Blog Archives
Bout of Books 7.0 Starting Line
It’s read-a-thon time! Here’s my game plan:
The Books:
Finish my books in progress- The 5th Wave and Click to Subscribe
Listen to 1-2 more review audiobooks – Down London Road and Ten Tiny Breaths or something else TBD
Read 1-2 other ARC’s – potentially Golden and The Language Inside
Be social:
Cheer on other blog participants
Participate in challenges and at least one #boutofbooks chat
Don’t stress if I don’t get through everything- just have fun
I’ll do a wrap-up post at the conclusion of the read-a-thon!
Happy readathoning!
Bout of Books 7.0: I’m In!
Since I had such a blast with the last read-a-thon I’m ready to do it all again! I participated in the first Bout of Books but haven’t had a chance to join in the fun again. Since ALL THE BOOKS are coming out in May this read-a-thon is a great opportunity to read, read, read. I like that this read-a-thon is so flexible with a go at your own pace attitude.
Here’s a little bit about Bout of Books for the uninitiated:
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, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th 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 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
You can post a list of books you want to read, or just play it by ear. And audiobooks count too – yay!
A few books I’m considering reading/listening to during Bout of Books 7.0 (list almost certain to change) are:
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey – maybe audio
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr – maybe audio
Golden by Jessi Kirby
Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker – audio
If I Should Die by Amy Plum
Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols (or another Echols book)
Let me know if you’ll be participating in Bout of Books, and if you like to plan out your books ahead of time or let your mood decide.
Happy readathoning!
Readathon Hangover Wrap-Up
Another Read-a-Thon has come and gone- this one was the best ever for me. I didn’t read the most books by a long shot but it was a great well-rounded experience. I read, participated in a few mini challenges, checked in on social media, and most importantly had fun.
End of Event Meme – Dewey’s 24-hour Readathon
Which hour was most daunting for you?
I started nodding off at hour 19 but made it all the way to hour 21.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I liked reading shorter books and novellas to give you that greater sense of accomplishment.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
No, you all are pros at this!
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
This is the first time I joined in some mini-challenges and that made it extra fun. One thing I hadn’t considered is that they are so creative they help make you more alert so you can keep reading.
How many books did you read?
I read 4, and I have an audiobook in progress
What were the names of the books you read?
Fall of Night by Rachel Caine
Die for Her by Amy Plum
No Attachments by Tiffany King
Binding Agreement by Kyra Davis
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (Audiobook in progress)
Bonus: My daughter joined me for a few hours and finished reading Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Which book did you enjoy most?
Fall of Night by Rachel Caine, and I wished that I had The Interestings in print too so I could keep reading.
Which did you enjoy least?
I liked the diversity in my reading, and maybe it was the late hour but I wasn’t feeling passionate about the last two books I read (No Attachments & Binding Agreement)
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I wasn’t a cheerleader this year, but I loved getting the comments and encouragement! You all are awesome.
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely to participate in this event in the fall! Definitely as a reader, and maybe as a cheerleader or mini-challenge host.
This read-a-thon is a wrap! Coffee and laundry await!
A Date with a Readathon
I don’t have the best track record with read-a-thons, but this year Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon comes at the perfect time! I have a big (virtual) stack of review books to read before May so I’m jazzed for this opportunity.
Timing
The readathon takes place on Saturday, April 27. In my time zone, the read-a-thon begins bright and early at 5AM. (Check here for the start time in your time zone) We have been woken up by a very persistent mockingbird early every morning so maybe it won’t be too hard to wake up!
Support
Mr. Movie Date Andrew is on board with the read-a-thon plan and is cheering me on. This year I’m also hoping to encourage my daughter to read with me. She has an AR reading goal to meet in the next week so hopefully she can get caught up. I’m even bribing her with junk food readathon snacks!
Speaking of Snacks
I am not too much of a snacker, but I’ll have Trader Joe’s Iced tea, diet coke, and clif bars on hand for energy. And I’ll have an audiobook ready when I need to cook.
Reading Goals
I think I’ve set myself up for failure in the past with readathons by posting a big stack of books I need to read, and then I get discouraged if I only finish one or two books. This year I’m going to take a more laid back approach, and mix in some novellas and shorter books to give me that sense of accomplishment throughout.
Community
Since there are over 400 of us signed up to read it’s a great chance to visit and encourage other blogs, and break up the reading with some mini challenges. I’ll do a little unofficial cheerleading so let me know if you’ll be participating so I can cheer you on! I’m terrible at twitter, but will try to post some updates there or on my FB page. Hashtags: #Readathon #Dewey #MiniChallenge #RahRahReadathon.
The Books
Most of the books I hope to read are on my kindle, but I’m including a picture of the book covers for a visual. Primarily these are books I’m featuring on upcoming blog tours, mixed in with some shorter books:
Fall of Night by Rachel Caine (in progress, 200 pages to go)
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (Audiobook in progress, I’m about half done) – I listened to a couple hours of this today.
No Attachments by Tiffany King (300 pages)
Game.Set.Match. by Jennifer Iacopelli
Binding Agreement by Kyra Davis (128 pages)
Die for Her by Amy Plum (Revenants novella- only 60 pages)
The Memes
Haiku – Hour 20
Keep your eyes open
Finish your book for Dewey
One more book tonight
Mid-Event Survey – Hour 12
1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired? ZZZZzzzzz….what’s that you say? Why yes, I was starting to nod off a little bit.
