Bout of Books 7.0: Progress!

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Here’s where you’ll find my incredible (ha!) Bout of Books 7.0 progress and responses to a few challenges.

Day 1 – Monday (5/13)
Books Finished:

  • Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie — I started this one yesterday and finished it at a ridiculously early time on Monday morning (so I’m totally counting it!). I was about a third of the way through the book by bed time last night, but it was SO suspenseful I couldn’t just PUT IT DOWN. I HAD to know what happened next. So good. Definitely a read-alike for fans of Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson and Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes.

Challenges:

Close my eyes.

On the beach — state of wonder
Paradise and peace like a river.

BLINK.

The awakening, so much for that.

Day 2 – Tuesday (5/14)

Bookish:

I watched “Guilty Pleasures” — a documentary about the popularity of romance novels. I thought it was OK, but I lost interest by the halfway mark. (I was VERY distracted by the Amy’s Baking Company drama…talk about a MELTDOWN!)

Day 3 – Wednesday (5/15)

I’m really sucking at this readathon. I’m LOVING The Engagements, but I just haven’t had time to read today (I work the closing shift on Wednesdays). I’m hoping I’ll have time to finish it tomorrow because this week it seems like EVERY book I had on hold is coming in and my library shelf o’books is overflowing yet again.

Day 4 – Thursday (5/16)

Books Finished:

The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan — Five different people connected across decades by diamonds. Each person has a unique perspective on marriage and the importance of that expensive symbol: the diamond engagement ring. I loved how the author managed to connect each story — definitely a few unsuspected turns along the way. I think I’m gonna need to read Sullivan’s previous novels soon.

Bout of Books 7.0: Goals!

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Bout of Books 7.0My shelf o’library books will never be under control and I know that. There’s just TOO many books, but (like with Bout of Books 6.0) my goal is still to clear off some shelves (both physical & electronic).

I don’t know about you guys, but I have a problem with buying cheap eBooks then never reading them. I have a similar problem with library books — I see them and I think, “oooh! I want to read that!” — then the book sits on my shelf for around three to nine weeks before I finally return it without really looking at it again. (I used to have a similar issue with buying books that sit there, but I’ve finally got that issue under some control.) Now…to my (very unspecific) Bout of Books 7.0 goals.

Read some books — Do some challenges. Options below:

  • Finish The Engagements by J. Courntey Sullivan
  • Finish Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie
  • Read Bettie Page Presents: The Librarian by Logan Belle — I bought this ebook on sale when I was curious about erotica starring a librarian. 
  • Progress beyond the prologue of Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss — It’s so infuriating that I have to stop every few sentences.
  • Read NOS4A2 by Joe Hill — I’ve never read Joe Hill, but I hear this is really scary.
  • Read Requiem by Lauren Oliver — Finally. I think I’ve checked it out as an eBook three times and once the actual book.

    Library Books.

    I’m not even that interested in reading any of these, I just can’t NOT check them out (except for the picture books…I’ll probably read those tonight).

  • Read Rules of Civility by Amor Towles — It’s our next book club book!
  • Read Under the Dome by Stephen King — There’s no way I’ll read this in a week…or even two weeks, but I do want to read it before the mini-series airs in June.
  • Read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson — Sometimes it’s important to fill in the gaps and this is one of those books I’ve heard a lot about so it’s time to read it.
  • Read Case Histories by Kate Atkinson — I bought this one recently and after Life After Life I’m excited to read one of her mysteries.
  • Read Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman — Hold FINALLY came in…apparently we only have one copy.

Weekly Recap #19

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It was a good week, ya’ll. Lots of books, sun, hubby time, movies, and fun!

Book Binge:

I spent a lot of time on our jungle-like patio. An excellent place to read lots of books. Like…

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  • American Gods by Neil Gaiman — Finished. Such a good book.
  • The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories by Simon Rich — Finished it. SUPER funny stories.
  • The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan — Reading an eGalley from the publisher — fantastic so far.
  • Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie — Reading the prepub with Robin’s recommendation on the cover!

Bout of Books 7.0 starts tomorrow — goals/progress post will go up a little later!

Phoenicia -- Greek Fries

Food Fun:

We discovered a Greek restaurant up the street (Phoenicia) and I ate so much food I thought I was going to explode. They have these amazing french fries covered in feta and a house ranch…oh em gee. And the gyro I got was HUGE. I mean, SO MUCH food for an excellent price.

Excellent Entertainment:

Girl Model — Have you guys SEEN this mess? This Ashley Arbaugh is a terrible person. Such a LIAR. And the people she works with are equally bad. I mean, who’s named Messiah? Is that an actual name in Japanese? The whole girls as cattle business is just disgusting.

The Great Gatsby 3D — I usually avoid 3D, but I’m very glad we didn’t for this one. It was SO cool. The film is pretty true to the book — right down to some of the dialogue coming right from the novel. I didn’t mind the music either, though a couple of times it completely pulled me out of the movie. One moment in particular is when Nick is riding into the city and they pass a car full of people dancing and drinking champagne — the music is such a recognizable Jay-Z song that it just wasn’t right. Other moments I liked it — there’s a part at one point where they use a remix of Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” that was just perfect (of course, Jesse hated that part). Finally, the tiny changes Baz made to Nick made me think of Christian in Moulin Rouge (a movie I LOVE). So, I liked it, a solid B. Jesse gave it a C+.

