Monday 19 May 2014

BOUT OF BOOKS 10.0 Wrap Up

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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

 Yes... It ended yesterday. Flew by, actually...
 Obviously, comparing to all of those 2000-3000 pages wrap ups, my won't be that wow! But it was a really good reading week for me, especially since I've read ~6 times more pages, than I've read the week before. So..yay!
 Also I was kinda busy in 2nd half of the week, because of different stuff and also I wanted to spend more time with my sister and  - watch movies/TV shows and walk in park, and also I needed to see my Uni friends, because one of the girls will get married in June and she wanted to give us our invitations, so we were hangin' in the city center together and having a good time. That's why I had those "0-38 pages read" days. But, on the other hand, manga saved this read-a-thon for me. It gave me 3/5 of a page count I got at the end. Yay! to manga.=)
 Okaaaay, on to the results now!

PAGES READ: 718.
STUFF FINISHED:

= 1 book: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (just read remaining 48 pages);
= 3 short stories from Jigs&Reels collection by Joanne Harris: Auto-da-fé || The Spectator || Al and Christine's World of Leather;
= 2 manga volumes: Yotsuba, volumes 4&5 by Azuma Kiyohiko (I like sayin' Japanese names the way they like to hear them. Not all the time, though, but for some reason I feel it's the best way to say them) or Kiyohiko Azuma, if you prefer it that way (well, it's not about preferences, of course, it's all about Western way of sayin' names, but you know..everyone has their own bugs in da head..=D).
THOUGHTS:
 Dear John made me mad (and that's all I gonna say). Short stories were weird and kinda sad/depressed and I'm not in love with this collection at the moment. Still gonna finish it, though, because I loved Chocolat by Joanne Harris last year, so I want to read more of her works. And maybe the other half of this collection will be better. [I'm all about being possitive these days] As for Yotsuba, I absolutely adore this series. Started reading it in February and just don't wanna stop. But at the same time, I don't want to read it too fast, because I own only first 7 volumes and I've already read 5 of them..yeah. I highly recommend it to you, if you want to read something light, cute and HILARIOUS.=) As always, HUGE thank you to Vanessa (chboskyy) for introducing me to this awesomeness.

 And that's it.
 I know, some of you may've expected something more, especially after my TBR post. Well what can I say, I expected more myself, but I had one of those mood swings once again, and I didn't want to read those books that I already chose, so I kept starting bunch of books (a.k.a. read a lot of 1st chapters on Amazon) and the only thing that kept me focused was manga. Yup! I think I'll read Azumanga next (by same author), because I have only 2 volumes of Yotsuba left = (T___T) and I don't think I get more soon... But I have complete Azumanga (ebook version), so hooray!
 Also I read quite a few pages from a lot of different books on my ereader, but I don't want to write all the names here. #lazyassreturns
 Oh, forgot to mention, I participated in 5 challenges, so you're right if think that I had a great time. It was a nice break between books (looong breaks, tbh, because I was constantly distracted by Interwebz, but who cares).
 Overall, I really like readathoning, commenting and twitter-chatting with all of the awesome people I met online and I can't wait to do it again in August.

 Actually, I may participate in Regan's (PeruseProject) low-key inofficial read-a-thon this week. I'll leave a link for HER VIDEO for you to check, if you wanna continue reading your unread books. She has a hashtag for that and all that jazz, so hope you can join the fun, too.

 Right, it's time for me to say bye-bye, because I wanna watch some more beauty bloggers' ideos (well, only essiebutton, tbh, because I missed her videos and I LOVE her channel and her personality -oh, she's hilarious!!!, she's my fav) and I'm kinda tired from book related vids at the moment..oops and Away We Go (the movie), cos I wanted to watch it for yeeears and never did. And also I want to read... (duuuh..) At least 100 pages. My "read 3100 pages in May" challenge is goin' down hell...
 Anywho........

TELL ME DOWN UNDER:
HOW DID YOUR READ-A-THON GO? WHAT DID YOU READ? WOW! HOW? GREAT JOB!

Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!!!
 (pic from here)






Friday 16 May 2014

BOUT OF BOOKS 10.0: Rainbow Book Challenge and Co.


Bout of Books



 Hello, lovely readers!
Hope you're doing great and reading some interesting book at the moment.=) [Well, you're reading this at the moment, but anyway]

 I really-really liked both of today's challenges - Cover Scavenger Hunt hosted by Book Monster and Rainbow Book Challenge hosted by Neon Yeti Reads (awesome name, by the way).

 So, I decided to participate in both of them. I've done the first one on Book Monster's blog, because that's where you have to do it. And now I want to do the second one here.
 The rules are simple: create a book rainbow and share it with other participants and readers.
 I'll be honest with you, I had some troubles with shades of purple, because I don't have a whole lot of books with purple spines, but I tried my best, so that's how my Book Rainbow looks:



  Well, what can I say, for me - IT'S GORGEOUS! I love the colours! Love-love-love.=) So humble.. (*.~)
 Now I need to name this books, so you can understand what some of them are (because I have titles not only in English, but also in Russian and Ukrainian here.)

THE COLOURS AND THE BOOKS:
1. White: The Wind in Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Russian title: "Ветер в ивах", Кеннет Грэм);
2. Red: Half Bad by Sally Green (Ukrainian title: "Напівлихий", Саллі Грін);
3. Orange: To Timbuktu by Casey Scieszka (words) and Steven Weinberg (art);
4. Yellow: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (Russian title: "Случайная вaкaнсия", Дж.К. Роулинг);
5. Green: Eating Animals by Jonatan Safran Foer (Russian title: "Мясо", Джонатан Сафран Фоер);
6. Blue: Attachments by Rainbow (ha! see what I've done there) Rowell;
7. Purple: Io No by Lorenzo Licalzi (Originally published in Italian, Russian title: "Я - нет", Лоренцо Ликальци. Not translated into English, sorry.); 
8. Violet (darker purple): Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (the cover inself is just WOW!);
9. Black: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Russian title: "5-ая волна", Рик Янси).

 That's it! What do you think about my book rainbow?
 If you've done your own book rainbow, link it down below, so I can check it. Maybe we have the same books on our lists.=)

 Hope you're doing wow! with your Bout of Books goals.
It's time to say bye-bye.

Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!

Wednesday 14 May 2014

BOUT OF BOOKS 10.0: DAY 2




 Hello, lovely readers!
Hope your Tuesday was great and Wednesday is even better.=)

 As for me, I had a wonderful time readathoning (we made it a word, right?)! Read a lot more than on Monday and also participated in interesting challenge, hosted by River City Books, called Books You're Looking Forward To, where you had to list some books, you can't wait to read, no matter upcoming releases or shelf warmers.=)
 HERE's my blog post, if you want to check my list (I chose 5 books, so it won't take a lot of your time=)).

 To be a little faster this time, because I have big reading and TV show (I NEED TO WATCH THAT OUAT FINALE!!!) plans, as always, I'll skip my bla-bla-bla part for now. [Only for now, muahaha.]

CURRENTLY READING: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secret of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I want to read a huge chunk of it today, and also want to continue reading Tokyo on Foot by Florent Chavouet (I won't stop pushing you to read it, just so you know).

DAY 2:

PAGES READ: 260! Woo-hoo!
 Despite the fact, that it was mostly manga, I'm happy as a kid.=)
TOTAL PAGE COUNT SO FAR: 405. (Yeah, baby!)

STUFF FINISHED: 
2 short stories: The Spectator and Al and Christine's World of Leather, both by Joanne Harris. Yes, I'm slowly making my way through her short story collection JIGS&REELS. Can't say I'm in love, but I'll keep reading.
1 manga volume: Yotsuba, volume 4 by Kiyohiko Azuma. [Thank you for 190 pages, man!] It's always happens to me.. I just find something on my ereader, that I forgot about, and the next second - I'm reading it and can't stop. Poor TBR..it's not your fault, it's just me.
TOTAL "STUFF FINISHED" COUNT so far: 1 book + 1 manga volume + 3 short stories. Not bad.

