#boutofbooks Update #4

Thursday went really good for me!! I finished my second book, Looking for Alaska; updated on GoodReads, etc.; and immediately started rereading Hush, Hush. I got the first 60 pages done in HH so I feel pretty good! I should finish it today because I won't be busy whatsoever.

Thursday's Stats:
~~Books Finished (on Thurs.): 1
~~Total Books Finished: 2
~~Pages/Percent Read: 62 pages, 50%
~~Total Pgs/% Read: 503 pages, 100%

#boutofbooks update #3

Wednesday was pretty good, but could have been better. I didn't do aas much reading as I probably should have; got to 50% in Looking for Alaska, though, so I wasn't complaining too much.

Not participating in Wednesday's Question.

Wendesday's Stats:
~~Books Finished (on Wedn.): none
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 44%

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution
By Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher: Ember, 2010
472 pages, paperback
Date Finished: 15/5/2012
Genres: Young Adult, Adventure, Coming of Age, Some Action, Romance, Some Historical Fiction, Some Realistic Fiction

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.
~from goodreads.com~

Motivation to Read It: Close friends of mine on GoodReads, and Leanne, read it and said that it was absolutely ahmazing. It was also our first Moderator Book of the Month.

Review: Andi has a lot to deal with. Her dad walked out her on her, her mother, and her younger brother; Truman, her younger brother, was hit by a car; and her mother has been mute ever since. She goes to a prestigious school, only to be on the verge of not graduating with her class. Then her dad makes her go to Paris with him. That's when the real "fun" begins.

Long story short, she finds a diary from a now-dead girl that lived in Paris during the French Revolution, Alexandrine Paladis. She gets caught up in Alex's story, and a BUNCH of freaky things start happening. This was/is definitely a page-turner from the beginning!

Revolution appealed to me the most because the French Revolution was such a big part of the novel. The FR was my favorite chapter in World History, so you can imagine this made me really happy. Donnelly even taught me a few new things! Like I said, this spectacular novel pulls you in from the beginning. Every second you want to know what's going to happen next, with both Alex and Andi.

The plot was super good. Everything just flowed right together. Near the end, it did get to the point where I kind of wanted to put it down; I must admit, it gets a little creepy in the last maybe 75 pages, but it's totally worth it! The characters were also marvelous. I'm not sure I even have a favorite. By chapter 5 or 6, I was already feeling what Andi was feeling. I dreaded being with certain characters, loved being around some, got super irritated by others. It's super easy for you to fall into the character's place really fast, and you don't even realize you're speeding through the pages all the while, practically living the characters' experiences.

Basically, I'm saying that this book is super awesome, and you should totally give it the time of day. Sadly, and fortunately, it's a stand alone. Pros- don't have to struggle to keep up with upcoming books dealing with Andi. Cons- It wouldn't hurt to have a sequel. Anyway, I think any history geek would love it! :)

#boutofbooks Update #2

Tuesday's reading was pretty good. I finished reading Revolution (Jennifer Donnelly), and almost immediately started reading Looking for Alaska (John Green). I got almost a tenth into the book, so I was feeling pretty good about it!

Tuesday's Question (Part Two): Answer the following "this or that" questions--

1. Physical book or eBook? Physical book
2. Paperback or Hardcover? Hardcover
3. Reality or Make-believe? Either one as far as books go.
4. Adult or Young Adult?  YA
5. Dog ears or Bookmarks? Bookmarks!!!
6. Breaking the spine or Barely opening the book? Breaking the spine
7. Tea or Coffee? Neither, orange Fanta.
8. Reading in bed or On the couch? If I have to choose, in bed, but my favorite place to read is at the kitchen table -- with or without food being present.
9. Series or Standalone? Either one.
10. Original or TV Adaptation? Original!!!!!
11. Defy motion sickness or Audiobooks? Depends on the book. Usually, I'd defy motion sickness.
12. Author crushes or Who-was-that-guy-again? Both. :)
13. Interview or Guest post? Interview.

Tuesday's Stats:
~~Books Finished: 1
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 144 pages, 6%

#boutofbooks Update #1

The first day of Bout of Books went pretty well for me! I didn't finish any books, but I read almost 300 pages in Revolution (Jennifer Donnelly). I was debating on whether I wanted to go ahead and start Looking For Alaska (John Green), but then just decided not to.

