Saturday, December 8, 2018

2019 Flourish and Blotts Reading Challenge

Time to sign up for another 2019 reading challenge! I found this Harry Potter-themed challenge and just had to join in the fun. You can see their challenge post on Instagram here.

There are 52 total prompts, each corresponding to a character, class, or other concept from Harry Potter. You can do any number of them, but the levels are Ron = 12 prompts, Harry = 24 prompts, and Hermione = 52 prompts. Naturally I'm aiming for Hermione, but not putting too much pressure on myself.

Here are the prompts, and I'll fill in the books I read for them throughout the year:

  1. Harry: (re)Read a Harry Potter book
  2. Ron: Read a book under 200 pages
  3. Hermione: Read a book over 500 pages
  4. Ginny: Read a poetry book
  5. Luna Lovegood: Read a book about creativity or something unusual
  6. Fred & George: Reada  book with twins in it
  7. Fleur Delacour: Read a book translated from another language
  8. Dumbledore's Army: Read a book about social justice or a current issue
  9. Professor McGonagall: Read a book with a strong female lead
  10. Dumbledore: Read a book involving a school or teacher
  11. Gilderoy Lockhart: Read a book from a celebrity book club
  12. Umbridge: Read a book with a pink cover
  13. Snape: Read a book that includes page 394
  14. Newt: Read a book containing a fantastic beast (any beast that can be found in the Fantastic Beasts textbook)
  15. Bathilda Bagshot: Read a book written by a woman
  16. Godric: Read a book that represents Gryffindor's values
  17. Helga: Read a book that represents Hufflepuff's values
  18. Rowena: Read a book that represents Ravenclaw's values
  19. Salazar: Read a book that represents Slytherin's values
  20. The Chosen One: Read a book that mentions Harry Potter in it
  21. He Who Must Not Be Named: Read a book with a character that shares a name with a character from Harry Potter
  22. Deathly Hallows: Read a book with a symbol on the cover
  23. Gryffindor: Read a book recommended by a Gryffindor
  24. Hufflepuff: Read a book recommended by a Hufflepuff
  25. Ravenclaw: Read a book recommended by a Ravenclaw
  26. Slytherin: Read a book recommended by a Slytherin
  27. House Cup: Read a book that has won an award
  28. Quidditch: Read a book involving a sport
  29. Wizarding Radio: Listen to an audiobook
  30. Hogwarts Library: Read a book you checked out from the library or borrowed from a friend
  31. Herbology: Read a book related to nature
  32. Potions: Read a book with potions, alchemy, or chemistry in it
  33. Astronomy: Read a book with a star on the cover or in the title
  34. Defense Against the Dark Arts: Read a book about Good vs. Evil
  35. Transfiguration: Read a book about a huge change
  36. History of Magic: Read a historical fiction
  37. Charms: Read a book with a charming cover
  38. Care of Magical Creatures: Read a book with an animal on the cover
  39. Arithmancy: Read a book with a number in the title
  40. Ancient Runes: Read a book set before you were born
  41. Flying: Read a book with a bird on the cover
  42. Divination: Read a book that includes prophecy or fortune telling
  43. Muggle Studies: Read a memoir or biography
  44. Apparition: Read a book set somewhere you want to travel
  45. Restricted Section: Read a banned book
  46. Durmstrang: Read a book with a boat in it
  47. Beauxbatons: Read a book by a French author
  48. Ilvermorny: Read a book by an American author
  49. Gringotts: Read a book with gold foiling
  50. Flourish and Blotts: Read a 2019 release
  51. The Dark Mark: Read a book with a dark cover
  52. Hogwarts: A History: Read a book that intimidates you

2019 Mount TBR Reading Challenge



It's time to sign up for 2019 reading challenges! So I'll start with the challenge I've probably attempted more times than any other, the Mount TBR Reading Challenge. I always start with the smallest level, Pike's Peak (read 12 books off your TBR pile); sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. Of course, at that speed, I will almost certainly die before finishing even the TBR pile I have now, never mind all the books I'm still gonna buy over the decades!

