Bout of Books 9.0 Read-a-Thon - Wednesday, January 8th

Pages read today: 160 + 72 = 232

Pages read so far: 264 + 232 = 496

Books read today:

160/160 pages (100%) of A Ironia e Sabedoria de Tyrion Lannister (The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister) by George R.R. Martin
72/288 pages (25%) of The Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis

Books read so far:

Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan
A Ironia e Sabedoria de Tyrion Lannister (The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister) by George R.R. Martin
The Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis 

Challenge: Introduce Someone to Your Favorite Genre hosted by Katie @ Doing Dewey

Bout of Books is a great way to interact with new bloggers so I thought it would be a fun chance for us each to introduce other bloggers to a genre we love. For this challenge, pick a book or a few books that you think would make a great introduction to your genre of choice.

I'm going to pick YA, because it's such a underrated genre... really, just because of a few bad apples, there's no need to judge the entire genre as crappy. There are so many good books, too, and for all tastes.

• For the historical fan, there's Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys - it's a fictional account of a teenage girl in Russian labor camps in Siberia, Ruta is a good writer and the story is so touching; or A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee, if you're a fan of mysteries and a little romance as well;
• For the SF fan, there's the Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis - it's the story of a ship bound to explore another world, and the shenanigans that happen when that mission goes wrong... reading the books if felt as if Beth is a huge SF fan, and I think she used some tropes and main concerns of the genre when writing the story;
• For the contemporary fan, I'm going to pick The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot, or anything by her, really - she has a great sense of humor, she writes believable characters, and she captures the awkwardness of teen years in such a cute and funny way;
• For the Steampunk or alternate history fan who doesn't mind picking up a book that reads slightly younger than YA, I'd recommend Scott Westerfeld and the Leviathan trilogy - great books, his imagination is astounding, and it was so much fun reading Deryn and Alek's story;
• For the paranomal/urban fantasy fan, the Soul Screamers books by Rachel Vincent - she's such a good writer, she comes up with the most awesome concepts, she does family and emotional scenes so well, and Kaylee is one of the most brave, loyal heroines you'll ever meet; oh, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - because her writing is so beautiful and her stories so tragic; and Forsaken by Jana Oliver, btw, because Riley is such a good, badass heroine, and really, Demon Hunters in a slightly dystopian/post-apocalyptic future, need I say more?;
• For the fantasy fan who doesn't mind a different setting, I'd go with The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, which has an interesting setting and a different type of heroine, who manages to overcome her weaknesses to save her country; or The Assassin's Curse, with a grumpy heroine and such a fun, quirky world.

And that's it for suggestions. I could be writing here all day.

Colecção Super-Heróis DC Comics Série II - Volumes 4 e 5

Universo DC: Justiça 1, Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, Doug Braithwaite
Universo DC: Justiça 2, Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, Doug Braithwaite

Vale a pena ler estes dois livros nem que seja pelo trabalho extraordinário do Alex Ross. Já tenho visto ilustrações dele por aí, mas nunca tive oportunidade de ler um livro ou um comic que tivesse o trabalho dele. E é tão bom observar minuciosamente página a página, para poder apreciar a sua arte. Ao que sei, não é um tipo de arte muito comum entre os artistas de comics, pois calculo que o trabalho investido neste tipo de coisa não se coaduna com o ritmo de publicação nos EUA... mas a mim não me causou qualquer estranheza, pelo contrário.

De certo modo, a maneira hiper-realista de Alex Ross de pintar os personagens, super-heróis e vilões fá-los parecer mais humanos (bem, talvez não o Brainiac), mais próximos de nós. É muito absorvente e permitiu-me perder na história. De todos os personagens aquele que mais gostei de ver desenhado é a Zatanna, uma heroína que não conhecia praticamente de lado nenhum, mas que tinha uma cara vulnerável, jovem, e que quase parecia familiar, de algum modo. E adorei ver o momento em que os heróis ganham novas armaduras, as armaduras metálicas. Visualmente é muito interessante e diverti-me a identificar os personagens.

Em termos de história, devo dizer que saí algo desapontada. Com a premissa de "os vilões estão a curar doenças, a resolver a fome, e a questionar o mundo porque é que os super-heróis não o fazem", achei que o livro ia ter uma vertente mais filosófica e abordar mesmo esta questão, mas é rapidamente abandonada, em favor de termos na primeira parte da história os super-heróis principais da DC a serem separados e "derrotados", e depois na segunda parte eles voltam a juntar-se para distribuir porrada aos vilões.

É uma aventura típica de banda desenhada, mas não acrescenta nada ao papel do super-herói num universo em que seres muito poderosos caminham entre os meros humanos frágeis e mortais. Em termos de desenvolvimento da história, até achei curiosa a maneira que os vilões encontraram para derrotar os heróis, mas depois ao longo do enredo vão acontecendo revelações, especialmente sobre o plano dos vilões, que podiam ter sido melhor trabalhadas.

Por outro lado, gostei imenso de algumas das histórias individuais dos heróis. A da Diana/Mulher-Maravilha deixou-me mesmo preocupada com o seu destino. A do Lanterna Verde também, pela questão de ele ficar preso num universo fruto da sua própria imaginação. Gostei de ver o Arqueiro Verde e a Canário Negro juntos como casal, conheci ambos os personagens em separado, e por isso acho piada a ver a sua dinâmica de casal.

Em suma, como disse, não é uma história fabulosa que dê que pensar, mas uma história ainda assim satisfatória, e voltando a dizê-lo pela milionésima vez, vale a pena, nem que seja pelo trabalho do Alex Ross.

