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 Okay, I’ve now got less than 100 pages left in Dead Until Dark, but I’m hungry, so I’m taking a break for curry! Here’s how I’m doing so far:
| Number of Books |
2 |
|
Books Read |
Old Man’s War |
| Pages Read |
503 |
|
|
|
| Time Spent Reading |
4:17 |
|
|
|
| Time Spent Blogging |
0:54 |
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I really hope that turns out as pretty as it looks in Excel. Number of books is how many I’ve read from, not how many I’ve completed. This hour (well, actually, hour 5) I also entered my first mini-challenge, right here, with a great video of Bill Bailey, my favorite comedian. Since I’m going to be eating for a bit, and I don’t want to get curry on my book, I’ll be around for a little bit and hopefully catch up on google reader. In the next couple of hours, I hope to finish Dead Until Dark. Not sure if I’ll move on to the next Sookie Stackhouse book or go for a little YA with John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series or even go for a romance that I know I can finish quickly and enjoy. Time will tell!
Thanks for the comments everyone! I’m really appreciating the encouragement. 
At the beginning of the fourth hour:
| Number of Books |
1 |
| Pages Read |
305 |
| Time Spent Reading |
2:35 |
| Time Spent Blogging |
0:24 |
I think I might start taking hourly breaks. It’s easier to catch up on Google Reader. I have now completed Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. I haven’t done either of the mini challenges yet. I guess I’m not really very creative and I didn’t know some of the book covers!
I’m now going to start Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Thanks for all the comments so far, everyone! I’m trying to return some, but I really want to get back to reading.
Please bear with us while we move the site to a more efficient server. Normal service should be resumed shortly.
The ever-overloaded-with-books fiancé,
Keith
 Since it looks like it will be a while before I can read and review The Fire, I thought I’d put up a post about it in case you hadn’t heard of it. I’m waiting to acquire The Eight from interlibrary loan so that I can better understand this book, its sequel, and can give it a more educated opinion. If you’re already interested or for more info, go ahead and check it out on Amazon . You can also wait for my review, which I hope to get up in a couple of weeks. I’m awaiting a few very exciting books in the mail, but I’ll put these first when The Eight comes in.
Alternatively, you could read The Eight , which is what I’m doing!
I feel like I haven’t updated my blog roll in forever, and since everyone else is doing it, if I haven’t included you over there and you’ve included me, leave me a comment! I’ll get you added in the next couple of days after my traveling is over.
I thought I did pretty well in July with my reading. I read 25 books and I didn’t do much else that month. This month, I started a new, albeit temporary, job. I still managed to read 22 books. I’m pleased with that number; it’s good to know that I can be busy and still remain dedicated to reading and blogging consistently. It bodes well for October, when I will be off to graduate school, assuming all goes well for the next month.
So, here’s what I read this month, separated by category and linked in to my reviews:
Fiction:
- The Gargoyle – Andrew Davidson
- The Sea – John Banville
- Erotomania – Francis Levy
- When We Were Romans - Matthew Kneale
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
- The 19th Wife – David Ebershoff
- Dog Eats Dog – Iain Levinson
Fantasy
- Excalibur – Bernard Cornwell
- The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley
- The Last Enchantment – Mary Stewart
- The Blue Sword – Robin McKinley
Historical Fiction
- Sweetsmoke – David Fuller
- The Queen’s Tale – D.J. Birmingham
- Devil’s Brood – Sharon Kay Penman (review coming in October)
- Guernica – Dave Boling
- Midwife of the Blue Ridge - Christine Blevins
Short Stories
- Months and Seasons - Christopher Meeks
Non-fiction/History/Memoir
- Sweet Mandarin - Helen Tse
- Marie-Therese, Child of Terror – Susan Nagel
- Resistance – Agnes Humbert
Fluffy fiction
- Schooled - Anisha Lakhani
- Garden Spells – Sarah Addison Allen
 My favorite this month is unquestionably The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This book just sucked me right in and refused to let me go as I fell in love with every single aspect of it. It’s my number one for the year right now and I wish I could fall right back into it and read it again right now. Alas, other books wait. If you want to experience this, you can buy this book on Amazon.
I read a lot of other great books this month, and they warrant another mention too. I loved unreservedly The Gargoyle , Months and Seasons , When We Were Romans , and both of Robin McKinley’s, The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword . These are all great reads, so I suggest you go out and read them!
Thanks to all who visited this month, and here’s to another great reading month in September for all of us!