ALSO READ:
23 pages of The Door to Time by Pierdomenico Baccalarion (#1 in his Ulysses Moore series). Got bored..not in mood for your typical middle-grade. But it's really short, so maybe I'll read a little today (Day 3). Can't promise, though.
20 pages of Ari and Dante. Made a 30 minutes sprint yesterday, before mignight. It was fun.=)
 That's it!

THOUGHTS & Co:
 It was a really good reading day for me. I had A TON of laughs while reading Yotsuba. Won't lie, if I say that it's my favourite manga series now. This little girl (our MC) makes my day...=)
 The Spectator was sad and gloomy, and I felt sorry for that old man. Poor, poor Leonard in weird new world. As for the second one, Al and Christine's World of Leather, it was a little better, but made me grumble, because Christine's husband is such a douche... Endings of both of them were kind of meh/unsatisfyng. In case with The Spectator it made me feel sad (really sad!) and in case of Al and Chris it was disappointing, I expected a little different actions from Christine. But, oh well. This can't be changed.


 Also, if you're interested (if not, skip these photos), I was reading Jigs&Reels in the park yesterday! Yay!=) And it was really nice - calm and beautiful, until one lady came there with her little girl (granddaughter, I suppose) and badminton rackets and sat right next to me. And no, it wasn't your regular badminton racket with a net. No, no, no, it was the one for kids, that made POM!-POM!-POM! noice... Argfhdht. Like, WHY??? Why would you come to a quiet place with things like that? And why would you sit right next to a person, who is reading a book? Fun ruiners!
 That's what happens to people, who are to kind to other people. I should've said something, but I didn't. Despite a headache that those 2 gave me. (-__-) *little rant*
 But anyway, not including this "lovely" couple, it was a great time in park. By the way, my local park is little different from parks you're used to. It's more like "Into the Wild" kind of park (park refinement service -or whatever you call it- isn't working too hard here...). But I love it to bits! Especially on days like yesterday.. (I could live there, seriously. Wow, sounds weird... Anywho!)

You can see my sister here. Yes, that girl on bike among the trees.=) I rode a little myself, and it was awesome, but also a pain in the ass. Literally. I'm out of practice and ride wrong way.=D


 GODZILLA!!! SOON! Excited! Brings back so many happy childhood memories. Ah, I loved watching old Japanese Godzilla movies!
(We have my fav cinema (called "Moscow"/"Moskva") in the park. Wow, now you kinda almost know where I live... Yay? I guess. haha
 Also Days of Future Past! (bottom, right. Yes, that little poster) I love X-Men! This part will rock, I'm sure.


 Love to catch that last light of a parting day.. I'm such a poet inside.
(^__^)


 Oooookay. This reading update turned into walk in park update, but I know you'll like it (hm, sometimes my confidence surprises even myself).

 Hope you've done great on DAY 2 as well.

TELL ME DOWN BELOW:
HOW ARE YOU DOING? HOW MANY PAGES? HOW??? (wow, you're awesome!)

Time to say bye-bye.
Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!!!

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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team


Tuesday 13 May 2014

Bout of Books 10: Books You're Looking Forward To challenge

Bout of Books  

I've decided to do this Day 2 challenge, hosted by River City Books. You'll find everything you want to know by clicking on the link.



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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team


MY LIST:
[I want to make it quick, because my TBR can't wait, so I chose 5 books]

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1. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rotfuss;
2. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira;
3. Starter for Ten by David Nicholls;
4. Perfect by Rachel Joyce;
5. Hyperion by Dan Simmons.

Wide variety indeed!=)

 All of these books are on my TBR, also on my shelf (physical and ebooks) and I can't wait to read them.

 Okey-dokey, I gotta go. Reading, reading and reading! (well, and hungry...)

 Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!!!

P.S. LINKS AND COVERS ARE BORROWED FROM GOODREADS.

