48HBC Finish Line

Well, that was just a bit of spectacular fail on my part.  Both reading-wise and dance-wise.  In other words, I did not get done all the reading I was hoping to this weekend.  And, to add insult to injury (hah!), Friday night I managed to do something to my big toe, either a fracture or break it, so by today I was in so much pain I had to forgo my solo dance en pointe and do it in regular ballet slippers.  So disappointing because I was all ::squee!:: I have a solo dance en pointe.  My friend Alex had to talk me down from doing it- though I told her the best bet would be to just hid my shoes.  Cause after doing my pointe class dance, I backed down, but by the end of the recital where my solo was, I was ready to try it again (as I did Saturday night- and did it quite well enough, I might add).  But, she wouldn't let me.  Still, it went rather well, all things considered.

I also cried because I fear this may be my last recital and it didn't end the way I wanted it to.  But, that sometimes happens in life.  I just had two quotes running through my head from Black Watch.  The first was "you try doing this with a broken arm", except for me it was "you try doing this with a broken toe".  The second was "this could be the last attack for the First Battalion, the Black Watch".  That was the thought that got me really crying.  Oh, emotions.  You do betray me sometimes.

But, books.  Right, we are here to talk about books!

I managed to read two and start a third today (and, well, some of it was from last night).

Highland Rebel by Sally Watson.

This was my holdout Sally Watson book.  And by that, I mean it is the only one of her original books from the 60s (she has since written a few more that are being self-published) that I hadn't read.  This one being her first published one actually.  And I've owned it for years.  Truth be told, I still have one L.M. Montgomery book I have yet to read (A Tangled Web).  I think I do it because I enjoy their books so much that it is rather dreadful to know that there will never be anything else new to read of theirs.  If that makes sense.  Especially my L.M. Montgomery one.  Cause, you know, she's dead.  Except there is the other voice in my head that tells me I could pop off at any moment and I would be leaving a book unread.  So, I guess it is good that I got to at least one of their books this read-a-thon, eh? 

I do so enjoy her books.  This one is about Lauren Keith Cameron (who is the mother of Lauchlin from The Hornet's Nest- yes her Scottish characters from various books are all related).  She prefers sword fighting to more lady-like adventures, and, of course, this gets her into trouble.  Both within her family, but also with the English.  For the book is set during the time of Bonnie Prince Charles's attempt to take the crown from King George.  And Laurie will learn through great trials and hardship just how strong a character she has.

Pages: 212


Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger.

Having read Gail Carriger's "Parasol Protectorate" series, I was quite interested in reading the first book in her new YA series.  And, it was a fun romp through a different type of boarding school in Steampunk England, especially as it is set in the same universe as her other series.  I just realized that I read two books with very hoydenish main characters who enjoy doing more boyish activities than sitting around being proper girls.  If only there had been a new Cat Royal book, I would have been set for life!

Sophronia has been selected to attend a prestigious girls' finishing school (on her part quite unwilling to go)- but what she and her parents don't realize is that this is no ordinary school.  This school is training young women in the art of espionage.  On the way to the school, their carriage is waylaid by flywaymen who are looking for the "Prototype".  Which, of course, they don't get ahold of, because where would the rest of the story be?  Along the way, our Sophronia makes new friends with a variety of characters, learns that being a girl isn't all that bad, and quite possibly saves the day.  Well, her and her trusted mechanimal, Bumbersnoot.

Pages: 307


Echoes of Love by Rosie Rushton.

This is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion that a friend of mine who is a bit obsessed with JA retellings sent me (I really think she owns the vast majority of them).  I can't quite tell you what I feel about it, because I've only gotten a few chapters in.  Actually, the author wrote retellings of all of JA's novels.  But, I've been in a Persuasion type mood lately.  Which is why I went for this one.

Pages (so far): 40

Hours reading: 16 hours, 15 minutes
Hours blogging: 1 hour
Pages read: 1385

Update the first - or, why are their no pictures?

This is just a short entry.  Maybe?

I've read three books since starting the challenge late, late last night.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.
A couple months ago, I had joked that I needed some new "mix tapes" because mine all dated to the early 2000s.  And by mix tapes, I really meant cds.  However, this book actually does mean cassette tapes when talking about mix tapes.  For some reason, I found this bit of early 90s pop culture fun to remember.  Although, I never had a boyfriend to make me a mix tape- my brother did a few for me, though.  Ahhh.  So, this book is on the local school's 11th & 12th grade summer reading lists.  And now I need to watch the movie (which I also have checked out from the library).

Pages: 213

The Elite by Kiera Cass

I must admit I went into this book a bit wary, just because I read too many 1 star reviews of the book on Amazon (bad habit of mine to hit the low reviews first before going to the higher ones).  And, I do see their point about the messiness of the love affair.  I mean, can you ever really trust a man who would play around with other women?  But, can Maxon actually trust America because she is doing the exact same thing with Aspen.  I mean, people really shouldn't be calling out Maxon when America is just as guilty.  The problem with this book really is that there were quite a few unresolved plot lines at the end of the book.  The Italian issue is a big one for me.  I mean, where did she store that piece of paper.  Also, how could the rebels completely sack her room and not find the diary?  Especially when they were looking for books.  Or maybe only one group is looking for books.  Hmm.  I did like the thought that love was beautiful fear.  I get that.  Still a very quick, fun read.

