2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon Wrap Up Post!!

 

I love reading, so I enjoyed participating in the 2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon this year!

I read a total of 5 books between November 25th through December 31st. Below is a list of all the books I read during this timeframe. Click on link to read my reviews for each book.

1. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

2. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

3. A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril

4. A Nutcracker Nightmare by Christina Romeril

5. Jake & the Gingerbread Wars by E. G. Foley (review to come)

Three of the books I read were Christmas themed books and I enjoyed reading them all!

2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon

I do like reading holiday themed books! Seasons of Reading is hosting both a reading challenge and read-a-thon beginning November 25th through December 31st, 2024.

You can participate in both the reading challenge and the read-a-thon or only one or the other. It's your choice!

I am going to participate in both the reading challenge and the read-a-thon. I plan to read only one holiday themed book for the reading  challenge, which falls into the Candy Cane level.

There's even a bingo reading challenge!! Plus, there's even prizes!!

Click on the above link to learn more about Seasons of Reading 2024 Yuletide Spirit Reading Challenge and Readathon.

2024 High Summer Readathon - Wrap Up Post!

I didn't quite reach my goal of reading four specific novels I set out for myself to read for the 2024 High Summer Readathon as I had a two week reading slump mid-month.

I'm kind of surprised by my reading slump last month as I read so many books during the month of July. I simply thought I'd keep the momentum going during the month of August.

I did, however, read three books last month. I read and reviewed the following three books:

1. The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal (nonfiction)
2. Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfar (fiction)
3. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival by Louise Murphy (historical fiction/fairytale retelling)

Click on the links above to read my review of each book.

High Summer Read-A-Thon ~ August 2024

I've participated in the High Summer Read-A-Thon in the past and look forward to participating in it again this year. 

The High Summer Read-A-Thon is a month long reading event that takes place during the month of August 2024 and is hosted by Seasons of Reading. I figure if I am going to be reading books anyway next month, why not participate in this low key read-a-thon?

Here's the blurb for the High Summer Read-A-Thon ~ August 2024 from the Seasons of Reading:

We start at 12:00 am eastern time on August 1st and end at 11:59 pm eastern time on August 31th. (There is a handy link to a time zone converter in the sidebar menu.) Guidelines for the readathon can be found HERE or you can access in the sidebar menu. Any information you need about the readathon can be found there. Please do be sure to check the guidelines to make sure you're following along correctly. There are specific rules regarding sign up and wrap up, especially in regards to the giveaway.

Click on above links to sign up and learn more about the High Summer Read-A-Thon.

I plan to listen to four audiobooks next month for High Summer Read-A-Thon as follows:

1. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
2. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
3. Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfar 

4. The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal

Usually, I do not like selecting book titles in advance as I tend to change my mind all the time about what I'm going to read next. Since I've been wanting to read the above books for quite a while, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't change my mind.

March of the Mammoths 2023 Readathon Event Announcement!

 Until yesterday, I'd never even heard of the March of the Mammoths Readathon before!! The term 'mammoth' refers to books with 800 pages or longer in length.

The goal of this readathon is to read a book that's 800+ pages in length. This is a stress free reading challenge where one can read one (or more) 800+ page book(s) during the month of March. You don't even have to finish reading the book you chose during the month of March... That's how stress free this readathon is!!

I use to read 500+ page books regularly many moons ago, but typically read books that are less than 400 pages these days. Sadly, I have many lengthy books that I want to read, but have postponed reading them for shorter books. 

This year, I've decided to participate in the March of the Mammoths by listening to the audio version of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and narrated by actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Does the March of the Mammoths 2023 Readathon sound like a fun reading event to you? If so, please join me next month by reading an 800+ page book of your own choosing! Both fiction and nonfiction books are allowed. Afterward, post a review of what you read on your blog and your thoughts on participating in the March of the Mammoths 2023 Readathon.

Below is a YouTube video with more information about the March of the Mammoths 2023 Readathon.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Fright Fall Readathon October 2021 Wrap Up Post

I had a blast participating in my first Fright Fall Readathon!!

