Bout of Books 11: Final Update

And it is finished.

I need to get back to work so I am going to make this quick. Maybe over the weekend, I will put together a more thorough review of what happened.

Pages read on day 7: 151
Overall pages read: 1070
My goal was 1050 so I am very happy with that.

Total books completed: 3
I am also halfway through a 4th book.

 So much for my TBR. I only touched 50% of it.

This week showed me that I can fit in more time for reading than I normally do in a week. Granted, there were things that I neglected to do for work, but it didn't cause any problems. I am going to give a good effort at trying to read at least 700 pages a week from now on. (I usually do all my reading over school holidays, and wade slowly through books during the term.)

5 Book Challenge | Post-Apoctolyptic Edition

Another challenge that I cannot resist taking part in. This one was created by Falling Down the Book Hole. You can click on the link below. 
The scenario! 

It is 11:00 PM on a Sunday night. You are laying in bed thinking about all of the things you must do the next day. Tasks of the coming days consume your thoughts and while your mind is somewhere else you are caught off guard by a flash in the sky that is followed by a large wailing screech that pierces the air and shatters your bedroom window. Slowly you move to the window and what you see catches your breathe and causes you to stumble back a few steps. The aliens (at least you think they are aliens) have began to enter the city and destroy everything that is in their path. Through the window your view is consumed with destruction, screaming people and large flames that are dancing across the city at a fast pace. You notice that the creatures are heading in your direction and you realize you probably have about fifteen minutes before they reach your home. That means you have only about ten minutes to gather your belongings and escape before you are caught in the attack from the aliens invading the city.

Given the short amount of time you are only able to take 5 books with you. What books would you pick to take with you as you escape and prepare for the end of the world. Would you choose books that would help you survive in the post-apocalyptic world ,books for pleasure that would make you happy and take you to a fantasy reality or books that you can’t live without? 

______________________________________

1. I really was unsure whether to take The Mosquito Coast by Paul Therox along, because it is not my favourite by a long shot. But, there is good reason for it being here. 
a) I can use the information in this book to build a functional habitat for myself. 
b) The father in this book annoyed me to such an extent, I am sure it could fuel me to actually shoot to kill, should I need to save my life. 


(I would highly recommend the movie version of this book. It is a lot less painful to get through, and River Phoenix and Harrison Ford are amazing in it.)

2. Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden. A crash course on how to fight an alien invasion - in this case though, not aliens from another planet. But I am sure the principles would be the same. Plus, the female protagonist is really kick-ass!



3. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness would go in next. This is to keep me grounded so that I remember that pretty much all sides are in the wrong - unless it is my side of course. This book (the whole series actually) was an amazing read, so it would also be great for some entertainment value. 



 
4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell just so that through all the battle and bloodshed, I remember who I was in the good ol' days - a geeky fangirl who preferred the quiet life with a book. It would also be a completely non-war related story, so it would help for some well-deserved escapism.

 
5. And lastly, the back up plan in case all else fails. If the situation ends up dire, I don't plan on hanging around for long, so what other book can help you get around than The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I'm going to get off of this rock!

My book has four of the stories in it, so I am sure this is a legal cheat.

Bout of Books 11 Update: Day 6

Just a quick update again so that I can get back to reading.

Pages read: 233
Total pages read: 919
Number of books read: Completed 2, started 2
Currently reading: Panic by Jeff Abbott and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Panic has definitely picked up. Either I have got to the point where I no longer notice the stinted dialogue, or else it has improved. Either way, the story is keeping the pages turning. As a result, I didn't touch Brave New World, as I was busy avoiding being murdered by - well, pretty much everyone.

Bout of Books Update: Day 5

A quick update of yesterday's progress:

Pages read: 87
Currently reading: Panic by Jeff Abbott and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Pages read in total: 686
Books completed: 2

I'm not completely hooked on 'Panic'. So far, the story is not losing me, and I feel that that might have a lot to do with the writing. The dialogue reads unrealistically, so I am constantly aware that I am reading and not living in the story. Hopefully it will pick up soon - or I will get used to it and be able to ignore it. I really do not feel like abandoning another book this year. Besides being a huge waste of money, it is time wasted on a book where there are millions out there I still would like to read in this life time.