So, because 12 books a year off my pile is clearly not enough, and also because the rules have changed this year to allow rereads in certain circumstances (and I have some serious reread plans coming up, including the Harry Potter books!), I'm gonna be wildly ambitious and start at not the first, not the second, but the third peak! Mt. Vancouver! 36 books off my TBR pile! Wish me luck, and the strength to resist taking out every library book that catches my eye.

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

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

Currently reading: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

Pages read these hours: 64

Total pages so far: 855

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate; Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin; Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson; The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #2) by Adrienne Kress

Snacks: None.

Current state of things: In hour 23 I did awesomely, finishing The Door in the Alley with plenty of time to spare! Then I spent hour 24 desperately trying to hold my eyelids open to read Squirrel Girl, and only getting through 16 pages of it. Boy am I ever ready for bed!

But before I do, here's my closing survey:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? There were a few toughies in there, but I think hour 24 was my worst this time!
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate; Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin; Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson; The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #2) by Adrienne Kress; and the beginning of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North and Erica Henderson
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #1) by Adrienne Kress!! It is so good! Also I need book 2, like, now.
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you happy? Start saying "we're halfway done!" at the END of hour 12 instead of the beginning! You sit on a throne of lies! (I get cranky after staying up all night; I'm sorry.)
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? I will continue to read in every read-a-thon forever!

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

Currently reading: The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #1) by Adrienne Kress

Pages read these hours: 72

Total pages so far: 791

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate; Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin; Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson

Snacks: Still sipping my Monster, plus some candy to try to get a sugar boost.

Current state of things: Soooo tired. Only 2 hours to go! No time for videos! Only reading!

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

Currently reading: The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #1) by Adrienne Kress

Pages read these hours: 65

Total pages so far: 719

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate; Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin; Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson

Snacks: Just sipping my energy drink.

Current state of things: Around 1:00 I was pretty sleepy, but in the last two hours I've started to feel a bit more alert again. Possibly the caffeine gradually kicking in. I keep checking my phone and then getting distracted by Facebook, which is affecting my page counts, but at least I'm having fun! And at the rate I'm going, I should at least finish this book before it's time to go to sleep. (I hope I finish early enough to read my graphic novel after that, or I'm really gonna regret saving it for later.)

Oh, look what came up in YouTube's suggestions for me to watch next!


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

Currently reading: The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #1) by Adrienne Kress

Pages read these hours: 66

Total pages so far: 654

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate; Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin; Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson

Snacks: Banana bread, and I started my Monster.

Current state of things: Well, the late-hours-of-the-read-a-thon tiredness has hit! It'll be ups and downs from here. I've started my energy drink and I'm reading a really good book, but right now it's still a struggle.

This update's video is some singing and dancing from Grease to get us pumped up and ready to keep reading for 6 more hours!!


Saturday, October 20, 2018

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

Currently reading: The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #1) by Adrienne Kress

Pages read these hours: 53

Total pages so far: 588

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate; Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin; Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson

Snacks: A couple of freezies.

Current state of things: Apparently all I needed to wake up was the right book!! While I haven't disliked any of the books I've read today, this book is REALLY grabbing me! Sometimes you know a book's gonna be good just from the first line, and this is a good example of that: "This story begins, like most stories do, with a pig wearing a teeny hat." I mean, COME ON. You can't doze off after that! So the only reason I only read 53 pages in the last two hours is because I was a bit late to start after my last update, and then I got slightly sucked into Facebook once. But I'm definitely reading the perfect late, difficult hours of the read-a-thon book.

I think it's time for some Spice Girls!!


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

Currently reading: The Door in the Alley (The Explorers #1) by Adrienne Kress (just starting)

Pages read these hours: 59

Total pages so far: 535

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate; Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin; Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson

Snacks: Girl Guide cookies and Cheetos Bag of Bones.

