Readathon is Over, and I'm Overtired

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Hour 21, it was almost 6am here and we all had agreed to crash at 6am... so of course I was instantly exhausted!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
My actual reading was pretty pitiful, but The Invention of Hugo Cabret was a good Readathon book, and so was the Lisa Gardner thriller.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Well, next time around I think I need to volunteer to do more of the harder jobs (instead just hosting a challenge and cheering, more helping to orginize), but I'd like to see more communication and pre-Read-a-thon activity to get people excited.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Twitter and the Hour 20 commercial that was posted- that woke me up!

5. How many books did you read?
I finished 2 half read books, 1 manga and 1 full book.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Finished Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich and The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner, read House of Odd manga, and read all of The Invention of Hugo Cabret... and 27 pages of Meet Your Match, Cupid Delaney... didn't really live up to my tween memories of it. :(

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
House of Odd, since it featured my literary boyfriend Odd Thomas.  But the ending of The Perfect Husband was really edge of my seat... and Plum Lucky had me laughing even though I don't enjoy the in-between-the-number books as much... okay, I'll go with House of Odd.

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Meet Your Match, Cupid Delaney... sometimes you can't go back again when it comes to childhood favorite reads...

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Just prepare some cheers ahead of time, but make sure you're connecting on some personal level before you post your cheer.  Also be prepared to be frustrated by bloggers who use word verification.  Yes, it's a pain in the rear, but I'm just going with the assumption that some bloggers aren't even aware that it's on their comments and that they're not actually trying to torment me.


10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I am 100% likely to participate, I take off work and cancel any plans that might interfere.  I am a fan of Readathon.  I plan on stepping up and taking on a larger role.  I guess I've  been a bit afraid of taking on anything larger than cheering or hosting a mini-challenge, but I realize that it's time to step up and help out the event that I love so much.  Dewey's Readathon is what got me started in book blogging, and it's time to honor that.

April Readathon Hours 9-17

 Okay, I'll actually be updating this after Hour 13, but I needed a place to put my Hour 11 mini challenge post.


So Steph is hosting this challenge (and actually sitting on the couch next to me), so I can't actually win, but we're all participating in each other's challenges.  For this challenge we have to write about an anti-hero:


My anti-hero is Driver from the book Drive by James Sallis.

 Ryan Gosling


Driver is a, big surprise, driver for anyone that's needs it- mostly bad guys robbing banks and stuff.  He also is a stunt man.  He gets involved with his neighbor (not sexually but emotionally, and not as deeply as in the movie... which is awesome) and ends up involved in her recently out of jail husband.  Driver only drives, he doesn't like to get involved in shiz, but he gets double crossed, so he goes up against the bad guys, but mostly to get revenge and not because he's trying to be a hero.  He is awesome, and Ryan Gosling plays him in the movie.  And I know I've posted this before, but once more:

Title of book(s) read since last update: 
Finished The Perfect Husband (which was a partial read from before Readathon)
House of Odd *manga
Meet You Match, Cupid Delaney- actually only read 27 pages, but I doubt strongly that I'll be coming back to this book but I wanted to mention it. 
 


Thoughts on current read:
Currently I'm reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which is really good but now I just want to watch the movie!

Number of books read since you started:
Finished 2 half read books, and a manga, half way done through my current read.

Pages read since last update: 
593, but Kim thinks I shouldn't be able to count all that since over half those pages were manga or drawings in Hugo Cabret, but I think she's just jealous.  ;)

Running total of pages read since you started:
709

Snacks Devoured:
I don't want to talk about it.  Why did vomitoriums go out of style?

I'm not tracking websites right now, mostly because if I'm not reading, I'm talking to Kim and Steph.  Now I'm off to cheer!

April Readathon Hours 5-8

 One of my old headers (which is a October Readathon Pile)

Title of book(s) read since last update: 
Still reading The Perfect Husband... I is failing at reading!

Thoughts on current read:
Getting really intense!

Number of books read since you started:
Finished a half read book, working on finishing another

Pages read since last update:
A measly 33 pages!

Running total of pages read since you started:
116... boo hiss


Snacks Devoured:
nut mix, another brownie, a pretzel rod, and some chips and dip that Steph made. 

Mini-challenges completed:
No new ones

Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
 Fail!

Book Staging Mini Challenge

Okay, Readathoners, it's hour 8 and you should still be feeling pretty pumped up!  Don't waste that energy on just reading, come take part in my challenge!

Book Staging Mini Challenge

Description:  You know how real estate agents will stage an apartment to attract potential buyers?  Well, that's what you're going to do to a book!

Rules:  Take a picture of a book you're reading today, or any book you have lying around.  In the picture you should have the book in a setting, or surrounded by items, that represent the book.  It can mimic the cover, or represent characters/events/etc from the story.  Basically, make us want to read the book based on picture alone.

