Monday, August 26, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0 {Sign-ups, Goals, and Updates}

I'm determine to increase my book progress this year. And I've been reading about this Bout of Books Read-a-thon challenge, where you read as much as you can for a whole week. I decided to give it a try. TRY IT WITH ME!!!

This post will be a sticky post, so It will be up here all week, so you can check out my updates!!! 
Updates today MONDAY: ADDED SOME NEW GOALS!!!!


Bout of Books
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
I will be updating my progress on this post. So check back here all next week to see my progress!! ahh!

Time Devoted to Reading
  • My goal is to read 2 hours a day on weekdays.
  • On Saturday and Sunday at least 1 hour.
My Goals
  • My ultimate goal is to at least finish one book in that week. Since the beginning of the year it looks like I'm finishing 1 book per month or even two months. If I can read one book in this week, I will be so happy!! :) But 2 would be awesome
  • I really want to get into the bloggersphere. So I want to participate in some challenges and comment on some posts, and make some blogger friends. :) For challenges check here.
Books to Choose from
  • Want to finish "Ines del Alma Mia" if I haven't yet!
  • "A Clash of Kings" by George R.Martin
  • "Lock and Key" by Sarah Dessen (started but have not touched in months)
  • "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger (started but have not touched in months)
Updates: (i will be updating my daily progress here from the night before.)



Monday - 

What I've read today: I read "Ines del Alma Mia" by Isabel Allende
Total number of pages read today: 27
Total number of books completed: none (almost finished)
Total number of pages read: 27
Read-a-thon thoughts: I was a little dissapointed in myself in how little I read, I think I could've done better. But being the first day and the first time I participate, I'll take it. I fell 30 minutes short of my goal time, but will be reading some more today!!! :) I did participate in both of the mini challenges which was fun!! :)
Favorite Quote: 
"El traidor y yo alcanzamos a intercambiar una mirada y creo que en ella nos perdonamos los agravios del pasado" (page 232)
Mini Challenges: 2 out of 2
 Sarah at Sarah Says Reads asked what was on our bookish bucket list that we wanted to do before we died.:
"But I think the thing I want to do is have a big library of books in my own home. THINK BEAUTY and THE BEAST LIBRARY, that is what I want. I want to be able to have a variety of books library, where my children and my grandchildren and greatgrandchildren can have any book available"
 Nikki at Book Pairing wanted us to share the perfect pairing as we read:



Tuesday- 

What I've read today: "Ines del Alma Mia" by Isabel Allende
Total number of pages read today: 47
Total number of books completed: none 
total number of pages read: 74
Read-a-thon thoughts: Okay I did a little better than Monday, didn't get the results that I wanted, but I will try harder today (Wednesday). TV is killing me. hahha. I did reach my 2 hour goal, still need to make up the 30 minutes from Monday.
Favorite Quote:
" 'Y tu ¿que quieres, Pedro?'  'Fundar Chile contigo'  respondio sin pensarlo dos veces. 'Entoces eso haremos.' 'Eso haremos, Ines del alma mia...' " (page 242)
Mini Challenges: 0 out of 1I didn't participate, it looked like fun though.

Wednesday -

What I've read today: "Ines del Alma Mia" by Isabel Allende
Total number of pages read today: 42
Total number of books completed:  none
total number of pages read: 116
Read-a-thon thoughts: Gahhh.. Reading in Spanish is hard. I feel like I'm much slower, hahah, no wonder I'm not reading as much.. I must mention I am fluent in Spanish, but I find myself reading, translating the words to English in my head, and then internalizing the story, ain't nobody got time for that, can I just internalize it in Spanish. 
Still need to make up 30 minutes from Monday and 20 minutes from yesterday.
The challenge was fun, I wasn't able to do the second challenge, but I wanted to. 

