Monday's Minutes

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones

  
Finished:

  • Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
  • Day 21 by Kass Morgan
  • Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter
  • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

   
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 1322
Total books for the year: 32 of 90.  I managed to finish 75% of the OWLs.  I finished the Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL on Thursday, Astronomy  and History of Magic on Saturday during the #readathon, and just barely finished Charms on Sunday, the final day of the challenge.  My goal was to finish all 12 OWLs, like Hermione.  Even though that didn’t happen, I still got an Outstanding and I now have 9 subjects to choose from for the NEWTs.  I will, of course, focus on the subjects I need to become a Librarian.  Now, I need to catch up on Les Misérables.
What are you reading this week?

Dewey's 24-Hour #Readathon – Final Update

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I’ve survived another Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon!

  • Total Pages Read: 706
  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Midnight (Hour 20) when the combination of sugar and tiredness made my dermatillomania kick in with a vengeance and the Boyfriend had to put band-aids on all of my fingers to help me stop doing anymore damage.
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
  3. Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the Readathon next year?  Nope, I only have ideas for improving it for myself.  Next time, I will avoid the sugar.
  4. What do you think worked well in this year’s Readathon? Having all of the mini-challenges open for the full 24 hours.
  5. How many books did you read? 2, but I also read a good chunk of The Lightning Thief.
  6. What were the names of the books you read? Bohemian Gospel and Day 21 by Kass Morgan.
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? Bohemian Gospel
  8. Which did you enjoy least? Day 21
  9. How likely are you to participate in the Readathon again? I will definitely be participating again.

Due to my fingers being in band-aids, I went to bed not longer after Midnight.  I’m determined to read for a large chunk of Sunday, though, to make up for bailing out with less than 5 hours to go.  I know I shouldn’t feel bad about that, but I do.  I was having a lot of fun.

Dewey's 24-Hour #Readathon – Second Update

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I’ve survived 16 hours of Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon and I still haven’t fallen asleep!

  • Pages Read: 264
  • Books Read: Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter
  • Mini-Challenges Completed: I didn’t do any of the mini-challenges since my first update thanks to Bohemian Gospel reeling me in and not spitting me back out until I was a speechless heap of emotions.
  • Yummy in my Tummy: I went to Peet’s for a late lunch and had a veggie sandwich and a chai latte.

Until my final update, at 5 am, I’ll continue reading the remaining books on my list:

  • Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
  • The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (or another book with magical creatures for the Care of Magical Creatures OWL)
  • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Whether you’re participating in the readathon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?

Dewey's 24-Hour #Readathon – Mid-Event Survey

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It’s time for Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon Mid-Event Survey!

1. What are you reading right now? Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter
2. How many books have you read so far? 1, but I’m over halfway through Bohemian Gospel.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Readathon?  I’m still really looking forward to The Alchemyst by Michael Scott.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I’ve only had one interruption, caused by The Boyfriend, but I don’t mind, because it was to look at a cute cat pic on Facebook.
5. What surprises you most about the Readathon, so far?  How I’ve managed to stay awake without even nodding off despite not drinking the bottle of Coke I have in the fridge yet.

Dewey's 24-Hour #Readathon – First Update

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I’ve survived the first 8 hours of Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon and I haven’t fallen asleep on the couch even once!  I have my cat, Dresden to thank for that, since I sat down in front of my laptop and he jumped into my lap to take HIS nap!  Luckily, I had the audiobook of Day 21 on my computer.

  • Pages Read: 351
  • Books Read: Day 21 by Kass Morgan
  • Mini-Challenges Completed: I’ve done the Book and a SnackTell Me a Story, and Pen Pal challenges.
  • Yummy in my Tummy: I had a giant cup of “Hobbit Hearthwarmer” tea from Solstice Brews and 2 cinnamon rolls from Trader Joe’s.  I also ate far too many oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Until my 2nd update, at 9 pm, I’ll continue reading the remaining books on my list:

  • Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
  • The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
  • Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter
  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (or another book with magical creatures for the Care of Magical Creatures OWL)
  • Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier (or another book involving a prophecy for the Divination OWL)

Whether you’re participating in the readathon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?

Dewey's 24-Hour #Readathon – Let's Get This Party Started!

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Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon has officially started!  I stumbled out of the bedroom at 4:30 am so I would have time to make a giant bowl cup of tea.  I’ll be posting my updates every 8 hours, assuming I don’t fall asleep.

