Musings of an Introverted Geek

The Booktubeathon is here again and I am once again participating!

The Booktubeathon is an online readathon hosted by Booktuber Ariel Bissett and a handful of other Booktubers. This readathon is a chance to read as much as you can within the given time. It starts at midnight July 30th and ends at 11:59 August 5th

There'll be fun reading sprints on Twitter, video challenges on Youtube, photo challenges on Instagram, and giveaways on all three platforms! If you've been looking for an excuse to dig into your TBR, I highly recommend joining in on the fun!

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THE READING CHALLENGES:

2018 Reading Challenges:

1/ Let a coin toss decide your first read.
2/ Read a book about something you want to do.
3/ Read and watch a book to movie adaptation.
4/ Read a book with green on the cover.
5/ Read a book while wearing the same hat the whole time.
6/ Read a book with a beautiful spine.
7/ Read seven books.

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MY TBR

The 1st challenge is to let a coin toss decide your first read. So I went through my TBR shelf and found two books I'd like to read. Both are books I won in Goodreads giveaways and have waited way too long to read them.

Those two books were...

The Weight of Feathers

by Anna-Marie McLemore

YA Magical Realism

For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows-the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family's show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it's a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace's life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

Between the Blade and the Heart (Valkyrie #1)

by Amanda Hocking

YA Norse Mythology-inspired Fantasy

As one of Odin's Valkyries, Malin's greatest responsibility is to slay immortals and return them to the underworld. The balance of the world rests on her ability to carry out orders. But when Malin discovers that her mother spared the life of an immortal who was destined to die, her world is thrown into chaos.

As Malin wrestles with the knowledge that her mother might not be who she thought, she’s also thrust into the path of a gorgeous blue-eyed guy named Asher who needs her help slaying the rogue immortal who destroyed his family. Malin, along with her best friend and her ex-girlfriend, must decide where her loyalties lie...and whether helping Asher enact his revenge is worth the risk—to the world and to her heart.

The winner of the coin toss was...

Between the Blade and the Heart!

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The 2nd challenge is to read a book about something you want to do.

I'm using this challenge as an excuse to re-read a series that I haven't finished. I read half the series many years ago and I've been putting off reading the second half for so long, that I don't really remember too many details of what's already happened. And because the MC of this series is such a badass, it's filled of things I would like to do!

That book is...

Vampire Kisses (Vampire Kisses #1)

by Ellen Schreiber

(YA Paranormal Romance)

In her small town, dubbed "Dullsville," sixteen-year-old Raven - a vampire-crazed goth-girl - is an outcast. But not for long...

The intriguing and rumored-to-be haunted mansion on top of Benson Hill has stood vacant and boarded-up for years. That is, until its mysteriously strange new occupants move in. Who are these creepy people — especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town prattle actually ring true? Are they vampires? Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth.

Ellen Schreiber's spooky and stirring romance tells the story of two outsiders who fall in love in a town where conformity reigns, and ends with a shocking surprise.

Vampire Kisses fit the challenge for various reasons. One, Raven is such a sassy, witty character who I would LOVE to be like. Two, Raven is an unapologetic goth girl who is obsessed with vampires. And while I have sort of grown out of that goth driven phase, there was a time that I would have loved to live the goth life! I never did it, but I always found a part of myself that was drawn to it... I would have liked to fulfill that desire if only for a little while, be as unapologetically goth as Raven. Third, in the story, Raven visits - well, more like breaks into - the renowned and spooky "haunted" mansion of her town. While I'd never break into one, I'd love to one day visit a Haunted Mansion that is actually rumored to be haunted in real life. That would be so cool!

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The 3rd challenge is to read and watch a book and movie adaptation.
For this challenge, I chose...

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
(YA Contemporary)

The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

I HAVE watched parts of the movie, but I've not finished it nor read the book... so this is an awesome opportunity to read and finish up the movie!

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The 4th challenge is to read a book with green on the cover.
My pick is...

Poison Tree (Den of Shadows #8)

by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

(YA Urban Fantasy)

The rich stew of the author's creations—SingleEarth, vampires, shapeshifters, Tristes, the Bruja Guilds—are at full boil here in the story of two 20-ish young women trying to out run their very different pasts, and figure out where they fit in and who they might become. Each has landed in a more "normal" place, and each wonders if, like a tattoo that can't be covered up, they can ever really fit into "normal."

This is another series that I've been reading for many years. It has been quite some time since I've read the previous books, however, since each books center around a different character in this universe, I don't really need to go back and read the previous books.

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The 5th challenge is to read a book while wearing a hat. Since I tend to get hot wearing hats, I chose something that I could read quickly.
That pick is...

Angelic Layer, Vol. 1 (Angelic Layer #1)

by CLAMP

(Manga, Scifi)

Angelic Layer is sweeping the nation! In the newest electronic sport, players enter their Angels in tournaments and battle for fortune and glory. Twelve-year-old Misaki just discovered Angelic Layer, and she's already captivated by the game. But building a winning Angel takes money and experience, and Misaki's short on both counts. With the help of a crazy scientist and a very special Angel of her own, she'll give it her all to win the Angelic Layer crown.

I picked this manga not just because it'll go quickly but because I've waited many years to read it. I saw the anime adaptation many years ago and while I bought the first few volumes of the manga, I never actually read them. Now is the time.

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The 6th challenge is to read a book with a beautiful spine.

For this, I chose...

Jackaby (Jackaby #1)

by William Ritter

(YA Historical Fiction, Mystery)

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

I won Jackaby and it's sequel Beastly awhile back and have yet to read it. It was a no-brainer for this challenge. Both books are so gorgeous, both the covers and the spines!

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The 7th and final challenge is to read 7 books.

My 7th pick is...

School Rumble, Volume 1 (School Rumble #1)

by Jin Kobayashi

(Manga, Comedy)

SUBTLETY IS FOR WIMPS!

She . . . is a second-year high school student with a single all-consuming question: Will the boy she likes ever really notice her?

He . . . is the school's most notorious juvenile delinquent and he's suddenly come to a shocking realization: He's got a huge crush, and now he must tell her how he feels.

Life-changing obsessions, colossal foul-ups, grand schemes, deep-seated anxieties, and raging hormones! School Rumble portrays high school as it really is: over-the-top comedy!

This is another manga with an anime adaptation I saw years ago. I've been meaning to get around to reading this series as well and now is a great time to do it!