Sunday 30 August 2015

August wrap - up

I can't believe summer is officially over, but the cozy months are up on us, that's why I won't complain. I'm autumn kid through my bones and love to read at colder months even more. Just imagine warm cup of coffee, woollen blanket and amazing book..pretty picture, right ?
But first, before we get in to September tbr, I should do my August wrap-up. And I have to say, that this month was the best reading month this summer, because I managed to read 8 books. 

I've started August by finishing "The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights"  by Cameron Dokey. One word to describe this book: BORING. I felt like I was reading a textbook. No wonder I gave it just 2 stars out of 5.

Next on my list was "The Devil's Star" by Jo Nesbo. I quite liked what I've read, however it was hard to get in to it and at some points I almost had to force myself to read this book. I think it could have bin a little bit shorter. I gave it 3 stars out of 5

After reading a crime story, I was craving for something light and cute, so I chose "Angels" by Marian Keyes. And I was very disappointed. The main character drove me crazy, the story line was far from cute. I gave it 2 stars out of 5. 

And then the "Bout of books 14" readathon started. During it I read 3 books. Firstly, I've read "The Old Man and the Sea"  by Ernest Hemingway. It was a re-read for me,  and, as I remember, I liked it better the first time I've read it. But now it didn't have that factor, which kept me reading it from first page to the last one. Actually this time I forced my self to read it, maybe because I already knew the story. I gave it 3 stars out of 5. 

The same day I've started "Looking for Alaska" by John Green. That one was a surprise to me, I didn't expect much from it, but I loved it. The story was sad, but cute at the same time, main characters were interesting and diverse and I gave it 5 stars out of 5. 

And the last one that week was the first book of "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. I really liked that, because I like that time period and all those intrigues fascinated me. Off course there were few parts that felt a little bit boring (war scenes), but it wasn't big problem to me, so I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

After the readathon ended I felt a little bit burned out of reading, but still managed to read two more books. One of them was children book in Norwegian. As I'm trying to learn this language, I thought, that reading books in Norwegian will help me. And it actually did. That books is "Spøkelses hotellet" by Arne Svingen. I really liked it, however, as it is new language to me, there parts that was hard to understand. I gave it 3 stars out of 5. 

And the last one this month was the second book of "War and Peace". It's a continuation of the first one and I liked it just as much. I gave it 4 stars out of 5.


Saturday 22 August 2015

Bout of books 14: Road Trip Challenge

I can't believe how fast this week flew away! And why not finish it with a bang...By "bang", I mean, doing another challenge, created by Stephanie from "Steph in Wonderland". 
Today's task is to show 4-5 books, that take place in states or countries you would like to visit. My pick are:


 "The Sound" by Sarah Alderson, takes place in Nantucket island, Massachusetts. 
















"War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, takes places in Russia.


















"The Butterfly Cabinet" by Bernie McGill, takes place in Ireland

















"Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor, takes place in Prague, Czech Republic. 

















That's it for today...Happy reading :)

Thursday 20 August 2015

Bout of Books 14: Four Seasons in Book Covers Challange

Another day of Bout of Books readathon, another challenge. This time we have to show our books, that represents certain time of the year. For me the hardest one to find was spring, but maybe just begin with colder time:

Winter  - "The Quarry" by Johan Theorin. This one is obvious, I think. Little cabin in the woods, covered with snow.



Spring -  "Remember Me ?" by Sophie Kinsella. I chose this book, because its cover reminds me of Valentine's day also all those hearts and flowers just screams "spring" to me.


Summer -  "The Distant Hour" by Kate Morton. I think, I don't have to explain why I chose this one. Doesn't this picture look like summer garden ?


Autumn -  "Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror" by Chris Priestley. Ravens, tree without leaves, dark colors..Halloween!



That's it for now...Happy reading :)

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Bout of Books 14: Book Scavenger Hunt Challenge

Firstly massive thanks to the host of this amazing challenge and opportunity to win a book. And now lets get on with it:
1. A book that begins with "B" (for Bout of Books!):


 Bird Box by Josh Malerman











2. A book you planning to read/currently reading for Bout of Books:


Looking for Alaska by John Green











3. Blue book(s):


The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
Room by Emma Donoghue
Angels by Marian Keyes









4. Books from your favorite genre:

My favorite genre is Horror/Mystery. Some of the examples are:

The Shining by Stephen King
Doctor sleep also by Stephen King
The Dark by James Herbert
The Green Mile by Stephen King
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson





5. A book on your TBR shelf, or your full TBR shelves.


I won't list all of the books from this shelf, because it's too much of them.. 