Pages: 323

Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge

I admit I blindly picked this book up at a used book store because a)I have a fondness for children books of a certain era and b) the title reminded me of Linnet by Sally Watson.  This wasn't quite the same thing as her historical books, but still quite a fun adventure in itself.  You have four near orphans (their mother is dead and their father is off with the army in India) who are living with their "mean" grandmother.  After being locked up in closets one too many times, they escape and Robert (the older brother at 10) makes the decision that they should flee.  So they do, and somehow end up at the house of their eldest uncle, a recluse bachelor/former schoolmaster/current vicar.  And soon they are in between a generation old battle between good and evil.  They are, quite fortunately, on the side of good.  It's a fun little adventure with elements of the mystical and a gem of a novel.  I'm glad I found it.

Pages: 290

Hours reading: 8
Hours blogging: 30 minutes
Pages read: 826

And, I have just started an actual Sally Watson book, Highland Rebel.  I'll see how far I can get before I need to go get ready for my dance recital.  In like 30 minutes.  Ah well!

#48HBC - Starting line.

I almost didn't do it this year.  Almost.  Once again I have my dance recital and I hate giving it less than 100 % (a.k.a. all 48 hours).  But, then I looked at my TBR stack and it is high.  Very high.  So, perhaps this will motivate me to just chillax tomorrow and read before having to go dance my little heart out. 

It's 11:30 P.M.  I just got home from my dress rehearsal.  If this isn't a good time to start, I don't know when is.  Here goes nothing....

Starting with The Perks of Being a Wallflower, because I have never read it. Shocking!

The final countdown

So, here it is.  The last post of MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge.  I've been a little slackerish on the posts, I know, but when I come home from dancing, I wanted to read more than write, so there it is.  Our first performance went well enough, but there was enough technical difficulties to hope that today's will be better.  At least I didn't fall flat on my face (except when I was supposed to have).  All my friends came yesterday, so there should hopefully be less stress today.  Phew!

But, back to reading!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

When I was in Europe, I took an overnight train from Nice to Paris.  In my cabin was a girl name Christine who was traveling alone.  I was with my friend Sarah.  We departed each other in Paris and never expected to see each other again.  Not 24 hours later, we ran into each other again at Notre Dame Cathedral.  Isn't that strange to meet a girl twice in one day (and she was going to St Andrews at the time so got to meet Prince William, how smashing!)  In The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, two people meet at an airport and spend a magical day together.  Magical?  Okay, maybe not.  One is going to a wedding for her father and her new stepmother whom she has never met.  The other is going where?  Well, I won't tell because that would be kind of spoilerish.

Pages: 236

Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik

The newest of the Temeraire series.  A book of alternate early 19th century with dragons.  My friends are all aflame about this series (they have a strong love of Patrick O'Brian, one which I don't quite share with them).  But, sometimes, it is easier to drink the kool-aid in order to understand what they are all talking about.  My friend loaned me her copy of the newest book and I figured this was as good of a time to read it as any.  This time Temeraire and his captain Laurence are reinstated into the British Air Corps (the last book they were transported to Australia for not following orders) and are ordered to Brazil in hopes to negotiate a treaty there.  Unfortunately, as things do, the ship they are using to transport themselves, their crew, and two other dragons sinks due to an unfortunate carousing event thanks to less then awesome sailors, grog, and a fire.  Whoops!  They are left in the middle of the ocean with nothing to do but fly.  And, the distance is too great.  So when they finally spy a ship and land on it, they become French captives.  Yay!  And, the series of misfortunes just grows from there.  Kind of a long, depressing read, really.  Maybe not the best choice for the read-a-thon.

Pages: 323

Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman

I saw a really fabulous play this spring in a tiny, tiny theatre (Constellation Theatre in Washington, DC).  The action takes place in a pool of water as the characters reenact some of Ovid's myths.  Seriously, it turned out to be a thing of beauty and I just knew I had to get my hands on a script to recreate in my head some of the scenes.  Because some of the stories made me want to cry.  I guess I'm finally turning into that sappy love-sick teenager that I am so not.  But, the story of Ceyx and Alcyone, check.  Orpheus and Eurydice (told by both Ovid and Rilke), check.  Eros and Psyche, check.  And then the conclusion, "Let me die the moment my love dies.  Let me not outlive my own capacity to love.  Let me die still loving, and so, never die."  More engaging on stage, yes, but still a worthwhile read.  Now I need to go and explore Ovid's Metamorphoses in depth.

Pages: 86

And, still reading...

Perception by Kim Harrington

I was a fan of Harrington's Clarity so of course I had to read the sequel when it came out.  Which I am currently doing.  But, I'm not that far enough in it to give it a fair review, so I'm just going to mention that so far I'm enjoying it and eagerly anticipating really getting into the mystery soon.

Pages: 52

Thus, I come to the conclusion of my reading challenge.  I need to spruce up these reviews a bit better (especially add some pictures), but this will do for now.  I hope.

Pages read: 1625
Hours reading: 23 hours 45 minutes
Blogging/socializing: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total: 25 hours 30 minutes
Donating to RIF: $25

I am well pleased, looking at my total.  I was shooting for 20 hours and passed that.  Hurrah!


 

::Yawn:: And I didn't even stay up all night!

