Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 Reading Challenges: Successes and Failures

Business with school had a devastating effect on my reading time this year, and that is reflected in my challenge results. I predicted that to a certain extent and set modest goals, but still had mixed results. Ah, well. School is just a couple more years and then I hope to have a lifetime of good reading years! :)

2015 challenge sign-ups to come! (I've not been able to keep up with blog reading this year at all, so I'm going to have to go searching for reading challenges. If you have a 2015 challenge feel free to post it in the comments! I could use the help finding them!)

Challenges I Completed

The Women Challenge: I'm pleased to have completed this challenge at the highest level for the second year in a row! I completed 22 books written by women this year, which is just over half of my total books read. Yay!

Diversity on the Shelf: I completed this challenge at the lowest level, which required 1 to 6 books. I ended up reading 3. I'm glad to have succeeded in this challenge, but sort of sad that I only read 3 books (7% of my total) written by people of colour! This is definitely an area to keep improving.

Book Bingo: I did end up finishing a row! I always have a lot of squares but no rows completed, but this time I got all the squares in the top row: 1 TBR book, 1 non-fiction, 1 series book, 1 fantasy, and 1 new release. It's the easiest row on the board but hey, that's a win! :)

Challenges Where I Fell Short

The Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge: 2013 was already a big drop in numbers from previous years, so this isn't too surprising, but my numbers dropped even more in 2014, my first full calendar year of being back in school. The free time just wasn't there! I read 41 books in 2014, down quite a bit from 84 in 2013. Sad face.

The Mount TBR Reading Challenge: Alas, I fail this one every year! In previous years that's been because of review copies, but this year I didn't even have time for review copies. This year it's because of library books. As part of my librarian training I've been exploring new genres and discovering lots of new books, so my library card has been put to good use!

The Banned Books Challenge: Surprisingly, I didn't end up reading a single banned book this year!

The Seriously Series Challenge: I fell short on my goals for this one this year. But it remains a favourite challenge of mine!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Reflecting and Looking Forward

Reflecting

Wow, it's been quite a year! I was aware throughout the year that I was way behind on my book reviews and blogging in general, but I honestly didn't realise until recently just how little I blogged in 2014. Hardly at all, really, besides doing the 24 Hour Read-a-Thons and posting some monthly wrap-ups. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since my schedule for the last year has consisted mostly of going to work, coming home and doing homework, sleeping, and repeating the next day.

However, there are good things to look back on, too! As much work as it's been, I've learned a lot in school this year (I'm in library tech), and I've become more and more excited by the prospect of becoming a librarian. Recently that's been affecting my leisure reading, too. Since it's important for a librarian to be familiar with all genres for readers' advisory purposes, I've started reading popular books in genres I normally wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole (eg. romance). It's been an interesting experience and I plan to continue broadening my horizons in this way!

Also, I joined a book club! Not an online, Goodreads book club that I won't keep up with at all, but a real, live book club! This is very exciting. That's also got me reading books I normally wouldn't have picked, and I really think it's breathed some life into my reading in a year when it's been tough to fit in any fun reading at all.

Looking Forward

Despite not achieving my reading goals the last few years, I'm my usual optimistic self going into the new year. Since I'm about a year behind on my book reviews (seriously!), I've decided to wipe the slate clean in 2015. (This was not an easy decision for my OCD-tendencies self.) That way I'm not being held back by the prospect of reviewing books I don't even remember. I'll be reviewing my 2015 books as I go, and if I find myself with some extra time to write another review, I'll go back to one of those 2014 ones. The idea is that I'll mostly be writing reviews of things I just read, while they're still fresh in my mind.

My schedule probably isn't going to get any more relaxed in the next year, but I'm hopeful that, with this fresh start, I'll be better able to fit blogging into my daily rat race.

To those of you who actually read this post, and who've stuck around while I've been an absentee blogger, thank you so much!! You rock. Seriously.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Read-a-Thon Hours 23 and 24: 5:00 - 7:00

What are you reading right now? Nothing; I finished The Map of Time with half an hour to go and was too tired to pick out a new book, so decided to just spend this last bit of time writing this update, updating my Goodreads, and completing the End of Event Survey, found at the bottom of this post.

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl, The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter, Twisted by R.L. Stine, and the last 94 pages of The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma

Pages read these hours: 49

Total pages read so far: 1092

Food consumed this hour: None.

