Monday 8/17

Hooray, Bout of Books 14 started today! I meant to set up a post earlier, but time just got away from me (by which I mean I was watching “Gilmore Girls” and then listening to the Gilmore Guys podcast. This is my life now). I didn’t even get any reading done today! But I did manage to take a look at the Fictional World Travel challenge, which asked us to list 3-6 books set in a country other than our own. I think we were supposed to pick 3-6 different countries, but all the books I chose are set in France! I wanted to do a fun theme…plus, I really just wanted to make a bookish Eiffel Tower!

1. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy — One of my all-time favorite books, involving spies and romance during the French Revolution! Part of the book takes place in England as well, but I’m still counting it. 🙂
2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins — A lovely YA contemporary romance about an American teen at a French boarding school who falls for the most swoonworthy boy in the world!
3. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery — A novel about a middle-aged concierge and a 12-year-old girl, both of whom are highly intelligent social outcasts who yearn for — and eventually find — human connection. It starts slowly but gets much better as it goes on!
4. Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda — A charming Parisian romance that develops when an artist, a chef, and an aristocrat become roommates and unlikely friends.

So, that’s my challenge entry! Any other French books or books set in France that I should check out?

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Tuesday 8/18

I’m getting a head start on Bout of Books today with the Scavenger Hunt challenge! While I don’t own all of these books, each one is a book I’ve really enjoyed or can’t wait to read! Here’s what I “found” for this challenge:

1. A book that begins with B: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (review is here)
2. A book I’m currently reading for Bout of Books: Bridge of Spies: A True Story of the Cold War by Giles Whittell
3. A blue book: Jackaby by William Ritter (review is here)

4. Books from my favorite genres: Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (historical fiction & fantasy); Cut to the Quick by Kate Ross (historical fiction & mystery — review is here)
5. A book from my TBR pile: The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig

I also managed to read about 40 pages of my current book, Bridge of Spies. I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, and it tends to go slowly for me because there’s no story to latch onto. But I am enjoying the book — lots of fascinating stuff about spycraft in the Cold War era!

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Wednesday 8/19

Today’s MASH challenge was a real blast from the past! My friends and I definitely did this in elementary school. Here’s my game (I got the number 3 from the random.org random number generator):

As you can see, I will marry Julian Kestrel (the detective in Kate Ross’ wonderful Regency mystery series)! We will live in a house in Stars Hollow with our pet dragon and four kids, and I’ll drive a Rolls Royce. But I’ll probably be away from home a lot because of my career as a rock star! Yes, I accept this future. 🙂

Also, I decided to switch gears with my reading today. Instead of continuing with Bridge of Spies (which I’m reading in tandem with an online friend), I read the first few chapters of Leigh Bardugo’s Siege and Storm! This is my first time reading the Grisha trilogy, and I’m enjoying it so far…hoping to finish before my pre-order of Six of Crows arrives!

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Thursday 8/20

So, Thursday was a total wash for me! I didn’t do any reading, nor did I complete the daily challenge. Oh well — hopefully I’ll do better over the weekend!

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Friday 8/21

Another non-reading, non-challenge-doing day! I blame Netflix; I started re-watching “Friday Night Lights” and basically lost track of everything. 🙂

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Saturday 8/22

No reading, no challenges. Womp womp.

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Sunday 8/23

And once again, no reading, no challenges! I certainly ended this Bout of Books “not with a bang but a whimper”!