A Reading Life (42) - Read-a-Thon wrap-up and more

So, yesterday ended my Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon. I'm happy to say that I was able to complete two books! I read...

Goodreads

Read my review

I also participated in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon on Saturday (for about 10-11 hours). I actually managed to stay up all night, but only read half of The Troop. My wrap-up post is here.

What I'm reading now...

Finishing up The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James

Continuing with Roots and Akhenaten by Naguib Mahfouz

Coming up next...Children of Darkness by Jonathan Janz, The Great Mortality by John Kelly

What I've been watching...

Mom and I took my boys to see The Jungle Book on Saturday. They are 13 and 14 years old and I was so thrilled that they wanted to see it. They loved it. The Jungle Book is Gabe's (my older son) favorite since he was little. I'm hoping I can get him to read the book this summer. Mom and I loved the movie too. It was visually stunning, exciting, scary in parts...just an all around great film. I highly recommend it. 

Two of my favorites characters...

Raksha voiced by Lupita Nyong'o

Bagheera voiced by Ben Kingsley

Game of Thrones! I was SO excited for the new season. A lot of revelations in this first episode. Don't ask me what, or who, this is...I'm not telling (If you saw it, you'll know). I don't do spoilers. lol

Honestly, I love the Game of Thrones show so much, and the A Song of Ice and Fire series, that I'm seriously thinking about starting book 3, A Storm of Swords, just because I know I'll have to read it slowly (due to other reading obligations) and so will prolong my Game of Thrones euphoria after the season ends. I think I might be addicted. ;-)

I've been watching Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned on Lifetime. It's a three part "mini-series" that originally aired in the UK and it is EXCELLENT (like most British offerings, I've found). I'm finishing Part 3 tonight (as I type, actually) and can't wait to see how it ends. Her husband is such an ass.

Recent book acquisitions...

For review (next month) from Henry Holt & Company

Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespeare's Globe, Andrew Dickson 

(Don't miss the giveaway!)

from Dollar Tree

• The Good Inn: an Illustrated Screen Story of Historical Fiction, Black Francis and Josh Frank (co-written by the Pixies front man...one of my favorite bands!)
• Gameboard of the Gods, Richelle Mead

What's going on in your Reading Life?

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A Reading Life (38)

Conversation with myself lately...

Me: "Why do you never finish a book during the set read-a-long time?" 
Myself: "I don't know."
Me: "Well, it's pretty lame."
Myself: "You're not my real mom!!!"

Yes, that's right. I have been rebelling against reading within a constrained schedule which doesn't work out too well with my monthly read-a-long, bi-yearly retreat group and this read-a-long event I'm hosting for the next five months (more on that at the end of this post). Hence the overcoming procrastination book below. I'm really trying to do better. Honest. I'm just a work in progress. Like that novel a writer took their entire life to complete. Yup, that's me. 

Keep calm and soldier on...

Currently reading

Solomon's Bride, Rebecca Hazell

The Once and Future King, T.H. White

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
In the Woods, Tana French

Audio

A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Still moseying along)

Family Reading Project (20 minutes daily, alternating titles)

We are getting ready to start our reading after the boys get back from their dad's this week. I think we are going to start with The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson.

TuesBookTalk - We are currently reading The Once and Future King, T.H. White for June.

Lit Collective - We are reading Tana French books for our August retreat. The first three in her Dublin Murder Squad series:

In The Woods
The Likeness
Faithful Place

Book Hauls

Better World Books - Have I mentioned how much I love them?

Geist, Philippa Ballantine
The Prisoner of Heaven, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Hollow, Jessica Verday
Let Me In, John Ajvide Lindqvist (I've already read this...a favorite. Will read again)
The Lottery, Shirley Jackson
The Witchcraft of Salem Village, Shirley Jackson
Home Before Dark, Charles Maclean
All the Women of the Bible, M.L. del Mastro
The Pen Commandments, Steven Frank
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Overcoming Procrastination (will it help? Probably not. lol)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ancient Egypt
The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Roman Empire

My last library sale

Inkdeath, Cornelia Funke
Kate's Choice, Louisa May Alcott
The Kingmakers (Vampire Empire #3), Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
The Hallowed Ones, Laura Bickle
Ancestral Hungers, Scott Baker
The Witches' Kitchen, Cecelia Holland
We Are Water, Wally Lamb
Madame du Barry: The Wages of Beauty, Joan Haslip
Winter of the World, Ken Follett

In case you missed it, I'm hosting a five month long read-a-long event which coincides with four of the perpetual/long-term reading challenges I host - The MEGA Perpetual Challenge Read-a-Long.

Each month, we will be reading a book that works with each challenge:

June - The Fantasy Project: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
July/August - The Michener Challenge: The Covenant, James A. Michener
September - The Never-Ending Anne Rice Challenge: The Wolf Gift, Anne Rice
October - The Stephen King Challenge: Salem's Lot, Stephen King

You can read more details at this post and there is also a page in the menu above which is the hub for the event. I hope you will join me!

What's going on in your Reading Life?