So, luckily I have some time off this week, and have decided to participate in Bout of Books 13.0! This will be my first time, so I’m preeeettty excited.
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 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th 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 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
Goals:
My goals this week are, basically, to read as much as possible! I’m currently reading A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara, so I don’t really want to set a “number of books” goal, since this behemoth novel is around 800 pages! SO, with that being said I’m hoping to:
- Finish A Little Life.
- If I have any strength left after all of the crying I will supposedly be doing, I want to read The Shore, by Sara Taylor. Why not read emotionally wrenching (I’ve been told) novels back to back!?!
- Make SOME progress in Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. I’m DETERMINED to finish it this month!
- Read some graphic novels for a little break when I need it.
Updates:
I will be updating this post daily as the week progresses with my reading stats, in terms of pages read, and so on. So check back, and link your progress in the comments below so I can follow along with you as well!
Monday | 0 pages today | 0 pages total | 0 total books read | 15 minutes audio
As I said on Sunday, I work all day/night on Monday, so I won’t really be getting started until Tuesday (after I’ve slept for a bit in the morning when I get home!) So sadly, no reading accomplished on day 1.
Tuesday | 218 pages today | 218 pages total | 1 total book read | 15 minutes audio
I returned home from work this morning, slept a few hours, but was pretty tired for most of the day, and thus will be going to bed early (like now-ish…). Despite that, I managed to read one graphic novel, Saga volume 2, as well as make some progress in A Little Life, which is getting so good! I guess I should mention, I’m also currently listening to The Dinner by Herman Koch on audio right now, mostly just while driving.
Wednesday | 110 pages today | 328 pages total | 1 total book read | 75 minutes audio
Today was all about A Little Life. I don’t know really how things can get worse, except I know they do. I find myself near physical illness while reading, and am exhausted from clenching all my muscles so tightly in anguish. But, it’s SO GOOD, and I can’t even deal with it. And P.S. to Shannon, I’ve made it to page 370 with out crying (it was touch and go there for awhile though), so I guess that makes me a magical unicorn. 🙂
Thursday | 0 pages today | 328 pages total | 1 total book read | 15 minutes audio
So, sadly, today I had a work related retreat alllllll day. Although, I don’t really know how you can call something a “retreat” when it’s in a conference room at the hospital I work at… but, oh well. Needless to say, my colleagues and I needed to blow off some steam afterwards, and went out for an adult beverage, or two. I might get some last minute reading in later on, but kind of just want to hang out with my husband for the remainder of the evening. So we’ll call this day a wash.
Friday | 192 pages today | 520 pages total | 1 total book read | 25 minutes audio
Today I binge read A Little Life. I don’t have much else to say on the reading front. I can’t really say I’m “enjoying” the book because the content is so incredibly horrible, but it is definitely a compelling read. I’m ready to get to the end, and for it to be over, so my emotional state can return to its previous baseline. I’m off to watch Parks & Rec the rest of the night!
Saturday | 46 pages today | 566 pages total | 2 total books read | 180 minutes audio
I really only had time to read A Little Life this morning. Much of my day was spent driving, so at least I had a chance to finish listening to my audio book, The Dinner, which I was happy about. Next up, I listened to a few chapters from How to Build a Girl, by Caitlin Moran, which I was already about halfway through. Hoping to finish off A Little Life tomorrow for the last day of #BoutOfBooks!
Sunday | 208 pages today | 774 pages total | 3 total books read | 0 minutes audio
You guys… I finished A Little Life! I’m still letting it all gel, but in the meantime, forged on ahead with The Shore. I’m about a third of the way through already, and find it completely engrossing. As recommended, I’m taking copious notes – not really, but I am jotting down relationships between the different characters as I come across them. I have a feeling I’ll be finishing this up in the next day or so.
I was really hoping I would get though more during Bout of Books, but A Little Life isn’t necessarily the best readathon fodder. I didn’t really want to pause it and read other things though, so it’s all good, and I’m happy I was able to finish it today.
How did Bout of Books 13.0 treat you? Did you get as much reading done as you hoped? Until next time, which rumor has it, will be in August. 🙂