Hi Everyone!

Happy Monday and Happy National Reading Day! I wanted to share with you some information about this day and I hope that you will join in the celebration! 

From their website:
National Reading Day is an annual event which celebrates and encourages reading by younger children. National Reading Day is celebrated in thousands of schools all around the United States. This literacy event is designed to help Pre-K through Third Grade students develop the literacy foundation they need to become lifelong learners. Schools, libraries, nonprofit groups, and parents participate in a variety of activities with younger readers on National Reading Day. Have your students join in with the hundreds of thousands of other young readers who will celebrate National Reading Day on January 23, 2017.

Happy Reading! 

#24in48 Readathon

Hi Everyone!

Happy #24in48 readathon. This is going to be my 'landing page' for all things related to this reading adventure. Please stay tuned for more details.

-Valerie

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Introduction:

1. Where in the world are you reading from this weekend? The greater DC area
2. Have you done the 24in48 readathon before? Yes :)
3. Where did you hear about the readathon, if it is your first? N/A
4. What book are you most excited about reading this weekend? All of them, lol. I need to make some serious progress on my TBR!
5. Tell us something about yourself.  I grew up in the midwest :)
6. Remind us where to find you online this weekend.  @hesaidbooksorme (twitter and instagram)

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 Hour 6 post:
(most of them are on the Kindle at the top, but I would like to get to the others too!)

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Keep going everyone! I have to say that I have been distracted today. I ended up cleaning the house instead of reading. Sometimes just picking up is what you need to do.

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#DiversityDecBingo Reading Challenge

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by with a post to let you know about the Diversity December Bingo Readathon! This event is looking to be a great one and I wanted to share with you about it.  When you talk about it please share the hashtag #DiversityDecBingo.


Happy Reading! 

 1/2/2017: I ended up finishing this challenge.  

These are the books I read:
 Indigenous Main Character-Tiger Eyes
POC with Natural Hair-Goldie Vance
Free Space
Diverse Non-Fiction: Dashing through the snow
Chronic Pain Suffers: Handle with Care

Bloggiesta

Hi Everyone!

So as you know, I spend a lot of time reading. I have been trying hard to make my blog a place that captures those reading experiences. While doing so, I have learned a lot. That said, there is still so much to do. Thankfully for me there is a event that is held throughout the year called the Bloggiesta! During this 'mini' event, you prepare a list of things you would like to accomplish related to making your blog better. (During the year 'full events' happen twice and are held for a week.) This event is being held June 18-19.  You can find out more here. 


Here is my list of items that I am considering on my to-do list:

1) Creating two new graphics for ideas that are coming soon to the blog!

2) Launching a fun new summer project! (Tune in Monday!)

3) Prep all posts for the week of June 19-25 (because it is going to be crazy!) (1/2 way done)

4) Participate in a mini challenge or twitter chat or comment on other people's blogs

5) Create a Features Page for my website

6/19 Note: I am personally going to extend this work into Monday the 20tth a bit. I hope to have this all taken care of by the end of the day on Monday. :) 

6/20:  So I had hoped that I was going to have some additional time to get these done, but it just doesn't look like it is in the cards. I am happy that I got 2.5 of the 5 things I wanted to get done done. This week is an insane one for me for work, so I am going to have to just put the rest of these on hold for now and revisit when I can.

Are you participating? What goals did you set?

Happy Blogging! 

#Readorama

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by with a new reading challenge for the week! This one is the #Readorama challenge! It is being held June 13-19 and is being hosted by @brunettebiblio, @theowlerybooks, @kitkatscanread, @BooKss101M & @Theglitterynerd. The goal is to complete books for each of the challenges outlined above.

Here is my list of ideas for fulfilling the goals:

A Book With RAMA in the Title-The Museum of Heartbreak
A Book with Music and One Word Title-Tape
A Book to Movie Adaption-Night
A Buddy Read-Tonight the Streets Are Ours
A POC Main Character-Cinder
A Book of Short Stories-Summer Days and Summer Nights
Extra Books to get to seven:Corner of the Universe, Reverie, Two by John Heldt

If I am able to finish all of these, then I will have completed my seven books!

Are you participating? What are you reading?

Happy Reading!


