First of all, my husband rocks. He pampered the hell out of me over the weekend. He kept the kids away so I could read all morning, got me my own hotel room for the night so I could read in peace, and then treated me with a 1 hour massage the next day. 

I got up at 5am on a Saturday to read books.  

I'm pretty sure that solidifies my geek status. 

I read for just over 18 hours...with a few breaks to eat (although I tried to eat while reading) and shower. 

I finished "Limbo" by Dima Zales. This was given to me to review through the same program that gave me "Oasis," the first book in the series. It was pretty good. I don't normally pick up sci-fi but the plot and relationships are interesting enough to keep me engaged. 

Next up, I picked up Volume One of the Night World collection....a book with the first 3 singles in it. I'd forgotten just how much I love these books. I closed the volume and found myself sad that I didn't have the others. I gladly would have read the entire series that day. 

I had a NetGalley release copy of "Just a Girl" by Ellie Cahill. Remember that book "Call Me Maybe" I LOVED? Same author! 
​
After that, I read books 4-6 in the Rebekka Franck series. I guess you'd call it crime something? I don't know the exact genre. I think they're translated from Danish...so there are a few spots where the translation doesn't totally work but I could make sense of it. 

I ended up going to bed close to 11pm. So, I didn't make it the full 24 hours...but 18/19 hours and over 1600 pages is still pretty damn impressive! 

I have another readathon (Bout of Books) coming up the second week in May! I'll be making those posts soon. 

As I type this, my clock is clicking over to 5:17am and I've decided I've probably lost my mind. 

Because only someone missing a few marbles would wake up at 4:45am JUST TO READ BOOKS ALL DAY right? 

Meh. I accept this. 

I'll post at the end to wrap up, but you can follow me on Twitter (@KasMorin) or Snapchat (Kasmorin) to keep up with my updates!! 

​Now then....

My first readathon of 2016 is officially over. 

Bittersweet. 

I did some cleaning/organizing this week and endured a 2 day migraine so my reading wasn't quite as impressive as it has been in the past. 

But, I did kick some book butt.

I finally finished Winter, the final book in the Lunar Chronicles. It was beautiful and the perfect ending to this series. The fairy tale aspects were woven quite well into a modernized story and I was able to close the book with a huge smile on my face. There's a prequel I haven't read and more books set to come out by this author so watch here because I'll probably read those too. 

I jumped into The Power of Six, book 2 in the Lorien Legacies. I'm really enjoying this series. It's a neat little trip into a fantasy world where aliens aren't ALL evil or all insanely powerful. The first book (I Am Number Four) is where you should start. 

Next, I picked up a NetGalley read. This novella was short and sweet. Another fantasy (duh) with shifters and witches, The Scarlett Legacy, is apparently one of many books by different authors based in the same setting. I'll let you know if I read any others, but this was a nice palate cleanser. 

I picked up Ensnared, the final book in the Splintered Trilogy, after a dismal failure at another NetGalley book. (I got 75% of the way through and was so bored I abandoned it for Ensnared)
This was a great way to round out the Splintered story. Want to talk about happily ever after? That's this one. 

I've had Snowbound sitting in my Kindle library since 2013. After I read, and loved, the Wayward Pines Trilogy I decided to give this author another go. 
It was okay. More horror and action than anything else. The suspense was almost too much and I got burned out on it toward the end. Which is why....

...the final book I picked up was a romantic comedy by RS Grey called Scoring Wilder. This book had me giggling throughout. I kept reading bits to my husband because he kept asking "What? Oh, book?" when I laughed out loud. It was definitely a good way to end the readathon. 

After reading so intensely for 7 days I feel like I need a bit of a break. So I'll be reading at a more leisurely pace while trying to run a first round of edits on my already written novel. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post! I'll be sharing what it was like my first day waiting tables (hint: embarrassing)

Yesterday was the official start of the Bout Of Books Readathon!

Annnnd I sucked. I barely did any reading. 

Okay, so most of what I read was fanfiction. DON'T JUDGE ME!

I also did some cleaning up in the kitchen. The day ran away from me. 

Today, however, I vow to do better and finish "Winter" by Marissa Meyer. I'm going to move on to "The Power of Six" by Pittacus Lore. 

I know this changes the list I'd posted, but these two are library books that are due literally the day after the readathon ends so they take priority.

​NOW, on to the game for today!

We're playing "Would You Rather" today! Book Edition! You can put your answers in the comments! I'd love to see what you choose!

Would you rather:
Lend books to someone who dog-ears pages or to someone who reads with cheesy Cheetos fingers?
Dog-ears pages. At least that isn't going to stain pages or give me ants. 

Would you rather:
Be able to meet one character of your choice or meet one author of your choice?
AAAHHHH Probably an author. I'm afraid the character wouldn't live up to how I've built them in my head.

Would you rather:
Never be allowed in a book store again or never be allowed in a library again?
I'm already "not allowed" in book stores (my bank account says so)

Would you rather:
Have to choose one of your favorite characters to die in their book or have to pick one of your favorite couples to break up in their book?
Break up! I've read the dying character books TOO MANY TIMES. No.

Would you rather:
Be required to read Twilight once a year for the rest of your life or The Scarlet Letter once a year for the rest of your life?
The Scarlet Letter! I actually love that book.

​Now then...

This post contains affiliate links

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 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th 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 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

IT'S BOUT OF BOOKS TIME!

I don't know why...but this is my favorite Read-a-thon. Maybe it's because it's pretty active on social media or maybe because it's one of the first I ever did...in any case, it's that time again!!!

That time when I read books about like normal with a little extra push and call it a special time.

