Bout of Books 23!

It's that time again, folks!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I will be participating in the 23rd round of Bout of Books! See you there? I may update this blog from time to time in order to participate in some of the challenges and such, but I think the bulk of my updates will be uploaded onto my Youtube Channel once the Read-a-Thon has finished, so please keep an eye out for that.

Bout of Books 21

Bout of Books is here!!

"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 21 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog." - From the Bout of Books team

I was not able to participate at all last year, so I am so excited to be planning my TBR, picking up some amazing books, and reading along with everyone this time around (even if my schedule is a bit crazy this week). Daily challenges and progress will be posted here so that I can take part in the read-a-thon as it is happening, but I will be vlogging as well and that vidoe should be uploaded onto my BookTube channel sometime next week. HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I AM SO EXCITED?!

See you there?

Bout of Books 17: Day Seven!

» Day Seven Recap: «

▫ What I read:

Refresh Refresh by Benjamin Percy

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

I read this short story for my fiction writing class, so I am going to refrain from rating or commenting on it too much. It was definitely interesting!

▫ Challenges I participated in:

NONE

» Day Seven Stats: «

# of hours read: .5
# of pages read: 11
# of books completed: 1 (short story)
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 15

Pages: 1.082

Books Completed: 3 (plus one short story)

Challenges Completed: 1

Bout of Books 17: Day Six!

» Day Six Recap: «

▫ What I read:

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

The ending to this series was just as good as I remembered! I had lots of time to read on day six, so finishing this book was relatively easy. Gripping, fast-paced, action-packed and fun, I absolutely love the Percy Jackson series and I don't need an Oracle to know that there will be many, many PJO rereads in my future.

▫ Challenges I participated in:

NONE

» Day Six Stats: «

# of hours read: 3.5
# of pages read: 272
# of books completed: 1
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 14.5

Pages: 1,071

Books Completed: 3

Challenges Completed: 1

Bout of Books 17: Day Five!

» Day Five Recap: «

▫ What I read:

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

I meant to pick up A Gathering of Shadows, I honestly did, but I have been on such a big Percy Jackson kick recently, and I didn't want to make myself fall into another reading slump by picking up a book I wasn't in the mood to read. I am very, very excited to be reading The Last Olympian again as it is probably my favorite book in the series (tied with The Lightning Thief).

▫ Challenges I participated in:

NONE

» Day Five Stats: «

# of hours read: 2
# of pages read: 109
# of books completed: 0
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 11

Pages: 799
Books Completed: 2

Challenges Completed: 1

Bout of Books 17: Day Four!

» Day Four Recap: «

▫ What I read:

▫ Thoughts on the book(s) so far:

I finished Battle of the Labyrinth yesterday! Because I did not remember much of the plot, rereading it was actually like picking it up for the very first time. I very much enjoyed seeing more of the characters and witnessing development and small moments that I had completely forgotten about. On to the fifth and final book!

I also managed to read about sixteen pages of The Lie that Tells a Truth, which is a guide to fiction writing that I have been assigned to read for one of the classes I am taking this term. It's really interesting so far; I hope the advice and exercises continue to give me inspiration going forward!

▫ Challenges I participated in:

NONE

» Day Four Stats: «

# of hours read: 2.5
# of pages read: 215
# of books completed: 1
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 9

Pages: 690

Books Completed: 2

Challenges Completed: 1

Bout of Books: Day Three!

» Day Three Recap: «

▫ What I read:

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

The Battle of the Labyrinth is probably the book I remember the least from in the series, so it is nice to pick it up again and reintroduce myself to the adventures that take place within its pages. I'm so close to the end of rereading the series now, it's crazy. Makes me want to go back and do it over again!

▫ Challenges I participated in:

NONE

» Day Three Stats: «

# of hours read: 2
# of pages read: 101
# of books completed: 0
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 6.5

Pages: 475

Books Completed: 1

Challenges Completed: 1

Bout of Books 17: Day Two!

» Day Two Recap: «

▫ What I read:

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

I completed The Titan's Curse on day two, and it was just as good as I remembered! This series will forever have a special place in my heart, and I love going back to read them over and over again. 5/5 stars. It was a very exciting, fast read. Though I had planned to pick up another books after TTC, I ended up picking up the next book in the series, The Battle of the Labyrinth instead.

▫ Challenges I participated in:

NONE

» Day Two Stats: «

# of hours read: 2.5
# of pages read: 175
# of books completed: 1
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 4.5

Pages: 374

Books Completed: 1

Challenges Completed: 1

Bout of Books: Day One!

» Day One Recap: «

▫ What I read:

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

This is a reread, so my thoughts are basically the same as they were years ago, when I first picked up this series. Percy is amazing, as always, and I really love getting back into this world and following his adventures once again!

