~Once Upon a Read-a-Thon - FINAL Update~

"Once Upon a Read-a-Thon" is hosted by Angela at Reading Angel, Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog. It runs from 12:01 AM on July 11 to 11:59 PM on July 13th. 

I ended the Read-a-Thon reading: "Iron House" by John Hart

# of Pages Read (of last book): 278 (out of 432 pages) 

  

Total # Pages Read: 1,908 pages

Total # of Books Read (completed during Read-a-Thon): 5

Names of Books Completed: "The Human Race" by O.C. Heaton, "The Mistress's Revenge" by Tamar Cohen, "The Peach Keeper" by Sarah Addison Allen, "Divergent" by Veronica Roth, "Protect the Heart" by LK Hunsaker, and "Iron House" by John Hart (Incomplete).

 

 

 

Comments/Concerns (about the Read-a-Thon and/or your book selections): This was my second read-a-thon ever, and I had done extremely poorly on my first one, so when I signed up for this one, I tried to be as prepared as possible. Last time I didn't choose my books before hand, and ended up spending an insane amount of time trying to pick what I'd read next. This time, I made my TBR pile for the #OUreadathon and vowed that I'd only read any other title if/when I get done with the books I'd already picked. The other strategy that really worked for me was to read as much as possible at night. During the day I keep getting interrupted by family, for errands, housework, conversations, etc - so night time is the prime time for me to get ahead of my goals, and this strategy worked out really well, for the most part. The tactic that I didn't really employ, which I wish I had, was to choose shorter books - these allow for you to flit from different subject to different subject, keeping everything sort of fresh. I mostly chose my books based on how fast-paced I'd thought they'd be - or "mysteries" so that I'd remain glued to the book in pursuit of what would happen next. This also worked in my favor; further proof of this was, when I picked up the historical fiction novel "Protect the Heart", although it was a pretty good book, it took me longer than it would normally take for me to read 198 pages, because the pace in the book was far slower than the pace in the ones before it. Anyhow, OVERALL, it was a delightful experience, and I absolutely LOVED IT! A very big THANK YOU to all the people who helped arrange this read-a-thon, hosted mini-challenges, etc. You all know who you are...and you all deserve a big *squishy* hug! :)

Books I'd Planned To Read:

• Iron House by John Hart (432 pg.)
• The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (273 pg.)
• The Human Race by O.C. Heaton (448 pg.)
• The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen (224 pg.)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (487 pg.)
• Protect the Heart by LK Hunsaker (198 pg.)
• What You See in the Dark by Manuel Muñoz (272 pg.)
• Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (eq. of 385 pg.) - Audiobook

In Conclusion:  If you're on Twitter, make sure to add me and say hello! Maybe we can discuss some of the books we read during the #OUreadathon . Also, AGAIN, I want to THANK all the people involved with the Read-a-Thon, and all the people who participated. Special hugs & love to all those who visited my blog/updates and commented - you make my blogging-world go round!

~Once Upon a Read-a-Thon - Update #3~

 "Once Upon a Read-a-Thon" is hosted by Angela at Reading Angel, Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog. It runs from 12:01 AM on July 11 to 11:59 PM on July 13th.

Book I'm Currently Reading: "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

  

# of Pages Read (of book currently reading): 59 pages (out of 487 pages)

  

Total # Pages Read:  1004 pages

Total # of Books Read (completed during Read-a-Thon): 3

Names of Books Completed: "The Human Race" by O.C. Heaton, "The Mistress's Revenge" bt Tamar Cohen and "The Peach Keeper" by Sarah Addison Allen.

Comments/Concerns (about the book currently reading): I had planned on reading "What You See In The Dark" by Manuel Muñoz next, however, "Divergent" kept calling to me from amidst the pile of books I'd planned. I just couldn't help but pick it up. In all honesty, it hasn't totally "gripped" me yet...but that's only because I'm about 60 pages in. It seems to be in an intriguing concept, and I suppose all the "action" is yet to arrive in the book; I am really looking forward to it! :)

Book I Plan To Read Next: "What You See In The Dark" by Manuel Muñoz.

Mini Challenge#1

Love Triangles

1) Edward Cullen vs. Jacob Black from the Twilight Series

2) Bill Compton vs. Eric Northman from the Southern Vampire (Sookie Stackhouse) Series

3) Linden vs. Gabriel from The Chemical Garden Trilogy

A big thank you to Sabrina from YA Bliss for hosting this amazing Mini-Challenge. Make sure to check it out here. 

Mini-Challenge#2

Synopsis (Fake): 

 

"The pace of evolution is murder..." in The Human Race. All those notions that we had about the planet and the universe have all been wrong; Mother Earth is, in fact, Daddy Earth and he's NOT a happy camper. He has slowly begun to devour the world, and has threatened extinction of the human race until they do as Daddy Earth desires. Money is no longer the currency of the world, leaves are. If you have maple leaves, good...if you have redwood leaves, even better. Animals are no longer fit for consumption and have all been marked with a virus that results in the growing of horns on the head of anyone who consumes their flesh. Cars are banned, and even the mention of an airplane results in an earthquake! 