Current state of things: I'm already getting tired! Theoretically these are the hours when I thrive. However, I'm sort of permanently exhausted these days, so that kinda ruins my good hours. I'm very tempted to have my energy drink, but also don't want to drink it too early and run out of steam before the end!

(I'm already late posting this update and did not find a video so tune in 2 hours from now for another video!)

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

Currently reading: Tales of the Interlake: A Collection of Strange Rural Stories for All Ages by Carol Gardarsson (just starting)

Pages read these hours: 78

Total pages so far: 476

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate, Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin

Snacks: A couple of hard boiled eggs. Look at me, eating stuff with nutritional value!!

Current state of things: Ready to start my really short book so switch things up a bit after 3 teen novels from the 90s! On a random note, Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls went surprisingly well with The Wrong Number! I almost feel like I have a theme going!

For this update's video, I'm feeling in the mood for some Flight of the Conchords!



And now for the mid-event survey!

1. What are you reading right now? Tales of the Interlake: A Collection of Strange Rural Stories for All Ages by Carol Gardarsson
2. How many books have you read so far? 3
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I'm saving my one graphic novel for the tough hours, so I'm looking forward to that change of pace!
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? None at all! I've been doing the read-a-thon every April and October for the last 7 years, so my husband is used to it by now and knows how important it is to me!
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nothing really.

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

Currently reading: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin

Pages read these hours: 75

Total pages so far: 398

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate

Snacks: A few strawberry wafer cookies and some Halloween candy.

Current state of things: Still doing fine! My page counts are a bit disappointing, but I know it's just because usually I have lots of graphic novels and this time I don't.

Now let's watch Weapon of Choice!


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

Currently reading: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) (just starting)

Pages read these hours: 93

Total pages so far: 323

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine; The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate

Snacks: Leftover cheese pizza for lunch.

Current state of things: Going strong!

Now let's enjoy some more Miike Snow!


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

Currently reading: The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate

Pages read these hours: 87

Total pages so far: 230

Books finished: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine

Snacks: Water (finally getting hydrated!), a banana, some Halloween candy.

Current state of things: Now that the morning is over I'm feeling much more awake and alert! And this Animorphs book is hilarious.

Let's enjoy the intro to the cheesy 90s TV adaptation of Animorphs! (Which I still love. Bad 90s special effects and all.)


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

Currently reading: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine

Pages read these hours: 94

Total pages so far: 143

Books finished: None yet. Almost there!

Snacks: Breakfast cereal.

Current state of things: Moved from the bed to the couch, which isn't doing much to make me more alert! But I did get more pages read than in hours 1 and 2, so I must be dozing off less.

Normally I save the music for the late hours, but maybe Genghis Khan will help wake me up a bit in these early hours too!


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

Currently reading: The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine

Pages read these hours: 49

Total pages so far: 49

Books finished: None yet.

Snacks: None yet.

Current state of things: I've just been reading in bed for the first two hours. Risky, I know, but I was just so sleepy and the bed was just so cozy! There was a little bit of drifting off but mostly I was reading!

For this update's video, behold the book trailer I made for The Babysitter by R.L. Stine for one of my library tech courses!


Read-a-Thoooooon!

It's a Saturday in late October, so you know what that means! It's read-a-thon time! The only time when people can't make me do stuff and go places because read-a-thoning is top priority! Here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we have a 7:00 am start time, so I am groggy and not equipped for human contact! Bring on the reading!

Increasingly I find myself unprepared for the read-a-thon in terms of book choices! In particular, I'm concerned about the relative lack of graphic novels this time around. If I'm struggling in the hard hours I might have to scrounge up a graphic novel from my book shelves. But this is what I've got ready to go:
  • The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (120 pages)
  • The Explorers: The Door in the Alley by Adrienne Kress (304 pages)
  • The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine (165 pages)
  • How I Broke Up with Ernie by R.L. Stine (136 pages)
  • The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate (158 pages)
  • Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin (153 pages)
  • Tales of the Interlake by Carol Gardarsson (64 pages)
  • Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores edited by Greg Ketter (285 pages)
The total page count is 1385. That's more than my average page count, but less than the most I've ever read in a read-a-thon, so who knows? Of the books, 5 are typical novels (middle grade or YA), 2 are books of short stories, and 1 is a graphic novel.