6/19 Note: Well, I am happy to report that I did get through about 4 of the challenges and read seven books. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to get to the others. The  good news is that I should be able to pick up those books to read in some of the other challenges I will be doing soon! :) I had fun doing this event. 

#TomeTopple

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by with another fun reading challenge-#TomeTopple. The idea for this read-a-thon is to get through as many tomes (a tome being any book over 500 pages) as possible. It will be taking place from June 6-June 19th. This is being hosted by: @thoughtsontomes.

There are also optional challenges you can participate in:

1. Read more than one tome
2. Take a graphic novel break
3. Read a tome that is part of a series
4. Read 500+ pages in one week
5. Read an adult novel

Seeing as I have been putting off two massive books in my collection (Illuminae and Steve Jobs), I thought this might a great motivator and something fun to participate in!

Are you participating? If so, what are you reading?

Happy Reading!   

6/19 Note: Well the good news is that I read one Tome and was able to accomplish the goal of four of the challenges. I had had hoped to get to one more, but it was just not the cards for me. I think having this one at the same time as #readorama was hard. I ended up reading some books for that challenge that would have equaled out to be another tome. It's okay though, I got through one I had been putting off and I am so glad! :) Thanks for the fun challenge!  

20 Books of Summer Reading

I heard about the the 20 Books of Summer reading event from my friend @jmillwanders and thought it sounded fun! This event is hosted by Cathy of 746 Books and involves reading 20 books over the course of the summer. It starts on June 1st and runs through September 5th. Learn more about the event here.

I am doing a couple of things this summer, but I am always up for anything that helps me to stay focused! I don't have a specific 20 books picked out, but I will be updating this post as I finish them.


Books I have Finished:
1) Sunshine Beach
2) Tell Me 3 Things
3) The Memory of Bread
4) Illuminae
5) The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up 
6) Summer Days and Summer Nights
7) A Corner of the Universe
8) The Museum of Heartbreak 
9) Night
10) Reverie
11) The Mine
12) Indiana Belle
13) The Happiness of Pursuit
14) Dietland
15) Yes Please
16) Here's to Us
17) Into the Black
18) Tonight the Streets Are Ours
19) Dakota Born
20) Dakota Home
21) Always Dakota
22) Buffalo Valley
23) You Know Me Well 
24) The Season
25) What Happens at the Beach
26) Giant Days Vol. 1 and 2
27) The Memory Book
28) LumberJanes Vol. 4
29) Halfway to the Sky
30) The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F&*(
31) Small Great Things
32) Lily and Dash's Book of Dares

Will you join us?

Happy Reading! 

7/28 Update: I am calling it on this challenge too! I have done more than the 20 books, so I am very happy! :) I have a busy August, so I want  to be able to focus on a few other books. Thanks for the fun event. 

#TBYSReadathon Wrap Up

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by with a quick reading recap from this weekend. I participated in the #TBYSreadathon and was able to finish 8 books! Since you guys already got the recap of ‘The Little Paris Bookshop’ here are some quick thoughts on the other seven.

Love and Gelato
This book was sooo cute! I really enjoyed it and it absolutely made me want to go to Italy. The food, the sights, the story…it was really good. I found it was a bit predictable, but I think if it had been any other way I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. If you enjoy contemporary romance and a light summer read I would recommend this one.

The Slice Harvester
This is the story of the quest to eat pizza at all of the locations in Manhattan. 2 years and 435 stops later, we get to know a lot more about what it takes. This book opened my eyes to what it means to set standards for what you determine is good food, as well as the culture in NYC. I think the author learned a lot of life as well. A good book.

Scarlet Epstein Hates It Here
This was a book that was not written for me. I thought that the main character came across a little bit snotty and I didn’t really get into the story line. For those wondering it is about the follow up from a fan fiction on a TV show that gets canceled. It just wasn’t the book for me. That said, the writing was well done and for someone who enjoys those elements in a story, I think that they would probably love this book.

The Goddess Pose
I picked this one up for the Pop Sugar and Read Harder challenges. In this book we are reminded of the history of Yoga and the person who brought it to Western America. An informative read with lots of research about the person and the impact that it has on our daily lives. I enjoyed the story very much and found it to be a great read.

