Wednesday, December 30, 2015

2016 LGBTQIA Challenge


This reading challenge is for books that feature a main character who is LGBTQIA. This goes well with my ongoing efforts to diversify my reading. I'll be starting off easy with level Orange - 6-12 books.

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below.
  1. Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor
  2. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Honourable mentions:
  1. MRS by Noa Grey: The friend of one of the main characters is a lesbian.
  2. Deadlight Jack by Mark Onspaugh: There is a lesbian couple in the extended cast of characters (the parents of the missing boy at the centre of the plot).
  3. Roses and Rot by Kat Howard: There is a side character who is bi or pan.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

2016 Alphabet Soup Challenge


An alphabet challenge!! I used to love the A-Z Reading Challenge, which sadly hasn't happened in the last couple of years, so I'm glad to find another challenge with the same idea! The goal is to read one book with a title starting with each letter of the alphabet. Technically for Q, X, and Z you're allowed to use a book with the letter anywhere in the title, but that's not how I roll. I have books already on my to-read shelf starting with every letter except X, and it's easy to find X books at the library (pro-tip: graphic novels).

I won't be choosing my books ahead of time. I'll just fill in the spots beside the letters below as I read, and gradually find books for the letters I'm missing.

A: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
B: Born With Teeth by Kate Mulgrew
C: Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
D: Dead Boy by Laurel Gale
E: The Exposed (Animorphs #27) by K.A. Applegate
F: Fairest of All (Whatever After #1) by Sarah Mlynowski
G: The Girlfriend by R.L. Stine
H: Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs
I: The Insomniacs by Karina Wolf
J:
K:
L: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
M: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel by Ransom Riggs and Cassandra Jean
N: No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld #7) by Kelley Armstrong
O: Out From Boneville (Bone #1) by Jeff Smith
P: Princeless, vol. 1-3 by Jeremy Whitley
Q:
R: Room by Emma Donoghue
S: Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor
T: That Is Not a Good Idea by Mo Willems
U: The Unremembered Lands (The Courageous Princess #2) by Rod Espinosa
V:
W: Winds of L'Acadie by Lois Donovan
X: Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park
Y:
Z:

Sunday, December 20, 2015

2016 Banned Books Challenge


I found another challenge to join! For the Banned Books Challenge I'll be trying to read some books that have been banned or challenged. Yay intellectual freedom! I'm going for the level of Trouble-Maker, which requires me to read 3 to 5 banned or challenged books.

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below.
  1. The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
  2. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Thursday, December 10, 2015

2016 NetGalley Reading Challenge


Now this is a challenge I really need to do! My NetGalley score is... not good. I've pretty much left it alone in the last year or so, but for a while I was requesting way too many books, not even realising that I'd never be able to read them all in time. Much the way I buy books, actually...

I'd need to do the Hardcore level (41+ books) to get my score back up to the recommended 80%, but that's just not realistic for me while I'm still in school. So I'll be starting out with the Easy level (5-10 books), and then if I'm doing really well I can move up a level later in the year. As long as I read every single book I request on there, I'll at least be bumping my score up little by little!

I'll list the NetGalleys I read this year below, and link them to the reviews as I write them. (And for this challenge, I really need to actually get around to writing them!)
  1. MRS by Noa Grey
  2. Deadlight Jack by Mark Onspaugh

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

2016 Dystopia Reading Challenge


I love dystopias, and according to my Goodreads shelves I currently have 17 of them on my TBR pile. So, I will be joining the Dystopia Reading Challenge with an initial goal of Rebel, which requires reading and reviewing 6 to 10 dystopias. I'm planning to finish a few of the series I'm in the middle of, and maybe discover some new ones along the way.

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below.
  1. Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
  2. The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kierra Cass
  3. The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kierra Cass
  4. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
  5. Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

2016 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge


It's time to do another Finishing the Series challenge! I am in the middle of SO MANY series. I need to finish a few of them. In particular, I need to finish some of the popular YA series that I'm at constant risk of spoilers from. (I haven't read Allegiant yet. I have already gotten spoilers from that one and need to read the book before I get any more.)

