My April TBR: And the Winner is...

This is hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. With 12 votes, 5 of them went to this book:

HarperCollins

The other two books had 4 and 3 votes a piece, so this was a very close call! I can't wait to catch back up with Agatha and Sophie and see what exactly a "world without princes: means. Thanks to everyone who voted and to Michelle for hosting!

2016 Bookish Resolutions Challenge March Update

 
The 2016 Bookish Resolutions Challenge is hosted by Laura @ Trips Down Imagination Road and Michelle @ Because Reading and you can sign up at this link. For this challenge you must have 2 of 3 main goals, Blogging, Reading, and/or Personal and then subcategories for these goals.

My goals:

Reading Goals

1. Read at least 6 Classics. This was a goal I barely completed last year, but something I want to continue doing. So far I have only finished Peter Pan, but hopefully I can get into another classic soon.
2. Read at least 70 books this year. I did not do this as a goal for the Bookish Resolution last year, but I did have it as a goal. I just missed it by 8 books, so I want to challenge myself on it this time. I have finished 23 books so far, so I am going at a good pace!
3. Finish at least 4 series. I did well with this last year, but I have several more series that I did not finish. A goal I haven't started still, but hopefully soon!

Blogging Goals

4. Blog at least 10 times a month. I met this goal for 7 out of 12 months, so I want to try this one again. I blogged 11 times in March, so I barely met my goal. I hope to work on this more next month.
5. Complete at least half of the challenges I sign up for this year. I came very close to completing this goal, but not quite. I will be signing up for challenges soon. So far I have started 13 challenges out of 16, so not a bad start. I still think I have a reading challenge addiction. :)
6. Be more active commenting on blogs and on Twitter. By more active, I mean getting on Twitter and commenting on blogs at least once a week. I did really well with this. I have been checking Twitter at least once a day and at least commenting on tweets. I still need to work on commenting on blogs, but I have commented on at least one each week.
7. Review at least half of the books I read. I basically just stopped writing reviews at the end of the year and I would like to do better with this in 2016. So far I have reviewed 18 out of 23 books and I hope to review three of the books from last month that I have not reviewed yet. 

Personal Goals

8. Lose at least 20 pounds. We are going to try Biggest Loser at work and our theme this year is Libraries Transform, which is ALA's theme. I gained back most of what I lost last year, so I would love to lose that weight again and maintain the weight loss. I have lost 10 pounds so far! I did well the first part of the month, but I am going to have to work through the temptation of Easter candy.
9. Eat and drink healthier. I would like to eat at least a vegetable or fruit a day. I eat horribly and am not in good shape. I would also like to cut down on coffee and sodas, because that is all I have been drinking lately. I have managed to eat at least a veggie or a fruit a day, but not much more than that. I had only two sodas last month, but coffee is not going away any time soon.
10. Exercise more. I would love to exercise at least a few times a month and possibly up this to a few times a week as I get in a bit better shape. I don't want to push things too fast, so for the first month or so, I would like to exercise at least 3 times a month. I barely managed to squeeze in exercise again, so I really need to work on this next month.

Hope you all are doing well with your resolutions. Thanks to Laura and Michelle for hosting!

Once Upon A Time X Signup

Melissa Nucera

This is hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings and you can sign up at this link. I love this challenge and had forgotten it started in March!
I am being ambitious and signing up for


I hope to read 5 books that will fulfill the categories, which are fairytales, folktales, mythology, and fantasy. I know I want to read Blood of Olympus, at least one Tamora Pierce book, and A World Without Princes. I will decide later on the other 2 books, but I have a few possible choices in mind.

I also want to try this


This involves finishing Quest the First and watching and/or reading A Midsummer's Night Dream. This is one of the few Shakespeare plays that I did not have to read in high school or college and I have not seen any of the film adaptations. I am not for sure if I will read or watch or both yet, but I want to try this.

Also I am going to try to find selections for this:


The library weeded a copy of Unnatural Creatures, which was compiled by Neil Gaiman, and I would like to read at least a couple of selections from this. I also have a copy of the Red Fairy Tales and may read a few from that as well.

Thanks to Carl for hosting!

Reading Assignment Challenge First Quarter Check In

This is hosted by Berls at Fantasy is more fun and Michelle at Because Reading and you can sign up at this link. There are so many books I need to finish and then just ignore, so I am hoping to do this challenge to finally finish a few of these books. I am going with Reading Level 1: 12 books total, one a month.

So far I am making an A! I finished
1. Alanna by Tamora Pierce for January
2. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie for February
3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell for March 

I have also managed to review all 3 books, which is a bigger feat for me than actually reading them. This is a fun challenge and is really helping me to finish those books that have been on my TBR for awhile. Thanks to Berls and Michelle for hosting! Hope everyone else is doing well with the challenge!

Story Sprites Challenge Round 4 signup

The Story Sprites challenge is hosted by Great Imaginations and here is a link to the signup. The goal is to complete a path by July 1st. You pick a color and complete those squares. You can do more than one path if you want. I am having a hard time choosing which path to take! I think I am going to try for yellow or purple, but I may try for more than one color if I get on a reading kick. Thanks to the bloggers at Great Imaginations for hosting!

Story Sprites Round 3 Wrapup

I was able to finish the pink path this time, instead of the purple I planned on completing, but I am happy with that!

For Book with Gay/Lesbian Romance, I read Carry On, which was really good. My review can be found here.

For Clairvoyance/Sixth Sense, I read Perception, which was a good ending to the series. I really enjoy Harrington's mysteries. My review can be found here.

For Characters with Code Name, I read Only the Good Spy Young, featuring Cammie "the Chameleon" Morgan. I love the Gallagher Girls series and how they are all strong girls! My review can be found here.

For Scandinavian-born character: I read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I sort of liked it, but it was really dark. My review can be found here.

Thanks to Great Imaginations for hosting and I will be signing up for Round 4 really soon!

April My TBR List

This is hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading. Each month you pick three books on your TBR list and people vote on the one you should read that month. I took a break in March, since I knew I would not have as much time to read in March. This month I am picking books in a series. I keep meaning to finish series and then stop either before the series ends or I read the first book and just keep meaning to pick up the second or third book and then I don't.

First Choice:

Simon Pulse

I really liked Alanna and would love to jump back in her world, especially after the ending of the first book. Alanna is pretending to be a boy, so that she can become a knight.

Second Choice:

HarperCollins

I love Sophie and Agatha and how Agatha is a great friend. This world is full of Evers and Nevers and how the world of happily ever after is changing.

Third Choice:

Hyperion

I love the Gallagher Girls series and finally jumped back into the series last month. I would love to see what is in store for Cammie and her friends.

Please vote for your favorite and you can vote even if you are not taking part in the meme. Thank you and thanks to Michelle for hosting!