This is the second Esquinca’s anthology that I read and it contains the short story (El contagio) that made me want to buy his books and read more from him.
My preferred stories were Adonde voy siempre es de nocheandEl contagio. I also really liked Manuscrito encontrado en un departamento vacíoandEl gran mal.
In this book, I noticed more obvious recurring themes, especially the protagonist browsing in bookstores of used books. That was very present. Also, the story El gran mal reminded me of Pabellón 27.
Overall, I enjoyed this one more than Los niños de paja. Moreover, I plan to read the next anthology: Mar negro. Although, I want to start the first novel of the Casasola Saga, since detective fiction is one of my favorite genres.
Is it just me or is 2018 going by quickly? I had 3 books I wanted to read for April’s challenge but only managed to finish one Did you like the book(s) you picked?
This month, our genres are:
Matron Lit I was so intrigued by this genre when I first heard of it and I just knew we had to try it for one of our challenges. Books in this genre typically focus on female protagonists between their late 30s to mid 60s. I don’t know about you, but I think these books could be pretty awesome. When was the last time you read a book with a protagonist in this age group?
Matron lit is a very underrated genre, so finding lists and recommendations for this was quite challenging. It’s also sometimes referred to as hen lit (as opposed to chick lit ) or hag lit (rude!) and I’m really looking forward to seeing the books that will be read for this.
Here’s a list I found if you’re looking for ideas: Popular Hen Lit Books on Goodreads. I know it’s not much, but hopefully some of us have read a book that falls under this genre and can recommend it to others!
Flintlock Fantasy I know what you’re thinking. From Matron Lit to this? Yes, my randomness amazes me too. This genre is one I’ve wanted to feature for a looooong time so this month is as good an excuse as any. The term ‘flintlock’ comes from the fact that it’s the typical level of firearms technology the setting has reached. Authors who are well known in this genre include Brian McClellan, Django Wexler, and Brent Weeks. Here’s a handy list of books from Goodreads.
I would love to hear what you’re planning to read for this challenge! I don’t have one for Matron Lit yet but I’m going to tackle the first book in Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage Trilogy for my Flintlock fantasy pick.
Does anyone else feel cheated every time February ends? Like hello, I needed those extra days to finish my current reads. Rude.
But with a new month comes a new challenge so I guess that makes up for it. ;)
For March, our genres are:
Memoir A non-fiction literary genre focusing on memoirs – collections of memories an individual writes about moments or events that took place in the author’s life.
Since started the CMR Challenge I’ve developed a soft spot for memoirs. This is such an underrated genre and I feel like it deserves more love and attention.
Metafiction Goodreads defines this genre as ‘self-conscious fiction’ and it’s so on point that I’m using it. Books in this genre are known for stories that examine the elements of fiction itself.
Here’s a quote from Schmoop that might help make it clearer, “…if the story you’re reading is about, well, writing stories, that’s metafiction. If the book you’re reading acknowledges itself as a book, that’s metafiction. If the author jumps into the action and says, 'Look at me! I’m the author! Watch me write!’ that’s metafiction.”
As always, Goodreads comes through. Here’s their handy lists for these genres:
This month’s challenge celebrates Children’s Literature and Romance.
I was looking into literary holidays and February seems to be the perfect month to read some kid lit. I’m a huge fan of this genre myself and I’m stoked for this month’s challenge.
Have any middle grade books? Been wanting to read Harry Potter? Now’s the time!
February is known as the month of love and it felt wrong not to pick Romance. I have to admit, this is the most challenging genre for me because I’m so picky about my Romance. If it’s too much I cringe, if it’s unconvincing I roll my eyes. Sooo yeah. Wish me luck!
If you need some inspiration for your picks, here are helpful lists from Goodreads:
Did you get any books for Christmas? Have you written down your reading goals? Have you finished your first book of 2018?! (if yes, wowza!) Wherever you are in our bookish universe I hope you’re as excited as I am to explore more genres.