▫ Challenges I participated in:

1. Book-to-Movie Adaptations

» Day One Stats: «

# of hours read: 2
# of pages read: 199
# of books completed: 0
# of challenges completed: 1

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▫ Total:

Hours: 2

Pages: 199

Books Completed: 0

Challenges Completed: 1

Bout of Books 17: Movie Adaptations

Today's challenge is hosted by Writing My Own Fairytale and is all about book-to-move adaptations! Now, I am extremely lenient with adaptations. For the most part, I am able to go into them with fairly low expectations and can usually view them as something completely different from the books. Because of this, there aren't too many that I absolutely loathe. As an example: I enjoyed the Percy Jackson movies even though they were so, so different from the books. Pretty crazy, but that's just how I operate.


Favorite adaptation:

I recently watched movies 2-4 of the Hunger Games this year and, out of all of them, I felt like Catching Fire did an amazing job at staying true to the books whilst providing the *new* and *exciting* we expect when seeing something in movie format. The acting was great, the storyline was emotional and tense, the scenes were edited together nicely and I just felt like it was so much more than the first one. I absolutely loved it!


Least favorite adaptation:

Ah. As someone who is lenient with movie adaptations, this one definitely pushed the boundaries of my patience. I wasn't really a fan of the book to begin with (TMI is not my favorite Cassandra Clare series), but the movie offered nothing new or exciting, and took out everything from the books that could have salvaged the experience, to be honest. The acting was awful, the romances were even more cringe-y, and I didn't really enjoy it, overall.

And there you have it! What are your favorite or least favorite book-to-movie adaptations?

Bout of Books 17 TBR!

Bout of Books is almost here!

I am not quite sure how much reading I will be able to do this coming week - I am currently working full-time and am in the running for a supervising position that I should *hopefully* find out about this week, so the stress is real - but I have chosen a few books to pick up anyway!

Bout of Books 17 TBR

1. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab: I started reading this book in February and an ill-timed reading slump (aren't they all?) made reading anything at the time very, very difficult. When I put it down, I was about halfway though the book, so I am hoping to finally pick it up this week and finish it, particularly because I was really enjoying it before the slump.

2. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan: As I am sure you know by now, a 2016 reading goal of mine was to reread the Percy Jackson series. I am currently ready to begin book three and since these are such quick reads, I should have no problem finishing this one as well!

3. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis: An unofficial reading goal was to read the Chronicles of Narnia series. I haven't been working on this one much, to be honest, but each story is relatively short (about a hundred pages or so), so if I have the time, I will probably pick up this one as well unless I get distracted by something else.

Are you participating on Bout of Books 17? What are you planning on reading? I think I may vlog my progress this time, so keep a look out for that! Good luck!!

Bout of Books 17!

Bout of Books 17 is here!!

I will, once again, be participating and may even vlog my progress! Maybe. I haven't quite made up my mind about that part yet. See you there?

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 28th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 17 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books: Day Seven!

Another Bout of Books has come to an end. :(

» Day Seven Recap: «

▫ What I read:

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

▫ Thoughts on the book:

What is there to say, really, except I LOVED IT. I cannot believe I put off reading it for so long. Such an achingly beautiful, heart-wrenching, intense story.

▫ Challenges I participated in:

- NONE -

» Day Seven Stats: «

# of hours read: 1.5

# of pages read: 163

# of books completed: 1

# of challenges completed: 0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

▫ Total:

Hours: 11

Pages: 741

Books Completed: 2

Challenges Completed: 4

» Wrap-up: «

▫ TBR:

✓ Read Just a Few Inches by Tara St. Pierre

✓ Finish Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

x Finish A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

▫ Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think I did pretty well, considering I had been suffering through a months-long reading slump right before Bout of Books began. I managed to complete Illuminae—which I fell in love with—as well as Just a Few Inches, a book I received for review. It was a good reading week and I managed to complete 2/3 books on my initial TBR, so I would call it a success!

Bout of Books: Day Six!

» Day Six Recap: «

▫ What I read:

 

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

I AM IN LOVE. I was a little worried when I got a hundred pages or so in and couldn't really understand what was happening/where the story was going, but now that things are happening and everything has basically been explained, I am very much enjoying this book. It's so tense, action-y and amazing; basically, it's a great story of survival and love and I haven't wanted to put it down at all today. I only have 100-150 pages left to go, and it reads really fast, so I'm hoping to complete it before Bout of Books ends.

▫ Challenges I participated in:

Share Your Favorite Bout of Books Moment challenge:

» Day Six Stats: «

# of hours read: 2.5
# of pages read: 200
# of books completed: 0
# of challenges completed: 1

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▫ Total:

Hours: 9.5

Pages: 578

Books Completed: 1

Challenges Completed: 4

Bout of Books: Day Five!