I also picked up 'Brave New World' and just began skimming the first page to see if I was in the mood to read it, and the next thing I knew, I had finished chapter 2. I guess that is a yes! It does seem to be set in a very strange future though. Glad I don't live there.

Now to get back to the books.

Happy reading!

Bout of Books: Day 4 update

Yesterday: Now this is what I call a super day's reading!

I started and finished reading 'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio. You can read my review here, if you are interested.

So! This leaves today's stats at:
Pages read on day 4: 315
Total pages read: 599 (I would have read one more page of anything if I had seen that last night.)
Books completed: 2

Well, today is now Friday, so hopefully that means I can get a lot of reading in for the next 2 days. I am really enjoying this!

I'm not too sure what I am going to read next though. The TBR I put together for this just - well - seems like a disappointment after the books I have read and finished this week.

I did some retail therapy today (this means I either upgraded some technology or I bought a book - I bought 3 books! :D ) so I have one more to choose from:

I think I heard about this on BookTube but I won't swear on it - I have heard about so many books on BookTube that they all are starting to fuzz into one.

The synopsis seems intriguing although the Goodreads ratings are quite low. It has 3.45 stars but only 2336 ratings.

I am very tempted to read this one though, as I am not really in the mood for YA (I have had Young Adults up to here today *points at a spot near the ceiling*.)


I bet you are asking what else I bought since I only have one option for the readathon and I purchased 3. Well, I got a beautiful copy of "The Divine Comedy" and then a volume of Sherlock Holmes long stories to match the copy of the collection of short stories I already have. (I read them all between Primary and High School and owned old bashed up second hand copies that I got in a book exchange yeeeeears ago. It is so nice to have beautiful, hardcover copies on my shelf now.)

Hope Bout of Books is going well for everyone out there.
Happy reading!
3.45 of 5 stars

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

"Like a lamb to the slaughter." These are the first words August Pullman hears when his parents are discussing his going to school.

August is not an ordinary boy. He was born disfigured - horribly disfigured. All his young life he has been sheltered at home, homeschooled by his mother between multiple surgeries. But all that is going to change as August heads off to middle school.

With a collection of astounding characters who come across as genuine, multi-layered people, 'Wonder' really tugs at the heart strings while making the tale completely believable. I loved the multiple narrators as the tale was definitely developed from seeing the other characters' perspectives. It helped me as a reader to see their hearts - and I really mean that. Even the less than pleasant characters were humanised as their own problems (those not worn on their faces for the world to see) were bared for us.

"Wonder" covers some really important themes that young folks, and even us not-so-young folks, deal with every day - the need for kindness. It looks at bullying, and family. (August has a wonderful family.)

I want to read this book to my homeroom class at school! Not only do I think the kids could learn something of value from its pages, but it is an entertaining read that covers the full spectrum of emotions. What more could a reader ask for?

Bout of Books Update: Day 3

It's finished! No, not the read-a-thon, just the first book. You can see my review on Gone Girl below.

I'm keeping the update short today.

Pages read: 88
Books completed: 1 (YAY!)
Total pages read: 284
Time: never enough






Currently reading:

Read the very beginning this afternoon. It looks like it is going to be a quick read. I am already enjoying the writing too.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This book was the reading equivalent of watching an accident in slow motion. I just could not tear my eyes away from the horror that was to come!

I really do not want to say to much about the plot, as it is better to go into this knowing as little as possible. I will say, though, that Gillian Flynn wrote a book about horrid people that keeps the pages turning. I only guessed a few things that were going to happen - and for a crime thriller, that is unusual for me. 

What I loved the most about this book was the unreliable narrators. Generally in any crime thriller (that is if you can really call this a crime thriller - but allow me this one) you follow a neutral detective who hunts for clues. You read the clue, you store the clue, you solve the 'crime'. With this book - well, it isn't that simple.

I am definitely going to pick up some more of her books. As I said in a comment earlier this week, this book has definitely raised the bar for all future crime books I read.

Bout of Books 11.0 Day 2 update

This is not the most impressive number yet I am impressed. I am performing like a Marvel superhero in the face of a bad guy as I eliminate my To Do list.

