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:

  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  • Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

  
Finished:

  • Invitation to Meditation by Howard Cohn
  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
  • The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey
  • 1984 by George Orwell

  
 
Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 842
Total # of books for the year: 52 of 85.  This weekend was the #24in48 readathon, so I got a lot more reading done for the week than I usually do.  I also haven’t decided which audiobook I’m going to start today, but it will probably be Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
What are you reading this week?

#24in48 – Final Update (Hour 48)

The 24 in 48 readathon is over, and while I didn’t read for 24 hours, I still see it as a success.  Below is my final update.

Final Update
The Boyfriend brought me home a chocolate croissant!  I also ended up taking a nap.  I’m already in bed thanks to having to be up early for a Doctor’s appointment before I go to work, so I didn’t read nearly as much as I wanted to today.  That’s ok because I still got a lot of reading done, and I finished FOUR books this weekend!
In the Middle of Reading:

  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore


Books Finished:

  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
  • The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey
  • 1984 by George Orwell

  
 
Pages Read: 143
Total Pages Read: 722
Time Read: 3 hours 43 minutes
Total Time Read: 16 hours and 26 minutes
I don’t know when the next 24 in 48 readathon is, but I will definitely be participating!

#24in48 – Update 3 (Hour 36)

Only 12 hours left of the 24 in 48 readathon!  Below is my update.

Update #3
I read for an hour before I went to bed last night, but I got up a bit late this morning.   I had the same breakfast as yesterday.  I’ll probably be grazing for the rest of today instead of eating regular meals while I try to get as much reading done between chores.  I already know I won’t make the goal of reading for 24 hours, even though I think I’ll get close.
Current Reads:

  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

 
 
Pages Read: 37
Total Pages Read: 579
Time Read: 1 hour 24 minutes
Total Time Read: 12 hours and 43 minutes
My final update will be at 11 pm Central time.  Happy reading!

#24in48 – Update 2 (Hour 24)

We’re now a whole day into the 24 in 48 readathon.  I’m off to bed, but below is my update.

Update #2
YAY!  I finally finished The Count of Monte Cristo!  That means I’m only one book away from completing half of my Classics Club list.
I found myself craving some super cheesy lasagna, so that’s exactly what I ate for dinner.  I also snacked on some peanut butter ice cream.  Other than that, I’ve been staying hydrated with lots of water.
Current Reads:

  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

 
Books Finished:

  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
  • The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey

  
Pages Read: 460
Total Pages Read: 542
Time Read: 8 hours 56 minutes
Total Time Read: 11 hours and 19 minutes
My next update will be at 11 am tomorrow.  I want to finish 1984 before I go to bed, but I also don’t want to stay up too late tonight.  Decisions, decisions.

#24in48 – Update 1 (Hour 12)

It’s hour 12 of the 24 in 48 readathon and here’s my first update!

Update #1
For breakfast, I had whole wheat toast with Irish butter, a yogurt, and a large cup of Earl Grey.  My lunch will be veggie tamales, black beans, Spanish rice, and a Cuban root beer called Iron Beer (It’s my all time fave soda and a very special treat).  My goal for today is at least 12 hours of reading, and compared to the last 24 in 48 readathon, I did a little better, time wise.
Current Read: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, which I’m determined to finish before the end of this weekend.

Pages Read: 82
Time Read: 2 hours and 23 minutes
My next update will be at 11 pm central time, and I will have much more to share!  See you then 🙂

#24in48 – Shh! I'm Trying to Sleep!

You Can't Read All Day
Though I won’t start reading until I get up in the morning, the readathon officially started at midnight EST.  I haven’t slept well for the past couple of nights, so I’m (hopefully) sound asleep as you’re reading this.  I’ll be posting updates every 12 hours throughout the weekend.
My TBR:

  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
  • Allegiant by Veronica Roth

     
I’m determined to finish The Count of Monte Cristo this weekend, so I’ll be listening to the audiobook while I do my normal weekend chores.  I also want to get some more of the blanket I’ve been crocheting for the past several months finished.
For now, though, I’m happy to hang out in dream land.  See you in the morning! 🙂

#FitReaders Check-In

fitreaders-2017-1

  • This check-in is for July 14th – 20th.
  • I haven’t been exercising much this week, but I did get a few miles of walking in for the Maurader’s Marathon.
  • As of yesterday, I’m on Stage 5 of the Appalachian Trail on Walking4Fun.  That means I’m no longer in Georgia, and about a mile into North Carolina.
  • If you have a FitBit, you can find me HERE.
  • Steps: 26,390/70,000
  • Miles: 10.87/35
  • Total Miles: 283.96
  • Active Minutes: 101/210
  • Days I Drank 80 ounces of Water: 7/7
  • Virtual 5Ks: 0/10
  • Total Money Donated: $2.74/$10.00

#24in48 Readathon!