Monday's Question:

“What do you like best about readathons? Do you have any readathon traditions or rituals? If this is your first readathons, what do you like so far?”

I'm not really sure what my favorite part of readathons is. I think it would be the fact that the entire week, I'm really motivated to read my butt off. I have to admit, lately, I'm not in the greatest of reading moods. If I have any readathon traditions, I haven't noticed that I have them yet :)


Monday Stats:
~~Books Finished (on Mon.): none
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 297 pgs

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Hey guys!!! I realize that it has been absolutely FOREVER since I posted a review on here, and I'm super-duper-sorry for that. Forgive me?
_____________________________________________

13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope, #1)
By Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins e-books, 2005
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Date Finished: 13/5/2012
Genres: YA, Adventure, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age

When Ginny receives 13 little blue envelopes with instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she's soon on an adventure that will change her in more ways than one.
~from goodreads.com~

Motivation to Read It: I've had this novel on my Kindle for quite a long time, and it was the Moderator Book of the Month in one of my groups on GoodReads.

Review: Virginia Blackstone, aka Ginny, is your regular, shy, American teenager girl. She had a runaway aunt that died after she left the U.S. and didn't communicate with anyone back home. One day, Ginny gets a letter from her aunt -- months after she's passed. There are thirteen letters in all, each one containing a task that Ginny has to complete before she can open the next letter. These letters take Ginny on a European journey she probably never would've taken on her own.

I loved Ginny's character. She kind of reminded me of myself (the shyness), but I think that was the only thing that I could relate to. I would have been scared poopless if I had to go around Europe following orders from a dead relative without knowing what to expect next. Ginny was pretty brave for that.

The plot was amazing. Once I started reading, I couldn't put my Kindle down. I really didn't expect half of that stuff to happen, especially when she got to Amsterdam. Everything that happens keeps you wondering what Johnson makes her characters do next.

Speaking of characters, I loved the ones in this novel. Especially Keith. At first, I didn't like him that much, but I grew to love him. And Richard. Richard was amazing. I can't really say much about the characters without giving away part of the book, so I'll leave off there :).

Now my goal is to get ahold of The Last Little Blue Envelope, the sequel. I'm sure it'll be absolutely ahmazing! You should definitely try to get this novel. I think you'll really enjoy it :D

and a half

Goals for Bout of Books 4.0

So I just discovered this marvelous thing known as Bout of Books 4.0 while I was catching up with my bookish friends on Twitter. I've now promised myself to get online more often as I seem to miss the important things, lol!

Anyway, Bout of Books is a "low pressure" readathon, and, being the readathon junkie that I am, I'm all for this one!! It lasts from Monday, May 14th at 12:01 am (your time zone) to Sunday, May 20th 11:59 pm. The goal is to read more than you would normally read during a one-week period. So let the challenge begin!!!!

Here are my goals for Bout of Books 4.0--

(Finish) Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Updates--

Monday, May 14th
~~Books Read From Today: Revolution
~~Total Books Finished: none
~~Pages/Percent Read Today: 297 pgs
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 297 pgs

Tuesday, May 15th
~~Books Read From Today: Revolution (finished), Looking for Alaska
~~Total Books Finished: 1
~~Pages/Percent Read Today: 144 pages, 6%
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 441 pages, 6%

Wednesday, May 16th
~~Books Read From Today: Looking for Alaska
~~Total Books Finished: 1
~~Pages/Percent Read Today: 44%
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 441 pages, 50%

Thursday, May 17th
~~Books Read From Today: Looking for Alaska (finished); Hush, Hush
~~Total Books Finished: 2
~~Pages/Percent Read Today: 62 pages, 50%
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 503 pages, 100%

Friday, May 18th
~~Books Read From Today: Hush, Hush
~~Total Books Finished: 2
~~Pages/Percent Read Today: 293 pages
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 796 pages, 100%

Saturday, May 19th
~~Books Read From Today: Hush, Hush (finished); Crescendo (finished)
~~Total Books Finished: 4
~~Pages/Percent Read Today: 463 pages
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 1259 pages, 100% (will be converted into 221 pages)

Sunday, May 20th
~~Books Read From Today: Silence
~~Total Books Finished: 4
~~Pages/Percent Read Today: 152 pages
~~Total Pages/Percent Read: 1632 pages (includes the 100%)


For more info and to sign up, go to boutofbooks.blogspot.com, and make sure you follow the reading progress of some of the participants through the Twitter hashtag #boutofbooks. You can keep track of what I finish for BOB through my Goodreads and, because they're linked, Twitter accounts.

