Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 9

Because I had the house (mostly) to myself for the majority of these two hours, it was rather nice having some peace and quiet to read in! However, one of my brothers and my parents have come back now, so I might try to find a place to regain my quiet sense of reading!

Hour: Hour 9
Currently Reading:

Pages Read Since Last Update: 84

Total Pages Read: 241

Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour, 08 minutes

Total Time Read: 3 hours, 32 minutes

Comments: I am making really great progress on this book! I have about 150 pages of it left, now. Since my last update, I have gotten quite a bit of time outside. First, it was to take my dog on her daily walk, and it was nice and sunny. It was a good refresher to feel the sun after spending the rest of the day reading inside! Then, I did some cheerleading on blogs and even participated in a couple of mini challenges! One that I participated in was the Show Us The Weather mini-challenge. I managed to take quite a nice picture:

Then, I participated in another hour-long reading sprint over on Goodreads and ended up reading a grand total of 76 pages in that hour. I read outside, because it was nice and warm and all the birds were singing and there were some pretty flower petals strewn across the ground from our blooming trees.

It's been a lovely day so far and I can't wait to finish up this book and continue my reading adventures!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 7

I've continued reading quite awhile since my last update, and I'm rather pleased with my progress if I do say so myself! I am set to read again after my small little break, and I'm anticipating getting lost in a good book once more!

Hour: Hour 7
Currently Reading:

Pages Read Since Last Update: 72

Total Pages Read: 157

Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour

Total Time Read: 2 hours, 24 minutes

Comments: I got right back to reading after my previous update, and read for an hour straight. I didn't even know that much time had passed before I checked the clock! Then, I took a little break to eat two cheesy bagels for breakfast, and then take my shower. Later, my family is going kayaking on the river and I might join them. After that, we are going to eat dinner with my cousins, so hopefully I will get a bit more reading squeezed in between events here!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 5

It's just past Hour 5 of the Readathon, and I've had a pretty relaxed morning. I've been getting plenty of reading done, and so far I am very much enjoying Mockingjay. I think I might even like it more than the first time I read it. Without further ado, here is my first Readathon update!

Hour: Just past Hour 5.
Currently Reading: 

Pages Read Since Last Update: 85

Total Pages Read: 85

Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour, 24 minutes

Total Time Read: 1 hour, 24 minutes

Comments: I woke up at 7:30 this morning, which is early for me! It's 9:15 now and I've already read for an hour and a half which is quite impressive, I think. I participated in an hour-long reading sprint on the Dewey's Goodreads page, and read 62 of my 85 pages during that hour long sprint. I'm getting a bit hungry, so I think I'll probably read a bit more, and then go down and eat some breakfast.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Opening Survey

It's that time of year again - one of my favorite times of year in my humble opinion! Yes, that's right, it is time for the lovely Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon! I have loved doing this Readathon in the April of the last two years, and although I might have a couple things going on today, I'm so excited to continue this tradition I've made for myself.

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

Pacific Northwest of the USA!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I am just about to start Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. It's a reread, but I'm looking forward to it, as it's my first time rereading it!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Hmm, perhaps a cheesy bagel, pretzel goldfish, or just a good ole granola bar.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

It's half past Hour 3 in my timezone, which is 7:30am. I so happen to be a night owl and not a morning person, so I am very sleepy.

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 have done this the past two years! I'm just looking forward to allowing myself a full day of reading, and seeing how other people are doing on their reading as well!

Now, it is time to start my reading! I hope everyone has a lovely day, whether you are doing the Readathon or not!

Currently Watching | TV Shows

Although this is indeed a books blog, I've found myself growing addicted to Netflix/binge-watching TV shows as of late... so I decided it might be fun to share what I've been enjoying! Most of these I watched with my younger brother, Luke, although one of them I am currently watching has been by myself.

+ Recently Watched/Finished

No. of Seasons: 4

Genre: Comedy

Overview: A dysfunctional family and their day to day antics.

My brother and I watched all four of the seasons on Netflix and we really enjoyed it. Lots of laughs from us, and some inside jokes of our dad's that we finally understand fully! This was really what started our binge watching on Netflix journey.

No. of Seasons: 1 (may be more in the future!)

Genre: ???

Overview: Three orphans try to avoid an evil man after their inheritance.