Yesterday was HECTIC! It was chaos at school as the kids prepared for the talent show they are putting on tonight. I then proceeded to set another 3 assessment tasks! I will spare you all the work details, as this blog is my escape from work (I just feel the need to actually justify why I read so little).

So, the low down:
Time spent reading: About 30 minutes.
Pages read: 44
Almost finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Man! Can there be more surprises?)
I also had way to much fun doing the Book Spine Poetry challenge. (You can see my post here, if you are interested. I was super proud of this! Hell, I even got it to rhyme!)

My reading total for the readathon so far:

I'm not too sure if I like the graph. I want to tweak it a bit more so that it works like Nano's graph. My goal is to read 1050 pages for the week, which works out at 150 pages a day - a lot when one considers that I work between 16 to 20 hours a day (depending on how late in the term it is).

Oh well, I am off to hit the books!

Happy reading!

Bout of Books 11.0: Day 1

I would say that Day 1 was quite successful considering everything. While I only read 152 pages, it is a lot considering I have also set 3 assessment tasks for the kids at school, gone to work (obviously), and cooked supper and all that other 'fun' stuff.

I have put together an excel document to record my progress this read-a-thon, but at this point, it is pretty bland and boring.

See, I told you it was boring! :D

Well, now it is time to start cramming in some reading for Day 2. With only 1.5 hours to go (and I still have to pack up by dismantled bookcases that I used for Book Spine Poetry), I don't expect a huge result today. But hell, I got a lot of work done, and that also counts a lot. It will free up time this weekend for a nice final sprint to the finish line.

Book Spine Poetry Time! courtesy of Bout of Books 11.0

I have never taken part in any challenges in any read-a-thon before, so here is to something new! It was actually loads of fun putting this together and seeing the product grow and develop into its completed state. I am quite proud of the outcome, even though it is a little morbid. But then I am reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, so morbid is definitely a way to describe the atmosphere around here - well, morbid and intrigued! I can't wait to see how this story ends.

But I am wasting time here prattling on about my reading (especially since I should be reading - and now I have to pack books away on top of it!!!). I will give an update post for day 2 in 2 hours (midnight my time). In the mean while, here is the picture of my book spine poetry! (You an find the post of the original challenge here.)

Gone (!) Girl
and
A Wanted Man,
Tomorrow When the War Began.

A Lion Among Men
becomes 
A Feast for Crows
and the
Reaper Man
Beyond the Shadows.

Worth Dying For
Monsters of Men,
On the Road
to
Oblivion?



I would love to call this 'The Fault in Our Tzars' but that wouldn't be allowed, I don't think. But nonetheless, it is my poetic commentary on war.

Just some admin on this. I used 11 books and only claimed 5 free words (and, becomes, and, the, to). I don't know if the exclamation mark I used to break the title Gone Girl is allowed (may I use my 6 remaining free words please! I like it there!). If it isn't, just ignore it. It doesn't really change much at all.

Oh well. I have 2 hours of reading to go for the day. I suppose I should get started!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did!

The Little Book Club, a creation of Little Book Owl nominated Ready Player One as the book of the month. I had only ever heard great things about this, but I was still reluctant to read it. Sci-fi is not my favourite genre (although I have read quite a lot of it this year and have enjoyed everything I have come across) and I was expecting a rehash on Tron.

That was not what this was. I LOVED it! Ok, ok, ok, so a lot of the loving I felt was that I KNEW the 80s! I was a kid in the 80s! I had played some of the games and heard of more. I had seen the movies and could picture the scenes that were referred to - no problem. It was a trip down memory lane - that made me feel cool and not 'old'.

But that was not my sole reason for really liking this book. I see a cautionary tale between the pages. It isn't one of those preachy messages - don't get me wrong. It is just, in my opinion, a very well thought out probability of where we are heading to in the future. As it is, people are spending REAL money on dressing avatars (I am referring to games like Farmville). We are ignoring all warnings about the damage we are doing to the world. Many of us are are happier to live a virtual cyber life on the internet as opposed to socialising with real people in the real world. So, yeah. I think the world depicted in RPO is a pretty good guess of what could come - if we don't realise that we actually need to live offline too. This isn't a one-sided view on internet addiction though. Cline makes OASIS seem wonderful. I would love to have access to OASIS. (Personally I would KILL to be able teach with it!)  It is the internet, but a gazillion-million-trillion times better!

