Haha, well, don't say I didn't warn you because I TOTALLY did. For the first time ever, I currently have THREE read-a-thons and reading challenges overlapping right now. So, alongside the Olympic Read-a-Thon and the Review Copy Cleanup, allow me to introduce... the Summer Wrap-Up Read-a-Thon. Oh yeah. Hosted by Jennifer at Some Like It Paranormal and Jude at In Between, this particular summery read-fest runs from August 4-12th, taking us neatly up to Bout of Books which starts on August 13th. ;)
All the details, including the sign-up linky and read-a-thon schedule, are available at the host blogs; as usual, the linky is the same on both so you only need to sign up ONCE.
MY UPDATES
As this is a nine-day read-a-thon, involving all sorts of challenges and giveaways as well as the usual obsessive page counting, I'm going to divide my updates into three posts, each covering three days' worth of reading. Hopefully this will avoid bombarding my readers, but also allow me the space to include photos, chatter, videos, whatever, without ending up with a single epic unwieldy post by the end! I'll add links to the later posts here to keep things organised and easy to find. As always, I'll also be chatting and updating on Twitter using the character-savingly petite read-a-thon hashtag #SWUR. My handle is @Bookshop_Girl - see you there!
My other SWUR posts:
Wicked Summer Cover Challenge (Day 1) - click HERE
Second SWUR update post (Days 4-6) - click HERE
Book Puzzle Challenge (Day 4) - click HERE
Third SWUR update post (Days 7-9) - click HERE
MY BOOKS
I'll be starting with my current two reads, Review Copy Cleanup contender To Be a Cat by Matt Haig, and July Random Reads straggler Diana by Sarah Bradford.
After that... well, let's just say I'm not going to go short of options. Here are just a small sample of the possibilities on my endless TBR pile! For the (fairly) complete list, check out my Mount TBR page HERE. :)
DAY 1: SATURDAY
What I've been reading: It was MEANT to be To Be a Cat by Matt Haig...
Books
finished: None yet!
Total
number of books finished: None yet!
Number of
pages today: 0
Total
number of pages: Don't make me say it again, dude
Challenges: Show Us Your TBR (see below), Wicked Summer Cover Challenge
Challenges: Show Us Your TBR (see below), Wicked Summer Cover Challenge
The
Menu: Lots of unhealthy food that I won't list because I DIDN'T READ ANYTHING!
Today
#insixwords: Zero pages on day one? *blushes*
Thoughts
for the day: I had such high hopes, I swear - but life conspired against me today. I was up too late to read before work, the shop was... well, manic... and when I got home I had a shower, ate dinner, caught up on Twitter, and now I'm going straight to bed. I'm too tired to think straight, let alone read a book! On the plus side, with the shop being so busy I may not have been able to read, but I DID spend some time catching up with my Twitter buddies and their read-a-thon efforts, visiting a few participating blogs, and doing challenges, so that was fun!
Show Us Your TBR Challenge
Here's a quick peek at part of my TBR pile! I'm already reading To Be a Cat and Diana; the rest are some of the many titles on my mental 'maybe this summer!' list... This kinda forms my challenge entry for the Show Us Your TBR challenge over at Some Like it Paranormal too, even though the book pics above would probably have done the same job. Photos are more fun though, right?!
DAY 2: SUNDAY
What I've been reading: To Be a Cat by Matt Haig
Books finished: None yet!
Total number of books finished: None yet!
Number of pages today: 105
Total number of pages: 105
Challenges: Hotter than Summer (see below)
The Menu: Choc chip muffins, coffee, Hula Hoops, Ovaltine Light Original, banana, Options white hot chocolate, chocolate crackle, apricots, strawberries, garlic bread
Today #insixwords: That's more like it, young lady! :)
Thoughts for the day: I feel better already... I got up quite early this morning so I had a bit of time to read before work, and although I was getting tired and flustered during the (very busy) day at the shop, I stuck with my aim to keep seeking refuge in my book. We have a shorter working day on Sunday anyway, so as soon as I got home I stuck a garlic pizza bread in the oven, chopped up some overripe strawberries and apricots, made a huge mug of coffee and got stuck in again. As a result, I managed to read 105 pages, sell some books, talk to customers, watch a couple of episodes of How I Met Your Mother AND get to bed on time. I wish I was this productive every day! ;)
Hotter Than Summer Challenge
This challenge, hosted by Trini at A Book Lover's Review, is guaranteed to get our cheeks (and blood!) boiling, even if the weather isn't doing the same right now! Here's my sexy character of the year so far:
Bram - Dearly Departed
For my review, click HERE.