» Day Five Recap: «

▫ What I read:

Between work, hanging out with my best friend and catching up on homework, I did not get any reading done on day five of Bout of Books.

▫ Challenges I participated in:

Nor did I participate in any challenges. Hahaha, fail.

» Day Five Stats: «

# of hours read: 0
# of pages read: 0
# of books completed: 0
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 6

Pages: 378

Books Completed: 1

Challenges Completed: 3

Bout of Books: Day Four!

» Day Four Recap: «

▫ What I read:

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

Because this story is told through emails and case-files, I had a very difficult time understanding exactly what's been going on in the book before yesterday afternoon. However, I did finally managed to get a relatively good grasp on the plot, my interest has been renewed, and I am now flying through this baby at warp speed (ha). All I want to do is read it, which is a pretty great feeling (particularly after a reading slump). Not sure when I will be able to finish it yet, but I am hoping to at least get it done before Bout of Books ends.

▫ Challenges I participated in:

- NONE -

» Day Four Stats: «

# of hours read: 2
# of pages read: 153
# of books completed: 0
# of challenges completed: 0

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▫ Total:

Hours: 6

Pages: 378

Books Completed: 1

Challenges Completed: 3

Bout of Books: Day Three!

» Day Three Recap: «

▫ What I read:

Just a Few Inches by Tara St. Pierre

▫ Thoughts on the book so far:

I finished Just a Few Inches on day three, and will have a review up very soon!

▫ Challenges I participated in:

1. Top Five challenge

» Day Three Stats: «

# of hours read: 2
# of pages read: 121
# of books completed: 1
# of challenges completed: 1

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▫ Total:

Hours: 4

Pages: 225

Books Completed: 1

Challenges Completed: 3

Bout of Books 16: Top Five

Today's challenge is to pick five of our favorite... something. And because it's a read-a-thon, that something has to be book related! Thought it's probably a tad boring, I have decided to list five of my all-time favorite books (which was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be).

5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein: I love the adventure in this book, and how an ordinary, boring man can stumble into greatness just by taking that first step out his front door. I found it to be a very inspiring read and I fully enjoyed the eclectic cast of characters and all of the trouble they got into throughout their journey. I pick this book up whenever I am sad or in a slump, and it never fails to make me happy.

4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: Though I love the entire series, The Lightning Thief was where Percy's adventure began, and I enjoy going back to it again and again. I love how young, innocent and naive everyone is in this book, particularly in comparison to the later books/series, and I find something extremely relaxing about that. Also, the humor and wit is my favorite.

3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: I have only ever read this once, but what an amazing book! I had never really taken an interest in historical fiction before, but reading The Book Thief has turned me on to an entire new genre. I love how heartbreaking and real it is because it made me connect to the characters in a really personal way.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Full of magic, love and loss, The Night Circus reminds me a lot of Harry Potter; I become so immersed in the story that I often forget I am reading a book because everything seems so vivid and real. It is an amazing book. I love the characters, the story and the heart of it.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling: Obviously, I love each book in the series for a plethora of different reasons, but I feel like The Sorcerer's Stone is my favorite because it was the very first book and the one that started my love for Harry Potter, and I read it at least once a year, simply because I enjoy going back to Harry's first ever year at Hogwarts and experiencing the magic and wonder all over again. To me, this first book is like home; I feel safe and experience severe nostalgia whenever I pick it up.

BoB 16: Day Two!

Day two has come to an end! Unfortunately, I have not been reading as much as I would like to—school and work have kept me pretty busy so far this week—but I have enjoyed seeing everyone else's updates. I should have more time to read these next few days, so here's hoping I make some progress and manage to finish something soon!

» Day Two Recap: «

▫ What I read:

Just a Few Inches by Tara St. Pierre

▫ Thoughts on the books so far:

Basically the same as yesterday. I'm still trucking through and am hoping to finish the book on day three! 

▫ Challenges I participated in:

1. Show off your shelves photo challenge.

» Day Two Stats: «

# of hours read: 1
# of pages read: 57
# of books completed: 0
# of challenges completed: 1

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▫ Total:

Hours: 2

Pages: 104

Books Completed: 0

Challenges Completed: 2

Bout of Books 16: #shelfie

Today's challenge is to post some photos showing off your bookshelves!

- Some manga and my Alice in Wonderland collection.

- Rick Riordan and Cassandra Clare shelves.


- Contemporary (and some adult stand-alones in the corner).

- Completed series.


- Completed series.


- Completed series, incomplete series, YA stand-alones.

- Classics and nonfiction.

- Sarah Shephard, Lemony Snicket and J.R.R. Tolkein novels, as well as some Middle grade books.

- My Harry Potter collection.

- TBR.

- TBR.

- TBR.

What's on your shelves?