Once Upon A Time Challenge Wrap-up

Today I finished two more books, which brings my total of books read during the read-a-thon  to five and number of pages 1,532. 

Here's what I read:

Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn 309 pages

The Gardener by S. A Bodeen 232 pages

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready 309 pages

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken 354 pages

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce 328 pages

I also participated in Not Really a Southern Vamp Chick's mini challenges that asked us to:

Pick up 6 random books from your bookshelf (and/or use the books you’re reading)

Take the first sentences from them.

Come up w/ the best 4 sentence opening paragraph to a book you can manage.

YOU GET A BONUS POINT IF IT INVOLVES VAMPIRES!

Here is my paragraph:

They say that just before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that’s not how it happened for me. In the last hour of the day, Mr. Hogan’s sophomore biology class gather around to watch the small, green dotted frilly snail slim its way up my arm.
“Any minute now,” Rachel said, “something terrible is going to happen to us.” The vampire spun around, a wild unhinged look in his eye.

OK, we can all see why I read and leave the writing to the professionals. All those sentences  work well as openers, but with me trying to put them together well not so much!

Books used:

Before I Fall by  Laurne Oliver

The Gardener by S. A Bodeen

Demon's Covenant  by Sarah Rees Brennan

Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer

Once Upon A Time Challenge Day Two Update

After two days of the Once Upon a Read-a-thon, I have finished a total of three phenomenal books:

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce  324 pages

Brightly Woven by Alexandr Bracken 354 pages

Shade by Teri Smith-Ready 309 pages

Total pages read 987

Yesterday I did two mini challenges the first one hosted by A Blog About Nothing  asked us to name of a book or series that you would love to see get made into a movie or a TV show and your cast choices for the main characters. My Book to Movie cast characters from Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange and Darklight. 


Confessions of a Bookaholic hosted a mini challenge asking  us to respond to two questions:

1. What makes you the most emotional when you read it in a book.

2. What book has made you the most emotional.

This was my answer to both: 

There are lots of things that make me emotional, but the thing that actually makes me cry is when I am so attached to a character and something bad happens to them. For example, I cried when Jess learns of Leslie's death in Bridge to Terabithia. In fact, when I was reading it aloud to my son I cried the whole time I was reading the end of the book. At the same time I also find myself laughing out loud when a character is describing a funny situation. The Absolutely True Confessions of a Part-time Indian had me laughing and crying. I laughed because Arnold used his humor to keep the despair and heartbreak at bay, and the ending was hopeful, but also sad.

One more day before the end of the read-a-thon so back to my eay chair and another book.

Book to Movie Mini Challenge

A Blog About Nothing is hosting this mini challenge asking us to 

name of a book or series that you would love to see get made into a movie or a TV show and your cast choices for the main characters.

I love Lesley Livingston's characters from Wondrous Strange and Darklight think it the books would make a great movie.  Here are my choices for the main characters.

Kate Marie would play seventeen-year-old Kelly. Kelly is Irish and a red-head and Kate qualifies. I also think Kate while still innocent looking has a certain independence and self-confidence that Kelly also had.

For the role of Sonny who is also Irish,  strong and confident, I think Ian Somerhalder will fit quite well. He is very hot and when Kelly first meets him in the park she has a hard time forgetting him. I know if I met Ian anywhere the memory would be etched in my brain forever.

For the role of Kelly's father Auberon, King of the Faeries, I think Hugh Jackman is perfect. Auberon is strong and handsome with a dark side and Hugh is all of this an more.

For Kelly's mom, Queen Mabh, I would cast  Nicole Kidman. Kidman is beautiful as a red-head and has the ability to look regal, as well as hard and evil. Queen Mabh is described as beautiful, but also has a very dark-side to her, and Mabh and Kelly have to have a resemblance, which I think Kate and Nicole have.

For the role of Bob (Puck), I would cast Jamie Bell. I mean look at that face, if it doesn't scream mischievous prankster I don't know who does.


One other role I would cast is a member of the Janus Guard. Jason Stratham would play Maddocks, Sonny's friend. I chose him beacause I love to watch this man fight, but he also has a code of conduct that matches Maddocks.


What do you think should I give up teaching and apply as a casting director in Hollywood?

Once Upon A Time Challenge Day One Update

Well, day one was far from auspicious! I only finished one book and got half way through another. I also had had a terrible time with the mini challenges. I am afraid when it comes to music and pairing that with books I am totally incompetant.

Hopefully, day 2 will be a bit better. We will have to see.

Favorite Fictional Couples Mini Challenge Part 1

One of my all time favorite fictional couples is  Katisa and Po from Graceling. From the first encounter with Katsia, Po sees things in her that she doesn't see in herself. Po helps Katisa grow and is willing to give her as much space as she needs and accept whatever she is willing to give of herself. He knows her inner most needs.  Because of Po's patience and love Katisa finds another side of herself, a woman capable of love and passion.  I love the fire that the two of them have, and the easy way they banter with each other. Together they make an unbeatable force.