Well, good morning, sunshine!  I feel quite like I've been through a war, and really ought not to be up at all.  Yet, I have been.  Up and reading for the last hour.  And after going to bed at three in the morning.  Partially because my rehearsal went until just about 2 o'clock and also because I was just determined to finish my book.  Success!

But, going back to yesterday...

The Haunted Schoolhouse by Sally Watson

The story was one that the author apparently first wrote this novel when she was in college, but it was only published (independently) a few years ago.  This one doesn't seem to follow any ancestors of her other books, and is set in northern California in the late 19th century.  It was based on a story of a haunted schoolhouse the author heard while in college.  And features four ginger Scottish lads with accents to boot.  She had me at ginger.  The main character, Emily, was recently orphaned and so was brought to Alderpoint, California to live with her aunt and uncle.  And as she is the only age appropriate educated woman around, she is told that she will be the new teacher.  Unfortunately for her, she not only has the second sight, but the school knows this and shortly after starting her teaching career, a presence is made known at the school.  It starts off as being friendly, though with the appearance of Dawn, a new student, the activity grows more frightening with each passing day.  Of course, the ghost only performs for the students and not the adults who come to witness the spectacle.  This was a fun, if slight read.  I did easily guess the truth about Dawn from the beginning of her appearance at the schoolhouse.  And of course, I grew to love Ian and Robbie the most.  The only thing that got a bit confusing was there was a lack of editing at some points (like when Dawn was referred to as Lark).

Pages: 85

Illuminated by Erica Orloff

Wait?.  This one has ghosts too?  Um, yes.  Or at least ghostly dreams.  Heloise and Abelard, two names from history that have come to symbolize love, much like Romeo and Juliet.  And also equally doomed.  When Callie's uncle Harry discovers that a Book of Hours recently brought to his auction house is actually a palimpsest which is basically a manuscript that had been written on and then cleaned off to be written on again.  Under a certain light, the words from the previous book could be read and soon Callie and hottie August are on the trail to discover the history of the manuscript and who the author of the journal might have been.  This propels them as far as France.  Callie and August's love burns as brightly as Heloise and Abelard.  Can the two find out the truth of the manuscript and reach a happier conclusion in their own relationship then that of the epic lovers?  This was a slight, but enjoyable book.  A lot of time these books tend to jump back and forth between the present and the past, so it was a nice change to be in the present (except for those few dream sequences when H&A were attempting to "tell" them something).  And, I always like history and books.

Pages: 244

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

Rich girl turned recessionista Corinne had great plans of attending a private boarding school and hooking up with a hot upperclassman she met during her visit.  Instead, her father lost his job and she is being shuttled off to Texas to live with her mother's grandparents.  Grandparents she has only met a few times and never in Texas.  At the beginning of the story, Corinne promises us that we will most likely hate her, but that maybe with patience and time will will grow to like her.  And, that was a promise kept.  I have to admit, that I can never understand the rich.  They do do things differently.  When we meet Corinne, she is on one of her many shopping sprees, which she does with alarming frequency and with quite the spendy budget.  That all changes and by the end of the book, she can appreciate that $24.99 dress and drug store make-up can be just as fashionable and that is more about the girl wearing these items than the items themselves.  And, even while you are disliking Corinne for the way she is hating on Texas at large and Broken Spoke in particular, you see that some of the town's residents are also not as perfect in their thinking.  Even Corinne's new friend Kitsy admits that she was only interested in being friends with Corinne at the beginning because she was from NYC, a place that Kitsy dreams about.  I am left with only one question at the end, what is Bubby's full name?  Was it there and I somehow skimmed right over it?  Or do we never learn it?  Still, he was so obviously a better choice over Rider who was clearly using her (though I, for some reason, thought that was also going to use her model-like brother in that cornflower photo shoot he took of him-maybe an album cover? but, that never transpired).

I'm leaving you with this quote from the beginning.  Because, like Candide, I favor optimism and believe that even when things look seemingly bad, generally something good can come of it.

And just think, somewhere right now a butterfly might be flapping its wings and altering your future in some peculiar, yet beautiful way.

Pages: 291

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Hartley is having the worst day of her life.  First she finds out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her with the queen of chastity (who is not sounding so pure here) and when she goes to confront him (by sneaking into his house through his window), she discovers the dead body of said queen (Courtney Cline) stuffed inside his closet.  Josh, her boyfriend, sneaks into her room the night of the murder and pleads with her to help him out.  Hartley doesn't believe her now ex-boyfriend Josh did it, though the police are doing their best to track him down to arrest him.  She agrees to help him out by discovering the truth.  The novel follows the misadventures of one girl turned sleuth as she attempts to discover who the murderer is, before she herself is killed in the process.  She is aided by her best friend, Sam, and "bad boy" Chase (who is also the editor of the school paper who is willing to help out if only to get an exclusive).  There is a little tension between the two, but it isn't explored all that much.  After a bit of prodding, another girl turns up dead, this one a "princess" of chastity and one of the best friends of Courtney.  As Hartley closes in on the killer, will she be the next victim?  This was a fun read, and so I will be hunting down her next adventure (there was a brief preview of it in my copy of the book-well, rather the library's book).  My one big complaint?  So many of the girl characters had boy-type names, well, I admit in my tiredness, I was getting a bit confused!

Pages: 308

Okay, it has taken me like an hour to write this up.  That is just sad.  I am going to take a break from writing and go back to my reading.