I finished listening to eight spooky themed reads during the month

of October as follows:

The Seance by John Harwood

The Wolf Hunt Trilogy by Jeff Strand

Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven

The Torment of Rachel Ames by Jeff Gunhus

Shadow on the Sun by Richard Matheson

 Dolly: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill

The Vampire's Assistant (Cirque du Freak #2) by Darren Shan

Ravens in the Rain: A Noir Love Story by Christie Santo & Jeff Santo

Click on the above links to read my review for each of the above mentioned books!

Fright Fall Readathon October 2021

 

I'm in the mood to read some scary themed books during the month of October. I have five to six books that fall into the horror genre that I would like to read this month. So, I decided to sign up and participate in the Fright Fall Readathon October 2021 hosted by Seasons of Reading!

Below is a blurb about the Fright Fall Readathon October 2021:

We start at 12:00 am eastern time on October 1st and end at 11:59 pm eastern time on October 31st. (There is a handy link to a time zone converter in the sidebar menu.) I hope you're ready to get your scary on! Guidelines for the readathon can be found HERE or you can access in the sidebar menu. Any information you need about the readathon can be found there. Please do be sure to check the guidelines to make sure you're following along correctly. There are specific rules regarding sign up and wrap up, especially in regards to the giveaway.

The one main "rule" of FrightFall is that you must read at least ONE scary book (which can be a thriller, mystery, Gothic novel, or similar for those who are faint of heart). I hope you will indulge the scary beyond the one book, but that is entirely up to you. It is all about the reading after all.

I hope you join me in reading a few scary books this month!! And click on the above link if you'd like to join the Fright Fall Readathon October 2021.

Happy reading!! 

High Summer Readathon 2021 Wrap Up Post

 

Yes, yes, and yes, to participating in the High Summer Readathon 2021 during the month of August!! 

I don't really need the motivation or inspiration to read books as I do love reading very much as it is. But it is fun, nevertheless, to join in on a few readathons here and there and feel like one is taking part within the reading community... Especially with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the raging spikes in delta variant cases this summer.

During the month of August 2021, I read (or listened to) to a total of 8 books as follows:

1. Of Neptune (The Syrena Legacy #3) by Anna Banks

2. Hearts in Darkness (Hearts in Darkness Duet Book 1) by Laura Kaye

3. Night of the Ghoul (Urban Ghoul #1) by Graeme Ing

4. The Corpse in the Cabana (Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries #1) by Shéa MacLeod

5. Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy

6. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

7. Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong by Paul A. Offit, M.D.

8. Who Is Elmyr?: Histories of an Art Forger by Max Horberry

Be sure and click on the above links to read my reviews of each book.

Rabid and Pandora's Lab were my two favorite reads during the month of August 2021. 

High Summer Readathon 2021 Sign Up Post

 

It's been a while since I've signed up to participate in a readathon and even longer since I last participated in the High Summer Readathon hosted by Seasons of Reading.

Here's a quick blurb about the High Summer Readathon from the Seasons of Reading website:

Here's your official sign up! We start at 12:00 am on August 1 and end at 11:59 pm on August 31. Times are set for the eastern time zone so adjust your times accordingly (you can use the link to the time zone converter in the sidebar menu).

This is a casual, low stress readathon. Click on the above links to read further details about the High Summer Readathon.

Bout of Books 25 Wrap Up Post!!

I didn't make daily posts updating my reading progress during Bout of Books 25. However, I did have an awesome week in reading despite not doing any reading for pleasure yesterday!

I listened to a combination of 7 audiobooks, short stories, and several podcast series this past week for Bout of Books 25 as follows:. 

1. The Mystery of Alice by Lee Bacon
2. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
3. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
4. The Magic Shop by H. G. Wells
5. The Making of a Massacre by Ginger Thompson
6. Unheard: The Story of Anna Winslow by Anthony Del Col
7. Days That Changed The World by Carrie Gibson

Total listening time: 20 hours, 39 minutes.

I only participated in the Day 1 Challenge, which was to describe oneself in 6 words. Here's my 6 word challenge as follows: I'm a reader, knitter, and blogger.

