Spring Into Horror Read-a-Thon 2014

It's been ages since I participated in a read-a-thon, so I thought I would start with this one since I've enjoyed it in the past.  This year, I am committed to reading 3 books.  Because I'm doing this for fun, none will be review books.  All of these are books I own and have been looking for a chance to read.  I plan to read the following:

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

The Outside by Laura Bickle

Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts

If you would like to participate, follow this link to the sign-up post and use the linky to sign up.  I hope you'll join me!

Bout of Books 6.0 - Goal Updates

Throughout the rest of the read-a-thon, this post is where you will find all of my updates, just in case you're curious.

Day 1 - Monday, January 7, 2013
book: second half of Scarlet
books finished: 1
page count so far: 192

Day 2 - Tuesday, January 8, 2013
book: God Save the Queen
books finished: 1
page count so far: 392

Day 3 - Wednesday, January 9, 2013
book: God Save the Queen
books finished: 2
page count so far: 546

Day 4 - Thursday, January 10, 2013
book: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
books finished: 2
page count so far: 586

Day 5 - Friday, January 11, 2013
book: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
books finished:
page count so far:

Day 6 - Saturday, January 12, 2013
book:
books finished:
page count so far:

Day 7 - Sunday, January 13, 2013
book:
books finished:
page count so far:

Marla's Bout of Books 6.0 Goals

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 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th 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 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

-From the Bout of Books 6.0 team 

I've been such a slacker when it comes to reading over the holidays, so what better way to get back in the swing of things than the Bout of Books read-a-thon?  I'm going to take it easy since I'm working my pace back up.  I am going to set a goal of 4 books and the second half of Scarlet, with a couple of extras that I can read should I feel like reading something else or finish the initial 4 in good time.  My tentative reading list is as follows:

1. God Save the Queen by Kate Locke

2. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

3. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

4. The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Extras: Winter White by Jen Calonita

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington 

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkowski

Are you participating?  What are your goals?

Bout of Books 4.0 - Starting Line & Update Page

It's that time again!  It's Bout of Books time and am I ever ready for it!?  If you're new to the concept of the Bout of Books, view this snippet from the "About" section of the Bout of Books blog:

The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon was created by Amanda @ On a Book Bender on a complete whim in August 2011*. It took on a life of its own and was such a hit that Amanda decided to do it again and turn it into a somewhat regular occurrence. There are no set dates for Bout of Books; rather, Amanda tries to work with Bout of Books participants to determine the best dates for them.

So, what am I going to go for?  As there's a distinct possibility my husband's aunt will be visiting in addition to the book signing I will be attending on the 14th, I'm going with a conservative (for me) goal, meaning 1 less than I usually attempt.

My Goals 

To have all reviews for the week already completed so that I may read the entirety of 5 books

Books To Read 

Revived by Cat Patrick
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Gilt by Katherine Longshore
The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Updates

5/14
Number of books I’ve read today: 63 pages of book 1
Total number of books I’ve read: 0
Books: The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
The day in retrospect: I didn't get much reading done for day 1 for a very good reason: I went to a book signing!  My post about the event will be up at noon (Tuesday).

5/15
Number of books I’ve read today: 1 61 page novella; 42 pages of The Vicious Deep
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books: Read The Ash-Born Boy by Victoria Schwab; reading The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
The day in retrospect: Today was another flop.  Hubs had a dental appointment, meaning I was left running back-and-forth all over town and wrangling a distraught Owlet.  Hubs made it up to me by buying a book for me.  I did read a total of 103 pages today, however.  Tomorrow should be much better.


5/16
Number of books I’ve read today: 187 pages of The Vicious Deep
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Books: Still reading The Vicious Deep
The day in retrospect: I did much better today.  I suspect I would have done better had I not had to struggle with the characters in my current read so much.  I will be finished very soon, though, and onto (hopefully) more appealing books.


5/17
Number of books I’ve read today: finished 1 book; read 241 pages of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
Total number of books I’ve read: 2
Books: Finished The Vicious Deep; now reading The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
The day in retrospect: Now that's more like it!  I really didn't want to put The Girl in the Clockwork Collar down for long, so I abstained from starting a second book.  At this rate, I'll be on my 4th book tomorrow afternoon.


