Category: Challenge Accepted

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: A Hobbit Themed Party

Published on by Rachelle

Dewey's Readathon_Pocketwatch_BellezzaYes, I’ve already written about the Hobbit today for another Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon mini-challenge, but I just couldn’t stop my brain from coming up with all sorts of Hobbit-themed party ideas when I read Christina’s mini-challenge over at Christina Writes.

My Hobbit party would consist of the following:

  • Food and Drink:
  1. Waybread Blueberry Tarts (as found in the Unofficial Hobbit Handbook by The Shire Collective)
  2. Tea
  3. Scones
  4. Various Breads
  5. Jam
  6. Meat and Fruit Pies
  7. Various Cheeses
  8. Ale
  9. Wine
  10. Smaug the Golden Cocktail
  • Activities:
  1. Hobbit Trivia Game
  2. Viewing of all three Hobbit films
  3. Middle Earth Cosplay Contest
  • Party Favors:
  1. Hobbit bookmarks
  2. Handkerchiefs
  3. Large “hairy” plastic or rubber spiders for stabbing
  4. Books of riddles
  5. Pocket sized Middle Earth maps
  6. Small Treasure Boxes for storing the items listed above

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: Classic Words of Wisdom

Published on by Rachelle

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Allie over at A Literary Odyssey has challenged all of us participating in Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon to share our favorite words of wisdom from Classic literature.  Being a lover of the Classics, as well as a member of the Classics Club, I’ve got plenty of them, but one of my all time favorite quotes comes from my all time favorite book, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

This bit of wisdom can be applied to just about everything as I’ve made my way through the past decade of my life.  When I decided to not re-enlist in the Army, I had no idea what I wanted to do instead, besides finish college.  I didn’t even know what I wanted my major to be; I just knew I didn’t want it to be what it was at the time.  I stumbled across a former passion of mine, and, after some research, chose International Relations as my major, but I didn’t have a clue what university I wanted to attend.  I stumbled again, and found Texas State, even though I had never intended on staying in Texas after I go out of the military.  It has ended up being the best university for me, and I’ve discovered new friends, and new interests, and have had a lot of great experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise.  I also discovered that, even though I’m still interested in Humanitarian aid work specifically, and International Relations in general, what truly makes me happy is doing anything book related.  Books have always been my true love, but it wasn’t until I started reading some book blogs and then stumbled across the 24 in 48 Read-a-thon that got me started on my own blog, that I found out there are so many more book related jobs than I ever imagined.  I’m now on a crazy meandering path towards a fulfilling career, and that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for all the finding of things I hadn’t been looking for.

#ShelfLove No Book Buying Challenge: Avoiding Relapse

Published on by Rachelle

showyourshelves_zps8f6e8b06-png320x480This month’s #ShelfLove topic is all about how well we’re sticking to our goals and what we’re doing to refrain from caving to the temptation of buying books.

Honestly, I feel like I’ve got it pretty easy so far.  The Boyfriend has been buying me one book of my choice, as long as it’s not a full-priced hardcover or new release, every week that I get all of that week’s writing finished for my research papers.  Not only is the agreement motivational, but it’s keeping me sane.  It’s also making this No Book Buying Challenge a breeze.  So, check back with me around mid-May, when I’m not getting a book every week.

Besides the Boyfriend’s amazing gift of books, I’ve been making do with the books I already own but have never read, as well as the books I get through Netgalley, and I just recently used up the last of my gift cards.  I’ve also done quite a bit of “buying” and downloading of free books offered around through so many different websites besides the major book sellers, and checking out the occasional book that grabs my attention from the library.  Other than that, I don’t have any special strategy, which is why I’m a little worried about what I’m going to do when the semester is over and the Boyfriend is no longer enabling my habit.

The problem is that I’m addicted to bookstores, and not just to books.  Bookstores, with their mostly quiet and peaceful atmospheres and organized shelves, calm me down, but I have difficulty leaving them without buying at least one book.  Even when I lived in South Korea, I would find something to read in the smallest of sections dedicated to books in English.  It doesn’t matter if I’m also buying a magazine or something to eat or drink from the store’s cafe, I will come across a book that will call out to me and beg me to take it home.  After this semester is over, if I want to make it through this challenge, I will have to stay away from bookstores, unless I have adult supervision.  I have no idea how that will affect my mental health, but I plan on trying to mitigate any craziness by making frequent trips to the library, since it has a similar calming effect.

