Bout of Books 11.0 | TBR

Here's what I'd hoping to read. Despite being away at camp from Monday night to Saturday afternoon. So it is fairly ambitious.

1. The Giver by Lois Lowery
2. Roost by Ali Bryan
3. Choral Society by Prue Leith
4. The Trap (The Hunt #3) by Andrew Fukuda (audiobook) - already half way through
5. Darkest Powers Bonus Pack #1 (Darkest Powers Trilogy 0.5, 1.5, 2.5) by Kelley Armstrong
6. Darkest Powers Bonus Pack #2 (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3.5, 3.6) by Kelley Armstrong

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Are you participating in this read-a-thon?

#ayearathon/7-in-7 Read-a-thon Wrap-Up - August 2014

Here's what I was able to accomplish:

#ayearathon - hosted by Alyssa, Ke-sha, Allyn J'nae, and Kristina (August 4th-10th)
theme: middle-grade

1. George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
   length: 96 pages
   completed: August 5 (started same day)
   rated: 3/5 stars
2. Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
   length: 224 pages
   completed: August 7 (started August 6)
   rated: 3/5 stars
3. Flyte (Septimus Heap #2) by Angie Sage
   length: 521 pages
   completed: August 8 (started August 4)
   rated: 4/5 stars
4. Shadow Breakers by Daniel Blythe
   length: 256 pages
   completed: August 10 (started August 8)
   rated: 4/5 stars
5. Odin's Ravens (Blackwell Pages #2) by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr
   length: 342 pages (during RAT: 14)
   completed: not yet (started July 10)
   rated: -/5 stars
   currently on page: 78
   
   
   7-in-7 Read-a-thon - hosted by Frankie and guests (August 4th-10th)
   goal: read 7 pieces of literature in 7 days
   In addition to those books above I also read (minus the one I didn't finish):
   
6. The Little Android (Lunar Chronicles #0.6) by Marissa Meyer
   length: 35 pages
   completed: August 4 (started same day)
   rated: 4/5 stars
7. Kat (Darkest Powers #0.3) by Kelley Armstrong
   length: 20 pages
   completed: August 10 (started same day)
   rated: 3/5 stars
8. Hunting Kat (Darkest Powers #0.4) by Kelley Armstrong
   length: 54 pages
   completed: technically August 11 by a few minutes (started August 10)
   rated: 4/5 stars

Total pages read for the week: 1247

July Wrap-up

Here are the books I read in July 2014. I participated in 4 read-a-thons so I'll mention each and let you know how I made out for each.

#finishitathon - hosted by Katie (June 30th - July 6th)
theme: finish books you've already started but maybe set aside

1. The Goddess Queen (Goddess Test #2.54) by Aimee Carter
   length: 75 pages
   completed: July 2 (started April 22, 2014)
   rated: 4/5 stars
2. Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1) by Kelley Armstrong
   length: 422 pages
   completed: July 6 (started Sept 29, 2013)
   rated: 4/5 stars
   
   
   #ayearathon - hosted by Alyssa, Ke-sha, Allyn J'nae, and Kristina (July 7th-13th)
   theme: classics
   
3. Moby Dick (graphic novel) by Lance Stahlberg (and Herman Melville)
   length: 88 pages
   completed: July 11 (started July 11)
   rated: 2/5 stars
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
   length: 659 pages (during RAT: 491)
   completed: not yet (started July 7)
   rated: -/5 stars
   Didn't get this finished by the end of July but got to page 566.
   
   
   #booktubeathon - hosted by Ariel and guests (July 14th - July 20th)
   theme: read as much as you can and try to complete 7 reading challenges (max 2 challenges per book)
   
5. My Point...And I Do Have One by Ellen DeGeneres
   length: 211 pages
   completed: July 15 (started July 14)
   rated: 3/5 stars
   challenge(s): read a book from the genre you've read the least of this year (memoir), read a book chosen for you by someone else (mother)
6. Sgt. Frog, Vol. 1: Enter the Sergeant (Sgt. Frog, #1) by Mine Yoshizaki
   length: 188 pages
   completed: July 16 (started July 14)
   rated: 3/5 stars
   challenge(s): read a book with pictures in it
7. The City of Ember (Book of Ember, #1) by Jeanne DuPrau
   length: 270 pages
   completed: July 17 (started July 16)
   rated: 4/5 stars
   challenge(s): start and finish a series (part 1 of 4), read a book with a movie adaptation then watch the movie
8. The People of Sparks (Book of Ember, #2) by Jeanne DuPrau
   length: 338 pages
   completed: July 19 (started July 17)
   rated: 5/5 stars
   challenge(s): start and finish a series (part 2 of 4)
9. The Prophet of Yonwood (Book of Ember, #3) by Jeanne DuPrau
   length: 289 pages
   completed: July 20 (started July 19)
   rated: 3/5 stars
   challenge(s): start and finish a series (part 3 of 4), read a book with red on the cover
10. The Diamond of Darkhold (Book of Ember, #4) by Jeanne DuPrau
    length: 285 pages
    completed: July 20 (started July 20)
    rated: 5/5 stars
    challenge(s): start and finish a series (part 4 of 4)
    #booktubeathon stats:
    Total read: 1595 pages, 6 books Challenges completed: 6/7 Missed challenge: Read 7 books or an average of 300 pages a day
    