Can I just say that the casting on this one was perfect? I adored Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, and the child actors were great too, especially the actor for Klaus. My brother has never read these books but he liked this show just as much as I did, and we can't wait for the next season (if there is one, which hopefully there will be!)

No. of Seasons: 1, soon to be 2

Genre: Science-Fiction

Overview: An 80s sci-fi throwback following a group of kids whose friend has gone mysteriously missing.

We watched this one on our dad's recommendation, and he ended up watching it with us as well. We binge watched this, like seriously binge watched this. I'm pretty sure we watched the entire season in one weekend. I'm not the biggest science fiction fan of the family, but even I really loved this show and I can't wait for the next season to come out!

+ Currently Watching

No. of Seasons: 6

Currently On: Season 2, Episode 3

Genre: Period Drama

Overview: It follows a rich family named the Crawleys, as well as their servants, before, during, and presumably after the events of the first World War.

So, my brother isn't watching this one with me, just me! And I feel kind of inherently bad for watching and enjoying this show, but it's just so easy to binge and I have a lot of feelings about a lot of the characters! I'm even beginning to like O'Brien...

No. of Seasons: 6? I think?

Currently On: Season 1, Episode 12

Genre: Survival? Mystery? ish?

Overview: After a plane crash, the survivors must learn to live on a mysterious deserted island.

This aired so long ago, but my brother and I are just getting around to watching it. We actually watched the first few episodes with our other brothers as well, so it was just an entire viewing party going on. This was the choice of the brothers, so I wasn't anticipating enjoying it since it's not my thing but it's really growing on me!

So, those are the shows that we have watched in the past few months/we are currently watching - out of them, I'm not sure which is my favorite, but it might be A Series of Unfortunate Events? I really loved that one despite the somewhat mixed reviews it's been getting.

I'm thinking of maybe doing a separate blog post on each of these shows or one of these shows if anyone's interested in it, talking about my favorite characters and episodes and things. I'd probably even be able to get my brother(s) to chip in!

I hope everyone's been having a great week and if anyone has a TV Show recommendation, I'd love to hear it...

Friday Reads [#13] + Camp NaNoWriMo Plans

Hello, hello, again! It's been awhile (a ... long while, actually) since I have done a "Friday Reads" post, but I'm actually reading three books this lovely Friday, so I figured it would be as good a time as any to post a new segment!

I'd also like to include my Camp NaNoWriMo/current writing plans, but first... the books!

 ***

1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - The first and possibly most exciting of the bunch! While I've been reading this for a little while now, due to school and general busyness getting in the way - I've really been enjoying this conclusion to the duology and all of the characters are my precious beans who I love (and who could most certainly kill me. Or at least con me.)
   
2. Mindset by Carol Dweck - A non-fiction book revolving around psychology and specifically growth mindsets vs fixed mindsets. I'm reading this for my Psychology class and while it can get a bit repetitive with examples and things, it's still quite interesting and pretty short!
   
3. The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams - Again, for class, this time for English. It's a play and we're only on Scene Four but it's okay so far? All the reviews on Goodreads are positively glowing so I'm guessing it'll get even better as we go along!

***

As for writing... still plugging away at that November novel for NaNoWriMo. It's the first in a planned four-book Fantasy series about girl gangs and dark magic. With some dragons and pirates thrown in for good measure.

It's at around 160k words at the moment and almost none of them are good words. So, for Camp NaNoWriMo in April - I have set my goal as "50 Hours of Revision". I'm so pleased with this goal because I know it's achievable, but it'll be so incredibly difficult for me. I'll definitely be happier when I'm done though, since this rough draft/first draft has become very rambly and there is much cutting down and even reordering to do!

Is anybody else participating in Camp this year? What are you working on?

January & February | Reading Wrap-Ups

Well, it's been a minute and a half since I posted a reading wrap up of any sort. I have been writing reviews for every book I read over on my Goodreads page if you want to see how my last half of 2016 went or if you want further details on my thoughts on these books!

In January and February, I read a total of 7 books, so without any further ado I'll get right into them!

