Lost-A-Thon TBR!

February 2, 2019February 2, 2019 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 4 Comments

It’s February already and I haven’t participated in a readathon! I love readathons so when I stumbled across the Our Lost Library Lost-A-Thon I couldn’t resist making a TBR and joining in. This readathon started yesterday, but it’s also a month long so I figured I had plenty of time to catch up. There are tons of different reading prompts and there’s no way I’m going to get to them all but I thought it would be fun to pick a book for each prompt and that gives me a whole lot of different choices throughout the month. The point of this readathon is to read older books that you have on your TBR but for me I might mix in some new releases that I already have on my shelf that I’m just dying to read!

New Year, New Book: A book you were given as a gift.

Long Term TBR: A book that’s been on your TBR forever

A Book Less Than 250 Pages

A Book More Than 350 Pages

Finish A Book You Started

Discounted Discoveries: anything you got on sale

A Book By A Female Author

Finish A Series: 1 book or 5, it’s up to you!

New To You Genre: a genre you don’t really gravitate towards

Historical Conversations: a book that makes you think

Classic With A Twist: modern versions of classics (I’m stretching this a little buy oh well)

Deadly relationships: Domestic thrillers, paranormal romances

Diverse Graphic Novel/Comic Book/Manga (I don’t own much in the way of graphic novels on my TBR and I don’t have any manga so I cheated on this one)

Twenty-Somethings in Space

Female Fantasy

Middle Grade Retelling: Fairytale Retelling (Cheating again, I don’t have much middle grade on my TBR!)

A Book With A Love Triangle

Mystery Genre Pick: Contemporary

Faith, Courage or Strength: words used in the synopsis

A Red Book

TBR Jar Pick: Sky in the Deep

Buddy Read: Buddy reading with my boyfriend

Book Rec from OLL

Passion Project: something you’re passionate about – Batman!

Free Choice

So those are my choices for Lost-A-Thon! I’m not sure how many I’ll get to – definitely not all of them but if I could read 10/12 I would be so pleased. Are there any you think I should prioritise – I’m honestly dying to read them all – if you do let me know below!

Readathon Wrap Ups!

December 15, 2018December 15, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 5 Comments

I participated in two readathons recently so I thought I would do a quick wrap up post for them both just to see how I got on with the challenges!

Tome Topple

The first readathon was Tome Topple, which is a readathon focusing on reading books over 500 pages. For this I had planned to try and read four books, including The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and Illuminae. You can see my TBR post for the readathon here.

In the end I didn’t really read any of the books I had planned to read. I read Illuminae and loved it so much that I ended up diving straight into Gemina. I read the majority of Gemina but didn’t manage to finish it before the readathon ended. The challenges were:

Read more than one tome: Technically I did that though I didn’t finish the second.
Read a tome that is part of a series: Both books are part of the Illuminae files series.
Buddy read a tome: My boyfriend read Illuminae with me.
Read an adult novel: This is the one challenge I didn’t fulfil.

So although it didn’t go quite how I expected I’m so glad I participated because I’ve found a new series that I absolutely adore.

Falling Into Fantasy Readathon

This readathon focused on reading those fantasy books that have been on your TBR for a while. There were eight challenges and I knew I wouldn’t finish all of them but in the end I completed four books and I really loved quite a few of them. If you want to see my full TBR you can take a look here!

The challenges completed were:

1. Read the first book in a series: I read Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart and really enjoyed this fast paced dystopian story.

2. Read a book that’s been on your TBR too long: I FINALLY read The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo. These short stories set in the Grishaverse are so beautiful and a perfect read for this time of year.

3. Read a diverse fantasy: For this I picked up Mirage by Somaiya Daud and honestly this is one of my favourite new books. I loved everything about it and I’m desperate for more.

4. Read a book with multiple POVs: Grace and Fury fulfilled this challenge too, it has alternating POVs of two sisters.

5. Read a new fantasy: I read Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa for this one. This imaginative adventure is a brilliant read and I have a full review posted if you’d like to know more you can take a look here!

6. Read a booktube recommended book: I’ve seen pretty much each of the books I read recommended on booktube but particularly Shadow of the Fox has been getting lots of recommendations there recently so that luckily fulfilled this challenge too!

So those are the wrap ups for the recent readathons I participated in. Are you taking part in any festive readathons? If you are let me know which ones and what you’re planning to read!

Falling Into Fantasy TBR!

