I’m a former book blogger turned personal blogger. I gave up book blogging NOT because I don’t still love books and reading (I do), but because I burned out a bit after years of book reviews and deadlines and pressure. I also love creative writing, and crafting personal essays for my blog has enabled me to pursue that passion of mine. My blog will still have a bookish touch or post on occasion, but for the most part, it’s more about my life now. I still love to read as much as ever, but I now have a 3.5 month old son and am also a working mother. My reading time has taken a nose dive as I now have little to no time or energy anymore after working all day and taking care of my boy all night. I still make a point to read as much as possible, but let’s just say I’ve only finished five books so far this year… Yikes!
So that’s where Bout of Books comes in! I’ve debated joining for years but I finally decided to just go for it for the first time ever in an attempt to push myself to read more and after being inspired by Brandie and Sarah who always seem to be having a blast with it! My life just doesn’t feel the same since I’ve had to severely cut back on my reading time. Let’s be honest… when I’m exhausted and my baby is crying, it is so much easier to turn on the TV. This week though, I’m going to pick up a book more often instead… if I can!
This post will serve as my master post for the week and will include all my daily progress and challenges I decide to partake in. I Tweet, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads and all that jazz, so let’s chat!
So what is Bout of Books? Here’s a brief introduction, followed by my daily posts and goals!
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 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
My Goals
- Read for at least 30 minutes every day.
- Read at least 200 pages total.
- Finish at least one of the books I’m currently reading.
My Plan of Attack!
I totally need one. Having a baby is hard, friends. This plan will help me fit in some reading time.
- Read during breaks at work. I used to do this, but now social media basically always wins out. Time to get back to reading!
- Read every night before bed. I try to do this anyway, but have been really struggling to do it every day since I’m pretty tired by bedtime.
Challenges
Bookish Survey
- How do you organize your shelves? I have one shelf that contains my favorites, one that’s all cozy mysteries, one that’s all non-fiction, but then the rest of my shelves… there is no rhyme or reason. I’d LIKE them to be alphabetized by author, but I have too many at the moment. Great problem to have, I know.
- What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres? My favorite genres are YA and chick lit/women’s fiction, so a favorite of mine that ISN’T in one of those two genres would be She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb.
- What is the last 5 star book you read? The Sh!t No One Tells You by Dawn Dais.
- What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon? Dance With the Devil by David Bagby. This is a true story about a very sad crime. I saw a documentary, Dear Zachary, on Netflix, and this book was written by the victim’s father. I’ve been wanting to read it for awhile, but none of the 30+ libraries in my system owned it, so I had to do an Interlibrary Loan instead of a regular hold. This book came to me in New York all the way from Vermont!
- What book do you recommend the most? Jen Lancaster’s books!
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