Also Nikki at Book Pairing used my Pairathon picture on her blog. Woot!! I was all excited. 
Favorite Quote:
"¿Como pude pasar en un minuto del dolor por haber sido abandonada a la felicidad de sentirme querida?" (page 296)
Mini Challenges: 1 out of 2
Jess at "Such a Novel Idea" asked us to come up with a Spine Poem from our books!! I must admit it was hard, I tried so many combinations, this one was the one that made sense. It was fun going through some of my books, must re-read some!!
"Ines del Alma Mia (Ines of my soul), 
the woman warrior, the center of everything, 
don't you forget about me, 
P.S I love you" 


Thursday

What I've read today: "Ines del Alma Mia" by Isabel Allende, "Lock and Key" by Sarah Dessen
Total number of pages read today: 38 + 5
Total number of books completed:  1
total number of pages read: 159
Read-a-thon thoughts: I finally finished "Ines del Alma Mia" woooot. And I decided to start on a book that I had previously started "Lock and Key," and never finished. I started reading it around 11pm, and my eyes were giving out on me, so I decided to just sleep, what a weak sauce. I must read more during the day and not at night, lol. Hopefully today I am more successful!!!! 
Favorite quote:
"Entonces, al verme a solas con Pedro, senti que me latian las sienes y se me desbocaba el corazon pense que no seria capaz de sostener ls mirada de esos ojos azules, cuyos parpados habia besado a menudo cuando el dormia." (page 340-41)
Mini challenges: 1 out 2.
Stephanie at In Wonderland challenged us to come up with a Road-Trip list based on our books. Almost ran out of time. 

New York - "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
Florida - "Best Friends Forever" by Jennifer Weiner (part of it was set there)
North Carolina - "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks (must read)
Ireland - "P.S I love you" by Cecilia Ahern
Spain - "Ines del alma mia" by Isabel Allende (part of it was set in spain)
Greece - "The sisterhood of the traveling pants" by Ann Brashares
 

Friday
What I've read today: "Lock and Key" by Sarah Dessen
Total number of pages read today: 148
Total number of books completed: 1 (100 pages to go for the 2nd one)
total number of pages read: 307
Read-a-thon thoughts: Wahhh so let me tell you that I was right, I was reading much slower when I was reading in Spanish. I read 148 pages of Lock and Key today, almost as much as I read in the last 4 days together. I read 3 hrs and 40 minutes, meet my time today and also met the time that I was missing from the other days. **Happy dance** So goal for weekdays = check. As for the book, I put it down a while back because I couldn't get into it,  but I now I didn't want to put it down.
Favorite Quote:
"In truth, though, then and now, the key wasn't just to that lock at the yellow house. It was to me, and the life I'd had before. Maybe I'd even begun to forget it a bit over the last few weeks.." (page 302)
Mini Challenges: 1 out of 1
Shaunie at The Space Between came up with some Book Mad-libs!!! I used to have books of Mad-Libs when I was younger. It was fun!! Here is mine:

A. Place name or type. "Montana Sky" by Nora Roberts
B. Fave Villain. "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
C. Adjective - "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant.
D. Number - "50 Shades of grey" by E.L James
E. Noun - "Lock and Key" by Sarah Dessen
F. Fave Hero/Heroine - Katniss Everdeen - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
G. Dessert- "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel



Help! I'm being held captive in the Montana Sky, by DraculaIt is very Red here! He is demanding 50 Lock and Keys to set me free! I have just discovered that Katniss was captured too! On second thought, please send Chocolates, and don't worry if you don't hear from us for awhile! Much Love,(Adri)


