Borrow-A-Thon Wrap Up!

Hello everyone!

I recently participated in the Borrow-A-Thon readathon from March 19 - 26th. I actually was pretty successful considering I work full time, am in grad school part time, had my parents staying with me, and two bridal functions all in the same week!

The challenges were:

1.  a book you would like to purchase
2. a graphic novel
3. an author you've never read before
4. a book that has been recommended
5. a book that's cover has your favorite color
6. a book that features a library

While I tried to select more books to complete these challenges (the more, the better, right!?), I figured I would only get through three. And since there was overlap, I technically completed EVERY challenge but one! :)

I started and completed the books below and in order. Under each, I will give my thoughts, when I read each, and what challenge/s they fulfilled. 

 This book fulfilled challenge #6 - Featured a library! It was a short book and had pictures. It was only 96 pages and I finished it during the first day's sprints. While this is a strange book, I was so intrigued and wanted to see what happened next. It was a very easy and fast read. It was different from anything else I had ever read before so I appreciated that. I would gave this book 4 stars.

The second book I read - the very same day, was Saga, Volume One. This fulfilled challenge #2 and was 160 pages. I LOVED every second of it. I have tried a few graphic novels in the past but this was the first to grab my attention and keep me 100% invested. I loved the character, the story development, the variety of stories being told, the art, etc. I already have the next volume waiting for me at the library. I can't wait to see what happens next. I was waiting to find a graphic novel that captured my attention and this one was it! I love it so so so much! I will read all of them! I gave it 5 stars!

I read this book third and started it on the second day but did not finish it until March 26th! It was only 173 pages. This book technically fulfilled every other challenge, but #5, having my favorite color. It actually helped me complete #'s 1, 3, and 4. It was a book I have been wanting to purchase but had not found at a reasonable price. It was an author that I had never read before, as well as, a book that had been recommended to me by so so many on the BookTube! :) I liked it... It actually reminded me of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I may have liked this one more. It held my attention more in the beginning than in the end, which is strange. But, I liked hearing about the worlds where everyone came from. I think the second book will be better than the first but it will be interesting to see which direction they take the story. I liked it but did not love it. I would give it 3.5 stars.

This was the only book I did not read and the challenge I did not complete was #5 - favorite color on the cover. I almost started it the last day but knew I could not complete it so I continued with the previous book I was reading before the readathon started (The Raven Boys).

SUMMARY:  I borrowed every book from my local library. Overall, I only read 4 days of the readathon but read a total of 429 pages and my average rating was 4.16 stars. I completed 5 of the 6 challenges but only read 3 books. I am pretty happy with my results, seeing as I had so much going on that week! 

Thank you so much to the hosts of the readathon and thank you for always making those sprints fun! You can find the hosts on YouTube and Twitter. Details below. 

The next Borrow-A-Thon is from November 5 - 12, 2017. Details will be available in the future here: https://twitter.com/BorrowAThon 

HOSTS:

+ObbsandLala - YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/booksandlala

@rmrickfack - YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rmfickfack (creator of the challenge)

@mrh0691 - YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7mHzg6HxBdRewfZN4GicMA

Optimists Die First - Book Review!

Optimists Die First -- By: Susin Nielsen

I recently read this book and did not have any expectations going into it, as I am more into YA fantasy, rather than contemporary but I LOVED IT! There have been several YA contemporary books that while others absolutely loved, I did not feel the same about. I sometimes think it's because I am older and see life differently now. Perhaps though, it was just the specific books because this one, I absolutely adored. I loved the characters and thought they were a good mix of quirky, nerdy, sweet, realistic, and funny. There were quite a few quotes that I highlighted in my e-book that really got me thinking. I truly believe everyone has a story and our experiences shape who we are today. This book highlights a few young adults that have gone through traumatic events that have altered their life in some way. It has affected how they live and they are all trying to work through it. Oddly enough, as I was reading it, I was smiling.... and happy. When I told my boyfriend what the story was about, he told me it sounded so dark, depressing, and tragic. I guess saying it out loud did make it seem that way, but the story overall is uplifting and hopeful. I don't know much about specific mental health issues so I am not sure if the author portrayed the mental health aspect of it correctly but because there is a spectrum, I thought it was done well. I read this book in two sittings and really enjoyed it!  I highly recommend it for a quick read! 

When I finished the book, I tweeted about it and the author tweeted back - which is always a nice touch! Leave a comment below if you plan on reading it!

Til next time.... 

~Corinna