Finally, here are my answers to the opening survey:

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

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? The Explorers: The Door in the Alley. I hear good things!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I have Girl Guide cookies! Om nom nom.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I've been bingeing Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which I hadn't seen until a few months ago. I'm already almost done season 5. I am IN LOVE.

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? This is my 15th read-a-thon, not including the summer one (which I didn't do all 24 hours of). My last one was probably my best read-a-thon ever, so I won't be intentionally changing anything!!

Friday, July 27, 2018

Reverse Summer Read-a-Thon!


There's a Reverse Summer Read-a-Thon!! What's reverse about it, you ask? The hours! Here in the middle of Canada, instead of going from 7:00 am on Saturday to 7:00 am on Sunday, it's going from 7:00 pm on Friday to 7:00 pm on Saturday.

While I am normally an all-in, read for literally 24 hours straight, no-interruptions-allowed kind of read-a-thoner, my participation in this one is going to be decidedly less intense. The reason for that is the tomorrow morning is the start of GISH!!! (Basically I'll be doing really wacky stuff for a week, and it's gonna take all my energy.) So, I have to be well-rested for that, and also once it starts I will have very little time for reading.

That being said, I am starting the read-a-thon right now, 7:00 pm. My plan is to read for most of the evening until whenever I want to go to bed, then sleep. If I wake up with time to spare before GISH, I'll read a bit more. But once that hunt starts, I am outta here! Except maybe I'll read a little when I need a break. :) Throughout, I will report on my reading here, just updating this one post.

Since my reading time is so limited, I didn't make a big TBR stack like I normally would. I'm currently reading Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga. And the next book I plan to start is Bounced by Ted Staunton. I might go back and forth according to my mood.



9:20 pm update:
I read 15 pages of Seven Fallen Feathers in the first half an hour. I thought this book would be tough reading since it's a) nonfiction and b) about a painful subject, but it's so well-written that I don't feel bogged down at all! Then I went and watched two episodes of Once Upon a Time with my husband. Haha. So that's how my read-a-thon started! Getting back to some reading now. I think I'll start the light-hearted book.

10:26 pm update:
I read 37 pages of Bounced in the last hour. I've been a bit sick today (weird summer cold!) and when I'm sick even reading feels like hard work. So, given that GISH starts in 10.5 hours, I think I'm gonna head off to bed and hopefully feel better in the morning! Good night all! I'm sure I'll update with at least a bit of reading tomorrow.

Past the end update:
I never came back. I woke up just shortly before GISH started and then spent the rest of the day on that! Ah well. The read-a-thon will be back in October, when I'll do my usual extreme, non-stop reading!

Sunday, July 1, 2018

High Summer Read-a-Thon 2018


I'm now on my first summer vacation since high school, so what better time for a month-long read-a-thon! The High Summer Read-a-Thon, hosted by Seasons of Reading, lasts for the month of July. It's very laid back. Basically I'm jumping in because I have a TONNE of reading I want to do this summer and I thought this might be a fun way of making it a bit of a challenge.

Now, for my goals!
  • I have the last 50 or so pages of A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin, which I want to finish.
  • I have a few books out from the public library that I should read sooner rather than later. In particular:
    • United (Alienated #3) by Melissa Landers
    • Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson
  • By early September I need to read all 20 of the 2019 MYRCA nominees (both the Sundogs and the Northern Lights). So I'm aiming to get through roughly half of those in July.
  • I'm behind on my TBR pile reading (what else is new?) so it would be nice to get a couple of those in there as well.
  • In addition to my reading goals, I want to get back in the habit of actually writing books reviews (you know, the original purpose of this blog...)! So my goal will be to write reviews of all the books I read in July.
Ready...set...go!

