Tag Archives: challenges

Biannual Bibliothon TBR

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Hey peeps! I obviously love doing things the last minute because I’m joining in the Biannual Bibliothon! If you don’t know what that is, it’s a readathon that’s hosted twice a year by some lovely people: Emma @ emmmabooks, Kelly @ Kellys Bookspill, Momo @ The Booktube Girl, Selena @ OhxXxSNAP13, Sierra @ sierrareads, Brittni @ Brittni Finds Books, Kassie @ MissSassyKassie, Red @ Little Red Reader, and Meagan @ Meagan Precourt and it’s all about coming together as a community to read some books, make some fun videos, and have a good time. This particular summer readathon is taking place from July 3rd to July 9th.

So for this summer’s readathon, there are seven reading challenges and seven video challenges, all of which I’m going to do my best to participate in. You are able to double up on the reading challenges, so I’m totally going to cheat and do that.

Reading Challenges

  1. Read the group book – The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.
  2. Free read/wild card – Choose whatever book you want.
  3. Read a book from the host’s recommendations:
    • Momo’s Choice: The Clockword Scarab by Colleen Gleason
    • Selena’s Choice: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
    • Kelly’s Choice: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
    • Red’s Choice: Sorta Like a Rockstar by Matthew Quick
    • Emma’s Choice: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
    • Meagan’s Choice: The Archived by Victoria Schwab
    • Kassie’s Choice: Arabat by Clive Barker
  4. Read a book with your favorite mythical creature – Witches, werewolves, vampires, oh my!
  5. Read a book you’ve been putting off picking up – You know the one that’s staring at you right now.
  6. Read a book from an author you’ve never read before – Spread your wings and reach out to the horizon!
  7. Read a book in a different format than you normally read – This can be in any form you don’t read most, so if you read physical books, try an ebook. Or read a webcomic, manga, graphic novel, audiobook, whatever!

Okay, so I’m going to double up on a few of these challenges, so here are the books I’m planning to read this week:

Now I’m not expecting to finish reading all of these this week given a) I’m a slow reader, b) I have a full time job, and c) I’m participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this month so I also want to focus on that. I’m going to try to read partials of all of the books, but really try to finish a couple of them.

Video Challenges

  • Sunday, July 3rd – Message in a bottle: Write a letter to your favorite (or least favorite) character.
  • Monday, July 4th – Character Channel Take Over: Let a book character take control of your channel for a day.
  • Tuesday, July 5th – Redesigned: Redesign a book cover.
  • Wednesday, July 6th – Creative Book Review: Film a book review in a creative way (i.e. poetry, while baking, singing, etc).
  • Thursday, July 7th – The Missing Scene: Create a scene that is missing from your favorite book to movie adaptation.
  • Friday, July 8th – What Would I Do?: Insert yourself into a scene from a book and react to it.
  • Saturday, July 9th – Scavenger Hunt: Find the list of items (or create them): President Snow’s white rose from The Hunger Games, Thalias tree from Percy Jackson, a creepy doll from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Harry’s glasses from Harry Potter, a witchlight from The Mortal Instruments, antique key from The Archived, Edward’s jacket from Twilight.

I’ll be posting the first challenge later on tonight and then I’ll also link it in a new post later on tonight, too. This week I’m going to have some days where there are two posts per day, so that’ll be fun!

So that’s what I’m planning on reading and doing for this Biannual Bibliothon! I’m pretty pumped because I love that they gave a lot of creative ideas for the video challenges, so maybe that’ll help to inspire me in not only my video making, but also my writing.

Let’s Chat! ≧◡≦

Are you participating in this readathon? If you are, what video are you most excited to make? What book did you choose for the one you’ve been putting off? Tell me all the things.

TBR Takedown 3.5 TBR

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The title sounds repetitive, doesn’t it?

So the lovely Shannon @ Leaning Lights is the host of TBR Takedown and it’s a relaxed readathon where you can read whatever kinds of books you want.

It’s running from April 8-10. (Starts at 12:00 AM on the 8th (YOUR TIME) and goes through 11:59 PM on the 10th.)

There are also four challenges that are totally optional, and they are:

  1. Standalone – a book that’s not part of a series
  2. Most recent haul – your most recent purchase from your most recent haul
  3. Catch up in a series – an opportunity to catch up on that series you’ve been putting off
  4. TBR shelf over a year (or the longest) – you know the ones

There will also be daily challenges on Twitter! Follow @TBRTakedown and use the hashtag #TBRTakedown to participate. There will also be giveaways, so definitely follow the Twitter account for more details on that!

Alright, so let’s get to the TBR!

I’m going to read something from each of the challenges, but I think I may combine two of them together, and then the other two together, for a total of two books.

The first book I’m combining the Standalone & Most Recent Haul challenges:

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

thisiswhereitends

10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama’s high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won’t open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student’s calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.

This sounds like it’s going to be a very controversial book, but I’m definitely interested to see how it goes and if I like it. I’m hoping it’ll be a fast read as I have work and Camp NaNoWriMo that I’m participating in.

