Once Upon a Time X Sign-up

March 22, 2016Leave a comment

Spring has finally begun, which means it’s time for Carl’s annual Once Upon a Time reading event! The challenge runs from March 21 to June 21, and the basic goal is simple: read books that fit within the genres of fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, and/or folklore. You can also read short stories, watch movies and TV shows, and play video games that explore these genres. The challenge has several levels, so it’s easy to participate whether you’re planning to read 20 fantasy novels or just one. I’m hoping to read several books this spring that will qualify, but I’m only going to sign up for “The Journey,” which asks me to read at least one book. Some possibilities include: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater, The Storyteller and Her Sisters by Cheryl Mahoney, and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. As a bonus, I may also watch the 1999 version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in June, since it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. If this challenge sounds exciting to you, be sure to sign up here! And if you’re already planning to participate, what will you be reading?

Bout of Books 15 Sign-up

December 28, 2015December 28, 2015Leave a comment

The New Year is upon us, and what better way to start things off than with another round of Bout of Books? If you’ve never participated in this event, it’s a fun, low-pressure way to kickstart your 2016 reading goals! Here’s the official spiel:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

I’m still catching up with my 2015 reviews, so I haven’t really started thinking about my 2016 reading yet! But I suppose my goal will be to read at least 1,000 pages during the week. If Bout of Books sounds like something you’d be into, visit the blog and sign up here!

Vintage Mystery Cover Scavenger Hunt Sign-up

November 13, 20152 Comments

So we’re alarmingly close to the end of 2015, which means it’s time to start looking at 2016 challenges! One of my perennial favorites is the vintage mystery challenge hosted by Bev at My Reader’s Block. For the past few years, the challenge has been a game of Bingo, but this year she’s switching things up: participants must complete a scavenger hunt by finding certain objects on the covers of their books. For more information (and the lists of items), check out the sign-up post! I’m going to do the Golden Age list, but I’ll probably only read the six-book minimum instead of a different book for every single item. Some options include:

Dorothy L. Sayers, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
Georgette Heyer, No Wind of Blame
Nicholas Blake, A Question of Proof
Elizabeth Daly, Unexpected Night
John Bude, The Lake District Murder
Phoebe Atwood Taylor (writing as Alice Tilton), The Cut Direct

R.I.P. X Sign-up

August 31, 20152 Comments

Art courtesy of Abigail Larson.

It’s hard to believe, but this year marks the 10-year anniversary of Carl’s R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge! This year, it’s being hosted by The Estella Society, but it’s still the same gothic, spooky, autumnal reading event we know and love! The idea behind this event is to read at least one book that fits within the following genres between September 1 and October 31:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.

I’m not a big horror reader, so I’m planning to focus on mysteries and dark fantasy for my R.I.P. reading. Possible books include A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire, Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers, and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. What are you going to read for R.I.P. X? Any great, atmospheric (but not too scary!) reads that I should try?

If you’re interested in joining R.I.P. X, click here for more info and to sign up!

Bout of Books 14 Sign-up

August 10, 2015Leave a comment

It’s been far too long since I’ve posted anything here; I’m eight reviews behind, and I totally missed my three-year blogiversary! So I figure another round of Bout of Books is the perfect way for me to get back into the swing of things. 🙂 If you’ve never done Bout of Books before, here’s what you need to know:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 17th and runs through Sunday, August 23rd in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 14 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Again, this round goes from Monday, August 17 through Sunday, August 23. I’m looking forward to it!

Write On Review-a-Thon

May 22, 2015May 25, 20156 Comments

The Write On review-a-thon is a monthly event created and hosted by Brianna at The Book Vixen. This time, it’s THREE days dedicated to getting reviews done, whether you have one review to write or 30+. This edition of the review-a-thon takes place all day Friday, May 22nd through Sunday, May 24th. Let’s get those reviews done!

Go here for more details and to sign up.

This is the perfect event for me, as I am currently nine reviews behind, and I’m hoping to get them all done this weekend! Here are the books I’m planning to review and schedule posts for:

Mhairi McFarlane, Here’s Looking at You
Ellis Peters, The Rose Rent
Ellie Marney, Every Breath
Anna Gavalda, French Leave
Katie Van Ark, The Boy Next Door
Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
Annie Barrows, The Truth According to Us
Sharon Cameron, Rook
Kiersten White, Illusions of Fate

I’ll aim to post three reviews per day this weekend, and hopefully by Sunday night I’ll be all caught up!

Update 5/25/15:

So, embarrassingly, I only wrote ONE review this weekend, instead of the nine I’d planned! What can I say? I had a lot going on this weekend and just didn’t really have the time. (Plus I have been binge-watching my “Ugly Betty” DVDs.) But I did manage to review Here’s Looking at You by Mhairi McFarlane, so the weekend wasn’t a total waste, review-wise! Hoping to do better next time!

