://www.lalasdesigns.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu95/lalabristow/saynotopiracy2-1.png" width="98%" border="0" /></a>   <a href="http://www.lalasdesigns.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu95/lalabristow/antipiracybadge3-1.png" width="98%" border="0" /></a>   <a href="http://www.lalasdesigns.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu95/lalabristow/antipiracybadge.png" width="98%" border="0" /></a>   <a href="http://www.lalasdesigns.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu95/lalabristow/antipiracybadge2.png" width="98%" border="0" /></a>   <a href="http://www.lalasdesigns.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu95/lalabristow/saynotopiracy3.png" width="98%" border="0" /></a>   This is the Original badge I made! =)   <center><a href="http://www.larissaslife.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Welcome to Larissa's Life" src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu95/lalabristow/SaynotopiracyButtonsmallbordered-1.jpg" /></a></center>

Now, I would like to know from you guys:

Have you ever downloaded an illegal ebook? Why?

What are your thoughts on the matter?

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NEWS! – Heroes and Heartbreakers.com Release & A Few Words on The "Book Bloggers Don't Sell Books" Debacle!

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2011 Countdown {Day 5} – The Orange Handcuffs Awards 2010!

 

This is the last day on 2010 and it’s time for me to look back on this crazy year and tally up the Good, the bad and the unmentionable… I started the Orange Handcuffs Awards  back in 2007 and this is how I introduced it then:

…I need to recap a bit on 2007 in it's entirety... And for that, I come to you with the review of the 2007 season of "Welcome to larissa's life" (something I have never done before...). I have decided to come about this subject in two ways... The first will be the "Larissa's life award" or "The Orange Handcuffs" (Orange, cause I love that color and handcuffs cause it kind of represents well a bit of my personality...) to the best and worst moments of my life this year... and the second will be an "Inventory" with the total numbers of 2007...

Original Post HERE.

I didn’t do the awards for 2008 and then in 2009 my personal blog had become a book one and at the time my blog design was of the Pink category LOL, so I changed the awards to The Pink Disco Ball Awards.

I went back to my origins at the beginning of 2010 and got a very Orange design for the blog and I LOVE it! So, this year I’m bringing back the Orange Handcuffs, be warned LOL Hope you’ll all enjoy them:

- Best Song of the Year:

"Just a Dream" – Nelly

There were many songs I really enjoyed this year, but I don’t why I just love this one.

- Worst Song of the Year:

hmm Any by Ke$ha!

No comments... o_O {I might dance to her songs in a club, but I won’t chose to listen to them}

- Best on TV:

Glee, How I met you mother, The Office, The big bang theory, Conan, Mike & Molly.

I still can’t choose only one =)

- Worst on TV:

Skating with The Stars

- Best Movie:

Inception

- Worst Movie:

Resident Evil – Afterlife

- My Best Idea:

My Top 5 Sundays meme =D I love it!

- My Worst Idea:

Starting other memes that were a bust =/

- Best Meal!

Xmas Dinner made by Mom!

- Worst Meal!

Fast Food

- Best Book Read in 2010!

Alien Tango by Gini Koch

There were many books that stole my heart this year, but Alien Tango stole it and made it its own! I am IN LOVE with this series!

- Worst Book Read in 2010!

Burned by PC & Kristen Cast

My lowest rating to date =/ 1 & 1/2 Loveys…

- Best Book Cover!

- Worst Book Cover!

LOVED the book, but I do NOT like this cover =/

- Best Plane ride of 2010:

None too great this year, but the one from Rio to NY was pretty cool =) 

- Worst Plane ride of 2010:

From Rio to Lisbon – Horrible seat and a lot of pain =/ 

- Best re-union of 2010:

It is a tie between: Seeing mom in Rome after 3 years, seeing BFF #1 in Rio after the same 3 years or seeing BFF #2 after 6 years in NY!

AMAZING! 

- Worst re-union of 2010:

Runing into old acquaintaces that were never really friends… It was just weird seeing the again… 

- Best new people I met in 2010:

All the amazing Bloggers and Authors I met ONLINE or in Person at the AAD and ComicCon…

- Worst new people I met in 2010:

hmmmm no one really…

- Best moments of 2010:

So many! Seeing the Coliseum in Rome, Reunion with BFFs and family after years apart, Going to NYC, Going to the AAD and NY ComicCon…

- Worst moments of 2010:

hmmm anything that involved pain =/

 

2010 in Numb3rs!

