Stacking the Shelves #38 + Challenge Updates!

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

I'm going to kick this off with some quick 2015 Challenge Updates!
Be sure to check out the challenge page to see what books were read :)

COYER (Clean Out Your eReads Challenge)
5 out of 22 read!

Prequels and Sequels Challenge
Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols (Superlatives #2) - 2 pts.
Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher (Never Never #1) - 0 pts.
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) - 0 pts.

Audio Book Challenge
4/20 listened!

Discussion Challenge (Bookish Blabber)
4/36 posts

---

click cover photos for Goodreads

In the Mail

 

I received an ARC copy of The Vanishing Season via ARCycling/ Rachel @ The NerdHerd Reads, thanks Rachel! Received a finished copy of Mark of The Beast from Tor/Forge Books, thanks!

ARC copy from Montana from The Book Belles via ARCycling, Thanks!

From the Store

I've been trading in (culling) a bunch of books into the store for credit so... I picked up City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. I own book one and three so continuing this series is at a standstill no more! I also stopped by Barnes and Noble because I had a coupon so I picked up Red Rising by the gorgeous Pierce Brown.

For Review

 

What have you added to the shelves lately?

National Readathon Day, Jan. 24!

National Readathon Day is only a day away! Now I know as a book blogger I do more than make time to read. Sometimes it feels like my whole live is planned around my reading time. I was very fortunate enough that my parents valued education, literacy and I had the privilege to regularly access books. As an adult I understand that not everyone has the same experience. 

NRD is sponsored by Penguin Random House and the National Book Foundation. The NBF's mission is to expand the audience for literature in America. They are probably most popular for hosting the National Book Awards.

What is National Readathon Day?

It's when we set aside 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. on January 24 to read. Much like doing walkathons, the goal is to raise money for the National Book Foundation to continue supporting literacy programs.

How can I help?

Donate. It's that simple, my goal is to raise $200 so every dollar helps! All donations are tax deductible and you're helping spread literacy in America. So win, win. 

Donate online now!

My Pledge

I will be pledging EIGHT hours, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on January 24 to make #timetoread. During this time I will start with reading Brown Girl Dreaming by National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson. After that I will continue onto my normal reading queue. Follow me on Twitter @becomingbooks for regular updates. 

Can't make a donation?

No problem! Take this opportunity to spread the word about the event, volunteer to read to youth, or cheer on other participants.  

Last but not least... Thanks you for being a reader. Thank you for stopping by Becoming Books, for supporting the book community, and your love for reading. 

African American Readathon, Feb. 19 – 23 #aari15

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.becomingbooks.org/2015/01/african-american-readathon-feb-19-23.html" title="African American Read-a-thon"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcbMvwR2nTbxGQ9ew06rpxOdm3UeYPEGPvOj3RepGcYdMRtdr_9UuP1xjYcqbyatosOZ9siqVSGnSIloU_aov6NMNIUN0M6PNjz6jaoHmcxIeaAp_j9iiUVQip2gh-j4b_XpKsLsZo2BB/s1600/AARI.jpg" alt="African American Read-a-thon" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

African American Read-a-thon

February 19 – 23, 2015

#AAReadathon

I was inspired by Jamie (@brokeandthebookish) to be a better book pusher. I figure what way to be a better book pusher than to show my love for African American authors. February is Black History Month in the United States and as a part of BHM the National Council of Teachers of English hosts an annual African American Read-In (#aari15). I figured not everyone will be able to make it to in-person events so this is the online version!

Join in!

All you have to do to join in the fun is post your intro post to your blog, YouTube channel, Instagram, or Facebook. Be sure that your post is public so you can place it in the linky below. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. 

Your intro post should include the readathon button and a tentative TBR or listing of books you want to read/have read. Sign-ups are open until Feb. 23, no book is too small!

What are we reading?