The characters are great too. Wade surprised me many times through the book. He changed and developed and grew from the first chapter right to the last. He was a character I wanted to cheer for. What was interesting as far as characterisation went, was that this was a world where race and gender didn't matter - because your avatar did not have to look like you at all. Hell, it didn't even have to be human! It provided a very interesting way of looking at people. No prejudices. People were just people - like it should be.

The pace of the book slowed around the midway mark and it was the only time I was made aware of just how uncomfortable and hard my chair is after sitting on it for a few hours. The change of pace was necessary as far as character development went, but it is the only negative point I could think of.

A very good read that I would recommend to anyone who is a child of the 80s, a geek, a fan of Chuck, a Sci-fi lover or a fan of dystopian fiction.

Bout of Books 11.0 TBR

I can't believe this starts tomorrow! I feel so unprepared!

Well, maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration. I am quite prepared for the read-a-thon. Not toooo sure about how prepared I am as far as the rest of my life goes. So, with no further ado, here is my TBR for the Bout of Books read-a-thon.

My TBR 
1. Complete Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Let's face it. I am not abandoning this for a week. I am absolutely intrigued at the moment! I am loving what I think are a bunch of unreliable narrators. *crosses fingers that that is correct*

2. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

I have heard some really great things about this book. I can't wait to get into it. Plus, it is also a fairly thin book, so I am hoping that it will go quickly and make me feel as though I have achieved something.






3. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

OK, so this isn't exactly the peanuts to my beer, the cheese to my wine. But, people out there love it, and as I can't recommend anything to the kids I teach without having read it first, this is taking one for the team. YA reads quickly, and who knows, maybe I will enjoy it. After all, The Mortal Instruments didn't exactly have me gouging my eyes out - just groaning on occasion.



OR

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (if there is time)

I read book one over the holiday. It was OK. I'm not too sure what everyone is raving about. It was OK.  But I got book 2 when I bought book 1, so I might as well read it. If you are a fan of the series, I would love to know what I am missing.






4. Finish The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Steven Baxter

This book has been haunting me since the Booktube-a-thon. Yup. I should be embarrassed. I am really struggling with it, so I don't want to officially put it on my TBR for any read-a-thon. But, should the desire arise, I can finish it - I just have to put my mind to it.





This is a rather timid list compared to what I have seen from other readers, but let's be realistic here. I get up in the morning at 6am to go to work; I work until 2pm; I come home and work until some time between midnight and 2am. Wash, rinse, repeat. If I usually finish one book a week, it has been a GREAT week. My 3 or 4 book list here is highly OVER optimistic. Should some Tardis navigating hero, or a Time-Turner bearing wizard arrive on my doorstep, then maybe I can get through these AND add to it from my ever-growing TBR pile.

Happy Reading everyone!

Bout of Books 11

Yes, yes. I know. I didn't post the end of the Book Tube-a-thon results. I can explain, I promise. Everything went great up until day 6, where I got a call from my brother and sister-in-law saying they were coming the following day to visit for a week. Enqueue major rearranging of house as the guest room had to be 'de-storeroomified'. I actually managed to stay pretty much on track on day 6 even though chaos had definitely arrived. But alas, day 7 was an ultimate write off. One can't honestly get away with the excuse of a readathon when family one hasn't seen in almost a year decide to pop in. I still managed to read 6 books though and cleared the 2100 page mark quite well. But - I could have finished the 7th book. Oh well.

This brings me to the Bout of Books read-a-thon. I have no idea how successful this one will be - some of us actually have to work for a living, and unfortunately my holidays are long over by this point. But reading gives me pleasure, and perhaps having a few reasonable goals to reach for a week will get me away from slaving in front of the pc until the early hours of the morning and have me reading instead. After all, there is an expression warning 'Jack' about becoming a dull boy for a reason.

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, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th 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 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team