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Readathon: First Book of the Day

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Starting bright and early today! Currently reading The Sage of Waterloo by Leona Francombe, about the battle of Waterloo seen through the eyes of farm rabbits.

Opening Meme:

  1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

This morning I’ll be traveling to Belgium, or more specifically a farmhouse at the site of the battle of Waterloo, all from the comfort of my living room in Houston, Texas.

  1. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye – I’ve been saving both for today!

  1. Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Puppy Chow. I made it a couple days ago and have actually managed to not eat it all already.

  1. Tell us a little something about yourself!

I can’t read when it’s quiet! Right now, I have Pride and Prejudice on in the background. 🙂

  1. What are you most looking forward to?

As this is my first readathon, I’m looking forward to challenging myself and meeting all the other readers!

What are you reading?

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My First Readathon!

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This Saturday is the spring 2016 Dewey’s Readathon. I’ve never attempted a readathon before, and I couldn’t be more excited! So far, I’ve joined the Facebook and Goodreads group and it looks like there’s even more action on Twitter. And after checking out everyone’s picks for the readathon, I’ve finally gathered my own.

If you’d like to join the fun, you can still sign up here!

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First Up, The Books:

I have a great selection of books for Saturday – I was really lucky with my library holds! I also have 2 books I own thrown into the mix. The other day I noticed I’ve only read 8 of my own books this year and the rest have been from the library. Hopefully a day of reading will knockout most of my library books and I can start reading from my own shelves a little more!

Here are my picks for the readathon:

My plan is to start the day with The Sage of Waterloo, a tale of rabbits and the effects of war, but mainly about rabbits. Sounds like a good pick for morning-time. From there I’ll finish some of my books in progress (Station Eleven and The Danish Girl) and move on to some more picks from my stack. Then in the afternoon I’ll work my way to Me Before You or Jane Steele. It’s really hard to decide which is a better fit for cocktail hour: romance or mystery? I guess I’ll have to see where the mood takes me!

I’m definitely not expecting to read for all 24 hours. I think it would be a little naive if I did. Instead, I’m hoping to read a solid 8 hours, enough to finish 2 to 3 new books. But if I feel up to it, I could finish all 7 books in the 24 hour time-span at a rate of 102.5 pages per hour.

Now, The Food:

For any kind of marathon, meals are key to sustaining energy throughout. Here’s what I’ll be eating throughout the day:

  • Need This in Your Life “Best Chicken Stew” from Hip Foodie Mom – I’ve been wanting to make this for so long! I’m hardly ever just home all day on the weekend so this is really the perfect time for a crock pot recipe.
  • Puppy Chow! What can I say, you can take the girl out of Indiana, but you can’t take the Indiana out of the girl. It’s a classic, and can’t be beat.
  • Random snacks: white cheddar Skinny Pop and pretzels.
  • Cocktail Hour: Shiner Ruby Red and a classic Salty Dog. Or I might get real fancy and try out this strawberry version! Can you tell I like grapefruit?

Everything Else:

The rest of my prepping has mainly been digging out my fuzzy socks and lining up a few candles to alternate throughout the day. I really like Target’s Sweet Spun Sugar and Bath and Body Works’ Pink Peony.

And last, but not least, stocking up on cat nip. Can’t forget your furry friends!

What will you be reading? Any tips for a first timer?

 

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Film Adaptations: Spring 2016 Edition

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Inspired by the recent release of Disney’s The Jungle Book, I figured I’d look into other film adaptations coming soon….and oh boy did I find them! Disney’s adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic was, simply put, amazing. The effects, the story, the songs! Of course, the story is a little different then readers will remember, but all in all, the changes they made simplified Mowgli’s story to make it a little more kid friendly. My only real complaint is that they had to make Kaa a bad guy…and a girl. My favorite scene from the book is Mowgli’s rescue from the monkeys, which would have never been done without the hypnotic powers of Kaa.

What did you think of the movie?

From action to drama to romance to horror, if The Jungle Book isn’t your cup of tea, there are plenty of other releases to fill it. And, it’s not too late to pick one up for your readathon this weekend!

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A Hologram for the King – Friday, April 22nd

Tom Hanks stars in the adaptation of Dave Eggers 2012 novel. From Goodreads: “In a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter’s college tuition, and finally do something great.”

The Man Who Knew Infinity – Friday, April 29th

In The Man Who Knew Infinity, Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons star as a young pioneer in mathematics and his Cambridge tutor in this pre World War I drama. The film is an adaptation of Robert Kanigel’s 1992 biography on the mathematician and genius, Ramanujan. Continue reading →

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Weekly Reads: Week 15

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Happy Monday! The past week was pretty busy with work so not much reading or audio booking was done, but I did manage to collect quite a few additions for my bookcase (book haul post coming soon!). I also got completely distracted from my current books and went a little crazy placing holds on my library’s website…the limit, by the way, is 30. Which really doesn’t seem like all that many, really, 50 would be much more reasonable, but I guess I’m only saying that so I could go even crazier with my already obscene number of holds going on.

Update: Another flood day here in Houston today. The water’s still rising, but luckily my area is relatively high ground compared to the picture below (borrowed from Houston subreddit). Guess I’ll be spending my day reading and baking banana bread. 🙂 Stay safe and dry fellow Houstonians!

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What have you been reading lately? Continue reading →

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Bookish Podcasts: Part 2

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In continuation of last week’s post, here are 5 more bookish podcasts for your enjoyment. I had originally planned on listing about 7 in total, but then I remembered just how many bookish podcasts I actually listen to….and then I found a few more.