 

Once Upon a Time IX

Published on by Rachelle

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Today is the start date of the Once Upon a Time Challenge, which runs until June 21st.

I will be doing “Quest, the Third”:

Fulfill the requirements for The Journey or Quest the First or Quest the Second AND read Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” or watch one of the many film versions of the play.

My choice between. “The Journey”, “Quest the First”, and “Quest the Second” is “Quest the First”:

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time categories of Fantasy, Folklore, Fairy tales, or Mythology.

In addition to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, I’ll be reading:

 

#ShelfLove: Free Books!

Published on by Rachelle

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This month’s #ShelfLove No Book Buying Challenge discussion topic is all about where we get our free books.  We might have stopped buying books, but we still need that “hit” we get from acquiring new books, right?!  Sure, you could search for free books on Barnes & Noble or Amazon, but more often than not, you’re going to come across books that aren’t free that you’ll wish you could buy.  Like window shopping when you’re flat broke, it sucks, and will wear down your willpower until you’re at the bottom of a pint of Ben & Jerry’s (studies show that being bombarded with ads and enticing store fronts leads to increased calorie consumption.)  Instead of breaking your book buying ban or eating half a pizza, check out the links to all the wonderful sites on the internet offering free books that I’ve discovered over the years.  If this lengthy list doesn’t keep you neck-deep in books, figuratively speaking, then I don’t know what will!

  • ManyBooks.net – This is a searchable site to find and download free books, from every genre, in your prefered format.  At the time I wrote this post, there were over 200 free Fantasy books being offered!
  • Podiobooks –   Until very recently, I had no idea podiobooks existed.  I subscribe to a couple podcasts that are short stories, so I got a bit excited when I found out there are whole books in podcast format, and they’re FREE!
  • Project Gutenberg – Most serious readers know about this one, but I have to list it because this is the go to place for the Classics, and it will save your wallet if you’re a Classic literature addict, or a member of The Classics Club.
  • Online Books Page – Another website to find the Classics.  There’s some overlap with Project Gutenberg.
  • Internet Archive – I LOVE this website!  It’s got so much more than free books, so make sure you’ve got some time to kill because you might not leave this site for awhile.
  • Open Culture – This site has a ton of free downloadable media, including ebooks and audiobooks.
  • Open Library – You don’t have a library card?  First of all, shame on you!  Second, go to the Open Library and sign up for a free account.  Third, start borrowing ebooks to your heart’s content.
  • LibriVox – Free audiobooks.
  • Lit2Go – Another site for free audiobooks, but many of the books also have a free downloadable PDF.
  • Free Classic Audiobooks – in case you need yet another site for finding free downloadable audiobooks.
  • Classic Short Stories – Look through the list to find the short story you want to read, and click on it to download.
  • East of the Web – This site has short stories you can read online, but you can also click on the “Printable Version” link and then save it as a PDF.
  • Nightmare Magazine – This is a Horror and Dark Fantasy short story magazine I recently discovered.  You can read the short stories online or download the audio/podcast.
  • Storynory – This is a Children’s audiobook site that, amongst so many other kid-friendly downloads, includes Classic Children’s literature.
  • Kiddie Records – If you’re looking for children’s records from the 1940’s and 50’s, this is the site to check out.  The downloads, including a Winnie the Pooh story, are all free.
  • BookBub – This is actually a website/newsletter to find out about the free (and on sale) books being offered under the genres you’re interested in by major booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  I’ve discovered quite a few free books that I felt were worth downloading, but be careful since there is the temptation of .99 books.

March 2015 Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge

Published on by Rachelle
March 2015 Take Control of Your TBR Pile

 

Take Control of Your TBR pile is back for its third year, but this will be the first time I’m participating.  For the month of March I’ll read books in my TBR pile that were released before March 1, 2015.

The Rules:

  • Link-up!
  • Make a Goals/updates/Results post (can be combined).
  • Begins March 1st, 2015 and ends March 31, 2015 at midnight.
  • Read/listen to books from your TBR pile.
  • ALL books must have been published before March 1st, 2015.
  • Post a review and then link it to the Rafflecopter for an entry.
  • You can combine events, challenges, etc. (I’m combining this with all of my current challenges.)
  • No novellas.
  • The rafflecopter will only allow two books to be entered per person per day, so update as soon as you finish a book.
  • Earn an extra entry for adding the Take Control Button to your blog with a link-back.
  • Use hashtag #TakeControlTBR
  • There will be a Twitter Party and a read-a-thon (To be announced).
  • The Rafflecopter will close on April 2, 2015 at midnight and a winner will be chosen within 72 hours. The Prize is a new 2015 release valued up to $20.00.

