Bout of Books 12: Day 5 Update

Books

• Mortal Heart: 244 pages (finished)
• The Archived: 6 pages

Mortal Heart actually took a surprisingly long time to finish, given that it is under 500 pages... I feel like I've spent a lot of time reading it, but I think that I've read five minutes here and there this week (when I get to class early and what have you). 

*goes off to read more before midnight*

Bout of Books 12: Day 4 Update

Books

• Mortal Heart: 122

I am the worst. Perhaps doing a read-a-thon in the first week of school starting back up again was unwise.

Challenge

Synopsis Challenge: The Archived

The dead sleep, shelved like books,
kept from waking by the Keeper.
When those that sleep in the Archive are disturbed,
she must fit together the remaining pieces to save it.

I think that's short enough. That's my next book, once I finish Mortal Heart (which I will hopefully be tomorrow).

Bout of Books 12: Day 3 Update

Read

• Winterspell: 142 pages (finished)
• Mortal Heart: 68 pages

Well, at least I've finished a book, I suppose.

Bout of Books 12: Day 2 Update

Taking this week off of Top Ten Tuesday... I might do it on a Wednesday this week... (is that allowed?)

Read

• Winterspell: 152 pages

I'm really crawling than wandering through books this time around...(*casually mocks blog name*)

Challenge

You’ve just started to work at a bookstore (or library) - what are your top ten go-to book recommendations?

These are just off the top of my head- most are recent rereads... I really ought to work on having a cohesive list, oughtn't I?

1. Dragonfly by Julia Golding. Because I could basically say "Have you seen The Princess Bride? Well, this has the same feel." I've always felt like this is a good intro. to fantasy for some reason. It is a fantasy world without magic in it, and its an adventure. Would a bookstore have it...? That's another question entirely.

2. Nation by Terry Pratchett.

3. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. High-flying (literally) adventure story, featuring sky pirates, an island shipwreck and undiscovered species.

4. Legend by Marie Lu. This one is fast-paced, and a good first YA dystopia. Plus bonus coloured font.

5. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan. This is here because it is a very fun read.

6. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Clever middle-grade sci-fantasy, complete with child criminal masterminds and back-talking fairies.

7. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. An entertaining twist on Greek Mythology. 

8. Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Futuristic fairy tale retelling with cyborg Cinderella.

9. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins. It always feels like a spoiler to tell the genre, but it is definitely a psychological thriller.

10. Fat Cat by Robin Brande. I feel like I should put a contemporary on here somewhere... this is here because it really made me think about food.

Bout of Books 12: Day 1 Update

... once this post is up I'll be all caught up (I mean, I'm late for the challenges, but at least I'm caught up). Yay me!

Read

• Winterspell: 170 pages

I know, it is kind of feeble, but it was the first day of classes and I had to watch Lord of the Rings (well... I didn't have to. But I did).

Challenges

Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt
There aren't any pictures because my sibling stole the SD card from the camera.

1. Find an author with the same initials as you
On my bookshelf, zero. I don't have an author with the same initials as me there. There are plenty that have the same first initial, though.
2. Find a book with the color yellow on it
My copy of Maximum Ride: This Should Have Been the Last Book Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is basically entirely yellow-toned.
3. Find an author’s name with the letter “S” in it
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.
4. Find a book with a female protagonist
Fire by Kristen Cashore.
5. Find the longest book you own
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare.
6. Find a book with a map in it or on it
Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan.
7. Find a book with a face on it (photograph or illustrated)
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston.
Bonus: Find something on your shelf that isn’t a book.
... do notebooks count? Ah. Sketching pencils that I got in high school. 

New Year's Resolutions
I do have a list of new years resolution-y things already, but have some more, in a different format. I'm not really huge on New Year's resolutions... so this is more "here's what I would like to do this year" stuff.

From So Simple a Beginning (the four great works of Charles Darwin, compiled by Edward O. Wilson): Will I finish this? Probably not. But represents something that I want to read this year: natural science books. It is also a ginormous monster book.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: I need to reread this. I reread a lot anyway, but LotR can still be a bit daunting. It is, however, I world that I want to explore again, I feel like I missed a lot the first time through. (Why does this list seem to consist of ginormous monster books?)

Bout of Books 12: Sign-Up Post

... or "Some silly person forgot to post her sign-up before the thing actually started," but I thought that was a bit long for a title. I could blame classes starting back up again on the same day... but it is mostly that I am a forgetful creature sometimes.

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, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th 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 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I'll probably be mostly updating on Twitter (@kelly8434) though I'll try to do as many daily challenges here as I can.

December DNF

Just one that fit my criteria for the month of December, I think.

Latitude Zero by Diana Renn
51 pages
I didn't get very far into this one. I read and reviewed Renn's debut, Tokyo Heist, last year. While I didn't love it, it was alright. This one, however, I just couldn't get into. I think it was mostly for personal reasons. The writing didn't really pull me in, but more than that it was that I disliked the main character from the start, because I really, really don't like people who don't stick to their guns. Tessa was just a pushover, and let herself be convinced to do things despite knowing they were not only wrong, but dangerous to herself and others. I assume that she grows throughout the novel, but no aspect of it pulled me in enough to stick around an see it.

2014 End of the Year Book Survey

The End of the Year Book Survey is hosted by Jamie at the Perpetual Page-turner.

Number Of Books You Read: So far 50. It was not a good year for finishing books for me.

Number of Re-Reads: More than the number of books I've read for the first time. This has been an year of rereads.

Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy.