Sunday, April 29, 2018

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

Currently reading: The Road to Ever After by Moira Young

Pages read these hours: 80

Total pages so far: 1885

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi, Kristy's Big Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin, Saga, vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Thornhill by Pam Smy, Twin Spica, vol. 9 by Kou Yaginuma

Snacks: A pizza bun.

Current state of things: The end! Had a rather sleepy last couple hours, but managed to get 80 pages into my 225 page novel, the last book on my stack. I had a great read-a-thon!

Here are my answers to the closing survey:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I don't feel like I had a particularly bad hour this time. There were quite a few hours when I was drowsy but none where I was so drowsy that I hardly read any pages.

2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! See the list above! 8 books and part of a 9th!

3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? Thornhill was SO GOOD.

4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile? Even though I didn't end up doing any challenges this time, I liked that they were all available all day. Keep doing that! You never know when the mood to do a challenge will strike.

5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? I participate every time!

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

Currently reading: Just starting The Road to Ever After by Moira Young

Pages read these hours: 420

Total pages so far: 1805

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi, Kristy's Big Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin, Saga, vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Twin Spica, vol. 9 by Kou Yaginuma

Snacks: Continuing to sip away at my Monster.

Current state of things: Surprisingly alert! Finished the last bit of Thornhill and read a whole volume of Twin Spica in the last 2 hours! All that's left of my pile is this one short-ish middle grade novel, so we'll see how much of it I can read before 7:00.

Now, in case you need an energy boost for these last two hours, please enjoy one of my favourite pump-it-up songs, Freaks!


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

Currently reading: Thornhill by Pam Smy

Pages read these hours: 278

Total pages so far: 1385

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi, Kristy's Big Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin, Saga, vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Snacks: Just sipping away at my Monster.

Current state of things: OMG Thornhill is AMAZING. Seriously, read this book. I'm glad I didn't let myself be put off by its length. It's a perfect late-hours-of-the-read-a-thon pick.

I've been so absorbed in my reading today that I haven't even included any of my customary YouTube videos in my updates! But I can't do a 3:00 am update post without 3AM by Matchbox Twenty!


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

Currently reading: Thornhill by Pat Smy

Pages read these hours: 256

Total pages so far: 1107

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi, Kristy's Big Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin, Saga, vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Snacks: Celery sticks with peanut butter. Yummy. And I just started my energy drink.

Current state of things: Look at those page counts!! In the last two hours I read the last 130 pages of Saga and the first 126 pages of Thornhill. I didn't know what to expect from Thornhill, as compared to graphic novels. Some of the pages are full text and some are full pictures. As it turns out, it is VERY fast reading! Soooo satisfying. Loving the story so far too.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

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

Currently reading: Saga, vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Pages read these hours: 119

Total pages so far: 851

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi, Kristy's Big Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin

Snacks: Nothing since supper.

Current state of things: Yay Saga!!

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

Currently reading: Kristy's Big Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin

Pages read these hours: 107

Total pages so far: 732

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Snacks: An actual meal! Kraft Dinner, the Spicy Cheddar variety.

Current state of things: Great! I'm very much an evening person. I'm in my peak energy hours right now! And now I'm reading total 90s nostalgia material (actually, that's mostly what I've been reading all day...), so that's good fun. (Apparently this book actually came out in 1986, which surprised me, but whatever! The series was still big in the 90s so it totally counts.)

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

Currently reading: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Pages read these hours: 116

Total pages so far: 625

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine

Snacks: Way too many popcorn twists!

Current state of things: Drowsy. Need to get up and move more. But even though there have been quite a few times when I've got myself reading the same manga page for 15 minutes, I'm happy with my progress on my reading pile!! I might get through 8 books by the end!

Now, here are my answers to the Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now? Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi. I've never read any Sailor Moon before; my bestie lent me this one!

2. How many books have you read so far? This is my 4th and I'm almost done it!

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Volume 7 of Saga. I love that series so much!!

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? No interruptions except my own drooping eyelids.

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nothing surprises me anymore lol.

