Month of 300

Hi Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

Of my 27 books that I've read (so far) this year,  twenty have been over 300 pages and five over 500 pages. Sometimes, when reading the longer books and the epics, it feels as if I haven't been as productive. I look at my TBR and see forty still to go. Sooooo....

To knock off a great number off my TBR, I figured out which books were under 300 pages.  In which I'm calling

!!! THE MONTH OF 300!!!

For June, here are my options:

289 - The Summer Prince ~ Alaya Dawn Johnson
256 - The End of Eternity ~ Isaac Asimov
246 - Of Triton ~ Anna Banks
294 - Vanish ~ Sophie Jordan
288 - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore ~ Robin Sloan
201 - The Castle of Llyr ~ Lloyd Alexander

off the list options:

292 - Resenting the Hero ~ Moira J. Moore
246 - Bronding's Honour ~ Ann Ewan
187 - Out of the Silent Planet ~ C.S. Lewis

There are a few more unread, with less priority sitting on my bookshelf, but I'll stick with these nine.

Bout of Books 13.0 ~ Wrap-Up

'Allo Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

Well, silly me. I thought I'd be reading on the long weekend and then I made plans to visit my nieces. My priorities changed and there was less time for reading. However, I did get a few of my goals down.

1. The two for finishing: 'Thirst No. 1' and 'Wizard of Earthsea'

I finished both of these! Yaaay! Goal met.

2. Make a dent in these: 'Afterworlds' and 'War and Peace'

'Afterworlds' not so much. 'War and Peace' about 20 pages. In the grand scheme, that's not a whole lot. *sad face*

3. Read at least 300 pages.

In total about 474 pages read. More than 300. Goal met! *happy dance*

4. Start a new book.

Yeah.... nope. 

Bout of Books 13.0 ~ Day 4 Update

Daaaaaaaay 2-4

Relative progress

Not spectacular results

Try somewhat harder

Thirst, No. 1
By Christopher Pike

Pages 362 - 594 (Finished)

Finally a vampire book I can get on board with. Review to come.

5 STARS





Next to read: 

Afterworlds
Wizard of Earthsea
War and Peace

Bout of Books ~ Day 1 Update

Daaaaaaaay 1

Sporatic reading

Finding a creative way

To succeed and read

Thirst No 1 
By Christopher Pike
Read Pg. 298 - 662

Fast paced and wonderfully likeable characters. This one I will burn through very quickly.





The Lies of Locke Lamora
By Scott Lynch
(Audiobook)
Disc 8 - 9

Listen to this on the way to work in my car... unfortunately the sound system has started to fail... so not sure how listening to this is going to work.

Currently, on an enjoyability scale, I'd give this a 'meh'.

Bout of Books 13.0 - The Start

Bonjour Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

It is Bout of Books 13.0 time! There are challenges and give aways. My own participation is mainly, independant. Meaning, I'll somewhat participate in the challenges as best I can, but set my own goals as well.

This week, I hope to finish two books and make a dent in two others.

1. The two for finishing: 'Thirst No. 1' and 'Wizard of Earthsea'

2. Make a dent in these: 'Afterworlds' and 'War and Peace'

3. Read at least 300 pages.

4. Start a new book.


Today's questions are as follows, posted by Writing My Own Fairytale

1. How do you organize your shelves?

From time to time, I reorganize. Currently, my main book shelf is sorted by colour and size. Paperbacks, large paperbacks, and hardcovers - all arranged in a rainbow. For my other shelf, non-fiction, it's sorted by History, Reference, and Classical Literature.


2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres?

Anne of Green Gables - Classics


3. What is the last 5 star book you read?


Song in the Silence by Elizabeth Kerner


4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon?

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld


5. What book do you recommend the most?

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Library Lovers

Hello Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

Saw this lovely tag on the Booktube and needed to immediately answer this.


How often do you go?

On my slower reading months, once every two weeks. On my faster months, twice a week. I love the hold option, so I can browse online, place a hold, and a few days later the book is ready for me to pick up.


Do you check out more books than you can read? Or the exact amount you can read?

I generally take out the exact amount that I can read. Once or twice I've taken out one too many.


When did you get your first library card? 

I'm pretty sure I was 8. Up until then, it was all on my mom's card. Probably during my Anne of Green Gables reading phase. There was something really 'adult' about getting to have my own card. I still have it too!


Do you go to take out a certain book? Or browse the shelves?

For the holds, yes. I clearly want to read those ones.

However, once a year, in the summer months, I browse the shelves and take out whatever peaks my interest. Last year I found some greats that way - "The Story of Owen" and "Of Poseidon" were found by chance. LOOOOVED them.