Every Exquisite Thing
The last Matthew Quick book that I read was Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. While both have a somewhat dark story line, it was interesting to see how this one played out. I can tell that the author thinks very deeply about the stories and it is fascinating to see how it all plays out. This story includes poetry that explains the feelings of the characters and adds to the narrative. The story itself was a bit hard for me to follow at times, but when you read the poems it makes sense.  An interesting read.

Fun Home
A graphic novel that I picked up because I thought it sounded interesting. It certainly was, but it was also a lot ‘darker’ then what I had first expected. In this one, we are given the insight to the family and what ‘normal’ means for them. I enjoyed the story and the illustrations. In general, it was different than what I thought it was going to be like.

Please Stop Laughing At Me
This book made me tear up several times. In this book, we learn about Jodee’s life as a child and the impact that bullying had on her. There are stories that are incredibly personal and painful to read. What courage she has to share her story with the world! I enjoyed this book very much. If you have read A Child Called It, I would recommend this book.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Happy Reading!

Take Back Your Shelves Readathon

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by to let you know that I am participating in the 'Take Back Your Shelves Readathon" hosted by the lovely JMillWanders!  The whole goal of this event is to catch-up read the books you have been meaning to read! Lucky for me I have a long weekend and I had hoped to do some reading anyways!

Sign up by commenting here.

More Details:
Readathon Dates: May 28-30 (Saturday-Monday). I know not everyone has Memorial Day off of work, but this is an informal readathon so read whenever you have time. Thirty minutes? Cool. Thirty hours? Rebel.

Bonus: There will be prizes! Make sure to use the hashtag #TBYSreadathon on social media throughout the weekend to qualify, and keep an eye out for random prompts from me on Twitter and Instagram.


I will update my status here as I progress:

1. The Little Paris Bookshop
2. Love & Gelato
3. Please Stop Laughing at Me
4. Fun Home
5. Scarlet Epstein Hates It Here
6. Every Exquisite Thing
7. The Goddess Pose
8. The Slice Harvester


Hope you will join us!

Happy Reading!

BookCon 2016

Hi Everyone!

Happy Monday! I am stopping by today with a quick recap from BookCon 2016. I flew across the country to Chicago to attend this event.

Perhaps the easiest way to document my time there is through pictures. Let me share with you a few of my favorites:

Panel with Ann M. Martin (from the Babysitters Club)

Tracking down Quirk E Cat

Finding Minecraft books for my niece

Collecting Totes!

Book Haul

Sample Haul

Swag Haul

The madness that was O' Hare Airport

 Did you go to BookCon this year? Have you attended other book type events? What is your favorite?

Happy Reading! 

Armchair BEA Discussions!

Discussions

Here are links to the Discussions for Each Day. I know it is supposed to be a daily update, but I am going to be traveling this weekend, so I am trying to get my thoughts out now! 

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Day 1 Discussion: Diversity in Books


Here are few thoughts of mine:More and more I am starting to notice that we are seeing more and more diverse voices in books. For this I am glad! I am not sure if it is because I am reading more diversely or because it is actually true or both. In any case, I believe that exposure to culture, values, thoughts that are different from your own are positive. It can help you think through topics more broadly and be more open minded. I am not saying that everyone has to agree all of the time, but just having respect for differences can go along way. As a blogger, I chose to continue to pick books that are different and unique to me. Negative and stereotypes are a hard conversation to overcome. We need to be willing to have hard conversations in a respectful way.

How do you include diversity in your book choices? 

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Day 2: Aesthetic Concerns

The BooksI have to admit, I judge a book by its cover quite a bit. It has drawn me to a couple of books that I maybe wouldn't have picked up otherwise. I like pretty, colorful covers. I do prefer that if I have a group of book in a series that they are of similar style. I am not too concerned if the inside doesnt match the outside.

The BlogI am actually just coming up on my one year blogaversary! As a result, I have not spent too much time on my branding of my blog so far. I hope to do more of that in the future. The most important things are having a welcoming space, a place where people can discuss books, and having fun. :) More to come on this in the future. I will be checking out everyone's posts to see what they say here and see if I can get some new ideas or at least be inspired! 

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Day 3: Beyond the Books and Beyond the Blog

I have to admit, I a bit old school when it comes to the format of the media. I have a kindle and it is great when I travel, but nothing beats a paper print book for me! I have read quite a few graphic novels and I am really enjoying those! My faves are Rat Queens and LumberJanes. I think that this format is fun because it helps me visualize the  story all the more!