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

Currently reading: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Pages read these hours: 118

Total pages so far: 509

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh, Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine

Snacks: Baby carrots and hummus, and popcorn twists.

Current state of things: Apparently I've already reached the "I want to eat everything in sight" stage of the read-a-thon. :) Still going strong as I get into my 4th book of the day!

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

Currently reading: Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine

Pages read these hours: 90

Total pages so far: 391

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh

Snacks: A hard boiled egg, and the last of the trail mix.

Current state of things: Not too bad! I wish I had something caffeinated. (The energy drink must be saved for hour 18.) Almost done my third book!

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

Currently reading: Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine

Pages read these hours: 100

Total pages so far: 301

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate, Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh

Snacks: Some more trail mix.

Current state of things: I've still been drowsy on and off, but I've kept up a decent reading pace nonetheless! Already on my third book of the day!

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

Currently reading: Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh

Pages read these hours: 95

Total pages so far: 201

Books finished: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate

Snacks: Some trail mix.

Current state of things: Had a bit of a sleepy period while finishing up The Conspiracy, but I've gotten up and about a little bit and have been staying pretty alert for Courtney Crumrin. It's getting a little closer to a time when my brain naturally wants to be awake, so it should get easier from here, at least for a while!

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

Currently reading: The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate

Pages read these hours: 106

Total pages so far: 106

Books finished: None yet, but close!

Snacks: Just breakfast. Honey Nut Cheerios.

Current state of things: Off to a strong start! Feeling the morning sleepiness but no apparent risk of falling asleep.

3...2...1... Read-a-Thon!

The time has come, the walrus said, to read so many things! Because it's read-a-thon time!! Here in Winnipeg it is 7:00 in the morning. My books are stacked, my blanket fort assembled, and my snacks stocked up. Bring it on!

This time I had such a hard time picking out my books, for some reason. I didn't end up finishing my TBR pile until last night, after picking up a hold at the library (and grabbing a couple more books there while I was at it). I ended up with the following 9 books:
  • Saga, vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (152 pages)
  • The Road to Ever After by Moira Young (225 pages)
  • Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine (168 pages)
  • The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate (139 pages)
  • Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi (240 pages)
  • Courtney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtney Crumrin #2) by Ted Naifeh (136 pages)
  • Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin (153 pages)
  • Twin Spica, vol. 9 by Kou Yaginuma (285 pages)
  • Thornhill by Pam Smy (529 pages)
The total page count is 2027, quite a bit more than my average read-a-thon result of ~1100. So this should be plenty. Of the books, 4 are typical novels (middle grade or YA), 4 are graphic novels/manga, and 1 (Thornhill) is a novel with a very significant number of pictures. And yes I'm gonna count the picture pages. :)


Finally, here are my answers to the opening meme:

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

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Well I know Saga never disappoints! I've also been looking forward to reading Thornhill for quite some time.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I made hard boiled eggs last night, which is possibly the most forethought I've ever put into a read-a-thon snack. Yay me!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I recently got a job as the school librarian in an elementary school (K-8). I am beyond thrilled about this!! Dream job: achieved!

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? This is my 14th read-a-thon! Last time my goal was to drink more water and I'm gonna keep working on that one!

Friday, April 13, 2018

Deadlight Jack by Mark Onspaugh

Title: Deadlight Jack
Author: Mark Onspaugh
Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Length: 288 pages (ebook)

Deadlight Jack is a follow-up to The Faceless One, but can also stand on its own.

After the events of The Faceless One, Jimmy and George have settled into a normal routine, sharing a house in Seattle. When George gets a call that his grandson has disappeared in Louisiana, the two unlikely heroes hop on a plane to join in the search. But George's past soon begins to haunt him, both in the form of an estranged family and of a long-forgotten encounter with the dark magic of Deadlight Jack.

I was super excited for this sequel, as I adored The Faceless One. Jimmy and George make great heroes; I could read a whole series about them! Deadlight Jack, however, didn't quite live up to the first one for me. It felt a bit slower in pace. Also, I felt like their slightly-offensive-banter routine got a bit tired (which Jimmy actually acknowledges within the story).

