read-a-thon

I participated in my first ever read-a-thon a few days ago. It was called duodecathon, and even though I have noe clue why it’s called that, I decided to participate because it was the first one to start.

Duodecathon is a read a then that happens 12 times a year, once a month. It’s usually in the end of the month. It also has 12 challenges so you can do one each month. However, I personally didn’t try to do one of the challenges, as I just wanted a time and date to follow. I did consider trying to reach for the 1200 pages, but decided against it.

The read a thon started on June 24th and ended on June 30th. So, 7 days!

Even though I didn’t choose one of the premade challenges, I did have a challenge. My challenge was to finish as many as possible of my started books. So books I have stopped reading after reading 50 or more pages (or less, but none of mine were less than 50).

I was also sick the first few days of the read-a-thon, so all I did was to read, and read, and read more. Which was great!

day 1 – 24 of June

I decided to start “Etiquette and Espionage” by Gail Carriger. I had already read 106 pages off it, and seeing that it wasn’t the thickest book, I easily finished it by the end of the day. The reason I had stopped reading this book a few months ago when I startet it, was for a few reason. 1, being because exams were coming up and I couldn’t focus on what I was reading, and 2 being because it just wasn’t an interesting enough book in my opinion. By the end of the day, when I only had about fifty pages left, I really wanted to give up on the book, but I knew that if I didn’t finish it before I went to bed, I would not want to start the next day because I would feel obligated to finish this book. But I did. I gave this book 2 stars. I think one of the reasons why I didn’t like it was because it felt so young. Yes, the character was 15, but the way it was written.

Total pages read: 201

Books read: 1

day 2 – 25 of June

I wasn’t sure what book I wanted to pick up this day, but after looking at my bookshelf for ten minutes, I finally decided for “The girl on the train” by Paula Hawkins. I got this book for christmas and had read 53 pages of it a couple of months before my exams. Though, I didn’t stop reading this because of exams, but because I recived a book in the post that I really wanted to read. But those 53 pages were really interesting, and I was excited to dive back into it.  I rarely read crime (this is crime, right?), but this book was amazing. A little creepy and made me believe love isn’t real for a second, but amazing. Even though this book had more pages than the last one, this one took me less time, and I finished it at 21.40 (or 9.40) in the evening. I gave it 5 stars!

Total pages read: 480

Books read: 2

day 3 – 26 of June

This was the day I started to feel a lot better, so I didn’t read as much because I had other things I wanted to do too. I picked up “The lost symbol” by Dan Brown which I started sometime late last year, or early this year. I really like the “Robert Langdon” series, and am planning on reading the next (and the next?). I had read 179 pages when I started it, and I managed to read 103 pages, which isn’t bad!

Total pages read: 583

Books read: 2

(I read The Girl on the Train and The Lost Symbol in Norwegian. Piken på toget and Det tapte symbol)

day 4- 27 of June

This was my worst day, I think. I only read 3 pages. But that’s ok. This was the first day I felt good enough to be with friends, so me and two friends went to the mall and played cards pretty much the entire day.

Total pages read: 585

Books read: 2

day 5 – 28 of June

I went outside and read. I even wore shorts which is a first for me this year. I managed to read 101 pages – my goals was 100 – so I was pretty happy with the progress.

Total pages read: 686

Books read: 2

day 6 + 7 – 29 + 30 of June

Ok, so day 6 and 7 was sort of a blur. I didn’t write down what I read on day 6, though I read a little, and on day 7 I was away from 11 in the morning till nine in the evening. When I came home I read a little just as a last try to read more. I still didn’t finish the book.

Total pages read: 736

Books read: 2

 

wrap up

Total pages were (as written already) 736 pages and I managed to finish 2 (and a half) books, which is more than I thought I would manage, so I am pretty pleased with what I did. I really enjoyed my first read-a-thon, and I’ll defiantly do more in the future.

the books:

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger.

• Started: 24th of June. Page 106.
• Finished: 24th of June.
• Rating: 2 / 5

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

• Started: 25th of June. Page 53.
• Finished: 25th of June.
• Rating: 5 / 5

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

• Started: 26th of June. Page 179.
• Finished: 2nd of July, so after the read-a-thon ended.
• Rating; 5 / 5

Total pages read: 736

Books read: 2 (and a half)

 

So, as I said, I am pretty pleased with how much I managed to read. I managed to finish 2, almost 3 (finished with that one now), but the most important thing that I got out of this read-a-thon was me getting out of the damn reading slump I have been in for a while now. And I am so happy!

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to leave your read-a-thon accomplishments in the comments if you participated in this one, or another one. I would love to read. If you have any tips when it comes to read-a-thons, please let me know!

Have you read any of these books?

3 world war two books you should read

Hi!

NB! No spoilers!

One of my favourite genres to read in is historical fiction, and the last few years I have found world war 2 as a theme very interesting.

As heartbreaking and disgusting it is to read about these things – even though they are fictional – they are also fascinating because they are inspired by true events…

Therefore, I wanted to share three books about that. All though the last one isn’t actually set in world war two, but it does have a connection.

1. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

“Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they’ve known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin’s orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously–and at great risk–documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.”

This, as the other two on this list, is on my top 10 favourite books of all time. (Series like Harry Potter is counted as one!) I read this sometime last year and I still think about it! Between Shades of Gray was so interesting to read because the story was set somewhere I hadn’t, and still haven’t, read much about. The writing was wonderful, and I feel like the characters were amazingly written. I also liked how there were flashbacks so you could see the contrast between her new and old life.

2. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

“Despite their differences, sisters Vianne and Isabelle have always been close. Younger, bolder Isabelle lives in Paris while Vianne is content with life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their daughter. But when the Second World War strikes, Antoine is sent off to fight and Vianne finds herself isolated so Isabelle is sent by their father to help her. 

As the war progresses, the sisters’ relationship and strength are tested. With life changing in unbelievably horrific ways, Vianne and Isabelle will find themselves facing frightening situations and responding in ways they never thought possible as bravery and resistance take different forms in each of their actions.”

I read this one in the beginning of March this year. I wasn’t really sure what to except but I figured I would give it a try. And I was not disappointed. Same as the first book, I thought the writing and the progress of the story and the characters were amazing. It just makes me think about how well I have it. I have no idea how I would have handled a war, and I have NO wish to find out either.

Amazing book!

3. Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin

“The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?”

As I wrote in the beginning of the post; one of the books aren’t actually set during the second world war, BUT I decided to add it onto this list because I think it deserves a spot.

When I first started reading this I wasn’t really loving it, but I forced myself to continue and I am so happy I did. The story was so interesting and fun. And it made me very happy about how the war ended…! Anyway, the characters were interesting to figure out and I liked the writing.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? And do you have any other world war two books you think I should read?

I am planning on reading The Bookthief and All The Light We Cannot See!

If you for some reason want to pin this post, then go ahead and pin the picture beneath :))

 

Edit: this list could be updated. I just read a new world war two book. And this would have a different book than Wolf By Wolf if it was written today.