Books, Brians 'n Blood Read-a-thon wrap up

My Shelf Confessions hosted a Books, Blood, & Brains Read-a-thon this weekend (Aug 2^nd- 6^th) 

<= Click the image to check out their website.

Books Completed: 

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

I really enjoyed both of these books! They're SO different and both SO good!! <3

The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater

Book(s) in progress:

Double Dead by Chuck Wendig

 

Pages Read: (????)

Rot & Ruin - 458

The Last Bastion of the Living - 273 (I don't have the book with me so this is a guess)

Double Dead - this is one bad thing about reading kindle books, no page numbers! I didn't have much time to read the last two days of the thon so I've only read the first 5 chapters of this one.
 
Book Quotes:

Rot & Ruin - ""Move slowly. Follow me, do what I do, move when I move, stop when I stop." They were Tom's words on his lips, and it hurt him to say them..."

I doesn't mean quite as much out of context but man, what a great quote!

The Last Bastion of the Living - "Blood, brains, and bits of bone littered the table and chairs." 

Oh yeah, now it's getting good!!

Books, Brains 'n Blood Read-a-thon - Another Update

My Shelf Confessions is hosting a Books, Blood, & Brains Read-a-thon this weekend (Aug 2^nd- 6^th) 

<= Click the image to check out their website.

 

Today and tomorrow are the last 'thon days so I'll hold off on another update post until Wednesday when I do a wrap up.

 

Books Completed: 

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

I really enjoyed both of these books! They're SO different and both SO good!! <3

The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater

 

Book(s) in progress:

None at the moment.

Next up:

You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay

 

Pages Read: (731)

Rot & Ruin - 458

The Last Bastion of the Living - 273 (I don't have the book with me so this is a guess)

 
Book Quotes:

Rot & Ruin - ""Move slowly. Follow me, do what I do, move when I move, stop when I stop." They were Tom's words on his lips, and it hurt him to say them..."

I doesn't mean quite as much out of context but man, what a great quote!

The Last Bastion of the Living - "Blood, brains, and bits of bone littered the table and chairs." 

Oh yeah, now it's getting good!!

Books, Brains 'n Blood Read-a-Thon Update

My Shelf Confessions is hosting a Books, Blood, & Brains Read-a-thon this weekend (Aug 2^nd- 6^th) 

<= Click the image to check out their website. 

Books Completed: 

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

I really enjoyed R&R and I'm glad this read-a-thon gave me the push I needed to finally read it. 

Book(s) in progress:

The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater

I'm reading this one much slower so it may take me a while BUT I think I'm getting to some really good parts and I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes me. 

Next up:

You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay

I think I'm going to need a quick, easy read after The Last Bastion of the Living. Whether or not I'll get to this one is still up in the air. The hubby is home today and wants to go clothes shopping...how much of a switch up is that?! Hubby wants to go shopping and I'm all like

Ooohhhh, ok, if we must...LOL

Pages Read: (552)

Rot & Ruin - 458

The Last Bastion of the Living - 64 and counting


Book Quotes:

Rot & Ruin - ""Move slowly. Follow me, do what I do, move when I move, stop when I stop." They were Tom's words on his lips, and it hurt him to say them..."

I doesn't mean quite as much out of context but man, what a great quote!

The Last Bastion of the Living - "Blood, brains, and bits of bone littered the table and chairs." 

Oh yeah, now it's getting good!! *eyes glued to page*

Did someone say brains and blood?!? Count me in!!

 My Shelf Confessions is hosting a Books, Blood, & Brains Read-a-thon this weekend (Aug 2^nd- 6^th) and, as a spur of the moment decision, I joined up yesterday.

I’m not sure how many books I’ll be able to get to but my first read is Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. I’ve had it on my shelves for quite a while and this is just the push I needed to read it.

As of now I'm about half way through Rot & Ruin and aside from a quick not so quick trip to my local used bookstore, for a rummage sale, I have no plans for today so I will hopefully finish R&R and maybe finish another book. 

Other possible read-a-thon books:

-Monster Island by David Wellington

-The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

-Rise Again by Ben Tripp

-The Last Bastion of the Living by Rhiannon Frater

-A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer

-Darkest Days by James J. Layton

-Zombie Fallout by Mark Tufo 

I could go on and on with but I’ll stop there :-P

Anywho, I don't have any other posts planned this weekend so I MIGHT post updates each day depending on how it goes. 

