Monday, April 25, 2011

SPRING'S SERENITY READ-A-THON MINI-CHALLENGE AND MY READING PLANS

UPDATED


Hello there, read-a-thon-ers! I am ready with your mini-challenge and the prizes!

I decided to do something a little fun and whimsical (I think)! I want you to take at least three (or more) of your planned read-a-thon books and write a short paragraph using the first line of each book.  It does not have to make sense.  I think it will be fun to see what everyone comes up with...how funny they all will sound. You can do a post on your blog and leave the link in the comments or you can just leave your answer in the comments.  Here's an example from four of my read-a-thon books:

*Decided to edit my paragraph to make it sound more cohesive.  You do not have to do this, but you can if you would like*

In the cold, nearly colorless light of a New England winter, two men on horseback traveled the coast road below Boston, heading north.  "We should start back," Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them.  It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.  Today, I learned what I am for.


Sentence 1:  John Adams by David McCullough
Sentence 2:  A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Sentence 3:  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sentence 4:  The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason


Now...the prizes! There will be three winners.

First place will win a print copy of each of Charlie Courtland's books (open to anywhere Amazon ships).
Second and Third place will win ebook copies of each book.  Thank you to Charlie who was so generous with this contribution!

Here are the books (click the title to read description on Goodreads):

Dandelions in the Garden: The Rise of the Blood Countess (Countess Elizabeth Bathory #1)

The Hidden Will of the Dragon (Countess Elizabeth Bathory #2)

The Secret of a Spicy Jalapeno (her new book!)

Winners will be selected randomly (random.org) from all mini-challenge participants.  This mini-challenge contest is open until Sunday, May 1st at 11:59pm CT.  Good luck! I can't wait to read your entries. =O)

My Read-A-Thon plans:



  1. Read the section for TuesBookTalk of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  2. Catch up on my reading of John Adams by David McCullough for the John Adams Read-a-long
  3. Finish A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (one of my new favorites!)
  4. Read The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason
  5. Finish Dante's Journey by JC Marino
  6. Locate my copy of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and hopefully, at least get started on it.  I want to read it before I see the movie!
Since I'm only reading sections of a couple of books, I'm hoping I might be able to add a couple more to at least get started on, but we shall see how the week progresses!


13 comments:

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. It means so much.

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  1. I was thinking, man, these books are never going to make a good sentence, and then - wow did it come together! Check this out!

    "A hand. I opened my wrist with one firm stroke of the knife, watching with interest as the blood leaped out of the vein. So this was freedom."

    Sentence 1 - Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn.

    Sentence 2 - Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn.

    Sentence 3 - New York by Edward Rutherfurd.

    I'm pretty impressed!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, that's really cool, Heather! After I read yours, I rearranged mine to sound more cohesive. It actually makes more sense now, but still not as much as yours. =O)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This was fun and it almost makes sense...

    Decisions, decisions. There was hopelessness in the old man's eyes as he struggled to breathe. "We have an idea," Laila Riley announced when she and Connie Collins turned up in Jess O'Brien's office at The Inn at Eagle Point on a Saturday Night.

    Sentence 1: Executive Sick Days by Maria E. Schneider
    Sentence 2: Montezuma Intrigue by Linda Weaver Clarke
    Sentence 3: Moonlight Cove by Sherryl Woods

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is a good one, Yvonne! Thanks for playing. =O)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I did a post - http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/04/springs-serentity-starting-line-and.html

    Cute idea for a challenge (I like those challenges that don't take much thought on my end!)lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is fun! Here's mine.

    Two young women running. One hundred sleek Arabian horses and their dark riders, carrying torches and armed with hammers, pikes and rusty axes, thundered across the wavebattered promontory toward the lighthouse. The waves lapped against the new shore, muffling the baby's cries. Halfway up the basement steps of the Hotel Angeline, laden with a heavy stack of industrial sheets and towels, Alexis Austin was beginning to think that perhaps she'd taken on too heavy a load.

    Sentence 1: Blood Trust by Eric Van Lustbader

    Sentence 2: The Pharos Objective by David Sakmyster

    Sentence 3: In the Lap of the Gods by Li Miao Lovett

    Sentence 4: Hotel Angeline

    ReplyDelete
  7. My daughter borrowed my copy of Water for Elephants and it hasn't made it back here yet. That's the last time I lend out one of my unread books! :)

    I'll be back to participate in your mini-challenge. I was not very definitely on my reading plans, other than that I'd like to finish at least 5 of my own personal TBR pile this week. I'm almost done with one!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Julie--Great mini-challenge entry. It really sounds like it makes sense!

    Julie--no worries! Do what you can when you can. I just don't want anyone to miss out on anything so if I pester too much, I apologize! =O)

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  9. I posted my paragraph along with my day one update... http://wp.me/p1hNSS-sH

    It almost makes sense! Hahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Here is mine

    "I'm Breathing OK again"

    "But It all Started on that Day"

    "It begins as all Wars do , with a Grievance"

    1- Hidden by Helen Frost
    2-Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist
    3-Xerxes by Frank Miller

    Happy Reading Every One

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a fun idea. I put my paragraph in a post. http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/springs-serenity-mini-challenge/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Our train hurtled past a gold-spangled woman in a strawberry sari, regal yet sitting on the ground, patting cow dung into disks to dry in the scorching sun - her cooking fuel. The Austrian horses glinted in the moonlight, their riders standing tall in the saddle, swords raised.

    "They are what?"

    "How much longer, Mama, must we tolerate this gross humiliation?"

    I've confessed to everything and I'd like to be hanged.

    Edited only to match tense.

    Sentences from:

    The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newman
    Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
    Changeless by Gail Carriger
    Blameless by Gail Carriger
    Chime by Franny Billingsley

    Very cool challenge! (I know that it's more than one paragraph, but I wanted to get as many of my challenge books in as I could. Out of the ones I've read so far, only one first sentence couldn't be fitted in nicely)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I did a post about mine, as well as my wrap up for the readathon. Thanks so much for organising it!

    http://brendasmum.blogspot.com/2011/05/spring-serenity-readathon-wrap-up-post.html

    ReplyDelete
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