Sunday, August 20, 2017

My Bout of Books TBR


The Bout of Books readathon is Aug 21 - 27. I am also doing TheReadingQuest right now so this is a combined TBR. 

I'm sure I won't get to all of these books this week but here are my choices:











Unusual Youtube


I was watching the latest videos from the Youtubers that I'm subscribed to but then found myself clicking on the suggested videos. Anyone who has done this knows it always leads to finding unusual and sometimes even weird videos.

I spent my Saturday night watching these unusual videos and I thought, why not share what I found in a blog post? This could even become a regular topic that I blog about.

In this post, I'm going to share the three unusual videos that were my favorites. All of these were found completely by accident and by clicking on the Up Next section of Youtube.

Emma Blackery
The first video is from the channel Emma Blackery who is a musician but "does weird stuff in her downtime." The reason her channel was suggested to me is because my 13 year old daughter and I share a login at Youtube and she loves watching people play The Sims. I love playing The Sims but for some reason I don't enjoy watching other people play the game.

This video from Emma is Sims related. She does something I have always fantasized about. She lives a full 24 hours as a Sim! It turns out it's not as fulfilling as you'd think it would be.




Sweet Emelyne
 Considering the topic of the Sims video, it's pretty easy to understand why this next video was suggested. The second video is from a channel called Sweet Emelyne who describes herself as A Vintage Girl in the Modern World. In this video Emelyne lives like a 1950's housewife for 24 hours. Because she owns vintage clothing and household items, the video felt pretty authentic and was really fun to watch.  She also has a second 1950's housewife video where she lived a little more glamorously.




My New Me
The suggested videos decided to keep with the theme of domestic life but decided to get real if you know what I meanThe third video I'm going to share is from the channel My New Me. I don't know how old this Youtuber is but that's one of my favorite things about her. That alone is unusual but refreshing to see because sometimes it seems like Youtube is all millennials. Her channel is a documentation of her improving her home and her life.

The videos I first noticed was of her cleaning her cluttered, messy home. This is because I am a recovering hoarder so I could really relate to her experiences and feelings. (I really should write a post one day about being a recovering hoarder.) I am happy to say that my home is no longer hoarded but it took me a long time to get there. I can't imagine documenting my messy home. It has always brought me shame and been something I tried to hide, so for this Youtuber to be so honest and show that is moving to me. She also suffers from depression like I do.

 

Friday, August 11, 2017

The 2017 Steampunk Readathon Info and Sign Up Post


**THE STEAMPUNK READATHON IS BEING POSTPONED DUE TO MY SON AND HIS GIRLFRIEND NEEDED TO COME HERE TO SEEK SHELTER FROM HURRICANE IRMA. NEW DATES ARE TO BE DETERMINED**

Last year I hosted my first Steampunk Readathon and because it was so much fun I've decided to bring it back again this year!  The readathon will run Sept 9 through Sept 15. I have created a Twitter specifically for the readathon @Steampunkathon.

This will be a low pressure challenge. Maybe you are new to the genre of steampunk so only want to read one book. That's okay! I still want you to participate. You may even already be reading steampunk books and not know it. 

Here are some suggested steampunk books:
The Steampunk Readathon Rules: 

  • This readathon begins Sept 9, 2016 at midnight and ends Sept 15, 2016 at 11:59 PM.
  • You may sign up between now and anytime during the readathon.
  • I won't be creating different levels. Read as little or as many books as you want. Read just one and still participate!
  • Books started before the readathon will not count. 
  • You may include books of any format including traditional books, ebooks, or audiobooks. 
  • Books must be from the steampunk genre or related genres including dieselpunk, biopunk, and so on. For a full list of related genres see here.
  • Books may be fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, art books, or children's books.
  • You may reread books. 
  • Books may count towards other reading challenges. 
  • Use the hashtag #Steampunkathon 
  • If you could be so kind, please place the Steampunk Readathon banner on your blog to help spread the word. 
  • Please link back to this blog, post about it on Facebook, Tweet about it, Instagram it, Pin it. and so on to help spread the word.
  • Sign up below using Linky Tools. Use your blog, Goodreads, or social media account to sign up. 

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Tome Topple and My Top Ten Tome TBR


One of my favorite readathons of the year is going on right now. Tome Topple runs from August 4 - 17 and is all about reading big books. By "big" I mean over 500 pages. These must be individual works, not bind ups or story collections. For example, even though the books Lord of the Rings by J. R. R Tolkien or The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis are over 500 pages they technically are bindups of the individual books that make up the series. 


