Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Bout of Books Updates


Bout of BooksThis is where I will update what I accomplished at the end of each day during the Bout of Books 7.0 read-a-thon. This is usually done the day after to sum up what was read. My daily and hourly updates are done on Twitter at @WeeklyZen . There is a live action snapshot of my Tweets in the sidebar of my blog.



Week Wrap Up:
What a week! When the week started I told friends and family that I would see them in a week because I was going on a Reader's Vacation. In the week I went all over the world. I started off in Minnesota helping to solve a murder and eat lots of cookies, then I flew over to England to keep a dark wizard from stealing a stone that would bring him back to life and I stayed a little longer to insure that he did not kill Muggles with his hidden beast. But before I found the Chamber of Secrets I whisked of to Panem for a few snacks. After that I was suddenly brought to Florence to help an old literary friend discover where a secret plague was hidden. I tell you it was one heck of a vacation.

Books Read:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Unofficial Recipes of the Hunger Games
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Inferno by Dan Brown

Total Pages Read:
1755

Favorite Quote from the Week:
"Oh, honestly, don't you two read?" - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Day 6: (Sunday)
Can't talk...busy reading ...

Completed Reading: Late tonight I finally finished Inferno by Dan Brown.... wow... just wow! Review coming soon after I let it infect my brain a little more.

Day 6: (Saturday)
Still reading the Inferno... it is amazing can't put it down. Was at the chat tonight.

Completed Reading: Nothing at the moment.
In Progress Reading: Inferno by Dan Brown

Day 5: (Friday)

Totally abandoned my In Progress book from yesterday, The Wedding Night and moved on to the new Dan Brown, Inferno. LOVING IT!

Completed Reading: None as of today but I am flying through Inferno and should have it done today.

In Progress Reading: Inferno by Dan Brown... READ THIS BOOK! It is fantastic.

Day 4: (Thursday)

Planned on trying to read two books today ended up only reading and finishing. Good day. :)

Completed Reading: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Oh that Lockhart when will he learn. But you have to forgive him anything with such a winning smile. :D

In Progress Reading: The Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella. Could not really get into it, might just abandon this one this week and try it again at a later time.  

Day 3:  (Wednesday)
Today I found a book at the library that interested me I checked it out and added it into my reading queue for the day. Did not participate in the chat today because it was just too late for me. But I wanted to answer the questions for they are below my progress report. Here is my progress report for day 3:

Completed Reading: The Unofficial Recipes of the Hunger Games by Rockridge University Press. It is funny I like to read cookbooks but I do not like to cook. This book had some simple and tasty sounding items that I might consider making. I tried the hot chocolate recipe iced and love it! 

In Progress Reading: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling about half way through at the end of the day and will more than likely finish this on Day 4.

Tweet Chat Questions and Answers:

Q1. Introduce yourself. What is your name and blog? (with link!)
A1: Amanda from Weekly Zen

Q2. How are you doing with your goals?
A2: Well I threw the list out the window and now I am just reading. Hoping to finish four books this week.

Q3. Fill in the blank: “Bad days require books with ___”
A3. Humor. There is nothing better after a bad day to laugh as hard as you can.

Q4. You’re being written into a book as a character. What type of character would you be and why?
A4: I think I would be a lot like Hermione Granger. When I first read the Harry Potter series I swear she channeled my spirit into Hermione . 

Q5. Tell us your favorite character. (Name, Title, Author) What makes them stand out? #boutofbooks
A5:Hermione Granger and Elizabeth Bennet. Both are strong young women with opinions they are not afraid to share and they love to spend their time reading.

Q6. Fill in the blank: “Did you know that I___?” (tell us something unique about yourself!) #boutofbooks
A6: Lived on a sailboat for a year.

Q7. What’s the best piece of #boutofbooks advice you’ve been given? (or would give?)
A7: Don't make too specific goals just sort of go with it, if you feel like changing up your reading mid book... do it!



Day 2: (Tuesday)
Today I have totally abandoned my goals list. I have decided that from this moment on my only goal will be to read at least four books this week, which is WAY more that I will read in a normal week. Normally I can do one or two so four would of course be doubling my normal reading schedule. 

Completed Reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J.K. Rowling. Loved it, of course. :)

In Progress Reading: Still trying to decided what I will be reading today. So after my morning run I will be looking through my digital library and seeing what I feel like reading next. I might even head to the public library and see if there are any good reads to pick up. If nothing grabs me it will be on to the second book in the Harry Potter series Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling.

