Bout of Books 20 Sign up

Finally, a Bout of Books that I can sign up for and fully participate in. Bout of Books 20 starts on the 21st of August (which happens to be my birthday) and continues until Sunday the 27th of August. As the BOB is my favourite readathon, I am treating this as my birthday present from the bookish gods. Thanks guys!

I’m currently only working 13 hours a week and can spend a couple of those hours reading anyway, so I am planning on doing lots of reading throughout the readathon. I’ll try and participate in some of the challenges and bookish events and will also be hanging out on twitter. If we’re not following one another already, please add me @bookybecksa, because I’d love more readathon’ers to chat with over there.

I haven’t set myself any goals for recent readathons, but as this is my birthday readathon, I’ve decided some goals would be best. A TBR will be posted the day before the readathon starts.

GOALS

Read 1500 pages.
Finish four books.
Write reviews for all books read, as I read them. (important or else they don’t get reviewed)
Participate in 3 challenges.
MAKE NEW BOOKISH FRIENDS! (most important)

If you haven’t already signed up for the readathon, I encourage you to do so, over at the Bout of Books website. This is one of the best bookish events that you can participate in.

#24in48 readathon updates

So… I decided to do some tracking here on the blog. I’ll just be updating this post with any of the challenges and check ins that actually happen. 

Hour 1- 

Where in the world are you reading from this weekend? 

Adelaide, South Australia

Have you done the 24in48 readathon before?

No, I haven’t. 

Where did you hear about the readathon, if it is your first?

I heard about it on twitter, a year or so ago.

What book are you most excited about reading this weekend?

Off Reservation by Bram Connolly, it’s by a local author and I loved the first book in the series.

Tell us something about yourself.

I never know what to write for these sections. 

Remind us where to find you online this weekend.

Here on Ranty Runt of a Reader and on twitter, @bookybecksa

24 in 48 Readathon

I’ve decided to have another spin at a readathon – this time the 24 in 48 readathon. It runs this weekend, the 22^nd – 23^rd July. You can find more information about this event at their blog, and if you are participating, please leave a comment below so I can follow you wherever you will be keeping track of your progress.

I’ve tried this event once before and I think I only read three hours that whole weekend. This weekend is actually somewhat busy for me – I have a family event from 2:30 on Sunday, so I will try and get most of my reading done on Saturday. Although the challenges are posted according to American timezones, I will be sticking to the Australian weekend, for ease of completing the event.

I will be more active during this readathon over at twitter: @bookybecksa. I may or may not post challenges and a wrap up here. Onto the more interesting aspects of a readathon – the expected, and quickly disregarded, TBR!

Off Reservation – Bram Connolly – 278p

A Promise to Kill – Ace Atkins – 288p

Frankenstein – Mary Shelley – 48% remaining

#MakeMeRead Readathon – Sign up & Poll

The make me read it readathon is a newer readathon hosted by Val @ The Innocent Smiley, and Ely @ Tea and Titles. It is running from July 9th – 16th, and if you want to join me you can find the sign-up post over here.

The difference about this readathon is that you guys get to decide what (and in which order) I will read during the week. So please take a couple of seconds to select one of the options in the poll below!

I’m planning on setting a goal of 3 books during the #makemeread -athon, but I’ve listed 5, and I will read them in order of which books get the most votes. They are all part of the #20booksofsummer challenge, and I will still be reading a large chunk of Middlemarch during this week too!

I won’t be updating the blog daily during the readathon, I find that to be too time consuming – but I will be active on twitter – @bookybecksa and will post a wrap up at the end of the readathon.

 

Bout of Books #16 Sign up & TBR

Hey guys! I’m emerging out of blogging and reading obscurity to take part in one of my favourite bloggy/reading events – Bout of Books! I’m looking forward to dedicating a whole week to catching up with some of my favourite authors and shunning the outside world.

I am going to challenge myself this time to read over 2,000p over the week, so I won’t be committing too much else. There will be no blog updates on here, and I might complete a challenge or two, but they won’t be my priority. Also, I’ve decided not to host a challenge this BOB, so that’s a little pressure off my shoulders. Interesting to see that all the challenges will be hosted on the Bout of Books blog this year. If you haven’t before, and are interested in this wonderful event, check them out here.