5/18
Number of books I’ve read today: finished The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
Total number of books I’ve read: 3
Books: Finished The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
The day in retrospect: I finished TGitCC in the wee hours of the morning.  It was so very good!  Since then, though, I haven't picked up my next book, which is Of Poseidon.  Instead, I've been writing!  I didn't want to stop writing, so I've put off picking up the next book.


5/19
Number of books I’ve read today: read 121 pages from Of Poseidon
Total number of books I’ve read: 3
Books: Reading Of Poseidon
The day in retrospect: I made a good start with Of Poseidon.  The writing is easy to read and funny, so it's definitely not a hardship!  I expect I could have read another 100 pages if I hadn't worked on my own book for so long.


5/20
Number of books I've read today: finished Of Poseidon; read 58 pages of Timepiece
Total number of books I've read: 4
Books: Reading Timepiece
The day in retrospect: I came so close to my goal!  While I didn't quite make it, I'm satisfied.  It's been fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Books Read

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordove

The Ash-Born Boy by Victoria Schwab

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Number of Pages Read

1,243

Spring Into Horror Read-a-Thon: Starting Line

Due to a review book that I needed to finish, I'm starting a day late.  I'm okay with this, though, as I read a lot over the weekend.  I'm going to jump right in, though, and am ready to go.  This will be the post that I update on everyday.  Here goes nothing!

April 24, 2012: Reading I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga and Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

April 25, 2012: Reading I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (28% finished) and Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross (68% finished) - Serial killers and the darkest side of fairy tales sums up my current reads quite nicely.  There are definitely chills to be had.

April 26, 2012: Finished Kill Me Softly; Finished I Hunt Killers - Oh. My!  Both of these novels were seriously chilling and I Hunt Killers was, dare I say, horrific?  It's going to be hard to follow that, but I think my next reads will be The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda and Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter.

April 27, 2012: Reading Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter (50% finished) and The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda (17% finished) - I'm moving along at a very nice pace.  There's oodles of supernaturals in Born at Midnight and The Hunt is positively chilling.

April 28, 2012: Reading Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter (74% finished) and The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda (32% finished) - I'm completely hooked on Born at Midnight at the moment, so I haven't made much more progress with The Hunt.  I should be finishing the former soon, though.

April 29, 2012: Finished Born at Midnight; Reading The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda (67% finished) and Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter (7% finished) - I couldn't help myself.  Once I finished Born at Midnight, I just had to start Awake at Dawn.  What can I say?  If I have the next book in a series on hand, chances are I'm going to pick it up immediately.  There's lots of ghost and vampire action going on, so it had its moments.  I'm more than half-way through The Hunt now.  I think I've gotten a better idea of what is going on with the populace now.  It's chilling and, at times, gruesome.  It's an intriguing story, though, so I hope I can finish it soon.  Now that I have reached the end of the read-a-thon, you can see the final stats below.


Overall Progress

Books Read:3
Pages Read:1,294
Goal Progression: 3/5 books

I didn't quite make it to my goal thanks to taking care of a sick toddler and, in turn, getting sick, myself.  I wound up sleeping a lot, which seriously cut into my reading time.  I'm still satisfied with what I accomplished, however, as I did read some good books and am still reading some more.  

I Bid You All Goodnight... Er, Morning!

I. am. done!  It's been a long night, but I made it.  I read a total of 657 pages during the read-a-thon.  Knowing that fact, I am going to crash.  My final update and end-of-event meme can be found HERE.  Good night, all!  It's been a blast!

Hour 19 Mini Challenge - Theme Song

As I finish up with Until I Die, there is one song that strikes me as appropriate.  I picked "All Around Me" by Flyleaf.  It reminds me of Kate when she speaks with Vincents volant spirit.

Hour 17 Mini Challenge - Me & My Book

I'm currently reading a digital review copy, so I snapped a pic of me with my trusty Nook.  Here I am in all my frizzy-haired-ponytail-wearing glory.  (The book in question is Until I Die by Amy Plum.)

Hour 15 Mini Challenge - Picturific!

I am reading Until I Die by Amy Plum and, let me tell you, she can certainly give you an appetite with her descriptions of all the delicious foods the main character, Kate, enjoys. In fact, I took a break so I could go to the store just for some croissants. The above picture is something I'm seriously thinking about right now: a croissant and a French press full of coffee!