This must be a picture YOU take and upload.  Simply stage the book, and upload a picture to your blog, Twitter or Goodreads account. If you don't have any of these, than you can post your picture on my blog's Facebook page.

Here's a book I've staged just to give you an idea:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline- full of 80's awesomeness, so I added an Atari logo, some leg warmers and some movies mentioned in the book.  (Honestly, this book is so amazeballs!)


This challenge is open to everyone.  In the US, the winner will receive a $15.00 Amazon gift card through their email, and International winners can pick a book up to $15.00 through the Book Depository and I'll buy it and ship it to you.

Just comment with your link below!

April Readathon Hours 1-4

Title of book(s) read since last update:

I finished Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

Thoughts on current read:
I'm finishing up The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner.  I normally love her books,  but I'm not really feeling the main characters in this one, although the story is super compelling and it's a page turner for sure!

Number of books read since you started:
Finished 1.

Pages read since last update:  
83

Running total of pages read since you started:
83... I know, it's fail, but I did listen to about 45 mins of audio book this morning before Readathon started, so let's count that, shall we? 

Snacks Eaten:
Mini quiche, coffee, coke (the drink, not the drug... that'll be later when I need to stay awake), and a mint brownie that Kim made (totally worth the loss of sleep it cost her to make, btw), and a handful of a nut mix.


Mini-challenges completed:
Hour 3
Hour 5
Other participants you’ve visited (running list from start to finish - this way I can easily find my way back to all the new blogs!):
One Librarian's Book Reviews

Mini Challenge Hour 3 Book Puzzle:

Mini Challenge Hour 5: Book Sentence Challenge:

The Good Fairies of New York Loop Garden Spells Into the Dark.

Readathon Starting Post!

 I can't believe it's actually time for Readathon!  I'm so excited!  Off to a late start this morning, but I'm ready to roll!

Starting Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Richmond, VA with Kim and Steph.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
The new Odd Thomas manga and Hugo.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Kim's brownie's that she worked so hard on!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am awesome!

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 time I'm doing Readathon with two other bloggers, so that's a huge change! I'm so excited about it, and between the snacks, conversations and awesome books, I think this well be the best Readathon ever! 

See ya'll in a few hours when I post my first update!

Readathon- Let the Day Begin!

This is one of my all time favorite songs, it just energizes me and makes me feel like I can do anything once I wake up.


Right now I'm gathering my Readathon pile and supplies and snacks and heading over to Kim's house to hang out with her and Steph for the next 24 hours (plus some, because I will totally be crashing at her house for a few hours on Sunday before I attempt the drive home).


So if you're an early riser, or you just need a little pumping up, give this song a listen. The Call never really made it big (although a cover of one of their songs I Still Believe is on the soundtrack to Lost Boys... God, I am really old, aren't I? Too old to be reading for 24 hours straight? Nope, not yet!), but they're one of my favorites.


See you at the starting line, can't wait to get reading!

Dead Reckoning Review

Dead Reckoning
by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
Expected Publication Date: 06.05.2012
From Goodreads:

Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone – until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren’t rising from the dead of their own accord … but who would want an undead army? And why? This gunslinging, hair-raising, zombie western mashup is perfect for fans of Cowboys vs. Aliens and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

My Thoughts: What a different, unique read!  Okay, we've got Western, Steampunk, and zombies, plus two incredibly kick ass heroines and a hero that's been raised by Indians.  I kind of expected this book to suck, because it just seemed impossible that all these elements could come together and make a great read, but it all comes together in a fantastic way.

It took me about a chapter or two before I settled into the voice of the novel,  but the authors did a great job using speech and vocabulary from the days of the Wild West but it's as fast paced as most YA books.Not that I'm complaining!  It was nice to read a book that really tries to stay true to the time period.  I used to read a lot of Historical Romance, and the best reads were always the ones that the authors had done a little research on before writing, and the worse ones always had a lot of modern dialogue and spotty history events. 

Now for the characters:

Jett, dressed as a man, is struggling to stay tough and deal with zombies, all the while in search of her twin brother.  Jett was probably my favorite character, she tried so hard and even when she was afraid she was brave.  She took a lot of personal responsibility, and then she took a little more.  She's also the first character we meet, and the one we learn the most about.  And out of all three of the characters, she was the one that I was able to understand the most.

Gibbons was... unique.  As a young woman, traveling on her own in a steam wagon, and a scientist to boot she was both amusing and annoying, but again, a very strong heroine.  There is no question she's not interesting in answering- as long as she can do it with science!  In a lot of ways, Jett is more feminine than Gibbons, since until the war Jett was all girl and Gibbons has been raised to behave as she pleases. I would have loved to have seen Gibbon's father join the trio because he sounded like a very interesting character!

The friendship that forms between the two young woman reminds me of other great female friendships- Rizzoli and Isles, Laverne and Shirley, Blair and Serena... okay, maybe strike the last one.

