I’m so excited to be officially participating in Bout of Books this week! I’ve always wondered what this Bout of Books thing is, and then I came across a couple blogs with goals posted, read a little about it, and found out it starts Monday! Now that school’s done, I can totally do this! It should be a lot of fun!

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 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th 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 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Books I want to read this week:

1. How to Meet Boys by Catherine Clark
2. Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
3. Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn
4. The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

Additional goals for the week:

• Learn the ins and outs of how this read-a-thon works!
• Make some new blogging friends!
• Tackle my massive review pile.
• Get out of my reading slump, because I am dying.
• Participate in two or three challenges.

Read-A-Thon Progress:

Monday – 5/12 – (This is the day my dad had a heart attack.)
Books Finished Today: 0
Currently Reading: What is Hidden by Lauren Skidmore
Total Books Read: 0
Total Pages Read: 9

Tuesday – 5/13 – (Dad still in hospital, had surgery for artery blockage.)
Books Finished Today: 0
Currently Reading: What is Hidden by Lauren Skidmore
Total Books Read: 0
Total Pages Read: 155

Wednesday – 5/14 (Dad home.)
Books Finished Today: 0
Currently Reading: What is Hidden by Lauren Skidmore
Total Books Read: 0
Total Pages Read: 155

Thursday – 5/15
Books Finished Today: 0
Currently Reading: What is Hidden by Lauren Skidmore
Total Books Read: 0
Total Pages Read: 177

Friday – 5/16
Books Finished Today: What is Hidden by Lauren Skidmore
Currently Reading: Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson
Total Books Read: 1
Total Pages Read: 280

Saturday – 5/17
Books Finished Today: 0
Currently Reading: Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson
Total Books Read: 1
Total Pages Read: 280

Sunday – 5/18
Books Finished Today: 0
Currently Reading: Carrier by Vanessa Garden (Set aside Catch a Falling Star for another time)
Total Books Read: 0
Total Pages Read: 310

End-of-Week Wrap-up: 5/19/14

Well… I failed Bout of Books. I mean, if you take my last month of reading into account, one book for the week is really good for me! So in that respect, I did do well! It was a crazy week and I was just not feeling the book I tried to focus on. I should have just set it aside sooner. Catch a Falling Star is very cute, but apparently not what I was in the mood for. I’ll finish it next month hopefully. Carrier is very good, so I’m doing better with reading now! Next Bout of Books, I’ll make sure not to set my goals too high and to remember I’m just out to have fun.

Happy Easter! Sundays are the only days I don’t do school work, no matter what, so I finally get a bit of a break today to go to church and spend time having fun with my family!

What are you going to be up to today? Business as usual, or are you doing anything special? Whatever it is, I hope you have a lovely day!

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Last month Racquel recommended I read What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long because she felt I needed a little historical romance in my life. She was SO right! I really, really loved this incredibly romantic romance, and cannot wait to get my hands on the other books in the Pennyroyal Green series. Check out my review of What I Did for a Duke here for a more in depth discussion on what I loved! My recommendation for Racquel was Degrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlett, which she really enjoyed! I was so happy to hear that. :) March was a success! I’m excited to move on to April’s recommendation, which I am really excited about!

Just the Sexiest Man Alive has been on my wishlist for a very long time! When it went on sale for a few days last month, I snatched it up. Just a couple days later, Racquel posed the idea to me, and I was so excited that she loves this book! Based on her other recommendations, I have a feeling I will love this one too. I can’t wait!

When I found out Racquel had not read Incarnate by Jodi Meadows yet, I squealed with excitement and recommended it immediately. I love, love, love this series so much and am so excited to see what she thinks of it! I hope she loves it, even though she’s not the biggest fan of books with fantasy elements.

Have you read Just the Sexiest Man Alive? Will I like it?What about my rec for Racquel? I don’t know about you, but I am SO excited for her to read it!

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Last month Racquel recommended I read Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell because she said this book is great for fans of Lola and the Boy Next Door. I could not agree more! Chloe is a quirky fashionista just like Lola, and I think they would be great friends. I also loved the emphasis on friendship in Welcome, Caller. Chloe is a former popular girl who makes her friends mad and becomes the school’s biggest outcast. She ends up latching on to a group of really unique people who run the school’s radio station. She also kind of falls for a certain boy in this group. But the story is about so much more than the romance. It’s about change, growing, struggling to find yourself, and friendship. I loved that the book was sweet and funny, but at the same time it tackled some heavier issues. I’ll be posting my review soon!

So! February was a success, and I’m excited for what Racquel and I are going to be reading this month!

Racquel has decided that I’m in need of expanding my love of historical romances, which I am super excited about! I love historical romances, but there are MILLIONS of them, and I have no idea where to even start! Luckily, historical romance is one of Racquel’s favorite genres, so she has a list of great ones for me. She said that What I Did for a Duke is “really character driven and the dialogue is AWESOME.” I’m so excited!

I suggested Racquel try Degrees of Wrong by Anna Scarlet because she enjoys adult romance and also enjoys sci-fi/dystopia. This book combines both! The book takes place on an undersea warship, and the heroine is a doctor who has to find a cure for a deadly virus. There’s suspense, romance, and a lot of snark. I adore this book, and am so excited to be introducing Racquel to a book she’s never heard of before! This should be fun for both of us. :)

Ok, so that’s our month! Have you read either of these books? Will we like them?

I am so excited to be a part of Epic Recs, hosted and dreamed up by Judith at Paper Riot. I’ve been paired up with Racquel at The Book Barbies. It’s a pretty simple and fun concept. After learning about our reading habits, likes, and dislikes, Racquel and I each picked a book for the other person to read. If you’re interested in participating, head over to Paper Riot and sign up to get a partner!

Racquel chose Welcome, Caller, this is Chole by Shelley Coriell for me because of my love of Stephanie Perkins. She said that Chloe is a lot like Lola, especially regarding her love for fashion. This book is also a fun balance of fun and serious, which I love. I’m so excited to read it!

When I found out that Racquel loves YA contemporary, I immediately went to see if she had read Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard. This book is the one I push on everyone I know. It got me into YA contemporary! It blends traveling, self discovery, coming of age, and a sweet romance. I hope she loves it as much as I did!

I will report back with my review, and also re-cap thoughts when I post about next months Epic Recs. I think this is going to be so much fun!

So, what do you think? Will I enjoy Welcome, Caller, this is Chloe?
Do you think Racquel will love Wanderlove like I did?