August Wrap Up

August saw a LOT of reading activity from me.  I read 51 books in August!  Woot woot!  Reading party!

To be fair, however, 44 of those were volumes of manga, which are easy to get through quickly.  I had a manga marathon this month, and I loved it.

I also did 2 read-a-thons this month, #AYearAThon and Bout of Books.  I love being able to set aside weeks at a time to devote to reading.  Even though it seems like those are often my busiest weeks, I feel so encouraged by everyone else reading that I end up staying up until the sun comes up with my nose in a book.

I started out my month with the middlegrade themed #AYearAThon.  I finished three books during that week: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket, Coraline: A Graphic Novel by Neil Gaiman with art by P. Craig Russell, Sabriel by Garth Nix, Boy by Roald Dahl, A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer and The Giver by Lois Lowry.  I've actually done a wrap-up post on those books, so you can check that out if you want to see my thoughts on them.

In between the two read-a-thons, I read Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, vol. 4-9, by CLAMP.

Going into Bout of Books, I decided my first order of business was to finish that manga series.  So, on Monday and Tuesday, I read Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, vol. 10-28. I wrote a review on the entire series, so be sure to check that out if you're interested in this manga.

After that, I started and completed the manhwa My Boyfriend is a Vampire, by Han Yu-Rang, reading all 14 volumes.  It was light and fun.  Definitely not something deep or thoughtful, but more like a snack.  I gave it 2.5 stars.

That was all I was able to finish during Bout of Books because I actually went away for a church conference toward the end of it.

On the way back to Guam, however, I read the entire xxxHolic series, by CLAMP.  This is a manga series that ties in to Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, and reading both of them actually gives the whole story.  I really enjoyed this manga, not only because it's so closely related to Tsubasa, but also as a stand-alone.  The main character, Watanuki, is wonderfully written.  He starts out being foolish, but as the story progresses and he meets new people and forms solid relationships, he grows up and changes.

The only squabble I have with this manga is the ending.  I felt like his most important relationship didn't get the ending or prominence that it should have, even though it had been built up throughout the entire series.

I gave this series 3.5 stars.

So, that's all I read for the month of August.  A whole lot of manga.  Sometimes I just need to take a break from mentally heavy reads and read something easier.

What did you read this month?  Can you give me any manga recommendations because I'd love to discover new series?  Leave some in the comments below!

God bless!

Review: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE by CLAMP

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE by CLAMP
Complete Series Review
Del Rey
Manga
Midtown Comics; Goodreads

Sakura and Syaoran return! But they're not the people you know. Sakura is the princess of Clow--and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father's life. They reside in an alternate reality...where whatever you least expect can happen--and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered--which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds--all in the name of saving Sakura.

Bout of Books Midway Update

Are we seriously on day 4 of Bout of Books?!  That happened so quickly.

How is everyone's readathon going?  Are you on par for the goals you have set?  Have you read any books that you absolutely loved?

The most important thing to remember is that this is NOT a competition.  Don't look at other people's progress and feel like a failure.  If you are reading, you are winning.

We all have different lives, different demands on our days.  And we all have different attention spans.  Not everyone can do a 3-hour reading sprint.  And that's ok.

This week isn't about numbers.  It's just about enjoying your reading and connecting with other people around the world who love words just as much as you do.

So, with that being said, here is my progress so far:

Monday

Books Read: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, vol. 10-14 by C.L.A.M.P.
Pages Read: 759
Hours Spent Reading: 2
Challenges Completed: Playlist Challenge and Scavenger Hunt Challenge (on Twitter)

Tuesday

Books Read: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronlices, vol. 15-28 by C.L.A.M.P.
Pages Read: 2,691
Hours Spent Reading: 6.45
Challenges Completed: Book Spine Poetry

Wednesday

Books Read: Siddartha by Herman Hesse; My Boyfriend is a Vampire, vol. 1-12 by Han Yu-Rang
Pages Read: 1,960
Hours Spent Reading: 4.5
Challenges Completed: None

Because I am busy preparing to leave Guam on Saturday, I don't have as much (or energy) to devote to reading as I normally do.  My solution to that has been to read a lot of manga and manhwa.  They are fast-paced, entertaining, and gorgeous to look at.

I had started Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles before Bout of Books started, and I finally finished it on Tuesday.  And...wow.  I can't even describe to you how I feel about this manga.  I understand why people say it's one of the most complicated mangas out there, but I still really enjoyed it.  I will write a full review of it as soon as I have my mind wrapped fully around everything that happened.

After finishing that series, I started Siddartha, one of my favorites, because I am leading a book club discussion on it in September.  It's been some years since I've read it, and I have so enjoyed rereading it.

However, with having to sort out all the details of my trip, as well as taking care of things here before I leave, my brain is exhausted.  So, I put Siddhartha down last night, but I still wanted to read.

I decided to try out My Boyfriend is a Vampire, a manhwa (Korean comic) that I've heard a lot about.  Fast forward to me three hours later, almost finishing the series.  It's not a deep comic at all, and it has all the predictable love triangles and complications that are popular in mangas and manhwas.  But the art is gorgeous, and the characters are entertaining so I just flew through it.

I have really been enjoying this Bout of Books.  I never devote so much time to reading comics, and I am loving pouring over the pictures and being able to just relax.

Also, a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in my One True Pairing giveaway!  Reading all of your entries made me so happy.  There were so many couples that I was unfamiliar with and many surprising entrants.  Like, did you know that Lupin and Hermione are a pairing?  I was not aware of this.

I've been able to connect with a lot of awesome people this week, as well, and that is really what Bout of Books is about for me.  I read all the time, but being able to read people's tweets and blog posts and even chat about our favorite books and characters is what makes this week so special.

So, I hope that you are having an awesome Bout of Books!  Don't be too hard on yourself if you're not reading as much as you'd like to.  Reading should never be a task or a burden (unless it's for university).

Please tell me all about what you've read this week and how you're feeling!  I truly want to know!  Leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter.

Happy reading!

Bout of Books Book Spine Poetry Challenge

Besides my OTP challenge, the other giveaway for day 2 of Bout of Books is to create some book spine poetry.  This challenge is being hosted by Alysia over at My Little Pocketbooks.

So, here is my book spine poetry!

When skeptics ask,

boy,

speak.

Man's search for meaning

is clouded with

fear and trembling.

Did you write some beautiful book spine poetry?  Link me up in the comments!

Happy reading!

Bout of Books One True Pairing Giveaway! - CLOSED

It is officially day 2 of Bout of Books!  How is everybody feeling?  Are you making good reading progress so far?

I'm having a great readathon, but I think it's time for a break, so why don't we do a bit of challenge?

Being a reader who gets very (maybe even overly) attached and invested in characters, one thing I love to discuss with other readers is their OTP, or one true pairing.

A person's OTP is the couple that they love the most and ship the hardest.  This is regardless of gender and whether or not the couple is actually canon.  In fact, some of the most popular pairings are those that aren't actually together in their story.  Which is beyond frustrating, am I right?  (Drarry!)

For this challenge, I want to hear all about your favorite literary OTP.  Tell me why you ship them.  Tell me how perfect they are for each other.  Vent about how frustrating it is that the author paired them with other people.  Give me proof about why they are actually canon, but nobody knows.  I want to hear it all.

Share your thoughts in a comment on this blog, a blog post, a tweet, on Facebook, etc, and then put the link into the Rafflecopter below.

Of course, you have to be participating in Bout of Books 11, so don't forget to give me your sign-up name and number from the original sign-up post.  You can also gain an extra entry for following me on Twitter.

Here is an example of what I look forward to seeing:

My OTP is Syaoron and Sakura from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, a manga by C.L.A.M.P.  I cannot contain my feels when it comes to them.  Their story is so sad, but that's what makes it beautiful to me.  

If you have never read this manga or watched the anime, it's about two teens, a princess and an archeologist in her kingdom, who were childhood friends and are in love with each other.  However, Sakura, the princess, loses all of her memories one night, and they are scattered to other dimensions.  Syaoron, the boy, decides to search them all out and return them, but in exchange for the power to travel to other dimensions, he must give up all the memories she ever had of him.  (This is a very simple synopsis.  It's actually a very complicated plot.)

I am grateful that they aren't a case of insta-love but, rather, a deep friendship that turned into love.  They encourage, support, and protect each other.  Even though they are on a difficult and dangerous journey together, they are strong for the other person.

And Syaoron...oh Syaoron.  He gives up so much for Sakura, all while concealing the pain of her forgetting him.  I can't handle the tragedy of it all.

Your entry doesn't have to be as verbose as that, especially if you are entering on Twitter.  I just have a lot of feelings concerning this couple.  However, you can also say a lot more than that.  It's up to you.

This giveaway is open internationally, and the winner will receive $25 for The Book Depository!  

I can't wait to read all of your entries.

Happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bout of Books Playlist Challenge

I really love this challenge for day one of Bout of Books.

Lulo Fangirl asked participants to make a 5-song playlist for any of the books they will be reading during this Bout of Books.

Because I am doing a Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles marathon as I work to finish the series, I decided to make a playlist for this manga by C.L.A.M.P. This is actually a pretty depressing playlist since the manga is really tragic.

 

Track One - "Dressed in Black" by Sia

Track Two - "Window" by G Dragon

Track Three - "First Love" by Utada

Track Four - "Elephants" by Rachael Yamagata

Track Five - "Looking In" by Mariah Carey

What songs are on your book playlist? Tell me in the comments below.

Happy reading!

Bout of Books 11 Goals and Progress Spreadsheet

Bout of Books 11 commences in 3 days!  I'm so excited for it!

When it comes to reading and read-a-thons, goal planning is difficult for me.  By that I mean that I find it a challenge to be realistic about what I will be able to achieve.  I often think that I have more time than I actually do and, therefore, fail to meet the quota I set for myself.

This upcoming week is going to be especially unpredictable because I am flying to Hawaii on the 23rd, so I'm not sure how much reading will get done the last few days of the read-a-thon.  I expect to get a good amount done on the plane, but after I land I may be insanely busy.

With that in mind, I am setting these goals without any sense of urgency.  I will not stress myself out while I am supposed to be on vacation/at a conference.  This will be a very laid back Bout of Books for this reader.

The TBR pile I've put together for myself is varied (to keep me from getting antsy) and is mostly composed of books I need to finish.

Books or series I would like to finish are:

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles vol. 10-28 by C.L.A.M.P.
Old New York by Edith Wharton
These are the Generations by Eric Foley
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Books I'd like to start and finish include:

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (a reread)
Demian by Herman Hesse
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (also a reread)
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Of course, there is no way I'm going to finish all of these.  If you know anything about my TBR list policy, you know that I like to make a short list of books to choose from, but I'm not strict about it by any means.

In order to keep track of my reading progress, I have made a spreadsheet.  It's divided by days, and it tabulates pages read, books finished, and hours spent reading.  If you would like to use it, you can download it from my Dropbox.

If you are participating in this Bout of Books, please tell me what your goals are and what books you'll be reading in the comments below!

Have a great reading week!