November 18, 2018November 28, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 3 Comments

Am I the crazy person that’s going to try and participate in two readathons at once? Yes yes I am. I recently posted my Tome Topple TBR, in which I’m hoping to read four big books over the next weeks (you can take a look here). But I also really wanted to join in on this readathon because it sounds fun and I have so many good fantasy books to read!

This readathon is being hosted by Penguin books and runs from today (the 18th) to the 25th of November. If you want to know more you can take a look at their website here!

So there are eight challenges and I’ve picked a book for each one. It’s unlikely I’ll manage to read all eight but you never know, so here goes!

1. Read the first book in a series
For this I’m going to try and read Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart because it’s been on my TBR for ever and it sounds so good!

2. Read A Book That’s Been On Your TBR Too Long
I thought for this one I could finally pick up The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo. It’s such a beautiful book and I can dip in and out because it’s short stories.

3. Read An LQBTQ Fantasy
I’m so excited to pick up Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. I’ve had this book for Christmas a while ago and I keep meaning to read it so I’m definitely making it a priority this time around!

4. Read A Diverse Fantasy
I’m going to pick up Mirage for this one after meaning to read it for another readathon and not getting around to it. It seems quite short too so I’m hoping I can fly through this one.

5. Read A book with multiple POVs
Another fantasy I’ve been meaning to read for so long is Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau. This book sounds terrific and I haven’t seen that many reviews for it so I’m hoping it will be a good one.

6. Read A New Fantasy
I recently got sent a copy of Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa and I’m participating in the blog tour at the end of the month so I figured this would be the perfect prompt to read this one.

7. Read A Sequel
The author Josie Jaffrey sent me a copy of her book The Gilded King and I loved it so much. She very kindly sent me the second book in the series, The Silver Queen last month and I’m itching to read it so now I have no excuses!

8. A Booktube Recommended Book
For this I’m going with Neverworld Wake by Marisha Peshl. I’ve seen so many booktubers talk about this book that I figured it would be a great one to read for the readathon.

So that’s my TBR for the Falling Into Fantasy readthon! If you’ve read any of these definitely let me know what you thought!

Tome Topple TBR!

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 4 Comments

This is my first time participating in the tome topple readathon. This time it’s running from 16th of November until the 29th. The only rule is to read those tomes over 500 pages that have been lurking on your TBR shelf! I actually have tons of great big books on my TBR so I’ve picked a few books that I definitely want to try and read over the two weeks and then hopefully I might get to a couple more. There are five challenges for the readathon:

1. Read more than one tome
I’m hopefully going to fufill this challenge by completing the other ones and then I’ll have read more than one book but I’m definitely hoping to get to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee during the readathon!

2. Read a graphic novel (still over 500 pages!)
This is the one challenge I’m not participating in. I looked through all the graphic novels I own and not a single one was over 500 pages and I am not planning to buy any so I’m missing this one out!

3. Read a tome that is part of a series
For this I thought I would pick up Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Ami Kaufman. I’ve wanted to read this for ages and although its nearly 600 pages I still think it will be a pretty quick and addictive read.

4. Buddy read a tome
I’m buddy reading a book with my boyfriend and for this challenge we’re going to read American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This is one of the few Neil Gaiman books I’ve never read and I’m also dying to watch the TV series so hopefully we can get through this massive book during the readathon.

5. Read an adult novel
I’ve got a few options for this one but I think I might reread Red Sister by Mark Lawrence and if I have time pick up Grey Sister in time for Holy Sister coming out next year. That way I can be all caught up!

So those are the books I’m going to attempt for tome topple! Are you participating in the readathon? If you are let me know what you’re planning to read and if you’ve read any of these do let me know what you think!

Strangeathon Wrap Up!

November 15, 2018November 14, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 4 Comments

I recently participated in a spooky Halloween readathon called Strangeathon. The challenge was to read fourteen books in two weeks which I didn’t manage at all because I was working on passing my theory driving test (I passed!) I did manage a fair few of the challenges though so I thought I would do a quick wrap up post. I’m not really going to talk about the books because I talked about most of them in my October wrap up so if you want to know more you can take a little look here!

Challenge #2 – Thriller Killer: Read a thrilling book
I picked up a little penguin classic of Shirley Jackson’s The Missing Girl and two other tales. These were thrilling unsettling tales that I absolutely flew through and I enjoyed them. Overall rating for this one was 3/5 stars.

Challenge #3 – Halloween Icon: Read a book with something iconic to Halloween on the cover
For this I read Strange Ink by Gary Kemble. It has a skeleton on the cover and it was dark and gripping and a really well done thriller. You can take a look at my full review for it here! I gave it 4/5 stars.