BOUT OF BOOKS 10.0 DAY 1



 O.k., I was out of electricity and Internet this morning, so I continued reading and am able to update you on Day 1 situation only now. Sorry, but it's not my fault.=)

 I'll start with yesterday's challenges, because it was the first thing I did during read-a-thon.
 I've participated in Informal Challenge on Twitter and here's a screen grab of my tweet:

 And yes, it's a Lake Town from The Hobbit, illustrated by Alan Lee, as my background image.=)
 From my photo you can see one side of me: always surrouned by books and don't want to take off her PJs all day long.=D Also, I have a LOT of unread books.. Maybe that's more than 1 side now. Also top part of my head, yay!=D Guess, you know me a little better now...

 Because it's my first time doing Bout of Books officially, I missed another challenge from yesterday...=( I just didn't understand what was that line If you like X, try Y about... And missed a link, despite the fact, that it was right in front of my eyes. Dang it! O.k., I'll pay more attention to links next time. Kinda sad that I missed the giveaway, though... =( Oh, well, but never mind.

And now - the reading part!

CURRENTLY READING: The Door To Time (Ulysses Moore #1) by 

DAY 1.
PAGES READ: 145.
Stuff Completed (I say "stuff", because there won't be just phisical books in my updates. I read a lot of diffent stuff =D): 2 titles.
1 book = Dear John by Nicholas Spark (had 48 pages left to read, so I'll include it here anyway);
1 short story = Auto-da-fé by Joanne Harris (from her short story collection - Jigs&Reels. I've decided to read 2-3 short stories a day), 13 pages.
Read part of: 
= Tokyo on Foot by Florent Chavouet - 70 pages;
= Insurgent by Veronica Roth - 9 pages (decided to reread last chapter, before starting Allegiant, to refresh my memories a little);
= 5 pages of another short story from that collection, called The Spectator. But I finished it after midnight, so it will be in Day 2 post.

 Wow, I'm such a Math geek... Coupld try write less. Maybe.=)

THOUGHTS: Dear John made me feel MAD!!! I just.. Bwuuuh. Don't want to talk about that ending. [I really didn't like Savannah... Just sayin']. I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Tokyo on Foot! This graphic memoir is gorgeous and everyone should read it. Also, Florent is such a funny dude... Laughed multiple times.=)
Insurgent brought back old memories... Gush, I already know that I should keep Allegiant for final days of Bout of Books. I can feel the feelz... =\
As for that short story, Auto-da-fé, it was strange. But made me think about it a little afterward. MC is rude jerk on BMW with miserable life. And it's a story of him, the rules of the road and another miserable dude, but on Volvo. Interesting concept, but not really pleasant to read.

Overall, I'm excited!!! 145 pages is a good start for me, especially since I've read 15 more pages before the read-a-thon, which means I've read 160 pages in total yesterday. And.. it's almost as much as I read last week.=D Progress!

O.k., I'll continue reading and maybe participate in one of today's challenges.=)

Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!


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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team



Saturday 10 May 2014

BOUT OF BOOKS 10.0 TBR


 Hey there, lovely reader! So, I finally made my tbr list for Bout of Books 10.0 read-a-thon and want to share it with you.=)
 At first I wanted to pick only 4 books, because it seems to be a pretty achievable goal, but then I thought - it's a week long read-a-thon, I'll be free for whole week and can read and eat, and read and eat, and re.. O.k., you got it.=] And some of these books are either short, or I've already started them, or they have a big font, so why not add a couple extra choices, right? Right!
 You all know I can talk like for ages, 24/7 365 (well, almost)..so without further ado, here's my list:
(all the Goodreads links will be in titles)


1) Dear John by Nicholas Sparks.
 Yup, still reading it. Blame that stu*** Savannah... She's a horrible, horrible girlfriend. Seriously! Annoys me... But I wanna know the ending and I have only 100 pages left to read (btw, because I'm writing this on May 10th, I could be done with this book already, when read-a-thon starts... Who knows). I know I'll finish it soon and just want to add it to the list. Just in case.