2) What have you finished reading? Just finished my first book, Fall of Night- woohoo!
3) What is your favorite read so far? FoN is my only book so far, but it was a good one. Moving on to some shorter reads now.
4) What about your favorite snacks? Wasabi almonds & diet coke- yum.
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love! I have visited a few blogs through the mini challenges like Midnight Book Girl, Fake Steph, and Little Miss Reads-A-Lot. Looking forward to making the rounds a little bit more later.
Book Sentence – Hour 8
Ten renegade sisters in sanity crush the rivals.
Best and Worst Covers – Hour 7
My current read Fall of Night is a new release so it doesn’t have a paperback version to compare to. But, the UK edition does have a different cover. I do like them both and especially that the UK version ties into the story, but overall I prefer the US cover. The bat is a little overkill I think.
Book Puzzle – Hour 6
This book is a new release YA contemporary written by a male author, and should be an easy one to guess!
Re-Title Your Current Read – Hour 4
I’m reading Fall of Night, Morganville Vampires book 14, by Rachel Caine. I’d re-title this book “Escape from Morganville: I want to go back” or “Where can I buy some vampire bunny slippers in this town? I miss Myrnin and his spider Bob too”
Book Appetit! – Hour 3
The audiobook I’m listening to is The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. It takes place in New York in the 1980s so it would be fun to have a themed cocktail party to pair with the book. Vodka and Tang were the drinks used to toast the new Interestings club, but wine and other kitschy cocktails would certainly be in the mix. There’s lots of great food opportunities for appetitzers from latkes to sushi to samosas.
Spine Poetry – Hour 2
Introductory Questionnaire- Hour 1
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I’m in sunny Burbank, California
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? It’s a pretty nice mix in my stack, and I’m liking Fall of Night and The Interestings!
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Wasabi almonds and diet coke.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I woke up a little late but now I’m raring to go. There was an impromptu slumber party at my house last night so it may be harder to coax my daughter to join me to read today!
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? The new thing for me is adding shorter books to the mix!
Happy Readathoning!
Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon
2nd update - Hour 19 – I got super busy today and did not get too much time devoted to reading. In addition to housework, I watched the movie Scream with me daughter for some Halloween fun. But, since the last update I did read one more book, albeit a short novella. Daimon by Jennifer Armentrout is the prequel to Half-Blood, and it’s a very exciting lead-off to the series. Looking forward to diving into Half-Blood. Maybe tonight? I’m planning to stay up a while longer to read, and there’s always tomorrow.
1st update – Hour 10 – I woke up at 8am – hour 3 of the readathon. The day is really flying by! I finished one book that I had already started: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. Really wonderful read! Just spent an hour cheering and commenting on 25 blogs. Getting some laundry done, and getting ready to start my second book. Think I will choose a short book next to give me a bigger sense of accomplishment, possibly Daimon by Jennifer Armentrout. I haven’t had time to participate in any mini challenges yet, but I may as the day rolls on. Thanks so much for cheering me on today!
***
I’m excited to be participating in Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon for the second time. Last year was my first time ever participating in a read-a-thon and it was so much fun I’m back again! I’m also participating in NetGalley October so I’m planning to combine the two to get lots of e-reading done. When I’m pulled away by chores and other tasks throughout the day I’ll try to keep reading by listening to an audiobook.
The read-a-thon will start in my timezone at 5AM Saturday October 22. Check out the start time for your timezone here. It’s so dark and cold at that time of the morning that I will likely be sleeping then, but hopefully I’ll quickly make up the time.
This year I’m also participating as a read-a-thon cheerleader (Team Cookie Crisp) for the first time, and I’m looking forward to visiting blogs and cheering on other participants!
My reading strategy is to choose shorter books and sequels this year. Last year I think I managed to get through one book, so hopefully I can at least beat that. These are some of the books I have in my virtual reading pile that I’m considering, though I may completely change my mind. I’ll update my progress throughout the day here:
Fracture by Megan Miranda (272 pages)
Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (320 pages)
Tempest by Julie Cross (352 pages)
Prized by Caragh O’Brien (368 pages)
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (386 pages)
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder (400 pages)
Good luck to all the participants! Looking forward to seeing everyone’s progress during the read-a-thon.
NetGalley October
Emily at Red House Books is hosting another NetGalley month! Everyone is welcome to join in – click here to register. Time to load up the kindle with all the latest NG titles and get reading. NetGalley October is a month long readathon where you read as many NG books as you can. As usual, I have plenty of reading material to catch up on, and these are the books I’m hoping to read:
1. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Siobhan Dowd
3. Ashfall by Mike Mullin
4. Tempest by Julie Cross
5. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
6. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
7. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
8. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
My list is subject to change at whim, and I will probably not get through all of these but it will be fun trying anyway. Go sign up and join me! Here are the details:
Register here and blog, facebook or tweet your intent to participate in NetGalley October using hashtag #NetGalleyMonth.
Impromptu Readathon
April at Good Books And Good Wine is hosting an impromptu readathon this weekend. Since I have a stack of books to catch up on, I’m joining in. Not sure how many books I’ll get through, but hopefully I’ll make a dent in this stack.
Readathon Details: The readathon starts tonight September 29 and ends on October 3. Sign up here.
These are some of my book choices:
Fall Books!
I’m currently reading The Faerie Ring, but I can’t decide what to read next. Any recommendations? I’ll update this post with my progress.
