#reversereadathon July 2018 Recap

Hello friends. I attempted to participate in the new readathon hosted by Dewey's Read-a-thon. I was excited to partake, but didn't have very much time to participate. I spent most of Saturday at an event out of town. However, I was still able to do some reading and some listening during the readathon that was held from 7 p.m. CT Friday to 7 p.m. CT Saturday. Here's my #reversereadathon wrap up: 

Total time: 6.5 hours
Total pages: 377
Total # books: Final Draft (3/5) and Kiss the Bride (4/5)

I had so much fun on twitter with the group of readers. I am excited to reignite my twitter account! Add me :)

Adventure On, 
Amanda

Tag Tuesday: #daysoftheweekinbooks

Happy #tagtuesday! I was tagged on Instagram by @growing_bookshelf to do the #daysoftheweekinbooks tag. Let me know in the comments what your week looks like. 

• Monday (Too Lazy to Read): Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld – I started reading this, but I just couldn’t get myself to actually get through the book. I don’t know if I wasn’t interested, or if the 599 pages overwhelmed me and I became much too lazy to finish it.
• Tuesday (Emotionally Difficult): The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – I shed a few tears throughout this book. I was prepared to be blown away by the story due to the hype of this book, which is very accurate. It deals with a difficult side of WWII and I think that anyone interested in historical fiction should read this one.
• Wednesday (DNF’d): Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II by Alan Gratz and Dan Bittner – I struggled to get as far as I did through this one. The characters are never really developed and the writing is difficult for me to enjoy. I felt like the spy aspect was very overdone and I was just not feeling it.
• Thursday (Wouldn’t Recommend): After You by Jojo Moyes – I rated this one 2 stars. I just wasn’t impressed with it. I really enjoyed the first book in the series Me Before You, but this book just wasn’t necessary to me. I was excited and anxious to read the next installment, but I was sadly disappointed.
• Friday (Anticipated Release): Wildcard by Marie Lu – I enjoyed Warcross  and I am excited to see where Emika goes next. Warcross left on such a huge cliff hanger, that I NEED to know what happens next. (release date: September 18,2018)
• Saturday (Can’t Wait to Read): Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Braken – I loved The Darkest Minds and I really want to see what happens in this world. The abilities are intriguing and the missions are intense. I just finished The Darkest Minds this year and I can’t wait to read the second one.
• Sunday (Didn’t Want to End): Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – Now this might seem cliché, but I honestly wish we could get another story in this world. I know we keep getting spin offs, but I’d love to see more of Hogwarts or even the other schools. I just really miss this world. This is the only book/series I have re-read multiple times.

Adventure On,
Amanda

Read-A-Thon ALERT (08/21/7 - 08/27/17)

Did you hear? There’s a read-a-thon happening this week on Goodreads! Lindsay is hosting the read-a-thon via a Goodreads group. Head on over and join in the fun. There aren’t any specific challenges or goals, but everyone is adding their own. I have been in such a reading slump I hope this helps me get out of it!

Here are my very light goals for the week (08/21/17-08/27/17):

1. Read at least 800 pages.
2. Read a book by a new to me author.
3. Read every day.

Do you have any reading goals, reading slump suggestions, or read-a-thon tips? Check out my tips posted during the Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon a while back. 

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon

Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon is only a few days away! It begins on Saturday April 29 at 7 a.m. CT and runs through Sunday April 30 at 7 a.m. CT. I am undecided if I will be reading for the whole time, but it’s not about reading for 24 hours straight, it’s about spending some time reading on that day and interacting with others. Search the #deweys24hourreadathon on Instagram to talk with others. There are a few challenges going around as well. I am hoping to use my Instagram too @kanksbooklife. Add me if you haven’t yet!


I thought I’d provide some suggestions/tips to help you through the readathon.

1. Let others know you are doing it so they can either participate or leave you alone.
2. Make sure you have snacks, drinks, food to avoid being interrupted.
3. Don’t do too much. If you normally don’t read for hours at a time, then don’t start now.
4. Get up and move around to avoid aches and pains.
5. Don’t choose a 500 page book. You might get bored and put in a reading slump.

What books are you planning to read?

PW First Lines of 2016

Ever been sucked into a book within the first few sentences?

