New Author challenge 2013

This is one of the challenges that I really enjoy but I totally failed last year (mind you, I failed at most my challenges last year.) However, I am back again since I do enjoy finding new books. My aim for 2013 is to read 25 new authors. I only read 17 last year, so have a bit of work to do. If you would like to join in, pop over here.

22 on 22nd Readathon sign up, start and update!

I found this readathon on twitter yesterday and signed up. It may be just what I need to get out of my reading slump. I am writing exams next week, so do need to do some studying, but have had some time to read, but no time to post!
For this readathon I just have 1 main goal which is to finish the two books that I am currently reading,  and hopefully get halfway through another.
Books to read:

• Duncton Rising
• Voyage of the beagle
• I have about 10 books on my TBR pile, so after that will see what I feel like.

Day 1 update:
Books read today: Duncton Rising
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 113

Day 2 Mini challenge
1. What book did you start reading for this read-a-thon?

I started reading Duncton Rising by William Horwood. This is one of my very favourite series, I think I am on my 3rd reread.
2. What is one of your favorite books to re-read?
Well, I have a few. I could say The Duncton series, I could also say Lord of the Rings, however, I think my absolute favourite of all time is The Wheel of time series by Robert Jordan. I am currently rereading the series for at least the 5th or 6th time. I started in 2000 and after about the 6th book I reread as the new ones came out. I absolutely love how as you read each new book you find little hints in the previous books as to what was going to happen.
3. Do you have a strategy for read-a-thons to maximize your time?
This really depends on how much else I have on. If I dont have much else going on then I tend to just become a bit of a hermit. I dont make any plans, stay at home and read as much as possible. In that case I tend to make firmer goals and try to stick with them. However, if I have a lot else going on e.g. exams next week I just take it easy and read when I can.

4. Do you snack while reading?
Guilty as charged, although I keep a cloth or towel next to me to wipe my hands on.

Day 2 update:
Well, didnt get too much reading done yesterday, especially after our geyser burst!
Books read today: The voyage of the beagle.
Pages read today: 78
Pages read from start: 208
Books finished: 0

 

Bout of books wrap up

I have been trying to post since Friday and for some reason blogger wouldnt let me post. So, this is a final 3 days update as well as wrap up post.

Pages read day 5-7: 606 (Lord of chaos 211, Pyramid 395)
Books finished since last update: 1 (Pyramid by Tom Martin
Books finished in total: 2
Pages read in total: 819

Over all although I didnt quite meet the goal I set myself, I am very happy with the amount I have read. I really need to get into the habit of reading shorter books for readathons, lol. Looking forward to the next one!
 

Bout of books 5.0 updates

Day 4 was a little better, and the weekend should be even better!

Pages read today: 136 (Temple of the gods 81 & Pyramid 45)
Books finished today: 1 (Temple of the gods by Andy Mcdermott)
Pages read in total 213

I hope everyone is enjoying the readathon

Reading candy

The challenge over at Booksmartie this evening is to talk about your reading snacks. Well, this is actually a trick question for me, lol. Since going to the dietician at the beginning of the year in an effort to lose weight, I have totally banned snacks except for a very select few! To be honest, I havent really missed them excepting for twice ...... firstly during the time I was writing exams and then during the 24hr READATHON.
So, in honour of what I am missing, here are my ideal snacks


Willards Flings, which are a kind of chip, a bit like cheese puffs although they are a more savoury flavour. I think they are supposed to be chicken flavour, but not sure really, lol. Whatever they are, I love them!


Chocolate and candy all in one! I love Smarties!

Hot chocolate, yummy

Pizza - stems from my time living in the nurses home during my training. Every few weeks either my reading partner, Judy or I, or sometimes both, would catch the bus into town with a huge pile of books for the book exchange. We would change our books and then stop off for a pizza and coke on the way home, and then sit and read and eat pizza and drink coke all night! Perfect.