I'm signing up for Level 3 (Experienced), which requires completion of 3-6 series. I don't know how many I'll get to, but some of the series I'd like to finish include Divergent (1 book left), Chaos Walking (2 books left), The Selection (3 books left plus some short stories), Maze Runner (2 books left [that are out already] plus some short stories), The Lunar Chronicles (2 books left plus some short stories), and Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (3 books left). That's just off the top of my head! Hopefully I get through a few of those, at least.

I'll list the series I finish below throughout the year.
  1. The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
  2. Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
  3. The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh

2016 Read the Books You Buy Challenge


In a way, it's kind of strange to be signing up for both this challenge and the Mount TBR Reading Challenge. But Mount TBR has me chipping away at the mountain, while this challenge should help me keep the mountain from growing, so in a way they complement each other.

From what I gather from my Goodreads shelves, I bought about 98 books in 2015 (seriously?! I felt like I was doing better than that...), and of those I read... 6. Yes, really. What's the point of buying books (especially new books) if I'm not going to read them any time soon?

So, I will be joining this challenge at the level of Moderately Successful, meaning that I'll be aiming to read 40-60% of the books I buy in 2016.

I'll list all the books I buy below, and strike them out as I read them.
  1. The Good Book: A Humanist Bible compiled by A.C. Grayling
  2. The Earth, the Gods and the Soul: A History of Pagan Philosophy from the Iron Age to the 21st Century by Brendan Myers
  3. Your Mouth Is Lovely by Nancy Richler
  4. The Free World by David Bezmozgis
  5. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  6. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
  7. Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4) by Christopher Paolini
  8. More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
  9. The Extreme Searcher's Internet Handbook: A Guide for the Serious Searcher
  10. The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong by L. Tam Holland
  11. I, Bificus by Bif Naked
  12. Tale of the Blue Monkey (Ghosts of Fear Street #29) by R.L. Stine
  13. Son of Slappy (Goosebumps Most Wanted #2) by R.L. Stine
  14. The Streets of Panic Park (Goosebumps Horrorland #12) by R.L. Stine
  15. Trapped in the Circus of Fear (Give Yourself Goosebumps Special Edition #3) by R.L. Stine
  16. Slappy's Nightmare (Goosebumps Series 2000 #23) by R.L. Stine
  17. The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa
  18. The Crown (The Selection #5) by Kiera Cass
  19. Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay
  20. Hexed (The Witch Hunter #1) by Michelle Krys
  21. Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3) by Ransom Riggs
  22. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne
  23. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer
  24. I've Got Aspergers, So I'm Better Than You. Shh... Don't Tell Mom! by Adam Schwartz
  25. Transcendent by Katelyn Detweiler
  26. Dangerous Girls (Dangerous Girls #1) by R.L. Stine
  27. Valkyrie Rising (Valkyrie #1) by Ingrid Paulson
  28. My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
  29. Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
  30. Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
  31. Tombstone Blues (Thunder Road #2) by Chadwick Ginther
  32. Knit Two (Friday Night Knitting Club #2) by Kate Jacobs
  33. Web of Angels by Lilian Nattel
  34. Two Viking Romances by Anonymous
  35. Along Came a Wolf (The Yellow Hoods #1) by Adam Dreece
  36. Enslavement (One Bright Future #1) by Melinda Friesen
  37. Red Nexus by Benoit Chartier
  38. Doc Christmas by Neil Enock

Monday, December 7, 2015

2016 Mount TBR Reading Challenge



In 2015, I finally completed this challenge!! So I will once again be signing up for the lowest level, Pike's Peak, which only requires me to read 12 books from Mount TBR. Since going back to college my reading time has been sadly limited (it's December and I'm sitting at 39 for 2015... still hoping to go nuts and hit 50!). Also, I recently started working at a library: awesome for me, bad for my TBR pile!

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below, and link to reviews as I publish them.
  1. No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld #7) by Kelley Armstrong
  2. Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
  3. Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson
  4. The Attack (Animorphs #26) by K.A. Applegate
  5. Spike Omnibus by various authors
  6. The Girlfriend by R.L. Stine
  7. The Prairie Dog Conspiracy by Eric Wilson
  8. Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs
  9. Startled by His Furry Shorts (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #7) by Louise Rennison
  10. Love Is a Many Trousered Thing (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #8) by Louise Rennison
  11. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
  12. The Exposed (Animorphs #27) by K.A. Applegate
  13. The Experiment (Animorphs #28) by K.A. Applegate
  14. The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass
  15. The Sickness (Animorphs #29) by K.A. Applegate
  16. Stop in the Name of Pants! (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #9) by Louise Rennison
  17. The New Girl (Fear Street #1) by R.L. Stine
  18. Stars in Her Eyes (Sparkstone Saga #1) by Clare C. Marshall

2016 Anne Rice Challenge - My Challenge Goals


This is my sign-up post for the 2016 Anne Rice Challenge. If you want to join the challenge, sign up here!

