Read-A-Thon: A Winter's Respite

For a lark and because I'm going on a mini vacation this week, I saw this post for a read a thon and thought I'd participate because it's such a short one!  It's called A Winter's Respite and began at midnight Jan 23 and lasts until this Sunday!  I've got some time on an airplane where I hope to get some reading in!

I saw this post just after midnight CST (thanks Martina) so signed up right then and read for a bit before bed.  I was on page 225 of my current book, Bastion Falls and I hope to finish it today and move on to either the next Lee Child book which I can use for one of my group tasks on Goodreads or perhaps the first Discworld book, The Color of Magic or something else.  My TBR is so huge and I have so many choices, sometimes it's hard to decide!  I'd take a picture of my bookshelf for the mini challenge, but alas I cannot!

Join me!!

Read more...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Jan 10 2011

Its been awhile since I posted for this but its a new year and time for another edition of It's Monday! What Are You Reading which is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books.

The Past-  I just finished Blackout by Connie Willis which I didn't find to be as enjoyable as I expected it to be.  The premise was great but I ended up being slightly disappointed!

The Present - Currently I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  Its a book I've been wanting to read for a long time and I'm almost halfway through it.  If I ever have another child, I plan to name him Aureliano or Jose Arcadio.

The Future - I already know what my next book is and that's a rarity for me!  I got it yesterday from my bestest lender.  The Last Pope by Luis M. Rocha.  Its part of my Backpacking Through Europe challenge on the Reading with Style group I belong to on Goodreads.  After that, The Black Sun by James Twining.  I can plan what to read after all!

Happy Reading!

Read more...

New Year, New Challenges

Well its a new year folks and I won't talke about some of my challenge fails for next year...okay, so I only read 79 books instead of the 100 I wanted too.  But I was close and am trying that one again.

I must tell you about this website that I love.  Goodreads.  I joined in November and love that I can keep track of the books I've read, books that I want to read and I can join groups that have like interests...and challenges. (Pssst, goodreads is hosting a "How many books can you read?" challenge for 2011).  If you want to check it out, come and find me - we can be friends!

I also, signed up for T4MC - Part 5 again but I haven't really looked at too closely until oh, today.  I like this challenge because you can basically make almost any book you read fit into a category and there's really no pressure!    Looks like I have 70 points!  Here are the categories and what I've done so far:

FIVE POINT CHALLENGES:


Read a book by your favourite author - Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet, Book 4)
Read a YA book
Read a book written in 2010
Read a book with a colour/color in the title - Blackout
Read a book set in any country other than your own

TEN POINT CHALLENGES:

Read a book with any ‘family’ name in it. Eg: Father, daughter, uncle, etc.
Read a book you’ve read before
Read a fantasy book - The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)
Read a book a book you’ve been meaning to read for ages
Read a book set in the same country you live in

FIFTEEN POINT CHALLENGES:

Read a book written before you were born
Read a book suggested by a blog
Read a book set in a country/place you’d like to visit - Faithful Place: A Novel
Read a book about a person who is still alive (Memoir, bio, auto-bio, etc)
Read a book that is the first in a series - Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Book 1)
TWENTY POINT CHALLENGES

Read a book about a person who is passed (Memoir, bio, auto-bio, etc)
Read a classic you’ve never read before
Read a book you need to read for another challenge - Somewhere In Time



Read a book of short stories



Read a book with a food in the title

Read more...

T4MC - Part 4 Update

Updating my T4MC - Part 4 challenge!  As of August 31, I had 95 points and going strong! 

5 Point Challenges


Read a chick lit book - Sea Swept (Chesapeake Bay, Book 1)

Read a book with a proper name in the title

Read a historical fiction book

Read a book with a one word title - Tripwire (Jack Reacher, No. 3)

Read a book made into a movie


10 Point Challenges


Read a book with a Civil War theme (any country)

Read a Biblical fiction book

Read a hardcover book - Fever Dream

Read a book about a king or queen

Read a book set in France


15 Point Challenges


Read a book by an author you’ve never read before - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage)

Read a biography or autobiography

Read a book with a number in the title

Read any book and then post a review

Read any book but read it outside


20 Point Challenges


Read a book in a series AND the one after it - Death Masks: A Novel of the Dresden Files (The Dresden Files, Book 5), Blood Rites: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Read a book that was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - The Shipping News

Read a book considered Christian fiction - The Magician's Nephew

Read a book from The Modern Library Top 100

Read a book by an author born in July, August, September or October - The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage) by Stieg Larsson

Read more...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Sept 13, 2010

It's been awhile but I'm back - at least for this post anyways!  Even in my absence,I've been reading, have you?  Well check out One Person's Journey Through A World of Books and her great blog for this week's contributers!

