Music Monday -- Mumford & Sons and Elvis Costello "The Ghost of Tom Joad & Do Re Mi Medley"

Who doesn't love Elvis Costello or Mumford & Sons?  Definitely not me.  This is a great collaboration.  And a great medley.

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Title: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

Author: Barack Obama

Publisher: Crown 2006

Genre: Memoir / Political Science

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure; U.S. Presidents; ebook; 52 Books -- W4

The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama’s call for a different brand of politics—a politics for those weary of bitter partisanshipand alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces—from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media—that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.

I'll tell you up front that I voted for Obama twice.  I'm not an ardent fan, but I definitely liked him better than what the other offered.  That being said, I went into this book with a desire to know more about his thoughts before becoming President.  It was interesting reading it with the knowledge of what he's done since 2008.  Overall I really enjoyed reading the book.  I agree with Obama on many political and cultural issues.  This country is artificially divided.  We do hold many of the same values and yet the media and politicians would have us think that every neighbor is our enemy.  The other parts that I took issue with were those that dealt with religion.  I definitely have some disagreements with Obama on that topic.  Thankfully his Presidential leadership has kept the separation of church and state intact.

Sunday Sunset #1

This week's Sunday Sunset covers the first two and a half weeks of 2014.

Listening To: Arthur and I have been rocking the shuffle on iTunes.  Plus, we've checked out the Top Pop channel and The Beatles radio channel on iTunes.  Interesting mixes.

Book finished: In the Company of Secrets; Medium Raw; The Fault in Our Stars; Shambling with the Stars; The Audacity of Hope

Reading: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

On the Nightstand: Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein, Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton, A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

Making Lists: So many lists... I don't know where to start.  Mostly they involve crafting projects and Pinterest.  Let your imagination run from there.

From the kitchen: I made a few recipes and prepped some freezer meals.

• Avocado, provolone, bruschetta chicken with balsamic vinegar dressing and spinach salad -- Very yummy and not too hard to cook.  This will be added into the rotation.
• Chili -- Another random ingredient chili.  This time it was spicy fun.
• Italian beef sandwiches -- Cooked and frozen for next week
• Baked Parmesan Chicken -- A big favorite around here
• Kielbasa skillet meal -- Prepped, froze for next week

Crafting: Before getting to the actual crafting, I wasn't able to get my SU order for December before leaving for Indiana.  I completely forget what I even ordered.  I was able to collect it at January stamp club.  Oh yeah, and December was my hostess month.  Lots and lots of goodies.

At stamp club, we made some cute cards.  It was also the start of our new 6 month round.  We drew hostess months and I got February.  Just in time for Sale-a-bration.  Now what should I order?

On the PL front, I finally got everything organized to put together the weekly spreads for the holidays.  I also got some great ideas from my Studio Calico class I joined for January.  Can't wait to put some of them into my spreads.  And I decided to do a monthly wrap-up page with my books read, life goals and progress, and photo a day pics.  I didn't want to have to include every photo a day pic, so I thought to combine some of my features into a monthly wrap up page.  Each month has one side (two months per page protector) using design F.  I have room for eight photo a day choice pics.  I went through and picked title, books read, and life goals inserts for each month.  I tried to play with some color schemes.  I plan on adding embellishments as I do the months.  In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of January's page:

Watching: While back in Indiana, I basically watched whatever my family was watching (lots of sports and HGTV).  Since being back home, we're back to our usual currently airing shows (Dracula, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Community, Psych, Alpha House, etc).  While I love catching up on our shows, I was on the edge of my seat waiting until I could get back and watch Sherlock!  Three episodes is not enough Benedict and Martin to hold me over until Series 4 gets made.  I loved the twists and turns (did not see them coming).  I love the little updates they make to Doyle's original stories.  So good!  We also started watching Helix today.  J totally called that the head of the research base in Nemo.  It could be an interesting show.  We'll stick with it for at least a few more episodes.

From Nature: I am so glad to be back to the nice weather.  On my first outing, Arthur and I went to the grocery store and I wore flip flops!  My feet love the warmer air.