I'm signing up for this challenge at the level of Lestat de Lioncourt, which means I want to read 6 to 10 Anne Rice books. I currently own 10 of her books that I haven't read yet, so I plan to keep reading those in publishing order and see how many of them I can fit into 2016. These are the 10 books I have (though it's unlikely I'll get to all 10 of them):

  • Servant of the Bones
  • Violin
  • Pandora (New Tales of the Vampires #1)
  • Vittorio the Vampire (New Tales of the Vampires #2)
  • Merrick (The Vampire Chronicles #7)
  • Blood and Gold (The Vampire Chronicles #8)
  • Blackwood Farm (The Vampire Chronicles #9)
  • Blood Canticle (The Vampire Chronicles #10)
  • Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
  • Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

2016 Anne Rice Challenge - Sign Up Post


Copy the code below to add the challenge badge to your blog!

It's back!!! In 2012 and 2013 I ran the Anne Rice Reading Challenge, but then I went back to school and haven't had time to set it up since. I'm still in school, but I missed it so much I decided to bring it back anyway! The challenge is simple: read Anne Rice books! Set a goal for how many you want to read, and then go for it.

Rules:
  • Ebooks and audiobooks count.
  • Rereads and crossovers with other challenges are likewise just fine.
  • You can change your level at any time.
  • The challenge goes from January 1 to December 31, 2016.
  • If you read, for example, the edition that has the first 3 Vampire Chronicles books together in one volume, that still counts as 3. We're going by how the books were originally published.
  • All books written by Anne Rice count, including those written under a pseudonym.
  • You can sign up at any time from now until November 30, 2016.

Levels:
  • Louis de Pointe du Lac (1 to 5 books)
  • Lestat de Lioncourt (6 to 10 books)
  • Armand (11 to 15 books)
  • Marius de Romanus (16 to 20 books)
  • Maharet (21 to 25 books)
  • Akasha (26 or more books)

(Because I've been asked in the past, I'll just clarify that these levels are indeed named according to the ages of various vampires, and are in no way meant to indicate my preference for them or anything like that.)

To sign up, please leave a comment on this post and include a link to your sign up post (not just the main page of your blog). If you're not a blogger, feel free to link to your Goodreads profile or wherever you'll post about the challenge. I'll edit this post with the list of participants. Once the challenge starts I'll make a post with a review link-up.

Participants
  1. Lianne @ The Towering Pile
  2. Carol @ Open Page

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: The End!

It's over!! I am so ready for sleep. I read a total of 955 pages! Here's my closing survey:

1) Which hour was most daunting for you? I had a few tough spots, but I think the last few hours were toughest this time.

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? The Animorphs books never let me down!

3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope!

4) What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I was on the computer so little today that I didn't even keep up with the hourly blog posts, so I really couldn't say!

5) How many books did you read? 5 and a bit

6) What were the names of the books you read? The Discovery (Animorphs #20) by K.A. Applegate, The Threat (Animorphs #21) by K.A. Applegate, The Snowman by R.L. Stine, The Solution (Animorphs #22) by K.A. Applegate, The Babysitter II by R.L. Stine, and part of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner.

7) Which book did you enjoy most? The 3 Animorphs books were a trilogy and sort of blended together; I think I enjoyed reading them the most.

8) Which did you enjoy least? The Snowman was a bit disappointing compared to the other Point Horror books I've read.

9) If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I wasn't a cheerleader, but appreciated the comments they left for me on my blog posts!

10) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I'll continue to participate as a reader.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Middle of the Night

So, it's now past midnight, and the late evening hours did not go as well as I'd hoped! I've been reading The Scorch Trials, and it's good, but I'm just feeling bogged down and I keep dozing off and reading the same page 20 times.