3 Years of blogging

198 Book Read {until Dec 28th}

27 years celebrated

147 Review Posted

455 Blog Posts

1283 New Blog Followers

1851 New Twitter Followers

64 Author Interview or Guest Posts

73 Giveaways Hosted

6 Countries Visited

7 Plane Rides

1 mom visited

1 stepdad visited

1 New Laptop *Sholto

2 New Blackberrys *Martini {Lost one hehe}

4 Months of freezing cold

1 New Kindle *Zsadist

Tons of books bought

A lot of new pictures

Too many friends far away

 

 

I wish you all an AMAZING NEW YEAR!

Thanks you SO much for all the Bloggy love you have shown me in 2010, May 2011 be even sweeter!

HAPPY 2011!

 

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Jan, 2nd} Theme for

The TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Don’t Forget to check out My Giveaways:

 

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Sign Up for…

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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Top 5 Reasons 2010 Rocked! X Top 5 Reasons 2010 Sucked!

 

To start off this last week of 2010, I’m going to look back at this past year and ponder on the things that made me *Squee with joy and the things that made me swear like a sailor {not that I don’t usually LOL}.

Let’s she the 5 reasons I loved 2010 and the 5 reasons I didn’t love it so much, side by side, shall we?

*in no particular order

 

AAD X Leaving Israel

X 

Getting to go to The AAD and the NY Comic Con back in September were definitely highlights for me!

I had tons of fun and am really looking forward to going again in 2011.

X

Moving back to Rio, Brazil from Tel Aviv, Israel definitely Sucked =/

I do like Rio, but I loved Tel Aviv and I never felt so much at home like I did there.

Moving back wasn’t my choice and I would have rather stayed and finished my University there.

 

Acknowledgement in “Sin Undone” X The End

X 

Being mentioned in Larissa Ione’s acknowledgement in her Sin Undone book was a freak out moment for me.

Larissa is one of my favorite authors, not to mention that she has a great name, and she remembering me that way was nothing short of amazing to me!

I’m really happy I’ll get to meet her at AAD next year!

X

This year a lot of my fave series ended and that Sucked!

The Vampire Academy series, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Demonica series and Rachel Vincent’s Werecats series  are just a few that left me wanting more and more!

 

All The Traveling I did X All The Traveling I did

X  

Ok, so I LOVE to travel and come midnight on December 31st, I will have visited 6 countries and many more cities in 2010.

I had a BLAST and loved every minute of it…

X

But, I am tired of traveling… I want my bed, my room, my things.

Living out of your luggage can be fun but it gets annoying, not to mention how uncomfortable economic class on planes is =/

I won;t complain much though, I did have an amazing traveling year in 2010!

 

Blogging X Pain

X 

I LOVE blogging and this year was really amazing in large part because of this blog.

I’ve had a lot of fun and have been honored to meet some of my favorite authors ever, being in person or through online interviews and all because of you all!

Thank you!

X

Pain! I don;t know if any of you know, my tweeps might, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis Juvenile since I was 11 years old and I have suffered from pains in ALL my joints since then. The disease has been stationary for a long time, but I still have pain…

laying down in one position or spending hours sitting in front of my computer like I have done this year can be a killer…

So the pain has definitely Sucked!

 

Living Close to one BFF X Leaving Far from other BFFs

X 

Even though I wasn’t particularly happy with moving back to Rio, the best thing was that me and my BFF now live closer and we get to hang out almost every weekend =D

X

I have friends living in Israel, Canada, US… I miss them all! =/

 

 

Hope you enjoyed my special Top 5!

How about you? What made 2010 Suck or Rock for you??

Leave your answer in the comments, I’d love to know!

 

 

Stay tuned for the rest of the the 2011 Countdown Week:

Tuesday, December 28th

Interview w/ Beth Ravis & ARC Giveaway of “Across The Universe”!

Wednesday, December 29th

2011 Resolutions!

Thursday, December 30th

Happy 2025!