End of Event Survey:
  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The first, like, six of them. Mornings are horrible.
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? All the books I read today were perfect read-a-thon picks! As usual, I recommend Animorphs, anything by R.L. Stine, and the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. Plus YA and graphic novels in general.
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. I continue to be impressed with the people running the show!
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I pretty much kept to myself and just read, so I don't have a whole lot of feedback here.
  5. How many books did you read? 5, plus the last bit of a book I was reading before the read-a-thon.
  6. What were the names of the books you read? The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl, The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter, Twisted by R.L. Stine, and the last 94 pages of The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? They were all great, but probably The Kneebone Boy, just because it was the most different from anything I've read lately.
  8. Which did you enjoy least? George's Marvelous Medicine. It wasn't bad, but it just doesn't compare to other Dahl books I love like Matilda or James and the Giant Peach.
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I wasn't a Cheerleader, and actually, I didn't get visited by any Cheerleaders this time around.
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I will continue reading in future read-a-thons.

Read-a-Thon Hours 21 and 22: 3:00 - 5:00

What are you reading right now? The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl, The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter, Twisted by R.L. Stine

Pages read these hours: 77

Total pages read so far: 1043

Food consumed this hour: Some roasted chickpeas.

I finished my pile! With 3.5 hours to spare! OK, so it was a smaller pile than I usually have prepared, but still. So, rather than go off in search of a new book, I just resumed reading The Map of Time, which I've been reading for nearly a month (it's a rather large book) and am nearly finished. I might just finish it before the read-a-thon's over, though the energy drink seems to be wearing off a bit early...

Read-a-Thon Hours 19 and 20: 1:00 - 3:00

What are you reading right now? Twisted by R.L. Stine

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl, The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Pages read these hours: 116

Total pages read so far: 966

Food consumed this hour: None.

Oh my goodness, R.L. Stine is the king of plot twists. Can't talk now! Must find out what happens!

Read-a-Thon Hours 17 and 18: 23:00 - 1:00

What are you reading right now? Twisted by R.L. Stine

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl, The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Pages read these hours: 85

Total pages read so far: 850

Food consumed this hour: Hot chocolate and then a Monster energy drink.

I'm on the last book in my pile! And still have plenty of time to get through it. Also, feeling great from my energy drink! I'm gonna finish this one strong! (Hopefully not too strong, though. My plan is for the energy drink to wear off in time for me to fall asleep fast at the end.)

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Read-a-Thon Hours 15 and 16: 21:00 - 23:00

What are you reading right now? The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Pages read these hours: 91

Total pages read so far: 765

Food consumed this hour: Chips (Ruffles Loaded Potato Skins, which are nowhere near as good as I remembered).

Still going strong with two thirds of the read-a-thon complete! I should be finished The Kneebone Boy by my next update and be on to the last book in my pile, Twisted by R.L. Stine (part of the Point Horror series).

Read-a-Thon Hours 13 and 14: 19:00 - 21:00

What are you reading right now? The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Pages read these hours: 99

Total pages read so far: 674

Food consumed this hour: None.

Feeling great now, and reading steadily with no droopy eyelids! The Kneebone Boy was a great slightly longer read-a-thon pick. And I love the nighttime hours of the read-a-thon!

Read-a-Thon Hours 11 and 12: 17:00 - 19:00

What are you reading right now? The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison, George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Pages read these hours: 93

Total pages read so far: 575

Food consumed this hour: A banana, and some gnocchi for supper.

It's evening, so I'm starting to feel like myself! Gotta love being a night owl. I should be at my peak for the next 6 hours or so, after which I'll be dependent on an energy drink. The Kneebone Boy is enjoyable so far; it has a certain Lemony Snicket quality about it.

Read-a-Thon Hours 9 and 10: 15:00 - 17:00

What are you reading right now? George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate, Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison

Pages read these hours: 70

Total pages read so far: 482

Food consumed this hour: None.

Nearly half way! I'm always amazed how fast the daytime portion of the read-a-thon flies by. I'm just finally starting to feel a bit more alert. (When I haven't had enough sleep, evenings are pretty much the only time I feel alert.)

Read-a-Thon Hours 7 and 8: 13:00 - 15:00

What are you reading right now? Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate

Pages read these hours: 77

Total pages read so far: 412

Food consumed this hour: Some bocconcini salad. I'm quite stuffed now, thanks to me morning junk food escapades.

I must have nodded off a little bit, because I felt like I was reading the same page over and over again and suddenly I looked and I was late for my update post! So that's why my pages read these hours are not so impressive, though I'm still on track overall.

Read-a-Thon Hours 5 and 6: 11:00 - 13:00

What are you reading right now? Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate

Pages read these hours: 131

Total pages read so far: 335

Food consumed this hour: More Pull 'n Peels. I should probably eat some more real food. Sitting about reading all day with nothing to break the day up tends to result in me eating junk food steadily throughout the day, which doesn't feel that great.

Oh, Georgia Nicolson, you are such a goof. These books are endlessly entertaining, but it is also frustrating to watch Georgia fall in love with ALL THE BOYS except apparently the obviously best one (Dave the Laugh).

