#ayearathon January 2015 Wrap-Up

During this past week I participated in the #ayearathon by attempting to read the group book choice of this month's read-a-thon, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.

Here is the synopsis of this book which has since been made into a movie (that I have yet to see):
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.


My initial impressions:

It took me a little while to get used to the narrator being Death, and remembering that as the story progressed (as there are times when the story seems to not have a narrator at all before "he" appears again). Also I didn't care for the times when Death was too impatient to let the story progress before the reader finds out a character's ultimate fate and instead tells you seeming out of the blue sometimes years ahead of the natural story progression.


I also realized that this is the first book I remember reading from the perspective of the Germans that sheltered Jews during WWII instead of the perspective of those being sheltered. Which was a nice change.


Progress:

During the RAT I wasn't able to complete this book. I did however read 366 of 550 pages this week. I hope to be able to finish this book soon as I was enjoying it very much (despite Death at times) and am now even more eager to watch the movie as I have heard from several sources that it is well worth seeing.


Have you read The Book Thief and/or seen the movie? If so what did you think? (remember I don't know how it ends, officially, yet)

#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

April Wrap-Up

Here's the books I have finished in the month of April.

1. Twilight (Twilight #1) by Stephenie Meyer -  finished April 4, 2014 - rated 3/5
2. The Goddess Hunt (Goddess Test #1.5) by Aimee Carter - finished April 4, 2014 - rated 4/5
3. The Shadow Throne (The Ascendance Trilogy #3) by Jennifer A. Neilsen - finished Apr 8, 2014 - rated 4/5
4. Doctor Who: Snowglobe 7 (audiobook) by Mike Tucker - Apr 12, 2014 - 3/5
5. The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew #1) by Carolyn Keene - Apr 12 - 4/5
6. The Woman in White (audiobook) by Wilkie Collins - Apr 12 - 4/5
7. The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew #2) by Carolyn Keene - Apr 13 - 4/5
8. The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew #3) by Carolyn Keene - Apr 21 - 4/5
9. Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2) by Aimee Carter - Apr 22 - 3/5
10. Girl with Glasses: My Optic History by Marissa Walsh - Apr 29 - 3/5

Bout of Books 8.0 - Wrap-up

And so ends yet another read-a-thon. Bout of Books 8.0 officially ended Sunday at midnight. After 7 long days I'd have to say I'm fairly pleased with how I did. Although I didn't finish all the books I had included in my TBR at the start I was still able to read well over 150 pages a day. My original goal of 150 pages for Monday to Thursday and then 250 pages Friday to Sunday would have totalled 1350 pages, only 90 pages more than what I did accomplish and I picked up a couple other books that I hadn't planned on.

Rapture by Lauren Kate: This first book I had started prior to the RAT and then finished during it, banking 268 pages. I gave it 4/5 (though a slightly lesser 4/5 than the 4/5 I gave its predecessor, Passion). I listened to the audiobook by the lovely Justine Eyre. She does such a great job with giving each character a recognizable voice. I listened to it over Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

 

Blood Brothers in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: This  next book I also started prior to the read-a-thon but dispite a valiant attempt I didn't finish it during the week (Monday, Tuesday & Saturday) as I found its small print was eating up my time & the storyline (so far) wasn't intriguing me enough to want me to read the next page, the next chapter, etc. I hope to finish it sometime soon though when I get more time to devote to it. I had such high hopes for this book. I banked 48 pages with this book.

Hard Run by Tsugumi Ohba: The first book I picked up and began once the read-a-thon started was this next book. I also finished in completely on Monday, banking 193 pages and giving it 4/5 as I continue with the Death Note series of graphic novels.

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova: Continuing with my planned TBR, I picked up this adult contemporary book on Tuesday. I continued reading it Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, banking 322 pages and giving it 5/5 as I absolutely loved it! It really changed my outlook on life and how we take for granted things like knowing left exists and being able to see the left side of the world around us. It is also a definite contender for one of my favourite books of the year and for sure my favourite book I read during this RAT. Not my favourite cover for this book but here's the one I read:

Spore by Alex Scarrow: On Saturday I also bought/downloaded this short story which is #8 in the Doctor Who E-Shorts series which are released one per month on the 23rd and are each based on a reincarnation of The Doctor from the first (William Hartnell) to the eleventh (Matt Smith) by well-known children's authors. This one was thus based on the Eighth reincarnation played by Paul McGann, whom was only seen in Doctor Who the movie in 1996 however there are several books that depict more of his adventures. This e-short banked 40 pages towards my total and I gave it 4/5 stars. My most anticipated ebook in this series will be that of the tenth doctor, David Tennant, which will be released this October.

Love by Tsugumi Ohba: After such an emotional and thought prevoking book like Left Neglected I needed something fun to keep my reading going. That's where this book came in, the fourth in the Death Note series of graphic novels. I picked it up on Saturday and finished it the next day, banking 204 pages and giving it also a 4/5 as this one came out with some pretty funny lines that had me laughing out loud at times. Just what I needed.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: By Saturday I realized I was missing out on adding to my page counts because I no longer had an audiobook on the go. Time when I was merely driving back and forth to work, and cooking and eating dinner were time being wasted as I was unable to read/hold a physical book at the same time. So I started this one. I love Maggie Stiefvater's books in audio as they always include some music at the beginning and end that she composed and performed herself. I also figured, since I also had a hardcopy of this book, that I could switch back and forth between the two mediums based on the situation. This was enjoyable but I found I was often relistening to sections of the book I had physically read just to read had the narrator said and name or how a new character's accent came across. I am still making my way through this book/audiobook but banked 185 pages of it during the RAT (Saturday and Sunday).

Here's my totals:

Day One/Monday: 250 pages
Day Two/Tuesday: 41 pages
Day Three/Wednesday: 199 pages
Day Four/Thursday: 166 pages
Day Five/Friday: 111 pages
Day Six/Saturday: 301 pages
Day Seven/Sunday: 193 pages

Weekly Total: 1260 pages
Daily Average: 180 pages
Books/Graphic Novels/Novellas Finished: 5
Partial Reads: 2

Let me know how you did if you participated in this read-a-thon, if you've read any of these books and would like to share your opinion (spoiler-free) on them, or if you have anything else you'd like to share!

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...