I have tried to start attend more book type events in the local area. I am also pretty involved with Twitter chats and I have enjoyed getting to know and meet new people that way! 

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Day 4: Surviving Fictional Worlds and Giveaways

I wish that I could land of Oz! It just looks beautiful. I would want to stay in the safe places and away from the scary forest, but it should be better now that the Wicked Witch is gone, right? That is one place I would rather stay 'behind the glass' for!

Once I got to Oz, I think I would go track down Dorthy's friends, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion. They seem like a fun group. I would want to check in on Glinda and munchkins as well. I would enjoy getting to see the places that she saw! 

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Day 5: Wrap Up

This will be done when I get back on 5/16 along with my closing survey!

Armchair BEA Introductions

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping by to letting you know that I am participating in Armchair BEA. This is an event for all the people who are not able to attend Book Expo America in real life, to still have lots of wonderful bookish conversations! The first part is to introduce ourselves...so here is my info:

Group 1:

1.  What is the name you prefer to use? Valerie or Val, either is fine

2.  How long have you been a book blogger? It will be one year in just a couple of days!

3.  Have you participated in ABEA before? Nope, first time!

Group 2:

1.  Do you have a favorite book? If you cannot choose a favorite book of all time, pick your favorite book today - just this second. Remember that favorites are allowed to change if something affects you deeply enough. 
I do! It is The Richest Man in Town

2.  What is your favorite genre and why?  I have a bunch! Check out my 'What I Read' List

3.  How do you arrange your bookshelves? Is there a rhyme or reason? Or not at all? (#ABEAShelfie) They are sort of grouped by topic, for example all of my outdoor/hiking books are together.

4.  What book are you most excited for on your TBR?  I just got Love & Gelato from the library, so I am looking forward to that!

5.  What is the most interesting thing that you have learned through your reading this year so far?  
How wonderful the book community is! 

Are you participating in Armchair BEA?  What are you most looking forward to?

Happy Reading!  

Bout of Books Challenges

 Challenges

1) The challenge is simple: introduce yourself on Twitter, Instagram, or on this post using six words, no more, no less. Use the hashtags #boutofbooks and #insixwords.

Introduce Yourself #insixwords -- wife, fur mom, book lover, adventurer :)


2) Shelfie Picture-Here is my link!

3) Five Faves-Here is my link!

4) If You Like Challenge-Here is my link! 

5) I dont really have too many scary books or settings for the Freaky Friday challenge.

6) A late posting for the bout of books-my favorite part of this week was just being able to read as much as I could! I really enjoyed that.

Bout of Books 16

Hi Everyone!

It is that time of year again...time for Bout of Books! I am signing up to participate and I hope that you will too.

In case you don't know what it is:

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 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. 


I will update here, as it starts happening!

Updates

Monday 5/9/16
Books Started: 1
Books Finished:1 (All Four Stars)
Pages Read: 288 Pages

Tuesday 5/10/16
Books Started: 1
Books Finished: 2 (The Grand Tour)
Pages Read: 576

Wednesday 5/11/16
Books Started: 1
Books Finished: 3 (The Gotham Academy)
Pages Read: 736

Thursday 5/12/16
Books Started: 1
Books Finished: 4 (Amulet)
Pages Read: 928

Friday 5/13/16
Books Started: 0
Books Finished:0
Pages Read: 0

Saturday 5/14/16
Books Started: 0
Books Finished:0
Pages Read: 0

Sunday 5/15/16
Books Started: 1
Books Finished:5 (Even if the Sky Falls)
Pages Read: 1232
Happy Reading! 

This has been a fun week! I have finished 5 books and over 1200 pages! Thanks everyone for a fun event! :)   

Dewey's Wrap Up

 

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? It was hour 9 for me. This seemed early, but I knew I needed a break.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I enjoyed The Lost& Found, it was a cute read.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? I liked the challenges, but it was hard to balance the social media with the reading.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I loved the hosts and the ongoing conversations on twitter!
5. How many books did you read? 7!
6. What were the names of the books you read?
   Matilda
   Born for This
   How To Wake Up
   Where The Light Gets In
   The Lost & Found
   This Is Where It Ends
   Food and the City
7. Which book did you enjoy most? I enjoyed them all.
8. Which did you enjoy least? I dont have one!
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Yes, hopefully! I liked to be a participant. I am grateful to everyone else's hosts,  but I want to spend more time reading.