Shopping Scores: Lots of new things!  I got around to buying Arthur some essentials: Sophie the giraffe teether, larger onesies (although I will quickly need to get bigger), some larger lightweight blankets, a Valentine's onesie, and some sleepers without feet (he's just too long!).  I also picked up some Project Life supplies online: G and H page protectors (for inserts), Seasons Mini Kit (had Holiday, wanted general seasons), a WRMK 3x4 and 4x6 kit (Tangerine), and some random cards from a fellow PLer (from Honey and Kraft kits).  And then I went to Michael's for snail and ended up buying a corner rounder punch (mine is horrid!) and a 2in circle punch.  Finally I hit up Target for some cleaning supplies (boring!) but I did manage to grab a few clothing pieces for me.  I found a blouse, a tank, and a sweatshirt all on the clearance rack.  They all fit and don't accentuate my problem areas.  Score!  Unfortunately the two pairs of pants I bought don't fit at all.  Le sigh...  Back to the same pants I've been wearing the last three months.

Project: Upon arriving back in California, I went on a major cleaning and organizing spree.  I don't know what got into me, but I love the results.  On Sunday, I woke up at 7 (baby alarm clock) and proceeded to clean out and wipe down the entire fridge.  So pretty and clean now!  And just in time for major grocery shopping on Monday.  I got into all the nooks and crannies (didn't realize how dirty it was under the drawers at the bottom; I never pull those completely out).  I also cleaned out any and all old and expiring food.  A clean slate for a new year...

Later in the week, I completely reorganized all of Arthur's clothes (he has a ton now!) into outfits sorted by size.  Hopefully we can weed out the too small without missing any.  I already threw a few pieces into the too small bin.  Everything looks so pretty in his closet now.

While I was away, J cleaned out the office.  Originally the closet was full of boxes (mostly books) and one bookshelf.  J bought two more bookshelves and emptied most of the boxes.  He also completely organized his side of the office and all his model making supplies.  That left me to tackle my side with all the crafting supplies and a few random non-book boxes.  I wish I had taken a before photo because it was an absolute disaster zone.  I spent part of Sunday and most of Monday afternoon cleaning and organizing.  I completely redid the crafting supplies.  I also reorganized my books on the shelves.  Now I know what shelf any given book should be found on.  I also reduced four random boxes down to one random box.  Two garbage bags and a box to the trash later, my side was looking pretty nice.  Now the trick is to keep it nice...

Picture: Arthur turned 3 months this week!

A Winter's Respite Readathon is Almost Upon Us

From Seasons of Reading:

Happy New Year! I know a lot of you have probably been wondering when I would get this posted. Well, here it is...finally! The official sign up for A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon! It's just a little under a month away on January 27 - February 2, starting at 12:00am Monday and ending at 11:59pm on Sunday.  Times are central standard time so adjust your times accordingly.  Of course, like most read-a-thons, the books read must be novels or novellas, adult or young adult are fine, and you can read children's books too (as long as you do read some novels too).   Note: Non-Fiction is also okay! You DO NOT have to participate the entire week.  Join in when you can, start in the middle, end early...whatever works best for your schedule.  As long as you sign in at the sign-in post and do some kind of wrap up post, you're in for the big giveaway at the end.  As with my previous read-a-thons, it will be a week of relaxed reading during which we can personally challenge ourselves and whittle away those ever looming TBR piles/shelves/libraries.  I hope you will join me! I will not be hosting any mini-challenges. However, if anyone else would like to host a mini-challenge or giveaway, you are more than welcome (Contact me using the contact form above). We will have a few scheduled Twitter chats. Dates/Times will be announced at the sign-in post. Our twitter hashtag is #WintersRespite

This has become on of my yearly readathons.  Of course I'll be joining this time.  Now to go and get my TBR stack and goals ready...

Project Life December

Wrapping up my 2013 Project Life with the last two weeks of December.  Since I was in Indiana at the time, I had to wait until January to complete these spreads.  However, I did plan ahead and work on parts of them while on vacation.  I took a small box filled with journal inserts, bric a brac, journaling pens, glue, and grid paper.  I laid out each weekly spread on the grid paper and wrote in what photo went where.  Then, I did the journal on the insert cards and added some embellishments.  Once I got home, I just printed the pictures and slide them into the page protector pockets.  Easy peasy!  And I stayed on track!

Dec. 16 - 22

Highlights: Since this was the week we were traveling (Arthur for the first time!), I wanted to use some travel themed paper and embellishments.  Thankfully I bought travel themed paper from SU's clearance rack in December.  I cut up the little embellishments (like the "special delivery" tag) and used them as accents.  I also cut down the rest of the paper into 3x4 or 4x6 pieces to use as inserts.  The only insert that isn't that paper is the "True Story" date card.  That one is from PL's Seafoam kit.  The blue worked nicely with the pattern papers.  It's a bit hard to see in these photos, but I did stamp directly onto a few photos.  The pic of Arthur and I has a "postcard" stamp on the bottom.  I experimented with different inks before leaving and decided that Staz-on black worked the best.  I like the look of a simple stamp here and there.  I also stamped the small plane and the globe onto insert cards. Finally I cut up our boarding passes to use as interesting inserts and added a Komet hockey ticket to the family album.  Overall, I really love the colors and flow of these spreads.