Rachel is doing another #24in48 Readathon this weekend!  This is the Readathon that started it all for me.  I created this blog, a couple of designs ago and back when I was The Reading Wench, so I could better connect with such a great bookish community.  This will be my 4th 24 in 48!  I love it because I can read for 24 hours without the sleep deprivation 🙂
Goals:

  • My plan never goes just how I want it to, but I’m hoping to get at least 14 hours of reading in on Saturday and then finish up the remaining hours on Sunday.  Regardless, the ultimate goal is to read for 24 hours over the weekend.
  • Finish three books for #ShelfLove, #COYER Summer, and my #SciFiSummer reading challenge.  Since I’m already in the middle of The Ghost Ship and almost done with Parable of the Sower, this shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish.

TBR:
All of the book covers are linked to Goodreads.

  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
  • Allegiant by Veronica Roth
  •      

Sign ups are still open.  Are you participating in the 24 in 48 Readathon?

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:

  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey
  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  • Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
  • The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

      
Finished:

  • Doctor Who: The King’s Dragon by Una McCormack


Challenges:

Total pages read this week: 445
Total # of books for the year: 47 of 85.  After finishing The Circle by Dave Eggers, I had a huge urge to reread 1984, one of my favorites from when I was in high school.  I also started The Ghost Ship because I needed something a little more light-hearted after The Circle and to take the edge off my reading both 1984 and Parable of the Sower.  Last night, I dipped back into The Secret History of Wonder Woman after going to see the movie for the 2nd time with a friend who hadn’t seen it yet.  It was just as awesome as the 1st time, and I can’t wait until it comes out on DVD.
What are you reading this week?

Down the TBR Hole #5

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 every week until I’ve filtered out my entire TBR.  I currently have 591 books on my to-read shelf.  The pile grew again while I was writing this post because I discovered how many other volumes of the Penny Dreadful Multipack there are, and I want to have them all.  It would have been 592, but I started reading The Ghost Ship by Diane Carey for #COYER Summer and #SciFiSummer.

This week’s five books:


The Great Darkening by R.G. Triplett – GO.  I don’t know when I picked up this ebook, but I hope I didn’t pay anything for it because I have no interest in reading it.

A Quest of Heroes by Morgan Rice – GO.  I hope I didn’t pay for this one either because the whole story is told in the synopsis and it’s the stereotypical “young man leaves his rural home in seek of glory” type of Fantasy story.  It even has a powerful sword awaiting the chosen one.  As much as I love the Arthurian legends, this book sounds like too much of a highly derivative and overly long tale that will bore me to death before I finish it.

A Tide of Shadows by Tom Bielawski – GO.  Holy Moly, I’m so glad I stopped my bad habit of one-clicking ebooks!  I hope I don’t have many more of these Fantasy stories that all sound the same in my TBR.

Penny Dreadful Multipack Vol. 3 by Robert Louis Stevenson, Eugène Sue, and Charles Collins – KEEP.  I LOVE Penny Dreadfuls, and while I’ve already read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I haven’t read the other stories in this volume.  I hope I’m able to get to them in October.

Fell’s Hollow by A.J. Abbiati – KEEP.  I’m going to hold onto this one for now since I already own it and the synopsis is interesting.  However, I’m concerned that it says “An Episodic Novel” on the cover and there’s no indication that this is a series on Goodreads.  From my understanding “episodic novels” are like tv series in that you get a small part of the story in each book.  This one is over 300 pages, though, so maybe it’s just written as episodes?
So, my to-read shelf is back up to 588 books!  Will it ever get any smaller?  I’ll be starting off next week with book #46.