Thursday, January 26, 2017

#CatThursday - #Cats say the funniest things


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)







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Sunday, January 22, 2017

Yearly Remembrance...Heath Ledger

Gone too soon, on this day, 9 years ago. I'm always thinking of all the movies you would have been great in, and how much your daughter, Matilda must be missing you. I hope you are at rest and in peace. You are missed. 💔



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Saturday, January 21, 2017

#24in48 - My Official Start Time


Now that I'm finally home (and have had a short nap), after being out all day. I'm ready to get started. I realize that I probably will not be able to read for the full 24 hours. That's okay.

You may ask if I was marching today. I was not. My sons (age 14 and 15) asked me not to. They were afraid something would happen to me. Since my sons are more important to me than anything else in this world, I had to respect their wishes. So, no marching for me, but I was there in spirit. Believe me. To all my sister women who did march today...sending out a big thank you for representing women who know how to stand up for what they believe in.

Okay, so let me do this little survey:

1. Where in the world are you reading from this weekend?
Nashville, Tennessee

2. Have you done the 24in48 readathon before?
Yes

3. Where did you hear about the readathon, if it is your first?
N/A

4. What book are you most excited about reading this weekend?
I'm equally excited about reading Little Women and The Chemist.

5. Tell us something about yourself.
I'm the mom of two teen boys, I love to read (obviously), I'm very active in the bookish community. I host six readathons yearly at my blog Seasons of Reading which also has a Facebook group. I have two book groups on Goodreads, and I host several reading challenges at my community for reading challenges and read-alongs, Gather Together and Read. My sister book blog, a horror blog, is Castle Macabre. I adore cats. I have a massive library in my home consisting of over 3000 books.

6. Remind us where to find you online this weekend.
You can find me on this blog, on Twitter @truebookaddict, or over at the Seasons of Reading Facebook group (Michelle Stockard Miller).


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Friday, January 20, 2017

#24in48 #Readathon - I'm in!


The 24 in 48 Readathon...starts in less than 2 hours (in my time zone)...yikes! I'm running a bit behind in signing up. But here I am and I'm ready to go. This fits in nicely with my two week Winter's Respite Readathon which is going on now through next Sunday (Jan. 29). The 24 in 48 runs through this Sunday at 11:59pm.


I'm thinking I will stick with reading Little Women and The Chemist, books that are on my Winter's Respite reading list.


I think I can get 24 hours of reading in this weekend, but we shall see. The boys are home with me this weekend and we're going to be out for a while tomorrow, going out to eat and seeing M. Night Shyamalan's new movie, Split. I can't wait!!!


I probably won't update frequently so I'll just do a new post when I do. If I do a sticky post, it goes out from my feed based Mailchimp anyway, so may as well do a fresh post.

If you're joining in, Happy Reading!

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Thursday, January 19, 2017

#CatThursday - Reading cat is #reading


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

In honor of A Winter's Respite readathon going on right now.



That love story has given him the bad eye 😄😄😄


We can all relate.


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Tuesday, January 17, 2017

A Reading Life (47) - #WintersRespite #Readathon & Starting over on The Classics Club #ourclassicsclub


I meant to get the bulk of this done during Mini-Bloggiesta, and I did manage to partially compose my 2017 reading challenge post (went live earlier this morning), and I cleaned up my sidebar (which wasn't even on my original goal list 😄), but didn't get a chance to finish transferring reading challenges (along with starting over my Classics Club) to this blog.


This week, I'm hosting my winter readathon at Seasons of Reading, A Winter's Respite. I'm thrilled because it's now a two week long event! It started yesterday, and it runs through Sunday, January 29.

Here's what I'm reading:
  • The Golden Bough, Sir James George Frazier (This is one I'm reading for TuesBookTalk and I have to finish it by Jan. 31).  Decided to not read this.
  • Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
  • The Chemist, Stephenie Meyer
  • Property, Valerie Martin
  • The Boy Who Wanted Wings, James Conroyd Martin
Actually, the above are all books I need to read this month so I'm hoping this two week readathon, and the 24 in 48 Readathon this weekend, will help me accomplish it. 

Why not join us? You can sign up and jump in through January 27.


My start date for The Classics Club was March 11, 2012...so my time is up this March. Problem is, I have not hardly put a dent in my list. I've had a lot going on in my life. A separation in late 2012 and finally a divorce in 2014. A job that I hated which sapped my energy and had me getting sick all the time. Plus, being a single mom (or the custodial parent, which means I have the kids the majority of the time). That is why I'm allowing myself a do-over. I'm sure the lovely folks at The Classics Club will understand. My new list, with start and end dates, will be in the menu tab above titled, The Classics Club. Head over there to check it out.

