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!”

Thursday 1/8

Currently reading: Genevieve Valentine, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

Books completed: Michael Bedard, The Green Man

Friday 1/9

Currently reading: Nothing – just finished my current read!

Books completed: Michael Bedard, The Green Man; Genevieve Valentine, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

Saturday 1/10

Currently reading: Kyril Bonfiglioli, Don’t Point That Thing at Me

Books completed: Michael Bedard, The Green Man; Genevieve Valentine, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

Mini-challenge: Literary Quote Challenge, hosted by Gone with the Words.

Sunday 1/11

Currently reading: Kyril Bonfiglioli, Don’t Point That Thing at Me

Books completed: Michael Bedard, The Green Man; Genevieve Valentine, The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

Vintage Mystery Bingo 2015 Challenge Sign-Up

November 11, 20142 Comments

Even though I’ve decided to take a break from almost all reading challenges in 2015, the Vintage Mystery Bingo Challenge at My Reader’s Block is one of my exceptions!

Participants in this challenge are asked to read mysteries — which includes everything from cozies to spy novels, thrillers to police procedurals — written before 1960 (the Golden Age) or between 1960 and 1989 inclusive (the Silver Age). Further, every book should correspond with a square on one of the Bingo cards provided:

As you can see, I’m going to use the Golden Age card for my Bingo attempts. I’ll count myself successful if I can complete one straight-line Bingo (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), but I’m hoping to read a lot more than six vintage mysteries! Here are some of the books I might read:

Nicholas Blake, A Question of Proof (1935)
Alice Tilton, The Cut Direct (1938)
Dorothy L. Sayers, Unnatural Death (1927)
E.C. Bentley, Trent’s Last Case (1913)
Elizabeth Daly, Evidence of Things Seen (1943)
Elisabeth Sanxay Holding, The Innocent Mrs. Duff (1946) and/or The Blank Wall (1947)
Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Circular Staircase (1908)
Rex Stout, The League of Frightened Men (1935)
Georgette Heyer, No Wind of Blame (1939)

This is always a really fun challenge for me, and I definitely encourage other mystery lovers to sign up! (Bonus: there’s a chance for prizes!) Click here for more info.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril IX Sign-up

August 31, 20142 Comments

Tomorrow marks the beginning of September, and thus the beginning of one of my favorite book blogging events — the ninth annual R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings!

(Art courtesy of Abigail Larson.)

The “challenge” runs from September 1 to October 31, and the rules are very simple, requiring participants to read at least one (that’s right, ONE!) book that fits within one or more of the following genres:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

I’m planning to attempt Peril the First, which asks participants to read four books, but you can read as many or as few as you like! There’s also a Peril of the Short Story and a Peril on Screen, if those fictional formats are more your speed. Some of my possibilities for this year are: (1) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón; (2) The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire; (3) The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla by Lauren Willig; (4) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett; (5) Bellman & Black by Diana Setterfield; and (6) Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater. If you’re interested in reading some spooky/gothic books this autumn, be sure to sign up for R.I.P. IX!

Bout of Books 11 Goals and Progress

August 17, 2014August 26, 201413 Comments

I’ve been MIA the past month or so, but it’s not because I’m tired of blogging! I’ve just had a crazy busy month, and it’s been all too easy to neglect certain areas of my life, including this one. So Bout of Books 11 couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! Here’s the official description of the event:

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 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th 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 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Since I have yet another busy week ahead, my goal will be a small one: Finish two books. I’m currently reading Farthing by Jo Walton, so I’d like to complete it and one more — most likely Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson. Hopefully I won’t have too much trouble achieving my goal! I’ll be updating this post throughout the week with my progress. Good luck to all the other BoB participants, and happy reading!

Monday 8/18

Due to Bout of Books, I actually carved out some time to read today! I haven’t finished any books yet, but I did make some headway in Farthing, so I’m counting today as a win. I did end up finishing Farthing, so today was definitely a win! 🙂 Also, below are my entries for today’s challenges!

For the scavenger hunt hosted by The Book Monsters, here’s what I grabbed from my shelves:

1. A Book that begins with “B” (for Bout of Books!) — Beauty by Robin McKinley. A lovely book by one of my favorite authors!

2. A book that has been made into a movie/tv show — The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais. The movie actually caught my eye first (although I still haven’t seen it), and then my aunt gave me her copy of the book when she finished reading it.

3. A series you love — The Julian Kestrel series by Kate Ross! It’s about a Regency dandy who solves murder mysteries, which basically pushes every single one of my happy buttons. Cut to the Quick is the first book (sadly, there are only 4 total).

4. An anthology of poems or short stories — The Robert Frost Reader: Poetry and Prose, edited by Edward Connery Lathem and Lawrance Thompson. I’ve owned this book since college, when I took a class on modern British and American poetry. It’s almost a cliché to like Robert Frost since he’s so popular, but it’s because he’s just that good!