Unfortunately at the moment my reading snacks consist of

Nutri rusks

Cheese triangles

biltong

Now, all of these are fine on their own, but they dont really compare to what I would rather be eating lol!
Pop over here if you would like to join in.  http://booksmartie.blogspot.com/

Bout of books day 1 - 3

The fact that it is now day 3 over and this is my first update will tell you how bad my readathon is going :-(
I really have had no time to read at all! Hopefully things will improve from now on.

Pages read to date: 71
Books finsihed to date: 0!

I am now off to check the site to see if I can join in any of the challenges.

Bout of books 5.0 Goal post

I was so busy with the other readathon and work etc that I almost forgot to do a goal post for Bout of books which is one of my favourite readathons. Mind you I am a bit addicted, lol.

Goals for this week:

• Finish Lord of Chaos
• Finish Temple of the Gods
• Read at least one more book.

I will try and post a picture of my TBR pile, but need to get home while it is still light in order to take one. I do have a bit of work to do for one of my courses, but hope to finish that by tomorrow and should be able to read a lot thereafter. As a real sucker for punishment I am in my final year of a Bachelor's year and am currently doing not 1 but TWO other courses through work, so add that to working full time and having a teenager to contend with you can see why reading time is at a premium. Lest you think I am totally mad, I volunteered for the work programmes 3 years ago, the plan was to do them before I started the degree. They kept getting cancelled for budget reasons and suddenly was sprung on me about 3 months ago! So, this year is shaping up to be mad.

If you would like to join in the readathon, click on the picture above!

Summer wrap up readathon day 7 - 9 and wrap up.

Didnt get a chance to update on the last three days so here is a final wrap up!
Day 7-9 update
Pages read: 829 (Prisoner of paradise: 286, Lord of Chaos 166, Temple of the gods 377)
Books finished: 1 (Prisoner of paradise)

Final wrap up of the readathon
I did get more time to read over the last few days, but as always would have liked more.
Total pages read: 1565
Books finished: 2

Altogether looking at my page count I am quite happy with what I read although I didnt finish the 4 books I wanted to!

Summer wrap up readathon day 4-6

It seems funny to be writing about a summer wrap up readathon when we are having the coldest winter that I can remember!
I have had very erratic internet for the last 2 days and so been unable to post, then this morning Google wouldnt let me post, so this is an update for the last 3 days.
Day 4-6
Pages read: 262 (The prisoner of paradise 80 and Lord of Chaos 182)
Books finished: 0
Pages read from start: 736
Books finished from start: 1 (Crusader Gold by Dan Gibbins)

I didnt get as much time to read as I would have liked but tomorrow should be better, since I am off work and wont have a car for most of the day!

Summer Wrap up readathon Updates Day 1

I will try and update this post each day for the first few days, and then will start a new post.

Day 1 update
I didn't get as much time to read today as I would have liked, had to do some shopping and a couple of other chores.
Pages read today: 193 (Crusader Gold by David Gibbins)
Books finished today: 0
Pages read from start: 193
Books finished from start: 0

Day 2
Once again got some reading done, but not as much as I would have liked! I found the book I was reading a bit slower today too.
Pages read today: 72 (Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan)
Pages read in total: 255
Books finished today: 0
Books finished from the start: 0

Day 3
Finally I am starting to get somewhere. Despite the fact that it was back to work today I actually managed to read more!
Pages read today: 224 (Crusader Gold 200 and The prisoner of paradise 24)
Pages read in total: 474
Books finished today: 1 (Crusader Gold)
Books finished from the start: 1

Thursday is a holiday here and I am taking a day off on Friday, so I should be getting more time to read after tomorrow.

Summer wrap up readathon

I have signed up for this readathon which runs over the next 10 days. Although it is winter here, I have a bit of a lull in my assignments (i.e only 3 due, lol) and I should have more time to read. My goal for the readathon is to finish 4 books, the 2 that I am currently reading (Lord of Chaos and Crusader Gold) and 2 more. I am not really sure what I will choose, will just see where the mood takes me! I will be updating here and on twitter. Just click on the picture above if you would like to join in.
Ok, so for my readathon to be read pile I have 4 books. The top 2 I am busy reading currently, the other 2 are the ones I am most excited to read from the TBR pile, so will more than likely read them next. Having said that I have been reading a lot of heavy books lately, so may switch to something lighter during the readathon.