Watching



I saw two movies over the weekend. The Bye Bye Man, a horror film, was pretty scary.
I was hiding my eyes throughout. Passengers. Wow! I really liked it. Not sure why it didn't seem to get great reviews. Definitely worth seeing. 


Some people are grumbling about the season finale of Sherlock. I liked it. I thought the introduction of Eurus was quite interesting, in my opinion. Plus, the very end of the episode was very touching.


Victoria also aired on Masterpiece on PBS Sunday night. I really enjoyed it too. I thought Jenna Coleman did quite a good job in the role.


My youngest son, Reece's 14th birthday was January 10. We had his party this past Sunday at CiCi's Pizza. He had a great time! Why must they grow up so fast?

What's going on in your (Reading) Life?

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2017 Reading Challenges



I haven't signed up for many yearly reading challenges in the past few years so I thought I would try again this year. We shall see. I'm going to be keeping track of all reading challenges on this blog from now on. Having a separate blog for reading challenge tracking is too time consuming. I will have tabs in the menu for Reading Challenges and Long-Term/Perpetual Challenges.

Challenges I'm hosting (I now host all of my challenges at Gather Together and Read):

2017 Yearly Challenge (for the 13 Ways of Looking at The Lifetime Reading Plan perpetual reading challenge)

I started this reading challenge as a way to help us stay accountable on reading for the perpetual challenge.

You must be signed up for the perpetual challenge, which I am.

Levels:
13Ways Challenge Novice: 1 to 3 books
13Ways Challenge Eager Reader : 4 to 8 books
13Ways Challenge Buff: 9 to 13 books
13Ways Challenge Devotee: 14 to 18
13Ways Challenge Diehard Reader: More than 19

For full details and sign up for this challenge, go here. To read more about the perpetual challenge and to sign up, go here.

I'm going with the Eager Reader level - 4 to 8 books (I may read more...who knows).

2017 Book to Movie Challenge

This one is self explanatory. I have a list of 2017 movies being adapted from books over at the blog.

Levels:
Level 1a: read 1-3 books
Level 1b: read 4+ books

Read only books being made into movies for release in 2017 (you are not required to only read from the list above. As I stated, if you find another movie or TV series/mini-series based on a book coming out in 2017, feel free to read it).


Level 2a: 1-3 books from 2017 movie releases, 1-3 books from books made into movies from previous years
Level 2b: 4+ books from 2017 movie releases, 4+ books from books made into movies from previous years

Level 3a: read 1-3 books from any release year, watch 1-3 movies from any release year
Level 3b: read 4+ books from any release year, watch 4+ movies from any release year

Note: Movies watched must be the movie adaptation of the book(s) you read.

For complete details and to sign-up, visit the original post here.

I'm going to do Level 3b: 4+ books and 4+ movies from any release year. I'm working on one right now...American Gods by Neil Gaiman. The series is coming to Starz this year.

The books I would also like to read for sure:
The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman
The Lost City of Z, David Grann
The Dinner, Herman Koch
My Cousin Rachel, Daphne Du Maurier (re-read)
IT, Stephen King (I'm thinking of hosting a read-along over several months...it's a LONG book. Movie release date is Sept. 8)

A Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood


2017 Read your (Book) Shelf Challenge

This one was inspired by the #RYBSAT (Read-your-bookshelf-a-thon). Basically, you pick a shelf on your bookshelf and read 12 books (one per month) from that particular stack, row, pile, etc. Full details and explanations are over at the blog. The image below is of my stack. I decided to randomly select (with Randomizer) my book for each month.

For complete details and to sign-up, visit this post.


My book for January is Property by Valerie Martin, number four counting from the bottom of the stack.

Complete list of books:
Graveminder, Melissa Marr
Italian Fever, Valerie Martin
Trespass, Valerie Martin
Property, Valerie Martin
Doctor Fautus and Other Plays, Christopher Marlowe
The Four Feathers, A.E.W. Mason
At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Peter Matthiessen
Killing Mister Watson, Peter Matthiessen
Blood Relatives, Ed McBain
The Dead School, Patrick McCabe
The Butcher Boy, Patrick McCabe
The Owl Killers, Karen Maitland

Reading Challenges hosted by other bloggers


All About Austen

Hosted by Whitney at First Impression Reviews

Levels:
Austen Adventurer — read/watch 3 items
Austen Aficionado — read/watch 6 items
Austen Addict — read/watch 12 items

For complete challenge details and to sign up, visit this post.

I'm going with the Austen Adventurer level - read/watch 3 items


2017 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

Hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

The Alphabet Soup Challenge means that by December 31, 2017
your bowls must be full of one book for each letter of the Alphabet.

Each Letter Counts As 1 Spoonful

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below.
The First Main Word Needs To Be The Letter You Are Counting

Except For those pesky Q, X AND Z titles the word that startswith the challenge letter can be anywhere in the title.