There's no minimum or maximum to read here. This should be fun! Up for reading are any books authored by people of African heritage/decent. This includes African American authors and other who may identify as being Black without being American. All genres count! YA, MG, Adult, Fiction, Nonfiction, etc. For a list of book suggestions check out the NCTE website and Goodreads listopias. I'll be posting my TBR and more resources in my intro post.

2015 YA/MG written by Black authors

Host a mini challenge!

Want to get involved? Help spread your love for AA authors and their work by hosting a mini-challenge. You can claim one of the ideas below or create your own. Mini-challenges should offer one prize that fits the theme. If you're up for the task send me an email at becomingbooksblog [AT] gmail.com. 

Mini Challenge Ideas

Show Off Your Diverse Book Shelves - Post your diverse books shelfies!

Cover Love - Showcase all your favorite AA author's book covers.

Photo Challenge - Create photos of your book titles. You can be as literal or figurative as you'd like. e.g. book: The Color of Water, photo: Glass of water with crayons in it. 

Push It, Push It Good - Become a book pusher!! What AA author is the world missing out on or book you feel deserves more attention?

I'll be updating this space with mini-challenges as they are confirmed. 

Interview with Jason Reynolds!!! Thursday, February 19 at 7 p.m. This has been postponed! Sorry everyone.

Jason Reynolds was recently awarded the Coretta Scott King 2015 John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Join us for a conversation regarding African-American literature, Jason's author journey, and his recent and upcoming works.

Have a question you'd like to ask? Leave it in the comments below!

Twitter Chat

Don't forget to use #AAReadathon on Twitter and Instagram. On Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. EST we'll have a Twitter chat to discuss all our great reads. I'm hoping to have another online surprise for all ya'll but I'm working out the details. More to come!

PRIZES!!!!

This wouldn't be a readathon without prizes ;) I'll be giving away books, of course, as well as amazon gift cards so be sure to check-in at see what's happening each day. 

If you are an author, publisher or just an awesome person and want to sponsor a prize please email becomingbooksblog [AT] gmail.com.

Link Up!

[Bookish Blabber #2] Year in Review, Resolutions and Goals

To kick off my year in review I'm going to complete the Stats Survey from The Book Addict's Guide. I also did The End of Year Book Survey from The Perpetual Page-Turner in December.

Statistics Survey 2014
from The Book Addict's Guide and Andi's ABCs

Number Of...

1. Number of books under 250 pages (not including novellas): 21
2. Number of books read between 400 – 449 pages: 5
3. Number of books read between 450 – 449 pages: 3
4. Number of books read over 500 pages: 1
5. Number of books read over 1000 pages: NONE
6. Number of novellas read: 4
7. Number of books that made you cry: 8
8. Number of books from female POV: 56
9. Number of books from male POV: 18
10. Number of books with alternating POVs: 16
11. Number of DNFs (did not finish): 7
12. Number of five star reads: 6
13. Number of one/two star reads: 4
14. Number of authors met in 2014: unknown, I've attended some really large events BEA, YALLFest among others. So tons!
15. Number of book events attended in 2014: about a dozen including BEA, YALLFest and others
16. Number of books you read in one day: 2
17. Number of audiobooks: 8
18. Number of 2015 books you have on pre-order: none as of yet... trying to practice selective buying :p
19. Number of re-reads: 0

By the Books

1. Book with the highest rating on Goodreads: The Fault In Our Stars, 4.42 avg. rating
2. Book with the lowest rating on Goodreads: Little Blue Lies, 2.99 avg. rating
3. Book read furthest away from home (vacation reads?): Either Belzhar or Black Ice, both were read in Cali (I live in NC)
4. Book that took you the longest to read: Afterworlds, it was the longest and took me FOREVER! (maybe six weeks?)
5. Book that you personally connected with the most: Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
6. Book that made you love the villain: Jackal from Immortal Rules
7. Book you said you’d come back to but still haven’t picked up again: Brutal Youth and Grasshopper Jungle
8. Book you read waaaay before it’s publication date: I just began blogging this year so this didn't really happen.
9. Book you read on your birthday: Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
10. Book with a character who shares your name: Meg from I Was Here by Gayle Forman
11. Book you weren’t entirely truthful about when rating (Fluff up any ratings? Rated even though you didn’t finish?): I wouldn't say I was untruthful when rating it but it was only my second review ever, Fire & Flood is probably not a 5-star read.
12. Book you read in 2014 but already want to re-read: The Winner's Curse
13. Book you borrowed from a friend a long time ago and still have: Outlander, borrowed 2+ years ago *hangs head in shame*
14. Book by a foreign author/originally published in another country: none
15. Book you which you could go back and read for the first time again: A Thousand Pieces of You 
16. Most books read by one author this year: Gayle Forman