Happy Reading!!!

What;s your status? (28/4/2012)

<a href="http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">img src="http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k506/madsteampunkery/books_stacked-1-1.jpg" border="Steampunkery & Book Reviews" /></a><br /> <br />

This post was inspired by, well, my previous Reading Status posts. I wanted to make it something that everyone could particpate in. Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), I will post what I've finished in the past week, what I'm currently reading and where I am in the book/s, what I plan to read next, and possibly what I want to buy/get. I will be trying to do this every week, so be sure to check back every weekend! Be sure to leave your links to your WYS posts in the comments.

This next portion of the post is an idea that I saw on the wonderful blog Small Review. She posts what reviews and memes she has posted and participated in that last week. Remember, however, that it is not mandatory for you to do this part of the post.

Things You Don't Wanna Miss:
~Nothing yet(:

Reviews this week:
~None.

Memes this week:
~None.

Finished This Week:
1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Finished on 8/4/2012.

2. D.Gray-man Volume 1 by Katsura Hoshino. Finished on 21/4/2012.

3. Night by Elie Wiesel. Finished on 22/4/2012.

4. D.Gray-man Volume 2 by Katsura Hoshino. Finished on 23/4/2012.

5. Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine. Finished on 24/4/2012.

6. Trials of Death by Darren Shan. Finished on 27/4/2012.

Currently Reading:
1. Wicked by Gregory Maguire. On page 17.

2. Marked by PC & Kristin Cast. On page 61.

Next On My TBR (To Be Read) Pile:
1. Betrayed by PC & Kristin Cast. Purpose: leisure.
2. The Vampire Prince by Darren Shan. Purpose: challenges.

What I Would Like To Buy Next:
~Paper Towns by John Green
~Boys R Us by Lisi Harrison
~Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

Don't forget to leave the link to your WYS post in the comments!

In My Mailbox #45

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted every week by The Story Siren. To find out how to participate and the "official" details, check out the IMM page.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

-----------------------------------------------------

Library:

~Vampire Mountain by Darren Shan
~Trials of Death by Darren Shan
~The Vampire Prince by Darren Shan
~Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Received:

~Nuncio and the Gypsy Girl by Kristin Alexandre


Happy Reading!

What's your status? (7/4/2012)

<a href="http://walkingbutterflyfeet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">img src="http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k506/madsteampunkery/books_stacked-1-1.jpg" border="Steampunkery & Book Reviews" /></a><br /> <br />

This post was inspired by, well, my previous Reading Status posts. I wanted to make it something that everyone could particpate in. Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday), I will post what I've finished in the past week, what I'm currently reading and where I am in the book/s, what I plan to read next, and possibly what I want to buy/get. I will be trying to do this every week, so be sure to check back every weekend! Be sure to leave your links to your WYS posts in the comments.

This next portion of the post is an idea that I saw on the wonderful blog Small Review. She posts what reviews and memes she has posted and participated in that last week. Remember, however, that it is not mandatory for you to do this part of the post.

Things You Don't Wanna Miss:
~Special April 2012 Readathon

Reviews this week:
~None.

Memes this week:
~None.

Finished This Week:
1. The Night My Life Changed Forever by Sara Lisowski. Finished on 24/3/2012.

2. Ordinary Wisdom by K. Blue. Finished on 27/3/2012.

3. Death by Chocolate Anthology by Lucy Swing, etc. Finished on 2/4/2012.

4. Vampire Mountain (Cirque Du Freak, #4) by Darren Shan. Finished on 4/4/2012.

5. The Clique (The Clique, #1) by Lisi Harrison. Finished on 6/4/2012.

Currently Reading:
1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Have read 32%.

Next On My TBR (To Be Read) Pile:
1. Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Purpose: leisure.

What I Would Like To Buy Next:
~Paper Towns by John Green
~Boys R Us by Lisi Harrison

Don't forget to leave the link to your WYS post in the comments!