by Benjamin Alire Saenz (ebook).
  Gush, what a title!!! My fingers... T-T
 Right. I've started this book last week, but haven't added it on Goodreads, because I tend to DNF or just put aside the books I add to my "currently-reading" shelf there. Don't know why..
 I'm in love with this book at the moment! It's easy to get through (short chapters and sentences, lots of dialogs, perfect-for-me writing style) and really want to finish it asap. 20% in already and it helped me punch that reading slump in da face!=)
 Sidenote: Ari is weird..but fun. Fun kind of weird.=D

3) Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
 I got this book last week. I know, book buying ban, but I want to read this book and finish Divergent trilogy soooo bad, that I bought myself a gift for being good last month.
 Want to know the story of "How I spoiled the ending for myself after avoiding all the spoilers in comments"? O.K.
 Story time:
I looked into the Contents page and BAM! The end.
 Yes, that's it. Never do that, if you don't like spoilers. Can't say I'm shocked, 'cos I thought about this kind of ending before, especially when I started to hear some negative reviews and rants. Still really want to know how the hell did that happened??? But, honestly, well done Veronica Roth. You're a brave writer. Respect! 
P.S. I may be completely wrong about the ending, though.=D I just guessed, because the table of contents page is kinda (well, REALLY) spoilery.

4) Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris.
 Sci-Fi+Steampunk+mystery+adventure+set in London = I WANT TO READ THIS!=)
But seriously. I bought this book in 2013, partly because of the story, but also - purple font!!!-, shelved it, the end. That's not going to work anymore. I want to read more books from my shelves in 2014 and after. And I will read them.
 This book wasn't popular on booktube until Sanaa (inkBonesBooks) hauled and reviewed it recently. And, I guess, since Sanaa really enjoyed it a lot, this book will get more reads and ratings. Soon.


5) Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen.
 Suppose to be really cute, definitely short and has a chicken on the cover.
 Do I need to say more?=D
P.S. You will see more birds in this list... Theme? Hm.

 6) Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson.
 Bought it in March and it happened to be my TBR Box pick for May. So why not read it next week? Especially considering the fact that it has A LOT of dialogs, interesting premise and one of my fav book bloggers Heather (Capricious Reader) absolutely loves this book. Here's her review a.k.a. "You have to read this book!" post.=) No more explanations needed.

And finally,
7) Tokyo on Foot by Florent Chavouet.
 I just have to read it!!! Can't wait any longer. I have to read it like..yesterday.=D This book is gorgeous and amazing Estelle (love her channel so much!!! Check it out!) loved-loved-loved this graphic memoir. Here's her review (it's in her monthly reading wrap up). So.. Since I bought this book because of her, it's finally time to read it. And it's short and is mostly made of pictures. 
 Ah, that art, guys, that art.... I love to stare at those drawings.=)

 O.K., and it won't be me, if there wouldn't be some extras. I have a little back up list, a.k.a. 3 short story collections to read in between those 7 books I mentioned above. I chose them, because I like to read my short stories this way. Don't really like to read the whole book front to back.

Note: Prepare for BIRDS!!! Don't even know how did that happen... I've picked them randomly, 'cos I wanted to read them for a long time... But they all have birds in titles and on covers, and I'm sure even inside. Weird.

BACK UPS:


8) Jigs & Reels: Stories by Joanne Harris. 
(well, you can't see the birds right now, I'm sure,
but I've mentioned them, because the Russian 
title is "Tea with Birds")

 I've already started this collection last month, read 7 short stories and want to continue. But because they all are quite different, I just can't read the whole thing in one sitting. It feels like I'm reading all the new books without breaks. And some of them really got me thinking a lot, so I prefer to read 1-2 once in a while.=)

9) Birds (see!) of Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhem Bergman.

 This will, hopefully, be one of those lovely collections set in the South of US and have similar elements/characters in all of them. I own it since February, but have't hauled it yet (that's why, kinds, being lazy and forget to edit your old videos is really-really bad........). Our lovely Mercedes read and enjoyed (not loved, though) it recently and in her latest wrap up, Mercy said that if you want to fully enjoy this collection, better read 1 story a day, or one story in between other books, because all stories are quite alike in terms of characters and they all have pets in them. Well, I'm intrigued and want to know more!

10) Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls (told ya!) by David Sedaris.

 Many fellow readers love Sedaris and describe him as funny and sarcastic as shiiiii... O.K.
 I need some good laughs in my life right now, so I CHOSE YOU, DAVID!=)

 "And the best part of all the short stories is that they are short." ~ Me.
      Wow, that was wise.....

 That's it! Here they are:


WISH ME LUCK!!!=) I can do this!

 I know, that many of my awesome friends will participate in Bout of Books 10.0, but if you haven't signed in yet and you'll have a time for reading next week, you still have a chance to join the fun officially (because some cool challenges and giveaways!!!) or you can readathon with us without signing and just have fun.
 Once again, here's all the info and official link:
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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

  Hope you'll decide to join and have a great time with bunch of cool peeps.=)

TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS, PLEASE:
HAVE YOU SIGNED IN? DO YOU PLAN TO? 
HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS? PLAN TO? IF READ, HOW WAS IT?

 I need some sleep right now - tough day. So it's time to say bye-bye.

Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!!!

Thursday 8 May 2014

BOUT OF BOOKS 10!


ANOTHER READ-A-THON TIME!!!

I had a great time doing Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-thon last month, but it ended up soooo fast. So I thought why not participate in one more read-a-thon this year, especially in one week-long kind.
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, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

 I've participated in this read-a-thon last year, but unofficialy, just like a reader, because I was (and still is) an avid booktube viewer and that's where I first heard about this event.=) (well, that's what I remember..It may be from some blog, that I'm following/followed...)
 I think now, since I've joined booktube (or at least trying to) and have some kind of a book blog (^.^), it can be more fun, then just commenting and reading on my own.

 I don't have a tbr for this read-a-thon at the moment. Will post it the day before (if I menage to create it, you know I'm a moody reader). =) And my 2 goals are to read as much as I can and watch less YT videos (it's distracting).

 Hope we'll have fun together.
You can join, too. Here's a link to SIGN UP post. And you can also find a lot of useful info on official website (blog).

O.k. That's it for today. 

TELL ME IN COMMENTS, IF YOU DECIDED TO JOIN IN? AND WHAT YOUR GOALS ARE? ALSO, IF YOU WROTE A BLOG POST OR FILMED A VIDEO ON THIS TOPIC, I'D LOVE TO WATCH IT.=)

Have an amazing day, awesome book and READS!

Thursday 1 May 2014

THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion | Book Review

 FROM GOOGREADS:
 Narrator Don Tillman 39, Melbourne genetics prof and Gregory Peck look-alike,  sets a 16-page questionnaire The Wife Project to find a non-smoker, non-  drinker ideal match. But Rosie and her Father Project supersede. The  spontaneous always-late smoker-drinker wants to find her biological father.  She resets his clock, throws off his schedule, and turns his life topsy-turvy.

 The secong book on my memory that has (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones in it. This should mean something.=) (I LOVE that song after Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, because I've listened to it non-stop last spring. It's like my spring theme song)

 O.k. the book!
It was really cute in some places, serious in other and kept me guessing, who that freaking biological father was, so I stayed awake for half of the night to find it out.
 I really liked Don, as a character, he's such a deary. Liked his candor and he made me laugh/smile a lot, especially in the first half of a book, when he still was more himself and hasn't changed. At first, he says almost everything that comes to his mind and in the second half he become skilled in communication and can sense people's moods and starts to filter his words. Don was trying his best throughout the book, but people don't seem to see that. I wanted to pat his back 60% of time, because, like seriously, his Asperger Syndrome is not diagnosed, but it's OBVIOUS!!! And no one seems to notice that and keep calling him "weird" and treat him like he's pretending...  Even his best friends, Gene and Claudia (despite the fact that they're psychologists - O.K., they hinted it to him and he didn't understand, but still), same as Rosie, who's physology student... Weird.