This and That

1. Happiest and saddest: Better Off Friends; The Fault in Our Stars
2. Longest and shortest: Afterworlds; Just One Night
3. Best and worst: A Thousand Pieces of You; The Silent Wife
4. First and last reads of 2014: That Was Then, This Is Now; The Darkest Part of the Forest
5. First and last books on your bookcase (1st book on the top left and last book on the bottom right): Hunger Games; Winterspell
6. The most disappointing and the biggest pleasant surprise: Love and Other Theories; Belzhar
7. Bandwagon/fandom you joined and one you abandoned: I don't really think in terms of fandoms but I definitely solidified my love for Rainbow Rowell this year and have lost interest in finishing the Mortal Instruments Series.
8. Most lenient and harshest ratings: Fire and Flood; A Hole In My Heart 
9. Most hyped and furthest under the radar that you read: The Fault In Our Stars; Keeper

Grab Bag

1. Book you read that is red: We Should Hang Out Sometime
2. Book you read that starts with M: Madame Tussaud's Apprentice
3. Book you read that you may have hugged when you finished it: My True Love Gave To Me
4. Book you read that you may have wanted to throw across a room: Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things To Mend
5. Book that has the letters Q, X, or Z in the title (bonus for one of the words in the title beginning with those!): All Unquiet Things
6. Book that suffered some damage this year (food? water? ripped pages/cover? Ouch!): ARC of No Place To Fall may have had an incident :/
7. Food you craved while/after reading a certain book: Crepes after read Anna and the French Kiss
8. First book you read in 2015: Perfect Couple by Jennifer Echols
9. Number of books read that end with a 6 in the page count: 13

Blogging Life

1. Number of posts in 2014: 308
2. Number of reviews posted this year: 95
3. First post of 2014: Launching March 2014! 
4. First review of 2014: Little Blue Lies by Chris Lynch
5. Last post of 2014: Waiting on Wednesday: The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
6. Last review of 2014: The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
7. Least coherent review: Uhh... not sure *shrugs*
8. Review with the most views (regardless of post date): Unremembered by Jessica Brody
9. Post with the most comments: Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake
10. Post you wish you could re-write: Too many to count! This was my first year blogging so there's been a lot of growth and much more to come ;)
11. Most popular post this year (that was posted in 2014): Review of Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Goals and Resolutions!

I'm not sure how much I believe in resolutions... however, I do love me some good old fashion goals. I like goal setting and working towards something. With that said check out my previous posts on my Top Ten Goals for 2014 and Reading Challenges. 

I really tried to only choose challenges that fit with my overall reading goals and habits. I would like to successfully meet the goals by pushing myself a little but nor rearranging my whole life around them.

I've also added the following challenges to my list :) 

31 Days to Better Blogging, hosted by Parajunkee < January 2015

2015 Audiobook Challenge, hosted by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens

Thanks for stopping by and a really awesome 2014!!!! 

Share your goals and/or resolutions :)

[Top Ten Tuesday] Goals For 2015 – bookish, blogging or otherwise!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Top 10 Goals for 2015

Books and Blogging

1. Goodreads Challenge - Let's up the ante!

I started blogging in 2014 so I never had any real motivation to read besides the Goodreads Challenge. In 2015 I'm going to aim for 120 books read.