Total pages: 928
Hours reading: 12 hours 30 minutes
Hours blogging 1 hour 15 minutes

Checking in, the abridged version.

I'm late, late, late!  I was supposed to have been to the theatre between 2 and 3, but got so involved in my last book that I didn't want to leave until I was done.  So, I'm sorry to say, there will be no reviews at the moment, but I will let you in on what I've read so far.

Over the course of six hours reading time, I have gotten through:

The Haunted Schoolhouse by Sally Watson - she always wins me over with ginger boys with Scottish accents.
Illuminated by Erica Orloff
Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley - which, in some way, reminded me of the "So Charmed" novels by Jenny B. Jones.

But, more on those after I get home, whenever that will be.  My only saving grace at the moment is that I don't believe my first rehearsal time is until 4, when the baby crocs take the stage.  The show is Peter Pan and I am playing Smee, a mermaid, and fairy dust.  I finally have a named role!  This is a big deal.

More later.

So, six hours reading.  15 minutes blogging.  15 minutes of attempting to find all of my costume pieces.  And, I'm off!

Starting Line 2012

"We are about to brave the storm in a skiff made of paper, and how it will end, God only knows." -1776

So, once more into the breach I go with MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Reading Challenge.  This year, however, I do know that I am not going for all 48 hours.  I actually have my dance recital this weekend, so I figure I'll be lucky if I break the 20 hour mark.  Still, I have a stack of books to read (though not as large as I had hoped due to an unfortunate incident of not being able to attend BookExpo this week).

So, I started blogging this at 8:30, and will conclude my reading at 8:30 Sunday morning.

And, go...

Starting with another Sally Watson, as tradition dictates.  Except, I've nearly run out of them!  Oh horrors!  And no new Cat Royal book this year, either.

(Oh, to go back to last year's starting post comment about Backstreet Boys, I was at the dance studio the other night and there were two girls talking about this band N*Sync, who they thought was from the 90s but weren't quite sure.  It's not like anyone had ever heard about them.  Wow, did I feel old at that point!)

Done! ::confetti::

Hurrah! The 6th annual 48 hour reading challenge is over for the year (for me).

I totally slowed down at the end as far as quantity of books. In those 3 o'clock morning hours after going nearly 48 hours with no sleep, you start to re-read sentences, paragraphs, and just when you get to the end of the page, you miss the last sentence so you have to go reread the entire page. Or at least that is what it somehow felt to me.

The only two that I am going to count for this post (I have a few others that I started, but did not complete) are:

Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George

(I will be editing in thoughts a little later, right now I'm blank, like a white canvas.)

Time spent reading: 46 hrs, 50 minutes
Blogging: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total time: 48 hours
Books read: 14
Pages read: 3774
Donations: $46.25 (14 books & 17 comments)

Happy reading for all those still working away on the challenge. I'm looking forward to catching up on everyone's blogs after a nap, or church, whichever I decide to do in the near future (and no, they are not the same).

Despair poisoned by hope.

It sounds like there is a storm a'brewing. That and there must have been an accident or some such thing because the sirens keep going off. Hopefully nothing too serious. All this excitement I could have missed had I chosen to not stay up! Eight hours left. Eight hours left. Am I going to make it? I certainly hope so!

Three more books for you (yes, this year is all about "3's").

Black Watch by Gregory Burke

This year's play selection! Set partially in Scotland and partially in Iraq, the play deals with the last Black Watch regiment before they were disbanded. The author me with some of the soldiers once they were home and after conducting interviews, this was the result. The show recently toured in the US (and I had to hunt down the new version with its new cover of the play for a while, and I'm happy I waited because it does include photos from the touring production-and Kenzie is so adorable). I was fortunate enough to have seen this play (in addition to The Great Game performed at Shakespeare Theatre in DC this past year. The unfortunate aspect of reading this play is there is a lot that you miss visually, especially the choreography. Take "Blueys", for example. Them telling you about the soldiers' reading their letters from home and then signing out the contents of the letter is nowhere near as moving by just reading it. Nor can you get the action of the 10 second fights or the beauty of some of the music (hey, what can I say, I like bagpipe music). Word of caution, there is a lot of swearing.


My Double Life by Janette Rallison

I got this nagging feeling about halfway through reading this that I had already read this novel. Or maybe it was just one very much like? Alexie is a dead ringer for rock star Kari Kingsley. When Kingsley agent offers Lexi a chance to be Kari's double, she jumps at the chance upon learning that she and Kari are half-sisters. Is there a chance she can finally meet her dad? Not to mention what other hot young celebrities might be heading Lexi's way. But can she balance her personal life with Kari's public life without things exploding? Dun, dun, dun.


Pulling Princes by Tyne O'Connell

First in a series. Calypso Kelly is an American in a posh British private school for girls. She doesn't have it all, but this year, with a little help from her mom's PA Jay (who's gay), she decides to get it all. That is, she is going to "pull" boys which will optimistically jettison her into popularity. Of course, she ends up getting more than she bargains for when Prince Freddie, heir to the throne, takes an interest in her after a fencing match. Who doesn't love boarding school stories?

Blogging time: 14 minutes


Time spent reading: 39 hrs, 4 minutes
Blogging: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Books read: 12
Pages read: 3264
Donations: $39.75 (12 books & 15 comments)

Where is my focus?