Day 1: (Monday)

Sidetracked from my weekend reading I already abandoned my Bout of Book Goals to read the entire Harry Potter series this week. Ah well... I did read more today than a normal day for me and I also participated in a Twitter chat, that was a lot of fun albeit confusing at times. So here is what I read for Day 1:

Completed Reading: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. Fun page turner that seriously had me wanting some cookies! I have a couple more of her books that I picked up that I might have to sneak in this week.

In Progress Reading: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J.K. Rowling. Absolutely love the serious and do not need much poking to re-read at any given time. I ended the night at Chapter 6 of the book and I am hoping to finish it on Day 2.

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Bout of Books 7.0 Goals

Bout of Books
UPDATE MAY 13 2013
Day 1!!! Okay I had to change my plan a little because I started reading Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder over the weekend and have not finished it yet. Normally I would just set it aside to take on my challenge but I am enjoying the book too much. So the morning I will be working on finishing that then in the afternoon I will begin Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. Also I will skip my end of the week movie marathon wrap up because this past weekend ABC Family actually aired everything up to Deathly Hallows Part I... more time for reading!

PS... I will not be spending much time here on my blog this week. I will be updating over at Twitter @WeeklyZen throughout most of the day. This is just a landing place for my goals and accomplishments of the week.
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UPDATE MAY 9 2013
The decision has been made. I will be going with... drum roll please.....OPTION 1! I decided to make it a whole themed week all around my favorite series Harry Potter. A sort of Harry Potter reader vacation if you will.

I have all seven ebooks on my Nook I also have all the audio books loaded on my ipod and all the movies on DVD. In addition I just downloaded all the movie soundtracks from Amazon. So here is the plan:


May 13: 
Read: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Eat:Harry Potter Snack (TBD)
Music: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Soundtrack

May 14:
Read:  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Eat: Harry Potter Snack: TBD
Music: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets soundtrack

May 15: 

Read:  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Eat: Harry Potter Snack: TBD
Music: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban soundtrack


May 16:

Read:  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Eat: Harry Potter Snack: TBD
Music: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire soundtrack


May 17:

Read:  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Eat: Harry Potter Snack: TBD
Music: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix soundtrack


May 18:

Read:  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Eat: Harry Potter Snack: TBD
Music: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince soundtrack


May 19:

Read:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 
Eat: Harry Potter Snack: TBD
Music: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows soundtrack

Watch: All the movies in a week ending movie marathon!


____________________________________________


The Bout of Books 7.0 challenge is set to happen May 13 through May 19. Readers will gather on various social media sources to talk about the books that they have chosen for their week long reading adventure. I will use my twitter account @WeeklyZen to post my daily updates and at the end of the week I will come back here and do a wrap up post. So I have thought about what I would like to spend the week doing. Should I read new books, re-read old favorites, take on a series... Well I have not fully committed to anything yet here are the three possibilities I have for the week:

Option 1:
Re-read the entire Harry Potter series. I have the whole series as ebooks and audio books so I thought I would split time between the two. I am no stranger to re-reading the series as I do it at least once a year but usually it takes me several months to do it. Re-reading it a week would definitely be a challenge.

Option 2:
Back in 2009 when Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater first came out I devoured the book and then Linger when it came out.  When Forever appeared in 2011 I bought the book and sadly have still not read it. I thought for this challenge I might take on the series and finally have the chance to read the last book in the trilogy.

Option 3:
Re-read The Hunger Games series. When Mockingjay came out as an ebook in 2010 I was finally introduced to the trilogy. I devoured the books in a week, staying up late into the night to finish them. I thought this might be a good challenge to take on for the read-a-thon and then cap it off with a viewing of The Hunger Games movie on Sunday.

So those are my three possibilities for the week. I am still on the fence about which to choose but I like the three options and any of them will be a good way to spend the week. As it gets closer I will update this post as to what I finally chose.

If you want to sign up for the challenge go here.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Pride and Prejudice T-shirt

Received my Pride and Prejudice quote t-shirt in the mail today from CafePress. It is pretty neat. The quote on it is:

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book!"