Dec. 23 - 29

Highlights: Christmas week and I had to use Christmas theme paper and embellishments.  The inserts are a mix of some random cut up SU Christmas DSP and pieces from the PL Holiday mini kit.  I then added a few Christmas stickers to add to the fun.  I didn't add any stamping this week, but let the photos speak.  (Side note: The family album's right page is missing a few photos.  For the second time in a row, Walgreens has not printed all the prints I ordered.  Really getting frustrated with them...)

Christmas insert

In the middle of Christmas week, I added a Design H insert to highlight our "professional" Christmas photos.  Alright, my mother and I took them...  I included a few inserts from the PL Holiday mini kit.  I love our little family photos, even if the twins were in a slightly foul mood that day.

Next week, I'll be sharing Weeks 1, 2, and 3 of 2014.

FF #1: Winter White

This outfit reminds me of Red Riding Hood.  I love the play of pink and red together.  In a perfect warm world, I wouldn't add tights to this outfit.  But for most of the country, that just isn't an option.  I thought the gray tights would add to the winter theme without taking too much away from the details on the dress.  The headband adds just a bit of glamour.  Love it!

FixDesign strapless bustier farfetch.com

Hooded wool cape etsy.com

Plus size pants

lanebryant.com

Leaf jewelry

anthropologie.com

Quote Wednesday -- Keillor

Sometimes you have to look reality in the eye and deny it. -- Garrison Keillor

I feel like I need to adopt this philosophy nowadays.  Reality can be anything I make it.  I just have to change it!

Arthur: 3 Months (13 Weeks)

We're finally back in California.  Thank goodness!  I really needed to get back to the warmer temperatures, my own bed, and J.  Tomorrow is Arthur's 3 month birthday.  I'm so excited to see him grow and explore.

Likes: Toys, toys and more toys.  He's really loving all his new toys!

Dislikes: Not being held, loud noises

Sleeping: It was really nice having Arthur sleep 6 hour stretches while in Indiana.  Unfortunately, we have reverted to 4 hour stretches back at home.  I'm hoping he's just adjusting back.

Eating: He usually eats 4 ounces at a time.  But sometimes he downs 7 ounces or so in an 1:30 stretch.  He's such a piggy pig sometimes!

Playing:Oh my goodness!  He is really loving all his new toys.  He's especially fond of his taggie monster, the wire ball, and his hanging toys.  This week we tried out the new jumper.  He's slowly warming up to it.  He hasn't gotten the hang of pressing buttons or making the toys move, but he does love the music and lights.

Medical Milestones: 

• Can see up to 20 feet away -- Definitely watches me walk around the apartment.  He also quiets when I come into his view.
• Drooling -- Oh yeah...  He's a drooling machine now.
• Rolling over -- Finally!  Yesterday he rolled from back to tummy all on his own!  He hung out there for a while and then rolled onto his back again.
• Holding toys -- He's grabbing more things and sometimes he even grabs one of his toys.

Schedule: He is all over the place right now.  I'm trying to re-establish a good night time routine to encourage sleeping through the night.  Naps are hit or miss during the day.

Out and About: We finally made it back to California on Saturday evening.  The few days before getting back we mainly spent them in my mom's house as it was absolutely freezing in the Midwest.  Since being back, it's nice to go outside and enjoy the warm weather. Yesterday Arthur and I made our first solo trip to the grocery.  I stuck him in the baby carrier and we walked around shopping.  He did amazingly well!  No crying, just a happy baby looking around at all the new sights.

Music Monday -- The Killers "Shot at the Night"

We saw The Killers in Dec. 2012 and they were amazing!  An incredibly entertaining show.  I am really enjoying this song at the moment.

