Oh man, I am so excited for Bout Of Books and pumped to kickstart my 2014 reading. I am really hoping that Bout Of Books 9.0 will help me to get ahead on my reading challenge for this year (it is 260 books and right now I am at 5 books read).
Here’s the official blurb:
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
I am hoping to read these books:
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
760 pages
Note: I only want to get up to page 380, or halfway through this book.
Here’s the summary:
“In his highly acclaimed debut, Scott Lynch took us on an adrenaline-fueled adventure with a band of daring thieves led by con artist extraordinaire Locke Lamora. Now Lynch brings back his outrageous hero for a caper so death-defying, nothing short of a miracle will pull it off.
After a brutal battle with the underworld, Locke and his sidekick, Jean, fled to the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But they are soon back to what they do best–stealing from the rich and pocketing the proceeds. Now, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the world’s most exclusive, most heavily guarded gambling house. But there is one cardinal rule: it is death to cheat at any game.
Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way straight to the Sunspire’s teeming vault. But someone knows the duo’s secret–and has every intention of making them pay for their sins.”
Hidden by Sophie Jordan
260 pages
Note: I will be excited to FINALLY finish this trilogy. Also? This book is SOOOOO short!
Here’s the summary:
“Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the “prince” of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian’s sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.
The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there’s no guarantee they’ll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning….
Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan’s Firelight trilogy.”
Cracked by KM Walton
311 pages
Note: This is on my Top Ten Books On My Winter 2013/14 TBR
Here’s the summary:
“Sometimes there’s no easy way out.
Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother’s sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.
Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn’t stop Bull’s grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.
When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there’s no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….”
Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
382 pages
Note: I love contemporary books while reading fantasy books
Here’s the summary:
“Critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend’s life-threatening illness.
Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.
Even when she isn’t sure what to say.
Even when Olivia misses months of school.
Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia’s crush.
The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.
In this incandescent page-turner, which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.”
Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler
401 pages
Note: OMG cannot wait!
Here’s the summary:
“Emma is tired of being good. Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother — whose name her dad won’t even say out loud. That’s why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her…and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she’s everything Emma is not.
And it may be more than Emma can handle.
Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It’s more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop…
This explosive, sexy, and harrowing follow-up to Ann Redisch Stampler’s spectacular teen debut, Where It Began, reveals how those who know us best can hurt us most.”
So, that’s my Bout Of Books pile, way more chill than in previous years!
Are you doing Bout Of Books? What’s in your pile? Leave me your link if you did a post!
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I so should be doing this too! If it’s not too late, I might actually join and do this tomorrow 😀 Sounds like fun! Good luck with your goals, April. I think you’ll enjoy Afterparty, it’s a quick and very entertaining read (I really love Ann Stampler and her writing style, tho some find it too wordy).
Fingers crossed for you!
I was also really surprised by how short Hidden was too, especially for the final book in a trilogy. Sadly, I was disappointed in the outcome of this series, mostly because of the romance. I guess it will all depend on which side you fall on when it comes to Cassian v Will. The rest of the story was nicely resolved though, so there’s that.
I just got done reading Maybe One Day and ohhhhhhh myyyyy goooooooood. I honestly did not expect it to break my heart as much as it did. But as you can imagine, that is one sad, soul-killing book. Keep some tissues at hand!
Good luck on your Bout of Books goals!
This sounds fun! I wish you the best of luck
I’m signed up and hoping to read at least 5 books. I liked Hidden but I haven’t read any of the other books on your list. It sounds like you have a good mix of genres to pick from. Maybe One Day looks really good. The comparison to The Fault in Our Stars is certainly promising. Good luck with the read-a-thon!
This is my first year doing Bout of Books and I’ve decided to do it on my personal blog instead of on I Eat Words!
Right now I’m reading Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith and planning on reading The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson next as it’s my book club’s read this month. Smart idea to put up how many pages and the book’s blurbs!
Happy reading and good luck on reaching your goals for this week! 🙂
My sign-up post: http://bcosseywrites.blogspot.com/2014/01/bout-of-books-90.html
Hope you like Hidden! I enjoyed it. I think We Were Liars is up next but I might wait until later in the week! I finished Magic Study and read Defy and Biggest Flirts today. Yay for a too cold to go outside day! Good luck!