Challenge #6 – Horror Monster: Read a book with a creature that is often the villain
For this I read The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein as Frankenstein’s Monster is often a horror monster. I absolutely loved this book and it was one of my favourites of last months reading. I gave it 5/5 stars.

Challenge #8 – Tales From the Grave: Read a short story collection
For this I picked up some classic Edgar Allan Poe tales in The Murders In the Rue Morgue. These three tales are seen as the forerunner to well known detective stories by the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle. They were really fascinating and I gave them 3/5 stars.

Challenge #9 – Setting Fun: Read a book with a spooky location
For this challenge I completed Strange Places by Katherine Arden which was a spooky fun ghost story that I completely adored. It’s set on a haunted farm which I thought was a pretty spooky location and I gave it 5/5 stars.

Challenge #10 – Blood Red: Read a book with a red or orange cover
I had originally planned to read Last Time I Lied but I ended up reading Spellbound by Cate Tiernan which has an orangey/red cover. I’ve really been enjoying revisiting this fun witchy series and gave it 5/5 stars.

Challenge #11 – Darkness Within: Read a book in darker conditions that normal
I picked up Bram Stoker’s Dracula for this because I haven’t read it in so long. I ended up reading it on the Kindle and pretty much only read a few chapters in bed each night in the dark so that definitely counted as darker conditions than normal.

Challenge #12 – Striking Title: Read a book based purely on the title
Without a doubt I had to read The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton. The title really drew my eye and I was really excited to read this witchy tale. I enjoyed it but I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I’d hoped so I only gave this 3/5 stars.

Challenge #14 – The F-Up: Read a book that has nothing to do with Halloween
I ended up reading Sleeper: Red Storm by J. D. Fennell for this as I had a blog tour review coming up for it. I really enjoyed this action packed spy thriller and it had nothing Halloweeny about it so it fit the bill really well and I gave it 4/5 stars.

So I completed nine out of the fourteen challenges and I’m pretty pleased with that! Did you participate in any readathons in October? If you did what did you read?

Magical Readathon – Charms Extra Credit Wrap Up!

October 15, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

So for the Magical Readathon I was hoping to try and read five books and that will give me a five day head start next year. Alas that didn’t quite work out. I read three books from my TBR, started the fourth and then also finished a book that wasn’t on my TBR at all – so let’s take a look at the books I managed to read.

Challenge #4 – Rictusempra (a book that tickles you in the right way i.e an exciting trope/genre/theme)
For this I went for The Wicked Deep by Shea Earnshaw because I love stories about witches and I got this book for my birthday. I thought it would be totally up my street and I was absolutely right. It was full of surprises, it was so atmospheric and beautiful and I flew through it. I gave it 5/5 stars and a full review for this book will be coming really soon!

Challenge #2 – Accio (Read a book at the top of your TBR)
For this I read Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller. I read Daughter of the Pirate King earlier and the year and have been dying to pick this up. This was another birthday book so I was really excited to get to it. The second instalment was a lot darker, dealing with the horrible things Alosa’s father has done. I enjoyed it a lot, but not as much as the first book in the series, so I gave it 4/5 stars.

Challenge #5 – Lumos (Read a book with a light cover)
I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite a while so I went with One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus. This book is so twisty and turny, I really had no idea who was behind the murder and who was telling the truth. I also liked the romance aspect of the story, it was nice to have that additional layer to the story. I read this one really quickly and gave it 4/5 stars.

Challenge #1 – Alohamora (Read the first book in a series)
Now I had originally planned to read Mirage by Somaiya Daud, and I have started this and am really enjoying it, however I did end up starting and finishing Vicious by V. E. Schwab. This is the first in her Villains series with Vengeful having just come out. I was dying to read them both so who can blame me for picking up Vicious? I absolutely loved the complex morally gray characters and the dark plot of this story. Needless to say I gave it 5/5 stars and I can’t wait to read Vengeful.

So those are the books I managed to read for the magical readathon. I’m pretty pleased with my four out of five challenges complete and I really enjoyed all the books that I read. I’m still hoping to read the two other books I mentioned – Mirage and The Winter of the Witch – this month, so check back for my October wrap up and see if I manage it!