Time to switch books! I'm gonna finish off that Animorphs trilogy I started this morning, and come back to The Scorch Trials later.

Total pages read so far: 639

Books Completed:

1) The Discovery (Animorphs #20) by K.A. Applegate
2) The Threat (Animorphs #21) by K.A. Applegate
3) The Snowman by R.L. Stine
3.5) A good chunk of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Half Way!


1. What are you reading right now? The Snowman by R.L. Stine

2. How many books have you read so far? I'm on my third book.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? The first two books I read (Animorphs books) turned out to be two parts of a trilogy, so I've added the third book to my pile and am looking forward to seeing how it ends!

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Only the expected, pleasant interruptions. (I had a friend over for the afternoon so much less reading was done than in the other hours.) But the second half is gonna be non-stop reading!

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I think I've done enough of these (this is my 9th!) to be beyond surprises, to be honest. And I haven't really been online much so it's just been me and the books.

The first half has gone pretty well! Even with friend time in there, I've read 2.5 books so far, with a total of 441 pages. Since I expect to read more pages in the second half, I'll probably hit 1000 pages! And make some good progress on my reading challenges, too.

Happy reading, all!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Begin!

It's time for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon!!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, which I included because I want to read the book before I see the movie.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Thai coconut soup. Mmmm...

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I love Halloween! (I feel like I'm running out of new things to say about myself for these memes.)

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? One thing I'll be doing differently this time around is that I haven't set up posts for updates every 2 hours. I'll just be updating whenever I feel like it.

Are you read-a-thoning today? Let me know in the comments so I can follow your progress too! Happy reading! :)

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Write On Review-a-Thon Sign Up


It's been great having the time to write reviews again on this little break from my college courses. But I don't want my blog to hibernate again when school starts back up in September! So I'm hoping to have as many reviews as possible written and ready to publish, to make keeping the blog going between assignments easier. Hence, a review-a-thon!

Part of signing up for the Write On Review-a-Thon is listing the things you reviews you need to complete. So here are the books I hope to write reviews for during the 3 day event:
  • Righteous Fury by Markus Heitz
  • Club Monstrosity by Jesse Peterson
  • Medusa Jones by Ross Collins
  • Donuts by Julia Dweck
I'd list more, but I'm a bridesmaid in a wedding that Friday (yay!), so that's one day totally out for this challenge. Also, I might change this list a bit if I review some of them before the challenge starts, but my goal will remain writing four reviews.

Monday, August 10, 2015

The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh

Title: The Faceless One
Author: Mark Onspaugh
Publication Date: October 28, 2013
Length: approx. 410 pages (ebook)

When an archaeological dig in Alaska unearths an ancient mask, an evil god called the faceless one is unleashed. While he can't reach full power until someone puts on the mask, he still manages to brutally murder anyone who comes into contact with it. Jimmy Kalmaku, a Tlingit shaman who is now living in a Seattle retirement home, is the only one with the knowledge required to return the faceless one to his icy prison.

This book was unlike any horror novel I've ever read. First of all, the use of Tlingit mythology was a refreshing change. Jimmy is guided in his mission by Raven, and has to make use of the shamanic skills his uncle taught him when he was a child. I don't know enough about the Tlingit to judge the accuracy, but it certainly felt real.

Jimmy is a great character with a lot of depth. Trained to be his village's shaman as a kid, he came into the position just as his people began to adopt the white people's ways. Now, living in a retirement home far removed from his native land and from his traditional ways, he feels disconnected. George, Jimmy's best friend, is also a delight, always a loyal friend and eager for an adventure.

If I have one complaint about this book it's that Jimmy and George didn't get enough focus, as the story also follows a number of other characters, including the family of the first victim, a New York cop who starts off investigating the murder and gets more involved than he'd planned on, and various lawyers who are connected to the case. The cop, Stan Roberts, does have a good story line of his own and is well-developed, but Jimmy and George were my favourites.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book was. And while the ending wraps up the story nicely, it does leave an opening for a possible sequel, so here's hoping!

5 stars. Highly recommended for horror fans looking for something a bit out of the ordinary.

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison

Title: Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #4)
Author: Louise Rennison
Publication Date: 2002
Length: 214 pages

Warning: This is a review of the fourth book in the series, and may therefore contain spoilers from earlier books. My review of the first book is here.

