Dewey's 24 Read-a-thon Hour 5 Challenge

 

This mini-challenge is hosted by On the wings of books

 

The Rules:

The book staging challenge is all about staging your book with either something that is on the cover or with something that goes with the book and then taking a picture of it! You can do something elaborate or simple – it doesn’t matter! After you take a picture upload it to your blog, Twitter or Goodreads and put the link below. One person will win one book of their choice (up to $10) from Amazon (US, exclude Alaska/Hawaii) or The Book Depository (wherever The Book Depository ships to).

 

 

 

 

 

 my book is on my nook, it's hard to see because of the glare

 

 

 

 

Tree's and bushes outside:)

 

 

 



Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon

 

A little background:

What is Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon? For 24 hours, we read books, post to our blogs, Twitters, Tumblrs, Goodreads and MORE about our reading, and visit other readers’ homes online. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day. It happens twice a year, in April and in October.
It was created by the beloved Dewey (her blog has since been taken down, so the link won’t work). The first one was held in October 2007. Dewey died in late 2008. We’re still saddened by her absence, but the show must go on. The read-a-thon was renamed to honor its founder in 2009.
Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon is hosted by Heather and Andi of The Estella Society, with help from volunteers.

 

 

This will be my first Dewey's RaT.  I was urged lots of times and all the time by my friend Karsyn@KaKiJoKoJA, who is also doing this for her 2nd time.  I remember when she was doing it the first time and how much fun she seemed to be having, so I'm going to go ahead and take the plunge and join in.

 

 

 

It's here!! it starts in about 10 minutes for me, I am geared up and ready to go.  This is my post, the place I will update, so throughout the 24 hours I will update this post only, so it will be constantly changing.  

As a recap, I have listed my goals:

Tentatively, My Goals are as follows:

~read 4 books  finished

~800-1000 pages

Goals have been MET!! WOOHOO!

 

 

 

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I am reading from Orlando, Florida
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Fly by my pants sorta girl, no books on my TBR for today
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I shamelessly didn't go shopping, short on funds, so normal foods for me:(
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! 33 year old single mom, work full time in the medical industry, blogger as a hobby when the kiddo goes to bed, I am a super reader, have been reading since as far back as I can remember.  5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to. This is my first one! so excited!

 

Book 1:Path To Freedom by Conrad Taylor- 187 pages finished

Book 2: Beautiful Wreck by Larissa Brown- 399 nook pages finished

Book 3: Tributaries by Illise Montoya- 265 nook pages finished

Book 4: Going Educational by Honea Byrne- 70 pages finished
Book 5: Twisted by K.A. Robinson- 205 pages finished
Book 6: Where there's smoke by Jodi Picoult- 41 pages finished
Book 7: Larger than life by Jodi Picoult- 78 pages finished
Book 8: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult- 372 pages finished

Book 9: Please Don't Tell by Elizabeth Adler- 32 pages 

Total number of books I've read: 8
Total Pages Read: 1617
Total Time Read: 18.5 hours
Challenges Participated in:
Hour 4- Quotable Quotes-“He, who was too damn big and tall, couldn’t understand that all soldiers suffered just the same.” page 89 Tributaries by Illise Montoya
Hour 5- Book Staging
Hour 6- Name your read-a-thon- "Tributaries Tell Beautiful Freedom Time"
Hour 10- Recommend me- I recommended Earth Girl
Hour 17- Jodi Picoult- Leaving Time


Completed Books:
  
  
 

End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? All the hours past 2:45AM
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Jodi Picoult for sure
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? nope none
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I liked the hourly challenges
5. How many books did you read? 8
6. What were the names of the books you read? see above
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Jodi picoults books
8. Which did you enjoy least? honea byrne
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? no
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I am for sure participating again. I like the reading role, or hosting.  not sure id want to cheer and take away from my own reading, since it seems like the cheerleaders have to visit an insane amount of blogs.