I love each and everyone of these podcasts, neither Part 1 or Part 2 are listed in any kind of order (please don’t make me choose a favorite!).

6. Literary Punk by Helen Milte

The Literary Punk podcast is no longer updating, but their backlog of episodes are sure to please fans of classic literature. Even contemporary fans will love this podcast as the host, Helen Milte, exposes the underlying punkness of each novel they discuss. My favorite episode is her discussion on Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

7. The Idle Book Club by Chris and Sarah

Another podcast of a couple of friends just talking about books. I need to read more of their book choices before I can listen to more, but their discussion on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is very insightful – reaching far beyond a comparison between the latest film version staring Leonardo Dicaprio (but they still talk about that too!).

 8. The History of Literature by Jack Wilson

If you’re looking for something a little deeper or more profound, or just a fan of classical (think Greek Tragedy) or cultural texts, this is the podcast for you. In his array of topics, Wilson travels back to examine literary devices through history and their effect on the world. “How did literature develop? What forms has it taken? And what can we learn from engaging with these works today?” From epic poetry to contemporary novels, he covers it all. Check out his episode on the best debut novels throughout history.

9. Book Riot Podcast, Get Booked, All the Books

Most everyone these days is familiar with Book Riot. They put out three podcasts that pretty much all cover new releases and feature weekly reviews and reading recommendations. If you’re looking to grow your TBR list, this is another great place look.

10. Book Review by The New York Times

Sometimes a little pretentious, but being honest, I always find myself going to the New York Times for their book reviews. Even if I don’t agree on their review or rating of a novel, they always have some critique or commentary on a theme that makes me a better reader for reading their review, and the same can be said for their podcast. My favorite episode is their episode on reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, they even have Rosamund Pike on the episode!

Honorable Mentions:

There are seriously WAY too many bookish podcasts to go on and on about, so I’ll just list the rest of them here. Most of the remaining podcasts are ones that I’ve recently discovered and haven’t really given a good listen to yet.

What podcasts do you listen to? Do you have any bookish podcasts to add?

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Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge: Check In

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Earlier this year, I decided to take my reading to another level by completing the 52 book challenge. With that goal in mind, I stumbled upon the Book Riot website by happenstance and found their 2016 Read Harder Challenge. Not doing anything like this before, I had to try it! With 24 individual tasks, it averages out to about 2 a month.

Here are the tasks I’ve already completed:

Read a horror book:

  • Dracula by Bram Stoker

Read a nonfiction book about science:

  • Inheritance: How Our Genes Change Our Lives by Sharon Moalem

Read a book aloud to someone else:

  • The Pearl by John Steinbeck (read to my cat. Does that count?)

Read a biography:

  • Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Read a Dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel:

  • Brave New World by  Aldous Huxley
  • The Scorch Trials (2) by James Dashner
  • The Kill Order (4) by James Dashner
  • Now reading The Passage by Justin Cronin

Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award:

  • Euphoria by Lily Kong

Read a book over 500 pages long:

  • Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
  • City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg
  • All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
  • Now reading The Passage by Justin Cronin

Read a book under 100 pages long:

  • The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Read a book that’s set in the Middle East:

  • A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Read a of historical fiction set before 1900:

  • The Known World by Edward P. Jones

Read a book that was adapted into a movie. Debate which is better:

  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (both versions are amazing, but book always wins)
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (I watched the version with Tom Hardy which was pretty good, but I can’t really decide seeing as I kind of just detest the story no matter the version)
  • Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (still need to see the movie!)

Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction):

  • Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Alan
  • Now reading The Relic Master by Christopher Huckley

Read a book with a main character that has a metal illness:

  • Black Hole by Bucky Sinister (drug dependence)

Continue reading →

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Weekly Reads: Week 14

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It’s been another slow reading week for me. I feel like I’m in a slump, but hopefully now that Brideshead is out of the way and done, I can move on to better things. Most of my remaining books for the month are text versions, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge to finish them all!

I’m still working on The Passage, but it’s been taking a lot longer than I thought it would since I got caught up in something else. Somehow I got my hands on the audio version from the library, but my time is up and I’m still not half-way through. I might just have to hunker down and buy a copy! Oh well, at least I’ll be prepared for when Cronin visits Houston in May!

What have you been reading lately? Continue reading →

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Bookish Podcasts: Part 1

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In the last two years, I have become obsessed with podcasts. I’ve curated subscriptions to nearly a hundred different podcasts, but most of my favorites are either book or history related. Here are five of my favorite podcasts for all things bookish.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

What are your favorite podcasts? Continue reading →

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Going Back To The Classics

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As you may know already, I’m pretty fond of the classics. Here are a few suggestions based on contemporary novels you may have enjoyed. Some you may have already read, and some you may not be as familiar with – either way, you simply can’t go wrong a classic!

What book reminds you of your favorite classic? Continue reading →

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Weekly Reads: Week 13

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Spring has finally arrived full-force in Houston, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with a good book. This week I finished Stardust, a perfect choice for some Spring inspiring reading. Check out my Spring Reading List to find your next great read!

We celebrated the beautiful weather this weekend by going to the Houston Kite Festival!

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There’s nothing better than spending a day outdoors, and then coming home to good book. This week I spent my nights reading from Little House on the Prairie and Brideshead Revisited, which has proven more daunting than expected.

What have you been reading lately?

Continue reading →