Bout of Books 9.0 Read-a-Thon - Tuesday, January 7th

Pages read today: 160

Pages read so far: 104 + 160 = 264

Books read today:

160/160 pages (100%) of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan

Books read so far:

Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan

Challenge: Reading Tactics List hosted by Sarah @ Sarah Says Read

How do you fit in as much reading as possible during Bout of Books? How do you squeeze in those extra pages?

Well, this is an atypical week, because I'm not working, but basically I try to stay away from the internet, it's a huuuge time sucker. On regular weeks, I try to read everywhere I can, on public transports to work, on lunch break, while in line at the post office or the supermarket or something... and in bed, of course, before falling asleep. However, these are also tactics I use everyday, not just during Bout of Books, so they're not specific to BoB.

Challenge: Cast your Book hosted by Felicia S. @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

If you were listening to the book being acted out over the radio waves who would you want being the voices of your favorite characters!

• Pick your favorite book
• Cast your “radio” show
• Follow the Rafflecopter Rules Below

I'm not really good at fantasy casting... but I'm going to pick Pride and Prejudice (I really love that book), and Matthew MacFadyen to read the whole thing. I mean, have you heard his reading of a certain chapter in P&P? (Here and here. You Tube links. You're welcome.)

Bout of Books 9.0 Read-a-Thon - Monday, January 6th

Pages read today: 104

Pages read so far: 104

Books read today:

104/104 pages (100%) of Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Books read so far:

Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Challenge: Book Buying Spree hosted by Rachella @ Bookish Comforts

Imagine if you will: you’ve just received some FANTASTIC news! You have won a $100 book buying spree! Now comes the hard part though: what books will you buy?! For this challenge, you’ll be creating your book buying spree wishlist, and sharing it in the comments.

Oh, this is almost too easy. I just did an order with the Book Depository, so I won't be able to use any of my wishlist books that already came out... but I can make a list with pre-orders, because I am following so many series and authors, and in the next few months, a few new books by favourites are being released:

(Please click the image to get a better look.) And I was pretty close to the 100 dollars limit! :D

Challenge: Mad Libs hosted by Cheap Thrills

1. I give a list of words I need from you: noun, verb, adjective, etc.
2. You pick words from book titles. (Share title and author so we can learn about new books!)
3. Use those words to complete a short story.

Here’s the list:

character name – ex: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan
adjective1 – ex: Terminal Freeze, by Lincoln Child
adjective2 – ex: White Horse, by Alex Adams
item – ex: The Romanov Cross, by Robert Masello
occupation – ex: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Robert Crais
act of violence – ex: The Burning Air, by Erin Kelly
adjective3 – ex: City of Dark Magic, by Magnus Flyte
noun1 – ex: The King’s Deception, by Steve Berry
noun2 – ex: The Loch Ness Legacy, by Boyd Morrison

You’ll notice on “act of violence,” I chose a word that wasn’t used that way in the title, even though it could fit. Feel free to get creative!

Got your list? Great!

Here’s the story:

I just read the greatest book!

This guy [Character Name] ends up in the middle of a/an [adjective1] conspiracy. Turns out his/her ancestors were pirates, and he/she might be the key to finding the [Adjective2] [Item]. It’s a mythic artifact that disappeared centuries ago, and now a shadowy group of [occupation]s are looking for it. No one knows what uncovering it might do, but these guys are willing to [act of violence] for it.

I won’t say anything else. But believe me, if you like [adjective3] stories with [noun1](s) and [noun2](s), you have to read this one.

Here's my list:

character name – Dracula by Bram Stoker
adjective1 – Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
adjective2 – Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting
item – The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
occupation – The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
act of violence – Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington
adjective3 – Dark Triumph by Robin La Fevers
noun1 – Blood Red Road by Moira Young

noun2 - The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

Here's my story:

I just read the greatest book!

This guy Dracula ends up in the middle of a brave conspiracy. Turns out his/her ancestors were pirates, and he/she might be the key to finding the Dead Bone. It’s a mythic artifact that disappeared centuries ago, and now a shadowy group of Body Finders are looking for it. No one knows what uncovering it might do, but these guys are willing to Emblaze for it.

I won’t say anything else. But believe me, if you like dark stories with blood and passion, you have to read this one.

Bout of Books 9.0 Read-a-Thon - Starting Post

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

Wow, I haven't done a read-a-thon in a while. I kinda missed it, a lot. You know, all the excitement that goes into getting ready for it - writing this post, thinking about my goals, coming up with a book pile I'd like to explore... I'm glad to be doing it again. The last few months have been hectic for me, so it'll be nice to sit back and just read.

Please consider this my sign up post and my goals post, since I feel like I would be repeating myself, doing separate posts for either.

My goals:

• To read every day, and to read for at least an hour (maybe two hours, but no pressure)
• To enter some challenges, if not all of them
• To update my progress every day, or most likely, every day I enter a challenge
• To try to socialize
• To read at least 3 fiction books, and perhaps a few comic books/manga, or a few short stories/novellas

As for the books I'd like to read, I put together a pile of books I might like to read in the next few days, but as always, I'll probably change my mind, so no pressure to stick to the pile:

• Frigid, Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn
• Just One Day, Gayle Forman
• The Shadowhunter's Codex, Cassandra Clare, Joshua Lewis
• The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister, George R.R. Martin [Portuguese edition]
• Dead Ever After, Charlaine Harris [Portuguese edition]
• JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice [Portuguese edition, this collects a couple more issues, but this seems to be the main story]
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion, Kate Egan

I have an e-book I'd really like to read as well, and that is:

• Bitter Sweet Love, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Yes, I'll probably read two JLA books this week, but with the speed she writes and publishes stuff, one has to really work on being updated with her books, lol... I love them, though. ;)

So, I think that's it. To everyone who is entering the read-a-thon, good luck with your goals, and have fun!