My Bout of Books 21 Wrap Up

I participated all last week in the Bout of Books 21 Reading Challenge. It's a low-pressure way to jump-start your reading and have fun with other readers at the same time.

There were twitter chats and daily challenges and LOTS of encouragement to keep reading. Since I can't shut off the rest of the world and my responsibilities, I still had to do other things this week. But, I really tried to focus my spare moments on reading. Here is how my week turned out.

These are the books I had decided to focus on during the Bout of Books 21 week. You can see the full list, HERE. They were all books I wanted to read so I thought that would help push me to keep reading. 

Day 1 - January 8, 2018

The challenge today was to describe yourself #insixwords. 

I had a hard time choosing just 6 words because I am so much more than these 6 words. But this is what I shared anyway.

There was also a Twitter Chat that evening that was a lot of fun. 

Pages read: 96 from JUST BETWEEN US and THIS IS HOW IS ALWAYS IS

Minutes listened: 0

Day 2 - January 9, 2018

The challenge today was to post your reading goals.

My reading goal this year is 100 books. Last year I read 120 (including children's books) so this should be manageable. It is basically one regular book and one children's book a week if you figure it that way...with 2 weeks off. I will also be participating in the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2018 Reading Challenge.  I should have goals related to reading my own books from my own shelves, reading books from my Kindle and then deleting them, getting reviews done on time, etc. But, that is pretty much just setting myself up for failure. LOL!


Pages read: 15 - from THIS IS HOW IS ALWAYS IS...ugh....I was gone all day and then at a basketball game all evening
Minutes listened: 90 minutes - driving in the car throughout the day listening to FIRST WOMEN

Day 3 - January 10, 2018

The challenge today was to make a book rainbow. I chose to make two book rainbows.

The on of the left is from random to read books off my shelves. The other is from my collection of The Reader's Digest Best Loved Books for Young Reader's Collection.

Pages read: 120 page in JUST BETWEEN US
Minutes listened: 35 minutes on audio of FIRST WOMEN

Day 4 - January 11, 2018

The challenge today was all about favorites. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to participate today.

It was a busy day. I had a lunch date with my husband and our nephew and we had a little winter storm blow through and we celebrated our daughters 13th birthday. So, not as much reading as I would have liked.

Pages read: 10 pages in THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS until I fell asleep
Minutes listened: 35 minutes on audio of FIRST WOMEN


Day 5 - January 12, 2018

The challenge today was a Newspaper Headline. I didn't have a chance to get something done for this one.

Pages read: Zero - too many things going on today and basketball in the evening. I was too tired when I went to bed.
Minutes listened: 2 hours on audio of  FIRST WOMEN- I had appointments and errands to run so I listened while driving.

Day 6 - January 13, 2018

The Challenge today was Book Spine Poetry.

I've never been very good at poetry, reading or writing it. But, I thought this left a lot to the imagination.

Fingerprints of you

Words get in the way

Promise not to tell

It gave me the image of an abused woman. Probably because I'm dealing with that subject in the book I'm reading, but the woman is thinking of fingerprints that he left behind...maybe on her neck. His words get in the way - his apologies his excuses - of her leaving him. He constantly is asking her to promise not to tell anyone. 

There was also a twitter chat, but I wasn't able to participate.

Pages read: 179 pages read and finished JUST BETWEEN US.
Minutes listened: 30 minutes on audio of FIRST WOMEN while getting ready to head to more basketball.

Day 7 - January 14, 2018

Today's challenge was to write a book review for a book you finished this week.  I didn't have a chance to do that today as we were at my parent's house all day for a family gathering. I'll be posting two reviews this week.

Pages read: 32 pages in THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS
Minutes listened: 30 minutes on audio of FIRST WOMEN while getting ready to head to my parent's house.

So, I didn't reach my goal of finishing 6 books and instead only finished one book, JUST BETWEEN US. But, I am very close to being finished with my audiobook and can focus on the others this week hopefully. I have some review books looming so we will have to see how the week plays out.

I just really appreciate these read-a-thons because it forces me to THINK about reading during any spare moment. It rekindles a love for reading. It gets me talking about books on social media. It introduces me to other readers, writers, bloggers, and book lovers out there as well. And, the best part is it always introduces me to new books I should read.

Thanks to the Bout of Books crew for hosting and if this sounds fun to you, be sure to check out Bout of Books 22 that begins on May 14. That is graduation week for our son, so I KNOW I won't be able to participate in that one. But, if you have a chance, I would highly recommend it.