I’ll be at Virginia Beach, where my dad will be running a half marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. As some of you may know, my brother Matthew died in 2005 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 18. My dad is running in his memory, and he’s almost reached his goal of $20,000. If you have a little to spare, please consider donating at his website. Every little bit helps when it comes to finding better treatment and a cure.
And now back to our regularly scheduled book-related programming.
 The winner of Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter by Susan Nagel is …
Jen at Devourer of Books!
Congratulations! I’m happy to see the book go to someone who wanted it so much. I’ll be sending an email your way for your address. Jen also deserves congratulations for being mentioned in today’s Shelf Awareness ad for donating money to help a clinic in Mali described in Monique and the Mango Rains. You can see her post about it here.
I used random.org to generate a number sequence that I then applied to my Excel spreadsheet. Here are the numbers:
* 2
* 9
* 21
* 4
* 18
* 14
* 10
* 6
* 20
* 17
* 8
* 13
* 16
* 1
* 15
* 12
* 7
* 22
* 5
* 3
* 11
* 19
Thanks for participating, everyone! Remember, if you didn’t win, you can still buy this book on Amazon.
Amy at My Friend Amy is hosting a book blogger appreciation week from September 15-19. What a great idea! I’m happy to participate – and you can join too!
 Here’s what Amy has to say about her event:
Book Bloggers: You work hard. You read books, you write reviews, you maintain relationships with your readers, publicists, and authors. You are constantly running to the post office to mail your giveaways and participating in carnivals to help boost traffic. You sometimes want to faint when you see the size of your TBR pile, but faithfully you read. And you do it because you love it. Book blogging is for most a hobby. But it’s a hobby that takes a lot of work and time. It’s a labor of love.
I’ve been blogging for three years but only really got into book blogging in the last year. I have found, without a doubt, that book bloggers are the kindest, most open minded, and supportive group of bloggers on the internet. With book blogging, it’s about community and a love for the written word.
The Readers: We love you! You don’t have a blog, but you read our reviews and share your thoughts with us. You enter our giveaways and click on our Amazon associates link. We do this for you and appreciate your readership. We hope you’ll join in the fun and festivities of BBAW! (we’ll have a special contest just for you!)
Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Acknowledging the hard work of book bloggers and their growing impact on book marketing and their essential contribution to book buzz in general, I am excited to announce the first Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Think of it as a retreat for book bloggers and a chance for us to totally nerd out over books together. And of course, shower each other with love and appreciation.
Register: In order to experience the maximum impact of the week, I invite you to register your participation (just like a retreat)! To register, just send an email to bookbloggerappreciationweekATgmailDOTcom with your blog url and what you consider your niche…i.e, general book blog, classics blog, personal blog with a healthy dose of books, YA books blog, etc. Then, add one of the two buttons at the bottom of this post to your sidebar. If you are a reader (no blog) just send an email announcing your plans to follow along. Why bother? If you register, you will be added to a book blog directory which will exist long after this week is over. Additionally, you will receive one raffle entry into the daily giveaways during BBAW here at My Friend Amy.
Awards: Oh yes, there will be awards. The Oscars of Book Blogging.  Nominations start next week.
Spread the Word: If you are excited about this idea like I am and the other book bloggers who are helping, please consider writing a post on your blog announcing this event and inviting other book bloggers and readers to join.
I am almost overwhelmed with the number of great contests going on right now!
– First off, we have THREE of those magnificent Hatchette Book Giveaways going on. I haven’t won yet, but I am hopeful for these. The first is at Book Room Reviews, and here you can also win a copy of The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Secondly, Literary Feline is offering the same giveaway in her anniversary post. Her great blog is now two years old! Lastly, Tina at The Bookshipper is offering the same awesome set of books. Head on over to all these blogs for not only a chance to enter, but for some great reviews!
– Next, Kathleen at Kathleen’s Book Reviews is giving away a copy of Surviving Ben’s Suicide. If you didn’t win it here, or if you just want her opinion, click over to her blog.
– The Fashionista Piranha is offering a great contest where you can win three things:
– a hardcover copy of Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood, which I reviewed here
– a Charity Pot body lotion from Lush Cosmetics; the retail price of this lotion is donated to a variety of charities, including Ocean Conservancy, Clean Ocean Action, and Oceana!
– $25 donation to the charity of your choice!
– Lisa at Minds Alive on the Shelves is hosting her very first giveaway for a hardcover copy of Stealing Athena. I’ve got a review coming up on this one, which I really enjoyed.
– Ruth at Bookish Ruth is giving away a copy of First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader.
And that’s all for today – I expect I’ll have even more to post by tomorrow! I also will be having another contest of my own within another week or two, so keep an eye out. =)
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