Friday, December 31st

The Orange Handcuffs Awards!

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for Next Week’s {Jan, 2nd} Theme for

The TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Don’t Forget to check out My Giveaways:

~~~~~~~~~~

&

Sign Up for…

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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It Might Be An Honor Just To Be Nominated, But...

Winning is a hell lot better hehe =) Thanks to my sweet friend Brooke from "That's QUEEN Bitch To You!" I have now received The Honest Scrap Award!

To be honest (already? hehe!) I have been seeing this award around for a while and I thought it was pretty cool. However, nobody ever tagged me for it, so I never got to share some of my secrets. Now, I advise you all to be afraid, very afraid Mwahahaha! (That was my evil laugh. No good? Damn! =/)

Well, the Honest Scrap works like this. I will list 10 true things about myself and then tag 10 more blogs to go through the process. So, let's get started.

1 - I started college back in Brazil when I was 17 years old. Studied English Language for 4 years, never graduated though, because of one class. Started teaching at 17 and taught English as a Second Language for 7 years.

2 - I drank my first beer at 14 and got really drunk and sick for the first time at 17. Worse scenario with alcohol was with Tequila. Drank 21 shots in 40min (lost count after that) and ended up at the hospital taking glucose. I can only remember the next morning, waking up with my mom saying: "Do you have a hangover?" me: "No" mom: "That's a shame" LOL

3 - I am the queen of falling down. I have fallen in a movie theater, at school, at the school I taught 7 times, at least 11 times on nights out, 3 at restaurants (including last week), at a supermarket, on the street a few times and probably more that I can't recall hehe.

4 - I love drawing. I draw women's clothes and some abstract. I have been drawing for a long time, thought I haven't drawn in a while.

5 - I had my biggest Smex Fantasy realized on my second time. Being tied up and blindfolded. There were clothespins, whipped cream, ice and candle wax involved as well. Best night EVER!

6 - I lost the big V at 23. No regrets. Perfect timing and it was with the right person. I was not in love and it didn't last. However, it was absolutely worth it. Refer to "truth" #5 =)))

7 - My first Paranormal Book was "Narcisisus in Chains" by Laurel K. Hamilton. I got it as a gift. I bought 2 more after thatm but then couldn't find anymore back in Brazil. Years later (around Oct. last year) I heard of the Vampire Diaries series. I read them all, then all the other LJ Smith books. Followed that with The Twilight Series (read it 5 times) and the rest is history. 335 Books Later you can find me Reviewing Books here =)

8 - I Have Poli-Arthritis Rheumatoid Juvenile since I was 11. It is an inflammation of the articulations. In my case in all of them. I am in constant pain because of it, but I have been through a lot of treatments and it has been stationary for a while now. I am thankful for this disease though. It has made me grow is way I never thought I would. I was supposed to be in a wheel chair by now. I was supposed to not be able to work or drive. I have never let this disease take the best of me and I have always tried to keep a positive attitude about it.

9 - I love playing pool and Drinking beer. I am pretty good at both. I've been better in beer drinking, but I haven't drank much lately =)

10 - I love to dance. Never did it seriously, but love it. I can samba pretty well, since I have been doing it since I was 6 years - old. Oh and I learned how to read at 5 years old, mostly by myself. Always reading Billboards and everything around. It was a pain for my school to place me. Too young for 1st grade and I knew too much for needing to be alphabetized.

Oh well, that's it. I think I might have been too honest. Though there is nothing there I am ashamed of. I live with no regrets. Every experience I have been through has its own value and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

Time to tag some bloggers... Hmmmmm lets see:

Sagi @ Sagi's Randomness

Rex @ Rex Robot Reviews

Tigris @ Blood Moon

Pat @ Peace Love and Pat

Marissa @ Marissa's Book Lair

Heather @ Book Obsessed Girl

I seriously can't think of anyone else right now. I think most that I can think, have already done it... so... I am sorry if I forgot anyone, it's almost 11am here and I have not slept yet, since yesterday...

Thanks for tuning in to this extraordinary showing of Larissa's Life.

Now back to our Regular Programming!

I'll see you soon!

xoxo

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