April Wrap-Up | 2016

I read a pretty good amount of books this month! It didn't even come close to how many I read last month, and the enjoyment level for me unfortunately dropped slightly, but that's alright.

 

In the end, I read 7 books. Here are the titles, a short overview of my thoughts, a link to my longer Goodreads reviews, and a rating out of 5 stars for each!

 

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The Alchemyst by Michael Scott : A childhood favorite of mine that I was so happy to read again! I see this getting so many bad reviews, but I still really liked it. Yes, it does have its flaws, and I may be a bit biased due to the part it played in my growing up and my love for books, but I still love the world-building and the action-packed plot! Such a fun adventure.
3.5*'s / Goodreads Review

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman : This book follows a teenager who has a mental illness called Schizophrenia. I didn't know too much about this topic going into it, but as a teenager who has to deal with mental illness, I was really interested to read this book and really grateful that it exists. It was very eye-opening. But it just made me feel weird and uncomfortable when I read it, and I know that was partly the point, but I never really looked forward to reading it and it took me awhile to read despite the shortness. I still really appreciate it though. It's also becoming a movie!
3*'s / Goodreads Review

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson : After finishing one emotionally heavy book, I just head straight into another one because that's a good idea. Eep. This book wasn't quite as high on emotions as I was expecting it to be, especially since I have been through a similar situation to the protagonist. It still was very emotional though, and I liked the main character and the small town setting. The themes of family and friendship within this book were amazing as well!
4*'s / Goodreads Review

The Brothers K by David James Duncan : This was a family saga set in the 1960's to around the Vietnam War. I had to read this book for school, so I don't think it's much of a surprise that I found it quite tedious at points. The character development was so interesting and I definitely felt sorry for the characters. Sometimes I forgot they weren't real!
3*'s / Goodreads Review

Ingenue by Jillian Larkin : I loved the first book, so I was pretty excited to pick this one up. It's set in the 1920's (which is my FAVORITE time period. More YA needs to be set in the 1920's, please!) and has flapper girls and speakeasies and jazz music and drama and it's just so much fun. Is it the most well-written book ever? No. And I probably enjoyed this more than I logically should have. But I personally really liked it.
4*'s / Goodreads Review

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury : This is an Aladdin retelling following the point of view of the Jinni, who in this interpretation is a girl named Zahra. And oh gosh, I did adore this book. It was so fabulous, and Zahra was such a great main character. ALSO it had a band of lady assassins/protectors. The setting was super cool and the world-building done really well. I just loved it!
5*'s / Goodreads Review

The Magician by Michael Scott : The second book in "The Alchemyst" series. We get introduced to a new villain, whom I like much more than the other villain (s). He's just great. Also, I love how morally gray every single character is in this book (I don't even trust one of the main characters at this point). I can't wait to finish up my reread of this six-book series.
3.75*'s / Goodreads Review

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My favorite book this month was clearly the Forbidden Wish! Though I also had a lot of fun rereading The Alchemyst and The Magician. I would love to know your favorite book from April, if you had one.

Until next time, happy reading! 

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Closing Survey

About 5 hours after the Readathon ended, and here I am with my little wrap-up post as well as the closing survey!

Closing Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
   Hours 20-23 just because I was trying so hard not to fall asleep (I ended up falling asleep).
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
   The Invention of Hugo Cabret is really fast because it's mostly pictures, so there's one that will help readers feel accomplished!
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
   I would really love it if cheerleading for blogs made a reappearance, but other than that, not really, I had a blast!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
   As always, I love the hourly updates and mini-challenges, they always keep me very high energy and excited!
5. How many books did you read?
   1.5 Books
6. What were the names of the books you read?- The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury (340 pages)
   - The Magician by Michael Scott (first 200 pages)
    
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
   The Forbidden Wish was really great!
8. Which did you enjoy least?
   The Magician, but probably just because I read it so late at night (early in the morning).
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?You can bet I will! This was so fun as always, and I got way more reading done than I ordinarily would have on a Saturday. Thanks to the staff for all of the hard work that they put into making this such an AWESOME event!

Some final stats...
Total Pages Read: 540
Total Time Read: 7 hours, 33 minutes
Total Blog Posts: 9
Total Mini-Challenges Participated In: 2

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 23

I managed to power through another hour, but I think that that's a wrap for me today! I just can't keep my eyes open any longer. I'll be back in the morning with my wrap-up post and the final closing survey, though, so stay tuned!

Hour: A quarter past Hour 23
Currently Reading:

 

 

The Magician, by Michael Scott

Pages Read Since Last Update: 124
Total Pages Read: 540
Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Total Time Read: 7 hours, 33 minutes
Comments: This is a pretty good book so far, even if I've read only 200 pages. I'm kind of sad I wasn't able to make it to the finish line this year, but that's okay, I think I would've just fallen asleep anyway. I had a really fun time this Readathon, and I hope that if you participated, you did too! Lights out from me. See everyone in the morning.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 21

We're in the final stretch now, with the finish line in sight! I haven't done as much reading as I would have liked today, but that's okay, because I really enjoyed myself!

Hour: A bit after Hour 21
Currently Reading:

 

 

The Magician, by Michael Scott

Pages Read Since Last Update: 130
Total Pages Read: 416
Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Total Time Read: 5 hours, 56 minutes
Comments: I finally finished my first book of the Readathon! Victory is mine! The Forbidden Wish was really good and one of the best retellings I've read - I just enjoyed it, greatly. I did a bit of cheerleading and folding of laundry before moving on to my next book, though. I chose The Magician because it was a childhood favorite, and one of the challenges for this Readathon, proposed by Reading Rainbow (I loved that show as a kid, speaking of childhood favorites) was to read a book that first got you into reading! I also completed the Hour 21 Mini-Challenge of describing my ideal reading spot.
I did another Reading Sprint, but my eyes were just constantly drooping, and I was on the verge of sleep. I might change up the scenery a bit, but if the sleepiness persists, I think I'll just give in and go to bed, no shame in that!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 18

So... I haven't read at all for the past three and a half hours. Oops? But now, I have another good 4-5 hours at least to finish my current read and hopefully start another one, which I'm looking forward to, whatever it is (haven't decided yet)!

