Bout of Books 7.0 Readathon Goals and Updates

 Posted by at 9:14 pm  Book Reviews, Uncategorized  74 Responses »
May 072013
 

 

Bout of Books

“The 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”

Well my Week in Read-a-thons did not quite go as planned since I was battling some work issues.  Now that things are hopefully settling back into a routine, I’m hoping to get back into reading and sharing my book thoughts with you. Up next, another read-a-thon of course!
Goals

boutofbookscollage

(Cover Photos Source: www.goodreads.com)

Original Goals: 1. Finish Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice on Kindle Done!

2. Finish Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald on audiobook Done!

3. The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

and if I’m really ambitious…4. Make Today Count by John Maxwell

Additional Goals: I Just Want to Pee Alone by Some Kick Ass Mom Bloggers Done!

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest People in the World on audiobook by  Eric Weiner

Across Eternity by Aris Whittier

Most of all, I like to meet new bloggers so I hope to participate in challenges, Twitter chats and comment on at least 10 new-to-me bloggers while visiting my book blogging friends who are participating too.

Updates:

Sunday, 5/12/13: Ok, the official read-a-thon does not start until 12:01am, but I was in a read-a-thoning mood and got a head start. I already finished Interview with the Vampire and also started reading I Just Want to Pee Alone by “Some Kiss Ass Mom Bloggers”, which is not on my list but hope to finish this week. It’s a lighthearted, easy, hilarious read.    I have also already commented on 30 other Bout of Book-ers goals and there are some great books on these lists.

Monday, 5/13/13: Listened to Gatsby for 30 minutes during commute to work…got to really good part and had to get out of the car! Eeek!  Read I Just Want to Pee Alone for 1.5 hours, on page 138 of 185 (75% complete).

Tuesday, 5/14/13: Listened to Gatsby for a couple of hours (about 5 chapters) and commented on at least 17 blog participants from the Day 1 update post.  Finished I Want to Pee Alone (about 50 pages) and read 16 pages of The Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Wednesday, 5/15/13: Visited 30 blogs from Day 2 Update post.  Purchased the Ultimate Book Blogger Plugin from Ashley at Nose Graze. I like that it automatically updates your book review archive, easier navigation by genre, author and rating, and provides info on book and author automatically. Right now you can try a demo on her site and the plugin is 50% off. I couldn’t resist and can’t wait to try it out. I finished listening to The Great Gatsby, what a fantastic story and see why it’s so popular. I downloaded The Geography of Bliss so I have an audiobook ready for my work commute tomorrow.  I participated in the Twitter Chat and read 20 pages in The Girl With a Pearl Earring.

Thursday, 5/16/13: Listened to 2 chapters of The Geography of Bliss. I love this book so far, just the right combination of science, philosophy and interesting facts about different cultures and their perspectives on life and happiness. Read a few pages of The Girl With a Pearl Earring.  I played with the new plugin, trying to get one of my posts updated, almost ready to publish but not quite yet.  Not my best reading day.

Friday, 5/17/13: Didn’t get much done, commented on a few blogs and was trying to visit Classics Club members who are participating in the Classics Club Spin with me on Monday.  Also updated my Blogging events page for this and upcoming Bout of Books dates, updated read-a-thon info for TBR, Seasons Reading, Fairy Tales, Monster and Austen events coming up in the rest of 2013. There are a whole lot of read-a-thons, review-a-thons and blog-a-thons so check it out and let me know if you have a current or past recurring event that I can add to my page. Read 100 pages in The Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Saturday, 5/18/13:  Got through the 3rd chapter in The Geography of Bliss.  Read about 30 pages in The Girl with a Pearl Earring. Participated in the Twitter chat a litte bit from my phone while playing outside with the kids, which did not go so well, hard to do.  So I gave up and had a water gun fight with them instead.  :)  At night, read 3 chapters of Across Eternity by Aris Whittier, Kindle copy recieved from the author.

Sunday, 5/19/13: Visited, commented and followed 20 different blogs.  Read The Girl with a Pearl Earring and have about 30 pages left.  Participated in the If You Like This, Then Recommend That mini-challenge.  I am pretty pleased with my Bout of Books progress, how did you do?

Thanks for visiting me! Are you participating in the Bout of Books 7.0? What are you reading? Do you have a favorite read-a-thon or blogging event that you participate in or host? Please share the info with me! As always, happy reading! 

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Book Review: Finish What You Start by Craig Copeland

 Posted by at 5:40 pm  Book Reviews  1 Response »
Dec 162012
 

Finish What You StartFinish What You Start by Craig Copeland

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book because the title seemed to address just the problem I have being the queen of procrastination and finding excuses. I start off plenty of projects or goals with enthusiasm but my enthusiasm wanes and eventually it’s like pulling teeth to get me to finish. That box when we moved into our house that my hubby labeled, “Tanya’s Box of Unfinished Projects” is still unfinished and it’s been 12 years. I hoped that Mr. Copeland’s book would give me some insight to help me overcome the lack of self-discipline that prevents me from reaching my personal goals.