 

High smmer readathon wrap up post

Well, the readathon is over and although I did read the two books I wanted to, I would have preferred to read a bit more!

At my last update I stood as follows:
#pages read since start: 375

#books finished from start: 1 (The fires of Heaven)

I didnt get much chance to update over the weekend and very little chance to read :-(

What I read over the weekend:
#pages read: 192 (46 The winter ghosts, 146 The Red breasts)
#books finished: 1 (The winter ghosts)

So, that brings my total to:
#pages read in total: 567
#books finished in total: 2

All in all, I enjoyed the readathon, it was just a bad week for me! I hope everyone else managed to achieve what they wanted to.

High summer readathon

I signed up for this readathon a few weeks ago. Unfortunately what I didn't realise at the time was that I would have a portfolio due next week, so I wont have as much time to read as I would like. However, I am 10 books behind on my goodreads challenge, so in an effort to catch up I will do what I can.

I don't really have any major goals, I would like to finish the two books I am currently reading (The fires of heaven by Robert Jordan and The winter ghosts by Kate Mosse) and maybe 1 other.

So, for a week of reading fun hop over to Michelle's blog, and join in. You can sign up at anytime until Friday.

Day 1 update:
#pages read: 51
#books finished: 0
I didnt have too much time today to read, so only managed 50 pages! Hope tomorrow is better.

Day 2 update:
Going from bad to worse, oh dear.
#pages read: 36
#books finished: 0
#pages read from start: 87

Day 3 update
Slowly things are looking up!
#pages read: 83
#books finished: 1 (The fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan.
#pages read from start: 170

Day 4 update
#pages read: 81 (The Winter ghosts by Kate Mosse)
#books finished today: 0
#pages read since since: 251
#books finished from start: 1 (The fires of Heaven)
I am glad this week is over so that I can read some more.

Day 5
#pages read: 124 (The winter ghosts)
#books finished today: 0
#pages read since start: 375
#books finished from start: 1 (The fires of Heaven)

Bout of books readathon day 3.

Ok, things didnt go too well yesterday either, but I guess every little bit counts!
Pages read today: 57
Page read in total: 194
Books read today: The Shadow Rising
Books read since start: The shadow rising, Forgive and Forget
Books finished: 0
#insixwords More reading of tweets than books!

Bout of books day 2 and Retitle it challenge

Tuesday was fractionally better than Monday, but still didn't get much chance to read.
Pages read today: 105
Pages read in total: 137
Books read today: Forgive and Forget by Patricia Scanlon
Books finished: 0
#insixwords Getting there very, very slowly!

The challenge over on Books devoured is to take a book title and rename it. Well, I am not that imaginative but I was browsing on goodreads and came across

  and decided to rename it: When Octopus met Dragon!

If you are a bout of books member, pop over to Books devoured and try for yourself.
 

Bout of books day 1 progress

Well, as expected, I did not get much chance to read today. Work was busy, my daughter had a function after school which we had to rush to. And of course my sister arrived with my baby nephew and we all landed up going to dinner. So, I am not really as far as I would have liked, but I had a great day so that is what counts!
Books finished today: 0
Books read today: 1 (The fires of Heaven)
Pages read today: 32
#insixwords Not off to a good start
Since I will be away for the weekend, I will do a single post every day, makes it easier for my phone. Hope everyone is enjoying the readathon.

Bout of books readathon goals

This week is the 4th bout of books readathon and I have taken part in all 4! Despite reminding myself all day I forgot to do a goals post :-( must be old age creeping up. So, I am doing this from my phone and add links tomorrow.
I plan on reading the whole week, well at lEast a little bit each day. I do have to work though, should do some studying and will be away for the weekend for my nephews christening. ThEre is a 5 hour road trip to get there so should get some reading done then.
Books I will be reading:
- Forgive and forgEt by Patricia scanlon (on pg 122)
- The fires of heaven by RobErt Jordan (on pg 181)
- Circles in the forest by Dalene Matthee

I hope to finish those and start another, not sure what yet. My TBR pile has 20 books and my sister has a house full of James Patterson and a few other authors so I won't be stuck for choice!
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Spring into horror wrap up post.