    
    #underhypedreads - hosted by Charlotte (July 21th - July 27th)
    theme: read books with under 5000 ratings on Goodreads
    
11. Peggy of the Cove: A legend brought to reality by Ivan Fraser
    length: 124 pages
    completed: July 26 (started July 21)
    rated: 2/5 stars
    Other Goodreads ratings: 5
12. Doctor Who: Martha in the Mirror by Justin Richards (narrated by Freema Agyeman
    length: 256 pages (listened to audiobook)
    completed: July 25 (started July 23)
    rated: 4/5 stars
    Other Goodreads ratings: 641
13. Witch & Wizard: The Manga, Vol. 2 by James Patterson
    length: 252 pages
    completed: July 26 (started July 26)
    rated: 4/5 stars
    Other Goodreads ratings: 314
14. Anna From Away by D.R. MacDonald
    length: 288 pages (during RAT: 77)
    completed: not yet (started July 26)
    rated: -/5 stars
    Didn't get this finished by the end of July but got to page 85.
    
    
    Others not connected to a read-a-thon:
    
15. Ghosts(Otherworld Stories, #1.1) by Kelley Armstrong
    length: 9 pages
    completed: July 6 (started July 6)
    rated: 4/5 stars
16. Bedtime Kisses by Karin Larson and Ginger Nielson
    length: 28 pages
    completed: July 30 (started July 30)
    rated: 4/5 stars

Currently Reading

Hey all, curious what I am reading right now? Well here's the post for that! ;) Cuz you should just KNOW by now that I'm reading more than one thing!

1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (14% complete)... yes I finally started it but I really need to set aside some time to just read a bigger chunk of it at a time.

2. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (15% complete) - I got the fourth book of the trilogy (yup you read it right) for review from Net Galley so I now have to figure out when I'm going to find time to read the first three. Getting started on it though & liking the book so far.

3. Gone by Lisa McMann (40% complete) - needed something to listen to in my car when commuting so started the audiobook of this one to finish off the trilogy. Getting the feeling this one could have had some better plot twists so far in order to tie it to the previous books better, imo.

4. etc. I also have several books I borrowed from the library, partially read, and then had to return. I hope to clean up those loose ends soon by borrowing them again and getting them finished. I also have a couple books I own that I have started e.g. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran, The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie, and Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, to name a few, which I have at the moment set aside but will return to them prior to the end of the year.

Bout of Books 8.0 - Reading Goals

The last read-a-thon(RAT) I participated in (The BookTube-A-Thon) challenged us to read 300 pages per day for each of the seven days. I ended up reading an average of 244 pages per day. This was a week where I could devote every moment (when I wasn't working or sleeping) to reading. This coming week I still have my work and sleep commitments but I also need to be packing for my upcoming move. So that being factored in I am making my goal to read 190 pages per day. This will hopefully give me the opportunity to complete all my planned books and, if I have extra time, choose based on mood another later on.

The Bout of Books RAT is all about reading more than you usually do and may include challenges along the way but (as far as I can tell) doesn't include a set of challenges to direct your book choosing as my previous one did. As I have so many books I want to read (all at once if I could lol) I enjoyed having the framework and structure those challenges gave to narrowing down my choices. Therefore I've looked elsewhere to give me structure, Goodreads (particularly the Nothing but Reading Challenges group).

I had already committed (at least in my own mind) to tackling the Reading University Challenge. I am currently on the Associate's degree level so I decided to choose my books for this RAT in order to work towards fulfilling that challenge's criteria (and to give myself a bit more diversity in the genres I choose) plus reading a couple books that are still left over from my TBR from the last RAT (oops).