Fraterfest Update

This is where I'll post any thon updates so I don't clog up my blog :)

What I'm Currently Reading

NONE - I just finished Pretty When She Dies and since the thon ends today (Monday) I'm calling it quits.

Books I've Finished 

(titles linked to Goodreads)

As The World Dies Untold Tales Volume I

As The World Dies Untold Tales Volume II
Pretty When She Dies (Pretty When She Dies #1)

Pages I've Read

551

Random Thoughts

As the World Dies Untold Tales Volume 1 

Each of the three tales gives you a bit of background on different characters from the As the World Dies Trilogy. I LOVED being able to get back into this horrorific world that Rhiannon has created...I can't seem to get enough!!

Challenges I Joined

Tune this Title @ My Shelf Confessions

The challenges was to find a song that in some way represents the book you're reading. I just finished reading about zombies in the As the World Dies Untold Tales Volume I so I (with the help of my friend Wendy - thanks Wendy!) decided to go with Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie. The song is about a living dead girl...hello zombie! Right!? Plus I think Rob Zombie's name along is fitting for this challenge :)

Fraterbash @ Love of Books

The challenge is to use book covers to show what you'd wear to the Fraterbash and who your date would be. Well first of all, I'm all about comfort so I'll go with jeans and a nice shirt (nobody said this was a ball right?!?)

and some of you may know that I'm a sucker for werewolves so this is my date...I may or may not let him wear a shirt to the bash ;)

Cover Sleuth @ Basia's Bookshelf

The challenge was to figure out 12 book covers based on just a small clip of each cover. Some of them were tough but I ended up figuring out 7 of the 12 covers.

Fraterfest Read-a-thon

I thought I had this post scheduled to post last night only to come check my blog this morning and nothing. Sooo after replacing half of my missing post, here's Take 2...

This weekend I'm participating in the Fraterfest Read-a-Thon!! I read and LOVED Rhiannon Frater's As the World Dies series so I'm very excited to be reading more of her books!

If you want to see my reviews of the As the World Dies series:

• The First Days (As the World Dies #1)
• Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2)
• Seige (As the World Dies #3)

After realizing how awesome Rhiannon is I stocked up on her books so I have plenty to choose from for the thon.

Pretty When She Dies (Pretty When She Dies #1)

Pretty When She Kills (Pretty When She Dies #2)

The Last Bastion of the Living

As the World Dies Untold Tales Volume I

As the World Dies Untold Tales Volume 2

Blood & Love and Other Vampire Tales (ebook)

I can't commit to reading for the entire 4 days but I'll definitely fit in as much as possible. I'll try to read at least two books.

Happy Reading :)

Read-a-Thon Mini Challenge

Aside from the obvious reading, what else do you do during the Read-a-thon? For me, it’s eating! I know, I know, that doesn’t sound very healthy… and honestly it’s not ;). But since eating is one of the things that keeps me going I decided to do a food themed challenge.

Imagine that this Read-a-thon is one large, worldwide food fight! Yes, you heard right…food fight!! You have to defend yourself, your blog, and your books!

To enter this challenge, post a comment letting me know what food you’ll be reaching for when the battle begins! If you want to go a step further, you can pick a method to deliver your attack. AND if you want to go even further, you can pick a fellow read-a-thon’er to target!

Fun right?!! I’ll get us started by using a remote controlled hot air balloon (with GPS of course) to drop a big vat of cheesy mashed potatoes on Wendy @ Wall-to-Wall books.

SPLAT!!!

Now it’s your turn! You have TWO hours to enter. Contest closes at 4:59am (EST)

Make sure to include your email so I can contact the winner!

Remember to keep it relatively safe, no bodily harm should come from your food item ;)

The winner will be able to choose up to $15 worth of books from Book Depository.com


**Since I am heading to bed soon, I will announce a winner later in the morning! Happy Reading everyone!!

It's RAT Time!!!

Yep, it's that time! The read-a-thon (RAT) has begun!

Introductory Questions

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?


Pennsylvania USA





2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?


All of them! Even though I can't possibly read them all in 24 hours.





3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?


Hhmm, I really don't know. 





4) Tell us a little something about yourself!


I'm a pretty laid back person most of the time. I enjoy photography, paper crafts (scrapbooking, bookmark making), reading, and blogging. I also love being in airplanes, kayaking, and hiking.



5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?


I don't think I'll do anything differently, my main goal is to read and have fun.

Read-a-Thon Book Choices

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is right around the corner! It's good timing too because I haven't read anything in about too weeks and the thon will be a good book slump breaker.