My thoughts on this RaT: I really wanted to read 24 hours, but I think the last time I looked at the clock was about 2:45 or so, then I apparently sacked out shortly after that.  I didn't do the snacking thing, took about a hour break for lunch/walmart, but mostly read the entire other time.  Caught up on some author requested books, and read the Jodi picoult books i've been wanting to read.  now I just need to go write reviews!  I had fun, I will definitely do it again.

Review: Alien Brood by Helen Atreya

 

**I received this novella from the author for my honest review**

 

4/5 Stars

 

Synopsis per Goodreads:

Mia is flat broke and running out of options when she stumbles across a strange but tempting job ad. $35 an hour, no experience necessary? It seems too good to be true!

Things start to get weird immediately: Hawthorn manor is a crumbling mansion in the middle of a creepy swamp and it appears there are only two other people living there. Margrete, the beautiful and enigmatic head maid, and Madison, the gorgeous chef who makes meals that could win Michelin stars.

Why do they stay here in the middle of nowhere, where there isn't even good cell reception?

Mia's first night is full of even stranger occurrences. She wakes to find Madison and Margrete together in bed, and then Mia finds herself at the mercy of a lustful swarm of tentacles! She manages to convince herself it was only a dream but when Madison is suddenly very pregnant the next day, Mia has more questions than answers and starts to wonder if she might be next. And... if that might be a good thing

 

 

 

My thoughts on this book:

 

This is a erotica novella that was given to me by the author to review.  The subject matter of the book definitely isn't something that I ever thought I'd voluntarily read, but I did say I had an open mind in my review policy :) And to be honest I was curious to how something like this would be written/read.

 

The writing itself was really good, the author had talent, not too much verbose word play, not too much chatter, it was well written, well edited and flowed pretty smoothly.  The erotica was pretty good, some of it was a little much, some of it was really good. 

 

I liked that the author thought up this stuff, it shows imagination, not too many would really sit down and think up a scenario like this, and make it actually work, and work well deserves kudos in my book. 

 

Review: Dust by Sarah Daltry

 

**I received this book from an assistant to Sarah Daltry in conjunction with a giveaway I have posted on my site**

 

Please go HERE to enter the giveaway

 

4/5 Stars

 

Synopsis per Goodreads:

Who makes YOUR choices?

"I was once the type of person who was impressed by starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to throw - parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming."

In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people.

When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty.

But her parents have other plans; they have a kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed?

As lies, illusions, and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved

My thoughts on this book:

 



This book is a fantasy book, it's not one of my stronger genres, however I was sucked into it.  I started reading and enjoyed myself immensely.  The formatting of the book at first was hard to get into, it jumped back and forth between past and present until it all came together in present.  I understand why it had to be done that way, to learn how we got to this point, the present, and in a War.  The different lands and people, the secrets, and how it all came to be.

 

This book has a little bit of everything.  Lies, Secrets, Betrayal, Magic, Love, Hope, a little bit of it all.  It follows the past, the present, and the hope of a nice future.  There were times throughout that I got a little bit confused, with who was who and what world was what, and the why's of it, some of the magical parts of it I didn't quite understand the why's.  But i still enjoyed myself, I thought it was a good read, especially if you are a fan of the YA and the Fantasy genre.

Teen Read Week- PLUS a giveaway!

Sarah Daltry, author of several books, including her latest Dust, coming out November 7th, is hosting a giveaway to celebrate the upcoming release, and also Teen Read Week, I was asked to be a part of the giveaway!  Thank you for considering me, it's an honor.  So sit back and enter the contest and check out Sarah's books!  Thanks

~Kym


And here is a message from Sarah:


Teen Read Week, which is obviously a really important event. This year's theme is "Turn Dreams into Reality" and you can find out more about programs in your area through the YALSA site. Clearly I care a lot about engaging young readers. To celebrate, I want to do a giveaway to encourage reading! Enter to win a signed ARC of Dust, swag, or a $50 Amazon gift card. This is open to everyone - I just ask that you try to spread the word about Teen Read Week as well!

   

Here is a link to Sarah Daltry's website about her upcoming release Dust

DUST

A YA Fantasy
Published by Little Bird Publishing House
Release Date: November 7, 2014
Preorder Your Copy!