Without further ado, here are the books I'm planning to read:
1.  Blood Brothers in Louisbourg by Philip Roy - Started prior to RAT, History (american history) - total pages left: 121
2. Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1) by Kelley Armstrong - TBR of last RAT - total pages: 436
3. Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba - Literature (graphic novel) - total pages: 193
4. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova - Social Studies (psychology) - total pages: 322
5. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate - Started prior to RAT, audiobook - total pages left: 270

This totals: 1342 pages and an average of 191 pages per day or more like 150 per day from Monday to Thursday and then 247 on Fri, Sat & Sun when I'm off work. :)

Wish me luck!

Booktube-A-Thon

Just a quick update post that I will be participating in the Booktube-A-Thon from July 15th to July 21st. I'm super excited! (only a few more minutes before I can officially start!) See my video below to learn more about this read-a-thon.

 

Also check the video below for what I'm planning on reading:

I plan to post here with my my progress and make a video update at the end! Wish me luck!

Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong

I am currently in the process of reading the Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong. I am however I won't be reading the first novel in the series for some time yet. This is because of all the short stories that also make up a full reading of this series. Many of these stories (when looking at them chronologically) take place before the first book, as prequels. Here's the order list I am going by, provided by a pdf from Kelley Armstrong herself and by an order written by Maryse of Maryse's Book Blog. I've tried to block it up by month (basically one novel per month and then whatever short stories lead me there) and then will fill in my read dates once I finish each. Wish me luck! lol

June
0.01 Rebirth (in "Tales of the Otherworld," narrator: Aaron)  - read: 18-Jun-13
0.02 Infusion (in "Men of the Otherworld,” narrator: Malcolm) - read: 21-Jun-13
0.03 Savage (in "Men of the Otherworld,” narrator: Clay) - read: 28-Jun-13
0.04 Ascension (in "Men of the Otherworld," narrator: Clay) - read: 07-Jul-13


July
0.05 Demonology (online story, narrator: Talia) - read: 07-Jul-13

0.06 Bewitched (in "Tales of the Otherworld,") - read: 08-Jul-13
0.07 Birthright (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Logan) - read: 08-Jul-13
0.08 Beginnings (in "Tales of the Otherworld," narrators: Clay & Elena) - read: 27-Jul-13
0.09 Becoming (online graphic novella, narrator: Elena) - read: 28-Jul-13
0.10 The Case of the Half-Demon Spy (online story, about: Adam & Paige) - read: 28-Jul-13
0.11 Expectations (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Lucas) - read 28-Jul-13
0.12 Truth and Consequences (short story, narrator: Elena) - read 28-Jul-13
0.13 Territorial (online story, narrator: Karl) - read 29-Jul-13
1.0 Bitten (novel, narrator: Elena) - read 06-Jul-14
1.1 Ghosts (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Jeremy) - read 06-Jul-14

August

1.2 Escape (online story, narrator: Eve)
2.0 Stolen (novel, narrator: Elena)


September
3.0 Dime Store Magic (novel, narrator: Paige)

October
4.0 Industrial Magic (novel, narrator: Paige)
4.1 Wedding Bell Hell (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Paige)

November
5.0 Haunted (novel, narrator: Eve)
5.1 Adventurer (online story, narrator: Kenneth)
5.2 Chaotic (novella, narrator: Hope)
5.3 Bargain (online story, narrator: Xavier)

December
6.0 Broken (novel, narrator: Elena)
6.1The Case of El Chupacabra (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Lucas)

January 2014
7.0 No Humans Involved (novel, narrator: Jaime)
7.1 Framed (online novella, narrator: Nick)
7.2 Twilight (in "Many Bloody Returns,” narrator: Cassandra)
7.3 Stalked (in "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon” narrator: Clay)

February
8.0 Personal Demon (novel, narrators: Hope & Lucas)
8.1 Chivalrous (in “Tales of Dark Fantasy 2,” narrator: Reese)
8.2 The Ungrateful Dead (in "Blood Lite,” narrator: Jaime)

March
9.0 Living with the Dead (novel, multiple narrators, 3rd person)
9.1 Kitsunegari (in "Men of the Otherworld,” narrator: Jeremy)
Paranormal Romance Blues (in "The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance,")
9.2 Zen and the Art of Vampirism (in "A Fantasy Medley,” narrator: Zoe)
9.3 Angelic (novella, narrator: Eve)
Life Sentence (in "The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology,")
9.4 Learning Curve (in “Evolve,” narrator: Zoe)
Young Bloods (in "The Bitten Word" anthology,)
9.5 Checkmate (online story, narrator: Elena)
9.6 Recruit (online story, narrator: Elena)