Saturday
What I've read today: "Lock and Key" 
Total number of pages read today: 66 
Total number of books completed:  2
total number of pages read: 373
Read-a-thon thoughts: Finished "Lock and Key," wooot wooot.. Although I want to anxious start on "Clash of Kings" I think I have to finish "The Time Traveler's Wife." This was another book that I started and didn't finish, I couldn't get  into it, maybe because I watched the movie when it came out, the book never interested me, but I must finish it.
Favorite Quote:
"...it's a lot easier to be lost than found. Its the reason we're always searching, and rarely discovered - so many locks, not enough keys." (Lock and Key pg 365)
Mini Challenges:   2 out of 2
Kelsey at Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf hosted a Bookish Wishes Challenge, where she asked us to answer 1 of 2 questions. Here is mine:
Question 1: If you could be like any character from a fictional book, who would it be? What do you like about them?Tell me why!  
Answer 1: Hmmmm.. this is hard, but since I just re-watched the “The Hunger Games” I must choose Katniss. When I read the books, I just thought she was so cool, and so brave and strong and fearless. She kicks some ass, I want to kick some ass too!!! I’m totally Team Gale though!!!
Fahima at I Read, Ergo I Write  challenged us to come up with an Acrostic Poem based on the title of a book. I choose "Lock and Key" because it was the last book in my hands. It was a little hard, had to really think.



Sunday-
What I've read today: "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger
Total number of pages read today: 38
Total number of books completed: 2
total number of pages read: 411
Read-a-thon thoughts: Today was a slow day. I wanted to finish strong, but I must be happy I accomplished my goals. But I think I kinda of expected it to be slow. We were at the part the whole day. And then the VMAs happened and I just had to watch it, N' SYNC made a comeback.I mentioned That I couldn't get into the book a while back, but I'm slowly trying really get into it.  
Favorite Quote:
"I love him. He's my life. I've been waiting for him, my whole life, and now, he's here." (page 149)
Mini- Challenges: 
Dana at Little Lovely Books asked us to compile a list of 5 blogs that we found throughout the read-at thon.
For me I didn't visit or commented on new blogs as much as I wanted other than all the hosts of the mini-challenges (which I loved). :( But I do feel like I added some blogs to my bloglovin' feed, let go back to try to remember.

  1. Janie at Fortune Favors The Brave and Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
  2. Queen Ella Bee at Queen Ella Bee Reads
  3. Catriona at Little Book Owl
  4. Aira at Little Miss Reads-a-lot 
  5. Jessica t Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
and the challenges I participate in: :)
  1. Sarah at Sarah Says Reads
  2. Nikki at Book Pairing
  3. Jess at Such a Novel Idea
  4. Stephanie at In Wonderland 
  5. Shaunie at The Space Between
  6. Kelsey at Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf
  7. Fahima at I Read, Ergo I Write
  8. Dana at Little Lovely Bones

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12 comments:

  1. Good Luck. You have some heavy hitters & fun in your list. ;)

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    1. Thank you Amy. I know we will see how it goes!!!

      Good luck to you too!! Hopefully I'll see you around the blogosphere. hehe. :)

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  2. Oh your poem <3 <3

    Thanks for participating in the challenge and good luck!
    -Jess @ Such A Novel Idea

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    1. Thank you Jess. It was a little hard, but so much fun. You had my creative flow going. hehehe.

      Thank you for hosting the challenge.
      -Adri

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  3. Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine having to translate while reading. I took 3 years of Spanish in high school and probably could've done it then, but not now! You are doing just fine - keep going :) Happy reading!

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    1. Hhahahah.. I know right, Janie. I love reading in Spanish, but it does take me a little bit longer. hehe..

      Thank you, and ohh my you have finished 3 books, thats awesome!!! :)

      Thanks for stopping by!! :)
      -Adri

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  4. How are you liking Lock and Key? Of the Dessen books, I think it's my favorite.

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    1. Hi Deb, I liked it. I must admit it though, it took me a while to get into it I'm not sure why. So I put it down for some months, and finally picked it up again, and could not put it down :) I wanted to keep reading!!!! :) :)

      I think "This Lullaby" will be my forever be my fave.. :)

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  5. Love the poem, Adri! It's great! Thanks for participating! :)

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    1. Thanks you Fahima!! I had fun!! Thanks for hosting it. :)

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I would love to hear your thoughts!! :)