Friday, November 1, 2013

October Chapter

Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up.  Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on the 100 Best Novels goal, a few book-related links, and general blog news.  


October News

As the weather turns cold, I am burrowing down with my books. My list of books below is proof of that. October saw my first tour with Novel Publicity. Congrats to Ashleigh, who commented on that post and won a $50 gift card to Amazon because of it!  I'm so proud that the winner came from here!

Also in October, I launched Movie Mondays. If you have missed out on those posts, I definitely recommend going back and reading them. This month I reviewed adaptations of "The Great Gatsby" and "A Passage to India." Movie Mondays will make an appearance on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. If you have a special request of a movie, let me know and I'll happily schedule it. Just keep in mind it needs to be an adaptation of something I've actually read.

Finally, I'm excited to announce that this month we hit both 50 followers on Facebook and 10,000 page views. Considering I think I got less than 1,000 page views my entire first year of blogging, I could not be happier. It's been a big year and I'm hoping 2014 proves even bigger!

Oh, and on one last note... in case you didn't know, the third book in Veronica Roth's Divergent series came out on October 22.  I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy yet, but expect a review as soon as I do! In the mean time, take a look over at the side bar and notice that my review of Insurgent has shot to the top of the "What's Popular Lately" list. I'd say quite a few people are looking to get a refresher before picking up the closing book. I'm happy to be providing that!

Books Read

  1. Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter - 10/6
  2. Anne's House of Dreams - L.M. Montgomery - 10/6
  3. The Long Walk - Stephen King - 10/12
  4. Animal Farm - George Orwell - 10/13
  5. Fiesta of Smoke - Suzan Still - 10/14
  6. Heads in Beds - Jacob Tomsky - 10/16
  7. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov - 10/21
  8. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline - 10/24
Pages Read: 2,585

Favorite Book Read: The variety of genres I read this month makes it hard to compare them.  In the end, I have to go with Anne's House of Dreams.  There is just something about that series that so utterly captures my heart and imagination. How can you not love Anne?

100 Best Novels Progress

  • 2 completed this month (Animal Farm and Lolita)
  • 13% complete

Articles

Apparently, reading the classics (like Modern Library's list) can give you more empathy. My favorite part is the final quote from Louise Erdrich.

Children's Books Guide has compiled a list of the 100 Best Children's Chapter Books of All-Time (there's a picture book list as well). Browse the list if for no other reason than to stir some fond memories of childhood. To the best of my memory, I have read at least half of them.

Speaking of children's books, here is an absolutely wonderful post about why to read Harry Potter to your children. I'm bookmarking this one to read again down the line. I think it applies well not just to the Harry Potter books but anything potentially controversial. Nothing excites me more about future parenthood than sharing stories I've loved with my own children, Harry Potter included!

If you need a laugh, here's some reading material for you. #21 is in my future thanks to Modern Library. #24 and #26 both come with a laughter guarantee from yours truly.

Thanks, Barnes & Noble, for collecting this ridiculous collection of stock photography.

And thanks, Twitter, for bringing your unparalleled snark and wit  to Christian book titles.

Grub Street collected their list of the Top 25 Food Memoirs. You know I adore this genre since it combines my two favorite pastimes. Plus, I could not agree more with their winner.

Apparently there are libraries where you can spend the night?! Sign me up!

The Gone Girl adaptation has a theater release date. Expect a Movie Monday review the following week.

With the release of Catching Fire looming, you may be looking for a midnight premiere look. Fear not. CoverGirl has you covered with makeup for each district.

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Thanks for hanging in all the way to the end of this post! You deserve an award. How about my undying gratitude? Thanks for being a reader and for helping to make Read.Write.Repeat. not only a success but something I love to spend time on. Stay tuned for the last two months of the year. You never know - you could get some great gift ideas for the read in your life! Subscribe now so you don't miss anything!

What did you read this month?

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