The second book I’m combining the other two challenges: Catch Up in a Series & Been On the Shelf 5ever.

Splintered by A.G. Howard

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This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

This has been on my shelf for probably a year and a half now, and as it’s the first book in a trilogy, I think I should read it. Since reading Alice by Christina Henry, I’ve been thinking about reading this one, so I’m excited to get to it.

And that’s all I have for this weekend TBR! I’m hoping I can finish both of them in the three days, but I’m not going to worry too much about it. I’ll let you know how I did in a wrap-up post next Monday.

Are you participating in TBR Takedown? What books do you plan on reading? What’s your most anticipated read for this readathon? Let me know!

Bout of Books 14 Day 7 Wrap-Up

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Well, Bout of Books wrapped up last night and I had a really good reading night. Heck, I had a decent reading week!

Last night I read:

  • Magic Bites: 131 pages

Yup, I was on a roll. I would’ve finished the book last night, but alas, I had to sleep. So I finished the book today (expect a review tomorrow!).

I also participated in the challenge that took place, which was to recommend three books for everyone. Here’s what I recommended and why:

  • Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. This book is the first in the trilogy, and the only one I’ve read so far, but there is just something about the writing style and the way Taylor writes the characters that draws you into the book. It’s engaging, beautiful, full of romance, and I just think everyone should read this.
  • Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. This book will make you laugh out loud, squee in glee, and just overall have all of the emotional feels possible. It’s a great story about accepting who you are, about friendship and the importance of it, and how love can come from the least expected place.
  • The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. I haven’t finished this book yet, but I am currently reading it, and I already highly recommend this book. It’s an adult fantasy novel that’s the first book in the Mistborn trilogy and it’s just phenomenal so far. It has action, a slow building plot, characters that you can relate to, and a magic system unique to the world. I think that this is definitely a book people should pick up and check out, for sure.

Alright, now let show you my overall progress for this readathon!

My original goals were:

  • “to read at least one chapter from at least two of the books listed below per day.”

Well, it started out that way. As the week progressed, though, I only read one chapter from one book per day, but I still tried to read at least one chapter! So that totally counts!

Here’s my overall reading progress for Bout of Books:

  • The Final Empire: 28 pages
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: 39 pages
  • A Thousand Pieces of You: 11 pages
  • A Game of Thrones: 10 pages
  • Forbidden: 18 pages
  • Magic Bites: 204 pages

For a grand total of: 310 pages read! Woo!

Hey, that’s not bad considering it was spread between six books. Yeah, I read more in some than in others, but I still enjoyed what I read. And hey, it was a blast. This round of Bout of Books was much better than the last.

So I didn’t quite reach my goals, but I was close enough! I’m proud of the amount I’ve read, but now I’m ready to just sit down and finish one book at a time again.

How has your reading week been? Have you finished any books? Met your own personal reading goals? Let me know! Also let me know if you plan on participating in the next Bout of Books taking place in January 2016!

Don’t forget about the giveaway I’m hosting for one book up to $15USD from Book Depository! It ends on August 31st!

Bout of Books 14 Day 6

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Today’s the last day of Bout of Books, which makes me sad, but it was super fun and I got a lot more reading done, in my opinion, than the last time. There will be one more post tomorrow to wrap up everything I’ve read and all of that, so keep an eye out for that.

As for day six, I was so close to NOT reading anything because I had been at a friend’s wedding earlier in the day that I was like, “You know what? I need to read at least something.” So I read a chapter in….

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: 12 pages

I was so happy to read the next chapter because this book is getting better, for sure.

As well as reading yesterday, I did participate in the challenge that took place, which was to plan a bookish road trip. The books I chose were:

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London: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Atlanta: The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
Japan: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Scotland: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
SPACE, the final frontier: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Because why not space? Where would you want to travel?

Well, as it’s the last day and I’m still a busy bee, I’m going to try to see what I can read tonight and I’ll let you know my complete progress tomorrow!

Also, don’t forget about the giveaway I’m hosting! It ends on August 31st, so be sure to enter if you want to win!

Bout of Books 14 Day 4

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Late night update ahoy! So Bout of Books day four was slow, but I did manage to read a little bit.

So what I read was:

  • The Final Empire: 19 pages

That was one chapter in the book, and even though it’s not a lot, at least I managed to get through some of it. I’m enjoying the book and the plot is becoming a lot more complicated and interesting, so I’m excited to see where it goes.

As far as the other books are concerned… yeah, I haven’t really picked them up much.

I also participated in the challenge that took place yesterday and it was to find four books that best represented the four seasons. Here’s what I came up with:

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I had some left over craft items from my wedding and so I figured I’d represent and show the seasons in a much more visual way, and frankly, I love how it turned out.

Today’s reading hasn’t really happened as I’ve been wicked busy because some friends are getting married in the morning, so I don’t know how much reading I’ll get done the next day or so.

How is your reading progress coming along? Are you keeping up? Did you complete your goals already? Let me know!