Most of my Bout of Books’ing will happen on twitter, where I am @bookybecksa and am much more active than here! I’m trying twitter as my primary platform because I find blogging to be time intensive during a readathon, and I always end up having to compose and combine multiple day’s updates in one post. If I remember, I will post a summary/wrap up at the end of the week, linking that to the Bout of Books blog too.

I’ve got a cautionary TBR prepared, but will allow myself room to mood read if need be. I’ve tried to include long but easy reading books and new books by favourite authors so that I can hopefully hit my word count!

TBR

Novels

Deathlist – Chris Ryan
Fire Point – Sean Black
State of Emergency – Andy McNab
The Black Echo – Michael Connelly
First Response – Stephen Leather
Dead Girl Sing – Tony Cavanaugh

Short stories/Novellas

Budapest/48 – Sean Black
The Soft Touch – Tony Cavanaugh
The Sandpit – Stephen Leather

#Slaythatseries Readathon TBR

Hey guys, just a really quick post today to share my TBR for the the #slaythatseries readathon. I will be participating in this mostly on twitter (@bookybecksa), but will post a wrap up at the end of the week here too.

This is a really busy week for me, I have two assignments due, writing obligations and plans with family and friends, so I’m not going to be attempting to break any of my own records here. My goal is to complete two books, but if I find myself reading heaps I won’t hold back unless it gets in the way of my uni assignments.

The books I am planning on reading for this are;

Off the Grid – C.J. Box (Joe Pickett) 

Promise – Tony Cavanaugh (Darian Richards) 

The Train Rider – Tony Cavanaugh (Darian Richards)

Dead Girl Sing – Tony Cavanaugh (Darian Richards) 

State of Emergency – Andy McNab (Buckingham) 

Firepoint – Sean Black (Ryan Lock) 

A Song for the Dying (Stuart MacBride)

They are all the latest books in series that have been released in the last year or two, except the Darian Richards Series which I have to catch up on because I’ve read (and loved #4) but not read the previous 3!

BOB15: Day 6 & 7 and Wrap-up!

Another Bout of Books has brought itself to a close, and I sure did get some reading done! I’m surprised by how much progress I have made, considering I’m mid EDS flare-up. Most of my reading has been done in my bed and up late at night when I just. can’t. sleep. I’m thinking about investing in a bean-bag, although I HATE the look of them, because it’s either that or a swimming pool.

So, my figures for the weekend were okay, I finished another book on Sunday night.

Day 6:

91p of The Business of Dying by Simon Kernick

Day 7:

246p of The Business of Dying by Simon Kernick – Completed

Total for readathon: 1,536

My goals for this readathon were:

• Write an update post daily on Ranty Runt, even if it is just what I have read and a cumulative total – I did provide updates of each day, even though the last four days were condensed into two posts. I will take this as a win. I might do this on twitter next Bob.
• Participate in 2 challenges – I participated in one challenge.
• Be a social butterfly and read & comment on at least three updates per day – I commented on quite a few blogs over the bob, not sure if it would equal three a day. 
• Read 2000 pages.  – I read 1536p. Not the goal, but I’m still happy with it. Way more than I would normally read!
• POST MY CHALLENGE AT THE RIGHT TIME – I nailed this one!

So, that’s the end of this Bob, I don’t think I will host a challenge next time around – I enjoy doing it, but it might just be more than I can handle during semester. Hope everyone else had a great bob, and I’ll see you all in May? Is it May? I think so.

BOB15: Day 4 & 5

So, I missed completing my update for day 4 – I had a very busy day at work, and today hasn’t been much better. So I’ve combined the two together. In better news, we purchased a brand new BBQ, and are going to buy an outdoor setting in the next couple of weeks too. I’m excited to be able to have a BBQ outside again, I haven’t been able to entertain outside since I left home at 18. I’m seeing many snags, chops and steaks in my future. Maybe some prawns too.

My reading over the past couple of days has been good, but not great. I finished another book last night and have picked up another, but they are so similar I’m confusing my storylines up. I’m going to select something completely different next.

