In Conclusion - Bout of Books 13.0 Wrap Up

Bout of Books 13.0 was a lot of fun! It was very laid back and about reading whenever I wanted to and not trying to set strict goals, which I really think was a lot of fun because I took some time to not only focus on reading more, but on blogging.

 I finished Rook by Sharon Cameron and read about half of Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, as well as wrote a few blog posts I'm really happy about. 

In terms of mini challenges, I only participated in one of them, but I had fun doing so. I'll link my update posts here in case you're curious about how Bout of Books went for me this week.

Signing Up for Bout of Books

Update 1

Bookish Survey Challenge

Update 2

I also (barely!) participated in the second Twitter chat but I did enjoy chatting a bit more on Twitter as well. I'm hoping to participate in the next Bout of Books as well, and I really enjoyed 13.0! Thank you for stopping by, and if you participated I hope you enjoyed Bout of Books 13.0 as well!

From the paper world,
V

Another Bout of Books Readathon Update

I'm back with another update for Bout of Books 13.0! I've been reading Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, and so far I'm about 30 pages in from yesterday and today, but I plan to read more. I'm enjoying it so far. 

Magonia on Goodreads

I have a few other books I'm looking at picking up soon, but most likely I'm thinking I'll be reading Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi!

Under the Never Sky on Goodreads

Hope you're enjoying your current read, and if you're participating in Bout of Books hope you're enjoying the readathon!

From the paper world,
V

How Have I Been Doing? - Bout of Books Readathon Progress Update

So, it's been a few days and I wanted to share an update for Bout of Books. Unfortunately, Monday I didn't end up reading anything. It was a super busy day of organizing and hectic hustle and bustle, and by the end of the day I was just tired. 

However, yesterday, I settled in to finally continue on with Rook by Sharon Cameron, and I ended up finishing the novel! I really enjoyed it and gave the book 4 stars, and I think I will do a review of it sometime soon so let me know if you would like to see a review of that novel soon! I'll leave its Goodreads page linked below in case you're curious as to what the book's about.

Rook on Goodreads

 To summarize briefly, it's kind of a futuristic dystopian novel reminisicient of The Scarlet Pimpernel, although not a retelling as the author clarified on the book's Goodreads page. Personally, I haven't read The Scarlet Pimpernel, but I've been wanting to read more classics and enjoyed this novel, so if you have read that book let me know your thoughts! 

If you're participating in Bout of Books, I hope you're enjoying the readathon! I have only done one mini challenge so far, but I've been enjoying reading and happy that I ended up reading Rook. My next read is Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley. This is another book I've been excited to read, and so I'll be starting this novel soon! 

Magonia on Goodreads

What are some of your current reads?

From the paper world,
V

Bookish Survey - Bout of Books 13.0 Mini Challenge

Today's mini challenge is hosted by Writing My Own Fairy Tale! It's a Bookish Survey which will be a fun way to share some random facts as well as participate some more in Bout of Books since I (sadly) did not get to read any today. 

If you haven't signed up for Bout of Books 13.0, you can sign up at their website here and see my own sign up post here. Now, on to the survey!

The Questions: 

1. How do you organize your shelves?
2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres?
3. What is the last 5 star book you read?
4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon?
5. What book do you recommend the most?

no. 1 - I organize my shelves pretty haphazardly, to be honest. I just try to make the books fit. I do have one particular arrangement that I love, however. I have the top shelf dedicated to my favorites. I changed my system of organizing these a few months ago, and I really enjoy how that reorganization has been working.

no. 2 - I have a few genres that I enjoy but generally don't read much of, so here are a few favorites from this year! I definitely love a lot of different genres, but I haven't read much historical fiction or fantasy in the past. 

Historical Fiction - The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Fantasy - The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

If you're curious to know more about how my reading has changed in 2015, you can read about that here, and check out my favorites on Goodreads here.