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon

March 29, 20153 Comments

I just signed up for Dewey’s 24-hour read-a-thon on Saturday, April 25, and so can you! As the name implies, this semi-annual event asks participants to read — any format, any language, any genre — for a 24-hour period. The truly hardcore read-a-thoners will stay awake and reading for the whole 24 hours, but you can read as much or as little as you want. There are also fun mini-challenges (some with prizes!) and tons of interaction with your fellow readers and book bloggers. I always have a lot of fun with this event, and even though I can’t participate for all 24 hours, I still hope to spend a lot of quality time reading! Will you be participating in the read-a-thon this time around? If so, what will you read?

Once Upon a Time IX Challenge Sign-up

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015Leave a comment

It’s officially the first day of spring, which means it’s time for Carl’s annual Once Upon a Time Challenge! The “rules” are simple: Read at least one book that fits within the genre of fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, or folklore. You can choose to read from all four genres or just one, short stories or novels, one book or 100. There’s even a “Quest on Screen” for people who want to watch movies and TV shows that fit within these genres!

Personally, though, I’m only committing to one book. I have Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier from the library, and I’m looking forward to reading it within the next few weeks. After that, I’ll just see what happens — although I suspect I may end up adding a few more books to my total. 🙂 Are you participating in this event? If so, what are you planning to read?

Jazz Age January Sign-up

December 30, 20146 Comments

I think I’ve already mentioned that I am greatly reducing my challenge commitments for 2015. But when I heard about Jazz Age January, I simply couldn’t resist! As you can probably guess, Jazz Age January is a month-long event hosted by Books Speak Volumes that celebrates all things Roaring Twenties. The only requirement is to read at least one Jazz Age book — a term that encompasses literature and poetry from the era, nonfiction, and historical fiction. And I just happen to have a few qualifying books on my TBR list! I’d like to read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Flappers and Philosophers if I can get my hands on a copy, and I’ve already placed a hold at the library for Genevieve Valentine’s The Girls at the Kingfisher Club. If all else fails, I can always dip into The Portable Dorothy Parker! Anyway, if this event sounds interesting to you, click here for more information and to sign up!

Bout of Books 12 Sign-up, Goals, and Progress

December 26, 2014January 12, 201520 Comments

A new year is almost upon us, and the Bout of Books read-a-thon is giving us a chance to start things off right! Here’s some info about the event, taken from the official website:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

I don’t have a particular reading goal for this event, but I’m going to set myself a goal of visiting (and commenting on) the blogs of at least two Bout of Books participants per day. I’m really bad at keeping up with the social aspect of these events, so I’m hoping to improve in that area! I’ll update this post with my daily progress, both reading and otherwise, once the event is under way.

Monday 1/5

Currently reading: Michael Bedard, The Green Man

Books completed: None so far

Mini-challenge: Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt, hosted by Caught Read Handed

The picture isn’t great, but it was late and fancy staging was beyond me. 🙂 Here’s what I found on my shelves:

1. Author with the same initials as me: Carol Berg, Dust and Light
2. Book with yellow on it: Mallory Ortberg, Texts from Jane Eyre
3. Author’s name contains an “S”: Jane Austen, Emma
4. Book with female protagonist: Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm
5. Longest book I own: James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson — 1402 pages!
6.Book with maps: J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
7. Book with a face on it: Eva Ibbotson, The Morning Gift
Non-book on the shelf: A statue of “Sherlock Hound” that my dad brought back from England

Tuesday 1/6

Currently reading: Michael Bedard, The Green Man

Books completed: None so far, but I’m about halfway through The Green Man now!

Mini-challenge: Top 10 Recommendations, hosted by Trees of Reverie

If I were a bookseller, here are 10 books I’d constantly be recommending:

1. For the teen looking for a paranormal romance that isn’t about sparkly vampires: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
2. For the classics lover who’s read all of Jane Austen and still wants more: Sylvester by Georgette Heyer
3. For that person who is still heartbroken about “Firefly” being canceled: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
4. For lovers of puns and wordplay: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
5. For anyone who likes the story of Robin Hood: The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
6. For those who love their fantasy with trickster heroes and staggering plot twists: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
7. For mystery lovers who enjoy some Regency-era flair: Cut to the Quick by Kate Ross
8. For historical fiction junkies and fans of John Wayne movies: Doc by Mary Doria Russell
9. For those who see a little magic in everyday life: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
10. For book lovers who enjoy silly puns and flat-out absurdity: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Wednesday 1/7

Currently reading: Michael Bedard, The Green Man

Books completed: Still none…it’s a slow reading week!

Mini-challenge: Character Coupling Challenge, hosted by Writing My Own Fairy Tale.

Warning: My answer contains SPOILERS for Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, so read more at your own risk!

I would pair Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre with Amy Dunne from Gone Girl. I just think she’d be like, “You want a crazy wife in the attic? I’ll GIVE you a crazy wife in the attic!”