It is a major cause for celebration when I finish a book these past few hours. I've now been reading for 30 hours and 40 minutes. The veins are making their ritual appearance. Joy, joy. It's always disconcerting when you look down and see more than you want to see of your insides coming to the forefront.

What I've been reading since the wee hours of the morning...

Sugar and Spice by Kate Messner

This was actually an ARC that I acquired back at ALA last year. When I saw "skater goes to Lake Placid", I knew I had to read it. But it wasn't until I got home that I realized that the author, Kate Messner, actually lived down the street from me back when I lived in upstate NY. It was quite fun reading a book set in one's home locale. So many names and places were of a familiar nature to me. And there was the main character, Claire, playing the game "Who's that guy" with her brothers. I found it hilarious that the man the author described as being a "tall, skinny man with blond hair and glasses... and smiling like crazy" was determined to be an "alien from another galaxy posing as a geeky TV weatherman". Because, really, that is totally (in my opinion) describing the authors husband who is the weatherman for the local tv channel. So, a quite fun read, though I did figure out who the evil vixen skater was a bit earlier than Claire.

Cat's Cradle by Julia Golding

Julia Golding needs to keep pumping out her Cat Drury books every year so I will have a new one to read for the challenge. In this 6th book of the series (to go this high up, you have to order them from the UK because on the first few are currently published in the US), Cat has just returned home from her misadventures in Barbados with Billy Shepherd (whom as soon as we meet him, we have to say goodbye to him ::sniffsniff::) and is soon thrust into her latest venture which is posing as a mill worker in Scotland in order to find, perhaps, some members of her family. Many new characters were added, some nicer than others, though there were a few returning characters (mainly Syd and Frank). I'm not sure if it was the Scottish setting complete with Scottish terms, but this really reminded me so much of some of Sally Watson books. So, despite the lack of Billy Shepherd, I'm still a fan of book #6!

Kat, Incorrgible by Stephanie Burgis

What a fun novel. In a way it reminded me of Sorcery and Cecilia. Not in the format, but the whole set in early 19th century mixed with magic type way. Hah, yes, I think I've run out of things to say right now, but it was quite enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading the next adventure of our Kat (hah, two "Kat" "Cat" books in a row). Hopefully next time, there will be more teamwork with her sisters. I'm still wondering if there is any MP (Magic Potential) in Kat's eldest sister Elissa.

There, give me another 17 minutes for blogging.


Time spent reading: 30 hrs, 40 minutes
Blogging: 56 minutes
Books read: 9
Pages read: 2703
Donations: $30.00 (9 books & 12 comments)

I wish I wasn't so stubborn.

I am thinking that next year, I shall participate in the 48 hour sleep challenge. Or the 48 second reading challenge. Especially difficult is knowing that friends of yours have gone off to the beach this weekend. It is making me feel insanely jealous. But, then I look at the "pile" of books I have read, and I feel like I have accomplished at least a little something.

It is 3:15 a.m. here. What am I still doing up? And what does this mean for my reading totals? 19 hours and 10 minutes. No, I blogged for 20 minutes of that time. So my total reading time has been 18 hours and 50 minutes. Not too shabby, I guess.

What have I read?

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn.

Fourth in the Lady Julia Grey mystery series. I have a bad tendency to mix the first book in this series in my head with the first book of Tasha Alexander's series. So, I really don't remember how the series started other than by the death of Lady Julia's husband by murder which lead to investigations helmed by Nicholas Brisbane (now her husband). This one is set in India (maybe). It is a mystery. I am tired. What more do you want me to write. Are you even reading this?

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

I read the first book in this series (The Ghost and the Goth) and really enjoyed it. The sequel did not fail to delight me, though I have to wonder where the author is going to go from this ending. Like all good sequels (Yes, I'm looking at you, Demonglass), the author introduces a super secret organization that may or may not be on the side of right. Our hero must choose his partner in his battle. Does he stick with the dead or the living? And, really, who is "living" by the end?

The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton

Full disclosure, I first learned of this book thanks to being Facebook "friends" with the author's brother (he is an actor and I enjoyed him in Les Miserables on Broadway). Therefore, I had to read her book. It was a very fun book. Our ten-year-old heroine, Persimmony Smudge, in the process of breaking her family's "Giving Pot", losing her hat, and running away from a fearsome poisoned-tongued jumping tortoise, learns of a devious plot hatched by the underground-dwelling Leafeaters. Which can only lead to the discovery of... a giant? Quite entertaining!

And, I am now reading a book by an author from my hometown. I recognize things. How frightening (in a good way, of course)!

Oh, and there's another 19 minutes blogging.

Ye olde tally:

Time spent reading: 18 hrs, 50 minutes
Blogging: 39 minutes
Books read: 6
Pages read: 1729
Donations: $20.25 (6 books & 9 comments)

And then I found out the truth... finally.

Hi, there! I've been reading now for, um, let's see... I started at 8:05 and now it is 3:24. That means I been at it for 7 hours and 19 minutes. And have only read three books. That seems a bit lax. Hmm. Especially when I see how much else there is to be read!

What have I read?