24 Hour Read-a-Thon - Mid-Event Survey

I've made it half-way through my second book and I'm actually okay with that.  I'm having a good time just sitting here reading while my husband finishes his paper.  I've got a few questions to answer now that the read-a-thon's halfway point has arrived.

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

I'm doing just fine.  I'm starting to crave coffee, though, so it looks like I might be hitting my first low-point.

2) What have you finished reading?

I've finished Purity by Jackson Pearce and half of Until I Die by Amy Plum.

3) What is your favorite read so far?
I'm loving Until I Die!

4) What about your favorite snacks?
I just had a Mounds ice cream bar that was simply yummy.

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!
I have, actually.  I've checked out a few mini challenges.  Thanks to all of those hosting them.  They're a lot of fun!

Hour 10 Mini Challenge - Book Staging!

This is such a fun mini challenge.  I just had to do it!  I am reading Until I Die, so I pulled out my Eiffel Tower jewelry holder and my copy of Die for Me.  I wish that my French press had been clean at the time and that I had croissants on hand today, but I'm glad to have had that little Eiffel Tower!

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date... 24 Hour Read-a-Thon Starting Line

I am uber late in getting this post up.  I had some unexpected problems arise that I had to deal with first thing.  I'm hoping to make the most of the rest of the day, though I know I won't get to read for the full 24 hours now.  I guess this can be practice for October.  Here's the questionnaire:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
A very dreary Tennessee
 
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Until I Die by Amy Plum

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
There are chocolate chip muffins with my name on them!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am a die-hard fan of fantasy fiction, though paranormal romance is a close second.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
This is my first, and since I got a late start, I'm viewing it as practice for October.


Update; 1:00 PM: I've read 113 pages of Purity today.  I read the first 22 pages yesterday and wanted to finish reading it.  I'll be starting Until I Die next.

Update; 2:00 PM: I finished Purity and am now 17 pages into Until I Die.  My next book will be the mystery book I received for review.  :-D

Update; 3:00 PM: I'm only on page 37 of Until I Die thanks to a call from my mother and needing to eat lunch.  I'm moving along very well, though, now that my lunch is eaten and phone call finished.

Update; 4:00 PM: I've reached page 67.  My mother has my daughter for the weekend, so I've been receiving several calls from her that have slowed me down.  I am determined to reach page 125 over the next hour, however.

Update; 5:00 PM: Enough with the phone calls already!  I'm a little frustrated, as I've only reached page 87 of Until I Die.  I'm contemplating a walk around the block with my hubby to blow off a little steam.

Update; 6:00 PM: I took my walk around the block and, though I did get an earache from the cold wind, I feel refreshed.  I'm on page 104 of Until I Die, which is nearing the halfway point.  I'm starting to crave croissants, though.  LOL

Update; 7:00 PM: I just reached chapter 19 (page 130) of Until I Die.  I used up a lot of time on one of the mini challenges, but I'm okay with that.  I may have to go out to pick up something for dinner, though, so it's definitely looking like I'll finish 3 books.

Update; 8:00 PM: I took the hour off to go to the grocery store (Damn the power of suggestion!  I just had to have those croissants!)  I'm back and ready to settle in for some more reading.

Update; 9:00 PM: I am now on chapter 22 (page 151).  I've had a yummy dinner and am contemplating my first cup of coffee.  I still feel pretty good and am looking forward to the next hour's reading.

Update; 10:00 PM: I'm now having my first cup of coffee (have I mentioned that I'm the world's slowest coffee-maker?).  I have reached page 172/262 of Until I Die.  I'm still going strong, though I wonder how long that will last.

Update; 11:00 PM: Woo hoo!  I'm on page 195.  It won't be long before I finish Until I Die and move on to my third book!

Update; 12:00 AM: All of my distractions are now in bed, so it's just me, my laptop, and my books.  I'm on page 211 of Until I Die.  I've noticed that the pagination on my Nook is odd.  Pages can last anywhere from 2-3 clicks of the page-turn button.  In any case, I'm a little more than 50 pages away from finishing!  I think I'm going to read Struck next.

Update; 1:00 AM: I'm so very close to finishing Until I Die.  I'm on page 248, so I have less than 20 pages left.  Then, it's onto Struck!