This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase the book through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

My Bout of Books 21 Reading List

I'll be participating in the Bout of Books 21 Reading Challenge this week. I'm being overly optimistic as now my week is looking a little crazy. But, I'm still hoping to get a few of these finished. Since I've got physical books, an audio book, and a Kindle book, I have lots of options.

I'm still finishing up JUST BETWEEN US.
I've started listening to FIRST WOMEN on audio.
I just received THIS IS HOW IT IS on Kindle through my library Bridges account so I have 12 days left to get that read.
The boys loved READY PLAYER ONE and since the movie comes out soon, I want to read it too and see the movie with them.
THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE is one I just purchased and I really want to read.
OUR STORY BEGINS has been a review book that has been waiting for me and I've been anxious to read it.




This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

2017 Reading Challenges Completed!

In January 2017, I committed to two reading challenges. One was through our local library and the other was through Modern Mrs. Darcy. I'm thrilled that I was able to complete both challenges. There are a few books that covered categories in both challenges, but otherwise, I tried to make sure there was a variety. I'm sharing the lists with the books below. I've also included my star rating after each book. These challenges help me realize that I do read a variety of books and some of the categories forced me to step out of my usual genres. I'm looking forward to 2018's Reading Challenge.



Van Horne Library Reading Challenge
Read a book....

1. With a color in the title - BENEATH A SCARLET SKY 5 Stars

2. That has a war as a setting - THE ORPHAN'S TALE 5 Stars

3. A biography or autobiography - A MOTHER'S RECKONING 5 Stars
 4. That is a classic or National Book Award winner - DEATH OF A SALESMAN 4 Stars

5. That was written by an Iowan - IOWA STATE CYCLONES FOOTBALL A to Z 5 Stars

6. You haven't read since you were in school - ANNE OF GREEN GABLES 5 Stars

7. Set somewhere you'd like to visit - I SEE YOU (London, England) 3 Stars

8. Under 150 pages - SHACKLES FROM THE DEEP 5 Stars

9.That was made into a movie - OF MICE AND MEN (and I watched the movie too) 5 Stars

10. About a culture you are unfamiliar with - THE SOUND OF GRAVEL (polygamy) 5 Stars

11. Published in 2017 - A BRIDGE ACROSS THE OCEAN 4 Stars

12. About books - MY LIFE WITH BOB 3 stars

Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge
Reading for Fun

1. a book you chose for the cover - THE GARDEN OF SMALL BEGINNINGS 4 stars

2. a book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able - THE BREAKDOWN 4 Stars

3. a book set somewhere you've never been but would like to visit  - BENEATH A SCARLET SKY (Milan, Italy) 5 Stars

4. a book you've already read - OF MICE AND MEN 5 Stars

5. a juicy memoir - LAB GIRL 4 Stars

6. a book about books or reading - MY LIFE WITH BOB 3 Stars

7. a book in a genre you usually avoid - OEDIPUS REX 3 Stars

8. a book you don't want to admit you're dying to read - THE LIFE CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP 3 Stars

9. a book in the backlist of a new favorite author - A MAN CALLED OVE 5 Stars

10. a book recommended by someone with great taste - THE ORPHAN'S TALE 5 Stars

11. a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven't read yet - THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE (I'll be reading it next week)

12. a book about a topic or subject you already love - SISTERS FIRST 5 Stars

To check out the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2018 Reading Challenge, click HERE. I'll be participating again this year! 




This post includes affiliate links. If you choose to purchase a book through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

Bout of Books 21 Starting January 8, 2018

I finally am able to participate in Bout of Books again. Bout of Books 21 Kicks off Monday, January 8, 2018. This will be the third time I have participated. The Bout of Books is a week-long Read-a-Thon. It's low pressure, which I like, and just pushes you to read a bit more than you normally would in a given week. There are fun challenges and twitter parties to keep you motivated and I always find new book bloggers to follow after the event. 

Since my reading took a downward slide during my long-term sub job, I am excited to dedicate a week to catch up on my reading!  

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to see how my reading is going throughout the week. I'll do a wrap-up post here to let you know everything I read.  If you would like to join me, you don't have to have a blog to join in. Check out this post HERE to sign up and join me and other readers all over the world dedicating a week to reading! 