Here's what's on my list (in no particular order):

​Ensnared by AG Howard
It's become a thing for me to read a Splintered Series novel during Bout of Books...so I'm keeping that going with this one.

And With Madness Comes The Light (Experiment In Terror 6.5) by Karina Halle
This is actually a novella in the series but a necessary read. I'm currently addicted to these. I regret nothing. 

Come Alive (Experiment In Terror 7) by Karina Halle
Of course I have to go into the next full length novel. Duh.

Marvel Zombies: Volume 1
I bought this graphic novel for my husband for Christmas and I was very patient in allowing him to read it first. MY TURN!

Snowbound by Blake Crouch
I got this when it was free and I've been holding on to it since 2013. I loved the Wayward Pines trilogy by this author so I need to give this a go.

Friends Without Benefits by Penny Reid
I was gifted this by a Secret Vixen (Santa). I liked the first one and definitely recommend you pick it up.

Dear Professor by Blaire Drake
I was gifted this piece of smut from a quickie giveaway on Facebook. I have no expectations except it's "hot" and "easy to read" so....there's that.

TBR Jar Pick
This will be random and chosen during the event from this list. 

Books Finished: 3

Total books read: 5

I finished "Neanderthal Seeks Human" and it was cute all the way through. She's not your typical romance novel heroine and I loved her. 

"Dorothy Must Die" was an interesting take on the Dorothy mythos. Sort of a "what happened next" novel. I liked it. Enough to read the next book? eehhhh not sure on that one yet. 

"Dinosaur: 65 Million." 
OMGosh. This book was awful. Downright awful. Like, I stayed up late to finish reading it just so I wouldn't begin my day with such awfulness. I wrote a review on Goodreads here. I was nice...ish. 

Today I'm reading my graphic novel and an online comic my husband recommended (strongly...strongly recommended) 

I can't decide if I want to read a new book (not currently on my TBR) or start in on my horror anthology. 

Probably the latter. Mother Nature arrived today with her monthly dose of pain (30-ish days, skank, and I won't ever see you again) so I think shorter bites of reading are in order. 

Books Finished: 2

I felt kinda stressed out yesterday. Surgery apprehension is creeping in...the kids started the day with fights and fits. So I did what I did best. 

I hid in the pages of a novel. 

I finished "Burned" and it was, of course, fantastic. Now I have to wait anxiously for her next installment.

"Unhinged" (2nd in the "Splintered" series) was also great. I put "Ensnared" on my Amazon wishlist. (Not quite ready for a $10 price tag when I have over 400 books on my TBR)

I started, and nearly finished, "Neanderthal Seeks Human." I'm enjoying it so much. The protagonist is awkward and weird. Her naivety bothers me at times but it's well explained with her background and general personality. She's not just a dumb kid (*cough*50Shades*cough*) It's more that she shuts people and experiences out on purpose. 

When she gets nervous, she spouts off random bits of trivia. It's awesome. I love her so. 

So today's goal is to finish "Neanderthal" and begin "Dorothy Must Die." I have zero expectations for "Dorothy" and have seen a few posts where people wonder if it's any good.

Each title is also a link to the book on Amazon!

I decided to make a decently sized TBR (To Be Read) and have a LARGE backup if I finish early. 

Without further ado...

Burned by Karen Marie Moning
It's quite nearly a sin that I haven't read this book yet. Seriously. I'm a rabid "Fever" fan and it came out in JANUARY. I'm about to lose my membership card here!

Unhinged by AG Howard
This is the second in the series. Oddly enough, I read "Splintered" (first in the series) during the last Read-A-Thon so this is fitting.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
I've heard whispers about this book (mostly people asking who has picked it up) but nothing concrete. I'm willing to give it a try!

Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid
(STILL FREE)
I've heard a few good things about this. Mainly that it's witty and funny. Every read-a-thon needs a light-hearted entry. 

Dinosaur: 65 Million
Okay, I got this for free (I think...or really cheap) and it looks goofy as hell. Reality TV where you have to survive in a land of dinosaurs? I saw that movie. 
But, I love reality TV and am willing to give it a go.

Grimm Fairy Tales Volume 1
This is actually a graphic novel. My cover is also a lot for, uh, graphic than this one. It'll be my first comic book read EVAH so I'm excited to include it. 
I've heard "Fables" is more "female market friendly" whereas this is geared toward men....whatever. Fairy tales. 

My Backup!
Psychos anthology
It's a collection of short horror stories. I figure I can just start reading and feel good about "finishing things" if it's in short bursts like that. 

Ready?

Shhhh.....I'm reading.

Last year I participated in the Bout Of Books 11.0 Read-a-thon

I missed the 12.0 edition (I can't remember what I was doing) but I'm jumping in for 13.0. 

This is my official declaration that I'm participating! I'll make up a To Be Read list and have posts for the challenges throughout next week. (When I'll also be on my period...crap....)

What's Bout Of Books?

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. - From the Bout of Books team

This was a blast. I'm really glad I participated!

Over the course of the week, I read 6 books. 

SIX.

Six. Whole. Books. 

AND I parented. 

Okay, I didn't clean much. But I parented. 

The books I read will have their own reviews coming soon. Be sure and check the "Review Section" for those. 

I read:
- Cinder and Scarlet (Book 1 and 2 of the Lunar Chronicles)
- Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
- The Devil Stood Up
- Fable (Book 1 of the Lorn Prophecy)
- Splintered

Overall, I enjoyed everything I read. I didn't *love* Miss P. But the others were fantastic. 

And now...I'm actually approaching reading burn out. But not enough to stop reading.