2. Comment and Reply to Comments.

I admit this is probably my weakest quality as a blogger. I have got to get it together! I read them all but I really need to reply to all the amazing readers (you) and leave comment love for my favorite bloggers.

3. Reading and Blog Challenges

I wrote about this a few days ago and you can check it out here. Basically, I want to complete these challenges with the goals I've set out. One challenge tackles all my eARCs, the other is blog organization, another looks a creating discussion posts, and the other is the reading of series (sequels and prequels).

4. Schedule Posts and Read Ahead

Since this was my first year blogging I feel like I spent a lot of time "catching up". In November I did the Blog Ahead challenge and it was AMAZING!!! It has made December a very pleasant and stress free blogging month. I've also taken on fewer ARCs that came out in November/December and have been able to read ahead. It's my goal to continue this trend :)

5. Create a New Feature

I really want to create a new feature for the blog so I can still have a post everyday and fewer memes. So far I have the Comic Sunday feature but I want something that looks more at the culture of reading and influence of books.

Personal

I am human and do other things other than blogging and reading, and reading and blogging. 

6. Find a New Job

I've been in my current position for 4.5 years and it's time to move on. Keep your fingers crossed for me and send warm fuzzies. Thanks :)

7. Sign-up and Train For a New Race

The last half-marathon I did was in April 2014 and I didn't train for it, it was horrible. I haven't run since. I miss it. Time to pick a new race and train for it. I'm ready.

8. Financial Planning

Yeah, it's not super exciting but I'm 30 now and I should probably have my -ish together. Just sayin'. I did make some big moves this year and I'm ready to take it a step further with my retirement plans and business investments.

9. Show More Appreciation and Gratitude.

If you know me  then you know I have a minor (Major!) obsession with thank you notecards. I really need to use these more often. I want to get in a better habit of sending thank you notes to show my appreciation and gratitude. Recognition is important and everyone wants to feel like they matter.

10. Keep Traveling!

Traveling is a big part of who I am. I love to go places, get lost, find something new and learn. I save a lot of pennies to go places. This goal is to just keep it going... in 2014 I went to: New York City (BEA), Costa Rica, San Francisco, Charleston (YALLFest), Florida, and Texas. So far in 2015 I have three trips planned: Chicago (ALA Midwinter), NYC (BEA), and Europe (Dublin, London, Amsterdam and Berlin).

What are some of your goals this year? 

[Bookish Blabber #1] 2015 Blog/Book Challenges!

So I've been wanting to get some items done and now have found some challenges to keep my blogging behind in gear! However doing challenges, read-a-thons and the like make me sooooo anxious!!! Does this happen to anyone else? I feel an immense amount of pressure and either do excellent at the task while ignoring all other aspects of my life or fail miserably. :/

I really want to have a positive experience so this time I thought about some things I want to accomplish and then found the challenge to fit my goals. This way I'm not trying to rearrange my goals to fit the challenges. :)

Check out the ones I've signed up for below along with a listing of other challenges I know about but cannot to commit to. 

COYER (Clean Out Your E-Reads Challenge) hosted by Fantasy Is More Fun and Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life

Sign-Up Ends: January 25, 2015

Dates: December 20, 2014 – March 6, 2015

The Deal: Read all those free or nearly free e-reads and audiobooks!

My Goals: I've got a couple audio books sitting in my audibles unread and a WHOLE bunch of e-arcs that need to be read via Edelweiss and Netgalley. I plan to read/review two per week. Participate in at least one read-a-thon and one Twitter party.

Book Blogger Organization Challenge hosted by The Book Addict's Guide

Dates: January 1 – June 30, 2015

The Deal: Get organized!!! Check out the main post to see the focus for each month.

My Goal: Complete at least one of the sub-points for each month.

2015 Discussion Challenge hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight

Sign-Up Ends: December 31, 2015 at 11:59 p.m.

Dates: January 1 – December 31, 2015

The Deal: Post more discussion posts, link up and giveaways!