Read-a-Thon Hours 3 and 4: 9:00 - 11:00

What are you reading right now? Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson # 6) by Louise Rennison

How's that going? It is full of hilariosity.

Books finished so far: The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate

Pages read these hours: 99

Total pages read so far: 204

Food consumed this hour: A bowl of cereal.

There was a little bit of struggling to keep my eyelids open in hour 3, but I think my body is beginning to accept that it's daytime now. I'm also experimenting with reading in my new glasses. I just got them on Thursday, and don't really need them for reading but was told that they might make the letters crisper. Anything that might help keep my eyes from getting so tired today I'm willing to try! But it's weird reading with something on my face. My instinct is to smush my face into a pillow when I'm reading, but now there's a counter-instinct shouting "Don't break your glasses!!"

Read-a-Thon Hours 1 and 2: 7:00 - 9:00

What are you reading right now? The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate

How's that going? One thing I love about the Animorphs series is how they actually explore the tricky scientific questions that come up. In this book, we get to learn more about what happens to your excess mass when you morph a smaller animal. Plus, there's the usual intense action and moral debates. I love these books!

Books finished so far: None yet.

Pages read these hours: 105

Total pages read so far: 105

Food consumed this hour: Hot chocolate and a Pull 'n Peel. (Yes, I had candy before breakfast. It's hard getting up this early!)

Waking up at 7:00 was brutal, but I'm feeling pretty good now. My reading this year has been really unimpressive, thanks to nonstop work and homework, so it's nice to have a whole day set aside just for reading. I had to get ahead on a lot of homework to prepare for this so I'm going to enjoy it!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon begins!

Yippeeeeee! It's time for 24 hours of non-stop reading!

This one snuck up on me a bit, so I nearly didn't have a book pile ready! I totally threw it together last night. So, I'm leaving it open to mid-read-a-thon switch-ups if necessary.

Here are the books I've tentatively picked out, in no particular order:
  • The Decision (Animorphs #18) by K.A. Applegate (161 pages)
  • The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter (280 pages)
  • Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #6) by Louise Rennison (300 pages)
  • George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl (89 pages)
  • Twisted by R.L. Stine (168 pages)
That gives me a total of 998 pages. In my more successful read-a-thons I've exceeded that number, so there's a chance I'll finish this pile and have to find something else. I do have a few chapters left of The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma, so I could just finish that if I have some extra time. We'll see how I do!

Happy reading, everyone!

Friday, October 17, 2014

September 2014 Wrap-Up

Here's a summary of my book-related activity for September 2014. The Children's Hospital Book Market came around again, but I think I exercised remarkable self-control! :)

Books I read (linked to the reviews)


Broken (Women of the Otherworld #6) by Kelley Armstrong (TBR pile)
The Map of Time (Trilogía Victoriana #1) by Félix J. Palma (TBR pile) (in progress)

Books I bought


German Pioneers of Toronto
and Markham Township:
The Story of William
Moll Berczy
Hallowstone by
Brendan Myers
The Legend of Pierre
Bottineau and the
Red River Trail


The Shadow in the North
by Philip Pullman
Escape from Horrorland
by R.L. Stine
Beware! R.L. Stine Picks His
Favorite Scary Stories

Weirdo Halloween by R.L. Stine
Ancestors of Avalon
by Diana L. Paxson



Progress on challenges



I read 2 books for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I completed the following squares for the Book Bingo Challenge:

I read 0 books for the Diversity on the Shelf Challenge.

I read 0 banned or challenged books.

I read 1 book written by women.

I read 2 books for the Seriously Series Challenge.

Progress on my TBR pile: I added 8 books to my to read list and removed 2, so my pile increased by 6 this month!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

August 2014 Wrap-Up

Here's a summary of my book-related activity for August.

Books I read (linked to the reviews)

The Hunt (The Hunt #1) by Andrew Fukuda (TBR pile)
Blackwater Lights by Michael M. Hughes (NetGalley)
The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn (new book)
The Philosopher's Apprentice by James Morrow (TBR pile)

Books I bought


The Book of David
by Anonymous
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
The Kill Order by
James Dashner



Four by Veronica Roth


Progress on challenges




I read 2 books for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I completed the following squares for the Book Bingo Challenge: 3 books from my TBR pile

I read 1 book for the Diversity on the Shelf Challenge.

I read 0 banned or challenged books.

I read 1 book written by women.

I read 1 book for the Seriously Series Challenge.

Progress on my TBR pile: I added 4 books to my to read list and removed 4, so my pile stayed the same size this month!