Georgia is still with the Sex God (Robbie), but he keeps going away on trips related to his rock star status, leaving Georgia all-aloney-on-her-owney. Meanwhile, Ellen is kind of dating Dave the Laugh, even while Georgia keeps accidentally kissing him. Much like in the previous book, Georgia can't seem to resist Dave, even while she's sure she wants to be with Robbie. And now that Dave's with Ellen, she's also got some jealousy and guilt going on.

The usual hilarious writing in this series had me laughing the whole way, and the ending was particularly satisfying for me (which hopefully doesn't give it away too much). There's not much to say about this book since it didn't have the major events that some of them do, but it's still a great read that had me giggling all the while.

5 stars.

Friday, July 31, 2015

July 2015 Wrap-Up

Here's a summary of my book-related activity for July. It was my first full month with no homework in over two years! It was wonderful to have more time to read, and to catch up on some blogging activities. I've already scheduled a few posts, and I'm hoping to write enough by the end of August to keep this blog active during the school year.

Books I read


Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds (new book)
The Boyfriend by R.L. Stine (TBR pile)
From Anna by Jean Little (library book)
Medusa Jones by Ross Collins (library book)
Winnipeg 1912 by Jim Blanchard (new book) (in progress)
The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler (TBR pile) (in progress)
Righteous Fury by Markus Heitz (new book) (in progress)
The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh (NetGalley) (in progress)


Books I bought


Brewing Evil: A Witch is Born
by Carol Gardarsson
Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson
The Wooden Sea
by Jonathan Carroll


Dealing With Dragons
by Patricia C. Wrede
I Am a Taxi by
Deborah Ellis
Shatter Me by
Tahereh Mafi


Not a Drop to Drink
by Mindy McGinnis


Progress on challenges



I read 2 books for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I read 1 book for the Diversity on the Shelf Challenge/Show Your Shelves Some Love Challenge.

I read 1 book written by women.

I read 2 books written by Canadian authors.

Progress on my TBR pile: I added 7 books to my to read list and removed 6, so my pile increased by 1 this month.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

The Book of David by Anonymous

Title: The Book of David
Author: Anonymous
Publication Date: June 2014
Length: 272 pages

Following the tradition of Go Ask Alice, The Book of David is written as if it were the diary of David, a gay teen living in the American South.

When Jon moves to town, the attraction between him and David is immediate and undeniable. But David is in total denial, so he spends much of the book trying to figure out his identity, all while trying desperately to hide his attraction to Jon from his family and friends. Eventually the truth comes out, and each person in David's life makes it clear whether or not they really care about him.

David's story is painful to read. He lives in a town that is still very backwards and where he knows he won't be accepted. I don't know if there really are still places in the U.S. that are that bad, but certainly there are still people as bad as those who don't accept David. This book made my heart break for every kid who has to worry about coming out to those kinds of people.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the woman-hating. Like, just because you aren't attracted to girls, doesn't mean you have to be a jerk about it, you know? I felt bad for Monica, dating a closeted gay guy who constantly gives her a hard time about not wanting to have sex with him.

But the budding relationship between David and Jon was sweet, and the characters who stand up for them are good enough people that the story has a happy side to it. Even though David's coming out has some pretty major consequences in his life, the story still ends with hope for a better future.

4 stars.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

High Summer Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up


This read-a-thon was exactly what I needed right now. Sometimes when you're used to being so busy, it can be hard to force yourself to relax and just enjoy some reading when you do have time. The High Summer Read-a-Thon this year came at just the right time to force me to chill out. :)

I didn't quite meet my goal of finishing three books, but I did come close. I read The Boyfriend by R.L. Stine (165 pages) and From Anna by Jean Little (205 pages) start to finish. Aside from that, I read an unknown number of pages of Righteous Fury by Markus Heitz and of Winnipeg 1912 by Jim Blanchard, both of which were already in progress before the read-a-thon started.

Thanks to Michelle for hosting these read-a-thons! I appreciated them more last week than ever before.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

High Summer Read-a-Thon Update Post - July 20-26, 2015


It's time for some lovely, relaxed reading time! I said when I signed up that my goal would be to read three books. As it happens, I'm in the middle of three books right now (which isn't my usual reading style, but just kind of happened): Righteous Fury by Markus Heitz (a novel), Winnipeg 1912 by Jim Blanchard (non-fiction), and The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler (short stories). I think I'll keep working on the books I'm already reading, but may also throw in a short book or two, like an R.L. Stine book, since those are my preferred read-a-thon fare.

