Bout of Books 7.0 Wrap Up!

Bout of Books 7.0 has ended, and once again, I failed at what could have been an epic read-a-thon. The past week was just not my week, and it shows. I didn't even meet my modest goals for Bout of Books.

Books I Read:

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (1/2 of it)

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Looking for Alaska by John Green 

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Golden by Jessi Kirby

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Bout of Books was, for me, a solitary experience. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but that's mainly my fault for not checking the site and regular updates. Unfortunately, I completed no challenges and I participated in not a single twitter chat.

I'm beginning to think that read-a-thons are not for me. I think they're a really cool, fun idea, but I hate rushing through books. I like to savor books, and sometimes, when a book is amazing, I even go back and reread earlier parts just because I don't want a book to end.

Overall, I don't regret trying out something new, and I may even give Bout of Books another go the next time. But I'm beginning to think I'm just not cut out for read-a-thons.

What about you guys? Do you have fun participating in read-a-thons? Are you a speed demon when it comes to reading or do you prefer a slower pace?

Bout of Books 7.0 Goals

First off, happy Mother's Day to all moms! I'm not a mother but I'll be going out to breakfast with my mom and mom-mom to celebrate. 

So, Bout of Books 7.0 is almost here and I'm REALLY excited to participate for the first time ever! If you'd like to join in the fun, it's not too late to sign up for Bout of Books.

I'm setting myself some realistic goals. Some nights of the week, I come home from work exhausted and don't get as much reading done as I'd like. So I picked a few light, short reads that should be easy to knock off my TBR list. 

My Goals:

-Read at least 4 unread books 

-Visit no less than 15 blogs 

-Do 2 or more mini challenges 

-Participate in at least 1 twitter chat 

-Make some new blogger friends! 

Books to Read:

-A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
-Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
-Looking for Alaska by John Green
-The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

If you want all the details, here's my original Bout of Books post. Let the reading begin...and may the odds be ever in your favor! Or something like that.

Bout of Books 7.0 Is Almost Here!

As always, my TBR pile is out of control! So, I am taking charge and participating in Bout of Books 7.0 next week! I'm really excited! 

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 12:01 am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th 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 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

This is only my second read-a-thon! Can you believe it? 

If you'd like to participate in Bout of Books 7.0, you can sign up here! I'll post my goals for the read-a-thon later this week!

Take Control of Your TBR Pile Read-a-Thon: Wrap Up Post

Take Control of your TBR Pile Read-a-Thon is the first read-a-thon I've done ever, and it will definitely not be my last. I'm ashamed to admit that I did not make as much progress as I had anticipated. I had hoped to read at least 10 books this month, which should have been a piece of cake. But things came up, and I found myself in a reading slump for a little, and well, it seems nothing goes as planned. 

Did I enjoy this read-a-thon? Well, as always, I had fun reading. I'm going to be honest. I really didn't participate as much as I should have. If anything, I was just testing myself and seeing if I could handle following a list of books to read instead of my usual spontaneity. It was tough, and I know I could have changed the books I intended to read, but I stuck to it. I also desperately needed to concentrate on some books that have been sitting on my bookshelves, just gathering dust, for much too long, and I'm happy to say I finally see an end to my TBR pile. Hopefully, there will come a day when there's no unread books on my bookshelves but I remain skeptical. 

I struggled writing reviews for some of the books. Like I said, I was definitely going through a reading/blogging slump for awhile. Here are all the books I finished: 

-Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

-Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

-White Cat by Holly Black

-Red Glove by Holly Black

-Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

-The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

-The Swan Kingdom by Zoë Marriott

-Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Wow. It looks like such a short list, and I wish I had read more. I also kind of cheated and read The Clockwork Princess even though it was published this month, and all the books for this read-a-thon were supposed to be published before March. But I'm not counting that book towards the read-a-thon.

I cannot wait to do a read-a-thon again. Maybe not right away, but definitely sometime in the future, and I hope to read many more books for the next one.

Take Control of Your TBR-Pile Read-A-Thon

This is late notice, but I just decided to participate in the Take Control of Your TBR-Pile Read-A-Thon. This is my first read-a-thon ever, and I'm nervous. I'll admit that I'm terrified I won't even make a dent in my TBR pile, and that I will basically fail my first read-a-thon. But I'm just going to try to have fun with this and not stress about it.

My TBR pile has reached a monstrous size, and I'm honestly afraid it's going to gobble me up. So this read-a-thon came at an opportune time. It's gotten to the point where I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of unread books I have.

The Take Control of Your TBR-Pile Read-A-Thon is being hosted by Kimba @ Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. The read-a-thon started March 1st and will end March 31st at midnight. All books must be published before March 2013. So you can finally take the time to read your own books and no ARCS.

I'm planning to read:
1. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (reading now)
2. White Cat by Holly Black
3. Red Glove by Holly Black
4. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
5. Sanctum by Sarah Fine
6. Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
7. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
8. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
9. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
10. The Swan Kingdom by Zoë Marriott

Will I get through all of these? It's possible. But things come up. Still, I have my hopes. But then again I do work, and have less free time than I wish. When I didn't work, this list would have been so much easier to get through.

Does anybody have personal favorites in this list? Or any suggestions of what to read when?