Oops, it is now a few days late for this post, but I really didn't get a chance to do this before now.
I did manage to finish one book, however didn't meet my goals. But, the important thing is I enjoyed the book that I did read.
Pages read since last update: 288

Pages read in total: 761
Books finished in total: 1(The Bones of Avalon)

Spring into Horror readathon updates

Day 5/6
Just about to go to bed, so I will do a combined day 5/6 post. I have not had as much time to read as I would like, but I have read much more than I did during the week. Having a teenager a lot of my time is spent ferrying her around rather than doing what I want to!
Pages read since last update: 245 (The Bones of Avalon)
Pages read in total: 473
Books finished so far: 0

I am thoroughly enjoying The Bones of Avalon, but it doesnt look like I will get to finish it.




Day 4
Today was not too good again, however tomorrow is a holiday, so I should get to read much more!
Pages read today: 55 (The Bones of Avalon)
Pages read in total: 228

I have not had a chance to do any mini-challenge, but hopefully will tomorrow. I am however, also trying to study, so not too sure.

Day 2/3
I didn't get a chance last night to update, so will do a combined update for day 2 & 3.
Pages read since last update: 128 (108 of The fires of Heaven and around 20 of Sarum. I say around because I appear to have mislaid the book! It is somewhere around the house, but since we have just had our cupboards/carpet replaced it is a bit chaotic around here)
Pages read in total: 173
Books finished today: 0
Books finished in total: 0

In other news, I popped to the bookshop today and picked up The Bones of Avalon by Phil Rickman, so that will be my scary book.
To Bob if you read this, I couldnt work out how to send you a message. I absolutely love Phil Rickman, he is one of my favourite scary authors. I love that there is always a bit of history thrown in. I have read all of his books, and would especially recommend the earlier ones like December, Curfew or The man in the moss. The newer ones are still good, but a bit less of the supernatural in them.

Day 1
Didn't get too much read last night at all! Life was just too busy, and I doubt that tonight will be any better. We do, however have a long weekend coming up :-)
Pages read today: 45 (The fires of Heaven)
Books finished today: 0

Spring into Horror Readathon Start up post

I found this readathon last night when posting on a few other blogs after the 24 hour readathon. I am amazed that I havent seen it before now because I have done a few other readathons with Michelle. Anyway, I decided to join in because my reading challenge needs a bit of a boost! I have, however not got any horrors on my reading pile at the moment, so will have to sort that out! I did want to go to the library today to get something, but I left work at 16:40, still had to get to the shops and it was pouring with rain.
Anyway, here is my current reading pile picture:

I found this readathon last night when posting on a few other blogs after the 24 hour readathon. I am amazed that I havent seen it before now because I have done a few other readathons with Michelle. Anyway, I decided to join in because my reading challenge needs a bit of a boost! I have, however not got any horrors on my reading pile at the moment, so will have to sort that out! I did want to go to the library today to get something, but I left work at 16:40, still had to get to the shops and it was pouring with rain.

Anyway, here is my current reading pile picture:
Well, that was what it looked like prior to the readathon! 3 of those are gone. That is besides another bag of books which I have not even taken out the packet! As you can see I have plenty to keep me busy.

Having said that, my goals for the week are:

Scary books:
Have a couple of ideas for this:
a) Get something from bookclub tomorrow night, I know we have a few in the pile
b) Go to the library on Wednesday and get an Anne Rice, which I have been wanting to try for ages
c) Reread my Phil Rickman's (also wanted to do this for a while)

Other books:

• get halfway through The fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
• Finish Sarum by Edward Rutherford

Of course my other goal, as always at this time of year is to get some studying done each day too :-(

So, here's to a good reading week

Dewey's 24hour readathon final update post

I had a few things to do after the readathon was over, so only got a chance to do this now. I thoroughly enjoyed this readathon, and cant wait for the next one :-( However, I must say that I am ready for an early night now.