3. Princess of the Silver Wood by Jessica Day George, which is the third book in the Princesses of Westfalin trilogy.

4. I'm really excited to finish Rook by Sharon Cameron. I've read quite a bit of the book already and I'm curious to know what happens next.

5. I've definitely recommended Splintered by A. G. Howard the most throughout my years of blogging. I can't even keep count of how many times I've talked about that book.

So, there are my responses to the Bookish Survey! If you've taken the survey, let me know and if not leave your thoughts in the comments! 

From the paper world,

V

Signing Up for Bout of Books 13!

I didn't think I was going to sign up for Bout of Books again this time because I've been so busy and haven't been reading as much. But as I'm finding more free time and I love participating in this, I wanted to participate again! This is my third Bout of Books (I participated in 9 and 10), and it's beena while so I'm really excited to get back into participating and talking with other book people!
Here's some info from the Bout of Books website about the event:
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, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th 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 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

This event is a lot of fun, and so I'm really happy to be participating once more! I'm currently reading a few books I'd like to continue on with and maybe finish, and then several others to read. I don't want to set any goals because I haven't been reading as much lately, but I'd like to take some time to focus a bit more on blogging and reading and I'm excited to do so and participate in Bout of Books!

I'll be back soon with updates and mini challenges! If you're participating, what are your goals?

From the paper world,
V

Bout of Books 10.0- Day no. 6 Update

Today was a mix of reading several selections from books after finishing my current read. I still couldn't decide to read, so check out the books I started from and see if there's any you loved and think I should read- tweet me or let me know in the comments!

Books Read- finished Just One Day by Gayle Forman, started Endless by Jessica Shirvington, started Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne, started Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger, picked back up Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Pages Read- 15 pages to finish Just One Day, 14 pages of Endless, 25 pages of Monument 14, 6 pages of Let the Sky Fall, 61 pages of Her Dark Curiosity, 116 pages total

Total Books Read- 4

Total Pages Read- 1270 pages

I also did the Spread the Author Love Challenge today and sent out a tweet about one of my favorite authors, A.G. Howard. Right now I'm torn between finishing Her Dark Curiosity, which I picked up early in 2014, or continuing with Let the Sky Fall or even Endless let me know in the comments!

From the paper world,

V

Bout of Books 10.0- Day no. 5 Daily Wrap Up

Books Read- The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (finished), Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Pages Read- 77 pages of The Immortal Rules, 354 of Just One Day, 431 pages total

Total Books Read- 3

Total Pages Read- 1154 pages

No mini challenges done today.

How is Bout of Books going for you all? I hope you're loving your reads!

From the paper world,

V

Bout of Books 10.0- Day no. 3 and 4 Updates

Here is a combined update for Days 3 and 4. I didn't do any mini challenges for Day 3 or Day 4.

Day no. 3

Books Read- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (read the last 50 pages), 79 pages of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, 8 pages of Star Wars, Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher

Pages Read- 137 pages

Total Books Read- 2

Total Pages Read- 530 pages

Day no. 4

Books Read- 193 pages of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Pages Read- 193

Total Books Read- 2

Total Pages Read- 723 pages

From the paper world,

V

What I'm Looking Forward To - Most Anticipated Book Releases of May 2014

Bout of Books! One of the day's mini challenges is books you're looking forward to, and I thought what better timing could it be? So, I'm sharing my monthly 'What I'm Looking Forward To'! Who's ready for a lot of new releases? I know I'm excited for a lot of these, and so without further ado, here are some books I'm excited about that are releasing this month! These all come from my to-read section of Goodreads, and there are some excellent new titles this month. Take a look!

May 1, 2014

Camelot Burning by Kathryn Rose

May 6, 2014

Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley

After the End by Amy Plum

The One by Kiera Cass

The Warrior by Victoria Scott

May 13, 2014

Free to Fall by Lauren Miller

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

Of Neptune by Anna Banks

Rebel by Amy Tintera

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Renegade by Debra Driza

May 20, 2014

Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision

Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

May 27, 2014

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross

May 29, 2014

Guardian by Alex London

Some of these new releases are for series I've yet to start, but hope to marathon with this new release. For example, The Steampunk Chronicles is a series I've wanted to read for a really long time, and I finally have the first book. So, hopefully I'll be able to pick up the other books in the series and start it. 