 As for Rosie, I didn't like her. I thought she will be that corky and fun, easy-going lady, that loves to make some noise, but she was sooo stubborn, often unsympathetic and sometimes even mean to Don. He doesn't deserve that. Many described their relationship like if Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory) falls for Penny, but for me it was more like if Sheldon falls for Bernadette. And the fact that Don changed so much for her, even when it was soooo hard for him, and Rosie stayed almost the same, maybe became a little more calm and soft (yes!), but still..nuh. This situation disappointed me, to be honest.
 Speaking of secondary characters, I liked Claudia. She is really helpful, despite the fact that Don often drives her nuts and she's strong and keeps her family together, while Gene, who's her husband always cheat and act like a douche. Also I really like Dave. He appeared only in second half of a book and has a small part, but I'd love to know more about this simple, down-to-earth family guy, who supported Don, when he needed it. And I think I'll get a chance to do that. Soon. *wink* =)

 Now about the plot in few words. First 40-45% of the book was hi-la-ri-ous! Then after that mark, everything became more serious and even kinda sad at one point. I really wanted to support Don, because others often ignored him. The mystery element kept me guesing and at the middle of the book I got the right answer, but then Don found out some more interesting stuff and confused me, so I strayed in his surmises and began to suspect every man older than 50.=D 
 Also I'd like to mention, that I wasn't a big fan of abruptness of chapters. It felt like they were choped, like everytime I thought that something is about to happen with one of the cha..THE END! That's what it felt like. The ending for me was a bit rushed, but since it's a happy ending, I'm Okay with that. And actually despite all the small flaws, I really liked this book and those flaws weren't that annoying after all. Everything wrapped up perfectly and this made me smile.
 And considering all that perfect ending, I was really surprised to found out, that the sequel will be released in September... But then again in Thank You part of the book author tells us that this book was supposed to be a script for TV show/movie at first, and then with help of bunch of awesome peeps became a book. So being turned into a series kinda make sense now. Still not sure if I want to read the sequel or not, but I think that, at the end of the day, I'll pick it up and read it in 2-3 sittings just like The Rosie Project.

 So. My overall impression is REALLY GOOD! I gave this book 4/5 stars on Goodreads and would recommend it to you, fellow reader, if you want to read fun, quick and easy, light-hearted book with a thick drop of "who's my bio father" mystery and cute main character, who you'd like to protect like your own bro/kid (well, he's 39 years old, so for me he's a bro, but you know, you know) and who you'd like to hug most of the time.=) 



HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? DO YOU PLAN TO? IF YOU READ IT, HOW WAS IT? TELL ME DOWN IN THE COMMENTS, PLEASE.



P.S. Ah, this would sound selfish, but I think I could be a good choice for Don...just sayin'. (joking! Maybe...)

O.K. that's it for today! Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!


About my copy in few words:
ebook, in Russian, published by Sindbad in 2013, translated by Irina Litvinova (awesome translation, easy to get through in 2 sittings). 500 pages on my e-reader (because of screen size), physical copy has 352 pages. Source: borrowed from a friend (thanks, F.!)

Goodreads: The Rosie Project + The Rosie Effect (the sequel) | (The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate, it's just a link)

MAY Buddy Reads for You.

 Last month I filmed a video on my YT channel, where I was talking about upcoming or current buddy reads that were happening in my favourite Goodreads groups. And I must say I was glad that so many of my awesome viewers liked that idea. To be honest, I cut that list a little and included mostly the books I own (either as physical books or audiobooks, or ebooks, it doesn't matter). But there are sooo many good books this time, that I don't want to pass some of them, and want you to know about more readalongs to participate.
 That's why this time I'll include all of those I know about, so you will have a variety of books to chose from.=)

 I'll start with my favourite Goodreads group - Booktube Reading Buddies:

 So far this month we have 1 group read and 4 buddy reads, and I own all of those books in various form. You can't even imagine how much I want to read them all, but I don't want to set my hopes to high this time and hope to have fun, just like it was in April.

Books:
 
= Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (group read);
= Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell;
= Hyperion by Dan Simmons;
= Vicious by V.E. Schwab;
= Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente.