Monday, April 29, 2013

Bout of Books Read-a-thon

Heard about a week long read-a-thon called Bout of Books on Twitter and being the voracious read I am of course you know that I am in! Here is the link to the sign up and below is the official blurb from the site:
Bout of BooksThe 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 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team


Soon I will add a list of the books I would like to read during the event and I will be using my Twitter account @WeeklyZen to update my reading progress.




Friday, April 26, 2013

Glass Slipper Challenge and new 10K at Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend


runDisney annouces a new 10k added to the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend and a Glass Slipper Challenge! Full press release below:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA (April 26, 2013) – Building on the success of its women-focused events, runDisney is broadening the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort next year by adding a 10K and a new two-race challenge.
The Princess 10K gives runners of various levels more opportunities to run through Disney theme parks and receive a specially-designed finisher medal. And runners looking for an even bigger challenge can sign up for the 10K on Saturday and the Half Marathon on Sunday (19.3 miles total) to earn the inaugural Disney Glass Slipper Challenge Medal to go along with medals from each individual race.

The Princess Half Marathon Weekend, scheduled for Feb. 20-23, is one of two women-focused runDisney events. The other is the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend in January at Disneyland Resort in California.  Both races are among the largest women-specific running events in the country and focus on healthy active lifestyles for women and girls.  For instance, after nearly 7,500 runners ran in the inaugural Princess Half Marathon event in 2009, the popularity of the race has grown considerably with more than 26,000 registered runners for last year’s race.

Also new in 2014 is a special edition runDisney Coast-to-Coast Race Challenge Medal for runners participating in the 2014 Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland in January and the 2014 Princess Half Marathon five weeks later at Walt Disney World.  Finishers receive the coveted medal featuring the likeness of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse with a pink overlay and lanyard.

Registration for the 2014 Princess Half Marathon opens June 11 at www.runDisney.com.  A limited number of runners will have the opportunity to register for both the Princess and Tinker Bell Half Marathon at that time.  Those not securing an early registration for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon will have a second chance when on-line registration officially opens on July 9.

Both the Princess and Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekends include signature runDisney events including a health and fitness expo geared towards women, kids races, a family fun run 5K, as well as featured half marathons for both weekend.
For more information and to register for runDisney events, visit www.runDisney.com.

About runDisneyrunDisney is a series of seven event weekends providing runners unique opportunities to run various distances through Disney theme parks.  Race participants earn Disney-themed medals, experience legendary Disney entertainment and guest service and ultimately celebrate their accomplishments with a Disney vacation.  The original event in the series, the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna, takes place in January followed by the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend in February, Expedition Everest Challenge in May, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler in October and the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend in November.  Disneyland hosts the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend in January and the Disneyland Half Marathon in September during Labor Day Weekend.  More than 125,000 running enthusiasts participate in runDisney events each year. For more information, visit www.runDisney.com and follow us on Facebook (runDisney) and Twitter @runDisney.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Will the Real William Shakespeare Please Step Forward? by David Lawrence-Young

Will the Real William Shakespeare Please Step Forward?
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Shakespeare authorship question is not a new notion, nor is the idea of writing a novel about exploring said authorship, it is however one of this reader’s favorite topics. I love the adventure and mystery that can be produced around Shakespeare, not to mention when you write a book about Shakespeare… the references to his plays will be plentiful. David Lawrence-Young’s novel Will the Real William Shakespeare Please Step Forward? is yet another novel to add to the list of fantastic historical fiction/literary fiction about the Shakespeare authorship question bookshelf.

Daniel Ryhope, a lecturer of the Bard of Avon, is confronted by colleagues with the idea the “William Shakespeare was a con man! A fake and a forger!” Daniel, as any good member of the literati would do set off to the library with his wife and two friends for an intense search to find out the truth about who really wrote William Shakespeare. With so many questions and so many sources the foursome discover that there are many truths out there and finding the one they seek is not an easy task.

Well their end discovery in the Shakespeare authorship question is not at all surprising the ending does pose another question that I can only hope Lawerene-Young will turn into a sequel… “Did Shakespeare have anything to do with Marlowe’s death?”

Overall, this is a fun read, and you can create a fantastic Shakespeare authorship question bibliography from the read. (I will post my notes from the book soon on my blog.) I recommend this to the reader who is interested in Shakespeare, enjoys reading books about adventures while researching. Or to the person who thinks a day or two spent in deep research in your favorite corner of the library as a dream vacation. Those looking for a sort of thriller, edge of your seat suspense however may not find this to be there cup of tea.