Also, City of Heavenly Fire. Oh. Wow. I am so excited, and so nervous, and it's a lot of feels! What are some of your can't wait book releases?

From the paper world,

V

Bout of Books 10.0- Day no. 2 Update and Mini Challenges

Books Read Today: 94 Pages of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, 28 Pages of William Shakespeare's Star Wars Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher

Pages Read Today: 122 pages

Total Number of Books Read: 1

Total Number of Pages Read: 393 pages

Mini Challenges!

Books You're Looking Forward to Challenge! (hosted by River City Reading)

Alright, so if you've been to the blog before you've probably seen my feature where I show new releases I'm excited for, my can't wait books of 2014, etc. So, since I've shared so many books that I've yet to buy that I want to read, today I want to share the 10 books off of my TBR I'm looking forward to reading. If you've read any of these, let me know your thoughts in the comments!

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Burn Bright by Bethany Frenette

The School for Good & Evil by Soman Chainani

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Bookish Battle Royale Challenge (hosted by  My Life in Books)

Here we are supposed to pick three fictional characters and list their strengths and weaknesses, then declare which one would be the winner! 

Cassie from The 5th Wave

Strengths:

trained to survive

endurance

resourcefulness

Weakness:

trusting

no formal fighting training

paranoid from the invasion

June from Legend 

Strengths:

combat skills

genius

tactical

Weaknesses:

blind loyalty

hesitation

recklessness

Magnus Bane from City of Bones

Strengths:

powerful warlock

immortal

glitter

Weaknesses:

black hair and blue eyes

can be mortally injured

dependent on his magic

Who would win and why?

Magnus Bane would win, and he would do it very simply. Suddenly, there would be a glitter explosion, and instead of a battle everyone would be at one of his famous birthday parties for Chairman Meow!

From the paper world,

V

Bout of Books 10.0 - Day no.1 Update and Mini Challenges

Number 573 Signed Up!

Books Read Today: Memoirs of A Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Pages Read Today: 271 pages

Total Number of Books Read: 1

Total Number of Pages Read: 271

Mini Challenges: If You like X, Try Y

I love this because so many times I'm reading  a book and it resonates with another that I've loved!

If you like The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, try Sekret by Lindsay Smith.

The setting is very different, but both have a gifted group of teenagers working under their governments, solving mysteries and featuring awesome character interactions through an ensemble cast, and a great protagonist.

If you like Starcrossed the tv show, try Alienated by Melissa Landers.

I just finished Alienated the other day as part of a readalong, and I loved it. Both the tv show Starcrossed and this book have two teens from different worlds and their challenges. I actually prefer Alienated, but both are great!

If you like Percy Jackson, try Antigoddess by Kendare Blake.

This is another series with Greek mythology done in a fresh, unique way. Both are modern settings, and Antigoddess focuses on the goddess Athena (who is gritty, tough, and sarcastic) and co. as well as a mysterious mortal. It's an awesome start to a series that's continuing on with Mortal Gods!

If you like Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce, try Splintered by A.G. Howard.

Both of these stories are darker fairy tale retellings, and I love both of them. Sisters Red is a unique take on Little Red Riding Hood, and Splintered is Alice in Wonderland in a whole new light! Both are excellent retellings, and starts to series!

If you like Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, try The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

These books feature lyrical writing that's incredibly descriptive and captivating. The two in love face struggles and challenges in their worlds, and the storytelling feels like a beautiful tapestry seamlessly woven together. While Daughter is YA and Circus is adult, they both have this beautiful expression through their writing and characters.

If you like Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, try To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han.

