Blog Archives
Memorial Day Weekend Reading Challenge
After writing about being in a slump earlier this week I was able to motivate myself into finishing Orleans by Sherri L. Smith and, after some reservations, it turned out to be a good book. (Somewhere in the middle it soaked through my hard head that Orleans was the first book I could remember reading that had a main character of color and I had to boggle at the book world for a moment. Why do we not have more African American main characters? Or at least some other ethnicity besides Caucasian?) Anyway, with the long weekend coming up and little old me without any firm plans on how to spend Memorial Day weekend besides sleeping, I thought it would be a good idea to do a mini personal reading challenge. So, I hopped on the ‘net and requested some middle grade books that had been on my to be read list for some time now to be delivered to my local library. (Because I’m lazy and didn’t want to drive up to the big new library on Spencer Road to get them all.)
So, this evening I will stop by my library and pick up four reserves. (There was a fifth but it’s on order and not here yet.) Over this weekend I’ll see how far I can get with my little pile of books and hopefully beat this slump into a bloody pulp. My reading pile will include:
Summerkin by Sarah Prineas
Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
Demon Eyes by Scott Tracey
Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
I wanted to also get The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett but my library has it on order and it’s not available yet. But I think the pile I have will be enough to keep me busy over the weekend and hopefully out of my slump. Happy reading everybody!
Video Blog – post one
Books mentioned in this post:
Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
The Fairy Ring by Mary Losure
Silence by Michelle Sagara
The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
Thanks for stopping by!
Wicked Wildfire Readathon! (Sign up post)
The Wicked Wildfire Readathon starts tomorrow and I really need a readathon to get caught up on some books. After my trip to Main Street Books a few weekends ago I have a pile of to be read books that are giving me the hairy eyeball. I don’t usually have books sitting around waiting, since I really prefer getting books from the library, and I need to get these books read. (I won’t allow myself to buy new books unless I’ve read the books I’ve already bought. Bookshops are dangerous places. There must be rules or all else is chaos.)
The readathon starts Wednesday, June 20th and runs through Sunday, June 24th. It’s a long readathon. My last readathon during winter was only three days. I hope I can keep up for five days!
My plans are to finish reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern first. I’m on page 150 at this moment but the book is so slow that I’ve been reading it in fits and starts for the past couple of weeks. I’m hoping that a concentrated read will haul me over the imaginary hump and get that book read.
(Exactly what are my problems with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern? Here are my first thoughts on the book. One, it is much too slow. I’m already 150 pages in and we’ve only dipped our toes into the night circus. By this point things should be happening and they just aren’t. Two, so far the book has been driven by imagery more than plot. Very pretty but without any substance. Three, there are too many characters. We are being yanked through too many views and too many side plots. The main characters should be Marco and Celia and they just aren’t presented that way.)
When I finish The Night Circus, I’ll read The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. If I finish that, I’ll read The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer.
I think three books is a good goal. I can’t see myself reading much more, since I’ll be working during the week. I’m hoping to knock out these three books but I’ll be happy if I get done with The Night Circus. All I have to do is stay off the internet and I should be golden. (I’m doomed.) Happy reading everybody!
In search of a good book…
I’m attempting to read Mordred, Bastard Son by Douglas Clegg because my Arthurian legend obsession is still going strong but I’m having a hard time getting into it. I’m about 30 pages in and I’m already annoyed with the dialogue and writing style. I can understand when an author wants to immerse the reader into an era, like the dark ages, but then there is using dialogue that is really just irritating. It’s rather like reading a Shakespearian play and I just want to shake people until they stop talking like that. Then the writing is really choppy, with breaks all over the place, and it really ruins the flow. I’m just not able to sink into it. I’ll keep up with it for a little bit more but I might have to abandon it if it doesn’t catch me soon.
I just cracked open Wisdom’s Kiss by Catherin Gilbert Murdock. I’m literally like 5 pages in. It’s letters and bits of journals and such and you all know how I feel about books written in letter form. I can already feel my eye twitching. I’m apparently not doing too well with my first choices of books after my mini-hiatus. I was hoping to have a review ready for the beginning of next week but I’m beating my head against a wall here. Ugh. My kingdom for a good book?
Coming up for February!
I think I might be the only one to never have read A Wrinkle in Time! I tried in high school but wasn’t able to force myself to finish it. I can’t even remember why now. It was probably because a teacher wanted me to read it and I had a kneejerk reaction to be forced to read anything against my will as a teen. That and anything that can be called a “classic” usual bores me to tears. I should hunt down a copy and see if I can’t read it as an adult this time. Seeing all these 50th anniversary posts is making me feel bad.
Coming up! Hello February! Hopefully I will have finished Savvy by Ingrid Law and be able to post the review for tomorrow, Thursday the 2nd. I’m really trying for a two books a week goal. If I go at my usual pace I won’t make my 100 books for the year goal either. I have to keep going!
For next week I’ll have the review for Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy up on Monday the 6th. Then I’ll shoot for Winterling by Sarah Prineas for next week Thursday the 9th. For the week after next, I hope to have the second book in the Heist Society series Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter ready for you on Monday the13th.
I ordered a few books from Amazon but I’ll let you all see those when I get them. I’m cheap, so I choose the slowest mailing method. Sorry. I’ll post those when they arrive. Until then, happy reading everybody!
WWW Wednesday – Jan.11
What are you currently reading?
I started The Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler over the weekend. I was surprised to find that it had Arthurian legend as the base of the story. Win!
What did you recently finish reading?
I finished The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab last Friday. Review can be found here.
What do you think you’ll read next?
I think I’ll start on my 1st in a series challenge and read White Cat by Holly Black, the first book in the Curse Workers series.
Musing Mondays – New Year?
Time again for Musing Mondays from Should Be Reading and MizB!
This weeks questions is: What is/are the first book(s) you’re reading for the new year?
I’ve had The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab since Friday but I didn’t start it until Sunday because I didn’t want to cheat on my 2012 book challenges. Lol! I’m so weird. After that I have The Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler; which was actually a book I found in the YA section of the library when I was forced to make a detour around a mother and her crying demon spawn. Thanks demon spawn! (Have I ever told all of you that I hate children? Because I hate children.)
Happy New Year!
Coming up on Lady with Books.
Another week, another book! Plus, Christmas is now only six days away! I hope you all have your shopping done. I’ll be spending my Saturday making my grandmother’s chocolate cake recipe. We’ll see how it comes out in an electric oven this time. (I miss my gas stove!) Then I’ll be making some Hershey Kisses Drop Cookies and Sugar Cookies. Hopefully I won’t burn anything. On Sunday I’ll go over to the parents’ house for dinner and gift exchange. And that will be Christmas everybody. Exciting, I know.
In a few minutes I’ll post my review of Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz after I give it another read through and polish. I’ve already started on Witchlanders by Lena Coakley. It’s a rather big book at 400 pages but its text is on the big side and the book is squatter than others. I shouldn’t have a problem reading it in a week. So look for that review next week.
Let’s see. I won a few things in the last few giveaway hops. I won a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card. Then I won a copy of City of Angels by Sheralynn Pratt; a Christmas three pack with Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh, A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman, and The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson, and an owl pendant from the giveaway hop at the beginning of the month. I haven’t seen any of them yet (pout), but can only assume that the masses of Christmas cards being mailed out has only slowed the arrival of my goodies. (more pouting)
Oh, and my cat Boots has to wear a Cone of Shame for the next week because she won’t leave the injection site on her leg alone. Poor, miserable Cone of Shame kitty. She walks into things. I think it’s hilarious. I’m getting coal for Christmas, aren’t I?
Lady With Books 