JANUARY:

1. A Torch Against the Night, by Sabaa Tahir - Just as thrilling as the first book in my opinion. Though I preferred the first book's plot and worldbuilding, this one was still a very strong addition, especially as we got the addition of a narrative voice to the book that I was incredibly happy to get. In fact, the third narrartor quickly became my favorite character. I'm so hyped that this series has been extended, because I could read so many books about these preciouses and their unfortunate adventures.
2. The Amateurs, by Sara Shepard - A young adult mystery novel with some fun twists and turns. It's by the same author of the Pretty Little Liars series, and while I have never read those books, I know the author's works have a reputation for being fun to just sort of binge or fly through and that's how this book was for me. I did read a spoiler ahead of time, though... otherwise I may not have ever guessed the mystery!
3. Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddix - A re-read from when I was in Middle School... I finally finished it this time around though. And that ending was literally.... it was not what I expected, I'll just say that much about it. But in all honesty this book is such a great, action-packed read that I simply devoured!
4. PostSecret by Frank Warren - I actually participated in my library's "Blind Date with a Book" challenge this month and the description on the wrapping paper was too intriguing for me to resist picking this up. And I'm glad I did. I read it in one sitting and while it isn't a novel, it really is a piece of art.

FEBRUARY:

1. The Vanished Knight, by M. Gerrick - A self-published Fantasy novel that I really enjoyed. I liked the characters, and their relationships with one another. This gave me some Chronicles of Narnia vibes, but with it's own unique elements mixed in there as well. It was so much fun and was a temporary relief from the reading slump that has been plaguing me for months now!
2. Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown - The first Dan Brown novel I've ever read. It's a thriller that had to do with some historical stuff. It was kind of scary at times just because I'm superstitious about certain things. Although fast-paced, it did take me a little while to read just because I was reading all three of these books at the same time...
3. Gemina, by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman - OH MY GOSH. I loved this book every bit as much as I loved the first book in this companion series, Illuminae. In fact... I may have liked this one more? The characters did remind me a lot of the other characters in the first book but that didn't lessen my enjoyment. Also shoutout to Marie Lu for those amazing illustrations.

TOP THREE:

So, my top three of the past two months would have to be...

• Gemina
• The Vanished Knight
• Found

All of them kept me hooked and reading for so many hours on end. I loved all of the books I read in these past months however - I've been getting quite lucky so far!

Until next time, happy reading!

February TBR | 2017

Long time no see on this blog! I've been rather busy with school and things, especially now that I have to start looking into colleges I might want to attend, and since I've started taking on more honors classes... there are both benefits and drawbacks to that...

However for my first post of 2017 I'm going to be talking about something a bit more fun, which is the books I am planning to read and/or finish in February of this year! I may have September/October/November/December/January wrap-ups coming, but honestly I didn't read that much at the end of last year due to the Reading Slump which I am still in now... sighs.

Anyways here is what I'm reading or want to read!

The Vanished Knight by M. Gerrick - I'm nearly finished with this one (kind of). It's a self-published novel, but don't let that discourage you from reading it. It's a high fantasy, and the first in a series, following a girl named Callan, and lots of adventures. I'm currently readining it as an ebook and it's so much fun, plus the author's very friendly and nice.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown - I'm about 130 pages into this one and already I'm a bit "meh" on it. I'm not sure if I've solved the mystery or not already, but if so than this is just as predictable as I thought it would be... my Dad does say there is a surprising ending though so I might keep reading because of that. Also, this has 2 million ratings on Goodreads and I'd never heard of it until last week after my Dad read it... huh

Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman - A science fiction novel and companion to the bestselling novel Illuminae that came out last year (which I thoghoughly enjoyed if it hasn't been mentioned on my blog yet). It's a very big book at 650 pages long but I do love big books so hopefully this one will be more hooking than Angels & Demons is! I checked it out from the library yesterday and already am antsy to dive in.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - Another sequel, and this time it's the finale! Six of Crows was one of my favorite books last year (read it near the end of 2016, so I probably never really mentioned it on my blog) and I was super excited to see this one in the library. I had to check it out right away. It's another big one but I'm sure if it's half as hooking as the first book, I will finish it up very quickly.

The Heir's Choice by M. Gerrick - This is the sequel to The Vanished Knight and if possible/if I have enough time, I know this will be the next ebook I start. I'm loving Callan's journey and the whole fantasy world Ms Gerrick has created, so hopefully I will continue to in this book as well!

And that is all I have planned for the month of February! I hope everyone is having a good 2017 so far and keeping up with any resolutions you may have set... also Happy Superbowl Sunday! Hehe

Until next time, happy reading!