April
10.0 Frostbitten (novel, narrator: Elena)
10.1 The List (in “Evolve 2,” narrator: Zoe)
Lucifer's Daughter (in "Blood Lite II: Overbite," narrator: Hope)
10.2 Hidden (novella, narrator: Elena)
10.3 Counterfeit Magic (novella, narrator: Paige)
10.4 Off-Duty Angel (in “The Hunter and the Hunted,” narrator: Eve)
10.5 V Plates (in “Blood Lite 3,” narrator: Nick)
10.6 Forbidden (novella, narrator: Elena)
10.7 Amityville Horrible (novella, narrator: Jaime)

May
11.0 Waking the Witch (novel, narrator: Savannah)

June
12.0 Spell Bound (novel, narrator: Savannah)

July
13.0 Thirteen (novel, narrator: Savannah)
13.1 From Russia with Love (bonus story in “Thirteen,” narrator: Elena)

Let me know if you have read any of this series & what did you think?! Also did you read the novels or the short stories first?

Update/May TBR

Found out today that Kelley Armstrong is coming to do a book signing at my local library! So excited! That's on May 22nd. Which is awesome timing because I am moving from Ontario to Nova Scotia on the 28th for my new job. So I am trying to cram in as much Ontario stuff as I can before I go. That included getting all four of my wisdom teeth out this week. Ugg. That put a bit of a damper on my plans of getting ahead on my packing, reading, etc. and instead I've just been sleeping for the past couple days.

Anyways my To Be Read list for May may be a bit ambitious but it may also be a bit more accurate than previous TBRs.

Already finished:

1. 
   The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery
    by Justin Richards
   finished: May 2
   rating: 4/5
2. 
   The Roots of Evil (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts, #4)
   by Philip Reeve
   finished: May 2
   rating: 3/5 (I would have preferred/related more with a #4/Sarah Jane Smith pairing) 

   Rest of the Month: 

   1.   Demonglass (Hex Hall, #2) by Rachel Hawkins (booksigning prep)
   2.   Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1) by Morgan Rhodes (for YT BookClub)
   3. Spell Bound (Hex Hall, #3) by Rachel Hawkins (booksigning prep)
   4. The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)  by Kelley Armstrong (booksigning prep)
      or
      Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong (booksigning prep)
      
      
      5. Tip of the Tongue (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts, #5) by Patrick Ness

April Wrap-Up

Here's the books I ended up reading/finishing reading in April. You will see they differ slightly/quite a bit from my April TBR. Oops

1. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #1)
   finished: April 2, 2013
   rating: 4/5
2. Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe (Kythan Guardians #1)
   finished: April 11, 2013
   rating: 4/5
3. The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #2)
   finished: April 18, 2013
   rating: 4/5 (surprise, surprise)
4. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall #1)
   finished: April 25, 2013
   rating: 4/5 (yes again)

At the very end of March I went to a book signing of Kelley Armstrong's in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. At that time I had several of her books on my shelves yet hadn't read any of them so I figured I'd better get cracking on them. By the time I saw her I was almost finished the Summoning and was really enjoying it. I ended up purchasing her most recent book The Rising at that event and I am looking forward to reading it but to get there I still have to read The Reckoning, the third book of the Darkest Powers trilogy, and The Gathering and The Calling the first two books of the Darkness Rising trilogy of which The Rising is the final book. Oh dear. So many books.

I read Destiny's Fire as part of the YouTube Book Club and really enjoyed it as well. I gave it a 4/5 because as much as I liked it I would have preferred more featuring the powers the characters possess than the love triangle aspects. Basically more action, less romance, but it was still a great book.

On May 25th, I am planning to attend Rachel Hawkins' booksigning in Brampton again so to prepare for this event I dusted off my Hex Hall trilogy books that have been on my shelf for what seems like ages and started to read. I read the first book Hex Hall in a day and then passed it off to my mother to read as well, as she will be coming with me to the booksigning. So onto the second book Demonglass...

April TBR

March was a slower reading month for me and I ended up straying a bit from my March TBR so here are the books I am looking to finish in April:
 
I then hope to begin (and finish if possible) the following books:
 

#FridayReads

This weekend I'm planning to finish Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe in time for the YTBookClub discussion of it on Saturday night. I am also reading The Awakening (Darkest Powers Trilogy #2) by Kelley Armstrong which is one of the books I recently got signed by Kelley at her event at Chapters in Brampton on March 30th. Also in I am slowly (in bits and pieces) listening to the audiobook of The Host by Stephenie Meyer just when I drive back and forth to work. I have missed a few days with it though as I'm not a big fan of the narrator's reading style.

Once I'm finished The Awakening I will of course be continuing onto The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3) also by Kelley Armstrong.

Let me know what you are planning to read this weekend! Please?! :)