Dewey's Mid-Event Survey

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? This is Where It Ends
2. How many books have you read so far? 4! :)
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I have been looking forward to reading all of the books I have read so far!
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? A few. I took a break between hours 9-10 to take the dog out, eat, relax a little.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  There havent thankfully been too many surprises for me! :) 


How is your reading going?

Happy Reading!

Dewey's 2 Hour Mini Challenge

Hi Everyone!

In this challenge we are supposed to reflect on five childhood book memories. So here are mine! I hope you enjoy reading them as much I do remembering them.

1)   I have always been drawn to books. I am not sure why, but it was the one thing that my little sister wouldn't try to take away from me. I would memorize every line of every story and then pretend that I knew how to "read it" back to her. The earliest book I remember doing this with was Chicken Soup with Rice.  Yep, everyone knows Where the Wild Things Are-beautiful book, same guy, this one equally as awesome.

2)  I think my love for books was promoted by teachers who read to us. In first grade, I could tell that my teacher loved story time as much as I did. Even in 7th grade, my teacher would read with us. This was an important role modeling of the books that were important in life. We read books like the BFG, the True Story of 3 Little Pigs, so many wonderful ones.

3)  Who didn't love the Scholastic Book Orders? I mean seriously! It was my dream to order every single thing on those sheets. I remember getting Sweet Valley Books, Goosebumps, stickers by Lisa Frank, all of the cool things.

4) Book It Pizza and State Reading Certificates. If you completed your monthly goal of 4 books you would get pizza for that month! The state of North Dakota wanted you to read 18 books a year. I loved it.

5) The books that shaped and defined my childhood, The Babysitters Club. These books were everything. They gave me friends, they gave me entertainment, I loved every second of reading them. I once wrote a letter to Ann M. Martin to tell her thank you and she wrote back! I cherished that letter. I am excited to see her speak at Book Con next month!

What are some of your fave childhood reading memories?

Happy Reading!

Dewey's Opening Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? The lovely greater Washington DC
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Oh this is hard! I want to read them all! :)
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I am all about the easy snacks-yogurt? Check!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! This is my second time doing the Dewey's readathon and I am looking forward to it very much! My greyhound (dog) and cats (two bengals) are happy for a low key weekend too!
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? Yes, I have. I didn't define any parameters for myself this weekend. Last time I had some specific goals, but I wanted to go more with what feels right. 


Happy Reading!

Deweys 24 Hour Readathon

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to another round of the Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon! I am excited to be participating in the event again and will be using this post to list my progress! I know that I am not going to be able to read for 24 hours, but I hope to be present and reading as much as I can.

 (Hold for Updating with Books Read)

What are you reading?

Happy Reading

Spring Cleaning Readathon

Spring Cleaning Readathon is for those books that are wayyyy in the back of your bookshelf. You bought them with the best of intentions for reading them right away and just never got around to it. It is being hosted by Books with Lucy.

- It will start on April 15th and end on April 17th at Midnight. 

-You can focus on books from your bookshelf that have been there awhile or get books from the library that you've been putting off for a long time. The main focus is, of course, READING. 

 -For this readathon we will be using the hashtag #SpringCleanReads!!  You can post your TBR's on your Blog, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Just use the hashtag #SpringCleanReads. 

I hope to be able to make some good progress this weekend. I haven't set any specific goals, but anytime I can get through a few more in TBR stack, it is a good thing!

I will provide updates here when I am done:

1.) Braving It
A father daughter story about their adventures in Alaska. This book was jam packed with exploration, information about nature, and the relationship between the two. I enjoyed reading about it and I found several instances to be hard situations, but yet they come out better as a result of the adventure. If you enjoy the outdoors this may be a good book for you.

2.) She Poured Out Her Heart
This is the story of two women, who meet and the unexpected outcome that happens as a result. This book gave you a chance to feel deeply about two characters and try to put yourself in their shoes. I felt the plot was a little bit back and forth, but the story and how it relates is similar to life. Sometimes things aren't always in neat little boxes. I enjoyed reading this book.

Happy Reading!