Bout of Books 30: Kicking Off 2021 with It--Are You Participating?

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 30 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I am going to try to begin 2021 with Bout of Books 30. I am not sure how much reading I will actually be able to get done, but any reading is something. I am still organizing my Unhaul Project and with that my 21 Books for 2021 project (more that upcoming) and of course I am participating in other yearlong reading challenges and monthly reading challenges that I will incorporate into this. Lastly, I am CYBILS Category Chair and Round 2 Judge for Nonfiction so I will be reading several of them over the course of the week without sharing specific reviews of them. All of that to say, I do not at this point, I have not figured out my exact reading plans for the first of January. Once I do, I will post it below and also up on Instagram.

TBR for Bout of Books 30:

   

These four are my initial plans, though I am not certain if I will actually finish them all this week--especially Strange the Dreamer since it is my audiobook right now and it is a longer one. 

Daily Updates:

Instead of new post daily, I will continue to update this post. While it means the date of this post will not change, I have done it this way in the past, and would like to continue doing it this way (since the guidelines permit it still). I will keep linking the post to the daily post updates on Bout of Books of course. 

-Monday, January 4th-

 

Read: 

• Verity by Colleen Hoover-- page 61 to 324 (finished it)

Time Listen:

• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor-- Chapters 1 and 2 (approximately 30 minutes, 26 pages) 

Books Completed: 1

Pages Completed: 290 

Instagram Challenge: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stephanie (@stephanie_happy.librarian)

Thoughts from Monday:

Today was the first day back in my school library after winter break--I woke up early enough to read for a bit before I had to get up to get ready but I am fading quickly. I hope I will be able to stay up to read this evening some.  

I put up my Perpetual Page Turner Reading Survey Response today as well. If you want to check out my thoughts on 2020 reading highlights, feel free to read it. On another note, I have been watching The Wilds on Prime. Have you seen it? 

-Tuesday, January 5th-

   

Read: 

• The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins--25 (I fell asleep early as predicted)
• Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi--50
• A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende--85 pages

Time Listen: 

• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor-- Chapter 3 (approximately 20 minutes,  12 pages approximately) 

Books Completed: 1
Pages Completed: 462 pages
Instagram Challenge: I did not get a chance to do it, but I may try to make it up on Wednesday.

Thoughts from Tuesday:

I put up my Top Ten Tuesday post today featuring books I am looking forward to this first quarter of 2021. If you have a moment, I would love you pop over and let me know which books you are most looking forward to reading this first quarter of the year. Of course you can leave me which titles you are looking forward to this second quarter of the year too. :)

I am not sure how much reading I am going to get finished up this afternoon/evening. With staying up too late last night with finishing Verity, I have a migraine that is setting in that I am having problems shaking. This means I am going to have to succumb to going to be bed early this evening so I can have a productive day at work tomorrow because I desperately need it. 

-Wednesday, January 6th and Thursday, January 7th-

I did do some reading on both these days, but I am not really sure how much simply because I have it as a goal this year to read or listen to a book everyday again this year, as I did last year, and it is a comfort to me. Though my heart and head was distracted, I still did managed to finish my book group's discussion book over these days.

-Friday, January 8th-

  

Read: 

• The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins--none
• Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi--none

Time Listen: 

• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor--152 pages (I am on Chapter 23)

Books Completed: 2
Pages Completed: 695 pages

Thoughts on Today:

Fridays are my district's day for full remote instruction so I am able to listen to an audiobook for part of the day, which is why I made headway in it this morning. I had meetings all afternoon, then book group this afternoon after work. 

I have so much work to do this weekend I do not know how much reading I will actually get done unfortunately. I am going to finish up some work for my classes on Monday and Tuesday this evening I did not get finished up before my meetings, so hopefully I can get some time to read tonight then tomorrow will be lighter. Crossing my fingers that my plan works out for me. 

I hope you are all safe and having a better day.

-Saturday, January 9th-

  

Read: 

• The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins--finished it 279 pages
• Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi--none

Time Listen: 

• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor--none

Books Completed: 3
Pages Completed: 954 pages

Thoughts on Today:

I hope I will get some time to read after I finish working this morning. This morning I posted my Getting My Bookcases Under Control blog post if you want to go check that out. I have not finished writing out my actual full blog post on my reading goals yet--anyone else feel like this month is getting away from them already? There are three sub-goals I am working on towards helping reach this overall goal, and those individual blog posts will be coming over the next next week too. I will link them into the main post once they are live too.

Otherwise, I will be working and hopefully getting some reading done today--around housework of course because that is what I need to do around my house. Oh and my conference presentation that I am giving on Wednesday. 

I stayed up way too late finishing The Wife Upstairs. I am still conflicted on what I think about it. It was not what I expected--I listened to Jane Eyre last year so I had some sense of the story before reading it. I just wasn't sure where it was going. I have to think on it to really figure out what I feel about it overall yet.

-Sunday, January 10th-

 
 

Read: 

• Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi-- none
• First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy-- none
• All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat-- finished the full book, 288 pages

Time Listen: 

• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor-- 2 more chapters, 17 pages

Books Completed: 4
Pages Completed: 1,259 pages

Thoughts on Today:

My post 21 Books in 2021: These Books Will Shelf Destruct went live this morning. I would LOVE your feedback on the titles I posted to this list. Which of these books are worth my time this year and which one of these I should I bump to the bottom? If you have the time to pop over and look at it, I would appreciate it!

Plans today include continuing to work on my conference presentation. I sound like a broken record with that one--but I make changes, let them sit then, go back and see if I like the flow and adjust more to it. With it being on a current topic, I keep adding and adjusting it as new information unfolds.  I need to prepare for the work week ahead. 

I plan to read some nonfiction books today--make some progress in Stamped as well as read some if not all of All Thirteen, the book about the Thai cave rescue.  I hope I can make real progress on all of those books listed above. 

-Final Thoughts-

I am so incredibly happy that I was able to read to four full books--that is more than I expected this week, because they were not tiny picture books or graphic novels--which is completely fine if that is what you read this week! I have a few that I could have moved into the rotation but I may read them this week, because this is going to be a LONG week! 

I LOVE Bout of Books--I love the no pressure enjoyment of just a community of readers of reading and supporting each other. I tried to get out and visit some of you--I did a few each day. I hope to do more next time. 

I hope you had a successful Bout of Books! I hope to see you next time. :)