Last Library Haul of the Summer - Library Haul #5

So, I kind of haven't posted on this blog since my little update/complaining spree about being in a reading and writing slump for most, if not all, of the summer. But good news! I think that I am finally out of my reading slump! I'm always more motivated to read in the colder seasons, and this morning I woke up at 6:30 just so that I could read with the rain still pounding at the windows. (The things I do for my books. Sheesh.)

(Of course, the bad news for me is that I start school again tomorrow. Whomp, whomp. But the school librarian has asked me to be a library assistant, and I got the classes I wanted, so hopefully this semester turns out alright!)

Recently I visited the library and checked out three books. (There were more I wanted to get, but I restrained myself!) It's a bit of a miniature library haul, but I thought I would just share with everyone the books that I checked out. I'm excited to read them all!

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City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster was the first book I picked up. I actually hadn't heard of it before, but it sounded really cool. A murder mystery in a diverse fantasy setting with talking cats? That just ticks so many of my 'must read' boxes!

When I looked it up on Goodreads I saw it didn't have the best reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. (I just finished it before writing this post.) I think next time, I will grab the second book in this duology (though it seems to be more of a companion novel) since that one has higher ratings anyway.

The second book I picked up from the library was And I Darken by Kiersten White. This is supposed to be an epic historical fiction retelling of Vlad the Impaler. But in this retold version, Vlad is a girl named Lada.

This has been getting quite a bit of buzz lately, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. Plus look at that cover. Look at it. It's so beautiful!

I definitely can't wait to get to this one and see how I like it. I think it's the one I'll end up reading next!

Finally, I decided to check out Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie. This book is about a girl who can feel the emotions and physical pain of the people around her. It's a bit of a bigger book, and I think it might be the first in a series? In a trilogy? Duology? I'm not sure which.

This is another book where people don't seem to like it but I tend to have unpopular opinions to everyone else (oops?) so I hope that I end up at least liking it a bit. (The only problem is that it seems to have a love triangle... sighs.)

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I hope everyone has been having a great summer/winter (if you're in the opposite hemisphere). Autumn is my favorite season and I am so done with summer already! I can't wait for rain and the colder days and sweaters and pumpkin everything. Thanksgiving is also my favorite holiday, so I'm looking forward to that as well.

Until next time, (which will hopefully be soon!), happy reading!

 

Slumps & Updates

Hey, guys! It's been a really long time (almost two months!) since I posted on this blog, and that has been for a variety of reasons.

I finished up my year of school, and next year I'm going to be an upperclassman in High School, which is crazy, exciting, and terrifying all at the same time. I'm not really sure what I want to do with my life yet, which is a bit nerve-wracking since I've always hoped to be certain of what degree to pursue and what college to attend, etc. etc. but! I know I'm still young, and I still have plenty of time to pick those things out and change my mind.

I've also been a little bit busy this summer: my family has gone camping twice, which was nice. The second time we went with our neighbors and it rained a lot, so we mainly played card games and board games. (The brothers attempted to canoe in the rain and came back soaked - I'm glad I elected to stay behind!) We also played lots of the game 'Mafia', which if you haven't played before, trust me, it's very fun, especially with lots of people involved.

Mostly, the reason I haven't been posting recently, though, is because of the thing every bookworm dreads: the Reading Slump. I was fine in June and May (apparently I read 13 books in those two months, stats taken from Goodreads). But it's currently a week until July ends, and I have yet to finish one book.

It's a shame, because my current read, Illuminae is not bad at all. In fact, it's quite good and it's been on my TBR for a long time. The thing is, I just never feel the motivation to pick it up, and when I do, I stare at the words on the page without actually comprehending them. Not just for Illuminae, but for every book I try, this happens.

In addition to Reading Slump, I've been experiencing terrible Writer's Block. And, it being Camp NaNoWriMo at the moment, this has been even more discouraging. My goal was 30,000 and I've barely written 12,000. I haven't given up yet, though! Even if I don't make it, it's okay to lose once in awhile, and I think it's important that I not be too hard on myself.

So, that's been where I've been at for the past couple of months! I hope to be posting more this summer and into next school year, and hopefully I can rid of the nasty Writer's and Readers Block I've been experiencing!

Until next time, happy reading!