Lyrics:

Once in a lifetime, the suffering of fools To find our way home, to break in these bones Once in a lifetime (Once in a lifetime) Once in a lifetime

Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious

Once in a lifetime, we're breaking all the rules To find that our home, has long been out grown Draw me a life line, 'cause honey I got nothing to lose Once in a lifetime (Once in a lifetime) Once in a lifetime

Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious Give me a shot at the night

Look at my reflection in the mirror Underneath the power of the light Give me a shot at the night Give me a shot at the night Give me a shot at the night I feel like I'm losing the fight

Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious Give me a shot at the night

Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious Give me a shot at the night Give me a moment, some kind of mysterious Give me a shot at the night

Bout of Books 9.0 is done...

Pages Read Today: 190 (The Fault in Our Stars) + 34 (Shambling with the Stars) + 71 (The Audacity of Hope)

Pages Read Total: 750

Reading Helpers: Plane ride and a sleepy baby.

Challenges: None for me.

Comments: Saturday was our all day traveling day.  On the ride to Indiana, I didn't read at all.  This time I got in a ton of reading when Arthur was sleeping or quietly playing with a toy.  The middle seat was empty, so it was easy to lay him next to me and save my arms.  I finished TFiOS, a short story, and started another book.  I didn't meet my goals, but I did get more reading done than I thought I realistically would.

Goals:

• Read 5 books -- Failed...
• Read 1000 pages -- Failed... but did fairly well with 750 pages
• Review all books read -- Success!  Of course, I only read two books and a short story, but I reviewed them!
• Participate in 2 challenges -- Failed...  I didn't participate in a single challenge this time.

TBR Pile: My various selections.  I won't get to all these, but this is my pile of options.

• High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
• Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
• A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
• Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
• The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
• Added: Shambling with the Stars by Jesse Petersen 
• Added: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (in progress)

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, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th 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 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Monthly Life Goals January

Yearly New Year's Resolutions never work very well.  They're usually too much, too long, and too ambitious.  I decided to take my cue from many other bloggers and shorten my life resolutions to smaller chunks.  I'm aiming for monthly goals.  Some of these monthly goals will be 30 day challenges and others will be one time events.  I want a nice mix of goals that are more likely to be accomplished. I started my monthly goals with January 1st, but have obviously waited until I returned to my blog to post my first month's goals.

January goals:

• 30 Day Challenge: Creative writing prompts -- I crave writing, but always seem to push it aside for other activities.  I hope this makes me focus on writing if for only a few minutes a day.  This is also a goal for my Day Zero Project.
• Pixar movie marathon -- On my DZP list.  We received Brave and Monsters University from "Santa" for Christmas.  Woohoo!  Two more to add to our list.
• Create a cleaning schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) -- I need to be better at cleaning on a regular basis.  I clean but it tends to clump together into one epic day after which I am exhausted.  I saw the idea of daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning routines on other blogs.  I love the idea!  This goal is to create a schedule and then get started.
• Clean out our health and beauty projects -- Part of a year long clean out project.  I want to start with the bathroom cabinets.  I probably have expired make-up and other randomness that can be cleaned out.
• Take inventory of our food cupboards -- Another part of the clean out project, I need to do a serious inventory taking of our food cupboards.  We have a multitude of random sauces, spices, and other things.  Some may be expired.  Others just need to be rediscovered so they can be used.  Plus, knowing what's in there should help with grocery lists and meals planning.
• Lose a pants size -- The holidays are over.  It's time to get serious about losing the pregnancy weight plus some.  I gained weight after my miscarriage in fall 2012.  And I obviously gained weight while pregnant in 2013.  I want to get back down to my comfort zone (size 8-10).
• Take a substantial walk (1-2 miles) at least once a week -- This should help with the previous goal.  I need to become more consistent with my walking.  Meeting the mom's group on Mondays should help me keep this goal.

Shambling with the Stars by Jesse Petersen

Title: Shambling with the Stars (Living with the Dead #3.5)

Author: Jesse Petersen

Publisher: Orbit 2011

Genre: Zombie

Pages: 34

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Women Authors; Seriously Series; 52 Books - W3

Avery Andrews is her name and directing celebrity telethons after tragedies is her game. But the Northwestern Zombie Outbreak isn't your average tragedy... and once the infection spreads to the studio, Avery and her crew will have to worry about staying alive, not ratings.

A cute little zombie story to add to my Living with the Dead series.  I was super excited to snap this one up on Kindle for cheap.  Unfortunately, it is so short, I just couldn't give it 5 stars.  I did really love it.  The characters were fun.  The storyline had a ton of potential.  It just wasn't enough to really make me love it.

