Bout of Books 9.0 is coming!

Join us... you know you want to!

Super excited for my 9th round!  I'm thinking about my goals and what I want to read.  I'll post a starting line post with goals and book choices on Sunday.  Spread the word and join us for some fun!

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 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th 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 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

EotY Readathon -- Wrap-up

Progress so far:

• Pages read this period — 34 (Tanglefoot) + 912 (Vanity Fair) + 320 (Sanditon)
• Pages read total — 2354

Comments: Tanglefoot was creepy, Vanity Fair was a bit of a letdown, but I finished strong with Sanditon.

Goals:

• Read three books √
• Read 1000 pages √
• Review all books read √
• Knock out 5 reading challenge spots √

TBR Pile:

• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest √
• Tanglefoot by Cherie Priest √
• Sandition by Jane Austen √
• Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray √
• Any of the 4 nonfiction library finds √

EotY Readathon -- Update #2

Progress so far:

• Pages read this period — 173 (Boneshaker) + 160 (Universal Rights) + 176 (Final Jeopardy
• Pages read total — 1088

Comments: Really enjoyed Boneshaker and my two nonfiction reads.  I am going to guess that my reading pace will start to decrease.  Baby Arthur and I are traveling back to Indiana on Tuesday and will be there until the new year.

EotY Readathon -- Update #1

Progress so far:

• Pages read this period -- 176 (B is for Baby) + 160 (Inside the Creative Studio) + 243 (Boneshaker) =  579
• Pages read total -- 579

Comments: I'm starting off the readathon strong.  I really didn't think I would read much of anything due to the upcoming holidays, travel, and general baby care.  I knocked out two interesting nonfiction pretty books and made a huge dent in Boneshaker.  Really enjoying Boneshaker, but reading is a bit slow going.  I should be able to finish it by the end of the week...

End of the Year Readathon

From Juliababyjen's Reading Room:

Dana from Danasquare and I are hosting a read-a-thon!  It is called the End of the Year 2013 Reading Cram, and will run from Dec. 9-22nd!

If you are anything like me you have a huge stack (or even bookcases) full of book you haven't read. Did you have a goal for how many books you wanted to read during the year? Are you behind like I am?

Then this is the perfect time to read as much as you can before the new year!

Why should you participate?

1. To chisel off some of your TBR pile.

2. Do all the fun challenges and win some prizes.

3. Encourage others to read like a speed demon (and yourself) + reading with others is loads of fun.

So let's get in our last books of 2013 together in the #ReadingCram !

Listed below are all the things you need to know and the linky to sign up!

Requirements

You must post a Sign Up Post

Must have our graphic

Links to our blogs

Name, dates of the read-a-thon

Any personal goals (optional)

You may put up your post on your blog, Tumblr, or Youtube (if they don't have a blog)

Please tweet using #ReadingCram. To stay updated and to share what your reading!

I'm always a sucker for a good readathon.  This one has sufficient days for me to actually focus on reading while prepping for and traveling back to Indiana for Christmas. Overall, I'm aiming fairly low as I imagine my life will be super busy after the 15th.  My list of books to read is more of pile of suggestions. I definitely will not get to all of them in two weeks.

Goals:

• Read three books
• Read 1000 pages
• Review all books read
• Knock out 5 reading challenge spots

TBR Pile:

• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
• Tanglefoot by Cherie Priest
• Sandition by Jane Austen
• Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
• Any of the 4 nonfiction library finds

FrightFall Readathon -- Finish Line

Pages Read Today: 175 (Anansi Boys)

Pages Read Total: 1304

Books Read Total: 5+

Comments: And I'm rounding out the readathon with some Neil Gaiman!  I'm so excited about my progress this past week.  I knocked out five books and started on a sixth.  I read over 1000 pages.  I filled a ton of Reading Challenge slots.  Overall I'd say it was a success!

Goals:

• Read 3 books √
• or read 1000 pages √
• Review all books read √

TBR List:

• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Cape Storm by Rachel Caine
• Witches 101 by Melissa de la Cruz
• Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (in progress)
• San Diego 2014 by Mira Grant

FrightFall Readathon Update #3

Pages Read Today: 266 (Total Eclipse)

Pages Read Total: 1129

Books Read Total: 5

Comments: I've officially finished the Weather Warden series!  I didn't think I was going to make it through the nine books this year, but I did it!  And added another 305 pages to my weekly total.

