Okay, so it’s been an interesting 4 hours. I took a short nap and we had a thunderstorm pass overhead. I think with these set backs I’ll likely not hit my 10 hour goal. I never really do unless I just choose a big book. lol I’m about to chat with a friend for a bit to clear my head and regain some energy. But first, I’ve read another 2 hours and 1 minute this time around. That brings me up to 7 hours and 48 minutes. That means I need about 2 hours and 12 minutes. So maybe, I’ll get there. If not I’m not too worried about it. Life has been stressful enough recently without beating myself up over something that’s supposed to be fun.
This time around I wrapped up Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg. I enjoyed this one, but not as much as the Paper Magician Series. It took me 4 hours and 5 minutes to get through this one.
Then I started H.G. Well’s The Time Machine and read for 58 minutes before my update alarm went off. I’m having mixed feelings about it. It was the same way with War of the Worlds. Still… I’m about halfway through. It’s dense for a little book and I figure it’ll take me another house to finish it up.
I just finished a quick lunch and a little break from reading. I needed to come up for some air and move around so that I could have a tiny chance of hitting my goal of ten hours. With about 8 hours left I’m on track. I’ve read an additional 2 hours and 29 minutes since my last check in. Putting me at 5 Hours and 47 Minutes out of my ten hour goal. So, since I divided the day up into 4 hour chunks I just need to read 2 hours and 7ish minutes of each of those chunks. So, I should hit my goal unless I hit the wall. lol
I’m still working on Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg. I’m enjoying it but the mystery is starting to drag a bit for my liking and with the most recent twist to the book I’m wondering if it’s to be solved at all.
Hey again! I’ve been up about 4 hours so far this morning and managed about 3 hours and 18 minutes across two books. Since my mental health would never allow my to forgo sleep to try to stay up for the whole readathon I usually aim for about 10 hours and I think I’m on track for that since I’m adding in the audio books this time.
2 Hours and 12 Minutes of reading time so far
First, Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg, I’m loving this book on audio. I listened to it during coffee and breakfast and while I moved around to loosen up my joints this morning. Up until a few years ago I wanted nothing to do with audiobooks. They brought back flashbacks of those tape my elementary school teachers used while we read along. I’d always read ahead and if they stopped the tape to ask me about something going on during the part the tape just read I’d always stumble over my words. The tape was just too slow to keep my attention. Then, I learned audiobooks have adjustable speeds now. I never listen at the normal speed and it’s allowed me to enjoy them a lot more. At the speed I’m currently reading at I have about 2.5 hours left of this one. With meals and stuff I figure I’ll finish it up before the day is over.
1 Hour 6 Minutes of reading time so far
The other book I’m reading is I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. I’ve wanted to read this one since it first came onto my radar last year. I’m non-binary so any book with a non-binary main character gets tossed onto the TBR. There aren’t that many I come across. I was excited for this one, but I’m about 40% through it and I’m not sure what I think. I don’t want to say anything just yet. I should finish it by my noon check in and I’ll probably have more to say about it then.
I woke up about 45 minutes ago and started Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg on audio (great so far but I’ve loved 4 previous books by her). After I finished my first cup of coffee I went over to see if anyone had anything interesting reading-on on Goodreads.
I was able to get in after a few refreshes but still it’s so seldom that I see this. I think we’re overloading Goodread’s brain today. lol
I’m off for my second cup of coffee and to string enough brain cells together to sit down with my first paperback of the day! Happy reading!
About 11:45 I came up for air, because my lunch arrived. I’ll be having leftovers for dinner, but those wings are sooo good.
So, let’s talk books. I’ve finished up 3. Read 2 completely, and about the last 80 pages with of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi that I’m reading with a group of friends from r/bookclub over on Reddit.
I’ve read 515 pages across 3 books in 3 hours and 4 minutes. I’m on track for my normal amount of reading for one of these readathons. Next up is Outlaw – I don’t remember who it’s by right off the top of my head but it’s the one BOTM featured not too long ago.
I’m off to take a few minutes to decompress my brain and then dig into the next book! Happy reading!
With just 10 minutes left until the start of the readathon I’m logging off my laptop until my check in at noon. I’ll probably post to my Facebook in the mean time. You can check in there to see what I’m up to in between blogs.
I’ve been waiting for this all year and can’t wait to get comfy on the sofa with Fenrir. She’s currently in her favorite bookish spot waiting on me.
Today has been fantastic and more than a little nostalgic. I expected that a bit, though. I did read Midnight Sun. And then I promptly called my best friend and interrupted her readathon to gush. Yeah, I had to gush and not many things make me gush these days. I’m not a teenager anymore and I’m only 8 days smoke and those things do not add up to gushing under most circumstances. I won’t gush too much here but GAIS!!! It’s better than Twilight, though, it did put me right back in those days – where I was and who I hung around with at that time – the movies, the books. It was around the time of my accident that left me with a permanent disability – but there are so many happy little moments I’d forgotten about. If you enjoyed Twilight I’d recommend this one. If not, move along. No negative needed here. I’m 31 I’ll read about sparkly monsters if I want to. Now, I need Miss Stephanie to rewrite the other three books in the series from Edward’s perspective. No, I don’t ask for much at all.