Update; 2:00 AM: Success!  I've finished Until I Die and am now reading Struck by Jennifer Bosworth.  I'm really looking forward to getting into this book.  Since I've finished 2 books now, I'll give more detailed stats.

• Books Finished: 2
• Pages Read: 392
• How I'm Feeling: Pretty mellow.  I'm not sleepy yet, but I did have coffee not too long ago.

Update; 3:00 AM:  I'm on page 63 of Struck.  It feels nice to be reading a physical book.  I had my first yawn & my eyes are beginning to feel a bit heavy.  It's probably time for a snack and a bottle of water.

Update; 4:00 AM: I've reached page 114 of Struck.  I'm definitely feeling the effects of my long day.  I snacked on Circus Peanuts and a bottle of water and the sugar gave me a little jolt.  I'm trying to pace myself so I don't crash.  Three more hours until I can sleep.  I'm pretty sure I can do it!  I may just finish my book in that time.

Update; 5:00 AM: I'm on page 170, which is almost half-way through.  I would love to have some more coffee, but I'm feeling a little sloshy, as though I've had too much to drink.  I'm hoping that I finish Struck by the end of the read-a-thon.  It would be pretty awesome to have finished 3 books!

Update; 6:00 AM: Page 217!  It looks like I might not finish after all, but I will have read a nice chunk of the book.  I am going to be so glad to go to sleep once 7 AM rolls around.

Update; 7:00 AM: Page 265!  I didn't make it all the way to the end, but I did manage to finish 71% of Struck!  Also, I read 657 pages!  That definitely makes me feel good.  I'm so very sleepy now and looking forward to a nice nap.  I bit you all good night!  Thank you to all the cheerleaders who stopped by.  I didn't get to reply to all of you, but I loved reading your comments!

End of Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  The 22nd hour was a bit hard.  I felt really tired and distracted.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  I'm reading Struck right now and it's pretty riveting!
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  None!  I enjoyed myself and had a great time.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  The hourly updates that included links to mini challenges and prize winners were really helpful.
5. How many books did you read?  By the end, I'll have read somewhere around 2 3/4 books!
6. What were the names of the books you read?  Purity by Jackson Pearce; Until I Die by Amy Plum; Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
7. Which book did you enjoy most?  I like Struck a lot, but I loved Until I Die.
8. Which did you enjoy least?  Well, I didn't dislike Purity, but it definitely comes in 3rd.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  I would definitely do it again.  I would be a reader again.

Because I Am a Glutton for Punishment... Another Read-a-Thon!

This time, I'll be participating in a longer read-a-thon.  I participated in Michelle's Halloween read-a-thon last year and had a great time, so when I received the invite on Goodreads for the Spring Into Horror Read-a-Thon, I signed up immediately.  My goal is to read at least 5 books, though more would be awesome.  I haven't decided exactly which books I want to read, but here's the stack from which I will choose my books over the next week.

Wicked as They Come by Delilah S. Dawson

The Loners: Quarantine #1 by Lex Thomas

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin

A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

Nevermore by Kelley Creagh

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Preparing to Get My Read-a-Thon On

As long as none of our current plans change, I will be participating in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon this year!  I really wanted to last year, but I couldn't pull it together since I found out at the last minute and couldn't get Owlet to my parents' house for a visit.  This year, however, I should be able to participate.  I don't know how many books I am really capable of reading within a 24 hour period, but I have picked 6 in the hopes that I can finish at least 4 of them.  The other 2 are in case I finish with time left.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Until I Die by Amy Plum

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coates

Bout of Books Day 5 - Picture Challenge & Progress

As you can no doubt tell, it is very, very late at night/early in the morning.  Having just finished another great book, I thought I would hop on the computer to update my stats.  While I'm at it, why don't I share my submission for the picture challenge?  Today's challenge is hosted by Jacinda at The Reading Housewives of Indiana.  The idea is to take a snapshot of your current read, your snack, and your drink.  Here's what I've got going right now.

There's nothing like a little dark chocolate to keep you company while you read, huh?

Now, onto my progress for January 12th.

