End of the Year 2013 Reading Cram Read-a-thon!

So, I have decided to take part in the

End of the Year 2013 Reading Cram Read-a-thon!

hosted by Juliababyjen's Reading Room and Dana Square to try and chisel off some of my huge TBR pile before the end of the year. 

Goodreads tells me I am 32 books behind where I should be at this point in the year to achieve my goal of reading 130 books- so I obviously don't think I'm going to manage to achieve that challenge this year! 

But, I would like to pack a few more books in toward that target before starting afresh with 2014.

The readathon runs from December 9th to 22nd, and there are lots of mini-challenges and the chance to network with other bloggers and  to spur each other on!

I'll also be updating progress on twitter with the hashtag #ReadingCram

Goals

I hate setting goals of specific books to read, (as I normally change my mind and end up reading something completely different), but I'm hoping to get through at least 6 books in that time. I normally read around 2 books a week, so this is more than usual but still achievable for me. 

the books, possibly-

•  Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder
• Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead
• Vanish by Sophie Jordan

• Elegy by Tara Hudson
• Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
• Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Getting reading to read like a demon- here I go!

#ReadingCram

Debut-a-Thon reading challenge

The Debut-a-Thon is a four day readathon event hosted by Amber at Books of Amber and with the aim of trying to read as many books as possible between today and June 30th- with the only rule being that they be books written by debut authors published in 2013. 

This readathon is also a chance to network with other bloggers, and I will be keeping up with everybody's progress and tweeting about my progress on here and on twitter following hashtag #debutathon

Goals:

I am working all day for three of the days, which is a pain- but I still hope to read at least 2 books.

Ideas:

1. Survive by Alex Morel (UK 2013 debut)

2. Lost Girl by Sangu Mandana (UK 2013 debut)

3. After Eden by Helen Douglas

4. Acid by Emma Pass.
5. Pivot Point by Kasie West

Here I go! 

Updates:

End of day 1: Halfway through Survive by Alex Morel

End of day 4: Finished Survive (it's good!) and 2/3 of the way through Pivot Point by Kasie West. Nearly read 2 whole books! I knew I would be busy over this time though so I'm quite pleased with that. 

Take Control of your TBR pile wrap-up post

So, all of march I took part in the Take Control of your TBR pile challenge hosted by Kimba at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.



My goal was to read at least 8 of the books I own sitting unread on my shelf out of this selected pile-


Overall, I didn't do too badly, I ended up reading 7 books from the list

• Hourglass by Myra McEntire  4 of 5 stars- review still to post

• Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev- still to read
• Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines  4 of 5 stars- review still to post

• Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles- still to read
• 13 to Life by Shannon Delany  3 of 5 stars- review still to post
• Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken  4 of 5 stars- review still to post
• Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn  4 of 5 stars- review still to post

• Rampant by Diana Peterfreund- still to read
• Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday  4 of 5 stars- review still to post

• Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep- still to read
• Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson  5 of 5 stars- review still to post

I ended up having to move house after I signed up for this challenge and my time was pretty hectic all through March- but I did read some amazing books and reviews will be up on the blog shortly!

Thanks to Kimba for hosting this awesome challenge- I wanna do it again later in the year!

Goals and updates- "Take Control of Your TBR pile" March

Here's the thing... Because I borrow so many library books, and get so many books to read for review, I always make reading these books a priority and I can never find time to read the books that I actually own. (Not that that stops me from lusting after and ordering even more!)
But I really do want to catch up on some of the books I have already have on my shelf. I bought them because I was so excited to read them after all. So this March I am joining in with Kimba at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer and around a hundred other book bloggers in pledging to spend March reading through the books I already have to read.
So- sorry library, and sorry publishers- but I'm hanging on to your books for a while longer and March is strictly a TBR month!




Right- on average I read about 10 books a month (2 of which are audio books so that doesn't count), but I have picked out a bunch of books that I aim to read this month.

I want to read at least 8 of this pile (+ 3 are spares in case I manage to read super quickly!)

It actually scared me when I was trying to narrow down which books to choose for this challenge, exactly how many books I have sitting unread- I may have to give myself another TBR only month later in the year!

I'm looking forward to working through these amazing looking books (finally!), and also- one of my favourite aspects of these readalong/ read-a-thon challenges- networking with other book bloggers.

I will update my progress here, and on twitter- Using hashtag #TakeControl

Bout of Books 6.0

Official Blurb

(from Bout of Books website)

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 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th 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 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. -From the Bout of Books 6.0 team

I love these Bout of Books readathons because they are low pressure, and I can participate as much as I have time for. It's also a great opportunity to network with other bloggers, discover new blogs and just generally chat about books! I did end up winning a book in the last Bout of Books week as well. 