To see my other posts from the previous Bout of Books challenges, click HERE. The first time I participated, I read 1 1/2 books. The second time, I read 2 1/2 books. This time, I am hoping for four books. I'll have to see how this week goes with reading before I decide which books I'll be reading next week. Check in here Monday to see what I'll be hoping to read next week! 

10 Books I'll Be Reading this Summer

I have been looking forward to summer reading for months! The school year was so hectic for me and I wasn't able to read near as much as I wanted or hoped to. So, this summer, I am hoping to kick my reading in gear and power through several books that I have been super anxious to read based on recommendations or ones that will meet my 2017 Reading Challenge categories.

These are the ten books I have decided that I absolutely want to read this summer because I know once the school year starts I will have less and less free time to devote to reading.

These aren't the ONLY books I am hoping to read as I have even more books waiting to be reviewed that are on my list. These are the ten books that I have been wanting to read for awhile and I think are perfect for summertime reading. These books fit all my happy reading places including historical fiction, mystery, memoir, chic lit, and a good old classic. I am starting one of these today and will be sure to share my thoughts on all of these over the course of the next months.

STARS OVER CLEAR LAKE is set in Iowa after WWII and it's first on my list as it's part of my work writing for The Gazette.

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN meets my classic book for the reading challenge and is one I keep hearing about and would love.

SUGAR is written by an Iowa author, which meets a reading challenge category, and since I love her writing, I know I'll love it.

THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE has been on my shelf for too long. Now that the movie is out (and getting good reviews) I want to read the book first.

THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER meets another reading challenge category and who doesn't love books about books!

THE BREAKDOWN is by an author who kept my heart pumping with her first book and will make for good summertime reading. This one isn't available until mid-July.

THE ROANOKE GIRLS was a book win from Random House and one I've been wanting to read.

IT'S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND is written by a former prosecutor turned author. I bet she has lots of stories to tell and I'm anxious to check out this new author's thriller!

LILAC GIRLS has been on my list for WAY TOO LONG. So many people are telling me to read it and the bonus is it fits one of my reading challenge categories.

THE GIFT OF AN ORDINARY DAY is one I heard about recently as a good read for a mom preparing to send a child off to college. The bonus is that when I went to look it up on GoodReads, I noticed I already had it on my shelf! So, this is a must-read for my summer!

I'd love to hear what you are reading this summer. Be sure to comment below and tell me your summer reading list!

If you choose to purchase a book through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

Update on My Reading Challenges for 2017

In January I wrote about the two Reading Challenges I was going to work on in 2017. Both to help me read books off my shelf and to challenge me in my reading a bit. One is hosted by our local library and the other is hosted by MODERN MRS. DARCY.

I thought I'd give an update on which books I have read to fit the challenges so far.

Van Horne Library Reading Challenge
Read a book....
1. With a color in the title 
2. That has a war as a setting - THE ORPHAN'S TALE
3. A biography or autobiography - A MOTHER'S RECKONING
4. That is a classic or National Book Award winner - 
5. That was written by an Iowan 
6. You haven't read since you were in school - ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
7. Set somewhere you'd like to visit 
8. Under 150 pages - SHACKLES FROM THE DEEP
9.That was made into a movie
10. About a culture you are unfamiliar with
11. Published in 2017 - A BRIDGE ACROSS THE OCEAN
12. About books



Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge
Reading for Fun
1. a book you chose for the cover - THE GARDEN OF SMALL BEGINNINGS
2. a book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able 
3. a book set somewhere you've never been but would like to visit 
4. a book you've already read - ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
5. a juicy memoir - 
6. a book about books or reading
7. a book in a genre you usually avoid - ONE MINUTE MENTORING (business)
8. a book you don't want to admit you're dying to read - THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP
9. a book in the backlist of a new favorite author
10. a book recommended by someone with great taste
11. a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven't read yet
12. a book about a topic or subject you already love - I WILL ALWAYS WRITE BACK (letter writing)

So, I've got 10 categories knocked off the list of 24. Not too bad. I'm hoping to cross off a lot more this summer! Are you doing any reading challenges this year? How is your challenge going?


If you choose to purchase a book through the above links, I may receive small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your puchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

Reading Challenges for 2017

If you are looking for ways to read more books in 2017 or to change up your reading a bit, a reading challenge is often a good place to start. A reading challenge usually gives you 12 topics (maybe more) and challenges you to find a book that fits that category.