With all the audio listening I completed last week for BOB 25, I managed to finish knitting a triangle shawl using purple ombre yarn while listening to the above items.

Purple Ombre Shawl

Bout of Books 25 Read-A-Thon Sign Up Post!!

I will be participating in the Bout of Books 25 Read-A-Thon next week!! I haven't done much pleasure reading during the past week, so this will definitely be my impetus to return to reading books again.

In case you've never heard of the Bout of Books Read-A-Thon before, here's a quick blurb:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. 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. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 25 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

I hope you join me in the fun!!

Bout of Books 23 Wrap Up Post!

I enjoyed participating in Bout of Books 23! I met my reading goals of reading two novels, both of which happened to be young adult novels. I started and finished reading, Turtles All The Way Down by John Green and Dear Martin by Nic Stone. I enjoyed reading both novels. 

I've already reviewed Turtles All The Way Down by John Green on my blog. Tomorrow Dear Martin by Nic Stone will be published.

Additionally, I began listening to the unabridged audio version of Enchantment by Orson Scott Card and am 11% into this fantasy novel so far and look forward to finishing it soon.

I also participated in three of the challenges during Bout of Books 23 last week.

If you participated in Bout of Books 23 last week, how was your week of reading?

Bout of Books 23 Day 6 Recap!

I finished strong yesterday with my reading. I read 112 pages and finished reading Dear Martin by Nic Stone! I'll write and post my review of this young adult novel later in the week. 

As of now, I've already met my reading goals for Bout of Books 23, which was to read 2 novels. So, any additional reading is icing on the cake as they say.

I didn't make any progress with Enchantment by Orson Scott Card yesterday and am hoping to listen to 1-2 hours of this novel today. We'll see how that goes as I am feeling pretty tired today due to restless sleep last night. I had a headache at bed time that kept me awake for quite awhile. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can get some quality listening time in later today.

If you're participating in Bout of Books 23 this past week, how has your week of reading gone? Have you met your reading goals? Have you participated in any of the daily challenges and/or in the Twitter chats?

Bout of Books 23 Day 5 Recap!

Here's my latest reading stats for Day 5 of Bout of Books 23.

I read through page 96 of Dear Martin by Nic Stone, which is a young adult novel and good so far. 

I also began listening to the unabridged audio version of Enchantment by Orson Scott Card from Audible. This is my first experience reading anything written by Orson Scott Card. I've been curious about Orson Scott Card's writing as he seems to be a pretty popular writer within the science fiction/fantasy community. 

Enchantment is a fantasy novel. I usually don't read novels from the fantasy genre, but I am liking Enchantment so far. The best way to describe Enchantment is that it's a Slavic retelling of the Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tale. I'm 11% into Enchantment so far. It will be interesting to see how this novel plays out.

Bout of Books 23 Day 3 Recap and Day 4 Challenge!

I didn't get much reading done yesterday!! I mainly spent my time (roughly 90 minutes) listening to an Audible original podcast title, Pen & Place hosted by Amy Standen and Michael Epstein. Each episode of Pen & Place is roughly 15 minutes and there are 6 episodes total. The focus of each episode of Pen & Place is an interview of one specific author talking about a geographical location and also about their writing. All of the podcasts were nicely done and I now have many new authors to explore.

I also began reading the young adult novel, Dear Martin by Nic Stone, last night and I am 18 pages into it at this moment in time. I am looking forward to seeing where this novel leads me.

Day 4 Bout of Books Challenge

Book Trip - I would love to visit several Asian countries.

Share books set in places you want to visit. Make a road trip of settings in the US or a dream vacation. Or you can think outside the box and choose fantasy, paranormal, historical, or sci-fi setting. Like Hogwarts!

1. Memoirs of a Geisha - Japan

2. Dream Jungle - Phillipines

3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - China

4. Jasmine Nights -Thailand

5. The Lotus Eaters - Vietnam

6. Miss Burma - Myanmar

7. The Vegetarian - Korea

Where do you want to visit?? 

Bout of Books 23 Day 2 Recap and Day 3 Challenge!