My Goal: 25-36 discussion posts = Chatty Kathy level! I'm really wanting to do discussion posts regularly. I have a whole list of topics but just haven't committed to it. Hopefully this will help :)

Look for my second ;) Bookish Blabber discussion post on Jan. 1.

Prequel and Sequel Challenge hosted by Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads

Sign-Up Ends: December 1, 2015

Dates: January 1 – December 31, 2015

The Deal: Read the sequels and prequels to finish up those series, earn points for each read/review and enter into giveaways for participants.

My Goal: To complete 10 series. Let's do this!!!!!!!

Look out for my Top Ten Tuesday post on Jan. 20 for a list of the series.

Do you plan to participate in a challenge? Have you already signed up for a few? Tell me your feelings about challenges!

---

Other Book/Blog Challenges

Check out The Book Vixen's Pinterest Board for a listing of over 75 different reading challenges!

Bout of Books 12 Read-a-thon, sign-ups open until Jan. 6. Hosted by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

The Re-Read Challenge, sign-ups open until Jan. 30. Hosted by So Obsessed With

Alphabet Reading Challenge Hosted by Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book

Mythology Reading Challenge hosted by Lili Lost in a Book

Mount TBR Reading Challenge, sign-ups open until Nov. 4, 2015. hosted by My Reader's Block

The Official 2015 TBR Pile Challenge, sign-ups open until Jan. 15, 2015. hosted by Roof Beam Reader

You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge 2015 hosted by Book Dragon's Lair 

2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge, sign-ups open until Dec. 15, 2015. Hosted by Somewhere Only We Know...

8th Annual Graphic Novel/Magna Challenge hosted by Nicola

Holiday #Readathon + Giveaway!

Thanks to Liza at WhoRuBlog for hosting this awesome Holiday #Readathon! Be sure to stop by the main post to enter in some awesome giveaways, and don't forget to signup for the readathon. There are no rules or minimums as to how much or what you choose to read. :)

Keep scrolling down for my mini-challenge and giveaway!

My TBR

 

I might be squeezing in a non-wintery holiday read in as well. :)

The Mini-Challenge!

Check out the image below and try to guess as many covers as you can in the rafflecopter. You can use whatever sources you need to ;). However, I do ask that you not spoil the fun in the comments. 

This giveaway is open internationally as long as the Book Depository delivers to you for free. Check out all the rules here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#ReadingCram Chills and Thrills Day 5: Spell It Out Challenge

Spell It Out Challenge

Pick one of the following words: Ghost, Witch, Zombie, Howl or chose your own spooky word and using each letter, find a title of a book you've read this year to "spell it out."

Example:

G  Graceling by Kristin Cashore

H  Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

O  Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

S  Sanctum by Sarah Fine

T  Timebound by Rysa Walker

My Picks!

Z - Zodiac by Romina Russell

O - One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington

M - Monstrous Affections (an anthology)

B - Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

I - I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

E - Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

This challenge is hosted by Rachel at A Perfection Called Books so head over there to enter the challenge! She's hosting an international giveaway for a hardcover copy of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa!

[Day 2 Challenge] #ReadingCram Chills and Thrills Readathon

Today is day two of the Chills and Thrills Readathon!!

Day Two Challenge is hosted by Andrew @ Endlessly Reading

The Teaser Challenge

Randomly open the book you are reading and post two sentences from the read ADDING three spooky/Halloween words of your choosing into the teaser! Make sure to share with us via Twitter using the #ReadingCram or post to your blog, booktube or anything else!

I'm reading the anthology One Death, Nine Stories:

"They went to the county morgue to pick up the flesh eaten body. Morris stood in the haunted outer hall, guarding the company gurney while Sampson viewed the body and dealt with the ghostly paperwork."

You should check out Andrew's and enter his giveaway!
Hint: His teaser is sooooo good you'd think it was part of the book!