Since I am hoping to read more books as well as read more books off my own shelf in 2017, I am hoping these two challenges will motivate me.

The first challenge is one that our small town library is sponsoring. Our library board, of which I am a member, created this list of 12 categories for a reading challenge. We are hoping to entice our small community of readers to read more books and step out of their usual reading a bit and maybe even find a new author or new genre they really like. Maybe we could even learn something new. If you would like a copy of this Reading Challenge bookmark and to join me in this challenge, I'd be happy to send you a copy. Just email me at StacieLe AT netins DOT net.

Van Horne Library Reading Challenge
Read a book....
1. With a color in the title 
2. That has a war as a setting
3. A biography or autobiography
4. That is a classic or National Book Award winner
5. That was written by an Iowan
6. You haven't read since you were in school
7. Set somewhere you'd like to visit
8. Under 150 pages
9.That was made into a movie
10. About a culture you are unfamiliar with
11. Published in 2017
12. About books


I'll also be doing Modern Mrs. Darcy's Reading for Fun Reading Challenge. To receive her printable list, click HERE.

Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge
Reading for Fun
1. a book you chose for the cover
2. a book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able
3. a book set somewhere you've never been but would like to visit 
4. a book you've already read
5. a juicy memoir
6. a book about books or reading
7. a book in a genre you usually avoid
8. a book you don't want to admit you're dying to read
9. a book in the backlist of a new favorite author
10. a book recommended by someone with great taste
11. a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven't read yet
12. a book about a topic or subject you already love

I have some ideas for some of the categories, but we will also see how the year falls. At least I know some of my must reads for 2017. I will update you as the year goes on to see which books I've read that fit either one of these lists. There may be some cross-over between the lists, but I'm hoping that this will add 24 new books to my "read" list.

Some books I'm planning to read for these challenges include: LILAC GIRLS, THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY, WOMEN HEROES OF WORLD WAR I and WORLD WAR II, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, READY PLAYER ONE, GROWING UP COUNTRY, THE YEAR OF LIVING DANISHLY, THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER.  I think that is a good start and I'm anxious to see what other books come my way that fit these categories.

What do you do to read more books? How do you choose what to read next? Let me know if you are joining a reading challenge for 2017.



If you choose to purchase a book through the above links, I may receive small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your puchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

Bout of Books Wrap Up

I spent last week participating in the Bout of Books Reading Challenge. There are no parameters. No hours you have to read. No amount of pages or books to be read. Just a casual atmosphere, where books are loved and read...as much as possible.  There were fun daily challenges to participate in and a couple Twitter Chats where you could chat and answer questions and meet other book lovers.

When I originally signed up to participate in Bout of Books, I was only scheduled to substitute teach 1 1/2 days during that week. By the time Bout of Books rolled around, I was subbing every day during the week, 3 evenings were full, and the weekends were shot. So, I did the best I could with the time I had. See my original post about Bout of Books, HERE.

I was happy because I finished two books that I had been reading for the last couple months.

I finished BEING MORTAL by Atul Gawande.



I also finished FIND THE GOOD by .



I started reading THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah and I am over half way through it.



I wanted to start on two other books but with the week I ended up having, it just didn't work out that way. I finished the challenge with a total of 300 pages read for the week.

I participated in 3 of the Daily Challenges and one of the Twitter Chats. The Daily Challenge themes were lots of fun and one of them may be leading to a new feature on the blog!

1 ~ Post a photo of one or all of your bookshelves. This is one of my many to-read shelves in our house.

2 ~ 5 Favorites: I chose to share 5 of the Favorite Books from My Childhood. I read these books over and over as a child. I bet I could still recite some of them by heart. What I noticed was that they all had a theme of kindness and being generous to others.

PETUNIA By Roger Duvoisin
GUS AND THE BABY GHOST By Jane Thayer
SOCKS FOR SUPPER by Jack Kent
LITTLE BEAR By Else Holemelund Minarik
ONE KITTEN FOR KIM By Adelaide Holl

3 ~ If you liked this....then you'll like.....

I had a hard time deciding what to choose for this challenge. I think I will definitely be doing some more blog posts on this topic and maybe even a regular feature.

I decided to choose ~ If you liked THE HELP, then you would also like YELLOW CROCUS and THE KITCHEN HOUSE.

Not related to the Bout of Books Challenge, but I did attend a Book Reading/Signing Event for a local author. I featured her book here a week ago and I wanted to meet Carol Steingreaber in person and hear her read from her 1st book, PANTS OPTIONAL.  You can see my original post about the author and her book, HERE.