I chose Bram because he's such a gentleman. There's no insta-attraction between him and Nora, but a growing respect and affection that then becomes love, which is refreshing. So... Bram may be a zombie, but he's also tall, dark and handsome, thoughtful, strong, protective and genuinely admiring of Nora's courage and intelligence. Very sexy traits in a man!
DAY 3: MONDAY
What I've been reading: To Be a Cat by Matt Haig
Books finished: None yet!
Total number of books finished: None yet!
Number of pages today: 71
Total number of pages: 176
Challenges: Cover Love (see below), Summer Party (ditto)
The Menu: Choc chip muffin, coffee, Ovaltine Light Original, banana, Options white hot chocolate, Hula Hoops, soya caramel latte, home-made risotto and garlic bread
Today #insixwords: I need more sleep, THEN reading.
Thoughts for the day: Another busy one today, and I've spent more time on the Twitterverse and visiting people's blog updates again... That said, I DID get some more reading done, and To Be a Cat has recovered from its slightly dull start and is getting better and better as it goes on, which is fantastic! I would probably have read more, but I've had a couple of really crap nights' sleep recently and it's messing with my concentration (Lo! The fuzzy words!), my head (Lo! The pounding temples!) and my stomach (Lo! The gurgles of doom!) so that's put a bit of a dampener on proceedings, oops... Day off tomorrow though, so I'll get as much read as I can then! :)
Cover Love Challenge
Hosted by Emily at Falling For YA, this deliciously simple challenge asks us to show off some of our favourite covers of the summer... It took a bit of searching, but here's a few I particularly like! Wake makes me want to jump in a swimming pool; My Life Next Door gives me the romantic warm 'n' fuzzies; Onyx has that hot dude on the front again; Finale is super-striking, and Throne of Glass kinda looks like it should be subtitled X Men: Storm Strikes Back. Which is AWESOME.
Summer Party Challenge
Hosted by Mackenzie at Oh, For the Love of Books, this challenge involved leaving a comment on her post describing our ideal/most fun/most creative summer party! Here's what I wrote:
"I'm a sucker for a relaxed, casual, outdoorsy kind of summer party. That means sunshine, good food, music and being surrounded by friends. In my dream world it would maybe happen on board a catamaran - one of the big open ones with the woven-belt decking. It turns half the boat into a huge sunlounger-cum-deckchair! We'd need some kind of sound system with some chilled music, and some yummy food cooking in the galley. Maybe chicken legs and buttered potatoes, salad leaves and crusty bread, then cookies and strawberries and cream, all washed down with lemonade or sangria. Mid-way through the trip we'd moor in the shallow azure water and people could swim by the boat, sunbathe and eat. Then we'd sail back at sunset and build a bonfire on the beach, and someone would be playing an acoustic guitar (there's always a guy with a guitar at these parties), and we'd stay there until it was time to go home! Okay, now I totally want to have this party... Any millionaires out there fancy chipping in?!"
Right, that's my first update post all done and dusted! Head over and join me at my next post, where I'll be updating for Days 4-6 and hopefully getting in loads more reading and challenges!
That's a big TBR pile. I hope you get as much reading as possible done. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I'm never going to read them all - especially when I'm working so much! I think my precious day off might end up half taken over by house viewings too, eek... But hey, I'm very indecisive so I'd rather have a huge pile and only read two that not have thought about it at all! ;)
DeleteLook at that TBR pile!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goals Ellie, and btw, this title -->The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists<-- cracked me up xD
Haha, I've already read THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH COMMUNISTS so I'm thinking it might be a good little read for a sluggish evening, or a particularly hellish day at work. Anything to keep me smiling through the holidays in TouristTown! :)
DeleteG'day, Ellie! How's our favourite RAT cheerleader? :) You know it just wouldn't be the same if you didn't join, right?
ReplyDeleteTo Be a Cat looks like such a cute book! I bet my daughter would enjoy that! Hope you manage to get a lot of reading done in between all your tweets!
I bet she would! It's a little like a children's version of METAMORPHOSIS or LADY: MY LIFE AS A BITCH, only with cats instead of dogs or, y'know, giant bugs...