1/12
Number of books I’ve read today: 63% of 1 book
Total number of books I’ve read: 1
Total number of pages read: 659
Books: Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan

Bout of Books Day 1 - TBR Pile Pictures

It's day 1 of Bout of Books 3.0.  I'm already working my way into today's read, which is Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan, but I thought I would take a few minutes to participate in today's challenge, The TBR Pile Picture & Search, which is hosted by Hannah at Once Upon a Time.  The name of the game is to snap a pic of your TBR pile or, if you're me, piles.  Yes, readers, I said piles, as in more than one.  How do I get myself into these messes?  Oh, yeah... I'm a chronic book buyer.  Anyway, I pulled all of my TBR books and put them together on one shelf... or tried to.  *sigh*  In any case, I snapped two pics just so I could do them all justice.  Let's start with the hardcovers:

Scary, huh?  Well, I hate to say it, but that's not all.  There is also a sizable stack of paperback books:

It's all rather daunting, isn't it?  Do I dare mention the books on my ereader?  Nah.  I didn't think so.  How about all of you readers out there?  Do you see anything in my TBR piles that also appears in your own?  If you do, be sure to leave a comment.  I'd love to compare notes!

Frightful Fall Read-a-Thon: Finish Line

The week has come to an end and so has the Frightful Fall Read-a-Thon. I did fairly well this week, though not quite as well as I would have liked. Nevertheless, I did finish 4 books, which I am very happy about. Here is what I read for the read-a-thon:

Every Other Day - finished on 10/4/2011
Rot & Ruin - finished on 10/5/2011
Frost - finished on 10/6/2011
The Dead-Tossed Waves - finished on 10/9/2011

Total number of pages read: 1,601

This was a lot of fun and I hope to participate again next year. Thank you, Michelle, for putting this read-a-thon together!

Frightful Fall Read-a-Thon: Starting Line

It's time for another read-a-thon, and what better read-a-thon is there for October than Castle Macabre's Frightful Fall Read-a-Thon? The goal is to read as much or as little as you want between October 3 at 12 AM and October 9 at 11:59 PM, but at least ONE of those books much be a horror novel, or something spooky, a thriller, or something with spookiness to the premise.

I will be doing most of my reading while I visit my family, so I won't get to come back to update this post until Wednesday, but here is what I hope to read this week:

• Every Other Day
  
• Rot & Ruin
• The Dead-Tossed Waves
• Possess
• Frost
• Ashes

I don't know if I'll manage to do so, but I would love it if I can pull it off! Are you participating? Let me know. I'd like to come by to see your progress when I return. Good luck, everyone!

Progress

• Every Other Day - finished on 10/4/2011
• Rot & Ruin - finished on 10/5/2011
• Frost - finished on 10/6/2011
• The Dead-Tossed Waves - finished on 10/9/2011
• Possess - in progress
  

Bout of Books Read-a-thon: Day 4

Today was a rough day. It took me almost 24 hours to finish Ballad, but I did finish. I have just started Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton, which I hope to finish before midnight tomorrow.

Today's progress:

Thursday, 8/25

Book(s) reading today: Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater; Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Total pages read today: 267

Total number of books I’ve read so far: 4
Today #insixwords: Feel like a slacker. Slow reading!

Tomorrow should be a better day. I have tentative plans for a lunch out, book shopping, and coffee/cupcakes with Nikki. My parents are supposed to keep Renie for the weekend, so the hubs and I will get a much-needed date night, as well. I really hope it all goes off without a hitch.

Bout of Books Read-a-thon: Day 3

I finished my third book today. I read a great deal of Envy by Gregg Olsen while laying in a hospital bed in the ER. It definitely helped pass the 3 hours that I was there between x-rays and injections for tetanus, pain, & inflammation of the shoulder. I'm feeling quite a bit better, at least, and took a much-needed nap complete with the soundest sleep I've had in days. Hopefully my concentration will improve now, as I am currently reading Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater and don't want to miss a thing (Yeesh! I'm sounding like the Aerosmith song today.).

Here's my progress so far:

Wednesday, 8/24

Book(s) reading today: Envy by Gregg Olsen; Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater
Total pages read today: 329

Total number of books I’ve read so far: 3
Today #insixwords: ER. Reading. Tweeting. Sleeping. No pain!

My next book will be Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton. From the looks of it, I will complete my goals. It will probably take me a couple of days to finish The Iron Thorn, the sixth book on my list, as I have a lot going on this weekend. However, I should finish on Sunday!