Kindle Kandy Week One!

Kindle Kandy Pinking

Kindle Kandy is a meme hosted by The Book Dame dedicated to discovering all of those books on your shelf that you forgot you had. First reading the idea, I thought “Pfft. That’s for advanced readers and big-time bloggers. There’s no way I’d have a book that I haven’t read unless it was a DNF.” That’s when I remembered that not only have I gone on book-buying binges unlike anything of my younger days, I’ve been to a convention where I bought a ton of books and also got a ton of free books as a result of friends moving or cleaning out their shelves. So yes, I DO have unread books.

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Read-a-Thon-Flop-a-Thon

Oh dear. Like, oh DEAR oh dear. My progress is not only minimal, it’s hardly passing negligible. But to be fair, I have excuses!

 

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It started off well enough, but after the first day I was whisked away to a day trip that became an overnight trip that became a dear-Lord-why-didn’t-I-pay-any-attention-to-expectation-vs-reality-memes-trip.

As in:

Expectation: A day trip is a trip that lasts for a day, and then you’re back home in your sweet, clean bed.

Reality: You agree to go to the beach with your friend and her one-year-old and suddenly you’re in a dingy bay next to a trailer park and sleeping in a single bed with your friend, her child, and several overly friendly cockroaches.

I’d make the actual meme if I could figure out picmonkey. Would’ve been funny, too. *Sigh* Just another one of this week’s disappointments.

That being said, when I got home FAR later than my man had expected me to, he wanted to have an all day One Piece and Warcraft marathon to spend some time together. And although I knew my progress was laughable, who can turn down fun-time with the most important person in the world to them? Not only did I not read that day, I spent the entire worknight afterwords with Come aboard, and bring along, all your hopes and dreaaaaaammmmsssss in my head. Not to mention my night-shift schedule was royally screwed by sleeping two nights and staying up most of the previous day.

After work I immediately went home and became comatose until about noon today. So again, no progress.

But hey- I’m completely loving the book I’m reading (or, not really but kind of reading) now!

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It’s amazing! Something that’s been on my TBR for a long time. I can’t wait to review it, once I finish the last 50% of it. Which happens to sum up my progress in the read a thon for this week. Yup. An entire week to account for 50% of a single book. Pitiful, really. Thank goodness Bout-of-Books is low-stress.

Bout of Books is here!

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Progress

Oh dear.

So remember how I said this was my first read-a-thon? Apparently even such a low-stress event like this can be done horribly wrong. The book I’ve chosen for my first in the read-a-thon in fringing on being a DNF, and as a result I’ve made very little progress. About 40% today, counting for a total 60% read (20% of which I finished before the read-a-thon started). It’s not a TERRIBLE book- it’s just not interesting enough for me to read nonstop, and I feel that an event like this deserves a book that can be devoured. That being said, I’m taking a break from it and I’ll be starting my next book without finishing the current one.

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OR

 

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OOOOOR

 

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Bout of Books Sign-on

This coming week is going to be a very exciting one for me, as I’ll be participating in my first read-a-thon, Bout of Books!

 

Yup.

Used to writing longer posts, but since I’m so new at this, that’s really all I can say about it.

So here are my goals!

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I love the looks of them all there, neatly organized by chicky and grittyness. These books are a hodge-podge of what’s on my shelf, sequels to series I’ve liked, and books I wanted to re-read for review. I’ve actually already started The Divorce Papers, and I’m wondering if anyone knows if it’s okay to enter that in the read-a-thon? I’m not sure it sounds right, so I probably won’t, but you can’t deny it looks cute up there next to When in Doubt, Add Butter and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender.

Looking forward to start my first binge-reading session!

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 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Falling back in Love with your Story

Okay, so I’ve been in a slump for a long time now. Like many bloggers, I’m writing my own novel. It’s hard, but I’ve managed to get 90,000 words out, and a lot of it I was really proud of.

Was.

I made a HUGE mistake, and started a conversation with another writer who has completely different tastes. He gave me a piece of his book and asked for a piece of mine. He was friendly and nice, but I knew he wouldn’t like whatever I gave him, and stressed so much about how to avoid it.

I told him I couldn’t give him the beginning, because it wasn’t done. He said that was fine, just give him something in the middle.

I told him that I haven’t edited anything yet. I want to get my story out and then work out the kinks. He said his wasn’t edited either, and he wouldn’t judge.

I told him he probably wouldn’t like it, since it’s kinda of sci-fi-y romance and he’s more interested in hardcore badassery, which my book has very little of. He told me to just send it already.

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Thursday Quotables

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I’m finding new memes left and right here, aren’t I? Today’s is Thursday Quotables, hosted by.. Drumroll please…
Bookshelf Fantasies!

Why was there a drumroll you ask? Well, because if you’ve read my Top Ten Tuesday post you’d know that two days ago I had no idea how to add a link to words. Well there it is, folks, isn’t it pretty? Learning is fun. Anyways! My quote:

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Review: The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black

The Poison Eaters and Other Stories

6422595Pick your poison: Vampires, devils, werewolves, faeries, or . . . ? Find them all here in Holly Black’s amazing first collection.

In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. Some of these stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and many have been reprinted in many “Best of ” anthologies.

The Poison Eaters is Holly Black’s much-anticipated first collection, and her ability to stare into the void—and to find humanity and humor there—will speak to young adult and adult readers alike.

 

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Ten Books I Will Probably Never Read

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This is actually my first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish (a blog title I love, btw.) Until I figure out how to do links- which will be soon- ya’ll are going to have to settle for a written URL.

http://www.brokeandbookish.com/

As for my top ten books I’ll never read, in no particular order this time, they are:

1) lol :/ and other modern devised plays

17992959I don’t even know why this one is on my TBR at all. I think I added it when I first joined goodreads and was just looking for something to put on my shelf. (If only I’d known I’d be a blogger!) That being said, I have absolutely no interest in it at all.

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Review: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

18806240Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.

As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

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Review: Taken by Tuesday by Catherine Bybee

The Weekday Brides #5: Taken by Tuesday by Catherine Bybee

Traditional white dress with a bouquet of flowersHe’ll do anything to keep her safe…for the rest of their lives.

Romance and excitement tie the knot in Taken by Tuesday, the fifth book in Catherine Bybee’s bestselling Weekday Brides series.

Judy Gardner: College graduate Judy stands ready to conquer the world…if she can get a job. Hoping to transition from aspiring architect to famous architect as quickly as possible, the dark-haired beauty moves to LA, staying in the home of her celebrity brother, Michael Wolfe. But it’s hard for Judy to focus on work when the sexy bodyguard she fell for last summer keeps showing up in her life and leaving her breathless.

Rick Evans: With his hard body, green eyes, and easy smile, Rick could have any woman he wants. But the Marine-turned-bodyguard only has eyes for Judy and her spitfire attitude. When a faceless villain attacks Judy, Rick will stop at nothing to protect the woman who opened his heart from the monster hunting her.

Note: Although Taken by Tuesday is a fifth-in-series, it is also a standalone.

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