 

Humans are absolutely mortified at the difficulties that they're facing, and cannot fathom why Daddy Earth is being so callous towards the human race. Until one of their political leaders, Captain Prince Sir Hump-A-Lot comes across the secret that Daddy Earth's beloved wife Gaia has threatened to leave him for not having run a tight-ship, for allowing Earth to come to disarray and harm her beauty, and for generally being a sloth. When humans come to find this, they suddenly realize that they've not only brought this upon themselves but have committed a grave injustice in the process. Can they redeem themselves, beautify the Earth, change slovenly and slothful Daddy Earth and please Gaia so that her love can become the emollient for Daddy Earth's wrath? You must read...to find out! 

 

A big thank you to Casey of The Bookish Type for hosting this amazing Mini-Challenge. Make sure to check it out here.

~Once Upon a Read-a-Thon - Update #2~

  "Once Upon a Read-a-Thon" is hosted by Angela at Reading Angel, Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog. It runs from 12:01 AM on July 11 to 11:59 PM on July 13th.

Book I'm Currently Reading: "The Peach Keeper" by Sarah Addison Allen

  

# of Pages Read (of book currently reading): 193 pages (out of 273 pages)

  

Total # Pages Read: 865 pages

Total # of Books Read (completed during Read-a-Thon): 2 

Names of Books Completed: "The Human Race" by O.C. Heaton and "The Mistress's Revenge" bt Tamar Cohen.

Comments/Concerns (about "The Mistress's Revenge"): "The Mistress's Revenge" seemed like a book I wouldn't enjoy much, given that I rarely read about jealous lovers and romance and such. But surprisingly, I'm liking this book so far. I find the cover absolutely intriguing. One cannot help but be engrossed in it, there's something about it. You can check out "The Mistress's Revenge" by Tamar Cohen on Goodreads in case you'd like to pick it up.

Comments/Concerns (about the book currently reading): I didn't realize that magical realism (think: The Time Traveler's Wife or The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake) were a theme in Sarah Addison Allen's "The Peach Keeper" but apparently such is the case. The book is well written, and the characterization is slow and methodical, like getting to know real people. There's a certain mysterious charm that keeps you invested in  finding out more about the history of the town of Walls of Water, and it's people. I'm definitely intrigued, and like it so

Book I Plan To Read Next: "What You See In The Dark" by Manuel Muñoz.

Mini-Challenge

Mini Challenge Question 1: What is your favorite type of myth (Greek, Roman, Egyptian etc)?

Answer:  Although all types of Mythology, be it Roman, Greek or Egyptian, is absolutely fascinating to read about, for me, Greek Mythology is absolutely enchanting. Especially given that there are so many character in Greek Mythology, each with it's unique set of traits and characteristics, and many of them intertwine to create a beautiful picture of power, romance, war and life. My love for Greek Mythology solidified as a sophomore in high school when I researched an argumentative essay about how women have been deemed inferior throughout history, incorporating the mythological stories of Persephone, Pandora and Psyche into my argument. Needless to say, I've loved Greek Mythology since.

Mini Challenge Question 2: What is your favorite book with some type of mythology in it?

Answer: I love "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" by Homer, but as for contemporary fiction, I absolutely fell in love with "Starcrossed (Starcrossed, #1)" by Josephine Angelini (click on the title for review). As I state in my review, "Also, this book includes a lot of info on Greek Mythology, but author Josephine Angelini has done the subject justice, and the myths and legends are seamlessly incorporated into the storyline." She provided enough pertinent details about the myth and the story behind the characters so as to not overwhelm or bore the reader, but was informative and provided a sturdy and sound foundation for each particular character inspired by a Greek God/myth. I cannot wait to read the next installment in this fast paced and riveting trilogy/saga.

A big thank you to Bailey of IB Book Blogging for hosting this amazing Mini-Challenge. Make sure to check it out here.

~Once Upon A Readathon - Starting Line~

 

"Once Upon a Read-a-Thon" is hosted by Angela at Reading Angel, Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog. It runs from 12:01 AM on July 11 to 11:59 PM on July 13th.

Books I Plan To Read:

• Iron House by John Hart (432 pg.)
• The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (273 pg.)
• The Human Race by O.C. Heaton (448 pg.)
• The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen (224 pg.)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (487 pg.)
• Protect the Heart by LK Hunsaker (198 pg.)
• What You See in the Dark by Manuel Muñoz (272 pg.)

Also, on audiobook, I'm reading:

• Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (eq. of 385 pg.) - click on the picture below for the link to the audiobook on Audible.

# of Pages I Plan To Read: 2719 pages. I know that's a very high number, and I can't promise that I'll actually finish reading all those pages, but I sure am gonna try! =)


Book I'm Starting With: "The Human Race" by O.C. Heaton.


Book I Plan On Reading Next: "The Mistress's Revenge" by Tamar Cohen.


Comments and Concerns: My biggest concern is that I won't be able to get a lot of reading done, because I'll have to run errands with my mom & dad. But I'm going to get on the reading wagon late night/early morning, to try and cover as much ground as I possibly can.


In Conclusion:  If you're on Twitter, make sure to add me and say hello! Use the hashtag #OUreadathon to check out what the other participants are up to, what books they're reading, and what they're talking about. HAPPY READING EVERYONE!!!