Here are my goals for the week, and I will update my progress here as well.

Reading Goals:

1. To finish reading Deadly Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
2. To read Undeadly by Michele Vail
3. To start reading Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver, and to be at least 50% through it by the end of the readathon.
4. To listen to The Power of Nine on audiobook. 

I also want to visit and comment on a minimum of 3 blogs per day, and visit at least 7 Bout of Books wrap-up posts. 

My goals are fairly low because I'm working all week, but I think this is enough to be a challenge for me but is also a realistic goal. Who else is participating in this challenge? Good luck!

Fraterfest Goals and updates

This weekend (5th to 8th October) I am taking part in the Fraterfest read-a-long hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer along with about 60 other bloggers. 

"You can read whatever you want as long as one book is either a Rhiannon Frater novel or a bump in the night book (vampire, zombie, shapeshifter, ghost etc)"."The goal is to attack that TBR pile and have fun!"

#Fraterfest

I always like read-a-longs anyway for the chance to network with other bloggers, and set myself a new challenge. I have had Rhiannon Frater's book The First Days on my bookshelves for over a year now, and this is the jolt I need to actually start reading it!
I will update my progress here throughout the weekend. 

Goals:

Okay- this may seem fairly unambitious, but I am working all weekend, so my goal is just to finish the book!







Updates:

Update 1- Friday 8.30 pm
I stopped in a coffee shop after work to read a little, I am up to page 75/331
Really good so far!

Update 2- Sunday 8.30 pm
Read a lot today, now up to page 221 of 331. Will try to read a bit more before bed, but I want to write up some blog posts now first. 

Update 3- Monday 8.45 pm
Just finished The First Days- 4.5 of 5 stars, great book, I want to dive straight into the next one now! 
Goal: Completed! 

Review Copy Cleanup- sign up and goals

I have managed to gain loads of books that are due out in either September or October this year, so to help encourage me to read them all I have decided to sign up for the Review Copy Cleanup- a read-a-thon hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea, and Nyx Book Reviews in the hope that a) I'll be motivated to read as many of these books as possible and b) to network and chat with other book bloggers- find new book blogs to follow and new books to lust after.

The read-a-thon runs throughout the whole of August, and my goal over this time is to try and finish all these books-






Plus hopefully one more (but I have so many that I can't pick between them- and I usually choose my next book based on my mood).

I won't post again until the end of August, but we will all keep up with our progress on twitter, hashtag #RCCleanup

Let the read-a-thon begin!

Once Upon A Read-A-Thon wrap up

This is the end of the last day of the annual Once Upon a Read-A-Thon hosted by Candace of Candace's Book Blog, Lori of Pure Imagination, and Angela from Reading Angel. I did read as much as possible, and I had fun checking in with other bloggers, and completing some of the challenges over the past couple of days.

So did I read all of the books I had set myself over these 3 days?
I wanted to try and finish all three books that I had started reading- Bloodlines by Richelle Mead, Changeling by Philippa Gregory, and Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel.

I finished reading Bloodlines

I finished the audiobook of Changeling

No- this is where I fell down. I'm up to 62% of the the way through this one. In my defence, I have had a very busy week, and it is a huge book!
Fail. 
I am a good way through it now though!






Thanks to Lori, Candace and Angela for hosting!

Once Upon A Read-A-Thon- kick off post

So today is the first day of the annual Once Upon a Read-A-Thon hosted by Candace of Candace's Book Blog, Lori of Pure Imagination, and Angela from Reading Angel. It runs from today (Monday July 9th) until Wednesday 11th July, and the aim is try to read more over these dates you do in a normal week.
It is also a chance for us to network with other bloggers, maybe discover some new book blogs to follow, to find new books to read, and to have fun taking part in the challenges every day.

I think I will struggle to read more than normal since I'm reading most of my spare time anyway- I work full time and don't usually get home until 6pm, then there's dinner, shopping, calls home etc... but I will TRY!

At the start of the read-a-thon my reading status is:

(Paperback) Bloodlines by Richelle Mead 252/421 pages
(Kindle) Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel 33%
(Audiobook) Changeling by Philippa Gregory 3hrs 45mins/ 6hrs 44 mins



My goal over the next three days is just to finish these 3 books!

Right, I'm off to read...

Challenge starts... and GO!




Follow updates via Twitter hashtag  #OUReadathon

Married With Zombies scavenger hunt readalong week 5

This is week 5 of the Married With Zombies scavenger hunt readalong. Todays questions are hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader.

Chapters 21-26


1. In Chapter 21, David and Sarah venture into a grocery store to try to find some essentials. Show us a picture of the top three items you consider your essentials when you go shopping.