DeleteAnd thanks for the nice welcome, sometimes I feel like people must be sick of me wittering on instead of reading, haha! :)
I can always guarantee that u will be there for a readathon and some fun ;) I agree with DArlene in above comment- it wouldn't be the same without you. I didn't know about the Olympic readathon x typing three dye in one post is a good idea. I though about doing something like that :) have u decided how u r updating your #rccleanup for the mth? Readathon are great but I spend too much time with distractions lol xx
ReplyDeleteAwwww, man, you guys are making me blush! *blushes* See?! Yeah, I thought three posts for three days was a reasonable number to avoid an unwieldy super-post AND (hopefully) save spamming my followers! I think for the Review Copy Clean-Up I'll just chat on Twitter and do a wrap-up post at the end, since I'm not page-counting or anything for that one... So many read-a-thons, so little time! :D
DeleteWow...3 read-a-thons at once!!! That's pretty impressive. This is my first and then I just signed up for Bout of Books, too, so I'm hoping to really make a dent in that good ol' tbr pile!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week and thanks for stopping by my blog.
Kristin @ Always With a Book
Yup, that's the aim! Though for me, it's partially toppling some books, and partially just encouraging me to stick my nose in a book instead of getting flustered when the shop's busy. Makes the holidays a lot more bearable if I'm not paying attention to every screaming child and every misplaced book all the time! :)
DeleteHave fun! Stephen King's Dark Tower series is my favorite series ever--it's so good. We Need to Tall About Kevin is also good, but very creepy.
ReplyDeleteI've heard very good things, so I'm looking forward to getting started! And I'm SO looking forward to Kevin, creepy or otherwise, it sounds brilliant...
DeleteYou're inspiring me to join another Readathon! I actually read more in the past week than I did for the HS Readathon. (Go figure. LOL)
ReplyDeleteHaha, I did that after the last one! Sometimes read-a-thons just come during a busy week... but at least there's the fun stuff like chatting and blog hopping and challenges to do as well, right? :)
DeleteTHE DARK TOWERRRRR! I mean, if you want to read it you're going to have to really commit to all 7 (8 now, I guess...) books, but I think you shouuuuld! Best thing everrrr!
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely... ;)
DeleteHappily, we still have a copy of book 2 on our shop shelves after Hanna swooped in and bought the rest, so if book 1 is awesome and we haven't sold it in the meantime, I know I can go straight onto the next one!
Ellie, wow, that's A LOT of books to read! ;) :) Good luck! ;) Enjoy your reading and I hope you'll achieve your goal ;) :)
ReplyDeleteOh, there's no way I'll read 'em all - but if I can finish one or two I'll be happy. I've got a bit of time on my day off on Tuesday, hopefully, and weekdays are a teeny bit quieter at the shop, so I'll do my best! :)
DeleteHappy reading & good luck! :) Yay for readathoning again! Looks like you have a nice stack to keep you company. :)
ReplyDeleteHere's what we're planning to read this RAT
Randi @ Cardigans, Coffee & Bookmarks
So many great books going on over your way! Have The Magicians, want The Fault in our Stars, need to start A Game of Thrones, totally intrigued by Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (that guy on the cover is seriously fine!)... Neil Gaiman... Jane Austen... *keels over at the sheer bookish brilliance overload*
DeleteHappy read-a-thonning to you both! :)
Hahaha, Thanks Ellie! :) I started Hold Me Closer, Necromancer last night and it is deliciously witty. Loving it!
DeleteIt's gone straight on my wishlist - consider that book bullet aimed true! :)
DeleteYay!!! ;) I hope you enjoy it!
DeleteTo Be a Cat looks funny. And I loved the Tower books! Gunslinger is a little slow, but it really picks up from book #2.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goals! :)
Thanks! To Be a Cat is... manic. Fun, but manic. Time will tell on this one, I think! :)
DeleteI'm so tempted to join SWUR, but I think I'm going to wait for Bout of Books... I don't think my brain could handle two long readathons in a row, lol. I AM however going to try to read a lot in the next 4 days I have off.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
I have no days off now except Tuesdays, so I don't know how much I'll read - but I like the social aspect and the gentle impetus to keep picking that book up in idle moments, so I'm running with it! Have some good days off - and see you at BoB! :D
DeleteFYI...I stole your update form (and added a line for challenges). Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteLet me know how the Diana book is - I am dating myself (but we're not serious...bah-dum-dum) when I tell you that I got up in the middle of the night to watch that royal wedding, along with my grandmother and mom. I come from a long line of Anglophiles.