Don't forget the other reading challenges and giveaways:

Oct. 24 – TBR Challenge hosted by Becoming Books

Oct. 25 – Teaser Challenge, Hosted by Andrew @ EndlesslyReading

Oct. 26 – A re-creation of a book title and/or book cover (re-creating in whatever way, drawing, acting, a photo, painting, etc). Like Fangirl is fanggirl. Hosted by MySeryniti

Oct. 27 – Song Challenge, Hosted by Book Escape Reviews

Oct. 28 – Spell it out Challenge, Hosted by Rachel @ A PERFECTION CALLED BOOKS

Oct. 29 – Scary Make-Up Challenge, Hosted by LITTLE RED READER

Oct. 30 – Twitter Synopsis Challenge, Hosted by KellysBookSpill

Oct. 31 – Wrap Up challenge with Costume challenge (optional), Hosted by DANASQUARE

Happy Reading!!!

#ReadingCram Chills and Thrills Readathon TBR Challenge!

*Cue the Spooky Music*

It's finally time!!!!!!!! I'm so excited to share my TBR for the reading challenge with you. 

I also have two giveaways, one international and one US only. We ask that you play to win ;)

It starts October 24 (Today!) and runs until Halloween, October 31.

We're reading spooky themed books:

Paranormal

Witches

Zombies

Vampires

Werewolves

Thriller

Mystery

My TBR Challenge

  

I'm going to work my way through these two anthologies! I scare easily so we'll see how it goes :p

Read to Win!

There are two prizes up for grabs:

a book of choice (up to $15) from the Book Depository (as long as they deliver to you for free)
and a stack of spooky ARCs!

You must sign-up for the readathon and there are no minimum reading requirements!

Don't forget to leave your TBR link/list in the comments for this challenge.

Just join us and get spooked! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget the other reading challenges and giveaways:

Oct. 25 – Teaser Challenge, Hosted by Andrew @ EndlesslyReading

Oct. 26 – A re-creation of a book title and/or book cover (re-creating in whatever way, drawing, acting, a photo, painting, etc). Like Fangirl is fanggirl. Hosted by MySeryniti

Oct. 27 – Song Challenge, Hosted by Book Escape Reviews

Oct. 28 – Spell it out Challenge, Hosted by Rachel @ A PERFECTION CALLED BOOKS

Oct. 29 – Scary Make-Up Challenge, Hosted by LITTLE RED READER

Oct. 30 – Twitter Synopsis Challenge, Hosted by KellysBookSpill

Oct. 31 – Wrap Up challenge with Costume challenge (optional), Hosted by DANASQUARE

Happy Reading!!!

#ReadingCram Chills and Thrills Read-a-thon

Halloween is almost upon us, my favorite holiday!!!!
The awesome ladies at DanaSquare, JuliaBabyJen, A Perfection Called Books and Little Red Reads are hosting a Halloween themed read-a-thon. I tested out my first read-a-thon last month and am ready to rock this one!

Details:

It starts October 24 and runs until Halloween, October 31

Use hashtag #ReadingCram

You have to read spooky themes books:

Paranormal

Witches

Zombies

Vampires

Werewolves

Thriller

Mystery

My Goals:

• Read 100 pages a day
• Participate in three challenges
• I'll be hosting the TBR challenge on Kick-Off Day, Oct. 24, with a giveaway so be sure to stop back by!

What to join in the fun?

RequirementsYou must post a Sign Up Post and link up on the sign-up page. 
Must have our graphic 
Links to our blogs 
Name, dates of the read-a-thon 
Any personal goals (optional) 
You may use Tumblr or Youtube (if you don't have a blog)
Optional Challenges + Giveaways
These are not final and may change.

Oct. 24 – TBR Challenge
Oct. 25 – Teaser Challenge
Oct. 26 – Cover/Title Spooky Re-Creation
Oct. 27 – Song Challenge
Oct. 28 – Spell It Out Challenge
Oct. 29 – Scary Make-Up Challenges
Oct. 30 – Twitter Synopsis Challenge
Oct. 31 – Wrap Up Challenge w/ optional Costume Challenge

SIGN UP HERE!!!!!!!