 I'll be reading Vicious with the group for sure and may listen to Hyperion as an audiobook. Of course, I'm interested in all of those, but I don't want to create a pile now.
 Oh, and some of those buddy reads have a reading schedule, but you can read in your own pace.

Next stop - The Jolly Good Reading Society.
 This group always chose their reads for 2 months, so the next 3 books were picked for March 25-May 24 period. I've alredy read and really liked one of those, and planning to read another.


= The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (the one I've read);
= Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan (the one I plan to read);
= The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

Another one is International Reads.
 They've chosen the book that I don't own, so I might read their last month pick, that was The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende.
 But this month's choice is:

13057939= In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner.

 I wish I can join this readalong... Book sounds sooo interesting. But even if I order it right now from BetterWorldBooks, it won't be here will June. Oh, well. Next time.








Next group - Nothing but Reading Challenges.
 Why I love this group is that because they always have more than 5 books on their montly to-read list. It's "group reads" (2-3) and "buddy reads" (usually more than 4-5). I won't add their budy reads this time, but please, check them out (link in the title). 
 So, the group reads are:

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= The House Girls by Tara Conklin (I'd love to read this book someday, but I don't own it);
= If I Stay by Gayle Forman (have an ebook, wanna read it before the movie came out - that trailer!!!);
= The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (own that beautiful hardback, and may join the fun).

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club.
 Hm, it's weird, because I saw that they picked these books, that you'll see in a moment, but the're gone right now. Maybe some editing, though. But anyway, here they are:

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= The Last Wish by Andrzei Sapkowski (have an ebook, got it last year, in autumn, may join the readalong, because it's a witch book and I'd love to read more of those);
= The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (tbh, never heard of this book before, but it sounds good).

Classic for Beginners:

4406= East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

 I have my mom's old copy, so maybe I'll read this book soon, but I'm not 100% sure that I want to read in now. Maybe, maybe, maybe...
 Anyway, heard amazing things, it's lot's of people's favorite book, and it's on my TBR list.


O.K., and the next 2 books are readalongs by fairly new groups created by my favorite booktubers (and they pick new books every month/or almost every month). Also they're doing liveshows and I'll link a few videos for you, where you can get more info.







Fire & Flood Readalong.

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= Fire & Flood (#1 in Fire & Flood series/trilogy) by Victoria Scott.
 Liveshow will be happening on 24th of May at 8pm GMT, so you have plenty of time to read this book in time and then dicsuss it in group and/or during the liveshow (but beware, there will be A LOT of spoilers in this liveshow, so you'd better read the book first, if you plan to).
 I'm not sure, if I want to read this book or not, because it was really hyped on booktube, and I tend to dislike overhyped book in most of cases, so we'll see. My monthly "reading plans" list is already cray-cray.
 Oh, and here's Sarah's video, where you can get more info.




And finally! The last readalong! haha

Contempopary Lovers!
I was really excited to know that Anabel @ IntheBookCorner, Juhina @ Majibookshelf and few other booktubers created this group for contemporary fiction lovers.=) (yay!) I love to read contemporary books every once in a while, and the first pick makes me even more excited, because it's:

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= Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira.
 The reason why I am sooo excited, is because, firstly, it's epistolary - and I love epistolary!!!-, and, secondly, because recently I've found out that Stephen Chbosky (yes!) was Ava's mentor and she also worked with him on The Perks movie (if I'm not mistaken, but I might be). And many say that Letters are a little similar to The Perks of Being a Wallflower (and I LOVED that book, it's one of my top fav books and also one of my top 10 influential book). So I can't wait to read it. Hooray!
 Liveshow: June 7th 2pm EST. And here's Anabel's and Junina's videos for you, because they can explain everything better.=)

O.K. That it!
 Of course, there are even more awesome readalong out there, but I can't list them all, and those you can find above are from the Goodreads groups I'm in.

LET ME KNOW, IF YOU WANNA JOIN SOME OF THESE READALONGS? OR IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ SOME OF THESE BOOKS, WHAT DID YOU THOUGHT OF THEM?

Hope my blog post helped you a little and you'll have amazing reading May.

Have an amazing day, awesome book and READ!