Scandal — I finally broke down & watched the first season via Netflix. I NEED the second season NOW. I MUST know what happens. Such a fun show.

Web Wonders:

From Book Riot — a great post showcasing 10 articles worth reading re: The Great Gatsby (and now necessarily about the movie).

I toyed with BookVibe — it highlights books people are discussing on Twitter (with Facebook integration coming soon).

And I (finally) played around with Riffle — I don’t have any friends on it, but I do like that it asks you 20 questions.

Bout of Books 7.0

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It’s Bout of Books time again! Need a reminder about Bout of Books?

Bout of Books 7.0The 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 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th 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 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

I’d say the time is a little off for me as a fan of TV — it’s FINALE time! But Jesse’s schedule has been really crappy lately so I have lots of free time a few evenings a week. I also wish Bout of Books would happen over a holiday so I have one whole day to dedicate to BOOKS, but alas…this is how a democracy works.

Weekly Recap #18

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I’m sitting here trying to remember what actually happened this week. I worked. I slept. I…I…I guess I did other stuff? I’m going to *try* to piece my week together below.

Monday-Thursday…pretty uneventful. Jesse worked almost every night. So I came home and caught up on random TV shows. We had a Marvel Marathon to prepare for IM3 (not really a marathon because we watched them over the entire week).

Friday….we watched Iron Man 3. I thought it was FANTASTIC. Funny with lots of stuff blown up and some unexpected emotional stuff.

Someday, Someday MaybeSaturday…I read Lauren Graham’s debut novel: Someday, Someday, Maybe. It was OK, not fantastic, but there were moments I liked. For example, I loved the Filofax pages — many fun drawings there.

(I’m still reading American Gods which I love, but it’s one of those books that I want to read slowly.)

Later on Saturday…I went over to my sister’s and watched some Ruby Gloom on the awesome set-up my sister has going on in her front room. Swings, a projector, Netflix, a trampoline, and a giant hamster ball! It’s so freakin’ cool!

Books!Sunday…I spruced up the patio a bit more. It’s lovely out there.

We finally watched the season finale of The Following — WTF?!

Then we watched Bachelorette — not at all what I wanted it to be. I thought it would be much funnier…oh well.

I also took a look at my library shelf o’books and realized that it isn’t completely overwhelming at the moment even though I know I will never read some of the books sitting on it. The life of a reader…

The end.

Weekly Recap #17

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Has it really been only a week since I last updated?! I feel like so much has happened!

Granny Square1.) I finished my first giant granny square. It took a couple of weeks and I made a lot of mistakes, but I love that I finished it (no clue what I’m going to do with it though…). Now it’s time to try a few new squares from my fancy book filled with awesome patterns.

2.) At work I spiced up the Book Lists page. So excited about the cover widgets!

3.) I went to a baseball game. Definitely not the highlight of my week — thanks to the windiness of Thursday my allergies misbehaved on Friday. But it’s always nice to not sit at home on a Friday night.

Patio4.) We dressed up our patio a bit with new cushions and some kind of spiky palm tree.

5.) I read a few books.

6.) Jesse finished American Gods this week and listening to him try to figure out what was going on inspired me to read it again. I took a break from it this weekend, but I’m back to it tonight. I found this fantastic site that has a list of all the gods mentioned in the book — impressive!

7.) It’s SUMMER BOOKS SEASON! I’m so not prepared for it to be summer and I’m not even sure what I’m looking forward to…BUT Publishers Weekly’s list is available here: http://bit.ly/151BLH0

Yay lists! And holy moly, it’s almost MAY!

Weekly Recap #16

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Read a few books this week…

  • So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman — a disturbing suspense novel.
  • Bluebird by Bob Staake — a sweet, but kind of twisted, wordless picture book.
  • Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge — about coming to terms with your past and falling in love all over again.
  • The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale — I didn’t finish it, but it was still fun to talk about it at this month’s book club.

Now I’m reading Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld — it’s coming in June — and I’m loving it.

Watched this:

SO excited to see Mr. Neil Gaiman in June and SO excited to read his new book! Anyone else in the Phoenix area going to see him?

Finally, World Book Night is coming up on Tuesday! I picked up my books (Bossypants) this week and can’t wait to pass them out (well…actually (I think) I’m mailing them to an organization that distributes books to women’s prisons…maybe. Any other ideas…locations I should try?).

Weekly Recap #15

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So I’ve mentioned that I’m slowing copying Goodreads ratings & reviews to LibraryThing…I’ve made it to the beginning of my relationship with GR and there are several books that I REALLY don’t remember reading. At one point back in 2008, I (apparently) disliked epistolary novels. I love them now, so clearly opinions and tastes change over time. A person’s reading life is quite fascinating, even when it’s your own.

This weekend I made it a goal to clean off my overburdened library book shelf. It’s kind of funny how I think I’ve got it under control and then I just bring home more books.

The books are winning.