Tome Topple also has individual challenges. The challenges are:

1. Read more than 1 tome
2. Read a graphic novel (still over 500 pages!)
3. Read a tome that is part of a series
4. Buddy read a tome
5. Read an adult novel 

So far I have completed the graphic novel challenge. I read Habibi by Craig Thompson. You can read my review at Goodreads. I am currently finishing up Goddess of the Sea by P. C. Cast for the Let's Be Mermaids Read-a-thon and then I will read another tome.

The regular Top Ten Tuesday blog meme is off until August 15 but I thought it would be fun to make a top ten list of the tomes I would like to read.



1. Blankets by Craig Thompson (graphic novel,  592 pages)



2. It by Stephen King (horror, 1156 pages)









5. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (classic, 1232 pages)



6. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (classic, 964 pages)



7. Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon (historical fantasy, 850 pages)



8. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (classic, 1168 pages)



9. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (classic, 959 pages)



Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Let's Be Mermaids Read-a-thon and Ten Suggested Mermaid Movies/TV Shows


Let's Be Mermaids Read-A-Thon is an week long mermaid themed reading event hosted on YouTube that lasts from August 4 - 10, 2017. 



Reading Challenges: 

1. Read the group book: Forsaken by Kristen Day

2. Read a mermaid book without a mermaid on the cover

3. Read a book about Mermaids from a different mythology or culture (i.e. Sirens, Selkies)

4. Read a Little Mermaid Retelling or The Real Story

5. Read A book about a sea creature (no mermaids)

6. Wild Card: Read a book from your TBR (does not have to be mermaid related)

7. Take a break: Watch a Mermaid Movie or TV Show

This post focuses on the last challenge. I thought it would be fun to list ten suggested mermaid themed movies and TV shows for you to watch:



1. Splash (movie)




2. Aquamarine (movie)




3. The Little Mermaid (animated movie)



4. H2O: Just Add Water (TV show)
(Available on Netflix Streaming)




5. Mako Mermaids: An H2O Adventure (TV Show)
(Available on Netflix Streaming)




6. The Three Tails: A Mermaid Adventure (movie)
(Available on Netflix streaming)




7. Mermaids (movie)
Not actually about mermaids.



8. The Mermaid (foreign movie)




9. Fishtales (movie)



10. Ondine (movie)

Waiting On Wednesday: You Say It First (Happily Inc #1) by Susan Mallery



So I saw that Susan Mallery was starting a new series and I thought "Finally! A series I can start from the beginning!" I thought this because I feel like there are a million Fool's Gold series and I need a lifetime to read them all.

And then I read on Goodreads from several people who got advanced copies...

Susan Mallery takes her readers to a new town in this book. She transports us along with three of the Mitchell boys from Fool’s Gold to Happily, Inc. 

Me: 


So I guess I'll need to spend the rest of my life reading the Fool's Gold series after all.

Here's the Goodreads book description for You Say It First (Happily Inc #1) by Susan Mallery which releases August 22.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool's Gold romances invites you to visit Happily Inc., a wedding destination founded on a fairy tale

Sculptor Nick Mitchell grew up in a family of artists and learned from his volatile father that passion only leads to pain. As he waits on a new commission, he takes a day job as a humble carpenter at a theme wedding venue. The job has its perks—mainly the venue's captivating owner, Pallas Saunders. Although he won't let love consume him, for ecstasy with an expiration date, he's all in.

Pallas adores Weddings in a Box. But if she can't turn the floundering business around, she'll have no choice but cave to her domineering mother and trade taffeta for trust funds working at the family's bank. Then when a desperate bride begs Pallas for something completely out of the box, her irresistible new hire inspires her. Nick knows she doesn't belong behind a desk, and she knows in her heart that he's right—where she really belongs is in his arms.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Let's Be Mermaids Read-a-thon Info and Ten Suggested Books


Let's Be Mermaids Read-A-Thon is an week long mermaid themed reading event hosted on YouTube that lasts from August 4 - 10, 2017. I am already doing what feels like an endless about of readathons (see the insane list for August on my sidebar) but the appeal of doing a mermaid themed readathon was just too appealing. Not to mention it only happens once a year. 



Reading Challenges: 

1. Read the group book: Forsaken by Kristen Day

2. Read a mermaid book without a mermaid on the cover

3. Read a book about Mermaids from a different mythology or culture (i.e. Sirens, Selkies)

4. Read a Little Mermaid Retelling or The Real Story

5. Read A book about a sea creature (no mermaids)

6. Wild Card: Read a book from your TBR (does not have to be mermaid related)

7. Take a break: Watch a Mermaid Movie or TV Show

I haven't decided on a final TBR yet. I just learned about the readathon today so need to visit my library to get a few books that I couldn't find on Overdrive. So instead I decided to make a Top Ten list of mermaid themed books that I would like to read for the readathon and in the future. (The regular Top Ten Tuesday blog meme is off until August 15.)
















I didn't include this on the list because I have read it.