Saturday, May 10, 2014

Bout of Books 10.0: [Goals and Book Pile]


 
Bout of Books reading event is only a few days away, and I've had trouble putting together a doable book pile. I usually stack a little mountain of potential books so that I was able to choose depending on the mood, but I'm not in the mood (:p) to do it this time, so here is what I have come up with:
 
 
The first two are buddy reads, which I've been reading since the beginning of the month.
 
* Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides - I'm currently about 1/4 done and it's so good. I am not going to finish this one because I want to pace my buddy reads so they last throughout the month, but I will probably be reading the next week's portion of it.
* Hyperion, Dan Simmons - same goes for this one, I'm about half done. I might finish it because Hyperion is really, really good.
* Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Goodreads says I'm 27% done with this one. I want to finish it during Bout of Books.
* The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King - the beekeeper in this case is Sherlock Holmes. Though I usually am very wary about "spin-offs" as such, this book has received quite a lot of positive feedback.
* Red Seas Under Red Skies, Scott Lynch - I swear this book has been in each and every one of my latest TBR-lists and I still haven't picked it up. If I do, however, and if it's addictive (and why wouldn't it be?), I'll probably be able to finish this in a day or two (despite the size and tiny font).
* Classics Spin #6 book, provided I have it at home the moment the number gets announced on Monday.
* My Kindle is charging right no so it ain't on the photo but I might pick up Cinder, Marissa Meyer, if I feel like it.
 
Goals:
 
* Read books from my Bout of Books list only.
* Read every day!
* Post updates daily or every other day (like I usually do).
* Participate in a few challenges that seem appealing - very big maybe though because I've been so lazy laid back lately and I suspect I won't be feeling up to that. But I might.
* Prioritise reading over Internet and Diablo III.
 
That's it, folks, happy weekend and happy Bout of Booking!

24 comments:

  1. Great looking list! I really need to get to Red Seas under Red Skies

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    1. Thanks! I do plan to get to Red Seas, since I really enjoyed the first book in the series.

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  2. Good luck on your Bout of Books goals. I hope you'll enjoy Hyperion, some of the ideas in that book are simply mind blowing.

    ~Mogsy

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    1. I couldn't resist and finished Hyperion already last night; it's a solid five star and I can't wait to check out the sequels. Thanks!

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  3. The Laurie King is the first book in a GREAT series. I have the same name as the "apprentice" of the title, so all kinds of people told me I had to read these and I'm so glad they did as I really liked them. I'm very impressed that you can restrain yourself from plowing right through MIddlesex, I think I read it in a week or so because I couldn't put it down. Looks like a solid plan.

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    1. It was difficult to put down Middlesex, ain't gonna lie, and it's probably going to be even more difficult once I finished my next batch, so we'll see how this will go :)

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  4. Hyperion has been on my radar forever... it might be time to bump that one up the TBR. Good luck with your goals!

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    1. Thanks, Charleen! I already finished Hyperion and can highly recommend, I knew about this book before, but I had no idea what it was about and I was totally blown away now that I was reading it.

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  5. Hyperion is so fantastic! For some reason I've had trouble getting revved up to read the sequel, I think because I'm afraid it will be a disappointment. The Beekeeper's Apprentice and Red Seas Under Red Skies are also pretty fantastic. Apparently, I'm a big old genre nerd. These look like great goals and a great stack despite your professed lack of motivation - good luck and I look forward to your updates!

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    1. I'm also a bit afraid of the sequal of Hyperion, although the ratings seem to be quite solid for all the books in Cantos series. I'm a genre nerd as well! :) Thanks Stephanie.

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  6. So pleased to see Middlesex and Half a Yellow Sun on your pile. Happy reading :)

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    1. Reading them both, and both are fantastic. Thanks!

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  7. If you feel like it, I definitely recommend reading Cinder :) It's a fantastic story and I think you'll be able to finish it quickly! Happy reading and good luck.

    Mel@thedailyprophecy

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    1. I'm pretty sure I'll get to Cinder during this readathon - thanks!

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  8. Good luck with your goals and have a good week! I don't think I'm joining in this time though I may have a last minute change of heart...

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    1. Thanks, Ellie. I was a bit uncertain about joining this time as well, but I figured I'm going to read anyway, so doesn't matter. I'm gonna be very low scale though and no ambitious goals or anything.

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  9. Ooooo! Red Seas Under Red Skies! I promise that it does not suffer from Second Book Syndrome. And it has PIRATES. Man, I can't wait to re-read these books...

    Anyways, YAY Bout of Books!!! I'm going to try to post my goals today.

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    1. I'm ridiculously excited to read Red Seas - I've been craving for something nautical anyway since I started Robin Hobb's mad ship trilogy. And can't wait to get back to Locke and Jean :)

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  10. Good luck and have fun! Very interested to hear your final thoughts on Middlesex.

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  11. Good luck! I'm really excited to finally be participating in this event. As a first-timer, I find it interesting to read the more seasoned participants' goals and how they reflect what has or hasn't worked for them in the past -- I guess I'll figure out these things for myself soon enough :)

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    1. Thanks, Christine! I remember it took me a while to figure out how the readathon works for me last May, when I participated for the first time, but I did and it was fun.

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  12. Hope you'll finish most of these.:)
    Such a great selection.

    I wanted to ask you, were would you recommend to start with Robin Hobb? (completely out of subject... Just saw her in your favorites)

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    1. Hey Anna, thanks! :)

      I haven't read that much Robin Hobb to be honest, only 4 books but she's one of my favourite authors indeed. I finished the Farseer Trilogy and started the next one (the Liveship one I think). I would definitely recommend to start with Assassin's Apprentice because Hobb has lots of trilogies and the characters from the first ones can briefly appear in the later ones.

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Leave a comment if you feel like it - it warms my little bookish heart. :)