Carol was so awesome to meet. She is down-to-earth and absolutely hilarious. She read stories from her book using the people from the stories to read their actual lines. It made the stories even more real and way more hilarious. We had a lot of laughs in this room.

Carol even surprised me this week with this gorgeous flower bouquet to thank me for the feature article I wrote about her book for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. It is rare that I am thanked by an author in this way. Usually, it is through an email, Facebook comment, or Tweet on Twitter. These flowers made my day and I felt great knowing I am helping spread the word about a great book and wonderful author.

So, even though I didn't meet all my goals during Bout of Books, I had a great week of reading and enjoying a love of books. In fact, during my subbing, I read a couple of the books that I had recently reviewed to the elementary kids. They loved hearing a new story.

So, that is my wrap up for the Bout of Books Challenge. If this sounds like something you would like to do next time it rolls around, mark your calendars for the week of August 22, 2016. You could join in just like I did.


A post from today, 8 years ago - Flowers and Daughters
A post from today, 2 years ago - Children's Book Review: Bitsy Bear By Anne M Jenks



The above links will take you to that book's Amazon page. If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your book. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

I'm Joining the Bout of Books 16 Next Week

Bout of Books is a week long read-a-thon that begins at 12:01 AM on Monday, May 9 and ends on Sunday, May 15, 2016.  Bout of Books is organized by Amanda at On a Book Bender and Kelly at Reading the Paranormal. This is a worldwide event that encourages our love of reading. Bout of Books is low-pressure. Throughout the week, there will be challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize. You can read one book or twenty or just check in on the challenges and giveaways. If you think this sounds like something you'd like to check out, click HERE for all the information and to sign up.

I participated in Bout of Books in 2014. I like this reading challenge because it is extremely low-key and there are usually lots of fun challenges and giveaways. As of now, I don't have a lot going on that week, so I'm hoping to be able to devote a lot of time to catching up on my reading. 

These are the books I'll (hopefully) be reading for Bout of Books....in no particular order.

THE NIGHTINGALE - I've been wanting to read this since it came out. This is my "for me" choice.

I LET YOU GO - This is supposed to be one of the big books of the summer. 

MISSING PIECES - This one has been in my pile for much too long. 

MODERN GIRLS - I love this premise and there have been some great reviews for it. 

And I have a few books I'm trying to get finished.....

BEING MORTAL - I am finding this book really fascinating, but it's going a little slow for me.

FIND THE GOOD: Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small Town Obituary Writer - I'm enjoying the stories and life lessons in this short read.

A MANUAL FOR CLEANING WOMEN - This was my First Book of 2016 and yes, I'm still reading it. I read a bit and then put it aside for awhile. It's not a page-turner, but when I do read it, I enjoy it. 

This is definitely a huge list for me to read in just seven days. But, I am hoping that with the motivation of other readers and these great book choices, I'll be excited to read.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter where I'll be posting any updates on my Bout of Books challenge. I'll try to do a wrap-up post once I'm done and definitely post some reviews. 

A post from today, 7 years ago - A Weekend Recap 

Bookroo National Reading Month Reading Challege - #Bookroo30for30

I previously told you about this 

great children's book subscription service 

called Bookroo. 

You can see all about that post, HERE. 

Today, I'm sharing about this awesome Reading Challenge Bookroo is offering in celebration of 

March being National Reading Month. 

This is a great way to get your kids to read 

for 30 minutes every day 

and maybe even win some prizes. 

See all the details below:

March is National Reading Month, and naturally our favorite month of the year! To celebrate, Bookroo is running a special reading challenge and giving away some unbelievable prizes.

Each day you read for 30 minutes or more and record that progress in their reading app, you'll get another entry towards the following prizes! 

One entry per day per child.

So all you have to do is go to bookroo.com/read and log in to the reading app to enter your child's daily reading! It's that simple and you could win some great prizes. 

But, truly, you are all winners because you are encouraging the love of reading with your child! That's what is really important! Make reading fun and encourage 30 minutes of daily reading!

I will be linking this post up with Booking Mama's Kid Konnection on Saturday. To see other great children's and YA book related posts, click HERE. 

