Bout of Books Reading List and Day 1

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
Day 1:
Mini-Challenge Bookish Survey hosted by Lori at Writing My Own Fairytale
Participated in the Twitter Chat!

The Questions: 

1. How do you organize your shelves? Well, they are not very organized at the moment, but usually I have books I plan to read next in easy reach on the top or middle shelf. The shelves in our living room have history and series books like Narnia and Harry Potter, so that I don't embarrass my husband with all the YA books on display. :)
2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres? Probably Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I am not that fond of reading classics, although I am trying to make myself read more of them.
3. What is the last 5 star book you read? Jinx's Fire by Sage Blackwood, it was my last month's to be read book.
4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon? Probably the School for Good and Evil, because I would like to finish it this month since it is my tbr for this month.
5. What book do you recommend the most? Legend by Marie Lu. I love booktalking this to the teens and adult fans of YA. 

Thanks to Lori for hosting!

I decided to just put my reading list on the Day 1 update, since it has been a bit since I did the signup post. I will be reading from the following:

True Grit by Charles Portis
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling reread

I hope to finish True Grit this week and make progress in Suite Francaise and The School for Good and Evil. It is going to be a busy work week, but I am going to try to work in a few challenges and maybe a Twitter chat, since I really like those. Hopefully I will have time to explore a blog or two. I will update tomorrow with my first day progress. Good luck everyone!

May My To-Be Read List: The Votes are in!

This is hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading.
And the winner is...

HarperCollins

I am excited about this one and have already started reading it! So far I love the two main characters and their unique friendship. I just had a few votes total this time, but this one was the clear winner. I feel like I can finish it before the deadline and that is definitely my goal this month. Thanks to everyone who voted!

The Peacemaker by Lori Copeland

This is another book club choice and one of our two "Western" choices.

Tyndale House

This was a very fluffy read. Wynne Elliot wants revenge on Cass Claxton who jilted her at the altar. Wynne lost everything she loved during the Civil War; her mother died of sickness, which also resulted in her father's death, and most of their plantation was destroyed. She loaned Cass some money and expect him to honor his promise of marriage, but he left. Wynne tracks him down to Missouri and is thrown unexpectedly in the path of Beau Claxton, when she and her fellow travelers are robbed. Wynne does not expect to fall in love and only wants to kill Beau's brother, but can she learn forgiveness and real love or will she lose her soul to get vengeance.

This is my second Christian fiction read and it was okay. It was a bit predictable and had a neatly tied up ending, but it was a really easy read. It does make you think about revenge and what you are willing to sacrifice just to get back at someone who hurt you. I didn't really like either of the main characters, but there were a few interesting secondary characters and a few hilarious moments in the story. Overall it is a clean, gentle read. 3 cups of cocoa.

Consequences by Penelope Lively

This was a book club book pick and this particular group is really into WWII books this year.

Viking

Consequences revolves around the lives of the three Faraday women and how simple choices shape their lives. It starts with Lorna and Matt and a chance meeting at a lake. Lorna come from wealth and Matt is a talented artist more lower middle class than Lorna's more upper middle. The two fall instantly in love and are willing to face poor living conditions in a small rural cottage just to be together. The war shatters them as Lorna with her baby Molly must pick up the pieces. Lorna rebuilds with a close friend, Lucas, and dies in childbirth, leaving Molly alone to take care of Lucas and her new brother. Molly's life is as eventful as Lorna's, falling in and out of love, and becoming a young unwed mother to Ruth. Ruth's life seems uneventful, until she decides to embrace her family's past and maybe have her own fresh start.

I loved this multi-generational story. At first, I thought it was going to be a bit slow, because Lively is very detailed and she really loves to describe the surroundings of the characters, but you can't help being drawn into the characters' stories. I loved how it all came full circle at the end, by going back to the cottage. I also enjoyed seeing how pivotal events had an effect on the story. WWII shapes Lorna, the period after the war shapes Molly, and Ruth is shaped by the more relaxed 70s and 80s. The story focuses mainly on the women, but Matt, Lucas, and Molly's brother also get their own brief storylines.
I would recommend this for historical fiction fans and those who don't mind a slower story with well described setting and likeable, normal characters. 4 cups of cocoa!

Bout of Books 13 signup

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

I love Bout of Books! This is my ninth time participating.  However this is one of my busiest weeks of the year at work, so I am not for sure how much I will be able to participate. Between budget proposal and finishing up a grant, spare time will be limited. I hope to visit a few blogs and be able to read a bit. I will update this with goals and a reading list very soon! Thanks to Amanda and Kelly for hosting! 

2015 Bookish Resolutions Challenge: April Update

This is hosted by Michelle at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life and Laura at Trips Down Imagination Road and you can sign up at this link. 
My resolutions:
1. Read at least 6 Classics this year.
2. Finish at least half of the challenges that I signed up for this year.
3. Finish at least 4 series this year, particularly ones where I have only the last book in the series left to read.
4. Try to blog more, like at least 10 posts a month.
5. Get healthy!

Thanks to Michelle and Laura for hosting!

1. I finally finished a classic. I finished This Side of Paradise on the 30th and will be reviewing it soon.
2. I have made a bit of progress, but I still need to start four challenges.
3. I have now finished two series books! If I can finish Clockwork Princess this month I will have three done.
4. I wrote 14 posts last month thanks to Dewey's readathon and Spring into Horror readathon. I would still like to be blogging more, but I did improve.
5. Went downhill fast on being healthy this month. Easter candy and drinking cokes along with little exercise has made me feel pretty miserable. I don't know why I do these things to myself, when it just makes me feel bad both physically and mentally. Hopefully I can get this back under control in May.

Hope you all are doing great on your resolutions!

May My To-Be Read List

This is hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. Well, I did finish and review last month's book, but I was a little late. I have a few extra days off this month, so hopefully I can finish this month's in time. I decided to go with twists on fairy tales this month, since I am participating in the fairytale challenge and have yet to finish one.

First choice:

HMH Books

I loved the first two books in this series about sisters Saturday and Sunday. This one follows sister Friday who is a seamstress. The books are based on the lives of seven sisters whose brother was the famous Jack of the Jack tales.


Second choice

HarperCollins

This is a world where a good child and an evil child are kidnapped each year to train at two schools, a school for good and a school for evil. The children are trained for their own fairytales and hope fore either a happy ever after or a happy never after. Agatha and Sophia are friends who are taken to the schools and have their friendship tested by the trials they face.

Third choice

Simon Pulse

I have read several books in the Once Upon a Time series, but only one other one by Debbie Viguie. This one is a twist on the Princess and the Pea. You don't see YA twists on this fairytale very often.

I do like fairytale twists, so I have high hopes I will finish this month's winner on time. Be sure to vote for your favorite!