Magical Readathon Charms Extra Credit TBR

October 7, 2018October 7, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 13 Comments

The Magical Readathon: Charms Extra Credit is a readthon that was created by BookRoast over on Youtube. This readathon is Harry Potter related and allows you to sit exams based on the classes at Hogwarts. I didn’t manage to participate in them this year, but they’re running again in 2019 so I thought starting off with this extra credit was the perfect way to start. Doing the extra credit now will give me a head start for the OWLs when they come around next year. I really enjoy participating in readthons, and challenging myself. This readthon is running 8-13th of October and has five challenges. I don’t know if I’ll manage to read them all but they’re all books I’ve been dying to read so I’m hoping that makes a difference!

Spell #1: Alohamora – read a book that’s first in a series.
For this I’ve decided to go with Mirage by Somaiya Daud. This is the first in a new science fiction fantasy series, featuring a young slave girl who is used as the body double for a princess in case she is assassinated. I bought a copy of this recently and have been dying to pick it up. I’m hoping it will be an exciting and intense read!

Spell #2: Accio – read a book that’s top of your TBR.
I deliberated on this one for ages because there are so many books on my TBR that I am desperate to read. I eventually decided on Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller. I read the first book in the series earlier in the year and absolutely loved it. It was such a fun and quick read. I got a beautiful hardback copy of this for my birthday so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to pick it up.

Spell #3: Incendio – a book with the words ‘fire’ or ‘flame’ in the title/series name, or a flame picture on the cover.
For this I’ve gone with The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden. It’s quite a big book but I have been dying to read it for so long and it has flames on the cover, making it the perfect excuse to read the conclusion to what is one of my favourite trilogies ever.

Spell #4: Rictusempra – book that ‘tickles you the right way’ (exciting trope/theme/genre)
One of my favourite themes in books is witches. October is the perfect time of year for witchy books and I have so many of them to read this Halloween. With that in mind I decided for this challenge to go for The Wicked Deep by Shea Earnshaw. This was another book I got for my birthday and I have been hoping to pick up ASAP.

Spell #5: Lumos – book with a light cover.
It took me ages to find a book on my shelves with a white cover. I narrowed it down to a few but most didn’t fit the kind of book I was looking for for a readathon (literary fiction/non-fiction), but I finally found One Of Us Is Lying by Karen MacManus and I thought this would go so well. It has a white cover and is a perfect twisty turny thriller for the readathon.

So there we have my Magical Readathon Charms Extra Credit TBR. Are you participating in the readthon? If you are what are you reading? and if you’ve read any of these let me know what you thought of them!

Contemporary-AThon Wrap Up!

September 28, 2018September 24, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 1 Comment

So last week I joined in with the Contemporary-AThon readathon. The goal was to read seven books in the seven days. I pretty much knew I wouldn’t manage all seven but I figured it would be fun to pick a TBR and give it a shot. I managed five and a bit books which I’m really pleased about, so here’s my readthon wrap up!

Challenge 1: Read a book with orange on the cover
For this challenge I read Another Place by Matthew Crow. This book was a really interesting blend of mystery and exploration of mental health. The story follows Claudette, a young teenager dealing with depression. On her release from a mental health facility she learns that her friend Sarah has disappeared. Desperate to know what happened to her Claudette delves into the seedier parts of town to discover the truth behind Sarah’s disappearance. This book was fast paced and intense and I really really enjoyed it. I ended up rating it 3.75 out of 5.
Total Pages: 288

Challenge 2: Read a book by a new to you author
For this I read A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews. This is definitely an emotional and hard hitting book. The story follows Beck, a young boy forced to play piano by his physically and emotionally abusive mother. He is incredibly unhappy, but when he’s paired with August to work on a school project, he glimpses the chance of something better. This book will definitely stay with me for a while and I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.
Total Pages: 570

Challenge 3: Read a book that is dark/spooky/taboo
For this I read Easy Prey by Catherine Lo which I absolutely loved. After a teachers nude pictures are leaked online, three students are deemed responsible. But each student swears they are not responsible, so who did it? I honestly couldn’t put this one down. It was such a twisty, turny read – jumping time and perspective. I gave this one 5 out of 5 stars and it was definitely my favourite read of the readathon.
Total Pages: 970

Challenge 4: Read a diverse book
I decided I would for once in my life complete a series and read the last book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. I really enjoyed Always and Forever Lara Jean, it was just as sweet and lovely as the other books and it really was a great end to the series. I’m definitely going to try and pick up more books from Jenny Han in the future. This one got a 4 out of 5 stars.
Total Pages: 1247

