A-Z Book Challenge Update

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Here is the quarterly update on my A-Z Book Challenge. I would say that I'm doing pretty well. We're halfway through the year and I've read 13 out of 26 books. Right on track. Haha.

A: Asunder by Jodi Meadows Review

B: Beastly by Alex Flinn Review
C:
D:
E: Endless Knight by Kresley Cole Review
F: Frostbite by Richelle Mead Review
G:
H: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Review
I: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch Review
J:
K:
L:
M: Monsters Of Men by Patrick Ness Review
N: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken Review
O: Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan Review
P: 
Q:
R: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier Review
S: Something Strange And Deadly by Susan Dennard Review
T: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith Review
U:
V:
W: Winger by Andrew Smith Review
X:
Y:
Z:

21st Birthday Book Haul

The Harry Potter box set is so beautiful!!! Quite a few versions have been released in recent years and the particular one I've gotten is in celebration for the 15th anniversary.

Part of my ever growing book shelf.

I really appreciate the books that I've been gifted by my brother and cousins. These books mean a lot to me, especially The Lord Of The Rings as it is the series that I grew up with. I remember during my primary school days, my family would set aside Saturday as movie night and we would watch The Lord Of The Rings. My dad would set up the projector and speakers so that we can pretend like we're in a cinema. And since its a very long movie, I think we actually took a few months to watch. That's one of my favourite childhood memory ever.

This Or That Book Tag

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1. Audio or book in hand?

Book in hand, definitely. I've never tried listening to a book before actually. I cannot imagine doing that because I'm sure I won't be able to comprehend anything and that it will just go in through one ear and out the other.

2. Soft cover or hardback?

No preference. Although I must say that whenever I'm reading books with soft covers, I find myself having to tilt the book in all sorts of angles when I'm trying to read those words that are near the spine. I cannot stand having cracks in the spine of my books.

3. Fiction or non-fiction?

Most of the time fiction. I usually only read non-fiction when it is about children with special needs.

4. Fantasy world or real life issues?

This is so difficult. It really depends on my mood. But I find that most of the books in the fantasy genre do touch on issues relating to the real world to a certain extent.

5. Harry Potter or Twilight?

To be honest, I've never read any of those two series.

6. Kindle, I-Pad, or other?

I would much prefer being able to read the physical copy of the book. Otherwise it would be an I-Pad.

7. Borrow or buy?

Borrow. I don't really buy books because I find that it is not worth my money since I usually get rid of them pretty soon when (a) the spine is cracked or (b) there are folds in the book or (c) the pages turn yellow.

8. Bookstore or online?

I don't really buy books but when I do I will buy from a bookstore. I like to make sure that the copy of the book I'm buying is in tip-top condition and that there is no price tag sticking anywhere on the book.

9. Tell me one time or total trilogy?

Ooh. Another difficult question. I don't really have an answer because I haven't read that many standalone. Most of the books I read are either in a trilogy or a series.

10. Monster read or short and sweet?

What is the definition of a monster read even? The books I read are usually about 400-500 pages long.

11. Starry eyed romance or full of action?

It really depends on my mood. But I like books that have a good mixture of both.

12. Curl up in your snuggie or bathe in the sun?

Curl up in a snuggie. Why would I be reading in the sun when I could be doing some kind of sport?

13. Hot chocolate or latte?

Can I choose tea instead? I don't want hot chocolate or latte especially since I don't really drink milk.

14. Read the review or decide for yourself?

I will read the review but how I rate the book will ultimately depend on how I feel after reading it.

A-Z Book Challenge

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In January, I typed out a post about my New Years Resolution for the year 2014. In that post, I mentioned that I wanted to read more books. So some time in February, I set myself the specific goal of reading 70 books by the end of the year. I've now decided to take on another challenge called the A-Z Book Challenge.

What this means is that for each letter, I need to read a book which has a title that starts with that particular letter. There is no order to follow for the letter sequence as long as every one is being covered. I'm not sure if there are any rules to it but I'm pretty sure that whilst books can be from the same author, they cannot be from the same series. I think I might have some difficulties with certain letters especially those at the back. These are what I have read so far and I will post updates for this challenge on a quarterly basis.

A: Asunder by Jodi Meadows Review

B: Beastly by Alex Flinn Review
C:
D:
E: Endless Knight by Kresley Cole Review
F: Frostbite by Richelle Mead Review
G:
H:
I: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch Review
J:
K:
L:
M: Monsters Of Men by Patrick Ness Review
N: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken Review
O:
P: 
Q:
R:
S: 
T: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith Review
U:
V:
W: Winger by Andrew Smith Review
X:
Y:
Z:

Jim Weiss

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to be a part of something amazing. I volunteered for Jim Weiss' storytelling event and got to listen to him tell wonderful stories for FREE! I love reading books, so being able to hear someone tell a story so animatedly is just haven. I've thoroughly enjoyed the two-hour session and I'm so thankful.

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Look at the crowd! It's practically full house. Throughout the whole session, the children were all very engaged. They responded to his questions, laughed at all the funny parts, and got a little frustrated when he kept tricking them. Everybody can tell stories, but not many can tell in such captivating manner. From the session, I can tell that Jim Weiss is very passionate and believes in what he is doing. It shows through his storytelling. And the thing is, he is already 65 years old! Where does he get all his energy from to deal with young children? Haha.

To thank the volunteers, he even gave us a copy of his CD for free (when it actually costs $20 per piece) and signed it. Oh my gosh! We got the chance to talk to him for a while. He and his wife are just the sweetest people on Earth. 

This particular disc contains nine stories: The Three Billy Goat Gruff, The Lion & The Mouse, The Tortoise & The Hare, The Crow & The Pitcher, City mouse & Country Mouse, Giggly Biggly And The Invitation (original story), Goat Gets Away, The Cat Who Went To Church, and Chanticleer The Rooster. I've listened to the whole disc once and can't wait to hear it again. It's going to be my bedtime stories from now on. Haha.