Living with the Dead

• #1 Married with Zombies
• #2 Flip This Zombie
• #3 Eat, Slay, Love
• #3.5 Shambling with the Stars
• #4 The Zombie Whisperer

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Publisher: Dutton's Children 2012

Genre: YA Contemporary

Pages: 337

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: US of YA; NPR Teen; Books to Movies; ebook; New Author

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Our first book club selection of 2014!  I have heard absolutely amazing things about this book.  That's why I put it up for consideration for our January club selection.  The reality of the book didn't live up to all the expectations.  It's a good book.  I might even say it's a great book.  But, I think it's a great book for someone else.  I think if I had read this when I was 16 it would have been great.  As I am now 31, it's just a good book.  The love story seemed a bit too teenagey for me.  I wanted a bit more depth to the romance.  The sections about life and death are really what kept me sucked into the book.  Gus and Hazel's look at life was interesting and thought-provoking.  I especially loved the eulogies at Augustus's pre-funeral.  I would love to be remembered that way instead of some empty platitudes about living a good life.  I would love the real me to appear at my funeral.  Overall, I think TFiOS is a really really good book.  I just couldn't give it 5 stars.

2014 I Love Library Books Reading Challenges

From the Book Dragon's Lair:

Our love of reading can be expensive! Not only are we purchasing books but some of us also need space to keep them. I had so much fun with this challenge last year. Let's do it again!

There are a number of levels, for those who don't have a library card yet to those that live there. Enjoy!

Requirements:

• choose a level - you may move up as needed, just not down.
• check books out of the library
• books may overlap with other challenges
• any format allowed (print, ebook, audio)
• reviews are not necessary but a list of books read is. (post with review linky is coming)
• a blog is not necessary, just comment that you want to join in.

Levels:

• board book - 3
• picture book - 6
• early reader - 9
• chapter book - 12
• middle grades - 18
• Young adult - 24
• adult - 36
• just insert IV - 50

I always end up frequenting the library throughout the year.  I am going to go for the "Chapter book" level of 12 library books.  I'm not going to count picture books; only books for me.  My list will be created as I read.

2014 What's in a Name? Reading Challenge

From The Worm Hole:

The challenge runs from January to December. During this time you choose a book to read from each of the following categories (examples of books you could choose are in brackets):

• A reference to time (Eleven Minutes, Before Ever After)
• A position of royalty (The People’s Queen, The Last Empress, The Curse Of The Pharaoh)
• A number written in letters (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, A Tale Of Two Cities)
• A forename or names (Rebecca, Eleanor & Park, The Unfinished Work Of Elizabeth D.)
• A type or element of weather (Gone With The Wind, Red Earth Pouring Rain)

Extra information

• Books can be any format (print, audio, ebook).
• It’s preferred that the books don’t overlap with other challenges, but not a requirement at all.
• Books cannot overlap categories (for instance my first example, Eleven Minutes, could be used for category 1 or 3 but not both).
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!
• You don’t have to make your list of books beforehand, you can choose them as you go.
• You don’t have to read your chosen books in any particular order.

Everything else

On January 1 I’ll publish 7 posts, one for each category and one for your wrap-up post. These posts will be published as WordPress pages and linked to from one main post on the blog. You will be able to post your links to your reviews or leave comments, depending on whether you’re a blogging reader or a non-blogger reader. You’ll be able to find this main post through a link I’ll be adding to the navigation section of my sidebar.

If you have trouble finding a book for a category, have a look at the corresponding page for it here – readers who’ve already completed the category will have linked to their reviews and added titles that you can look through.

To join the challenge, sign up using the Mr Linky if you’re a blogger, and if you’re not a blogger simply leave a comment below. If at any time you have difficulties adding your link, email me at the address on my contact page with your information, and I’ll add it myself.

This will be my third year joining the challenge.  I always love to find books to fill the fun categories.

• A reference to time -- Roaring Midnight
• A position of royalty -- Little Prince
• A number written in letters -- The Second Sex
• A forename or names -- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
• A type or element of weather -- Summer Rental

2014 Monthly Motif and Key Word Reading Challenges

From Bookmark to Blog:

Welcome to the 2014 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge! For this challenge, each month is assigned a certain motif or theme. Your task is to read one book per month that fits in with the motif for that particular month.