I originally thought I’d jump back to my reread of the early Anita Blake series, but I was so caught up in the Twilight world that I jumped over to Life & Death: Twilight Reimagined. I’m about 3 chapters in and I’m enjoying it. It’s basically a gender swap of Bella and Edward to Beau and Edythe. Yeah, it’s gimmicky – I don’t wanna hear it, though. I’m enjoying it shameless. The last 14 months have been hell for me. Today, I’m happy and that’s incredibly rare these days.
Oh – I almost forgot to give my brain a break I started an audiobook today while I cooked lunch. I only listened to about an hour of it, but I am counting it towards my 10 hours for this readathon.
The Body Keeps Score has been recommended to me by so many people. Recently, I’ve been diving hard into working with my CPTSD- it’s shaped so much of my life and I didn’t realize the extent until my brother attacked me last year (h if you want that story it’s in other blogs.). So I’m diving into good old fashion physiotherapy. So far it works better than any therapist I’ve tried yet.
I’m at 7 hours and 2 minutes of my 10 hour goal. I need to do some evening stuff and get things taken care of. So, I’ll turn the audiobook back on while I do that. Between tonight and tomorrow morning (I’m usually up by 5) I should hit my 10 hour goal this time around. Maybe a little over since I’m adding in an audiobook this time.
I’ve always wished I were one of those people who could just read straight through the day. Don’t get me, I can read a lot in a day. I just have to come up for air from time to time. This is one of those times. I’ve divided the day into little 4 hours chunks. With the last one being not quite 4 hours because I don’t plan on being up until midnight. lol
So far today I’ve managed to read for 3 hours and 39 minutes. So about 1/3 of my 10 hour goal. I’m feeling a little fuzzy brained – hence writing this blog now instead of sometime later.
What have I read so far?
Well, about 300 pages of the newest Twilight book. Yep. It takes me back to my late teen years. It’s been forever since I read Twilight, but I think I might actually like this one better.
I also took a small break from Midnight Sun to read a portion of Perfume by Patrick Suskind for my group read. I dropped in and left my thoughts and jumped back into reading. This one both keeps my interest and infuriates me to no end.
I have noticed a them of blood for this readathon. Perfume is a book about a guy trying to make a perfume/cologne that smells like virgin blood. Well, it’s supposed to be but it feels like the writer keeps getting distracted.
I figure I’ll finished up the last 275 pages of Midnight Sun around 3 O’clockish. Then I’ll have to decide what to read next. I have plenty of options. I’m not sure if I want to go with the Circus of the Damned (3rd book in Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, a reread for me, but what I’m currently working on reading), another Stephanie Meyer book, or just grab something short from the shelf. I think I want to continue with vampires and the like, though.
Since, my mental health upkeep requires a decent sleep schedule – I went to bed really early last night instead of just staying up. Everyone is who started last night will be almost 8 hours into the readathon. I’ll be starting shortly. I’m excited. Usually, I get about 8 hours in during the readathon – which is huge for me! This year I’m challenging myself to try for 10. By 4:30 readathon time I’ll be reading. So, it should technically be possible. We’ll see what happens.
This morning I’ll be starting with a few short stories from Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. It’s the R/bookclub pick this month over on Reddit. It’s a book of short stories from the Vietnam War. I almost sat this one out since I don’t read much about that time period. I decided to give it a chance since I joined the club to read books I wouldn’t normally select for myself. We’re 2 stories in with another 2 up for discussion today. I really enjoyed the first two so far. They’re insightful and the man has a beautiful writing voice.
I should be working on the cover or even the blurb for Sky’s Homecoming. I’m a little brain dead today. It’s been stormy this week and everything in the news just has me feeling blah. I’m ready for a do-over of this year.
Anyway, onto the reading and readathon. I really enjoyed this readathon and it’s easy pace. I completed all 4 of the weekly prompts and managed 11 other books this month too. (So far. Still have the rest of today and all of tomorrow left.)
This week’s prompt was to read a book about what you miss the most. There are plenty of things I miss, but I really wanted to read one of Jennifer Worth’s Call the Midwife books and I do really miss new episodes of all my favorite shows.
I read Shadows of the Work House this week. I enjoy Jennifer’s writing voice greatly as well as the historical attributes of her memoirs. This one was just heartbreaking. So many people lost so much or everything to work houses and unfair systems. Today, we don’t have work houses, but we still have so many unfair systems and so many problems.
As a lifelong reader, I’ve long used books to understand the world as much as to escape it. This week I’m just a little down, because it seems the same problems only play on repeat. I’m ready for a vacation that I can’t take and more coffee than I should drink in a day.
I’m already reading Farewell to the Eastend, the last book I have left in Jennifer Worth’s boxset. Her voice shines through immensely in this one as well.
![Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by [Charlie N. Holmberg]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51odUtgGCTL.jpg)
Maggie Hemlock Books 