 Anyway, I came up with a tenative reading list for the thon this morning. I'm not sure what order I will tackle them though. I will just have to wait to see what I'm in the mood for when the time comes.

 

The Next Full Moon by Carolyn Turgeon

Godmother by Carolyn Turgeon

Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman

Sweet Stuff by Donna Kauffman

The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich

Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich

Manhunt by Janet Evanovich

Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

The Opposite of Me by Sara Pekkanen

Upcoming Read-a-Thon!

Ok, ok, I know I am mega early on this BUT I'm excited for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon in April! April 21st into the 22nd to be exact!

So why am I posting about this months early? One will never know ;) but since it's on my mind, I thought I would list some general RAT (read-a-thon) tips for any first timers out there.

1. Pick books you are 90% sure you will like! There's nothing worse than trying to force the connection to a book during a RAT.

2. If you find yourself forcing said connection then it may be wise to put it down and grab a different book so you don't mess with the flow of the thon.

3. A friend (Wendy at Wall-to-Wall Books) suggested reading Young Adult books, which makes sense because they are sometimes easier/quicker reads.

4. I believe at one point Wendy also said she reads shorter books. I think tho is a good idea too. Finishing more books may keep you motivated to kick RAT butt!

5. Plan out quick prep foods and snacks. You may decide to break up the RAT by cooking meals but if you want to read straight through the 24 hours then having grab and go types of food is always a time saver!

6. Stock up on sugar and caffeine. Unless your body is the energizer bunny you may need something to peel your eyes open and jump start your brain...and what better to do that than candy, coffee, or high sugar soda? I found that brownies and milk is a good snack to pull me through the rough hours.

7. Take breaks. Get up and walk around, dance around the house like a nut, take the dog out, or maybe do some cheerleading for other RAT'ers.

8. Have a friend check in with you and cheer you on...or have them threaten to hold your eyes open with toothpicks (Wendy!!)if you start drifting off.

9. If you are the type tht can't read withy grouch distractions then find a quiet room and throw some caution tape across the door to warn off any brave souls. I try to make sure my hubby is working a full shift during the RAT. Otherwise he tends to say random dribble about every half hour until I start to develop a twitch.

10. Another friend (Kate at Epic Chocolate Fantasy) recommends trying different locations, a coffee shop for example.

11. She also recommends having a lot of music close at hand...which will work nicely since #7 has you dancing around the house like a nut :)

12. And the most important one...HAVE FUN!

If you are a seasoned RAT'er let us know if you have any additional tips.

Hope to see some of you in April   :-P

RAT Update & End of RAT Questiones

Updates

RAT Start Time: 8 am Saturday
Current Time: 8 am Sunday

WE'RE FINISHED!!!!!!

Books Finished:
Deception by Lee Nichols
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper

Pages Read:
Deception - 310 pages
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper - 65 pages read
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper - 242 pages read
Blonde with a Wand by Vicki Lewis Thompson - 237 pages read

854 pages read





End of RAT Questions

Which hour was most daunting for you?
Hours 21-24

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Deception by Lee Nichols
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
More cheerleaders in the last 3-4 hrs


What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Most everything

How many books did you read?
Almost 3

What were the names of the books you read?
Deception by Lee Nichols
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper
Blonde with a Wand by Molly Harper

Which book did you enjoy most?
Deception

Which did you enjoy least?
I couldn't get into Nice Girls Don't Date dead men. I think I will like the book but it's not a good RAT book

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Volunteer for later hours

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely

Thank you again to everyone who stopped by to visit or to cheer me on! And a big congrats to everyone who participated!

Until next time...

RAT Quick Update

Update:

RAT Start Time: 8 am Saturday
Current Time: 12:20 am Sunday

Books Finished:
Deception by Lee Nichols
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper

Pages Read:
Deception - 310 pages
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper - 65 pages read
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper - 242 pages read

617 pages read so far

I'm excited that I won the Book Title Mini Challenge :o)

And I'm surprisingly not tired.

Let's DO THIS!!!!!!

;)
Happy Reading RAT'ers!!