Do you only take out books?

No. I've recently been indulging in audio books (fantastic!). I do take out movies from time to time, but not as much.


From which section do you check out the majority of your books?

Young Adult and Fantasy as well as Juvenile (middle grade chapter books).


What's your favourite part about using the library?

I can read books to see if I love them instead of buying them. Sometimes I purchase them afterward if I love them enough.

Mainly, the opportunity to discover books you would otherwise not come across is incredible. The library has always been my escape - as a child and as an adult.

May TBR ~ 2015

Hello Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

May the 1st: Spring is in full swing (at least here it is) and so is the promise of good books.

With May comes Bout of Books 13 which I have signed up for. Count me in! Here's hoping I can whittle down my ridiculous 2015 list in this marathon.



On this month's reading docket:

War & Peace (Leo Tolstoy) - This one I'm reading as a bookclub with two friends. My book has the tiniest writing. When I go back and forth between this one and regular books, the regular books seem to be in very LARGE PRINT because of it.


A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula Le Guin) - Dunno why this one is taking me ages. It's not boring. It's a short book. I should be able to finish this one no prob.


Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch) - Listening to this one on audiobook. Lord, so much swearing. The man who narrates the book makes it even better with his accent, therefore I giggle with every F bomb.


Afterworlds (Scott Westerfeld) - Haven't read one of his since 'The Specials". Only a few chapters in and loving it already. Hmmm, apparently this is read books by 'Scott' month...


Thirst, No. 1 (Christopher Pike) - Borrowed this from a student. If I can hope for a dragon book and win, I can hope for a vampire book. I read chapter 1 juuuuust to make sure. I'm hooked. This book is actually a compilation of 3 books. Not sure if I'll read the whole thing or just the first one.


The maybe pile:

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (Leslye Walton) - Craving a little magical realism? Perhaps.

Bitter Greens (Kate Forsyth) - A fairy tale retelling is always delightful. Rapunzel this one is.



TBRs are a strange beast. Sometimes it is fun to plan and be exited for stories. Other times, that one book that's been sitting on your bookshelf, waiting to be read calls out "Read me". Like Alice in Wonderland, you can't help but do... So while I've posted a 'plan', plans can always change.

April Wrap-Up

Hello Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

My April went well with unconventional reading - audio and beta reading. Overall, the month was ho-hum. Not outstanding, but not awful .... until the last book. YES!

In total I finished 5 books - a total of 2,062 pages.

The Smoke Thief ~ Shana Abe
Dark Whispers ~ Bruce Coville (audio book)

Both of these I gave mini reviews for here.


Beta Reading
By Canadian Writer

As stated here,  I read through a fellow writer's work. This was tough. Reading critically is different than reading for pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It has taught me how to edit my own work and perhaps guide my own beta readers once I brush up that draft...

I'm counting this as a read book. But not rating... but I will say I'm definitely going to read the other books in the series.


The Last Hunt
By Bruce Coville
(audiobook)

Considering the first book in this series is 159 pages, this 605 page brick of a book was complex and a complete departure from what I thought this series would be. And, I loved it! Much more than what I expected, I was happily surprised with how everything came together and made sense with a very satisfying ending.

Closing out the series that introduced me to mythical creatures and fantasy, the series I have finished.

4 STARS




Get ready. I finally discovered it. The dragon book I've been searching for.

Did you notice a pattern with this month's books? Dragons. Yup. Finding that elusive beast.

I wanted to find one that blended a unique and fresh mythos. Where the dragons weren't just in a pet-like role. They are characters. Not just secondary characters. Forefront, with point of views, and they are heroes. I give you:



Song in the Silence
By Elizabeth Kerner

Whoa. Yes. Yes. YES. This is it. It's a fun book to read, fast plot, delightful characters, and most of all DRAGONS! And done in a way that made me rethink how I felt about them.

Not only that, this book may have helped me figure out what's been wrong with my own novel. Thank you, Kerner.

The main character is the person we all want to be. We probably all are. Like a Disney princess, she wants something more. Dragons. Having grown up on a small farm, Lanen finally decides to leave after the death of her father and start anew. She hears of a ship leaving for the Dragon Ilse and promptly pulls strings to get herself on board that ship.

When we finally meet the dragons, it's everything a dragon fan could want and more. It can't be that simple? No, of course not. There's an evil sorcerer to screw up this lovely moment. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll stop here. Truly, if you're interested in dragons, read this one. Finally, a book series I can get on board with and treats them as if they are the heroes, too.

Duh. 5 STARS.