Books and Reading… Thursday?

Thursdays are my new day for my books and reading related posts, part of my new and improved blogging schedule 😀

But seeing as I am still trying to catch up and get myself back on track, I haven’t got a post from my Books on my Bookshelf series or even a review.

In the spirit of getting myself more organised, I am trying a different approach to reading this year.

Last year I forgot or missed so many books I wanted to read! This year, I am determined not to let that happen.

So, I have decided to make myself a reading list. It’s not just going to be a to-be-read (TBR) list, where I note down all the books I want to read, but I am actually going to list the books in the order I am going to read them.

It will also mean I can get more organised with reviewing books as well, but also not forget to enjoy books I want to re-read and new releases from author friends.

The books will be listed in a particular order too, to ensure I really don’t forget anything.

For example, every third book on my list will likely be a book for review.

And one of my goals for 2015 is to improve my writing, and part of this will be through writing craft books, especially ones with practical exercises. My best friend bought me a book like this for Christmas, which I am very excited about starting. So every fourth book in my list will be a writing craft book.

I am also planning on going back to choosing a random book from the local library. Before I go I will pick two numbers- One will be the shelf number, the other will be the book number (so if I pick 12 and 7, I will choose the 7th book along the 12th shelf). I’m hoping this will really help to broaden my reading, and also let me find new authors.

This year I will also be participating (or attempting) the 2015 Reading Challenge List. It looks like great fun, and again, will open me up to trying some really different types of reading. I’m not going to freak out too much if I can’t get all the goals done, but will be using it more as a guide.

I’m not giving myself too steep a goal, so my goal for this year is to read at least 50 books. A lot less than some people, but I’m not as fast a reader as some!

So, there you go, my plans for reading in 2015! 😀 It should be an exciting year for it. Also, if you haven’t already, why not follow my book and reading related Tumblr- turningthosepages?

What are your reading goals for this year? Are you participating in any reading challenges?

Books and Reading Wednesday

So, it’s my first book/reading related Wednesday post 😀

Photo by the very talented Twisted Pixel on Flicker

When I read, I normally only read one book at a time. This is mainly because I like to immerse myself in one world and one set of characters at a time, and concentrate solely on that.

But, recently I attempted to read two at a time.

Attempted.

It didn’t go very well 😀

I tried to read a few chapters of each on alternating days, but I found it confusing having to get myself back into which book I was reading every other day. I was hoping that reading two at a time might help me get through my to-read list quicker, as I have so many I am excited to read!

In the end, I gave up and ended up focusing on one and will now continue on with the other as I have finished Sins of the Father by Melissa Barker-Simpson (who has recently released her new book, Hands of Evil).

Sierra over at Permashift had a great idea of reading different books on different devices such as one in paperback, one on kindle and one on nook. I might be tempted to give that a go at some point in the future, but for now, I’m afraid it’s going to be one at a time 😀

Though I have to admit, it is nice to focus solely on one book. I enjoy getting lost completely in that one story and not having to switch to different characters or worlds in different books. It seems to keep me excited about the books I read!

Do you read more than one book at a time? Or do you prefer to read one book? What are you currently reading?

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Progress Report:

Status of fifth manuscript: Still waiting to start first draft.

Books read: 1/4

Mid-August book review: Written and ready.

July eBook Review: Olivia’s Choice by Taylor Grace

Olivia’s Choice By Taylor Grace

Goodreads Synopsis:
When her boss asks her to complete a project that takes her back to the annax city, Olivia’s lifelong avoidance of the race comes to an abrupt end. The last thing she needs is the arrogant son of the annax leader as a co-worker. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she gets. To make matters worse, the pesky tionnax, sworn annax enemies, decide to butt in and capture Olivia. They hurt her so badly that Baphrem can only save her by turning her into what she fears most, an annax. Now, Olivia has to decide: can she love the man who made her worst nightmare come true?

Review

I’ve been excited to read this book for a while, so was really happy when it popped up on the top of my to-read list!

On starting the book, you are greeted by a fairly large glossary of terms which did have me a little concerned! I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep up with all the races and names, but as you went through the story I found I was able to keep up fairly well, and if I did get confused it wasn’t too hard to just click back to the beginning and check.

It starts out following Olivia when she is to be sent to the annax city, which she obviously is loathed and scared to go to. The opening created a great sense of mystery about Olivia and why she didn’t want to go, but I also liked that Olivia was obviously a strong enough character to overcome what she feared. She was a really well written character, who I related to in many ways.

After being introduced to Baphrem, who I have to admit got my heart fluttering even after he chucked Olivia into a river, I got the instant sense of the dislike between the characters which fuelled the eventual attraction.

Throughout the book you are given snippets of Olivia’s memory as to what happened to make her so fearful of returning to the annax city, and I found these really intriguing and kept me reading.

The story had a good pace, and I found myself flipping through the pages to find out where the story and characters were headed.

The intimate moments and scenes in the book were handled very well, and I thought they added much to the book and characters rather than just being there for the sake of being there.

Overall, it’s a great read and definitely one worth checking out if you enjoy paranormal romance with well-developed characters and story.

Links:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Goodreads

Blog

Support an Indie this Summer!

How about checking out some great indie reads for your summer reading? Support our indie authors and find some fantastic new stories to get lost in this summer!

The Vessel by Callum McLaughlin http://www.amazon.com/The-Vessel-Callum-McLaughlin/dp/149373797X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403264495&sr=8-1&keywords=the+vessel+callum

The Extraction List by Renee Meland http://www.amazon.com/The-Extraction-List-Volume-1/dp/0996002901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403264528&sr=8-1&keywords=the+extraction+list

The Soul by S.R.Carrillo http://www.amazon.com/The-Soul-Volume-S-Carrillo/dp/0615968619/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1403264948&sr=8-2&keywords=the+soul+s.r.

Unblessed by Crystin Goodwin http://www.amazon.com/UnBlessed-The-Blessings-Myrillia-Volume/dp/1496114086/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403264748&sr=8-1&keywords=unblessed+crystin

Olivia’s Choice by Taylor Grace http://www.amazon.com/Olivias-Choice-Forest-Races-Taylor-ebook/dp/B00DUHI8OU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1403264794&sr=8-3&keywords=olivia%27s+choice+taylor

Sins of the Father http://www.amazon.com/Sins-Father-Introducting-Morgan-Fairchild/dp/145677591X/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403264890&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=sins+of+our+father+melissa+barker

The Eleventh Question by Dianne Gray http://www.amazon.com/Eleventh-Question-Dianne-Gray-ebook/dp/B009U6W1RU/ref=la_B004MK5PAO_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403265121&sr=1-6

Echoes of a Storm by Alan Scott http://www.amazon.com/Echoes-Storm-Book-1-ebook/dp/B008ABNJYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403265196&sr=8-1&keywords=echoes+of+a+storm+alan

The Eye Dancers by Michael S. Fedison http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Dancers-Michael-S-Fedison-ebook/dp/B00A8TUS8M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403265242&sr=8-1&keywords=the+eye+dancers

Swamp Ghost by Marcia Meara http://www.amazon.com/Swamp-Ghosts-Marcia-Meara-ebook/dp/B00K0QXLCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403265283&sr=8-1&keywords=ghost+swamp+marcia

And many more.

Have a suggestion for an indie book? Leave it in the comments so as others might give it a go! 🙂

**This is a scheduled post as I am away for the week, as such I won’t be able to reply to comments or emails until I return on the 30th June. Have a great week 🙂 **