Linnet by Sally Watson

I actually picked one of her older books this year to read (not one of her newly published ones). To be honest, I like her old ones from the 60s better than the ones she is turning out these days. Not that I'm not grateful for additional Sally Watson books. Especially when they deal with additional stories from people you met in her earlier books. And, I actually hadn't read this one yet (very bad on my part, but she is kind of a hard, and sometimes expensive, author to find these days). Linnet is, as far as I can tell, more of a stand-alone novel than some of her others. But, perhaps it is just that I can't place her family in the context of her other stories. But, it also takes place during Queen Elizabeth I's time and the majority of the others I have read were all after that time. Still, the character Linnet does bear a shocking resemblance to many of Watson's other heroines as far as being quite modern and outspoken with her beliefs, though Linnet is also far too trustworthy. It is that aspect that gets Linnet into trouble in the first place. She has run away from home and meets a seemingly respectable gentleman on her travels to London. He takes her under his wing and instead of taking her to her relatives in London, actually deposits her into his "school" where he trains young orphaned children to be pickpockets, beggars, and cutpurses. It is quite entertaining as she matches wits with him (and of course succeeds in the end) and grows to love the other children whom she first would not deign to sit next to due to their grubbiness. Quite and enjoyable read!

My other two reads were Jennifer Sturman's And Then Everything Unraveled and And Then I Found Out the Truth. Full disclosure, I had read the first book when it had first come out a couple of years ago. It ends on a cliffhanger and I was like "I want to know what happens next like right now!" But by the time the sequel had finally been published, it had somehow slipped my mind. And actually the plot and characters had also dissipated in my memory, so I thought it best to revisit the first to fully comprehend the second. I was not disappointed in either. In And Then Everything Unraveled, we meet Cordelia (Delia to her friends), who has just learned that her mother's ship had disappeared after sending a SOS signal. T.K. (her mother) was visiting Antarctica with an environmental group. Everyone convinced that her mother is dead, Delia is sent to live in NY with her aunt Charity (Charley), though her other aunt, Patience, has control of her financial situation. Delia has never met either aunt. But is T.K. actually dead? Delia suspects not and is prompted into additional explorations of this after she receives a mysterious cell phone call of static. Her new friend traces it to Patagonia, very "near" where her mother's ship was last spotted. With the help of her friend, a possible boy interest, a psychic, and a pony-filled tie-wearing private investigator, Delia intends to find out the truth. And she does. But not fully until the second book. But, don't worry, I won't spoil you for it.

Really, how can you not want to read this author's books when the first book is dedicated to Michelle Jaffe. (I personally love her Bad Kitty novels and am eagerly waiting book number three, whenever that is coming out.)

Now, back to reading. But before that, a tally.

Time spent reading: 7 hrs, 19 minutes
Blogging: 20 minutes
Books read: 3
Pages read: 730
Donations: $10.25 (3 books & 5 comments)

Getting started

You know, I was just about ready to throw the towel in. The New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert is coming on in about an hour and how could I want to miss that?! Well, I'm working beyond that addiction and am turning off the television, brushing my teeth, and grabbing a good book (hopefully it will turn into more than just one).

Starting with Linnet by Sally Watson. Because I traditionally start with a Sally Watson book. And I am nothing if not traditional.

Good luck everyone and happy reading!

The great charity reveal.

I'm going to spare you the picture of how many books I have stacked up and ready to go for the challenge. No, really, I am. If I only read 16 books last year, I'm not sure why I'm being so downright optimistic about this year. Still, one can always strive to reach the "impossible dream" (and by that, I mean to actually have read all of the books I have in my house).

When it comes down to, it would be too embarrassing to admit how much I plan and look forward to this weekend. Something you might realize if you saw all of my books.


Okay, this is not my pile of books. Just a picture of our book drop after being closed a couple of days for the blizzards last year. Whew! What a lot of check ins!

And, my charity has been chosen! I looked around (okay, flying into a panic today because I hadn't figured out who to donate to though I did have some thoughts running around in my mind, trust me) and I decided to stay local. This year, I am going to support QACCA Our Haven Shelter, which is my county's homeless shelter. I think that this will be a nice balance with my co-worker Erin who is also doing the challenge (she also makes delicious cookies, believe me). Her chosen charity, Animal Resource Foundation (ARF) is an animal rescue organization. Aren't we both upstanding citizens of our county?

So, for every book I read, I will donate $3. For every comment I receive during the reading challenge, I will donate $.25. Run with that!

Now off to clean my bathroom. I managed to burn out my vacuum cleaner tonight attempting to clean the carpet in my bedroom. It is of some difficult type of carpeting that refuses to be cleaned. Excessive vacuuming is obviously not what it needs (which is why I then go around picking up lint bits by hand). Except now I'll have to do the entire apartment that way until I can get a replacement. Oh dear!

Hour 48 is here. Finally!

Seriously, it is challenges like this, and my obstinate nature, that only propels my natural state of being a hypochondriac into overdrive. Like, maybe I should get some sleep, but, no, we stayed up and read the entire 48 hours. Go me! Two years in a row. However, if this is going to be the weekend date this challenge is held from now on, I'm doubting that I will be participating so heavily in it in the near future because I have a new nephew. He's so adorable! And hopefully he is doing well considering I was totally selfish and didn't call to ask about him this weekend at all. He is home from the hospital, I know that. I also didn't pick up my parent's call. I need to call them now to see when they are planning on arriving here today.