The Past:

I finished up just this past weekend, Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy Bundle: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  I highly recommend this series to everyone!  Very intense, very good characters and a very good read, all 3 of them!  Go read them now!

Also highly anticipated and read last week was the final book in The Hunger Games, Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games).  This one had a bit of a different tone but I was happy enough with it.  This is another series that I highly recommend!

For my T4MC, I needed to read a book that has won a Pulitzer Prize so I chose The Shipping News (Paperback) by Annie Proulx.  It was different, can't say that it was a favorite of mine and now I'm anxious to see the movie and Kevin Spacey's portrayal of the main character.

Oooh, I almost forgot that I started a new fantasy series by Robin Hobb with book 1, Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1).  It was good and it has been awhile since I read any fantasy.  I have the rest of the series on my TBR shelf!

On Tap:

Also for my T4MC, I am reading a biblical fiction book.  Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt: A Novel.  While I've read many of Rice's novels including her Vampire and Witch chronicles, this is out of my comfort zone but it was recommended to me by my boss so I thought I'd give it a shot!

Next Up:  Not a hot clue.  Suggestions?

Read more...

T4MC Wrap Up Post!

Wrapping up my T4MC challenge with this post!!  I finished at the end of June with 205 points and was pleased to have been able to do all the 20 point challenges!  Next up, Part 4!

5 Point Challenges
Read a book by an author you’ve never read before - The Maze Runner (Maze Runner Trilogy (Hardback))- James Daschner
Read a book with a one word title - Deeper - Megan Hart
Read a book with an animal name in the title
Read a book with a proper name in the title - Jack: Secret Circles (Repairman Jack)- F. Paul Wilson
Read a fantasy

10 Point Challenges
Read an ‘Austenesque’ book - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!
Read a book with a two word title - The Touch - F. Paul Wilson
Read a book that is part of a series - Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 1) - Julie Kenner
Read a book about a real person
Read a mystery


15 Point Challenges
Read a book written in the 60’s (any century)
Read a book with a number in the title - The 13th Apostle - Richard & Rachael Heller
Read a book by an author born in March, April, May or June. - An Enemy of the State (The LaNague Federation, Book 1)  F. Paul Wilson
Read a book with a three word title - Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1) - Nora Roberts

Read a book by an author with three names - Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlander, Book 1)- Karen Marie Moning


20 Point Challenges

Read a book with over 500 pages - Labyrinth - Kate Moss
Read a book with a four word title - A Wedding in December: A Novel- Anita Shreve
Read a book by two authors - Ciao Bella: A Novel - Gina Buonaguro & Janice Kirk
Read a book written in the 70s (any century) - The Murders of Richard III - Elizabeth Peters
Read a book that has been number one on the NYT Best-sellers list - The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

Read more...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? July 12, 2010

Hello there, its sure been a while and while I haven't been posting, I sure have still been reading.  This meme is by Sheila at her Book Journey  Go and check her blog out!

Currently:

I'm heavy into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and absolutely loving it!!  So far, highly recommended and I can't wait to find out what happens!

Recently:

Last week I finished Fever Dream, which is the latest in the Special Agent Pendergast series by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.  I found the story to be a bit different than the others but just as enjoyable.

I also recently read the first Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1).  Another Jack in my life and I ate it up!  I've got the next one, Die Trying (Jack Reacher, No. 2) on tap but am not sure if that's going to be my next book or not!

I won, in a blog giveaway, Ciao Bella: A Novel, which is a love story set after the second world war.  A few plot twists and its not as predictable as you first might think!

So, what have you been reading?

Read more...