We are kicking off 2018 with two genres we’ve never had on the Colour Me Read Challenge and they are… (drum roll)
Experimental Fiction You’ve probably read a book from this genre without even knowing it. Experimental fiction is known for breaking the boundaries of traditional fiction or mainstream genres in form, technique, content or theme.
Some that come to mind are House of Leaves, The Illuminae Files, Flowers of Algernon, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., Night Film, and The Lover’s Dictionary. Here’s a handy list of books from Goodreads!
Satire Books from this genre are known for exposing and criticizing the foolishness and corruption of an individual/society by using humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule which intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles.
Many well-known books fall into this category and they include Animal Farm, Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-Five, 1984, The Screwtape Letters, Fight Club, and Fahrenheit 451. As always here is a list from Goodreads.
I’m not sure if I already own unread books under experimental fiction, but I do own 1984 so I will start with that for my satire pick of the month.
The goal of this challenge is simple: read the books that have been languishing on your TBR lists. Some of you may have impossibly long TBR lists. Some of you may have a TBR list that only includes a few books. Maybe you have a physical shelf stacked full of books. Or maybe it’s just an amorphous list that lives in some half forgotten corner of your mind. No matter where you fall on this spectrum, this challenge is for you!
The greatest part of this challenge is that it allows you to focus on what YOU want to read. You have the freedom to focus on whatever books you want. In the past, some people have issued their own personal challenges to focus on specific genres or lists of books. Others just plucked the next book that interested them from their shelf. Some people plowed through their lists like they were on a ferocious mission. Others read only a handful of books. This challenge is designed to be flexible!
So why not give it a go? Bust your TBR shelf with me!
The Basics to Get Started
Read a minimum of one book per month that has been languishing on your shelf. Want a more ambitious challenge? How many books do you read per year on average? Try making half of the part of the #tbrbusterchallenge2022. Don’t have time to read one book per month? That’s okay, too! You can pop in and out of this challenge as it fits into your schedule, and everyone will be here to support you :)
Post about the books you read! I am hoping to post mini-reviews every month. Don’t like review? No problem! Do you like taking photos of your books? Post ‘em! Do you like book quotes? Post ‘em! Anything and everything is welcome!
Tag your posts with #bookbanditchallengeand#tbrbusterchallenge2022so I can see them and show you some love!
That’s it! Those are the rules. Hopefully, simple enough that everyone feels they can join in. Together we can help each other read some of those books we’ve all been intending to read.
The first two chapters in this section touch a little on Puck and Sean’s respective relationships with spirituality & faith, did you notice any defined similarities or differences between them?
Training starts in earnest! Our main characters are committed to their paths now, how does this impact how the story progresses?
Any favourite quotes from this section? Favourite scenes?
This section has a lot of shifts in character relationships. What are some of your favourite character relationships in The Scorpio Races?
I know a lot of people don’t like to do challenges when it comes to their reading. Some of us do though. I challenged myself to read 100 hours in the last month. Yes, I work full time still managed it. Less TV helped I mostly did this to see if I could do it.
Hey y'all so I finally made it to 500 followers! Yay!! Woohoo. I know I haven’t been that active lately and I sincerely apologise to each and every one of my followers. Cutting to the chase since I hit a milestone. I really need to celebrate this. So, I thought a lot about this and came up with an idea.
I have seen that there have been a serious decline in notes lately and a lot of writers are losing motivation including me. And that made me do this
I’m planning to run an event to celebrate writers/readers. Details below the cut
Forget about spring cleaning. Here at Bookish we’re all about spring reading, and we’re celebrating the new season with a new round of book bingo. Join us for April Bookish Bingo!
february reading journal flip through + march setup!
february felt like it flew by at the speed of light but I managed to read 6 books, here’s a look at the finished spreads and my setup process for the new month
Morale is dwindling— anons are still being dicks— the fandom needs a little positivity boost and I wanted to try and bring people together again with the help of the lovely Alice @maladaptivexxdaydreaming
The aim is to create a wave of promotion throughout the fandom over a week’s period to try and champion other writers, potentially earn you new readers/fans/friends or help you stumble across a writer you may not have found before!