  • What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I’m in Emeryville, CA.
  • Which book in your stack are you looking forward to the most? The Alchemyst by Michael Scott.
  • Which snack are you looking forward to the most? I got a bag of praline pecans from the farmer’s market on Wednesday that I’ve been saving for the readathon.
  • Tell us a little something about yourself!  Here are 20 somethings about myself.  Also, I’m a planner addict, and I now have several favorite Etsy shops that I gladly give most of my spending money to when they add new sticker kits.
  • If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?  My Synovitis was horrible during the last readathon in October, which meant I couldn’t socialize much.  I’ve got it under control now, mostly, so I’ll be chatting it up a bit more this time.

Here’s my TBR:

  • Day 21 by Kass Morgan
  • Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
  • The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
  • Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter
  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (or another book with magical creatures for the Care of Magical Creatures OWL)
  • Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier (or another book involving a prophecy for the Divination OWL)

My first update will be at 1 pm.  I’ll be tracking how many pages I read and any books I finish.  I’ll also include snacks I’ve nommed, and any musical earworms that have gotten into my head.
Whether you’re participating in the readathon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading? 

#FitReaders Check-In

  • This check-in is for April 20th – 26th.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 31,520/56,000
  • Miles: 12.95/25
  • Total Miles: 238.24
  • Active Minutes: 232/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.66/$5.00

Monday's Minutes

“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
Currently Reading:

  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • Day 21 by Kass Morgan
  • Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
  • The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

  
  
Finished:

  • The 100 by Kass Morgan
  • Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

 
 
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 734
Total books for the year: 28 of 90.  I’m now more than a quarter of the way through my OWLs!  I’m in the middle of 4 of them, and I finished the Arithmancy OWL on Tuesday and Transfiguration on Wednesday.  I was originally going to read The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers, but I really wanted to read The 100.  It was so good I decided to replace The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon for Astronomy with Day 21, but it’s starting to feel like a soap opera, so I don’t know if I’ll read the next book, Homecoming.  I loved Howl’s Moving Castle so much that I immediately bought the next book, Castle in the Air, which I might use in place of The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley for the Charms OWL or Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier for Divination.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #22

Image: hjl

Down the TBR Hole was started by Lia over at Lost in a Story.  All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.

How it works:

  • Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?

I will be repeating this process until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  My TBR pile is back up to 719 books.  Though I read a few books this past week, I also added a few.

This week’s five books:


Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm – KEEP.  This is the other fancy book the Boyfriend gave me as part of a Birthday gift several years ago.  I haven’t removed the plastic from this one either.

Doctor Who and Philosophy ed. by Courtland Lewis – KEEP.  I’ll never forget the first episode of “Doctor Who” I ever watched.  A friend recommended I start with the 9th Doctor and go from there when I expressed an interest in trying it out but had no clue how or where to enter into this crazy world.  I’ve been hooked ever since, and so I inevitably buy just about every book about the show.

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon – KEEP.  This book is on the list of armchair travel books in The Bad Girl’s Guide to the Open Road by Cameron Tuttle.  I may have already read it, but I can’t remember, and I still own a physical copy, so I’ll keep it for now.

A Gentle Madness by Nicholas A. Basbanes – KEEP.  I already own a physical copy of this book, and let me tell you, it is a door stopper!  I attempted to start it several years ago, but couldn’t get into it; however, I’m willing to give it another chance.  After all, there are very few books about books that I don’t at least like.

Eight Women Philosophers by Jane Duran – KEEP.  This has been on my shelf since I found it at a book sale while I was still in college.  I haven’t read it yet because I’m a little bit burned out on Feminism, or at least what passes for Feminism on Twitter these days.  I’ll get around to it eventually.
My to-read shelf remains at 719 books.  See you next Saturday when I start with book #151.

#FitReaders Check-In

  • This check-in is for April 13th – 19th.
  • I recently started using an app called “Plant Nanny” to help me drink more water.  It is awesome because I can see the consequences of not drinking enough water in the form of my adorable little plants starting to die.  It’s cute, free, doesn’t take up much of my time, and I love it!
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.

 

  • Steps: 22,835/56,000
  • Miles: 9.40/25
  • Total Miles: 225.29
  • Active Minutes: 107/210
  • Total Money Donated: $0.62/$5.00