That being said, it's still good horror, and Deadlight Jack himself was terrifying. I also particularly liked the insight into George's past, since we already knew about Jimmy's childhood from The Faceless One. There's also a great sense of place. Between George's comfort in the muggy heat of the bayou and Jimmy's extreme discomfort with it (he's originally from Alaska), I could practically feel the humidity.

So, even though I liked The Faceless One more, I still recommend this sequel. And I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for future books by Mark Onspaugh, especially if they star Jimmy and George! 3 stars.

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

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Length: 286 pages
Publication Date: 2008

Nobody Owens is a living boy who grows up in a graveyard. His family is murdered when he's just a toddler, and when he wanders into the graveyard he is protected and adopted by the ghosts therein. Bod has a happy childhood, playing with ghost children and being taught by ghost teachers, but the man who killed his family is still at large and looking to finish the job.

This is a wonderful reimagining of The Jungle Book. Bod spends his childhood caught between two worlds, not dead but quite out-of-touch with the living. Luckily for him, he is an intelligent and resourceful boy, getting him out of plenty of dangerous situations in both worlds.

I think the cast of characters are what really stood out for me in this book. From the mysterious Silas, Bod's guardian who can come and go from the graveyard as he pleases (I still wanna know more about him), to Scarlett, the human girl who makes a connection with Bod, to Mr. Frost, the kindly historian who studies the graveyard, every character has a personality, a voice, and adds a layer to the story.

This was an engrossing, magical read. 5 stars.

March 2018 Wrap-Up

Here's a summary of my book-related activity for March. Over spring break, I did a pre-read-a-thon activity where the goal was to read for 24 hours in a week, which I did not complete, but I did get through several of the MYRCA nominees!

Books I read (linked to the reviews)


Nnewts, vol. 1: Escape from the Lizzarks by Doug TenNapel
Small Saul by Ashley Spires
The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
The Errand by Leo La Fleur
The Grip of It by Jac Jemc
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner
Erik the Viking Sheep by Elizabeth Creith
Flossie and the Fox by Patricia C. McKissack
A Dream of Ice (The Earthend Saga #2) by Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin
Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding
Slide by Norah McClintock
OCDaniel by Wesley King

Books I bought


None! Look at me go!

Progress on challenges


I read 0 books for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I read 4 books for the Alphabet Soup Challenge: L, O, V, W

I read 9 books written by women.

Progress on my TBR pile: I added 0 books to my to read list and removed 0, so my pile stayed the same this month.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

February 2018 Wrap-Up

Here's a summary of my book-related activity for February. My blogging has gotten a little behind because I started a new job in February!! So, it's for a very good reason, I promise! I am now, finally, an elementary school librarian. My dream job. So, if you're into children's books at all, just a heads up that I have another book blog, Blanket Fort Reviews, that is exclusively for children's books, and as soon as I get back into a routine that blog is gonna get a lot more active! I have been reading a LOT of picture books lately.

Books I read (linked to the reviews)


Triangle by Mac Barnett
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
Spork by Kyo Maclear
Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things (Courtney Crumrin #1) by Ted Naifeh
To This Day: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane L. Koyczan
Mary's Atlas: Mary Meets Manitoba by Gwen Smid
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman
Sunshells by J.A. Self
Shadows by Robin McKinley
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Books I bought


None! Look at me go!

Progress on challenges


I read 0 books for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I read 6 books for the Alphabet Soup Challenge: A, C, M, P, S, T

I read 7 books written by women.

Progress on my TBR pile: I added 0 books to my to read list and removed 0, so my pile stayed the same this month.

Friday, February 2, 2018

January 2018 Wrap-Up

Here's a summary of my book-related activity for January. Yup, I'm bringing back the monthly wrap-ups! I got a strong start on my goal of 100 books in 2018. I read 3 of the 18 MYRCA nominees that I'm reading through with a friend. I also started Brother, the Amnesty International Book Club pick for January/February.

