As you might be aware, I participated in Bout of Books this January which is a great read-a-thon hosted @ Bout of Books. This was the first time that I’ve joined in with the read-a-thon and it was so much fun. I went in with the overall aim of reading three but expecting to read two, and waddyaknow, I read two.

The read-a-thon ran from January 4th – 10th and there were no reading lists or requirements, it’s purely a bit of fun. It also occurs several times throughout the year so check out their schedule if you want to jump in on the fun next time.

If you want the more nail-biting action (a.k.a. the updates that I did) click HERE to be directed to my official Bout of Books #15 page, you’ll find all of my completed challenges there, too. So let’s wrap this up!

The Books

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey

finished

Genre: Steampunk, YA, Fantasy
Author: Kristin Bailey
Published: February 2014 this ed. {1st pub. March 2013}
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 432 {paperback}

This was a really fun read and I happily plodded through the story. On a quick side note, I had already started this at the time of the read-a-thon. I’m definitely going to continue on with the series in the future and probably nosey around some of Bailey’s other works if there are any.

I rated this one 4/5 stars and whilst I haven’t done a full review yet you can click HERE to be redirected to my quick thoughts on Goodreads. This is a hidden gem that I would highly recommend.

According to Yes by Dawn French

finished

Genre: Fiction, Comedy
Author: Dawn French
Published: November 2014
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Pages: 376 {paperback}

This book, although good, was not what I was expecting. I went into this knowing next to nothing except that it was Dawn French and I wanted to read it. It was a very easy and entertaining read but weird. This has poor reviews on Goodreads with a sorry average sitting the low 3.something stars. Which I think is a shame – the whole point is to give the message of living a positive life, a life according to yes (instead of “no” and shutting yourself away from opportunities). It’s fiction and comedy – if it wasn’t for the funniness it would be plane awkward. Setting aside its oddities, it was a good book.

I also haven’t had a chance to review this one yet but you can click HERE to be redirected to my quick thoughts on Goodreads. If you want to read this, then do. But don’t expect to be blown away – I think there’s a lot of people not sure whether to read this, my answer is just give it a go. I rated it 4/5 (0.5 more than I should of out of sympathy for the bad average rating).

Nirvana by J. R. Stewart

Genre: Dystopian, YA, Sci-Fi
Author: J. R. Stewart
Published: November 2015
Publisher: Blue Moon
Pages: 135 {kindle edition}

Although I didn’t finish this book (I read the “e” equivalent of 15 pages) I wanted to quickly mention this one. I received this book via NetGalley and I’ve actually enjoyed what I’ve read so far – it’s a very short book and sort of post-apocalyptic. I think it’s going to be really promising and I can’t wait to read more.

Gallipoli by Les Carlyon

Genre: Historical Non-Fiction
Author: Les (L. A.) Carlyon
Published: November 2014 {1st pub. 2001}
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Pages: 608 {print length}

I’m reading the e-book of this because I think I’d end up with an arm injury if I bought a physical copy.

Being the history buff that I am I’m slowly dipping in and out of this book. It’s a real hunker and entirely non-fiction – but Carlyon’s writing style it quite enjoyable and makes it fun to read. I didn’t read much of this for the marathon but I thought I’d give it a quick mention, too. I highly recommend this book if you’re into history and want to read about Australia’s battle at Gallipoli against the Turks in WWI.

The Pages

In total, for the week, I read 692 pages! Go me!

It was much slower going than I anticipated as I worked so much throughout the week. In fact, I almost didn’t participate altogether because I thought I would be too tired. I’m glad I changed my mind.

The Challenges

Would You Rather . . .
The Rainbow Challenge
Villain Mashup
The Scavenger Hunt
The Comfy Reading Spot

There was a challenge almost every day and I completed all bar one. I just got a bit too busy towards the end. Head over to my updates page (linked above) to see my completed challenges.

The Future Prospects

Yes! I will definitely participate in this again! It was so much fun to meet new people and see what everyone else was reading. That’s half the fun of being a bookworm, right? I highly recommend this read-a-thon and I can’t wait to do more!