Absolute shopping essentials for me are- milk (I drink a lot of tea with milk), and cheese (I love cheese, I grate it onto everything). Thirdly would be chocolate but I don't have any in the house to take a picture of at the moment (I ate it all- it's been a tough week).

2. Sarah and David travel quite a distance to “visit” a family member. Show us a picture of your most recent family vacation. Who did you visit and where did you go?

My family live about an hour away from me. A couple of weeks ago I went up to visit for my nephew's first birthday party. He is seriously such a little cutie pie.

3. Sarah refers to David’s sister as the Martha Stewart type because she likes to make things from scratch. Show us a picture a hobby or home project you get enthusiastic about making/ doing.

I'm not very crafty, but I have made creatures and things out of plastic beads (none of them are in the house are the moment so I couldn't take a picture). I have also had a go at making my own jewellery out of beads and wire, and I have an enormous cross stitch picture of a horse at sunset that I work on occasionally (but haven't gotten very far with in 3 years!)

4. David and Sarah decide to start up their own Zombie exterminators business, and even come up with a name and slogan for it, “S and D Zombie Extermination. We take care of your undead issues.” If you opened up your own zombie killing business, what would you call it, and what would your slogan be?

How about...

"Hasta La Vista, Zombie!"

5. What were your favorite/least favorite parts of Married with Zombies? Aside from David and Sarah, who was your favorite/least favorite character?

I like it at the beginning when they are still arguing a lot over really petty things- that it very funny. When Sarah kills the zombie with the toilet seat that David annoyingly left up... again!

Amanda is a great character. She is so ditzy that she gets the best one-liners. Least favourite characters were the crazy cult people living in the casino- weirdos! 

6. What do you think is coming up next for David and Sarah? Which do you think has a better chance of survival, their marriage or their humanity? Will you continue reading this series, and if so, what do you hope to see happen in the next book?

I really enjoyed this book, and I will keep on reading the rest of the series. It took me a year to get around to reading this book though! I loved the way David and Sarah's relationship grew stronger as the story progressed. It took a zombie invasion for them to learn to listen to each other and trust each other. It's exciting and very funny as well. Hopefully, in the next book they will find out if the rest of their family is okay, and will see how far the infection has spread- is it just limited to a certain perimeter, or has it taken over all of America/ the world? 

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Synopsis from Goodreads:
A heartwarming tale of terror in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.

Meet Sarah and David.

Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On a routine trip to their counselor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counselor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client's throat.

Meet the Zombies.

Now, Sarah and David are fighting for survival in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But, just because there are zombies, doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains, they might just kill each other.

Married With Zombies scavenger hunt readalong week 3

This is week 3 of the Married With Zombies scavenger hunt readalong. Todays questions are hosted by Loretta at Between The Pages.

Chapters 11-15

1.) In Chapter 11 Sarah, Dave & Amanda were rushed by 4 zombies. At this time Sarah screams something. 

SHOW ME YOURS!! Don't have one? That is ok, show me what you would grab outside to protect yourself!!

I don't have a gun, so if I was fleeing to my car I'd have to use a large branch, or hurl some rocks or something to defend myself.

Or run faster!









2.) At the end of Chapter 12 they are saved by someone looking very "Underworld" awesome. Let me see your best "Slay em' Gear" 
.. don't forget to add your weapons!!




I have skinny jeans, high boots and a leather jacket perfect for slaying zombies.

This is my best Buffy/ Underworld/ Tough Girl pose- honest!
Do I look angry? Grr!

In all honesty I'm more likely to accidentally drop that knife on my own foot than do any damage with it!















3.) Near the end of Chapter 13 Sarah finds something under the seat to help Dave, that she saved for whenever the need gave in.  What was it? "Strike" your best pose!


(Oh, I am woefully under-prepared for when the zombies attack). Again- I don't have lighter- but I do have matches. If only the damn things wouldn't keep going out...

4.) Nothing very "action pic" happens in Chapters 14 & 15. So this is where you can show me what car you would pic to ride around town, trying to survive. This can totally be a "Google" pic or you can go find one!! Think outside the box!


Right- I actually googled this question, "which car would be best for a zombie attack?" and there was actually a lot of good advice- including "You don't want a pick-up truck, because zombies might cling onto the back". Duly noted...
I would go for something like this-

It has to be large to fit in a lot of supplies- you need space to be able to sleep in it too, and we know that the zombies are crafty and will put things across the road to stop you- so it has to be able to cope with some off-road driving. 

5.) How are you enjoying the book so FAR?!!!


Yeah, loving it so far- It's starting to get a lot more action packed, but still funny, and I love how David and Sarah are communicating better and growing closer together.