Final reading achieved:

Pages read since last update: 202 (Bored of the rings)
Pages read in total: 967
Books finished since last update: 1 (Bored of the rings)
Books finished in total: 3
Time read since last update: 2 hrs 30mins (gave up when I finished my 3rd book!)
Time read in total: 13hr20minutes

There is also an end of event meme to fill in, so here goes:

1.Which hour was most daunting for you? Definitely hour 9-10 which was late evening for me, I was really tired by that time and only stayed up to finish the book I was reading. I also battled in the last hour, just didnt feel like I could read anymore.


2.Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? - No real book names, but just anything that is quick, and lighthearted, and maybe funny. I also think a James Patterson may be good, since he has such quick, short chapters that it is easy to see progress.

3.Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? - Love it the way it is

4.What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? - Not sure why, but I felt it was less frantic than last time and this seemed to make it easier for me. Thinking back though, maybe that was my attitude, lol. Also, the cheerleaders were great this time around, and the twitter chat which I mainly read.

5.How many books did you read? - Finished 3, read a little bit of a 4th

6.What were the names of the books you read? - The Sandalwood Tree, The Sacred Cut and Bored of the Rings were the three I finished. Also read a little bit of Sarum by Edward Rutherford

7.Which book did you enjoy most? - They all so different so it was hard to say, and I really enjoyed them all.

8.Which did you enjoy least? - See above

9.If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? - NA

10.How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? - will definitely participate again. The October one is awkward for me due to exams, but if I can't read I will definitely take the time to cheer.

Deweys 24 hour readathon hours 11 - 21

I slept for longer than planned, but was up at 6 and reading again. I read pretty much all the time until 11am, apart from a quick bath. I am now ready to spend a bit of time on here. I have managed to finish book 2, and have started book 3.
Pages read since last update: 371 ( 361 - The Sandalwood tree by Elle Newmark + 10 - Bored of the Rings)
Pages read in total: 765
Books finished since last update: 2 (The Sandalwood Tree)
Books finished in total: 2
Time read since last update 4:40minutes
Time read in total: 11hrs and 50 minutes

Mini challenges participated in: 3
Introductory meme
Turn to a page
Culinary Catastrophe

Dewey's Readathon hours 5 - 10

Apart from a bit of a nap I have been reading most of the time since my last update and have managed to finish a book. I am going to turn in for the night now. I was going to try and read through, but I am seeing double!
So here is my progress
Pages read since last update: 225
Pages read in total: 39
Time read since last update: 4 hrs 20 mins
Total time read:7hrs 10 mins
Books completed: 1 (The Sacred cut)
See you all in the morning!
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Dewey's 24 hour readathon hours 1-4

Okay I am still here, but I had an unscheduled break of about an hour to sort out some issues on my daughters email/facebook account. I have read a fair bit but not as much as I would like. It is dark outside now which is also going to start making me tired still. I am going to take it a bit easy this hour and check out some blogs too.
Progress so far:
Time read: 2 hours 50min.
Pages read so far: 169 (Sarum 20, The Sacred cut by David Hewson 149)
Books completed so far: 0
Mini-challenges completed: 2

• Start up questionnaire
• Turn to a page

Deweys 24hour readathon hour 1

Ok, so once again I am going to do this one. I missed the last due to exams, but this one is a more convenient time for me. So, for the next 24 hours I will be reading as much as I can! I have quite a few books on my readathon pile.

The three books on the small pile are what I am actually reading at the moment.

• Sarum by Edward Rutherford (starting book)
• The fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
• The Sandalwood tree by Elle Newmark

I, unfortunately am on a strictish eating plan, so no crisps and pizzas for me. However, I have compromised with some other yummy goodies. I will post a picture of my snacks some time!

Over on Dewey's blog there is a little questionnaire to fill out, basically introducting yourself. Here are my answers.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? - Durban, South Africa


2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?- Bored of the Rings, a spoof on THe Lord of the rings

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? – my cappucino sachets and my salad

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! – I am a single mother of 1 who will probably read a bit too.

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?