FrightFall Readathon Update #2

Pages Read Today: 333 (Gulliver's Travels) + 39 (Total Eclipse)

Pages Read Total: 863

Books Read Total: 4

Comments: Made it through a never before read classic and started on the last book in a modern series.  Very excited about my progress so far this week!  Hoping to knock out Total Eclipse tomorrow or Saturday and start on my fifth book of the book.

FrightFall Readathon Update #1

Pages Read Today: 308 (Cape Storm) + 120 (San Diego 2014) + 63 (Witches 101)

Pages Read Total: 491

Books Read Total: 3

Comments: Action adventure, witches and zombies!  A great way to start off the readathon.  Now to keep the momentum going.

FrightFall Readathon - Starting Line

Goals:

• Read 3 books
• or read 1000 pages
• Review all books read

TBR List:

• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Cape Storm by Rachel Caine
• Witches 101 by Melissa de la Cruz
• Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Tackle Your TBR Pile Readathon -- Wrap-up

Pages Read: 325 (The Graveyard Book)

Total Pages Read: 2310

Total Books Read: 7

Comments: And I rounded out the readathon with Neil Gaiman.  I think that's about as perfect of an ending as I could create.  I met all my goals and knocked out a ton of good books from my TBR pile.  I'll say that this one was a success.

Goals:

• Read at least 7 books √
• or Read at least 2000 pages √
• Knock out at least 10 reading challenge spots √

TBR Pile:

• Storm Glass by Maria Snyder
• Bachelor Girl by Betty Israel
• Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
• Gale Force by Rachel Caine
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
• An Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• A Beautiful Mess by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

TYT Readathon Update #3

Pages Read: 504 (Storm Glass)

Total Pages Read: 1985

Total Books Read: 6

Comments: It's been a few days and I've been on the same book, but I finished it tonight and ready to move on.  Still excited about my overall progress.

FrightFall Readathon is Coming! Beware!

From Seasons of Reading:

It's here! The official sign up for the FrightFall Read-a-Thon! A week long fest of scary reading (well, at least one scary book anyway).  All you have to do to participate is read at least one horror/scary book.  For the faint-hearted among you, it can be a spooky mystery, a scary thriller, or something classically gothic.  Children's books are also allowed. It's not so much about the quantity of our reading, but the quality, right? But...if this read-a-thon helps you to mark a bunch of books off your TBR pile, so be it! As you all know, I will not be hosting any mini-challenges. I prefer to focus on the reading, as many of my participants do. However, if anyone else would like to host a mini-challenge, you are more than welcome.  Of course, there will be a big giveaway at the end.  And we will have a few scheduled Twitter chats again. Schedule will be listed in the starting line post. Our twitter hashtag is #FrightFall. As I did during High Summer, I will post a midway check in too.

Official dates and times for the read-a-thon...Monday, September 30 at 12:00am EST through Sunday, October 6 at 11:59pm EST (adjust times according to your particular time zone).

I can't wait until this one starts.  Now I need to figure out my TBR pile.  Need something scary...

TYT Readathon Update #2

Pages Read: 159 (Winnie the Pooh) + 240 (A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book) +  482 (Cotillion)

Total Pages Read: 1481

Total Books Read: 5

Comments: Winnie the Pooh is a small volume, but still super enjoyable.  Love the ideas I got from A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book.  And I read an interesting Jane Austen-esque Regency romance.

TYT Readathon Update #1

Pages Read: 306 (Gale Force) + 294 (Bachelor Girl)

Total Pages Read: 600

Total Books Read: 2

Comments: Knocked off another Weather Wardens book.  Only two to go for the series.  And I started reading and finished an interesting nonfiction book.  I'd say great progress for the first few days...  Now what should I read next?

Tackle Your TBR Readathon

From Colorimetry:

The Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon begins September 8th and ends September 21st. You do not have to be a blogger to sign up. Just use your Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr profile instead (the place you're going to post updates on).

Please sign up by using the linky at the end of this post.You MUST be signed up in the linky to enter the giveaways and participate in the challenges.The linky will close half-way through the read-a-thon, on September 16th, so sign up before then.

You're welcome to participate as much or as little as you'd like. The read-a-thon is to encourage us all to read so that we can tackle those TBR piles, not to cause extra stress. ;) You will see requests for updates about every other day at the end of specific posts, but again, there are no requirements that you do it.

Tressa will be posting daily updates on her blog and you can come and leave a link or comment to update on her post as you would like. We will be using hashtag #TackleTBR on Twitter for updates and tweets. This is also a great way to find others participating and give some encouragement. There will be a grand prize giveaway with multiple winners sponsored by the hosts that will end on September 22nd.

