Summer 2017 Read-Alongs

People talk about being "overly ambitious" with their read-along choices and they have nine-ten books instead of the seven that is expected. Yeah, I have fourteen. This month (from the 23rd to the 30th) there are two different read-alongs happening. The Biannual Bibliothon and the BookTube-a-Thon. I, in my infinite lack of wisdom, have decided not only to do both challenges, but to read a different book for each and every one of them. Giving me a total of fourteen books to read for next week. 

Let's get into what the challenges are and my choices for those challenges. Starting with the Biannual Bibliothon. 

1. Read the group book - Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

2. Read a banned book - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

3. Read a book with an LGBT character - Coming out to Play by Robbie Rogers

4. Read a book from a host's favorite genre - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 

5. Read a book and watch its movie adaptation - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

6. Throwback: Read a memoir - Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

7. Read a book you've seen somewhere other than BookTube - The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Now then, BookTube-A-Thon's list: 

1. Read a book with a person on the cover - A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison

2. Read a hyped book - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

3. Finish a book in a day - The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

4. Read about a character different from you - Life of Pi by Yann Martel

5. Finish a book completely outdoors - Cujo by Stephen King

6. Read a book you bought because of the cover - Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

7. Read a seventh book - Copper Magic by Julia Mary Gibson

Is my list super ambitious? Yes. Do I think I can complete all fourteen books in seven days? Hell no. Will I keep reading them after the seven days are up? Yes. Will I have had fun participating? You bet. 

Now I know there is no reasonable way I'm going to finish the entire list in just a week. It's not going to happen, especially considering my BookOutlet order is due to arrive during that week and will distract me with it's newness. However, I won't let that stop me from reading as much as I can during the week and just finishing it up over the next few weeks. It may even put me (finally) ahead of schedule. I'm still a solid twelve books behind schedule. 

With that, my dears, I am off to read. Let me know if you plan to participate in either read-along! Or neither. Happy reading!

Friday Reads 01 July to 14 July 2017

Currently Reading

- A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison (11%)
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (15%)
- Wings of Arian by Devri Walls (08%)

- Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (05%)

- Time Spiral by Scott McGough (02%)

- The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon (24%)

- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (14%)

- Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (13%)

- To the Letter by Simon Garfield (36%)

- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (14%)

- The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (24%)

* * *

So last Thursday (the 6th), my best friend decided to take me into the Dollar Tree in her home town. We were supposed to just be looking for a pitcher and something else that I've already forgotten. It was related to dinner I think. Anyway, instead of just the pitcher and whatever the other thing was, I walked out with a new notebook and eleven books. I could not control myself. I bought nine hard covers and two paperback. One just because it was about a gay guy. Yep. That was me. 

This was after spending $8 on a book only to find out it's the second in a series. I know I don't have to read this particular series in order, but it's sort of a thing of mine. I have to read them in publication order first, even if they don't make sense. 

I got my printer to work. Thanks KS for helping. I probably couldn't have done it with out you. I mean, I have no idea how technology works most of the time. I make my computer literate friends help me. As a result of getting my printer working, I finally put titles on the spines of my story notebooks. Meaning I don't have to pull them all out to find the one I'm looking for nor will I accidentally get them out of order...again....

Anyway, I decided to go over the stories that I have and decide which ones I'm keeping and which ones can be scrapped. The ones I'm keeping will get titles on their spines. I have 58 of them if we count both FanFiction and FictionPress titles (70 all told, but I only have 58 notebooks). I've begun work on some and I've even started writing new content for one that I haven't touched since 2012. Yeah. Go me! 

Anyway, that's all for this week. See you again on the 21st.