Then there's White Fox.  Sure, he gets ignored in the summary, but he's definitely part of the story, with chapters alternating between him, Gibbons and Jett. Unlike the women, we learn the least about White Fox, other than he was raised by Indians.  He and Jett are similar, and if this was a typical YA book then no doubt they'd be dating by the fifth chapter.  As it is, there was definitely something between them, which surprised me because somehow I got the impression from the back of the book that Gibbons and Jett might be a potential couple.  Which, I imagine, will certainly end up the topic of lots of fan fic if this book gains some popularity.

And that brings me to a crucial point.  I really enjoyed this book (as a 34 year old), but I'm not sure it's quite in the YA realm.  Yes, Jett, Gibbons and White Fox are around the 17-20 age range, but given the world they live in they are leap years above most teens nowadays.  I do think older teens will like it, but it could be marketed successfully to adults and fans of Steampunk.  I'll be interested to see how other YA reviewers, who are actually still young adults themselves, react to this book. 

Overall, I really liked Dead Reckoning.  It's a great western novel, a great zombie novel, and a good introduction to steampunk.  I would have liked a bit more background on all the characters, and I really wanted more information on Jett's twin brother, but I'm hoping there's some sequels. I liked that the women were just as capable, and in most cases even more capable, as the men.  I liked that Jett was a gunslinger and Gibbons designed and drove a steam wagon, and I really liked that White Fox didn't have any problem hanging with such women.  I would definitely recommend this book!


Dead Reckoning gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Cover Rating of:

I like it, even though you can barely see Gibbons and Jett looks a lot like a girl, and not a successful girl dressed as a boy.  White Fox on the cover is hot, but not exactly as described in the book... but the zombies are cool, and it would definitely grab my attention from the shelves.

Disclaimer: I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Breaking Beautiful Review

Breaking Beautiful
by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Expected Publication: 04.24.2012
From Goodreads:

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

My Thoughts: I have to admit, I was impressed with this book. Obviously I was intrigued enough by it to request it from the YA tour blog that I participate in, but with the whole "teen girl wakes up from a horrible accident with no memory of what happened" plot- which has been done quite a few times in recent YA novels, I just wasn't expecting such a good read.  And I ended up being quite surprised by all the things that happened during Allie's missing hours and Trip's final moments.

It helps Wolf takes the time to develop her characters. Nobody's perfect here, and you get to see their flaws along with their perfections. And while the book does explore some darker themes, it never felt too heavy or dark for me. It's easy for YA authors to put their teens through extreme, unrealistic suffering, but it's also just as easy for them to give their heroines problems that most of us would kill to have- two gorgeous boys in love with one girl or rich, perfect looking friends who like a average looking girl thus making her talk about how plain she is in comparison, etc. Here the main character deals with a strained relationship with her parents, her twin brother's cerebral palsy, the death of her popular boyfriend, and a town that still sees her as an outsider. 






Allie and Blake's friendship was nicely written too.  It wasn't instant love, and it wasn't all consuming- both had to get to know each other again after their friendship was put on hold for a few years while Allie dated Trip and hung out with the cool kids.  But despite Allie's status as Trip's girlfriend, she doesn't really become friends with anyone else, she was only tolerated because of Trip's popularity.  After his death, she struggles to find a place where she belongs.  

My only real complaint is that the ending seemed abrupt. If it had been a little more fleshed out this probably would have been closer to a five star read for me. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to more books by Jennifer Shaw Wolf!

Breaking Beautiful gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

 
The cover of gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

 I thought it went well with the story (the red shoe!) and it wasn't a Girl In A Beautiful Dress cover, which even though I tend to love the GIABD covers, it's nice to see a YA cover doing something a little different. 

Readathon Pile O'Books and a Hey Girl

First, a little pre-Readathon treat to all:

Sigh.  

So, now that's out of the way, here's the pile RG carried around for me:

From the Top:

The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley

House of Odd by Dean Koontz and Landry Q. Walker (illustrated by Queenie Chan)

Meet Your Match, Cupid Delaney by Ellen Leroe

Fade by Lisa McMann

Envy by Gregg Olsen

77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick 

Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Will I get to all these books?  Probably not.  Especially considering that I'm also going to be with two of my fellow friends and bloggers, Kim and Steph.  Hopefully I'll be able to pry Why We Broke Up away from Kim, and I Hunt Serial Killers from Steph.  

Also, I have a lot of books awaiting me on my Kindle, so if none of these books are doing it for me, I'll read something from there.  Or just spend the whole Readathon finishing the third book in the Game of Thrones series.  

Besides reading (and eating!), I'll be cheering and hosting a mini-challenge during Hour 8.  I'm really excited to be doing Readathon with friends, especially bookish friends whose books I can steal borrow. 

What are you plans, bloggers?  Have you built your Readathon piles yet?  I know mine seems a bit ridiculous, but I believe in lots of choices (also graphic novels, mangas, and middle school readers).  Please, share your pile pictures, it's pretty much my favorite part of Readathon.

I can't wait for Saturday!