Once Upon a Read-a-thon

Today is the official start of the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon hosted by Pure Imagination, Reading Angel and Candace's Book Blog. 

I am aready three hours into reading, but I wanted to make a list of books I am hoping to read in the next three days. 

Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl 

Sea by Heidi R. Kling

The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley

Shade by Jeri Smith Ready

I think this may be a bit ambitious, as I my grandson begged me to spend the night tonight and I may not be reading as much as originally hoped. Although I think he and I will take a trip to the library and get some book to read together.

Good reading to one and all.

The Huge TBR Readathon End Post

Although I had planned on doing much better with this readathon, I am sad to report that this was one of the most hectic weeks I have had since school let out. 

My goal was to read 40 hours but I only manage 24. I did however finished all but  one and half of the books I had planned on finishing.

 The Pony Whisperer:Word on the Yard by Janet Rising

 Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Lairmore

 The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer

 Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lyn Barnes

The  Compound by S. A. Bodeen 

A Midsummers Nights Dream by William Shakespeare 

 

I am half way through MiddleWorld by J&P Voelkel and am hoping to finish it by tomorrow morning. 

 

Still not a bad week, but I am disappointed I didn't do more.

Here I Go Again

Yes that's right I am joining in Kristen's week of insanity and participating in Huge TBR Readathon.  I figured I was going to read a lot this week anyway so why not?

Here is what I hope to get through:

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Latiramore

MiddleWorld by J& P Voelkel

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Compound by S A Godeen

The Last Words of Will Wolfkin by Steven Knight

 

I am setting a goal of 40 hours of reading and see I can accomplish it. Wish me luck.

Read-a-Thon Activity Final Post

Well it might have taken me 24 hours to be able to post this but thankfully whatever trouble Blogger has been having is now fixed.

I ended my Read-a-Thon last night at 6:30

Total books read: 5

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis (281 pages)

Zah-Gah and the Beautiful County by Allan Richard Shickman (151 pages)

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares (322 pages)

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black (294 pages)

Jump the Crack by Stacy DeKeyer (207)

Total time read: 25 hours

Total Pages read: 1,255 

I will be donating $50.00 to Books, Books, Books to help  a third grade classroom that needs books.

Now on to writing reviews for all those books I've read.

48 Hour Book Challenge Update #2

Time for another update. since my last update yesterday I read another 10 hours and finished 2 more books.

Books I Finished Since Last Update:

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis (281 pages)

Zah-Gah and the Beautiful County by Allan Richard Shickman (151 pages)

Total Hours Read: 22

Total Pages Read: 1048

Books Finished: 4

I am hoping get another 8-10 hours logged today.

48 Hour Book Challenge Update

This is my first update since my official start yesterday at noon.

I  read a total of 7 hours yesterday and have completed 5 so far today.

What I have read:

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares (322 pages)

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black (294 pages)

Total Hours Read: 12

Total Pages Read: 616

Books Finished: 2

Okay, back to reading!

On Your Mark, Get Set, Read

Why is it the best laid plans in life always fall apart at the last minute?  As I mentioned in my previous post I had planned to begin at 7:00 AM today and read all day, but it didn't happen. So my time is starting at 12:00 PM.

My goal was originally to do 30 hours, but I am also going to revise that to 24, which also means instead of the $1.00 an hour I was planning on donating I will be donating $2.00. Can't penalize the kids for my late start.

My first book will be My Name is Memory and from there I will just be pulling books from my TBR Shelf since I have lots to choose from.

Okay enough of this off to the easy chair and my book!

48 Hour Book Challenge

The 48 Hour Book Challenge hosted by Mother Reader begins today and I am planning on taking part. While I had hoped to begin at 7:00 AM this morning, grandmother duties call and I will have to postpone my start time until later this afternoon.

One of the things I do plan on doing with this particular Challenge is dontate at least a dollar for every hour I read. My donation will be going to a project I found on Donors Choose.Com and here is the porject I chose.

Books! Books! Books!

"My third graders strive to be voracious readers. They have 2-3 books in their book bags at all times. With that being said, the choices for reading are becoming very limited.This community is low income and high ELL with limited access to a public library and other sources for books. The more books I can provide in my classroom the more enjoyment my kids can get from books. That means their level of success in school rises as well.Adding a variety of genres, fiction, and non-fiction, to the classroom collection will increase interest and desire in my students to read more. A bigger selection of books also means my kids are building background knowledge, increasing vocabulary, and compounding minutes reading for pleasure. Your donation makes it possible for my students to have access to a wide range of literature, increase their reading pleasure, and build their love of reading. All necessary to the success of each of my students.

"My third graders strive to be voracious readers. They have 2-3 books in their book bags at all times. With that being said, the choices for reading are becoming very limited. This community is low income and high ELL with limited access to a public library and other sources for books. The more... MORE

So check back later when I officially post my start time.

Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge

Hey everyone time to start clearing your calendar for the 48 Hour Book Challenge hosted by MotherReader happening the weekend of June 4-6.

For me this challenge comes at a great time because it is at the beginning of summer break. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have an entire summer to read, read, read.

Since I began blogging late last year this is my first time doing this challenge. I will be taking up MotherReader's suggestion to connect to a literacy project through Donors Choose and donate $1.00 for every hour I log.

So head over to Mother Reader and check out all the particulars for this great challenge.

Clean Away the Clutter Activity#7

This has been an exhausting week! When I began the Clean Away the Clutter Read-A-Thon I set a goal to read a total of 48 hours this week. I fell short by about 8 hours. 

However I did read quite a few books in those 40 hours

Fang by James Patterson

Lament The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Wabi A Hero's Tale by Joseph Bruchac

Boost by Angela Mackel

Airheard by Meg Cabot

The Magic Half by Annie Barrows

I haven't fared as well with knocking out my reviews I only completed two

The Dwarves by Markus Heitz
Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor

I had also hoped to unpack books still in boxes from my move last year, but that has also not been accomplished. I fear it will have to wait now until summer break.

I did some cleaning up of my sidebars, and I found some new blogs:

The Book Rat
The Book Jacket
DeRaps Reads
I Just Wanna Read
Cry Havoc

to name a few.

I have been learning that participating in these events are fun, and time consuming, and that my eyes are beginning to get old and tire much more easily than they use to. 

Many thanks to Kate for hosting this and to all the wonderful bloggers who participate. I enjoy visiting your post this week.

24-Hour Read-A-Thon 18 Hour Update

I have been struggling the last two hours to get through 100 pages, My eye feel like a sand trap, and the eye drops are not helping.

This has been fun though and I want to congratulate all those who have are still hanging in there.

24-Hour Read-A-Thon Mid-Event Meme

Half way there. My eyes are blurry as I am typing this post but I am still reading.

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?

 I am half-way through Airhead by Meg Cabot

2. How many books have you read so far?

I have read two books and a total of 602 pages.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Anyone that will keep me awake.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

No!

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Only the ones to get snack and let the dog out and in.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

 How difficult it is to keep up with the posting.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Nope!

 

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Yeah, I think next time I am going to be cheerleader, I think I will be better suited for that.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Yes, because I was up at 3:00 AM (usual time) and my bedtime is fast approaching.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

Not sure what the cheerleaders are doing as I haven't gotten any comment that I no of from one yet.

24-Hour Read-A-Thon Mini Challenge/Pantyworthy

I am heading into hour #8 and finished my second book of the day.

The next mini challenge (Pantyworthy Authors) hosted by Meaghan at Bookworms Haven is interesting to say the least. 

My first pick for this challenge is Anthony McGowan. If you haven't read any of his stuff, then you are missing out. Jack Tumor was keenly funny addressing the issue of bullying, cancer and hormonal boys, and he has a new book due for release this month called the Knife that Killed Me, which is also about bullying, but with a very serious tone.  

Next up would be Sherman Alexie, whose book The True Confession of a Part-Time Indian is one of my all time favorite reads. It was poignant and laugh out loud funny. I can't wait to read more of this author's works. 

Another author who is panty noteworthy is James Dashner. The Maze Runner was a fantastic science fiction novel, and I have The 13th Reality on my TBR shelf itching to be read.


So there are three male pantyworthy authors. I have a bunch of female authors too, but I need to get back to my books.

24-Hour Read-A-Thon Mini Challenge/Roast Pig on a Spit

This is hour #5 of my Read-A-Thon update and mini challenge this hour is about food thanks to  Nicole at Linus's Blanket, who wants to know about the food we're reading about in our books.

I am half way through Boost by Kathy Mackel, and the Christopher family is throwing a barn party with a pig roast. A pit has been dug and the pig slaughter (yuck) and it has been roasting all night. 

Savvy has invited her basketball team and her sister's cheerleading squad and the football team.

"In a minute. I want to go out back and see if Mr. Otis took the pig off the fire yet." All morning I had crept around like a caveman, sniffing out the roasting meat and trying not to drool.

Gonzo rolled here eyes but followed me out the back door. The pig was still on the spit, looking so good that I wanted to tear off a chunk with my bare hands.

24-Hour Read-A-Thon Mini Challenge #4

Ok I have been reading since 6:00 A.M. and finished my first book Wabi  A Hero's Tale by Joseph Bruchace and am into the second Boost by Kathy Mackel.

I decided to break and see what was happening and found a mini challenge at Bart's Bookshelf  and here it is 

Quite simple really, I want you to pull three or four books off of your bookshelves and use them to form a sentence, from the book titles, take a photograph and upload it somewhere you can link to it from. (ie: your blog, photobox, flickr any of the various twitter pic sites, facebook… etc… etc…) Come back and post a link to your blog post or photo in the comments section.

So here is my  picture and sentence: After ever after, smile, dead girls don't die!