Yesterday, I finished reading Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. I really enjoyed this young adult novel! Click on my link above to read my review of it.

Not sure which book I'll be reading next... So many choices! I'll keep you posted.

Bout of Books 23, Day 3 Challenge

Literary Villain

Who are your favorite literary bad guys? Can be a villain, a not-so-good-guy, or anti-hero.

I pick Cathy Ames from East of Eden by John Steinbeck

as my favorite literary villain.

Wikipedia sums up Cathy Ames:

"Cathy Ames, later known as Kate Trask or Kate Albey, is a fictional character and the main antagonist in John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden. She is the wife of main protagonist Adam Trask, and the mother of his twin sons, Caleb and Aron. Beneath her charming, attractive facade, she is an evil woman who manipulates and destroys people for her own amusement and profit. Steinbeck characterizes her as a 'psychic monster' with a 'malformed soul'"

Who is your favorite literary villain?

Bout of Books 23 Day 1 Update!!

Yippee, I completed Day 1 of Bout of Books 23 yesterday!! I read over 100 pages of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green yesterday and I hope to have this young adult novel finished later on today. I currently have 63 pages left to read of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green.

I also completed the Bout of Books Read-A-Thon Challenge, which was to describe yourself in six words... Something I found challenging to do as how do you define/describe yourself in six words???

I described myself as follows for the above challenge from Day 1: Love life, reading, knitting, and family!

Bout of Books 23 Sign Up Post!!

I am looking forward to participating once again in another Bout of Books Read-A-Thon!! I've participated in several Bout of Books Read-A-Thons over the years and always have fun reading books and participating in Read-A-Thon Challenges. I've also enjoyed interacting with other readers participating in this read-a-thon as well. 

For those of you, who've never participated in Bout of Books before, please read the following information to learn more:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th 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 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Please consider joining me in participating in Bout of Books 23 later this month. If you decide to join me on this reading journey, then please let me know in the comment section below!! Be sure and share a link to your sign up post as well. Happy reading!

Bout of Books 20 Wrap Up Post

Unfortunately, I've been too busy this past week to make daily update posts for Bout of Books 20 or participate in all of the challenges! Nor I did accomplish as much reading as I would have liked for this read-a-thon, but at least I had a good time reading during Bout of Books 20!

I was able to start and finishing reading Dog Days Murderous Nights (Winnona Peaks Mysteries #1) by Emily Page, which was a short story 59 pages in length.

I also started and finished listening to the unabridged audio version of Winter Men by Jesper Bugge Kold. This historical fiction novel, is very thought provoking. Listening time for Winter Men by Jesper Bugge Kold was 11 hours, 10 minutes.

I finished reading the last 33% of an audiobook titled Hard Candy by Andrew Vachss, that I had begun listening to prior to the start of Bout of Books 20.

I've made headway in another novel I'm reading titled Watch Me Go by Mark Wisniewski. I read about 70 more pages of this novel during Bout of Books 20.

I also participated in the 1st challenge on day 1, which was to describe yourself in six words. Here's how I described myself:

Avid reader, blogger, knitter, wife, daughter!

If you participated in Bout of Books 20, how did you fare this week in terms of reading? Did you meet your reading goals? Did you participate in any of the challenges?

Bout of Books 20 Day 1 Update!

Yesterday was the 1st day of Bout of Books 20!! I had a decent day of reading. I don't recall the amount of time I devoted to reading though as I actually didn't keep track of the time I did read. 

However, I did finish listening to the last 33% of an audiobook I'd started the week titled Hard Candy by Andrew Vachss and posted a review of it on my blog.

I also began reading a cozy mystery ebook last night titled, Dog Days Murderous Nights (Winnona Peaks Mysteries #1) by Emily Page. I am 36% of the way into Dog Days Murderous Nights (Winnona Peaks Mysteries #1) and am curious to see where it leads me.

I also participated in the following challenge given on Day 1 of Bout of Books 20. The Challenge was to describe yourself in 6 words. Here's how I described myself:

Avid reader, blogger, knitter, wife, daughter!

Are you participating in Bout of Books 20? If so, how was your first day of reading for this read-a-thon?