BookTube-A-Thon: Day Five

Day Five was a very slow reading day for me, but I got some done in the evening. I've read 174 pages making my current BookTube-A-Thon total 2,233.

The Folded Earth - Anuradha Roy
This is will complete the challenge of reading a book in a genre I've read least this year. It's reminding me I really enjoy literary fiction.

(174 pages).

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Four

For Day Four I've read 744 pages. That makes my current BookTube-A-Thon total 2,059. And watched 2 hours of BBC glory.

By finishing Fangirl I completed the challenge of reading a book with red on the cover and by finishing Hollow City I completed the read a book with pictures challenge. I've also now done the read a book and watch the movie challenge with North and South.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Finished. I had very high expectations, and not all of them were met. I really felt the community aspect of fandom just wasn't really represented. But I enjoyed the book, it made me feel all warm and mushy and nostalgic.
(348 pages)

Hollow City - Ransom Riggs

Finished. I am in awe of how much effort has gone into the series. 

(396 pages)

North and South BBC adaptation (disk 2)

Finished. I just so much love. Such a great adaptation.

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Three

So for Day Three I read 946 pages. So all up I've read 1,315 for BookTube-A-Thon.

We were going to finish watching North and South tonight as well but ended up babysitting for some friends and now will have to do that tomorrow. So no challenges completed yet, but am well on track for my 300 pages a day :)

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
Finished. I actually read the last chapter twice because I love it so much, but I haven't counted that in my pages. I really think this is my favourite classic.
(663 pages)

The Devil Latch - Sonya Hartnett
Finished. Sonya Hartnett is a national treasure. Seriously, her writing is just so incredible. I would read about anything if she wrote it.
(171 pages)

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

I want this book to be amazing. But so for it's not quite managed to encapsulate my fangirl feelings. I'm still enjoying it though.

(112 pages)

BookTube-A-Thon: Day Two

For Day Two I have managed 1, 203 pages (they're both ebooks but I couldn't be bothered working out the page differences) and 2 hours of BBC period drama. 

I completed the challenge to read something that someone else picks out by reading Turn Here, which my sister chose for me.

Turn Here - Jackson Pearce
Finished. This short story was super cute and random, a great quick read.

(691 pages)

North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

I've read about 23 chapters, it's fun rereading as I here the characters speaking with the voices of the actors from the BBC adaptation.

(512 pages)

North and South BBC adaptation (disk 1)

So much fun watching as I'm reading it is such a great adaptation because it changes a lot to fit the medium while keeping the exact right feel of the story. And of course because Richard Armitage is incredible.

BookTube-A-Thon: Day One

So this morning I decided to participate in BookTube-A-Thon. For those who don't know, BookTube-A-Thon is a read-a-thon for BookTube (the youtube book community) that happens every northern hemisphere summer, but luckily I'm still on uni winter break. It runs from midnight Monday 14th July to midnight Monday 21st July. I'm not going to be making videos or anything but I normally watch a lot of peoples so I thought this year I'd give the reading challenges a go.

Because I decided on the spur of the moment, I spent my booktube-a-thon time for day one selecting which books I'll be reading. The overall challenges (there are extra challenges for different days) are: 

Challenges:

• a book with pictures
• start and finish a series
• a book with red on the cover
• a book someone else picks out for you
• a book from the genre you've read least this year
• a book to movie adaptation (read and watch)
• read seven books (aiming for 300 pages a day)

My Choices:

Hollow City - Ransom Riggs

For my book with pictures I chose Hollow City, which I've been meaning to read since it came out. I loved Miss Peregrine so am very excited to read the sequel 

Reboot by Amy Tintera

Rebel  by Amy Tintera

The series I'm going to start and finish is a duology I've been wanting to read for a while now, perfect for this challenge because there is only two books and they were pretty cheap on iBooks. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

In the picture it looks more pink than red, but on my actual cover it looks very red. I've wanted to read this for ages as well, despite mixed reviews. I desperately want it to perfectly encapsulate my own fangirl feelings so we will see how it goes.

Turn Here by Jackson Pearce

My sister picked this out for me. I like the other books I've read by Jackson Pearce, and it is a short story so it shouldn't take too long to read. 

The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy

I had a look at the books I've read this year and (probably because I'm no longer studying English lit) but the genre I've read list was literary fiction. This is a book I picked up on impulse at the library today, and it fits in with my attempts to read more broadly.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

BBC miniseries

I've been wanting to reread North and South for ages now, and I always love watching
North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell (and the BBC) (a book to movie adaptation)

....and all up that equals seven books but one is a short story so I'm adding in The Devil Latch, which I picked up at the library today because it is a book I loved as a teenager and I felt like rereading it.

The Devil Latch by Sonya Hartnett

June Round-Up

June was a pretty big month for me. I went to Melbourne the first weekend to hunt for a bridesmaids dress (and see family and drink fancy hot chocolates), I had my 24th birthday and 2nd wedding anniversary. It was the first month of my 2 month uni break, and I injured my back so I had plenty of time for relaxing. Also, very importantly, the World Cup started, and while I have complicated hatred towards FIFA and its ridiculously corrupt and discriminatory practices, my love for football is immense and it was so awesome to watch Australia play so credibly against such massive teams. 

Treats:

Book Haul:

Books I acquired this month

Read:

False Colours by Georgette Heyer (reread), Cress by Marissa Meyer, Dangerous by Shannon Hale, Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce, Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Lani Taylor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer 8.7, Batgirl: Knightfall Descends, Home by Larissa Behredt, Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas and City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. 