5. A book on your TBR shelf, or your full TBR shelves — I don’t separate my TBR books from my already-read books, so I just included one of the many TBR books I own. I really liked Rachel Bach’s Eli Monpress series (written under the name Rachel Aaron), so I’m looking forward to trying her science fiction series, which begins with Fortune’s Pawn.

And for LuLoFanGirl’s playlist challenge, here’s the playlist I made for Jo Walton’s Farthing:

1. The Ramones, “Blitzkrieg Bop” — The book is set in an alternate reality in which England made a separate peace with Hitler during World War II, so this song is a no-brainer!

2. Emerson Lake & Palmer, “Jerusalem” — The group of politicians who brokered the peace were upper-class aristocrats who wanted to preserve their “green and pleasant land”…but at what cost?

3. Staind, “Outside” — When one of the prominent “Farthing set” is murdered, suspicion automatically falls on David Kahn because he is Jewish. The Scotland Yard inspector who investigates the case is also an outsider, though for a different reason, so this song seems apt.

4. The Who, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” — When England makes peace with the Third Reich, the Farthing set has an unprecedented opportunity to gain power. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss,” indeed.

5. Leonard Cohen, “Anthem” — Because of the book’s focus on Jewish persecution and anti-Semitism, it seems only right to include a Jewish artist on this list! The lyrics are also quite relevant, as the characters in the book hope for a better future, even when it seems unlikely.

Tuesday 8/19

After finishing Farthing last night, I’ve moved on to Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson, which I’ve been wanting to read this month for the centennial of World War I. Is anyone else reading a WWI-related book for BoB (or in August generally)?

I have to say, I’m somewhat at a loss regarding the One True Pairing (OTP) challenge at Infinite Ink. I don’t have one specific couple that I can automatically point to and say, “OMG these two, they HAVE to get together!” That said, right now I’m kind of shipping Crake and Jez from the Ketty Jay series by Chris Wooding. I’ve only read the first two books in this series so far (so please don’t spoil me if you happen to know how it ends!), and I may be wrong, but I think they would work really well as a couple! As fellow crew members on a disreputable airship, they both have pretty big secrets about their pasts, and they’ve entrusted their stories to each other. Though they come from very different backgrounds, they seem to be able to understand and support one another. Don’t want to get more detailed for fear of spoilers (because y’all, if you love “Firefly,” you should read this series!), but I’ll definitely be thrilled if they get together — and somewhat disappointed if they don’t!

And here’s my entry for one of my favorite recurring challenges, Book Spine Poetry hosted by My Little Pocketbooks:

Since you’ve been gone,
[I am] Cut to the quick.
By love possessed, [I am]
Waiting on you,
Left drowning,
Stitching snow.
My one and only,
You don’t have to say you love me:
I’ll give you the sun.

Wednesday 8/20

All right, guys, I’ll level with you: I did NOTHING related to Bout of Books today! I didn’t do the mini-challenge, and I didn’t even crack open my book! However, I’m hopeful that the rest of the week will be better. Flailing, not failing! 🙂

Thursday 8/21

Another slow day for me…I did manage to do some reading, and I’m now about halfway through Somewhere in France. Oh well, at least I’ll definitely be able to participate more on the weekend!

Friday 8/22

Heyyy, another day of no reading! This week has been insane. But I WILL finish Somewhere in France by the end of tomorrow, dammit!

Saturday 8/23

Finally I have time to sit down and do a mini-challenge! Here’s my entry for the Spell It Out challenge at Kimberly Faye Reads:

C – Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
H – Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda
R – [A] Room with a View by E.M. Forster
I – In the Woods by Tana French
S – Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley
T – To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
I – Indiscretion by Jude Morgan
N – Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
A – Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Also, I finished Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson today! I have now officially achieved my Bout of Books goal (finish 2 books), but I’ll definitely continue reading until the end! I’ve just started The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee.

Sunday 8/24

I didn’t do much reading on the last day of Bout of Books, but I did make some headway in The Gaslight Dogs, which started off slowly but definitely became more compelling as it went along. I’m really happy that I achieved my goal (albeit a small one) and participated in some mini-challenges! Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog, and I hope you all had a successful Bout of Books as well — however you define “success”!

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon Sign-up

April 23, 20141 Comment

I can’t believe I haven’t posted about this already, but Dewey’s semi-annual 24-hour read-a-thon is this Saturday, April 26! You don’t actually have to read for 24 hours — I definitely won’t be — but it’s a really great event that allows you to do fun mini-challenges, meet other bloggers, possibly win prizes, and of course READ! Go to 24hourreadathon.com for more information and to sign up.

Once Upon a Time VIII Challenge Sign-up

March 20, 20146 Comments

It’s the first day of spring! The calendar says so, and even the weather is cooperating (for now)…which means it’s time for Carl’s annual Once Upon a Time Challenge!

But while it may be called a “challenge,” the rules are very simple: Read one or more books that fit within the genres of fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, or folklore. There are many different levels of participation, so even if you can only read one book that fulfills the criteria, you should still join!

I’m going to attempt Quest the First, which requires me to read five books. I’m not 100% sure what I’ll read, but possibilities include The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman, Transformations by Anne Sexton, and The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold.