Adventures Through Awkwardness | April | Historical Fiction

Apr 15

middle grade challenge

Adventures Through Awkwardness: Historical Fiction!

Sorry that this post is late, friends. WAHHH! HOST FAIL! Please don’t take it to mean that I don’t love historical fiction MGs as much as the next girl because, hello, I love them. I wish I read more of them, but I love them nonetheless.

You know the drill: You can read and review any middle grade historical fiction novel this month. It can be new or old. I’ve got a few recs comin’ atcha, and at the end of the month (or maybe a little later because I took too long to get this post up), one lucky winner will get their pick of one of them! YAY!

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Filed Under: 2014 Reading Challenge Tagged With: , , , ,

Adventures Through Awkwardness: Fantasy February

Feb 3

middle grade challengeAdventures Through Awkwardness: Fantasy February!

Welcome, friends, to month 2 of Adventures Through Awkwardness Middle Grade Challenge! Congrats on a great January!

For February, we’re focusing on one of my very favorite genres: Fantasy. Nothing quite like jumping into a made-up world with magic, dragons, and MAPS. WORD.

As always, you can choose ANY middle grade fantasy to read and review this month. It can be new, it can be old. If you’re looking for some recommendations of what to read this month, here’s some of my personal favorites!

Book cover The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom Christopher Healy

 The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom: League of Princes #1 by Christopher Healy

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be. {Goodreads}

Book Cover Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1 by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school… again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’ master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’ stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. {Goodreads}

Book cover Fablehaven Brandon MullFablehaven: Fablehaven #1 by Brandon Mull

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite … Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most. {Goodreads}

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What are YOU going to read for this month’s challenge? Let us know in the comments (where you can link up your reviews, too)!

Filed Under: 2014 Reading Challenge Tagged With: , , ,

Bout of Books 6.0: Final Tally

Jan 14

BoB6.0-300x200

I’m so excited to be participating in Bout of Books 6.0! I’ve never participated in one before, so even though I know it’s going to be a little hard to find lots of time to read, I’m still looking forward to giving it a go and reading in whatever spare time I can find this week. I’ll be updating this post every day with the progress!

UPDATE: Here’s my final tally!!!

Reading Time

Speaking of spare time, I mostly have this in the evenings and on the weekends, so I’ll be doing most of my reading at night and on Saturday-Sunday. But I usually get a little time in the morning before I leave for work, so I’ll be reading a little bit then, too.

Goals

  • I want to read 4 books during this bout. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but trust me: the last time I read more than 1 book a week–before this week that just passed–was months ago. This is a big challenge for me. 
  • Participate in at least one Twitter chat.
  • Comment on at least 10 blogs participating in the challenge

Books I’ll Be Reading

The False Prince: The Ascendance Trilogy #1 by Jennifer A. Nielsen Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally Just One Day by Gayle Forman Prodigy: Legend #2 by Marie Lu (this one’s a reread before I write my review) Graceling by Kristin Cashore (I’m in the process of a readalong, so I might pick this one up for a chapter or two. I’m listing it here, but I’m near the end and only have to read 5 chapters this week, so I won’t be finishing it during the bout) An Echo in the Bone: Outlander #7 by Diana Gabaldon (I’ve been listening to this one for a few weeks now, and I’ll still be listening to it this week)

Updates

Monday

Number of books I’ve read today: One thing you should know: I’m not going to be finishing books in a day this time around. It’s hard for me to do that during the week. But I’ve read 26 chapters of THE FALSE PRINCE and I listened to 5 chapters of AN ECHO IN THE BONE (they are loooong!)

Total number of books I’ve read: Well, none totally yet. 🙂

Books: THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer Nielsen and AN ECHO IN THE BONE by Diana Gabaldon

Tuesday

Number of books I’ve read today: Still plugging away at the same two books. I read 12 chapters of THE FALSE PRINCE and listened to another 4 chapters of AN ECHO IN THE BONE. PLUS!! I got JUST ONE DAY in the mail yesterday. I WILL BE READING IT NEXT HOLLA!

Total number of books I’ve read: I can’t wait until the answer to this question ISN’T “none”

Books: Same ones as yesterday

Wednesday

Number of books I’ve read today: HUZZAH! I have finished one!! THE FALSE PRINCE = complete. Woot! I read the last 10 chapters of this one today, and I listened to another 4 chapters of AN ECHO IN THE BONE. Now I’m starting JUST ONE DAY. *diesdiesdies*

Total number of books I’ve read: 1!!!

Books: THE FALSE PRINCE, AN ECHO IN THE BONE, and JUST ONE DAY

Thursday

Number of books I’ve read today: OMG I started JUST ONE DAY and I am IN LOVE. Still listening to AN ECHO IN THE BONE. Guys? About the Outlander books: Young Ian Murray is one of my favorite characters in this series.

Total number of books I’ve read: One and a half. And I’m closer to the end of AN ECHO IN THE BONE than I realized. I listen to about an hour every day, and I have about two hours left.

Books: JUST ONE DAY, AN ECHO IN THE BONE

Friday

Number of books I’ve read today: I am SOCLOSE to the end of JUST ONE DAY, but am exhausted. I have about 15 chapters to go. And, as usual, listening to AEitB.

Total number of books I’ve read: Still only finished 1, but I’m very close to finishing another.

Books: JUST ONE DAY, AN ECHO IN THE BONE

Saturday

Number of books I’ve read today: I FINISHED JUST ONE DAY. It was amazing/wonderful/emotional/lovely. Started STEALING PARKER, and am about 60 pages in and still reading. No audio today.

Total number of books I’ve read: 2! Huzzah!

Books: JUST ONE DAY, STEALING PARKER

Sunday

Number of books I’ve read today: I finished STEALING PARKER and started rereading PRODIGY (75 pages in). Guys, I finished strong, I think.

Total number of books I’ve read: 3. Woot!

Books: I read all or part of the following books during this bout: THE FALSE PRINCE, JUST ONE DAY, STEALING PARKER, PRODIGY, and AN ECHO IN THE BONE. Not too shabby for me, friends. 🙂

—————–

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 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th 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 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books 6.0 team

Filed Under: 2013 Reading Challenge Tagged With: ,

Bout of Books 6.0: IT’S ON–Update!

Jan 10

BoB6.0-300x200

I’m so excited to be participating in Bout of Books 6.0! I’ve never participated in one before, so even though I know it’s going to be a little hard to find lots of time to read, I’m still looking forward to giving it a go and reading in whatever spare time I can find this week. I’ll be updating this post every day with the progress!

Reading Time

Speaking of spare time, I mostly have this in the evenings and on the weekends, so I’ll be doing most of my reading at night and on Saturday-Sunday. But I usually get a little time in the morning before I leave for work, so I’ll be reading a little bit then, too.

Goals

  • I want to read 4 books during this bout. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but trust me: the last time I read more than 1 book a week–before this week that just passed–was months ago. This is a big challenge for me. 
  • Participate in at least one Twitter chat.
  • Comment on at least 10 blogs participating in the challenge

Books I’ll Be Reading

The False Prince: The Ascendance Trilogy #1 by Jennifer A. Nielsen Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally Just One Day by Gayle Forman Prodigy: Legend #2 by Marie Lu (this one’s a reread before I write my review) Graceling by Kristin Cashore (I’m in the process of a readalong, so I might pick this one up for a chapter or two. I’m listing it here, but I’m near the end and only have to read 5 chapters this week, so I won’t be finishing it during the bout) An Echo in the Bone: Outlander #7 by Diana Gabaldon (I’ve been listening to this one for a few weeks now, and I’ll still be listening to it this week)

Updates

Monday

Number of books I’ve read today: One thing you should know: I’m not going to be finishing books in a day this time around. It’s hard for me to do that during the week. But I’ve read 26 chapters of THE FALSE PRINCE and I listened to 5 chapters of AN ECHO IN THE BONE (they are loooong!)

Total number of books I’ve read: Well, none totally yet. 🙂

Books: THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer Nielsen and AN ECHO IN THE BONE by Diana Gabaldon

Tuesday

Number of books I’ve read today: Still plugging away at the same two books. I read 12 chapters of THE FALSE PRINCE and listened to another 4 chapters of AN ECHO IN THE BONE. PLUS!! I got JUST ONE DAY in the mail yesterday. I WILL BE READING IT NEXT HOLLA!

Total number of books I’ve read: I can’t wait until the answer to this question ISN’T “none”

Books: Same ones as yesterday

Wednesday

Number of books I’ve read today: HUZZAH! I have finished one!! THE FALSE PRINCE = complete. Woot! I read the last 10 chapters of this one today, and I listened to another 4 chapters of AN ECHO IN THE BONE. Now I’m starting JUST ONE DAY. *diesdiesdies*

Total number of books I’ve read: 1!!!

Books: THE FALSE PRINCE, AN ECHO IN THE BONE, and JUST ONE DAY

Thursday

Number of books I’ve read today: OMG I started JUST ONE DAY and I am IN LOVE. Still listening to AN ECHO IN THE BONE. Guys? About the Outlander books: Young Ian Murray is one of my favorite characters in this series.

Total number of books I’ve read: One and a half. And I’m closer to the end of AN ECHO IN THE BONE than I realized. I listen to about an hour every day, and I have about two hours left.

Books: JUST ONE DAY, AN ECHO IN THE BONE

Friday

Number of books I’ve read today: I am SOCLOSE to the end of JUST ONE DAY, but am exhausted. I have about 15 chapters to go. And, as usual, listening to AEitB.

Total number of books I’ve read: Still only finished 1, but I’m very close to finishing another.

Books: JUST ONE DAY, AN ECHO IN THE BONE

Saturday

Number of books I’ve read today: I FINISHED JUST ONE DAY. It was amazing/wonderful/emotional/lovely. Started STEALING PARKER, and am about 60 pages in and still reading. No audio today.

Total number of books I’ve read: 2! Huzzah!

Books: JUST ONE DAY, STEALING PARKER

Sunday

Number of books I’ve read today:

Total number of books I’ve read:

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, January 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th 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 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books 6.0 team

Filed Under: 2013 Reading Challenge Tagged With: ,