Friday, August 8, 2014

A Three-Month Wrap-Up

Here I am! I'm still alive! :) School, work, etc., have kept me from blogging (and slowed down my reading a whole bunch, too). For the first time, I've been so busy I haven't even posted monthly wrap-ups this summer. So, here's a great big wrap-up for May, June, and July 2014!

Books I read (linked to the reviews)


May:
The Fire (Northwest Passage #4) by John A. Heldt (review copy)
The Confabulist by Steven Galloway (new book)

June:
The Fate of the Dwarves (The Dwarves #4) by Markus Heitz (TBR)

July:
Darkborn (Darkborn #1) by Alison Sinclair (TBR)
Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow (new book)

Books I bought


May:

A Boy of Good Breeding
by Miriam Toews
101 Creepy Creature Jokes
by Jovial Bob Stine
101 School Cafeteria Jokes
by Jovial Bob Stine

101 Vacation Jokes
by Jovial Bob Stine
The Bar Code Tattoo
by Suzanne Weyn
101 Silly Monster Jokes
by Jovial Bob Stine

June: none!

July:

For Elise by
Oriole A. Vane Veldhuis
Hollow Earth by John
Barrowman & Carole E. Barrowman
"When Did You See Her Last?"
by Lemony Snicket


Another Pan by
Daniel & Dina Nayeri
The Kneebone Boy
by Ellen Potter

Pirate Cinema by
Cory Doctorow


Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Zia by Scott O'Dell
Indiana Jones and the Giants
of the Silver Tower
by R.L. Stine

The Beast Handbook
by Jovial Bob Stine
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized
Autobiography
It's the First Day of School...
Forever! by R.L. Stine

The Treasures of Weatherby
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Reading Lolita in Tehran
by Azar Nafisi




Books I bought at the Children's Hospital Book Market in May


The Morgaine Saga
by C.J. Cherryh
Jack of Kinrowan
by Charles de Lint
The Whim of the Dragon
by Pamela Dean

The Dead of Midnight
by Catherine Hunter
Apocalypse of the Dead
by Joe McKinney
Manitoba Book of Everything


Bone Dance
by Emma Bull


Books I got for my birthday in May!


Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
Freefall by Joss Whedon

Books I got for contributing to a Kickstarter campaign


The Seekers by Brendan Myers

Books I got for free!


Can you believe someone left a hardcover copy of Under the Dome (in great condition!) in my apartment's foyer, in the spot where people leave stuff they don't want? Sweet!

Under the Dome
by Stephen King
Crisis by Robin Cook


Progress on challenges



I read 2 books for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I completed the following squares for the Book Bingo Challenge:

I read 0 books for the Diversity on the Shelf Challenge.

I read 0 banned or challenged books.

I read 1 book written by women.

I read 3 books for the Seriously Series Challenge.

Progress on my TBR pile:
May: I added 15 books to my to read list and removed 2, so my pile increased by 13 this month!
June: I added 0 books to my to read list and removed 1, so my pile decreased by 1 this month!
July: I added 16 books to my to read list and removed 2, so my pile increased by 14 this month!

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

April 2014 Wrap-Up

Here's a summary of my book-related activity for April. There was a 24 Hour Read-a-Thon, which allowed me to finally make some progress! On the other hand, there was a Children's Hospital Book Market, which means I also bought more books than usual. I regret nothing.

Books I read (linked to the reviews)

Canadian Government in Transition by Robert J. Jackson and Doreen Jackson (textbook)
The Underground (Animorphs #17) by K.A. Applegate (TBR pile)
Namesake by Sue MacLeod (new book)
Away Laughing on a Fast Camel (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #5) by Louise Rennison (re-read)
Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon, et. al. (TBR pile)
Summer of My Amazing Luck by Miriam Toews (TBR pile)
Blind Date by R.L. Stine (TBR pile)

Books I bought


Namesake by Sue MacLeod
Pink by Lili Wilkinson



Books I bought at the Children's Hospital Book Market (they deserve their own heading)


White Tiger
by Kylie Chan
Assassin's Apprentice
by Robin Hobb
WebMage by
Kelly McCullough


Abhorsen by Garth Nix
George's Marvelous Medicine
by Roald Dahl
Zapped in Space
by R.L. Stine


Lady of Avalon by
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Shelf Life by various





Books I won in the Goodreads First Reads program


The Confabulist by Steven Galloway


Progress on challenges



I didn't pick a Random Read this month since I still haven't read my March Random Read.

I read 4 books for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I completed the following squares for the Book Bingo Challenge: 2 books from my TBR pile, 2 books that are part of a series, FREE SQUARE

I read 0 books for the Diversity on the Shelf Challenge.

I read 0 banned or challenged books.

I read 4 books written by women.

I read 2 books for the Seriously Series Challenge.

Progress on my TBR pile: I added 11 books to my to read list and removed 6, so my pile increased by 5 this month!