Books I read (linked to the reviews)


Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp
A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Born With: Erika and Gianni by Lorna Schultz Nicholson
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Brother by David Chariandy (in progress)

Books I bought


None! Look at me go!

Progress on challenges


I read 1 book for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

I read 5 books for the Alphabet Soup Challenge: B, D, E, G, I, N

I read 4 books written by women.

Progress on my TBR pile: I added 0 books to my to read list and removed 1, so my pile decreased by 1 this month!

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp

Title: Decelerate Blue
Author: Adam Rapp
Illustrator: Mike Cavallaro
Length: 199 pages
Published: February 2017

In this dystopian world, life has become so accelerated that the focus of everything is on speed and efficiency. In speech, contractions are mandatory, adverbs are discouraged, and when you finish speaking you say "Go." Cool things are called "hyper" and movies are 14 minutes long. Angela discovers a resistance movement underground, where people are trying to slow down by never using contractions, sitting and reading, and lowering their heart rates. There's a bit of a young love story in there too.

I think this is a great concept for a dystopia, but while I enjoyed this graphic novel I feel like a novel might have done a better job of exploring the world a bit more. Lots of aspects of the world are hinted at but never explained, like how everyone talks about "guaranteeing their Guarantees" and people say "Go, Guarantee, Go!" to each other. What is the Guarantee Committee? What is the Database? These questions are never answered. The dystopian feel was good, but in my opinion a good dystopia has details.

The same is true of character development. I wanted to get to know the characters more (except the surprisingly many unpleasant characters in the underground; what's up with that?). Also, the plot goes at a good pace but then suddenly all the big stuff happens and the book is over!

So ultimately, I enjoyed this book, but I wanted MORE of everything.

Oh, also, the underground deciding to all take drugs together at the same time without really getting a chance to even see the effects of it made them seem a little less like a resistance and a little more like a cult. So that was a strange direction for them to take.

3 stars.

Monday, January 1, 2018

2018 Alphabet Soup Challenge

I have been doing the Alphabet Soup Challenge or one of its predecessors every year that I've been a book blogger, and I have NEVER finished it! I came pretty close in 2017, missing only K, L, X, Y, and Z. It's not even that I don't have books for those letters! It's just that I wait until too late in the year to start worrying about filling in the gaps! Anywho, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

I'll list the books I read for this challenge below.

A: Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (Olympians #2) by George O'Connor
B: A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy
C: Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifeh
D: Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp and Mike Cavallaro
E: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
F: Flat Broke With Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha
G: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
H:
I: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
J: Jane, the Fox & Me by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault
K: Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) by Ann M. Martin
L: Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding
M: Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine
N: The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
O: OCDaniel by Wesley King
P: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
Q:
R: Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles by Shari Green
S: Shadows by Robin McKinley
T: To This Day: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane L. Koyczan
U: Utopia by Thomas More
V: Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner
W: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
X:
Y:
Z: Zeus: King of the Gods (Olympians #1) by George O'Connor

2018 Mount TBR Reading Challenge


For the 7th year running, I will be participating in the Mount TBR Reading Challenge! I'm starting with the first level again: Pike's Peak: read 12 books from your TBR pile. I just barely managed 12 in 2017 because of my serious library book problem. Hopefully this year I can do better, and maybe even bump my level up to Mount Blanc before the year is through! I have 928 books on my physical TBR pile right now. Let's bring that number down a bit in 2018!

I will list the books I read for this challenge below.
  1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  2. The Conspiracy (Animorphs #31) by K.A. Applegate
  3. Missing (Fear Street #4) by R.L. Stine
  4. Leaning Into the Corner: On Becoming a Different Kind of Woman by Shelley Whitney
  5. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
  6. The Wrong Number (Fear Street #5) by R.L. Stine
  7. The Separation (Animorphs #32) by K.A. Applegate
  8. Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club #2) by Ann M. Martin
  9. Tales of the Interlake: A Collection of Strange Rural Stories for All Ages by Carol Gardarsson