Mr. Copeland describes 5 Power Principles in achieving your goals. They are good insights, common sense, and reasonable to execute for accomplishing your large, purpose of life goals.

The Good: I found the exercises very useful. I need to invest more time in completing them and I liked his ideas of stretching beyond your comfort zone and overcoming fears. As an introvert, it is not always easy for me to strike up conversations with strangers or express myself clearly verbally. He gives good suggestions on how to overcome the anxiety of dealing with people you don’t know and the reassurance that it takes practice to make progress. His advice on the kinds of people to surround yourself with and those to avoid are common sense but worth repeating to prevent the reader from falling into a destructive rut.

The Bad: He focuses quite heavily on the first 2 principles so the book seems very redundant and drawn out. It’s easy to lose focus and start skimming when he drones on. The goal was to finish what I started so I wanted to finish the book but it was difficult to get through the redundant parts when I had already received the message. I also hoped that his solutions would focus on how to change my mentality and help myself overcome my obstacles. I feel pressed for time as it is, so his suggestions to increase personal interactions with people I don’t see everyday is going to be difficult. Worthwhile, yes, if it’s a life long dream you are trying to pursue but my goals are not that lofty.

The Ugly: Mr. Copeland worked as a Personal Assistant to many celebrities and top executives. After all the point of his book is to share the strategies these top 1% of people used to earn their success. However, I did not like how Mr. Copeland name dropped without dropping names. I understand him needing to maintain his client confidentiality, so then why say that he worked for this A-list celebrity who is still a household name today when the details he gave about the situation provided no added value?

Overall, I think I will find this book more useful as I dedicate more time to the exercises which will provide more insight into what are my roadblocks to completing my goals. My personal goals that I thought of during the exercises were pretty simple. I am not looking to make a life-altering change at this time. His principles will not apply to many of my simpler goals. However, I think this book is useful for larger goals like if you wanted to be the top 1% of your profession, start a business or nonprofit organization, fulfill your life-long dream or change your career.




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Book Review: Is Everyone Else Hanging Out With Me? By Mindy Kaling

 Posted by at 6:26 am  Book Reviews  6 Responses »
May 292012
 

Summary
Mindy Kaling is an Indian-American actress famous for her role in The Office TV sitcom. In this memoir she discusses her life growing up as a child of Indian immigrants, her struggles as an aspiring comedienne and her breakthrough to The Office as actress and writer.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mindy Kaling’s memoir was hilarious, for the first half. Her conversational style made me feel like we were girlfriends having a few drinks at a girls night out. She’s obviously very funny and delivers her story as if you are an audience member in her stand-up routine or play.

She drew me in with her childhood recollections, her stories of her best friends, many of which had me laughing out loud. I found her rise to fame very interesting and loved her escapades as she tries to make it into comedic writing in what seemed to be a largely male-dominated industry. I sailed through the first half of the book in one night. Then the book hit a lull and I struggled to finish the second half…too much detail on what an Irish party exit is and it seemed like just fluff to get to the end. I enjoyed it for its light reading, certainly what I needed after having finished the intense House Rules by Jodi Picoult, just wish she could’ve kept my interest through the end.



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Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

 Posted by at 4:16 pm  Book Reviews  4 Responses »
Apr 162012
 

Tuesdays with MorrieTuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an exceptional story that really makes you think about priorities in life. In case I am not the last person on the planet to read this book, it’s a story about well…Tuesdays with Morrie. Morrie is a professor of sociology and learns he has a cruel terminal illness. The author, Mitch, was one of Morrie’s favorite students. When Morrie learns about his fate, he asks Mitch to write his “final thesis.” Mitch travels out of state to visit Morrie on Tuesdays and picks the important life questions to discuss with his amazingly simple and profound professor. What culminates are chapters on life, love, marriage, death and the finer, more important things in life.

I am a fan of the library, I don’t have a lot of space to store books but this will be one I buy anyway. There are so many wonderful lessons and memorable quotes, I think it’d be a great addition to our book collection. One I can share with family, friends and highly recommend to others. One I will reread when I need to de-stress from the juggling act of a full-time job, dealing with a chronic illness (not terminal, thank heavens), and motherhood. One that will stick with me when I need to gain perspective.



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Book Review: ScreamFree Parenting: the Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool by Hal Edward Runkel

 Posted by at 8:54 pm  Book Reviews  No Responses »
Apr 152012
 

ScreamFree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your CoolScreamFree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool by Hal Edward Runkel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great resource for new or “veteran” parents. The author describes how a parent needs to focus on taking care of ourselves and “growing yourself up.” I thought I was a grown up with the 3 kids and gray hairs to prove it, but Hal made me realize that by overreacting to the challenges that the kids present, I am acting just like them. I am allowing them to push my buttons like a remote control and control MY behavior.

The author uses very effective stories to show how the parents calmness resulted in a better relationship between the parent and child, even in the toughest of situations. We have all heard why we need to take better care of ourselves to be better parents and this book drives that point home.




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