Oooh, that's a good idea, having a challenge line! *steals it right back again* I'm enjoying the Diana book so far - it's fascinating for me, one generation down, because I never saw all that political and romantic intrigue for myself! I was only a kid when she died so for me she was always just 'the beautiful princess' and the cute princes' mother! :)
DeleteGood luck Ellie! I'm hoping day 2 is better for you, you have an awesome TBR!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jess, Sunday was much better! Still mad at the shop, but more in a bustling way rather than a stressful way, thank heavens! 100+ pages, not too shabby for a weekend day in summer... :D
DeleteWell since we've been tweeting each other the last few days, and since we're both participating in the same three challenges, I figured it was time to pop by for a visit! Obviously I'm easily distracted since I meant to visit a few days ago lol. I've actually never heard of most of these books so I'm going to have to check them out. I'm curious about the Diana book. Happy reading! :-)
ReplyDelete~Marie
Ramblings of a Daydreamer
Some of them are quite new books, I've been hearing about them during the read-a-thons recently and couldn't resist! 'Diana' was nicked from the shop, I think, and there are some review copies on there for the RC Cleanup as well. I'm just on a mad book buying spree right now, so there'll be more I'm sure! ;)
DeleteOh, and don't worry... time just seems to be flying by here! This time of year the weeks are whizzing past, let alone days. I can't keep track!
Omg, your TBR pile = drools. I received Dearly, Beloved and still have to read Dearly, Departed.
ReplyDeleteMy reading challenge post
Anne @ Everything A-TO-C
You've got some sexy menfolk on there - I'm noting all these recommendations for when we go on holiday at the end of the summer. What better time for a little sizzlin' reading, right?! ;)
DeleteThat is a huge TBR pile! Mine is as well though lol I LOVE Bram from Dearly, Departed. He is one sexy zombie!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for joining us! Happy reading and good luck getting through your goals!
I added your Show Off You Pile Post into the linky. Sorry for the trouble.
Isn't he just?! Soooo sexy... I have a nearly-1000-strong TBR pile to go at, so I try to break it down into smaller 'imminently TBR' chunks so I don't get too overwhelmed!
DeleteP.S. No worries - it won't be the last time me and a Linky list have a falling out... ;)
Looking forward to reading what you think about Rosie Hopkin's - i really liked it!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to it! I love yummy foodie novels... I think it'll either be a 'save my sanity with sweets' read over the summer, or it'll be in my suitcase for some poolside reading come September! :)
DeleteThe Leftovers has been on my TBR for a long time! As for your hottie - I still haven't read Dearly, Departed. It's on my TBR too. Good luck with your goals & thanks for stopping by my blog!!
ReplyDeleteI'm like that too - even people in the shop have noticed! They always sigh and say "Don't tell me! You've got it but you haven't read it yet..."
DeleteLove your updates :) so glad Sunday was better for you and it sounds like today hasn't being too bad either so all is good :) and hey unr getting the time to blog, twitter and do the challenges so you must be like a readathon superwoman.
ReplyDeleteI love the challenge Trini did with the drool post hehe. I am just going thru ppl's posts now :) then I need to do this one about fab covers whilst filling the treasure hunt post of covers off and then do an update post, answer comments and do twitter and triberr. Yawn. Least I did some reading today right haha!
Readthons in the school holidays are difficult because the kids get bored, my daughter who is four wants constant mummy attention so I'm juggling everything I can but 1 thing I'm determined I will do is read, sadly everything else fails. Loving my reading tho :) xx
I feel like I'm in a read-a-thon whirlwind at the moment! One endless cycle of book covers, challenges and statistics, haha. Still, it's a great way to keep my mind off work, which is when the trouble starts... :)
DeleteOh My Goodness, I thought I was being ambitious! You've chosen some heavy ones (literally) there. Good Luck with your reading and with keeping your challenges / readathons straight (I'd probably confused them! LOL)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog too ;)
Cheers!
Oh, never fear, there's no way I'll actually get through all of these! But it's nice to have a pile in mind to choose from, right? And so far so good, I'm just about keeping all the different read-a-thons straight... ish...
DeleteAwesome cover choices! I agree with all of those, how hot is the model for Onyx!? That reminds me I think that's out now/soon I'll have to order it as I enjoyed the first book!
ReplyDeleteSeriously hot... I haven't read OBSIDIAN yet but it's on my 'to buy at some point soon' list. Mostly because of the cover. ;)
Delete