Monday 17 August 2015

Bout of books 14: Fictional World Travel Challenge

Currently I live in Norway, so this location is out of reach :) 

I chose books with an actual countries, that you can find on the map right now. They just vary from historical period to nowadays. 

1. The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill, book location Ireland.

2. The Quarry by Johan Theorin, book location Swedish island Oland.

3. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, book location England.

4. The list of my desires by Gregoire Delacourt, book location France.

5. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, book location Russia.

6. Daughter of Smoke and Bones by Laini Taylor, book location Czech Republic. 


That's it for now :) Happy bout of books readathon!!!


Saturday 15 August 2015

Bout of books 14 readathon

It is that time of the year again. Time for bout of books readathon which will last from August 17 until August 22. And I'm definitely participating in it :) I don't know if I will be able to do all the challenges (because there will be some), that creators of this readathon organized, but... I will try to reach my own goals:


a) I'll try to accomplish 4 parts of my yearly       reading challenge, by reading 4 particular books.

b) I will try to read as much as possible and also have fun by doing that, because that is the main point of Bout of books readathon. 

c) Everyday I will try to do an update about my reading progress and maybe do some creative challenges here.  


I'm planning to start my reading week, with accomplishing "read a Pulitzer- prize winning book" challenge. For that one I chose to read: 

Title: The Old man and the sea
Author:Ernest Hemingway
Pages: 95
Cover: Paperback
Published: 2007 by Žaltvykslė
Edition language: lithuanian

This is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal - a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss.

Hemingway's story will take only few hours to read maximum, because it is so short. That's why on the same day I'm thinking to start another book, which will fit to "read a popular author's first book" challenge:
Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Pages: 272
Cover: Paperback
Published: 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers
Edition language: english 

Miles Halter's whole life has been one big non - event, until he meets Alaska Young. 
Gorgeous, clever and undoubtedly screwed up. Alaska draws Miles into her reckless world and irrevocably steals his heart. For Miles, nothing can ever be the same again.

I don't expect to get much from this book, but at least it will help my brains to relax between reading classic books that I've chosen this week. And that bring us to another reading challenges " a book your dad or mum loves" and "a book with antonyms in the title": 

Title: War and Peace
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Pages (book 1): 480
Pages (book 2): 480
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 2010 by Obuolys
Edition language: lithuanian

Tolstoy's epic masterpiece intertwines the lives of private and public individuals during the time of the Napoleonic wars and the French invasion of Russia. The fortunes of the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys, of Pierre, Natasha, and Andrei, are intimately connected with the national history that is played out in parallel with their lives. Balls and soirees alternate with councils of war and the machinations of statesmen and generals, scenes of violent battles with everyday human passions in a work whose extraordinary imaginative power has never been surpassed.  
The prodigious cast of characters, seem to act and move as if connected by threads of destiny as the novel relentlessly questions ideas of free will, fate, and providence. Yet Tolstoy's portrayal of marital relations and scenes of domesticity is as truthful and poignant as the grand themes that underline them.

And if I read something else I will write it in my updates.

That's it for now...Happy reading :)

Friday 7 August 2015

July monthly wrap - up and August tbr

Well hello everybody :) I know I'm so late with this post, but sometimes life gets in a way. The same goes and with a reading. I confess, that my July tbr was too ambitious and I choose to many books.

Books I've read: 3
Pages in total: 1640

All of those three books belong to a worst trilogy I have ever read. And this series, written by E. L. James,  consists of:

  1. Fifty shades of Grey 
  2. Fifty shades darker
  3. Fifty shades freed
I don't have much to other than I was cringing the all time. The main female protagonist was absolutely childish and ridiculous. That lip biting and blushing from everything, and I mean everything, made me almost mad.  And I don't even have words about that "inner goddess" thing....what the hell was that ?! At first I even tried to count how many times she bites her lip while blushing and thinking about her inner goddess, but I lost the count in the middle of a first book. 
And what can I say about Grey... well that dude need serious mental help.
Also writing style was less than mediocre, and the story line was meh... so I gave this trilogy only 2 stars out of 5.

After that I got into a reading slump, I started other books, but couldn't finish them in time. So I will finish them next month. And that bring us to the August tbr. As you know I planned to read 6 books in July, but that didn't happened. So I will read remaining three this month and those books are: 

  1. The storyteller's daughter: a retelling of the Arabian nights, by Cameron Dokey
  2. The Devil's star,  by Jo Nesbo
  3. Angels, by Marian Keyes
I'm thinking, that I will be able to read them in the beginning of a month, and only then I will choose what to read next. By the way this month will be a "Bout of books readathon" and I will try to participate in it. I will do separate tbr for it later on.