My Goals:

  • I’m going to try to finish 4 books.  I’ve already chosen 3 of them:
  • I’ll include updates in my Monday’s Minutes posts each week.
  • I’m going to do my best to participate in the Twitter Party and the read-a-thon, depending on when they will be.

 

#ShelfLove No Book Buying Challenge: Finances

Published on by Rachelle

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It’s February, which means those of us participating in the No Book Buying Challenge are supposed to share their book budgets, or what the money saved from not buying books will be spent on.  As you all know, my goal for this challenge is not to spend any money at all for the entire year, but gift cards and free books don’t count.

I got $75 in gift cards for Christmas and my Birthday this year.  I’m also earning gift cards by using a few different online rewards programs.  On top of that, the Boyfriend made an agreement with me that for every week I get at least 2 pages written for each 20 page research paper I have to write for my classes this semester, along with whatever other papers I have due, he will buy me one book of my choosing, as long as it’s not a hardcover.  His reasoning for this agreement is partly motivational, but also because going to the bookstore and seeing all those organized shelves of books is relaxing for me, and he wants me to keep my sanity throughout the insanity of this semester.  That’s what I call love <3

I’ve spent most of the money on my gift cards, but I’m saving the rest for the new edition of The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon that comes out in March.  I’m close to earning my 1st $5 Amazon gift card through one of the rewards programs, and I’ve also downloaded several free ebooks that I’ve come across.  I’ve earned 2 books so far from the agreement with the Boyfriend.  So, overall, I’m not feeling at all deprived for books.  However, I do have to repeatedly tell myself when I’m at the bookstore that I don’t have to buy every book on my wishlist right now because they’ll still be there when I’ve earned them.  I don’t know where that sense of urgency comes from, but I do know that my self-discipline and willpower are growing 🙂  I’ve read 5 books off of my TBR shelves towards my goal of 50, which means that if I’m able to keep that up, I’ll have met my goal by November.

I don’t have any plans for the money I’m saving from not buying books, but I will be taking the books I’ve read and decided not to keep to Half Price Books at the end of the year.  The money I get will go towards my book budget for 2016.  By then, I should have my degree and hopefully an adult job, but I want to continue spending as little or no money on books until I’ve got free space on my shelves.

Bout of Books 12: Update 1

Published on by Rachelle
Bout of Books

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, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

My Goals

  • finish off the books I’m currently reading.
  • Read at least one new book off of my TBR shelf.
  • Finish at least 3 books.

Books Read

I’ll be catching up on my eARCs.

Pages Read

*FLAIL ALERT* – 64 pages!!!  I’m hoping to do considerably better today since I went to bed at the same time as The Boyfriend last night and got up at the same time as he did as well.  That means I’ve got oodles more time to read before he gets home from work.  Also, there’s no twitter chat today to distract me 😉

Mini-Challenges Completed

I participated in the Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt.

Bout of Books: Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt

Published on by Rachelle

Stefani @ Caught Read Handed is hosting one of the first mini-challenges for Bout of Books 12, and it’s a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt!  Below is the list of items, with the one’s I found in bold, and pics of the books linked to Goodreads:

Find a book with the following criteria on a bookshelf:
1. Find an author with the same initials as you
2. Find a book with the color yellow on it
3. Find an author’s name with the letter “S” in it
4. Find a book with a female protagonist
5. Find the longest book you own
6. Find a book with a map in it or on it
7. Find a book with a face on it (photograph or illustrated)
Bonus: Find something on your shelf that isn’t a book.

Penumbra Historian Girl

 

Hobbit Max

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Bingo Challenge

Published on by Rachelle
S&S Bingo2
Snowflakes and Spider Silk has a SF/F Bingo Challenge that I’m going to participate in.
Rules:
1. One book can only count as one square, but feel free to shuffle which square you’re using the book for as the year progresses.
2. Although this card is geared towards SF/F, you can use other genres for squares like “debut author” or “reread a favorite”.
3. Fill out the entire square if you’re feeling motivated, or 5 in a row (across, vertically, or diagonally) for a more relaxed challenge. You are welcome to fill out as much or as little as you like!