Updates:

July 20: I read a few pages of Righteous Fury by Markus Heitz before falling asleep. It was a busy day!

July 21: Because I felt like something new, I picked up The Boyfriend by R.L. Stine, which is the next book in his Point Horror novels that I've been reading. I read 59 pages of it. For a moment I actually thought I'd figured out the twist and was disappointed, but then I realised I was wrong! So I'm looking forward to the usual twist-out-of-nowhere that makes me love this series so much.

July 22: I read the rest of The Boyfriend (holy plot twists, R.L. Stine!), and then read a few pages of Righteous Fury.

July 23: I read From Anna by Jean Little, cover to cover, 211 pages. I picked this one up at the library while looking for some kids' books to review for Blanket Fort Reviews. I had no idea it would be so wonderful!

July 24: Not much time for reading today. Just a few pages of Righteous Fury I think. I've been falling asleep so quickly at night! Which is good, though not for my reading progress.

July 25: I started reading Medusa Jones by Ross Collins, which is a kids' book I got at the library. I read 39 pages of it.

July 26: I didn't get much reading in today. Just my usual few pages of Righteous Fury before bed.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds

Title: Century Rain
Author: Alastair Reynolds
Publication Date: 2004
Length: 530 pages

Century Rain starts off with two separate plots, which later come together. Verity Auger is an archaeologist, studying the remains of an Earth destroyed by the nanocaust. She is recruited for a secret mission, which takes her to what appears to be Earth in the 1950s. Meanwhile, in the 1950s, a detective/jazz musician named Floyd is investigating the murder of a seemingly innocent woman, Susan White, whom he suspects to be a spy. When Auger's and Floyd's interests in the case collide, they have to work together to solve the mystery, and maybe save the world.

Part space opera, part post-apocalyptic, part alternate history, part mystery, I must say this novel is unlike anything I've read before. I really enjoyed how the story started off, alternating chapters between Floyd and Auger, not telling you how the two stories were going to intertwine.

Closer to the end, when it got more into space opera territory, it did slow down a bit for me. A bit like a car chase, but in space, and spread out over multiple chapters. The ending was also a little open for my liking, leaving me wanting to know what happens to the characters next, but that's more a matter of personal taste. The main plot points are wrapped up.

Overall, I liked the story and the main characters. The post-apocalyptic elements were neat, with humanity having split into two factions based on acceptance of nanotechnology. While a few things bugged me, they were minor enough that my overall impression of the book is still positive, and I'd read other books by this author in the future.

4 stars.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

High Summer Read-a-Thon - July 20-26, 2015


This July and August are the first bit of time in two years when I haven't had homework. And I'm way behind on my reading so far this year because of the aforementioned homework. What does that mean? It's time for a read-a-thon!!!

Seasons of Reading hosts four of these week-long read-a-thons each year (one for each season). You should check them out!

My goal for the week is to read any three books.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

9th Annual Canadian Book Challenge


It's time for the 9th Annual Canadian Book Challenge! I participated in the 6th and 7th challenges (not successfully) and missed the 8th. In that time, reading Canadian books has become a more important priority for me. The main obstacle is the huge number of American books I already have on my shelves, waiting to be read, but in the last year or so I've collected a fair few Canadian ones as well, so this challenge is doable without even doing any book shopping.

The challenge is to read 13 Canadian books between Canada Day this year (July 1) and Canada Day next year. I'll list the books below as I read them, and link to the reviews as I write them. I'm looking forward to reading some great Canadian books, and sharing them with you!
  1. From Anna by Jean Little
  2. A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett
  3. Secrets Found in Gimli by Diane Alexander
  4. Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
  5. Winds of L'Acadie by Lois Donovan
  6. Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor
  7. Room by Emma Donoghue
  8. No Humans Allowed (Women of the Otherworld #7) by Kelley Armstrong
  9. Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson
  10. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
  11. Fairest of All (Whatever After #1) by Sarah Mlynowski
  12. Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen
  13. The Prairie Dog Conspiracy by Eric Wilson

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Read-a-Thon Hours 21 - 24: 3:00 - 7:00

Currently reading: Beach Party by R.L. Stine

Pages read since last update: 190

Total pages read: 975

The Babysitter was so good! I am LOVING these old Point Horror books by R.L. Stine! A lot of people seem to find them cheesy but I honestly find the suspense in them terrifying! There are always so many red herrings that I can't predict at all how it will end. Beach Party is maybe a little too much creepy-guys and too little mysterious-murderer for my tastes, but I'm still definitely getting into the suspense.