Watched:

Finished watching The Vampire Diaries with my best friend.
Husband and I watched Call the Midwife (on abc) and then bought Veronica Mars which we've been marathoning. I've also been getting up at all hours of the morning for my one true love: football.

 

23rd Year as a Book Lover

Finished. I am 24. This past year I have read 74 new books and reread 48 books (not counting rereading bits and pieces, which I do often).

----
Today is my birthday (16th June 2013). I am twenty three. The following twelve months will be my twenty-third year as an obsessive lover of books (babies can love books. Especially when they have an awesome mother like mine). To celebrate this milestone, and ignore the creeping feeling of growing up, I've decided to keep a list of every single book I read in the next year, both new discoveries and old friends. I'll try and review most of them as well. Since it is my birthday, and that means guilt-free indulgence in fiction, I can start my list today.

The List:

New:
The Moon and More - Sarah Dessen
Delirium - Lauren Oliver
Lo, Michael - Grace Livingston Hill
Dawn of the Morning - Grace Livingston Hill
The Man of the Desert - Grace Livingston Hill
Marcia Schuyler - Grace Livingston Hill
Phoebe Dean - Grace Livingston Hill
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Decline and Fall - Evelyn Waugh
Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh
A Handful of Dust - Evelyn Waugh
Put Out More Flags - Evelyn Waugh
The Ordeal of Sir Gilbert Pinfold - Evelyn Waugh
Team Human - Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover - Ally Carter
Only the Good Spy Young - Ally Carter
Out of Sight, Out of Time - Ally Carter
Double Crossed - Ally Carter
United We Spy - Ally Carter
The Book of Blood and Shadow - Robin Wasserman
The Royal Ranger - John Flanagan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief - Rick Riordan
Somewhere Around the Corner - Jackie French
Sweetly - Jackson Pearce
Reached - Ally Condie
Allegiant - Veronica Roth
The Night Circus - Erin Morganstern
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
Cinder - Marissa Meyer
The Dream Thieves - Maggie Stiefvater
The Fairy's Return - Gail Carson Levine
Fate - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
Frostbite - Richelle Mead
Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead
Blood Promise - Richelle Mead
Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
White Cat - Holly Black
Pandemonium -Lauren Oliver
Requiem - Lauren Oliver
Alex (1.5) - Lauren Oliver
Ruby Red - Kerstin Gier
Legend  - Maria Lu
Sapphire Blue - Kerstin Gier
Emerald Green - Kerstin Gier
Endlessly  - Kiersten White
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
Scarlett - Marissa Meyer
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The Chaos of Stars - Kiersten White
Red Glove - Holly Black
Picture Me Gone - Meg Rosoff
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (0.1) - Sarah J. Mass
The Assassin and the Desert (0.2) - Sarah J. Mass
The Assassin and the Underworld (0.3) - Sarah J. Mass
The Assassin and the Empire (0.4) - Sarah J. Mass
Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Mass
Crown of Embers - Rae Carson
Underworld  - Meg Cabot
Awaken - Meg Cabot
Catching Jordan - Miranda Kenneally
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare - Melissa Jensen
When You Were Mine - Rebecca Serle
Black Heart - Holly Black
Bitter Kingdom - Rae Carson
Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi
Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Home - Larissa Behrendt
City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare
Battle Magic - Tamora Pierce

Reread:
Pistols for Two - Georgette Heyer

The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

The Time of the Singing Birds - Grace Livingston Hill

The Patch of Blue - Grace Livingston Hill

The Strange Proposal - Grace Livingston Hill
Just Listen - Sarah Dessen
The Lives of Christopher Chant - Diana Wynne Jones
Conrad's Fate - Diana Wynne Jones
The Magicians of Caprona - Diana Wynne Jones
Mixed Magics - Diana Wynne Jones
The Pinhoe Egg - Diana Wynne Jones
The Power of Three - Diana Wynne Jones
Along For The Ride - Sarah Dessen
Last Chance - Sarah Dessen (now Keeping the Moon)
Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen
Dreamland - Sarah Dessen
That Summer - Sarah Dessen
Brentwood - Grace Livingston Hill
Daphne Dean - Grace Livingston Hill
A Song of Summer - Eva Ibbotson
Detection Unlimited - Georgette Heyer
Matched Pearl - Grace Livingston Hill
Rose Galbraith - Grace Livingston Hill
Footsteps in the Dark - Georgette Heyer
The Unknown Ajax - Georgette Heyer
City of Fire - Grace Livingston Hill
The Girl From Montana - Grace Livingston Hill
The Enchanted Barn - Grace Livingston Hill
The Voice in the Wilderness - Grace Livingston Hill
The Search - Grace Livingston Hill
Exit Betty - Grace Livingston Hill
The Witness - Grace Livingston Hill
The Mystery of Mary - Grace Livingston Hill
What Happened to Goodbye - Sarah Dessen
This Lullaby  - Sarah Dessen
Regency Buck - Georgette Heyer
Rilla of Ingleside - L.M Montgomery
Rapunzel's Revenge - Shannon Hale
Teen Idol - Meg Cabot
The Reluctant Widow - Georgette Heyer
The Black Moth - Georgette Heyer
Cousin Kate - Georgette Heyer
The Mislaid Magician - Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Abandon - Meg Cabot
Charity Girl - Georgette Heyer
The Convenient Marriage - Georgette Heyer
Spring Muslin - Georgette Heyer