MONTHLY MOTIFS:

• Jan- Around the World   Choose a book to read that takes place in a country different than the one you live in or choose a book written by an author that is from a country different than your own.
• Feb- Award Winner  Read a book that won recognition or an award in 2012.
• Mar-  Fairy tales or Fairy Creatures  Read a fairy tale retelling or a book with fey/fairies in it.
• Apr- Short & Sweet  Read a collection of short stories or anthologies.
• May- Mystery, Murder, & Mayhem  Read a murder/mystery book, a book in which someone dies of mysterious causes, or a book in which a mystery must be solved.
• June-  A Long Journey  Read a book in which the character(s) take a trip, go on a quest, or find themselves on a journey toward something, etc.
• July- Assassins, Warriors, & Rebels  Read a book in which the main character is one of these things or fights against one of these things.
• Aug- Alternate Reality  Read a book that's set in the future, on another planet, in another dimension, or in an unknown world. A Dystopian book will count this month as well.
• Sep- Book to Movie  Read a book that has a movie based off of it. For an extra challenge, see the movie as well.
• Oct- The Witching Hour  There's been a lot of zombies lately, but this year include a 'witchy' book in your scary reads- a book about a witch or a book that has witches in it.
• Nov- An Oldie but a Goodie  Pick a book published before 2000 that you've always wanted to read, but just never got to. Or pick a book set in the past (before 2000).
• Dec- That's a Wrap  Finish a series you've been meaning to finish or read the next book in a series you started but never finished.

My TBR:

• January --  High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
• February -- Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry (Bram Stoker Award)
• March -- Tales of the Brothers Grimm
• April -- Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk
• May -- Deanna Raybourn mystery
• June -- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• July -- Maria Snyder fantasy
• August -- Cherie Priest or another author's steampunk
• September -- Tess of the d'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
• October -- The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• November -- TBD
• December -- TBD

From Bookmark to Blog:

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge! For this challenge I have chosen six key words associated with each month in 2014. Your task is to read one book each month whose title includes one or more of the key words for that month.

* The title you choose can be a variation on one of the key words. For example- your title could include the word 'snowing' or 'snowflake' even though the key word is 'snow.'

* Key words can be tweaked. For example- You could read "Cinder" or "Ashes" for the key word 'Fire' and that would be just fine. If the key word is 'family' then your title could include the word 'sister' or 'mother.'If the key word is 'food' then your title could include the word 'cake.'

* Link up below to participate and add additional links any time you post about the challenge or post about a book you read for the challenge.

MONTHLY KEY WORDS:

JAN- Angel, Secret, Clock, Black, Day, Wild

FEB- Her, Life, Night, Red, Dark, Island

MAR- Forever, Inside, Storm, Sky, Flower, Stay

APR- Star, Light, Never, Princess, Break, Clear

MAY- Dawn, Death, End, Lost, Beautiful, And

JUN- Color, Beyond, Day, Place, Grave, Road

JUL- Beautiful, Ship, Prince, Whisper, Sun, Of

AUG- Forgotten, Down, True, Run, Danger, Me

SEP- Number, Take, Shadow, Ice, Who, After

OCT- Ocean, Blood, Still, Out, The, Fate

NOV- Into, Sound, Blue, House, My, Last

DEC- Kiss, Fire, Ruin, White, Promise, Infinity

My TBR:

• January -- In the Company of Secrets
• February -- The Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul by Terry Pratchett
• March -- Yellow Crocus
• April -- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• May -- The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• June -- The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen
• July -- The Little Prince
• August -- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• September -- Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• October -- Bloodring by Faith Hunter
• November -- The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
• December -- The Angel's Kiss

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

From Bookish:

Challenge Guidelines:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014.
2. Anyone can enter! You don't have to be a blogger, as long as you review the book you've read! (On your blog, Amazon, Random Buzzers or Goodreads/Shelfari!)
3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Short stories and novellas are OK, too! Only books released in 2013 and earlier! NO  2014 ARCs and 2014 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 TBRPILE Reading Challenge. (If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Tweet!)
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2014, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
8. On the 20th of each month we will post a wrap-up post, here, on BOOKISH. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. The giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up! (i.e. the entire month)
9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;)
10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a GRAND PRIZE giveaway.
11. You don't have to follow Bookish Blog to join the challenge, but you do have to follow us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:

1-10 - A Firm Handshake 11-20 - A Friendly Hug 21-30 - First Kiss 31-40 - Sweet Summer Fling 41-50 - Could this be love? 50+ - Married With Children

What's New:

