Bout of Books 10.0: The Finish Line

Has a week already passed? This was definitely the fastest week I've had in quite some time. Fast mostly because it was just really, really busy.

Books read:

Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Number of pages read: 807

So I didn't quite accomplish my goals. I did not read four books - I didn't even get through three complete books. I didn't participate in any Twitter chats or challenges or interact with any other bloggers.

But I refuse to see this as a failure. Because you know what? Going to a Brewers game this week (which they won) and hanging out with my family and boyfriend for my brother's graduation this past weekend were more than worth it.

So no complaints here.

Well, one: I should have borrowed an audiobook from the library. The amount of driving I did this week would have enabled me to read an audiobook (or at least the majority of one). Poor planning on that end, I suppose. But now I know for next time!

If you were also a participant, please let me know how you fared!

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Bout of Books 10

It's time for another Bout of Books! I love how Bout of Books always seems to occur at a time when I can really devote my spare time to doing little more than reading. It's been super convenient like that for me. It won't be quite as convenient this week, but I think I can make it work.

For a recap of what Bout of Books is:

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 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

My reading options for this week include:

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard (I already started this one and it needs to be finished before Friday.)

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

These are nearly all YA contemporaries, and for good reason. I find that YA contemporaries are generally faster reads and much easier to process. I love worldbuilding in speculative fiction (along with many of its other elements), but if I'm going for speed (and enjoyment at the same time), then contemporaries are better suited for this challenge for me.

I'm going to be ambitious and attempt to get through 4 of these books. In addition to working full-time, I'm most likely attending a baseball game on Tuesday night (go Brewers!) and have festivities for my brother's college graduation on both Saturday and Sunday. But what's the point of setting goals that are easy to achieve? And maybe this time I'll even interact with other Bout of Book-ers through challenges and twitter chats.

Please let me know if you’re participating in the current Bout of Books as well so we can cheer each other on! 

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Bout of Books 9.0: The Finish Line

And so another Bout of Books has come to an end. 

Books read:
Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian
Parallel by Lauren Miller
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (re-read)

Total number of pages read: 1135

I didn't end up reading quite as much as I'd hoped (both in amount of books/pages read and in the amount of time I actually devoted to reading this week). It's a bit more than my normal reading week, but not by much.  What can I say except that I really dislike rushing through books, apparently. I like to savor my reading experiences.

As for the other two books I had on my original list for Bout of Books (Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira and "Poison Dance" by Livia Blackburne), I plan on getting to both of those very soon. 

Once again, I used this read-a-thon purely as a personal challenge and missed any and all community interactions. At one point I'll actually participate in those too! It's going to be a new personal goal of mine.

If you were a participant, please let me know how you fared.

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Bout of Books 9.0

It’s that time again: time for another Bout of Books, and I’m definitely ready for it. By the time this posts, hopefully I’ll already have started my first book. I’m considering this to be my last huge read-a-thon before I start slowing down on my reading somewhat to focus on my writing.

For a recap on what Bout of Books is:

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

My reading options for this week include:

“Poison Dance” by Livia Blackburn
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian
Parallel by Lauren Miller

I’ll be happy if I can even get through three of the novels and the novella, but I’ll see what happens.

Be sure to let me know if you’re participating in the current Bout of Books as well. And for those who are: good luck!

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Bout of Books 7.0: The Finish Line

Bout of Books 7.0 has officially ended. And how did I fare?

Books read:
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Unfortunately I was unable to read Jandy Nelson's The Sky is Everywhere this week, but I do plan on reading it within the upcoming few weeks.

I think my participation in Bout of Books 7.0 was more individual than anything else. I missed twitter chats and didn't participate in any of the mini-challenges. (I also feel a bit like I don't quite understand how everything works. I think I'll have to better research future read-a-thons so I can make sure I'm an active participant, as well as an active reader!)

My two biggest takeaways from this week:
1. Reading two books a week is completely doable, and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to read three books or more during less-busy weeks.
2. Contemporaries may be quicker reads, but I have to be better aware of the subject matter before deciding to read a number of contemporaries in a row. All three of the books I read dealt with protagonists coping with death and heavy situations. Based on my recent family situation, they were cathartic to a point, but then just started becoming a bit depressing. I could have switched up the books I was reading, but I became kind of invested in those choices. But perhaps knowing the subject matter of The Sky is Everywhere (death of a sister) made me reluctant to finish the other books quickly enough to start it. As I said, I will be reading The Sky is Everywhere eventually, but for now I'll be reading some decidedly non-contemporary books.

Be sure to keep a lookout for reviews of the above-mentioned books in June! And thanks to On a Book Bender and Reading the Paranormal for organizing the event! I promise I'll be a better participant next time!

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Bout of Books 7.0

With my class now over, I now have close to two months of free evenings. To celebrate that fact, I decided to participate in my first read-a-thon ever! 

What is Bout of Books?

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

Due to a particularly busy schedule right now, lately I've only been averaging about one and a half books per week. For this read-a-thon, I'm trying to up my numbers and read four full books (we'll see how likely that really is). The books that I hope to read are:

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby 

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson 

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers 

How to Save a Life by Sarah Zarr 

And, if by some miracle I still have time:
The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson 

Contemporaries are usually quicker reads for me, so that's why those are my main picks. I adore the world-building that comes with speculative fiction, but if I'm trying to get through books at a faster pace this week, then I don't want to have to worry about figuring out world-building as I read. Except for The Crown of Embers, which is a sequel so I feel as though I already have a good understanding of the world-building there. 

I also want to make a concerted effort to work on my twitter presence and interact with bloggers. There's still a little time before the event starts, so if you're interested in signing up, please go here.

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