Read an excerpt!

Who makes your choices?

“I was once the type of person who was impressed by starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to throw – parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming.”

In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people.

When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty.

But her parents have other plans; they have a Kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed?

As lies, illusions and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved.

Playlist: http://hypster.com/playlists/user/sarahdaltry?6953930

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGuDQKAlh_I

“This is not a fluff piece. This a deep philosophical work disguised as fantasy… Dust is one of those books that haunts the reader long after the covers of the book are closed. The characters linger, the words circle, the text is left close at hand for a much-needed and far slower re-reading.” – Michelle Willms/Amazon

It's Monday! What are you reading? #7

This meme is hosted by Book Journey.


My thoughts for this week:  I'm not sure why I didn't read much this week, I think work was so busy, when I got home I just kinda crashed.  Watched a bit of Netflix, watched some movies, finished continuum season 3, then I caught up on the walking dead in time for the premier tonight.  This upcoming weekend I have Dewey's 24 hour readathon, so I'm not gunna want to read super bunches this week.


Teen Read Week is this October 12 through October 18, check it out and enter for a $50 GC and a ARC of Dust by Sarah Daltry

I am on #bookblogwalkers too! completed September, started October and didn't do great at all.
#bookblogwalker

Reviews I posted this week:

Feed by Mira Grant
Lock In by John Scalzi

What I have read this past week:

  

What I am working on this week:

My October Random Read Meme is:



So, your turn! what are you reading? Link me up so I can go visit!

Review: Feed by Mira Grant

 

4/5 Stars

 

Synopsis per Goodreads:

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop.

The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected.

The truth will get out, even if it kills them



My thoughts on this book:

Basically this book is about a bunch of teenage bloggers in a post zombie apocalyptic world.  Everyone is scared to leave their homes, that mixed with the fact that during the initial zombie outbreak, news channels lied (big surprise there) so there isn’t much in the way of news channels, so bloggers of the world emerged as truth speakers.  George (sister) and Shaun (brother) are the bosses of “After The End Times” blog that was chosen to follow presidential campaigner Senator Ryman.  While on the campaign trail, lots of exciting things happen, death and conspiracies and zombie outbreaks, leading to someone trying to sabotage Senator Ryman and the bloggers.

 I liked this book more than I thought I would, it did take me a while to get into it, the first 25% and even speckled throughout the book, there was a LOT of information, past history stuff, how the outbreak started, what things happened to lead to this point, a lot of background information while helpful in world building, made it hard to get sucked into it right away, I did end up putting the book down a few times and reading something else.  There was a lot of details about servers and bloggy techy stuff.  There was a lot of information period.  But.. after a while of information overload, you find yourself drawn in, it became harder for me to put the book down.  The bad guy was obvious pretty much from the beginning, but I found myself rooting hardcore for the teen bloggers.  Then the end, the awful ending, I cried, I did.  The last 10% of the book I cried the entire time.

 

The worst part of the book was the information overload, and the fact that George was a teen who automatically knew how to draw up contracts, and be a hard core BOSS.  She hired and fired and ran it like a corporation.  That part seemed a little farfetched to me, but then again she had to grow up in a world full of infection and undead people.  And she grew up with parents who were in the limelight.  There were so many other things about the book that I liked..the characters, even the “bodyguards” of the Senator, all of them were likeable, I loved George, she was hard core girl power supreme.    There was a bit of action, nothing in the way of  romance which was a nice break.  There was mystery, and there was suspense, conspiracy, murder,  gore and some funny times.  I love the interaction between the siblings, how they ragged on each other.  I liked that once I got past all the information and background, I read and didn’t realize that I’d read all 500 pages, until I was finished.

 

Some people wouldn’t like this book, the people who aren’t patient with the slowness, but the people that can sit down and read it for what it is, I think they would find the book awesome, because it is awesome; it was a beautifully written book, in as much as a zombie book could be beautifully written.  And it was realistic to a point; it’s something I could see happening one day