End of Event Meme:

  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The last couple of hours were unusually difficult for me this time around. I'm so ready to go to bed!
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I recommend the Point Horror books for some good suspense! And Animorphs are my usual read-a-thon favourites.
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope!
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? To be honest I didn't really participate online all that much this time.
  5. How many books did you read? I finished 4 books and read about 2/3 of a 5th book.
  6. What were the names of the books you read? In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2) by K.A. Applegate, Pink by Lili Wilkinson, The Departure (Animorphs #19) by K.A. Applegate, The Babysitter by R.L. Stine, and Beach Party by R.L. Stine.
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Departure and The Babysitter were both great.
  8. Which did you enjoy least? Probably Pink. I did end up liking it overall but some of the characters really had me groaning in frustration throughout.
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I'll be back again as a reader next time!

Read-a-Thon Hours 13 - 20: 17:00 - 3:00

Currently reading: The Babysitter by R.L. Stine

Pages read since my last update: 366

Total pages so far: 785

Other than a brief accidental nap around 1:00 am, I'm still going! So far today I've read two Animorphs books and one teen novel, and I'm already halfway through The Babysitter.

Only 4 hours left! And I've just finished my energy drink so I'm ready to finish strong!

Saturday, April 25, 2015

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

Currently reading: Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Pages read since last update: 106

Total pages read so far: 419

Back in the swing of things! Nothing much else to report for these hours. I should be done my second book in a couple of hours.

Read-a-Thon Hours 5 - 10: 11:00 - 17:00

Currently reading: Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Pages read since last update: 133

Total pages read so far: 313

Food consumed: crackers and houmous, asparagus with butter and lemon, and chocolate cupcakes.

OK, so this was the chunk of time in which I had friends over. So, I didn't read very much, as it turns out. On the bright side I got to spend the afternoon with my friends. :)

So, now the hardcore portion of the read-a-thon begins! Read ALL the pages!

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

Currently reading: In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2) by K.A. Applegate

Pages read since last update: 62

Total pages read: 180

Food consumed: Mango strudels. Yummy!

OK, so I read half as much as in the first 2 hours. There may have been some light dozing! The kind where you read the same page 20 times. Anywho, my friends are almost here, and I doubt I'll fall asleep as easily with others around.

Nearly done my first book!

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

Currently reading: In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2) by K.A. Applegate

Pages read so far: 118

Food consumed: Only orange juice so far.

Since I didn't have time to prepare for this read-a-thon, I don't have ready-made blog posts to fill in every 2 hours. So, my updates will be a little less formal this time.

I'm feeling surprisingly good! I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted to last night (I had an assignment due at midnight), but I'm doing OK! I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing day of reading whatever I feel like reading.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Opening Meme

It's here!!!

Opening Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I don't have a stack! Yeah, I did not prepare for this read-a-thon. My stack is my TBR pile.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? My friend is bringing beet salad!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm in school to become a library tech. My immense homework load is why I'm not better prepared for this read-a-thon. :)

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? I've been doing the Read-a-Thon since October 2011. My goal this time: just get through it. I'm so tired! I'll be happy with any reading I accomplish. This is also the first time I'm having friends over for a read-a-thon, so I'm looking forward to that extra fun!

Friday, January 2, 2015

2015 Show Your Shelves Some Love: A No Book Buying Challenge


The Show Your Shelves Some Love challenge is sort of like the various TBR reading challenges, but with the focus on not buying books rather than just on reading your TBR books. Since my TBR pile continues to grow (though I've slowed the growth a little!), this challenge could be just what I need.

Now, I'm not ready to commit to buying no books for a year. But I am going to set a budget (that's February's monthly topic for this challenge) and stick to it, while focusing on reading the books I already own.