I finished The Love Song of Jonny Valentine by Teddy Wayne. A fascinating look at the life of an 11-year-old pop sensation, but at the same time it’s told from Jonny’s perspective (which I found a little annoying).

After finishing Jonny’s tale, I picked up Jennifer E. Smith’s debut novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Super quick, enjoyable read about young love and family.

Then I picked up So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman, I’m about halfway through and it’s reminding me of Gone Girl…and even a little of The Dinner. It’s told through many perspectives and the story is slowly unfolding. I know something bad has happened, but I have NO idea what or who did it…I have an idea though.

In the midst of that, I also tried to read How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia — everyone keeps raving about this one. I couldn’t get into it. The second person POV was annoying and certainly kept me from becoming interested in the story. I decided it wasn’t the book for me after just a few pages.

Also this week, I read Joelle Charbonneau’s upcoming dystopia, The Testing (I was approved for a digital ARC from NetGalley). I found it entertaining, but also thought it borrowed liberally from The Hunger Games. At the same time, with so many dystopian novels published these days, they all copy Collins a bit. I mean, take it back even more and many also copy The Giver. There are NO original ideas anymore. Everything is really just copying Shakespeare and the Greek tragedies, right? I digress…it was a good book and I get the feeling that the second in the series will be less of a Hunger Games copycat and become more of it’s own story.

The other books missing from my library book shelf have reached the end of their lives on my shelves for now…I’ll probably check them out again soon (or quickly read it in the case of Chu’s Day), but in the meantime, it’s time for another book lover to find them and love them. I mean, I’ve checked American Decameron by Mark Dunn out like 18 times (from two different libraries) since it came out and have YET to read it. I’ve got good intentions! I swear! I do REALLY want to read it, but I think it’s one of those books I should own so I can read it SLOWLY because it’s GINORMOUS.

That’s about it for this week…until next time…HAPPY READING!

Weekly Recap #14

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It’s already APRIL?! Where in the world did March go?

I read Meg Wolitzer’s newest novel, The Interestings, this week and it was quite a struggle. I liked the characters, the setting was nice, but it just took forever to wrap it all back around to the story. I’ve also been making my way through Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss — we’ve really got to change the way we eat!

My 30th birthday was this weekend. Jesse was sneaky and wouldn’t tell me what we were doing…BUT he did good work. We went to the Desert Botanical Gardens and saw the butterflies. After the gardens, we hung out with my family and ate WAY too much food. It was a great weekend. DBG photos at the end of this post!

Re: Goodreads/LibraryThing — the more books I add/rate/review on LibraryThing, the more I wish I had done this sooner. Before I only added books that I owned to LT (and I have a lot of unread books on my owned shelves), but now…the recommendations on LT are fantastic. I started adding newer reviews from GR and when I went to look at LT’s recommendations, the first 7 or 8 were all books that I had read AND enjoyed. 

Desert wildflowers & Whispers of a New World: Sculptures by Carolina Escobar
Whispers of a New World: Sculptures by Carolina Escobar
Giant Cactus
Philip Haas — The Four Seasons
Philip Haas — The Four Seasons
Philip Haas — The Four Seasons
Philip Haas — The Four Seasons
Queen Victoria Agave
Butterflies!
Butterflies!
Butterflies!
Us AND Butterflies!
Whispers of a New World: Sculptures by Carolina Escobar
More giant cacti
Whispers of a New World: Sculptures by Carolina Escobar
Jesse!
Me!
The desert is surprisingly colorful.
Pretty & prickly.
I can’t remember what this is called, but I liked it.
Lovely.
Boojum Tree.
Butterflies!
Butterflies!
And more butterflies!
I really like butterflies!
They’re so pretty!
And delicate!
And amazing!
Pink & prickly.
More dangerous beauties.
Sometimes I forget that cacti bloom…it seems so short-lived when they do.
One day, I want a backyard that looks similar to this…but contained.
Chihuly.

Have a great week, ya’ll!

Weekly Recap #13

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My Book Madness brackets were destroyed by Ursula Le Guin. I’ve never read anything by her, but since her book took out Ready Player One (which I had going all the way) I think it’s time I seek out a couple of her novels.

Amazon bought Goodreads. I’m not deleting my account yet…but I’m not excited by the news. I *am* duplicating my GR reviews to my LibraryThing account so that if things go downhill with GR, I can abandon it easily. So, friend me on LibraryThing, ya’ll! (And I do think the membership is worth it — it’s one of the few ad-free sites out there!) I’ve also started looking into other sites…but few have the same catalogs that GR or LT have — Bookish is STILL missing books. I wish I knew about making fancy spreadsheets….

I finished The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne and was less than impressed. I just don’t get it. However, this novel also mentioned CCTV (first noticed it in Into the Darkest Corner) and I thought, “wow, people in London must feel really safe.” Then I thought “…whoa, 1984.”

Since I tend to not carry books around with me since I got my Mini, I started an eBook this week, too. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate is a fantastic book. I learned a lot, it made me sad, it made me happy, it made me want to find a gorilla and give it a hug. Great book.

And now I’m going to go take a Benadryl and pass out! Allergies suck.