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, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th 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 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. –From the Bout of Books team
Sunday Update:
- time spent reading: 3.5 hours
- finished The Sixth Station
Phew! I wasn’t sure if I was going to get that one done. My goal was just to read as much as I was able this past week, but I would have hated to end the read-a-thon with my last book still in-progress (because I’m crazy like that).
Unfortunately it was an extra struggle because the book just wasn’t a great one. I didn’t have the best luck choosing books this time around. Someday, Someday, Maybe was a really fun read, but my other two just fell flat. Here are some quick mini-reviews:
Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
I tried to temper my high expectations — The Thirteenth Tale is one of my all-time favorite books — but even without comparing it to Setterfield’s debut, I’m still fairly sure that I would have been underwhelmed by this novel. Maybe I just didn’t get it, because it seemed like there should have been more to it. But at the end of the book, I didn’t feel anything… other than disappointment, and an overwhelming desire to go and re-read The Thirteenth Tale.
2 stars
Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
This was a fun and quick read. The shenanigans are a lot more realistic than a lot of chick lit, but in spite of the realism (or maybe because of it?) I wasn’t really into the story at first. At some point, though — I couldn’t tell you when it happened — it transitioned into something with so much heart, and I was really rooting for Franny to find what she was looking for. I completely identified with her awkwardness and the way she was always over-thinking everything. In the end, I really enjoyed it. Well worth the read.
4 stars
The Sixth Station by Linda Stasi
I’m a fan of religious thrillers, but this one didn’t do it for me. The conspiracy was interesting. It had its share of exciting moments. On the whole, though, it just fell flat. I wasn’t invested in the chase, I found myself getting tired of the main character (a common downfall with first-person narrators), and though it had a lot of potential and kept me turning the pages, it just never really came together or delivered the punch I was waiting for.
2 stars
Between some sub-par reads and the craziness that is my life right now, my second Bout of Books was not my greatest. But… the social aspect was fun, as always. I did a couple of challenges (which I hadn’t done last time), and two of the Twitter chats (which was two more than I was expecting to be able to do). So… success? I guess…
Definitely looking forward to the next one, though.
How did everyone else fare this week?
Cheap Thrills 
Such a shame Bellman & Black didn’t match expectations – it’s hard when a previous novel is so well loved. I think, judging from that, I may have a similar experience.
It’s interesting how more underwhelming books can affect our speed of reading; it’s a frustrating battle of brain and book. I think three books in seven days is pretty amazing though!
Three in a week isn’t bad. It’s not unusual for me, but it’s definitely not a pace I keep up all the time (I don’t come close to 150 in a year!) and probably not one I’d have stuck with this week if it weren’t for Bout of Books pushing me.
Sorry you didn’t get to read quite as much as you wanted, but I’m glad you participated and enjoyed the social side and challenges! :) Hope you join in next time, as well!
I’m definitely planning on it! And hoping my life is a little more normal at that time, but I guess at this point it’s anybody’s guess. Thanks for reading!
I wasn’t participating in this Bout of Books, but I’d say that you did a great job! I think the social aspect is one of the best bits about these events, so the fact that you participated in that side of it more than usual would be a success in my book! It just sucks that the books you chose didn’t wow you like they should’ve. That can definitely hurt a person’s progress! Ah well, there’s always next time ;)
I definitely favor the social part of the event… the way I see it, I can read any time, but I really like to take advantage of all the readers brought together with events like this and meet some new people. Considering how busy I was this week outside of reading/blogging, I’m glad I was able to participate as much as I was.
It’s always disappointing when a book doesn’t live up to your expectations. That just makes it even harder to try to read them in an alloted time. At least you had fun with the twitter chats (I missed those) and the challenges.
It’s true, other than Bout of Books pushing me on, I had no motivation to get through my last book. I was a little more interested in reading my first one just because I’d been looking forward to it so much, I was hoping that something in the end would pull it all together for me. Oh well. There’s always another book.
Great job, despite the lack of good reading! My reads were not all that exciting either, but I did enjoy my first Bout of Books. I will hopefully be participating in 9.0!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully we’ll both pick some better books next time!
Ooh, I have Bellman & Black in my TBR pile. Hopefully I can get to it soon. Great job with Bout of Books!
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it more than I did!
Congrats on making it through the read-a-thon! Good to see your thoughts on Bellman and Black. I also loved The Thirteenth Tale, so it’s good to know that I should moderate my expectations before starting Bellman.
Yes, they’re really completely different books. I hope you enjoy it more than I did. Just prepare yourself for a rather slow-paced, character-driven story. Thanks for stopping by!
Great job! Sorry that you had two duds though. I have the Thirteenth Tale on my never-ending TBR.
I adore The Thirteenth Tale. A book about book-lovers, an old woman with a mysterious past, a young woman with her own demons… there’s something just magical about it to me, and it all comes together perfectly. But… I probably shouldn’t hype it up so much. Thanks for reading!
This was my first bout of books readathon. And it went quite good.
I like the fact that you did mini reviews in your wrap-up. I have so many books I want to have to review. Lol. Plus, like your blog setting. Thanks for stopping by my book blog.
I’m glad your first Bout of Books went so well! Do you plan on doing it again next time? Thanks for stopping by!
Oh yes. Looking forward to it. (:
Great job! I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy all three of your books – there’s nothing more disappointing than that! But three books read in a week is good going, so I definitely say you had a successful week! :)
It was a bit of a struggle to get through them. Next time I might actually do all re-reads so I can be sure I’m reading things I’ll love… then again, it’ll be the beginning of the year and I’ll be wanting to get a jump on my goals for the year, so… maybe not. Thanks for reading!
At least you finished the last book, that’s a success, too! You did great. And I’m glad the social aspect was fun for you, too.
Yes, I always love the social side of blog events. The read-a-thon is a nice push for reading, but I read all the time anyway.
It’s good to hear that although you didn’t have the best of luck with your book choices, you still had a great time. The social aspect of Bout of Books is one of my favourite parts. I didn’t take part in any of the Twitter chats this time around, but they are organised chaos and you get to meet some really neat people.
Chaos is right! I always feel like I’m missing out on so much, but they are fun. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m sorry you had some meh reads, but I’m glad you liked one and that you had fun! I’m glad we connected, I enjoyed your comments!
Connecting with other bloggers is my favorite part of Bout of Books, while the reading is more just something I do by default. It’s nice to have a push to get more done than usual, but honestly I’d rather spend the extra time chatting!
Sorry that two of your books fell flat. Those are the hardest to finish. Congrats on reaching your goals though and finishing all the books.
It happens. It just sucks when it happens during a reading event. Thanks for stopping by!
I thought I would be disappointed with Bellman & Black even if I hadn’t read The Thirteenth Tale. It just wasn’t a good book. I will still read the next book she puts out though if she writes another.
Oh, I’ll absolutely keep reading her. It makes me very glad I’d read The Thirteenth Tale before reading this, because if this was the first thing of hers I’d written, I might not ever give her another try. But I’m sure I’ll read anything she puts out. Thanks for stopping by!