To start with, I'm going for the second level of this challenge: blue belt, requiring 11-20 TBR books read.

Books will be listed below as I read them, and linked to reviews as I write them.
  1. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
  2. The Book of David by Anonymous
  3. Pink by Lili Wilkinson
  4. In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2) by K.A. Applegate
  5. The Babysitter by R.L. Stine
  6. The Departure (Animorphs #19) by K.A. Applegate
  7. Beach Party by R.L. Stine
  8. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
  9. The Boyfriend by R.L. Stine
  10. The Discovery (Animorphs #20) by K.A. Applegate
  11. The Threat (Animorphs #21) by K.A. Applegate
  12. The Snowman by R.L. Stine
  13. The Solution (Animorphs #22) by K.A. Applegate
  14. The Babysitter II by R.L. Stine
  15. The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner
  16. The Pretender (Animorphs #23) by K.A. Applegate
  17. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
  18. The Suspicion (Animorphs #24) by K.A. Applegate
  19. The Extreme (Animorphs #25) by K.A. Applegate

2015 Diversity on the Shelf Challenge

My Little Pocketbooks

It's time for a second year of Diversity on the Shelf! I successfully completed this challenge last year, but I'd like to see my numbers increase quite a bit. So, I'm still signing up for the lowest level this year (1st shelf: read 1-6 books), but with a general goal of reading more books for this challenge than I did last year.

Books will be listed below as I read them, and linked to reviews as I write them.
  1. Damaged by Kia DuPree
  2. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
  3. The Faceless One by Mark Onspaugh
  4. None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
  5. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

2015 Women Challenge


Yay for the one challenge I always complete! :) I will once again be signing up for the highest level of the Women Challenge: Wonder Woman, requiring 20+ books written by women. In recent years, about half of my total books read have been written by women, and I'm looking to keep increasing that.

Books will be listed below as I read them, and linked to reviews as I write them.
  1. Damaged by Kia DuPree
  2. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
  3. Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper
  4. Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
  5. Mindblind by Jennifer Roy
  6. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
  7. Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony
  8. Pink by Lili Wilkinson
  9. In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2) by K.A. Applegate
  10. The Departure (Animorphs #19) by K.A. Applegate
  11. The Carhullan Army by Sarah Hall
  12. From Anna by Jean Little
  13. A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett
  14. Secrets Found in Gimli by Diane Alexander
  15. None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
  16. The Discovery (Animorphs #20) by K.A. Applegate
  17. The Threat (Animorphs #21) by K.A. Applegate
  18. The Solution (Animorphs #22) by K.A. Applegate
  19. The Vampire Armand (Vampire Chronicles #6) by Anne Rice
  20. Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
  21. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
  22. Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome by Rudy Simone
  23. The Hork-Bajir Chronicles by K.A. Applegate
  24. The Pretender (Animorphs #23) by K.A. Applegate
  25. The Suspicion (Animorphs #24) by K.A. Applegate
  26. The Extreme (Animorphs #25) by K.A. Applegate

2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge


Aaaaand, here we go again! I tried to set realistic challenge goals last year, but underestimated just how little free time school would allow me. So I failed this challenge yet again. But no more! Because this year, I'm signing up for the lowest level: Pike's Peak, requiring 12 books read off my TBR shelf. 12! I can totally do this!

Books will be listed below as I read them and linked to reviews as I write them.

  1. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
  2. The Book of David by Anonymous
  3. Pink by Lili Wilkinson
  4. In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs #2) by K.A. Applegate
  5. The Babysitter by R.L. Stine
  6. The Departure (Animorphs #19) by K.A. Applegate
  7. Beach Party by R.L. Stine
  8. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
  9. The Boyfriend by R.L. Stine
  10. The Discovery (Animorphs #20) by K.A. Applegate
  11. The Threat (Animorphs #21) by K.A. Applegate
  12. The Snowman by R.L. Stine
  13. The Solution (Animorphs #22) by K.A. Applegate
  14. The Babysitter II by R.L. Stine
  15. The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner
  16. The Pretender (Animorphs #23) by K.A. Applegate
  17. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
  18. The Suspicion (Animorphs #24) by K.A. Applegate
  19. The Extreme (Animorphs #25) by K.A. Applegate