1. 2014's edition of the TBR Pile Reading Challenge will be hosted EXCLUSIVELY on Bookish. Co-hosting with other awesome bloggers was fun, but due to too many hiccups along the way, our Bookish Team has decided to take over to ensure that everything goes smoothly this time.
2. For your convenience and to ensure you won't miss any important posts / wrap-ups / updates / contests, we have created a mailing list! We invite you to sign up to receive all the important news in the mail (no more searching the web for wrap-up posts and missing out on all the fun!). You can sign up here: !!JOIN 2014 TBR PILE READING CHALLENGE MAILING LIST!! !!
3. To help you tackle your TBR Piles, we will also be hosting monthly Read-A-Longs with prizes! And this time, you'll get to VOTE on the book we'll read together! Join the mailing list mentioned above to never miss out on the fun! Please note: You don't have to take part in our read-a-longs to participate in the TBR Pile challenge - or you can just take part in some of them, and skip the rest - participation is optional, tho we would certainly love to discuss the books with you!
4. We have sponsors! Which of course means more fun prizes!! YAY!

This year I am going for the First Kiss level of 30 books.  I want to have a goal within reach, but still challenge myself to read from my owned piles.  I'm on a mission to get rid of the boxes of books in the closet!

1. Becoming Mona Lisa
2. The Emperor of Maladies
3. Peter Pan
4. The Hobbit
5. Summer Rental
6. The Beautiful and the Damned
7. Stranger Than Fiction
8. Lessons in French
9. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
10. Duchess of Aquitaine by Margaret Ball
11. Tales of the Brothers Grimm
12. TBD
13. TBD
14. TBD
15. TBD
16. TBD
17. TBD
18. TBD
19. TBD
20. TBD
21. TBD
22. TBD
23. TBD
24. TBD
25. TBD
26. TBD
27. TBD
28. TBD
29. TBD
30. TBD

2014 Lucky No. 14 Reading Challenge

From Books to Share:

This challenge will require you to read 14 books (or more) from 14 categories below. You can combine the books you read with other challenges, but can not use the same book for different categories in this challenge.

Try to match the categories from your TBR piles. But if you don’t have any suitable books in your TBR – and want to find an excuse to buy a book for this challenge, that’s totally fine too!

Here are the 14 categories:

1. Visit The Country: Read a book that has setting in a country that you really want to visit in real life. Make sure the setting has a big role in the book and it can make you know a little bit more about your dream destination.

2. Cover Lust: Pick a book from your shelf that you bought because you fell in love with the cover. Is the content as good as the cover?

3. Blame it on Bloggers: Read a book because you’ve read the sparkling reviews from other bloggers. Don’t forget to mention the blogger’s names too!

4. Bargain All The Way: Ever buying a book because it’s so cheap you don’t really care about the content? Now it’s time to open the book and find out whether it’s really worth your cents.

5. (Not So) Fresh From the Oven: Do you remember you bought/got a new released book last year but never had a chance to read it? Dig it from your pile and bring back the 2013.

6. First Letter’s Rule: Read a book which title begins with the same letter as your name (for me, Astrid means A, and I can read anything that started with the letter A). Remember: Articles like “a”, “an” or “the” doesn’t count.

7. Once Upon a Time: Choose a book that’s been published for the first time before you were born (not necessarily has to be a classic book, just something a little bit older than you is okay. You can read the most recent edition if you want to)

8. Chunky Brick: Take a deep breath, and read a book that has more than 500 pages. Yep, the one that you’ve always been afraid of!

9.  Favorite Author: You like their books, but there are too many titles. This is your chance, choose a book that’s been written by your fave author but you haven’t got time to read it before.

10. It’s Been There Forever: Pick up a book that has been there on your shelf for more than a year, clean up the dust and start to read it now.

11. Movies vs Books: You’ve seen the movie adaptation (or planned to see it soon) but never had time to read the book. It’s time to read it now, so you can compare the book vs the movie.

12. Freebies Time: What’s the LAST free book you’ve got? Whether it’s from giveaway, a birthday gift or a surprise from someone special, don’t hold back any longer. Open the book and start reading it now.

13. Not My Cup of Tea: Reach out to a genre that you’ve never tried (or probably just disliked) before. Whether it’s a romance, horror or non fiction, maybe you will find a hidden gem!

14. Walking Down The Memory Lane: Ever had a book that you loved so much as a kid? Or a book that you wish you could read when you were just a child? Grab it now and prepare for a wonderful journey to the past.  Comic books or graphic novels are allowed!

RULES:

1. To complete the challenge, you have to read at least one book for each category, or total of 14 books during the challenge period. You can set your own pace and do not need to follow the categories in particular order. You can also read more than one book for each category. You have to write your reviews in your blog/FB note/Goodreads page/tumblr/etc.