INFO
To sign up, please fill out the Google Form here and answer all of the questions listed. Which include (but not limited to): your preferred actor, your favourite tropes/kinks, if you are interested in dark fics and any triggers/squicks you may have.
We will then pair you up with another blog and you can read up to seven of their fics over the course of the week. The minimum amount is three fics over the week as I know time is limited for some.
Your blog will also be assigned to someone else so they can read your work and get promoted too!
This is limited to CE/SS fandoms/characters only, sorry.
All participants must be over the age of 18. We will be checking every blog upon sign up for an indication of age— if there is no clear sign, then your application will be dismissed.
You are under no obligation to write long reblog comments. Comment whatever you feel comfortable with.
Please reblog any/all fics with tag #championweek and the banner below.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Learn how to take care of your mental health by joining our Mental Health Awareness for Teens: Reading Challenge (for grades 6-12) by going to https://arcpls.beanstack.org/reader365. Everyone who registers will be entered into our weekly Friday drawings in May for a chance to win prizes (ex. journals, books, etc). Everyone who completes at least 5 activities by May 31 (includes 60 minutes of reading and 4 other activities of your choice) will be entered into our grand prize drawing for a self-care prize pack (includes a Star Wars mug and Star Wars journal).
I’m a MOODY READER. Which is mostly why I RARELY join readathons and reading challenges and pick blog tours that would give me ample time to read the book.
I may have been excited about that book enough to be interested to join, but it’s unpredictable for me whether I’d would still be in the mood to read that book in the near future.
But this year, my good friend Kriti from Armed With a…
Morale is dwindling— anons are still being dicks— the fandom needs a little positivity boost and I wanted to try and bring people together again with the help of the lovely Alice @maladaptivexxdaydreaming
The aim is to create a wave of promotion throughout the fandom over a week’s period to try and champion other writers, potentially earn you new readers/fans/friends or help you stumble across a writer you may not have found before!
INFO
To sign up, please fill out the Google Form here and answer all of the questions listed. Which include (but not limited to): your preferred actor, your favourite tropes/kinks, if you are interested in dark fics and any triggers/squicks you may have.
We will then pair you up with another blog and you can read up to seven of their fics over the course of the week. The minimum amount is three fics over the week as I know time is limited for some.
Your blog will also be assigned to someone else so they can read your work and get promoted too!
This is limited to CE/SS fandoms/characters only, sorry.
All participants must be over the age of 18. We will be checking every blog upon sign up for an indication of age— if there is no clear sign, then your application will be dismissed.
You are under no obligation to write long reblog comments. Comment whatever you feel comfortable with.
Please reblog any/all fics with tag #championweek and the banner below.
Morale is dwindling— anons are still being dicks— the fandom needs a little positivity boost and I wanted to try and bring people together again with the help of the lovely Alice @maladaptivexxdaydreaming
The aim is to create a wave of promotion throughout the fandom over a week’s period to try and champion other writers, potentially earn you new readers/fans/friends or help you stumble across a writer you may not have found before!
INFO
To sign up, please fill out the Google Form here and answer all of the questions listed. Which include (but not limited to): your preferred actor, your favourite tropes/kinks, if you are interested in dark fics and any triggers/squicks you may have.
We will then pair you up with another blog and you can read up to seven of their fics over the course of the week. The minimum amount is three fics over the week as I know time is limited for some.
Your blog will also be assigned to someone else so they can read your work and get promoted too!
This is limited to CE/SS fandoms/characters only, sorry.
All participants must be over the age of 18. We will be checking every blog upon sign up for an indication of age— if there is no clear sign, then your application will be dismissed.
You are under no obligation to write long reblog comments. Comment whatever you feel comfortable with.