Day 4: 

167p of The Devil’s Bounty by Sean Black

Total for today: 167p

Day 5:

233p of The Devil’s Bounty by Sean Black – Completed

109p of The Business of Dying by Simon Kernick

Total for today: 342p

Total for readathon: 1,199p

Books completed: 3
Birthdays for the Dead – Stuart MacBride
Dead Wake – Erik Larson
The Devil’s Bounty – Sean Black

BOB15: Day 3

Just a very quick update this afternoon – I managed to finish Dead Wake last night, and spent a couple of hours reading at work this morning. We had the BF’s parents over and we went out for dinner then stayed up talking, which is the time I normally read.

The Rainbow challenge went really well, there were some beautiful responses and some brilliant rainbows. I have already contacted the giveaway winner, and I’m always intrigued as to which book they are going to select. I don’t know why it interests me, but on one occasion before I actually purchased myself a copy!

I’m hoping to get some serious reading done over tomorrow and the weekend, but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to make my 2,000 word goal. It’s not the end of the world, of course, but I had just been hoping that I was going to hit that shiny target.

I’m going to spend a little time tonight putting together the Agnes Grey readalong – I feel like February will be here before we know it! I’m so excited to be able to read it with you guys, and I’m going to go scour the internets for interesting stuff to post in accompaniment.

Hope everyone’s days went swimmingly, and thank you to everyone who entered the rainbow challenge!

Day 3: 

250p of Dead Wake by Erik Larson – Completed

Total for today: 250p
Total for readathon: 690p

Books completed: 1
Birthdays for the Dead – Stuart MacBride
Dead Wake – Erik Larson

Day 3 Bout of Books Challenge: RAINBOWS!

Congratulations, you have made it to day three of Bout-of-Books 15.0!

We are getting to the middle of the readathon now, where enthusiasm either wanes, or you are so enthusiastic you are putting aside other necessities to read, like work/sleep/school, and it’s now catching up with you! It doesn’t matter if you are so sleep deprived you can no longer tell your red wine from your white, or your golden retriever from your Russian blue (one’s a cat, the other a dog, for future reference), or your black tshirt from your white collared shirt.

Actually… I lie, all those skills are essential for the rainbow challenge! You have two options – the cover challenge and the author challenge.

For the cover challenge, collect books from your bookshelf (physical or virtual) and make yourself a rainbow using the covers. A rainbow is ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). Then take a photo or arrange images of those books into a rainbow, and either post to twitter (@bookybecksa & #boutofbooks), post to your own blog and leave me a link in the comments below or simply comment below with your response!

Here is my attempt at the challenge. You don’t actually have to shape it like a rainbow, but I decided to go all out! I’m also thinking I need to go book shopping for yellow books, because there is a current shortage on my bookshelves.

For the author challenge, use authors surnames to complete an acrostic poem style rainbow of ROYGBIV – you can only use surnames and no prefixes (eg. Vincent van Gogh could be used for a G, not a V). Any ‘writer’ is acceptable, for example, playwrights, poets and comic book/graphic novel authors)

Try to fill your list with authors you have read, and that way I can learn about you and your tastes! If not, branch out and select an author you would like to read. If you still can’t find an author (I’m looking at you, Y) then select someone people have likely heard of!

R – Rankin, Ian

O – Owen, Wilfred

Y – Yeats, William Butler

G – Gaiman, Neil

B – Bronte, Emily

I – Ignatius, David

V – Vonnegut, Kurt

The prize!

Once you have completed either challenge (you don’t have to complete both) you are eligible to go into the running for a free book! As long as you have either commented on this blog post or mentioned me on twitter (@bookybecksa) you will go into the running.

• The winner of this challenge will receive a book from bookdepository.com up to the value of US$15, as long as The Book Depository ships to you.
• The challenge winner will be selected by random number generator and notified either by comment on their blog or a tweet on twitter, depending on how you enter the competition.
• You must be a Bout of Books participant to win the giveaway.I will verify that the winner is signed up.
• Only one entry per participant will go into the draw

THE CHALLENGE IS NOW OVER! NO NEW COMMENTS WILL BE APPROVED