Bout of Books 12!

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 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th 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 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Unfortunately, I won’t truly be able to “call in sick” with my “bout of books.” I came down with a bout of head cold last week that hindered my writing productivity. Also, I have a bunch of impending, time-sensitive web mistress duties. But the readathon goes on!

No Goal! I’m a slow reader; I never liked ’em anyway! I do want to participate in a few challenges and at least one Twitter party–I’ll start building my energy reserves now.

Wrap-Up

Read 400 pages, which isn’t my best readathon number ever, but it’s more than average. Had fun with a few challenges, made it to a twitter chat, added a some new bloggers to my RSS feed. What more can I ask for? Not much, I tell you. Until May, Bout-of-Books-ers!

What Am I Reading?

• Finish Raylan by Elmore Leonard
• Short story: “Midnight Emissions” by F.X. Toole (More like a novella.)
• Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions by Stephen L. Macknik, Susana Martinez-Conde, Sandra Blakeslee
• Maybe I’ll get toThe Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

Updates & Challenges

Literary Quote Challenge, hosted by Gone with the Words

The Synopsis Challenge, hosted by LuLo Fangirl

Abracadabra! Is this your card?

For hundreds of years, magicians have been hacking our brains to confound and amaze us.

Two researchers from Barrow Neurological Institute take a look inside our brains to see how magicians do it and what magic can teach us about how we think.

Top 10 Recommendations, hosted by Trees of Reverie

The Challenge: You’ve just started to work at a bookstore (or library) – what are your top ten go-to book recommendations?

1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
2. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
3. Dune by Frank Herbert
4. Angry Candy by Harlan Ellison
5. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation translated by Seamus Heaney
6. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
7. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
8. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
9. Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear by Jim Steinmeyer
10. How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff

Aside from Dune and How to Lie with Statistics, these are all books I’ve read multiple times. I tried to shoot for a little variety (but mostly ended up dark) and left out books I’d consider “gimmes” like Edgar Allan Poe. I’m terribly bad at recommending books because I’m always slightly apologetic about my tastes. I doubt any bookshop would want me!

Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt, hosted by Caught Read Handed

From the books I own:
1. Find an author with the same initials as you – Kim Newman is the only one!
2. Find a book with the color yellow on it – Luck by Alice Sebold
4. Find a book with a female protagonist – The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl by Tim Pratt – very under-appreciated!
5. Find the longest book you own – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. Find a book with a face on it (photograph or illustrated) – I was nearly finished with Dark Water by Kofi Suzuki before I realized there *was* a face. It remains one of my favorite cover illustrations.