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!!

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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!

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - May 24, 2010

Today in Canada its Victoria Day (or affectionately known around these parts as May long) in which we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday.  It was a grey day here in Winnipeg, perfect for reading of which I got to do not much of.  But that's okay, the day is not over yet!  

I did, however remember about this meme hosted by Sheila at One Persons Journey Through A World of Books in which we share our most recent and upcoming reads!

Pastly: 
I was a reading whore last week, burning my way through the first 3 books of Nora Roberts Bride Quartet.  The first one is Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1) which of course got me hooked and left me wanting more but with the generous help of a good friend who kindly downloaded book 2 Bed of Roses (The Bride Quartet, Book 2) to her Kindle, I was able to get my fix.  Lastly, my hubby visited my local library and snagged Savor the Moment (The Bride Quartet, Book 3) off the Express Bestseller shelf and delivered it to me at my place of employ.  You know the saying, don't you "Happy Wife, Happy Life".  So far, a quite enjoyable series but I will need to be waiting til the fall for book 4 Happy Ever After (The Bride Quartet) which I'm fairly sure will be worth waiting for.

Currently:  
For my T4MC, I needed a book by an author read in March, April May or June and after looking around for a bit, I finally had a facepalm moment and went to my old standby of "The Man" F. Paul Wilson and am currently reading An Enemy of the State (The LaNague Federation, Book 1) and so far, so good.


Nextly: 
My boss is reading the first Jack Reacher novel Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1) and is loving it so I think that's going to be next.  That or I have a few other options for my T4MC which is winding up soon!


How about you?

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