Challenge 5: Read a book in a non-traditional format
Now I had originally planned to read Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon on my Kindle but I didn’t get the chance to read it. Instead I decided to pick up a mystery graphic novel instead. The Woods Vol 1: The Arrow is a dark mystery story in which 437 students, 52 teachers and 24 additional staff all disappear without a trace. What happened to them and where are they now? This was dark and creepy and I loved it! It turned out to be less of a contemporary and more of a horror/science fiction but I’m still counting it because I read it for the readathon. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Total Pages: 1375

Challenge 6: Read a book with your initials on the cover
This is the challenge that I haven’t finished yet which is why I only completed five and a half challenges. For this challenge I picked The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente. The story follows a comic book artist who is framed for a murder at comic con. I found the story a little difficult to get into and I’m just over 100 pages in, so I’m hoping the rest of the book picks up.
Total Pages: 1475

Overall I’m pretty pleased with my ContemporaryAThon reading. If I hadn’t been at Bloody Scotland and doing some other bits and pieces I might have completed all the challenges but it was still really fun! Did you participate in the readathon? What books did you read? And if you’ve read any of these let me know what you thought!

Contemporary-athon TBR!

September 16, 2018 by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 10 Comments

So last month I managed to read thirteen books. This month has been pretty busy and I was ill for a week so I haven’t gotten through that many books yet (current tally is 5 books). I’ve also been really enjoying reading contemporary books recently which is absolutely not my usual genre. I figured the perfect solution then was to join in with the contemporary-athon, which is happening from the 17th to the 23rd of September and is hosted by @BookHangover_ on Twitter and Youtubers Page and Pens, Chelseadolling and MyReadingIsOdd.

There are seven challenges and I doubt I’m going to manage all seven but I will try and see where we end up!

1. Read a book with orange on the cover
I toyed with a few different books – my first instinct was to go with I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman but I spied Another Place by Matthew Crow on my shelves and I have been meaning to read it forever. I tried to go with shorter books so I can get through all seven, but this sounds like a really gripping read and it has orange on the cover!

2. Read a book that is dark/taboo/spooky
I found it difficult to pick just one book for this because I have quite a few spooky books I’m dying to read. I decided to go with Easy Prey by Catherine Lo as it’s coming out in October and means I can get a review up when I’m done. Easy Prey is a mystery following three high school students who are suspected or releasing racy pictures of a teacher online. Each of them has a motive, but which one is guilty? This sounds so intriguing and I can’t wait to read it!

3. Read a diverse book
I first picked up The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas because I still haven’t read that yet (I know I’m terrible), but I’ve really been loving the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before books so I thought I could round off the series with Always and Forever Lara Jean. I really enjoyed the first two and I raced through them so hopefully that will help with reading seven books in such a short time period!

4. Read a book in a non-traditional format
I was a bit unsure about what this meant but the description says it can be anything whether that’s a graphic novel, an audiobook or a ebook. I had a look at my audiobooks and I didn’t have anything that fit the bill but I do have a ebook of Sarah Nicole Lemon’s Valley Girls, so I picked this. I loved Done Dirt Cheap so I’m hoping this is just as good! I’m not a big ebook person as they tend to give me headaches, but I do also have a physical copy and can cheat a little!

5. Read a book with your initials on the cover
For this I’m going with The Con Artist by Fred Van Lente. I was sent this by the lovely folks at Quirk Books a couple of months ago but I haven’t had the chance to pick it up. It looks so cute and fun that I thought it would be the perfect choice. My initials are NLS so they all appeared on the cover too.

6. Read a book by a new to you author
Pretty much every book I picked up for this readathon fitted this category. I’m hopeful that if I don’t get all seven read I can double up with this challenge as well. In case I manage to fly through them all I’ve gone for A Thousand Perfect Notes by C. G. Drews. I got this in an Illumicrate and have been meaning to read it ever since.

7. Read a predicted five star read
This was another that I had loads of choice for but I ended up going with The Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan. I’ve been meaning to read this for ages and it sounds so good. After getting caught hooking up with her best friend’s ex boyfriend, Kendall just wants to keep her head down and graduate but she is drawn into a web of drug dealing after her online identity is hacked and used to steal from a dealer. It sounds so intense and gripping and I really hope it will be a five star read!

So that’s my Contemporary-AThon TBR. Are you participating in the readathon? If you are what are you reading? And if you’ve read any of these let me know if you enjoyed them or I should swap them for something else!

The Bibliophile Chronicles

Tag: readathon