Please reblog any/all fics with tag #championweek and the banner below.
This is such a fantastic idea!!! Everyone should participate because I feel like all of us have been feeling the strain. Appreciate your writers, guys!!
What?: A three-week long event where we all try to read more than we normally would! There will be challenges, reading prompts, points, and prizes!
When?: From June 2-23!
Get involved! Even if you’re going on a trip, working, or in summer school, you can participate- you don’t need to read an enormous amount to be successful, you just need to read more than you normally would! (Plus, travel time can be a great time for reading!)
You can read the same books as others and discuss them, or just read on your own- there are no requirements for what you need to read during these few weeks.
Ways to get involved- set a goal for how many books you’d like to read over the course of these two weeks! Complete reading challenges and read based off of reading prompts- you’ll get points for every prompt or challenge you complete, and the person/people with the most points at the end gets bragging rights!
Reading Prompts and Challenges:
*if you complete a challenge twice, you get the points twice! similarly, if multiple challenges apply to one book, you get the points for each challenge that applies.
*keep track of your points on your own, noting which books earned you what points, and at the end of the read-a-thon you can PM it all to PR.
*you get points for every challenge completed (the amount of points for each challenge is marked next to it,) and one point for each book completed as follows:
-less than 200 pages- 1 point
-200-400 pages- 2 points
-401-500 pages- 3 points
-501-600 pages- 4 points
-600+pages- 5 points
Prompts and Challenges!
1 Point Challenges:
Read a graphic novel- 1 pt
Pick up a book that looks like a fun/light read- 1 pt
Read outside- 1 pt
Read a book by an author you haven’t read before- 1 pt
Read out loud (read a minimum of one full page!)- 1 pt
Share some of your favourite quotes from the books you read-1 pt
Listen to an audiobook-1 pt
2 Point Challenges:
Read a popular or well-known book- 2 pts
Read something recommended to you by a friend/from the PtP book rec list!- 2 pts
Re-read one of your favourite books- 2 pts
Read something you need to read for school, university or work- 2 pts
Read a book you’ve been meaning to read- 2 pts
Buy a book from an independent bookstore- 2 pts
Start a TBR Jar/box/Goodreads list/etc. - 2 pts
Read a book you’ve had lying around unfinished- 2 pts
3 Point Challenges:
Start a reading journal- 3 pts
Love a book so much you add it to (or second a recommendation) on the book rec list!- 3pts
Read a nonfiction book- 3 pts
Read one of your best friend’s favourite books- 3 pts
Read a book you’ve been avoiding- 3 pts
Read a book you’ve heard a lot of good things about- 3 pts
Read a Classic- 3 pts
Finish a book in a series you’ve not yet completed- 3 pts
Read a book by an indie or self published author- 3 pts
Go to the library and borrow out the first book that looks good- 3 pts
There are a lot of ways you can customize your challenge with length and number of books read. Whether you’re reading 8 books or 24, one month or all season, we hope you’ll join us!
Guidelines
Choose your card! We have options for small (8 books), medium (16 books), and large (24 books) cards.
Pick the length of your challenge! If you’re with us on Goodreads, you can sign up for a three-month, two-month, or one-month challenge, beginning June 1, 2022. If you’re participating on Tumblr or Discord, the time limit is up to you.
You can join the challenge at any time! There is no deadline.
You’re welcome to read whatever you like for the challenge, from picture books to YA to adult. If you want to make things extra challenging and really target that backlist, you can stick to the group guidelines (five years or older and YA/MG/NA), but how you play is up to you!
Each book only counts for one square, so choose carefully!
If you’re good with a photo editor you can update your Bingo card with each book you’ve read.
Feel free to tag us and let us know what you’re reading, or join us on Discord for discussions. We’d love to know how you’re doing! We hope you all have fun with it, read some great books, and talk to some awesome people!
CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF I AM ALIVE
And the bingo is here once more thanks to the beautiful hardworking Carrie who’s done it all on her own ❤