I am not having as many junk food snacks, going for things that will give me longer lasting energy! Hope to read for longer




So, here goes, wish me luck!

Wicked winter readathon final post

All sorts of chaos broke out here last night, but I managed to get a bit more read.
Books read since last update: 2 (Outlander and The Sphinx)
Pages read since last update: 292 (42 Outlander + 250 The Sphinx)
Pages read in total: 891

All in all, I am happy with what I have read especially with all the drama in my life, plus trying to get assignments done. Looking forward to the next one in June

Challenge - Random Tease

I haven't done any challenges so far because I have been a bit confused with the time zone thing. Anyway, I think I have got it now. The readathon challenge over on Project TBR is to post 6 teaser sentenses of your current book. So, here is mine, all taken from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" I demanded again. The question this time came out in a croak that sounded frightened even to my own ears. (pg54)

He didn't speak further, but relaxed a bit under my hands when he realised it wasn't going to hurt. I felt an odd sense of intimacy with this young Scottish stranger, due in part, I thought, to the dreadful story he had just told me and in part to our long ride through the dark, pressed together in drowsy silence. (pg90)

I turned to Jamie in sudden panic. "I can't marry you! I don't even know your last name!" (pg 264)

"An odd wedding present, maybe" he nodded at the trout, but not without precedent, as Ned Gowan might say"
"There are precedents for giving a new wife a fish?" I asked entertained (pg 302)


"As to that, sir, I swore an oath before the altar of God to protect this woman. And if you're telling me that ye consider your own authority to be greater than that of the Almighty, then I must inform you that I'm no of that opinion myself"  (pg 542)

"I've a wee favour I was wishin' to ask of your lairdship," she began, "having' tae do wi'___"
"Grannie MacNab" Jamie interrupted, advancing a menacing half-step through the water, "whatever your wish is, I'll do it. Provided only that ye'll give me back my shirt before my parts fall off wi' cold." (pg 613)

I must say I enjoyed the challenge and you do get more of a sense of the book by doing more than 2 sentences.

Wicked winter readathon Sunday update

Since my daughter has been sick we haven't gone anywhere or done anything today, so I have had a fair amount of time to read. Unfortunately I have managed to wet the book I was hoping to finish today, so that is drying in the sun. I have however, gone a good way into Outlander.
So here is my 2nd update:
Books finished since last update: 0
Books read since last update: 2 (The Sphinx and Outlander)
Pages read since last update: 290 (The Sphinx 97, Outlander 193)
Pages read in total: 599

Chick Lit Challenge 2012

I saw this challenge last year on Jo's blog, but forgot to join up at the start of the year. I did however, stumble across it today and decided to join. I really enjoy this genre especially as a bit of a break from the more heavy books that I typically read.
The challenge is to read 12 books from this genre and then to choose at least 2 from debut authors published in 2012. I am sure I can manage the reading, we will have to see about the reviewing, lol.

 

Wicked winter readathon

I joined up for this yesterday, but just have not had a chance to do a starting line or update post! I was too tired to do it last night, and today was a bit busy. We have been playing Battleships all afternoon today, so not that much time to read. I have got a bit done though. I didn't really set myself any goals since I joined so late, but would just like to get as much done and it would be nice to finish one book.

So far in the readathon I have read:
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 309 (The Sphinx 104 and Outlander 205)
I hope that tomorrow is a bit quieter than today and that I get more done.

Winter's Respite Readathon wrap up post

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed this readathon, and amazingly I got a fair amount of time to read especially over the weekend. Considering I am expecting my study material any day now it was really nice to get a last weekends reading in!
Sunday's progress
Books read today: 3 (Atlantis, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; Treasure Island)
Books finished today: 1 (Atlantis)
Pages read today: 369 (Atlantis 179, Outlander 143, Treasure Island 47)

In total I read:
Books read: 5 (Atlantis, Outlander, The Great Hunt, Treasure Island, Learning)
Pages Read: 1414
Books finished: 3 (Atlantis, The Great Hunt, Learning)

All in all, I was pleased with how much I have read, I met my goal of pages and I read 3 books. Quite good considering the size and the amount of time I had to read. I see that Michelle is planning a spooky readathon next time which I am looking forward to!