So I'm kind of tossed as what to do right now. Spruce up the apartment, take a nap, or go to church. At this moment, I'm actually feeling quite perky. Energy drink kicking in 6 hours late? Maybe so.

I think, however, I will hold off doing my last few reviews until the next post.

However, here are the books I read for this homestretch:

13) A Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith
14) Nightlight by The Harvard Lampoon
15) Bad Kitty: Catnipped by Michelle Jaffe
16) Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
17) Hunger Games (audiobook) by Suzanne Collins


Time spent reading/blogging: 48 hours
Books read: 16
Pages: 4118
Money donated: $75.25

Let the partying begin!

38 hours 20 minutes... end is nearing!

I'm getting to that veiny point in the competition, where the veins on my feet, legs, hands, and arms make their appearance. Needless to say, this last 12 hours or so are my favorite. From what I can recall from last year. However, new plan for tomorrow morning is, despite how scummy I feel, I fully intend to read/walk my way over to the playground area that they have by the school/church right next to me and doing the last couple of hours over there. I did that tonight before it got too dark and it was quite lovely getting to see someplace that wasn't the living room in my apartment. And I can rest quite comfortably reading a book on the slide. I'll have to remember this for next year.

New reading updates:

9) Hilary McKay's Wishing For Tomorrow. So, no lie, I grew up loving Burnett's A Little Princess. One of my all-time favorites. So when I discovered that there was going to be a sequel of sorts, I had to jump all over that one. And I am quite pleased with the result. The first couple of chapters do have bits from the original novel (basically the banquet/Sara finding the "Indian Gentleman") but it mainly deals with life at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary after Sara leaves. The main thread throughout the story of the girls' left behind is Ermengarde and how she deals with losing her best friend. Or how she thinks she has lost her. But, McKay does a wonderful job of fleshing out Lotte, Lavinia, Jessica, the two Miss Minchins in addition to adding new characters like Alice (the new maid-love her!), Tristram (the boy next door), and Bosco (the cat). This is going to be a book that I buy to keep!

10) Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. I didn't mean to read two 12 Dancing Princesses books for the challenge, it just happened. Why I haven't read this one earlier, I don't know. My only defense is that once I own a book, it gets regulated to "read last" status because I always have a billion books checked out. I've loved Jessica Day George back when I read her first novel, Dragon Slippers, so I was happy to read these fairy tales retold she has been doing. This was is a lot more traditional retelling of the story (as opposed to The Thirteenth Princess) but still very well told. I love the knitting knight Galen. And, I think with all books based on this story, there is the lack of character development except for a few of the major princesses just because there are so many of them. These princesses all had flower names as their mom was big into flowers. She was also the cause of them being cursed to dance (and then marry) the half-demon princes because her mom made a deal with their dad. Good idea, right? So not. Very fun read.

11) Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George. I fought to get this book from the Bloomsbury Publishers at ALA Midwinter this year. I knew what I wanted, but it was at the bottom of their stack. After asking three times, however, someone was willing to go get it for me. And I loved it! This one is a sequel of sorts to Princess of the Midnight Ball and focuses on Poppy, one of the middle princesses (and a twin) who is sent to Breton as part of a new royal exchange program. Not that the king wants her there because his son happened to die attempting to break their curse back when they had to dance every night. So hostilities from that direction. And then she meets Prince Christian who just happens to be captivated by a former lady now servant Eleanora? Something is not quite right, and Poppy will need to use all of her wits and knitting power to set things on their correct course. A twist on the Cinderella story, but who is the real Cinderella? Needless to say, it was worth every moment spent annoying the publishers for my ARC of it.

12) Ouran High School Host Club Vol 1 by Bisco Harori. Jo seemed to very much like this series. I just didn't get into it. Maybe I need to read it when I'm not so tired? I'm not sure. Oh well.


Time spent reading/blogging: 38 hours, 20 minutes
Books read: 12
Pages: 3239
Money donated: $58.75

27 hours and still going

But maybe not all that strong. I'm sensing a need for chocolate in the near future. Especially because I seem quite excited that my newest book, Hilary McKay's Wishing For Tomorrow, has pictures.

More books, please.

7) I somehow sense that there are going to be a lot more sequels I am going to want to read in the near future. Like Y.S. Lee's The Agency: A Spy in the House. A fun, light Victorian mystery romp. At age twelve, Mary Quinn, orphan and convicted criminal, fell off the scaffold and into the care of Anne Treleaven, the headmistress of Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. There she is educated and at age 17 becomes a part of the "The Agency", a select organization of crime-solving women. Because who really expects Victorian women to be all that exciting? So you know that while there are good women in the story, that means there is also going to be bad women, too. Just have to figure out who is who. Her first mission is to infiltrate a rich merchant's home as a lady's companion. Then the real adventure begins! Looking forward to the next Agency book.

8) Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede. I might have hit this book at the wrong time because it came highly recommended to me, but it just seemed to drag. Maybe I'm just getting to the point of tiredness due to lack of sleep.

Last night Jo and I read out loud to each other the first half of Nightlight. We also spent a couple hours resting our eyeballs and listened to more of The Hunger Games also did this during breakfast which was thoughtfully provided for us by Jo's mom and her sister. Yay! In addition, I ate a piece of the best chocolate chip pie I ever had thanks to my friend and co-worker, Erin.