A low-key long readathon to focus on my stacks... I love the idea!  My actual TBR pile is hundreds of books packed in boxes, but I'm going to focus on a more manageable pile from my short bookcase.

Goals:

• Read at least 7 books
• or Read at least 2000 pages
• Knock out at least 10 reading challenge spots

TBR Pile:

• Storm Glass by Maria Snyder
• Bachelor Girl by Betty Israel
• Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
• Gale Force by Rachel Caine
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
• The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Bout of Books 8.0 is Done! (Until Next Time...)

Pages Read Today: 118 (Pride and Prejudice)

Pages Read Total: 1976

Challenges: None

Comments: Another case of me getting busy with life and forgetting to update and participate in challenges.  Thankfully that did not mean that I forgot to read.  After finishing The Host, I rented the movie and watched it to complete my review.  That left me with the agony of choosing the next book.  I decided to finish the readathon by starting Pride and Prejudice.  And what a great choice!  It's been a few years since I read this one.  Diving in, the book felt like a return home.  I am really enjoying rediscovering the world of Elizabeth Bennet.  I don't want to rush through the novel, but I'm sure I'll finish in a few days.

Goals:

• Read at least 1000 pages √
• Commit to reading at least 2 hours a day √

TBR Pile:

• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
• Sandman Vol. 6 by Neil Gaiman
• Sandman Vol. 7 by Neil Gaiman
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (in progress)
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer
• Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
• The New Deadwardians
• American Vampire

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 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th 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 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books 8.0 Day #4 and 5

Pages Read Today: 620

Pages Read Total: 1858

Reading Helpers: Lots of yogurt, bagels, and juice.  My usual breakfast foods.

Challenges: None

Comments: I completely missed a day of challenges and updates. But don't worry, I was reading the entire time.  I started and finished The Host (reread) and am waiting until tomorrow to watch the movie version.  Very excited.  Now to pick my next selection.

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 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th 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 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books 8.0 Day #3

Pages Read Today: 200 (American Vampire Vol. 1)

Pages Read Total: 1238

Reading Helpers: Mocha and a cranberry scone for breakfast reading at the coffeehouse.  Roasted garlic humus and Triscuit crisps for afternoon reading time.

Challenges: TBR List Challenge @ Musings of a Bookshop Girl:

Which 5 books are at the top of your TBR pile at this moment?

1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer -- Want to reread and then rent the movie version.  I keep shoving it farther down the pile...
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen -- I have to reread a few Austen novels each year.  I haven't gotten to this on in awhile.  I think it's time.
3. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon -- After The Shadow of the Wind, I am in love with Zafon's writing.
4. A Feast for Crows by George RR Martin -- Need to get my Song of Fire and Ice fix.  This one's up next for me.
5. Gale Force by Rachel Caine -- I am determined to finish the Weather Warden's series this year.  I have the last three books, but shoved them aside for half a year.

If I gave you a wad of cash and sent you into a bookshop right now, which 5 books would you buy to add to the stack?

1. Prisoner of Heaven of Carlos Ruiz Zafon -- Love Zafon's writing.  Need the third book to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series.
2. Emma by Jane Austen (Penguin Clothbound Edition) -- Slowly replacing my crappy editions with the beautiful Penguin Clothbound Editions.  Emma is next on my list to replace.
3. A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin -- Duh!  Need the next one!
4. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale -- Been wanting to read this sequel for awhile now.
5. Bossypants by Tina Fey -- How have I not read this yet?  I adore Tina Fey.  Really need to get on this.

Comments: I had actual work to do today, so my reading time was cut in half.  I did make it through the comic, American Vampire Vol. 1.  True horror in its essence.  I think I might need to pick up Volume 2...

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 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th 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 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books 8.0 Day #2

Pages Read Today: 294 (The Sugar Queen)

Pages Read Total: 1038

Reading Helpers: A sesame seed bagel with cream cheese and key lime greek yogurt for breakfast.  An Arnold Palmer, chili, and cornbread for dinner.  Fitting dinner considering the setting of the book in North Carolina during winter.

Challenges: Didn't participate today... hopefully I can jump on the challenge tomorrow.

Comments: I had a friend and her little boy over for lunch and a pool date, so not a huge amount of reading done today.  After they left, I had a few household chores to do and just needed a bit of television time (Smallville S10, determined to finish this month).  I did start and finish my book club selection and am loving it! Of course, I knew I liked Sarah Addison Allen's books.  It's not a huge surprise that I like this one.  And I've already surpassed my week page count goal of 1000 pages.  This readathon is rocking!

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 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th 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 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team