A post from today, 6 years ago - Monday Attitude Check

A post from today, 6 years ago - Review: The Lovely Bones Movie

A post from today, 5 years ago - One Great Community

A post from today, 4 years ago - Our Florida Getaway Part 1

A post from today, 4 years ago - Our Florida Getaway Part 2

A post from today, 4 years ago - Our Florida Getaway Final

A post from today, 1 year ago - Sunday Snippets 3.8.15

Bout of Books 14 Wrap Up

Last week I participated in the Bout of Books 14 Reading Challenge.  In my original post, (see HERE) I committed to reading four books totaling 1,273 pages.  I was hoping to read 181 pages a day to stay on track. By Thursday, I had only read a total of 225 pages and was still reading the first book.

I participated in 3 challenges and one twitter chat that allowed me to interact with lots of new bloggers that I hadn't previously known. I was even reminded of my love for unicorns (I collected them when I was younger).

By the end of the challenge:

I read 529 of 1,273 pages

I actually decided NOT to finish AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS. I'll talk more about this in an upcoming post, but the depressing subject matter, the discombobulated (is that a word???) storytelling, and general lack of disinterest in the characters made me decide to stop reading and move on.

I finished one book, 30 LESSONS FOR LOVING.  This makes me sad because I was hoping to finish 4 books, but spending time on AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS held me up and put me behind. I just happened to choose to start with that one and it knocked off my momentum.

I'm so glad I was able to be a part of this read-a-thon. I have always wanted to participate in one, but the timing has never worked. I loved the daily challenges and the ability to be flexible with my posting and reading. I will definitely be interested in doing this challenge next year.

Bout of Books 15 Starts January 4, 2016. So mark your calendars and plan to join me and other readers with a week of reading and sharing our love of books!

Bout of Books 14 Check-In

I've been participating in the Bout of Books Reading Challenge this week. To see more about this challenge, check out my original post, HERE.

I participated in a couple challenges:

#FictionalWorldTravel

with Between Library Shelves

#4SeasonsBookCovers

with Kimberly Faye Reads

I've been busier than I expected this week...that always seems to happen and reading seems to fall to the bottom of the list.

I chose AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS as my first book choice because I have it as an eBook and is a little more portable and can read it easier at night. It is moving along quickly, but honestly, I am not really "enjoying" it. It's a depressing subject and one I don't enjoy reading about. The format of the novel is also weird and makes the traditional reader in me have a hard time with the flow of the story. Anyway, I'm still reading through it and I still have the weekend to catch up on other great books.

I've read 225 out of 1273 pages. I said I would have to read 181 pages/day to meet my goal. Well....At least I read MORE than 181 pages in 3 days.

I've finished no books this week....yet.

My plans for the rest of the challenge: I plan to finish AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS and since this book deals with the sadness of infidelity, I'm going to switch gears and read 30 LESSONS ON LOVING. It's full of stories of love and devotion and marriage.

For more about Bout of Books 14, be sure to click HERE.

I'm Signing Up for Bout of Books 14

Well, I've always wanted to do a read-a-thon but they are usually on weekends when I have something going on with the kids.  So, I've never felt like I could join in because I'd be lucky to get an hour read let alone 24 hours.

Bout of Books is a week-long challenge and there is no reading requirement.  Here is the blurb:

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, August 17th and runs through Sunday, August 23rd 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 14 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I've been in a bit of a reading slump after reading 3 books during our 10 day vacation in July.  Nothing seems to really be exciting me and there are so many other things going on that have been taking me away from my reading.

Since this is our last week of summer (school starts next Monday), this is the perfect week to make the time to sit on my porch and read.  My goal is to read two hours each day at the minimum. The four books I have chosen have a total of 1,273 pages, give or take. That figures out to be 181 pages/day that need to be read to finish all four book in these 7 days. Probably not realistic on my part since I do have some commitments this week, but hey, you gotta have a goal right? So, here are the books I'd like to read to this week:

A SMALL INDISCRETION BY Jan Ellison

30 LESSONS FOR LOVING by Karl Pillemer, PhD

THE SOMEDAY JAR by Allison Morgan

AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS by Julia Pierpont

These are all books that I am behind on reading and reviewing. I am hoping this Bout of Books is the kick in the pants I need to get back on track. I'm also finishing up two books, BELOW THE WATER LINE, which I am loving and THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO US, which is going slow for me. I would like to have these finished before I start on on the other books on Monday. 

Be sure to check out the Bout of Books Blog for any info throughout the week! I plan to do a mid week and wrap up post to let you know how I did!