2. Please write a master post about this challenge in your blog/Goodreads/FB notes/etc, and submit your link below for signing up. You can use this master post to sort down the book(s) that you’ll read for each category, and edit them later if necessary. The sign-up linky will be opened from November 12, 2013 throughout the year until December 1, 2014.

3. There are also linkies for each category of the challenge. Please submit your link of review posts for each category in their respective linkies. These linkies will be opened in January 1, 2014 until December 31, 2014.

4. At the end of the challenge, write down a wrap-up post and submit the link in the linky too. The linky for wrap-up posts will be opened until January 10, 2015 to give you more time for wrapping things up. It’s okay if you don’t finish the challenge but you are not eligible to be selected as the winner.

5. After the wrap up post linky is closed, I will pick two lucky winners who had completed the challenge for winning great bookish prizes (including book vouchers, novels, and other exclusive bookish gimmicks/goodies  ) The prizes will be revealed soon, so please stay tuned. You must have delivery address in Indonesia to be eligible for the two grand prizes.

6. If you are an international participant who doesn’t have Indonesian mailing address, don’t worry, I’ll also choose two winners, each winner can pick any book from The Book Depository for maximum of $ 10.

7. I’ll try to write a round-up post every month and pick some of the most interesting reviews. And who knows? Probably there will be some surprise gifts and giveaways throughout the year.

Now, let’s start this wonderful 2014 and get ready to tackle some great books!

This sounds like a fun collection of categories to try.  Plus, it's a completely new challenge to me.

My tentative TBR:

1. Visit The Country: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
2. Cover Lust: Ember by Kristin Callihan
3. Blame it on Bloggers: Flesh and Bone by Jonathan Maberry
4. Bargain All The Way: TBD
5. (Not So) Fresh From the Oven: The Zombie Whisperer by Jesse Petersen
6. First Letter’s Rule: Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
7. Once Upon a Time: TBD
8. Chunky Brick: Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
9. Favorite Author: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
10. It’s Been There Forever: Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
11. Movies vs Books: TBD
12. Freebies Time: TBD
13. Not My Cup of Tea: Sherlock Holmes selection
14. Walking Down The Memory Lane: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Bout of Books 9.0 Day #5

Pages Read Today: 147 (The Fault in Our Stars)

Pages Read Total: 455

Reading Helpers: Caramel cocoa and late nights with baby.

Challenges: None for me.

Comments: Wednesday we were gone almost all day with with family.  I read a bit before bed, but wasn't going to take the time to do an update post.  I'm slowly slowly getting through The Fault in Our Stars, but time is just getting away from me.  I definitely won't be meeting my goals, but I do want to at least finish TFiOS by Sunday.

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, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th 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 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

2014 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge

Are you ready for another round of Reading 52 books in 52 Weeks? Whether you are just joining in or continuing on for another round, the rules are very simple. The goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks. Make the year easy and casual or kick it up by exploring new to you authors and genres. Challenge yourself to read at least some classics or delve into that chunkster (more than 500 pages) you always wanted to tackle. Do you have books gathering dust on the shelves just waiting to be read? Then now is the time. The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you.

I have included several mini challenges to make it fun:

• Read Around the World:  You can read books set in and/or written by an author of a different country each week.  You can hang out in one country, exploring their history and culture or strike out across the world, mixing and mingling.  It's entirely up to you how fast and how far and how many books you want to read.  Have fun exploring!
• Nobel Prize Winners in Literature:  read books written by winning authors
• Well Educated Mind:  Continuing exploring the classics in 5 categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama and Poetry.
• 52 BaW Reader Recommendations:  Read books recommended by participants in 2013
• Dusty Mini challenge: Limit buying new books for 1 - 4 months and read 4 to 12 or more books gathering dust on your shelves prior to 2013.
• Chunky Mini Challenge -books more than 500 pages.

 The mini challenges and weekly challenges are optional, Mix it up anyway you like.

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014.
2. Our book weeks begin on Sunday.
3. Participants may join at any time.
4. All books are acceptable except children books.
5. All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.
6. Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2013.
7. Books may overlap other challenges.
8. Create an entry post linking to this blog.
9. Sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" below this post.
10. You don't need a blog to participate. Post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post.
11. Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post to link to reviews of your most current reads.

Another round for me.  Obviously the book list won't be set.  I just pick a book a week to use for this challenge.