RAT Mid-Event Update/Survey

Update -
WE'VE HIT THE HALF WAY MARK!!! WWOOOO HHOOO!!! :)

RAT Start Time: 8 am
Current Time: 8:30 pm

Books Finished:
Deception by Lee Nichols

Pages Read:
Deception - 310 pages
Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper - 65 pages read
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper - 125 pages read
500 pages read so far



Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Helper

2. How many books have you read so far?
I finished one and started two others

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I'm not sure what I'll be reading next, probably Blonde with a Wand by Vicki Lewis Thompson

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Kicked hubby out of the house ;) Ok really I just encouraged him to work today

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Hubby is home now and tends to be chatty at just the moments that I don't want him to be...I'm attempting to ignore him, hehe

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
I don't think I have been surprised by anything, I pretty much knew what to expect

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Maybe post the reader list a little earlier

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I can't really think of anything to do differently

9. Are you getting tired yet?
I was bored earlier, but I switched books and now I'm back on track.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Drink a lot so you have to pee a lot...sounds a bit odd, but it gets you off your bum ;)

Mini Challenge

I'll admit, I'm going through a bored patch. I don't know if I'm not into the book I'm reading or what. Anyway to break up my time a little I decided to do the book title challenge. I came up with two sentences using book titles.

Across the universe, beyond the darkness, they hunger.

Strange Neighbors howling at the moon, dancing with werewolves.

I also wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who has been stopping by and showing their support! It is very much appreciated!

RAT Update

Here's a quick update:

RAT Start Time: 8 am
Current Time: 2:45 pm

Books Read:
Deception by Lee Nichols - Just finished this and of course it ended on a cliff hanger!

Pages Read:
Deception - 310 pages

Next up is: Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper

Happy Reading to my fellow RAT'ers!!

RAT Mini Challenge

Our first Mini Challenge is to take a picture of something that relates to your book...whether that means recreating a scene or just something that reminds you of a character.

I'm reading Deception by Lee Nichols and the book talks about Urns so here's my version of an urn...

r

Read-a-Thon Intro Post

As requested, here are my intro questions


1)Where are you reading from today?

Pennsylvania, USA

2)Three random facts about me…

-I'm a technology junkie
-I have the cutest dog ever :)
-I love trying new things

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

More than I could possibly read ;)

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

To have fun and read around 4 books?..maybe 3...we'll see

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Make sure you take breaks

My Read-a-Thon Preparedness

I started collecting all of my goodies and books together and this is what I've come up with so far.

READ-A-THON!!!

Dewey’s Read-a-Thon (which will be referred to as RAT from this point on) begins in less than 24 hours!!

For all of my non RAT’er readers, I apologize but my blog will potentially be bombarded with RAT posts!

I'm really excited for tomorrow morning!  I have only read two books this month (**gasp**, I know) so I’m looking forward to bumping up that number!

I am going to wing it when it comes to book selections. I’m a big mood reader so I think I will just read whatever I’m in the mood for. When it comes to food, I am much more prepared…

My snack/meal list:

Circus Peanuts

Teddy Grahams

Vanilla Wafers

Sesame Sticks

Brownies (which I still have to make)

Mini Peanut Butter Cups (because they have the perfect ratio of chocolate vs peanut butter!)

Pizza Rolls (a nice simple oven meal)

Makings of my FAV sandwich (Sweet Bologna, Cheese, Mustard, Chips)

AAaaand a bag of raw carrots because I felt guilty for all of the yummy goodness above ;)

If you’re RAT’ing this weekend, comment with your blog addy and I’ll try to stop by a couple of times to do some cheering and what not :)

Read-a-Thon!!!

It's almost Read-a-Thon time!!! Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is being held October 22nd into October 23rd! Click here for more details or to sign up.

I had a lot of fun when I participated in April! I spent my time reading, blogging, and chatting with other readers/bloggers!

For the occasion I decided to write a song about the read-a-thon. Ok, technically I just changed the lyrics to Rocking Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee. Get ready for a masterpiece ;-)


Reading Around The Clock Tonight
By: Me

Reading around the clock tonight
at the Read-a-Thon party
Books and snacks out where you can see
Ev'ry person grabs a book

Reading around the clock tonight
Let the page turning begin
Later we'll do some more snacking
and we'll do some long napping

You will get a sentimental feeling When you see people posting
"Let's be jolly; Read your books with bookmarks handy"
Reading around the clock tonight
Have a happy Read-a-Thon
Everyone's reading merrily
In Dewey’s Read-a-Thon way

You will get a sentimental feeling When you see people posting
"Let's be jolly; Read your books with bookmarks handy"
Reading around the clock tonight
Have a happy Read-a-Thon
Everyone's reading merrily
In Dewey’s Read-a-Thon way


I admit, it's a bit corny but still fun :)