I still haven't finished a book yet this Readathon, but I refuse to be deterred! I'm probably going to finish this later, or at least I hope I will, because I have less than 10 hours and I wanted to finish at least one book this Readathon.

Hour: Twenty minutes past Hour 18
Currently Reading:

 

The Forbidden Wish, by Jessica Khoury

Pages Read Since Last Update: 0
Total Pages Read: 286
Time Read Since Last Update: 0
Total Time Read: 4 hours, 13 minutes
Comments: Yeah, so instead of reading, I ate dinner of cheeseburgers and tater tots. Then I hung out with my friends, and we ended up having a short Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D marathon and eating brownies and ice cream - yum! I just got ready for bed though, refilled my water bottle, and I'm ready to finish up The Forbidden Wish, which I love so much, it might be on its way to being a five-star read for me! I just love everything about it and it's so suspenseful right now. Putting it down for that long was difficult, believe me.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 14

I still haven't finished a book yet this Readathon, but I refuse to be deterred! I'm probably going to finish this later, or at least I hope I will, because I have less than 10 hours and I wanted to finish at least one book this Readathon.

Hour: Half past Hour 14.
Currently Reading:

 

The Forbidden Wish, by Jessica Khoury

Pages Read Since Last Update: 135
Total Pages Read: 286
Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Total Time Read: 4 hours, 13 minutes
Comments: I participated in my very first "Reading Sprint", managing to read 67 pages in an hour, which was fun. I went and read outside too, since it was rather cold but still nice and not raining. My garden smelled nice too, like flowers, so I just sat out there for the hour, reading very peacefully. This book is close to being done and everything is wrapping up nicely so far. I am really liking this story, more than I expected to, even!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Mid-Event Survey

Ah, so it's actually not Hour 12 anymore... but we are more than halfway through the Readathon, so applause for that! I haven't read quite as much as I would have liked, but that's okay, there's still plenty of time.

Mid Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?
Still The Forbidden Wish, by Jessica Khoury. I promise it's good, just taking me a little while to get through it!

 2. How many books have you read so far?
A little more than half of a book.

 3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Finishing my current read, and maybe starting A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare.

 4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Yes, most of them were my own fault. Star Wars and dogs and food all distracted me, my bad.

 5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
I don't know if I've had many surprises, so far, but I'm excited for the remainder of the 24 hours. Hopefully I'll be able to read plenty more, and finish at least one book!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 11

Almost halfway now, how time flies! It feels like the Readathon shouldn't be rushing past this quickly, and it makes me sad that it only comes twice a year. But, here I am with my second update for today!

Hour: Half past Hour 11.
Currently Reading:

 

The Forbidden Wish, by Jessica Khoury

Pages Read Since Last Update: 46
Total Pages Read: 151
Time Read Since Last Update: 48 minutes
Total Time Read: 2 hours, 16 minutes
Comments: So, I took a break to eat nachos and watch Star Wars with my dad and two of my brothers, who are now out Frisbee-Golfing. My mom and other brother went iceskating, so finally I  have the house to myself! It seems so quiet now. I'm going to continue reading The Forbidden Wish, which continues to be really great. I'm glad I chose this one to read.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Hour 7

So, we're a fairly good chunk of the way into the 24 Hour Readathon, and I've been enjoying myself so far. It's been an uneventful, relaxing day, and the book that I'm reading has been very engaging and a great read. I'm here now with my first update!

Hour: About 40 minutes past Hour 7.
Currently Reading:

 

The Forbidden Wish, by Jessica Khoury

Pages Read Since Last Update: 105
Total Pages Read: 105
Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Total Time Read: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Comments: This is such a great book and has some really nice quotes. One of my favorites is from Page 46: "Cruelty, I understand. But kindness frightens me, for my defenses are weak against it." I can't wait to read the rest of this book, I know I'll finish it today.
I've participated in one mini-challenge so far, which was fun! And my dad and two of my brothers just arrived home with some cranberries and honey comb for a spot of lunch, so I'm off to refuel! See you all in another couple of hours.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: Opening Meme

I did Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon last April, and it was probably my best Readathon experience ever! I just had a blast having an excuse to read all day, and talking with others who were doing the same. So of course I had to do it again this year!

I'm starting out with the short introduction survey.


Opening Meme:

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

The Pacific Northwest, USA. It's actually quite nice weather today (there's a shock) so I might be able to read outside some later.

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

It's Hour 5 right now, so earlier this morning, I began The Forbidden Wish, by Jessica Khoury which is really good so far! I also want to pick up A Midsummer's Night Dream, by William Shakespeare later in honor of his 400th birthday today.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Hmm. I might have some trail mix later, or Nutella Toast when I need some motivation.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I am a high schooler currently learning two languages (Spanish and French). Also I have three brothers, two which are younger than me, and so my house is going to be very noisy today because they're all home right now.

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 really liked my experience last Readathon, so I don't think I'll try to do much differently today. I usually like low-key Readathons, so I'm not going to put any great pressure on myself to read a specific amount or anything!

If you're doing the Readathon, then good luck! And I'm going to be doing updates every few hours, to track my progress, so excited about that.

Until next time, happy reading!