Another case of hilariously quirky, awkward, yet endearing protagonists and their lives. While Cath is off to college, Lara Jean's sister is and Lara is left at home. Both of these protagonists are thoughtful, and I laughed and reacted to both of these books. They are definitely two of my favorite contemporaries.

If you like Across the Universe by Beth Revis, try These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner.

These are two sci-fi books that I think anyone who likes one will enjoy the other. Both stories have to do with interplanetary space travel, and how some things go horribly awry onboard. They also have dual perspective from the main boy and girl in each of their respective stories, and it really helps you appreciate the entire story as well as the characters.

From the paper world,

V

Bout of Books 10.0 - The Sign Up & The Goals

I can't believe time has gone by so quickly, but I'm excited for the next Bout of Books! This is my second B.O.B. and I really enjoyed participating last time, even though I got sick partway through. Regardless, this time I'm getting my sign up posted and preparing for another week of reading fun!

I also decided to include my goals on here as well. Last Bout, I had a page number goal, and I don't think I'm going to do that this time. Honestly, since I got sick during the past Bout of Books, I was really disappointed that I couldn't meet that goal. So, my goal is to just read books that I really enjoy, and try not to force myself to read anything if I'm not loving it. 

However, I do want to have some goals for the read-a-thon, and so for 10.0 I'm really hoping to do a lot more of the mini-challenges. They look like a ton of fun and I was sad I didn't get to participate in them last time. So, there's my sign up and goals for Bout of Books 10.0! I'm super excited. Here's the official info so you can sign up too!

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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team


From the paper world,
V

Bout of Books 9.0 - The Missing Updates and Wrap Up

Hello, everyone! I hope you're having some fun with Bout of Books! I am as well, although I have been sick the past few days. Basically, that's consisted of sleeping for hours on end and reading whenever I can. Although I'm feeling sick, I'm still loving the Bout of Books, and so I wanted to bring you updates for these days. Unfortunately the sick days made me miss more updates than I'd originally thought, but here are all those missing days accounted for - 

Day no. 4

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun, Angelfall by Susan Ee

Currently Reading - Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Total Books Completed - 2

Pages Read Today - 152 pages

Total Page Count - 595 pages

Challenges - I did both today, so the Double Date Book Challenge and the Poem Book Challenge

Day no. 5

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun, Angelfall by Susan Ee, Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Currently Reading - The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Total Books Completed - 3

Pages Read Today - 100 pages

Total Page Count - 695 pages

Challenges - None today, still feeling quite a bit under the weather :(

Day no. 6

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun, Angelfall by Susan Ee, Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Currently Reading - Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Total Books Completed - 3

Pages Read Today - 114 pages of Scarlet 

Total Page Count - 809 pages

Challenges - Being sick, but that's not an official Bout of Books, that's just an explanation for my lack of Bout of Books posts/intense reading. Regardless, I'm still pleased with how I've been doing.

Day no. 7

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun, Angelfall by Susan Ee, Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Currently Reading - Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Total Books Completed - 3

Pages Read Today - 19 pages

Total Page Count - 828 pages

Wrap Up and Thoughts

Total Books Read - 3 books

Total Pages Read - 828 pages

Challenges - 3

Bout of Books Chats - 1

My thoughts

This was so much fun! I loved talking with everyone, chatting with a few new people, and seeing how everyone did. Congratulations to everyone who participated and read along, this was a great event to have! I think that this was a wonderful experience, and I'm definitely looking forward to doing more Bout of Books in the future. Now, my Bout of Books probably wasn't ideal since I was sick for four of the seven days. Regardless, I still had a lot of fun whenever I was able to read and have some fun, and I'm proud of what I accomplished. The last day of the Readathon is actually the first day of another for me, and I'm now in the midst of the Incarnate Series Readathon and so I've put down The Near Witch for now and picked up Incarnate, which I read a little of today. As far as reviews, I've written both Shadows and Angelfalls' reviews, and I'm almost done with Unhinged's, but I'm taking my time with that one and it's already pretty long. My ratings of the books I finished are as follows - 3 stars for Shadows, 4.5 for Angelfall, 5 for Unhinged. Since I was sick for so long, and I am still not feeling completely better but I am on the way happily, I'm happy that I was still able to read at times and enjoy myself. 