There are two different ways to do it:

A – How I plan to do it: Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – Assault and Beret by Jenn McKinlay B- Bookman Dead Style by Paige Shelton C – Cold Pressed Murder by Kelly Lane D – Dead Cold Brew by Cleo Coyle etc.

For complete challenge details and to sign-up, visit this post.

I'm going with plan A. I'll work it out as I go along.



Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge

Hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block

This mystery challenge will have no publication date limits. If it's a mystery--it counts and it does not matter when it was published. Your goal? To follow a set of clues furnished by the mystery books you read to create a body of evidence to support a book court case. Each book clue should lead you to your next read. The connection can be anything at all from author names to motive for murder to type of mystery (police procedural, espionage, romantic thriller, etc) to an item on the cover, but you must be able to make your case to the jury on your detective logic. I would prefer that you not read eight books from the same author and use the author/series character/etc. as the clue link, however.

Evidence Trail Example: if the first book I read is by Agatha Christie, then my next book could be Arrow Pointing Nowhere by Elizabeth Daly who has often been referred to as "Agatha Christie's favorite author." Using "Arrow" from the Daly book's title, then House of the Arrow by A.E.W. Mason (published in 1924) could be next and it might lead me to another book published in 1924...and so on. If you have doubts about whether your clue is convincing OR you need any clarification about the challenge at all, you may approach the bench with questions (phryne1969 AT gmail DOT com).

Levels:
Infraction -- six books read in a single chain of evidence
Misdemeanor -- eight books read in a single chain of evidence
Felony -- ten books read in a single chain of evidence
Capital Offence -- twelve books in a single chain of evidence

For complete challenge details and to sign-up, visit this post.

I'll admit to being a bit confused by this, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. I'm going to do the Infraction -- six books read in a single chain of evidence level. I'm up for the challenge!



2017 Award-Winning Sci-Fi and Fantasy Challenge 

Hosted by The Space Between

Reading award-winning Sci-Fi and Fantasy throughout 2017. There are levels, there's also a BINGO challenge, and a Facebook group. There are lists to refer to, if looking for inspiration, on the host blog.

Levels:
1-4 Novels: Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper, you're just dipping your toe in.)
5-8 Novels: Ursa Major (The Big Dipper, you're dipping your whole foot in by now!)
9-12 Novels: Orion (You're really grabbing this bull by the horns and going for it!)
13-16 Novels: Perseus (Bring on the Kraken!)
17-20 Novels: Pegasus (You're flying now!)
21+ Novels: The Hydra (You are the Great Book Wyrm!)

For complete challenge details and to sign-up, visit this post.

I'm going to start with Ursa Minor - 1-4 novels, but may read more and then I'll move up.



The 2017 Reading Challenge 

Hosted by Modern Mrs. Darcy

I looked at all the yearly challenges out there offered by Better World Books, Book Riot, PopSugar, but I found their lists to be a bit daunting. Then I came across this one.

It's described as a "choose your own bookish adventure." You can choose the "Reading for Fun" list
or the "Reading for Growth" list. When you sign up, they send you an email with a download link for printables to keep track of your progress. They also encourage book journaling (in an "in real life" journal), something I've been wanting to do. I'll give it a shot this year.

For complete challenge details and to sign-up, visit this post.

The list is just challenging enough, but not overly much. I'm going with the Reading for Growth list.




Wild Goose Chase Reading Challenge 2017

Hosted by The Bookshelf Gargoyle

This is a category-based challenge. Fun!

Categories:
1. A book with a word of phrase relating to wildness in the title – any interpretation of the word “wild” is acceptable (eg: The Call of the Wild, Angry Aztecs, Crazy for You; An Untamed State)

2. A book with a species of bird (or the word “bird”) in the title: (eg: The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Thorn Birds, Turkey: A Modern History)

3. A book with an exotic or far-flung location in the title – fantasy and mythical locations are acceptable (eg: Paradise Lost, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, Atlantis Rising)

4. A book with an object you might hunt for in the title (eg: Treasure Island, One for the Money, The History of Love, Dreams from my Father, A Monster Calls, All the Answers)

5. A book with a synonym for chase in the title (or its derivatives: chasing, chased, etc) (eg: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, Follow the River, Man’s Search for Meaning, The Night Stalker)

6. A book with a means of transport in the title (eg: If I Built a Car, Walk Two Moons, The Girl on the Train)

7. A book with an object you might take on a search or hunt in the title (eg: The Golden Compass, The Map to Everywhere, Water for Elephants, Team of Rivals )

For complete challenge details and to sign-up, visit this post.


What's in a Name 2017

Hosted by The Worm Hole

This is another category challenge. Cross overs are discouraged, but it's not a requirement.