Now back to reading hard-core. Seriously. ;)

Time spent reading/blogging: 27 hours, 20 minutes
Books read: 8
Pages: 2214
Money donated: $42.00

17 hours in...

Alas, poor Yorick, I sense no sleep for me tonight. No sleep, and no air conditioning. It was supposed to be fixed yesterday afternoon. No show. This afternoon. No show until almost 7. Then, apparently some other part was broke and since it was too late to buy the part (and are these places closed on Saturdays?) I was informed that I would have to wait until Monday. Vexed, you say? Vexed was way back there. It's been over a week now. ::grumblegrumble::

There are so many worse things out there. I shouldn't be complaining about a silly thing like that. Besides, just think of the savings on my electric bill!

I have now read three more books! So...

4) Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. Any book in it that discusses musicals (even if it is Grease) is fine by me. And, there even was a mention of how the musical differed from the movie, that's a nice plug. Lucius managed to create a rather large explosion his freshman year of high school and blew off his arms. Now he has hooks. His scars are quite visible to the outside world, making him open to torment by fellow students. Aurora's mother recently died of cancer. Her scars are inward and I got the feeling she didn't talk much about her mother with her new friends. They are both new to the school, their respective parents having moved them to a new school district for a new beginning. I thought it was a good read. Plus, Aurora's father was the school librarian. The awesome one would could find you research. Gotta love that!

Took a break from reading books and switched on an audiobook of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games for dinnertime. We are doing this book for a summer book discussion shortly and I need a refresher. Somehow, though, listening to Katniss talk about the time she nearly starved and how Peeta saved her made me feel not so hungry anymore. It was like the time I was at Dachau Concentration Camp and we had just watched the introductory film filled with starving prisoners and some American stood up after the video was ended and loudly proclaimed, "Well, it's time to go get something to eat!". Tact much?

5) The Everafter by Amy Huntley. One of those books that I probably needed to read. Why? Because I form strange attachments to inanimate objects just like Madison Stanton, the protagonist, did. And now that she is dead, she has discovered that through the objects she's lost throughout her life, she can go back and revisit those moments. Until she finds the missing object and the experience of that memory is forever lost to her. It made me wonder just what sort of lost objects I would find in my own "Is", though I would go beyond year 17 now. I was surprised just how she died. I wasn't quite expecting that.

6) The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler. A fairy tale, retold. This one of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses". Jo recommended that I read it next. It was light and enjoyable, having the tale told with an extra princess. One who is, unfortunately, regulated to working as a servant because her father, the King, blamed her for causing her mother's death. And for not being a boy. Despite that, Zita (unlike her sisters who's names all start with "A's"), has turned out to be a well-adjusted girl who, during the course of the book, befriends a stablehand, a witch, and a soldier, all on her quest to help her sisters end their curse. I did figure out earlier on who the bad witch was. I'm not sure if I should be proud of myself, or not!

Currently reading: The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee - Fun!

Time spent reading/blogging: 17 hours, 15 minutes
Books read: 6
Pages: 1567
Money donated: $31.50

9 hours in...

And I feel like I'm moving at a snail's pace reading my books. All will be well, though, I am sure. As long as I have four total done by hour 12, I think I should reach my goal. Maybe? Goal being to at least match the amount I read last year.

So, what have I been reading so far?

First up was Castle Adamant by Sally Watson. She's an old favorite of mine who just recently started writing again. Or at least publishing her books again. The problem with her books that generally her characters are at least slightly related to characters from other books and it makes me want to go read the other ones again! Watson again wrote a fabulously eccentric female character from the time of the Civil War in England, Verity. She being a Roundhead "kidnapped" by Royalists and ending up at a Royalist stronghold Castle Corfe. Pretty much all of Watson's main female characters give me hope that maybe men out there really do prefer their women intelligent instead of just easy-going, as of course Verity was going to end up with the snappish Peregrine, as they battled out their feelings for God, country, and themselves with a dialogue peppered with Latin, Greek, and Bible scripture. A rewarding read.

Next we turned our thoughts to modern times with a paranormal twist. In other words, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. So I figured out some of the villainy ahead of time in this book, however, I wasn't quite prepared for all the treachery or the death. I can see why Jo would want me to read it as it is very entertaining and pulls you in. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Thirdly, was Julia Golding's Black Heat of Jamaica, the fifth book in the Cat Drury books. I had to order this one from the UK because it wasn't out yet and I can't say enough about the fun that is this series. Seriously. Not to mention we have Billy Shepherd actually acting, dare I say it, passably nice to Cat in this one. Actually, most of the major players from earlier books were gone in this volume and we were left with many a villain. Or at least scoundrels and one villain (Kingston Hawkins). And believe you me, he was up to great and terrible things. Looking forward to the next adventure with Cat (yes, I actually already have this one pre-ordered) but it is going to be a lengthy wait.

And now I'm reading Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.

Hours: 9.5ish now
Books read: 3
Pages: 883
Money donated: $15.75

Ready, set, go!

"The moment we have all been waiting for," quote Jojo. And I'm ready to start this thing.

My charity of choice this year is a couple from my church who are in the midst of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia. So, I am doing $5 per regular book read, $1 per graphic novel, and $.25 per valid comment on my blog. I can wait to meet their new son!

And now it starts with a Sally Watson book, as tradition dictates. Hopefully my air conditioning issue will be fixed today.