 

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

The Winner's Curse, I think. I'll be mentioning it a lot.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I was kind of disappointed by Trust Me, I'm Lying. Also, Blood of Olympus was much less than what I was expecting.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 

Rites of Passage. I don't usually enjoy contemporaries, and I'm always pleasantly surprised when I do.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

The Raven Boys? Maybe. I don't even really keep track of what books I recommend to who recently. I probably ought to, no?

 5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

The Winner's Curse was the best book starting a trilogy that I read in 2014. World After was my favourite sequel. My favourite series ender was Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan, despite some problems that I had with it, or Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. 

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

Probably Marie Rutkoski.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I don't generally read a lot of Historical Fiction, but I really enjoyed A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller. Also, as I mentioned before Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

I went through Rites of Passage pretty quickly, among others.

 9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Blue Lily, Lily Blue will definitely get a reread next year. Probably in anticipation of the Untitled final book. I feel like all these books benefit from several reads. 

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

I actually liked a lot of the covers for books that I read this year. Blue Lily, Lily Blue has a lovely cover, so do Sea of Shadows, A Mad, Wicked Folly, World After and Cress. Talon is overall really well packaged.

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Kestrel from The Winner's Curse, or Kami & co. from Unmade. 

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

The Winner's Curse, or Blue Lily, Lily Blue. 

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?

Little Brother had some very thought provoking moments, despite it's other flaws.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read?

Poison Study. For something that was on my list for a significant about of time, it certainly took me a while to get to.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

I always have such a challenging time with this one... I really ought to commit these things to memory in advance. Part of the issue is that I have a lot of passages I love for a lot of different reasons. I'm still not sure. Here's a couple that I remember loving:

• The end of The Winner's Curse I really liked from a storytelling perspective, because it adds a lot of suspense without saying "Bam! Cliffhanger!" And really sets up the next book.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Shortest: The Secrets of Lily Graves and The Assassin's Curse tie, at 298

Longest: City of Heavenly Fire at 725

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

I wasn't really all that shocked by too many books this year.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Kestrel and Arin from The Winner's Curse, I'm a fan of couples that feel like equals. Also Penryn and Raffe from World After... talk about a battle couple (possibly I'm still hung up on that time when Penryn fed and Archangel cat food. Maybe). 

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Kami and Angela from Unmade have an amazing friendship. Unmade was my champion for this, this year, apparently, because I also loved Kami's relationship with her father John. 

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

As in book not a part of a series I'm already reading? So part of a new series, or a new stand alone. Sea of Shadows was really enjoyable, and Rebel Belle was a fun read.

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

I don't generally have people recommend books to me... I might not have picked up A Mad, Wicked Folly when I did if I hadn't at the time been doing the debut author challenge, though, so maybe that counts.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?

Another year goes by and still nothing. This question gets more awkward every year... would it help if I said I still lack a celebrity crush too? Or would that make it worse? There are a lot of characters that I admire, but I don't think that's the definition of a crush-way...

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

A Mad, Wicked Folly

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

The Winner's Curse was interesting. Also, as always, I loved the world of Ruin and Rising.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

I feel like I've been mentioning a lot of the same books so let's bring a new one. Rebel Belle had its fun moments.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

Unmade was a lot of ups and downs.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

Hmm...  I don't really think I had one.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Unmade has its moments, though my soul wasn't that crushed. Souls are very had to crush. 

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

I really enjoyed the blended mythologies in Sea of Shadows. Its really unfortunate that mythologies like Native American don't get more time to shine on their own, but it was nice to see elements in this. (By the way, if anyone has some good books based in lesser-known mythologies, leave a comment, I would love to read more of them).

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

*let-down authority figure voice* I'm not sad, just disappointed. *end voice*. No I'm actually pretty angry. Blood of Olympus. The only thing that worked for me was the Nico and Reyna parts, and I even had qualms about a few of the narrative decisions there. 

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2014? 
I don't actually know which ones I found this year. I love the layout of Snuggly Oranges, who I found very recently.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2014? 

Often when I look back at my review I don't like them. I've really enjoyed doing the mini-reviews. 

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?

My personal favourite was the How To Dislike a Book post, solely because it was a) getting something off of my chest that had been bothering me a while and b) kind of fun to write (also c) let me show off my incredible talent with Microsoft Paint *sarcasm*). 

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

I did nothing this year, physical world-wise. Actually nothing. There were two events that I really wanted to get to, but it didn't work out... it was at a bad time- they both conflicted with busy times for classes. I did do several read-a-thons that I really enjoyed, though.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2014?

I'm part of a book club/read-a-long thing on Twitter (oh, right, I got a Twitter this year), and I always enjoy the chats at the end of those.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

One of my Top Ten Tuesday posts actually: Top Ten 2014 Debuts I'm Excited For. Interestingly, neither of the ones on the list that I actually did read made my favourites.

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Some of the reviews, maybe? I always struggle with where I am as a reviewer (I feel like my reviewing style is constantly evolving), and they take me a long time to write sometimes... so it would be nice to know what other people thought of the book.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

Book Depository. I had heard it mentioned before, but this was my first year visiting this site.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

2014 Debut Challenge: No. I instead have a pile of DNFed debuts. I attempted a lot of books.
Goodreads Challenge: Not quite. Things happened.

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2014 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2015?

Try an incredibly long list of books. Death Sworn has been on my list for a while. 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2015 (non-debut)?

I have a list. For books that are not part of an existing series: The Darkest Part of The Forest, most immediately (it comes out in January). 

3. 2015 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?
Either Red Queen or An Ember in the Ashes.

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2015?
Right now probably either The Winner's Crime or the untitled last book of The Raven Cycle.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2015?

Figure out HTML and CSS. I'm no good at it (anyone know a good book on intro. programming?)

6. A 2015 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

I haven't read any yet... I don't really request a lot of ARCs...