Winter's respite readathon update post

I have not dissappeared and have actually read a fair bit. Just have not had much chance to post. So, here is an update on where I am.

Mondays progress:
Books read today: 1 (Learning by Karen Kingsbury)
Pages read today: 190

Tuesday's progress
Books read today: 1 (The great hunt by Robert Jordan)
Pages read today: 93

Wednesday's Progress
Books read today: 1 (Learning
Books finished today: 1 (Learning)
Pages read today: 134

Thursday's Progress
(Lots of work, so didn't get much chance to read today)
Books read today: 1 (The Great Hunt)
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 52

Friday's Progress
Books read today: 1 (Atlantis by David Gibbins
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 152

Saturday' Progress
Books read today: 2 (The Great hunt, Atlantis)
Books finished today: 1 (The great hunt)
Pages read today: 424 (The great hunt 418, Atlantis 6)

Running totals:
Books read: 3 (The great hunt, Atlantis and Learning)
Pages read: 1045
Books finished: 2 (Learning + The great hunt)

Winters respite readathon starting line post

I noticed this on twitter this morning. I am not really sure how I missed it at all. I have joined in the previous two run by Michelle and definitely can't miss the winter one, even if we are in the middle of a blazing summer here!
I probably wont be able to get too much read this week, but definitely commit to reading as much as I can. I would like to read more than 1350 pages which is what I read for the last readathon. I won't commit to number of books because a few of the books on my list are 500+++ pages.
I am starting with Learning by Karen Kingsbury and The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, which I am halfway through. Thereafter I will move onto my to be read pile, half of which is below. I may even stop off at the library over the next week, and I still have my book club books here. So, really the choice is unlimited.
Sorry for the poor quality of the photo, but I took it on my phone this morning, and didnt even notice that the books were higgledy-piggledy and it seems a bit blurred!

Pop over to Michelle at The true book addict for the starter post. Click on the readathon picture at the top for the sign up page.

Leaving by Karen Kingsbury

Synopsis from Amazon.comThe Bailey Flanigan series begins with Bailey leaving Bloomington for the adventure of a lifetime. She has won an audition for the ensemble of a Broadway musical in New York City. She's determined to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but is she really ready to leave family and friends for the loneliness of the city? And what of Cody? His disappearance has her worried about their future and praying that their love can survive. In order to be closer to his mother in jail, Cody takes a coaching job in a small community outside Indianapolis. New friends, distance, and circumstances expose cracks in his relationship with Bailey Flanigan.


My review:
This book traces the lives of Bailey and Cody both trying to establish careers and lives for themselves. Whilst it is not all bad, there were a few things that did irritate me a bit and impacted on my enjoyment.
1. This is my first Karen Kingsbury book and it states that it is Book 1 in the Bailey Flannagan series. However, there is obviously a lot that has happened in the past to these characters in another series. It was quite hard to work out what was going on at times, which made it difficult to understand. I feel that it should be linked to another series, or some sort of recommendation made that you read those books first, rather than having it stand alone.

2. The characters are just too perfect. There lives are perfect, they always do the right thing, everything seems easy for them. It seems to almost come across that if you are a CHristian your life will work out perfectly and you will be perfect. This made it hard for me to identify with any of the characters. I didn't feel that the characters or the plot were developed enough during the book.
3. Lastly, I felt that there were a bit too many bible references etc. I am a Christian, although I dont really read much Christian fiction. What I have read in the past I have enjoyed. But this just seemed to go over the top which made it seem more like a sermon or devotional book, than a fictional story.

Although I have been fairly negative up to now, it is not all bad. The basics of the story are good, I enjoyed the plot. It is a very sweet story, very easy to read and it is certainly refreshing to have no sex or violence in the beook, just normal people enjoying a normal life. I also feel that if I knew a bit more of the background, I would probably have enjoyed it a bit more. I own the second book in the series and will definitely read it to see how things progress.

Rating: I gave it 2 out of 5 on Goodreads.