If you participated, what was your favorite read? Was this your first Bout of Books?

From the paper world,

V

Bout of Books 9.0 - Update for Day no. 3

I am writing this just after a Bout of Books chat which was so fun and a great way to meet people! Speaking of, welcome back to another Bout of Books update! Let's get straight to the quick facts, shall we?

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun
Currently Reading - Angelfall by Susan Ee, Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Total Books Completed - 1
Pages Read Today - 170 pages
Total Page Count - 443 pages
Challenges - Reading Tactics by Sarah Says Read (this was yesterday's)

Thoughts - 
I did a bit more reading, but honestly, I'm not worried about page count. It's a very relaxed and positive readathon. I partially participated in a Twitter chat today, which was a lot of fun. Also, Kerrie and I are reading through Angelfall, and we're almost done (5 little chapters left!) and every time we stop it's a major cliffhanger. I'm looking forward to finishing this book tomorrow. Unhinged I'm not reading as quickly as I thought I would because we've been sprinting thorugh Angelfall, so I'll be able to give it some more attention soon. How are you liking your books?

From the paper world,
V

Bout of Books 9.0 - Daily Update no. 2

Welcome back to another Bout of Books Update! Today was a pretty good reading day- busy, but I still found some time to devote to my wonderful reads. I also finished my first book today. Shadows by Amanda Sun, which is the prequel to Ink, was a novella I was about 55% through, and finished today. I also read more into my other two current reads. So, without further ado, let's get to the basic statistics.

Books Read - Shadows by Amanda Sun
Currently Reading - Angelfall by Susan Ee, Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Total Books Completed - 1
Pages Read Today - 109 pages
Total Page Count - 273 pages
Challenges - Reading Tactics by Sarah Says Read

I'm hoping to read some more tomorrow, and I think I'll have some more free time. If you're participating in Bout of Books, let me know how you're doing. I hope you guys are having a lot of fun too, and let me know what you're reading and what you think of it! I'm really loving Unhinged and Angelfall still- it's been so much fun to talk to Kerrie (@KerrieSalsac on Twitter) about Angelfall! Hope you all are having a good time in the readathon!

From the paper world,
V

Bout of Books 9.0 - Day no. 1 Update

It is Bout of Books time, and today I have an update for you guys. I'm not done reading for the day, but I have gotten some done so I thought I would share with you guys. Today, I had the enormous good fortune to get my copy of Unhinged early so, as you can imagine, I've been finding that one hard to put down. I have, however, set it down at points to start Angelfall by Susan Ee. I'm reading this over with Kerrie and so far I'm loving both of these books. I'm really happy about that, and I can't wait to read some more tonight. But for now, let's have a quick update...

Books Read - None completed yet
Currently Reading Book (s) - Angelfall by Susan Ee and Unhinged by A.G. Howard
Total Books Completed - None completed yet
Pages Read Today - 164
Total Page Count - 164

So, it's a decent start to the readathon, and I still have some more time to finish up more. Let me know how your reading's going!

From the paper world,
V

Bout of Books 9.0 - The Goals

Who's ready for Bout of Books? I know I am! I'm so excited to be participating in my first Bout of Books! Basically, this sounds like a really fun week long marathon, and I know that a lot of people are planning on participating! I thought I would share my goals for this BoB. Interested in seeing what I plan to read?

'Tis the Season to join every Read-A-Thon I Find!! - Bout of Books 9.0

Did you read the title? Do you know what that means? I was watching a Youtube video of Brianna Kamryn and I hear mention of a Read-A-Thon called the Bout of Books. Well, being the bookish lover that I am who happily lives in a time where read-a-thons can be found online, I pulled up a search engine and found out some details. Want to learn more about this?