Publishers Weekly(PW) posted the Best First Lines, 2016 Edition on October 21, 2016. As I was reading through them, I couldn’t help but giggle. I also added many of the books to my TBR pile. I am the type of reader that enjoys reading the first sentences, paragraphs, and/or pages before fully diving into a book. I want to test the waters and make sure it’s something I really want to read. I feel the first part of a book is almost more important than the summary on the back or leaflet. If I am not hooked right away, I struggle getting into the story and it takes me drastically longer to finish the book.

Here are some of the lines PW quoted that I really enjoyed:

• My underwear is in the apple tree. —The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
• My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine, and again four years later when he was twelve. —Time Traveling with a Hamster by Ross Welford
• I now have a greater appreciation of toilets. Especially toilets that work. —Escape from Dorkville by Dean Ammerman
• I should have been born with an owner’s manual. —Draw the Line by Laurent Linn

Do you have any books where the first lines hooked you from the start? Leave them in the comments below!

Banned Books Week (Sept 25 - Oct 1, 2016)

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association.

It’s Banned Books Week! This is an annual event (usually the last week of September) is in celebration of the freedom to read. The American Library Association (ALA) is dedicated to this movement. Many books are challenged and banned every year. However, due to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members, many of these books remain available. Banned Books Week is a way to recognize these books and focus on removing the restricted access to them.

The top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2015 and more are located here. How many of these books have you read?

Photo credit to ALA.

Stats from 2000-2009 

Over this recent past decade, 5,099 challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.

* 1,577 challenges due to "sexually explicit" material
* 1,291 challenges due to "offensive language"
* 989 challenges due to materials deemed "unsuited to age group"
* 619 challenged due to "violence"'
* 361 challenges due to "homosexuality"

It’s crazy to see how most of the challenges are resulted from the Public Library. I honestly thought that the school curriculum and programming would be the highest and at least 50% of the stats.

Here is a quick shot of some of my challenged/banned books that I have on my bookshelf. For more bookish pictures visit my Instagram at www.instagram.com/kanksbooklife/

* Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling

* The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

* The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

* Twilight Series - Stephanie Meyer

* A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard

* Holy Bible

* Crank - Ellen Hopkins

* To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee

* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

* The Hunger Games Series - Suzanne Collins

* Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy - E.L. James

* Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Visit www.ala.org/bbbooks for more information.

Have a great Banned Books Week!

Fantastic Beasts

Image credit to publishersweekly.com

Scholastic released the cover design for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling. In addition, they released two covers from tie-ins to the movie.

Save the Date! Fantastic Beasts will be published on November 18, 2016, the same day as the movie release. Titles including: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Fashion Sketchook, the Magical Movie Handbook, and a Character Guide will also be released.

To see more cover images head over to Pottermore – Fantastic Beasts: Behind the scenes book covers

So, with all of this talk of new Hogwarts content being released, I wanted to share my feelings about the newly released and soon to be released books. I was a huge fan of the Harry Potter series when I was younger having read the series multiple times. I then became engulfed in the film adaptations that I have seen dozens of times since their release. I have been hesitant to dive into The Cursed Child with fear that it won’t be the same and that I just won’t feel it. I have heard so many mixed reviews on the screen play and I would love to hear your comments! Have you read the screen play? Did you enjoy it? Would you recommend it? Why or why not?

I am also a bit hesitant with the Fantastic Beasts movie coming out. I am excited to learn more about the magical world, but am worried it’s going too far and will become dry and overdone. What are your thoughts? Are you anxious for more?

Check out my More Hogwarts book talk post for other Hogwarts related news!

Gene Wilder - Willy Wonka

June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was originally written in 1964 by British author Roald Dahl. It was a fabulous book that I loved as a child. The movie based on this book, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory was a childhood statement piece. Released in 1971, many years before I was born, it was a popular movie in my household. It was a top choice with us three kids on many occasions.

Gene Wilder, actor of Willy Wonka, was an amazing choice for the part. He was entertaining and really brought the character from the book to life. It was sad to hear of his passing today and I wanted to make note of his impact on my life. I look forward to sharing this movie with my children one day. 

More Hogwarts!

Just announced....

Coming on September 9, 2016, the Pottermore Presents ebooks! I am excited to get my hands on some more Hogwarts stories and look forward to diving into more behind the scenes content that J.K. Rowling has had up her sleeves! 


With the newest release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script and the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hitting theaters in November, we can't get enough of this wizarding world! 


To learn more, head on over to pottermore.com