Categories:
  • A number in numbers (84, Charing Cross Road; 12 Years A Slave; 31 Dream Street)
  • A building (The Old Curiosity Shop; I Capture The Castle; House Of Shadows; The Invisible Library; Jamaica Inn)
  • A title which has an ‘X’ somewhere in it (The Girl Next Door; The Running Vixen)
  • A compass direction (North and South; Guardians Of The West; The Shadow In The North; NW)
  • An item/items of cutlery (The Subtle Knife; Our Spoons Came From Woolworths)
  • A title in which at least two words share the same first letter – alliteration! (The Great Gatsby; The Luminous Life Of Lilly Aphrodite; Gone Girl; The Cuckoo’s Calling)
For complete challenge details and to sign-up, visit this post.


2017 Horror Reading Challenge

Hosted by Sci-Fi and Scary

I read a lot of horror. This one is relatively straightforward. There are levels and if you complete the level you sign up for, you receive a badge. Awesome!

Levels:
Neophyte of Coolthulhu’s Temple: Read and review 1-7 horror books to receive the Neophyte badge

Initiate of Coolthulhu’s Temple: Read and review 8-15 horror books to receive the Initiate badge

Oracle of Coolthulhu’s Temple: Read and review 20-25 horror books to receive the Oracle badge

MYSTERY BADGE Read and review 50+ horror books in the 2017 Horror Reading Challenge to receive a special Coolthulhu-approved badge demonstrating your tentacly-awesomeness.

For complete challenge details and to sign-up, visit this post.

I'm going with the Initiate level: 8-15 horror books. Books are reviewed at my sister blog, Castle Macabre.


Pages Read 2017

Hosted by Book Dragon's Lair

Pretty simple - How many pages can you read this year?

Levels:
Bonsai - Read 12,000 pages
Shrub - Read 24,000 pages
Dwarf Peach - Read 36,000 pages
Apple Tree - Read 48,000 pages
Oak - Read 60,000 pages
Douglas Fir - Read 72,000 pages
Sequoia - Read 84,000 pages
Redwood - Read 84,001+ pages

For complete details and to sign-up, visit this post.

I'm going with the Apple Tree - Read 48,000 pages level.


eBook Reading Challenge 2017

  • All books counted must be electronic - I don't care if they're kindle, pdf, nook, etc.
  • The ebook in question must have an ISBN or equivalent. If you can buy it or borrow it, it counts - which just means that all those on-line serials I read don't count ;-)
Levels:
bit – 1 book
Byte – 10 books
Megabyte – 25 books
Gigabyte – 50 books
Terabyte – 75 books
Petabyte – 100 books
Empty the Cloud - 101+ books

For complete details and to sign-up, visit this post.

I'm signing up for the Byte – 10 books level.

2017 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge

2017 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge

Hosted by Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or includes major witchcraft elements counts. They may be fiction or non-fiction. 

Levels:
Initiate: Read 1 – 5 Witchy Books
Maiden: Read 6 – 10 Witchy Books
Mother: Read 11 – 15 Witchy Books
Crone: Read 16 – 20 Witchy Books

For complete details and to sign-up, visit this post.

I'm doing the Initiate: Read 1 – 5 Witchy Books level.



Monthly Mix-Up Mania Challenge

Hosted by Book Dragon's Lair at the dedicated blog here

2017 - 2019 Edition

To read a book for each letter in the year. That's right, a title for the J in January and the A in January, etc.... 74 books total!
End date: March 31, 2019, yes, two years, because well, we have other challenges to do.
  • only one letter per book
  • books can be moved around if it fits better somewhere else after you've read it
  • the letter doesn't have to be the first word, just the first letter of a word in the title (a, an, and the do not count)

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Abandoned Book Rescue

This one is hosted by Exploding Steamboats on Goodreads.

The idea is to rescue all those books you've abandoned. Completing a book that you have previously started reading but that has lain unread by you for at least one month earns you one point if you list it in the "unprompted" discussion thread OR two points if you list it in one (and only one) of the "prompt" discussion threads. You are encouraged but not required to link to your book rating/review, but you must clearly indicate that you have completed it and are claiming your point(s). (For the sake of my sanity, you will not be allowed to move a book to another thread once you have claimed its point(s).)

Visit the Goodreads link above for full details/to join the challenge.

I will decide on my number of books once I've evaluated the books I've abandoned.


Classic Horror Reading Challenge 2017


Hosted by Making Sense of the Stars

There is an assigned a classic horror novel or story to each month of 2017. I would love to have you participate for one or more of these months. Discussions about the books will take place on Twitter throughout the month, using the hashtag #classichorror2017

You don't have to join in every month and unfortunately I'm not able to for Frankenstein this month (bummer), but I will definitely be joining in on other months.

For details and to sign-up, visit this post (although I'm not seeing a sign-up post).


How about you? Did you sign up for any challenges this year?

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