Contents of blog copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2023
I've been gone a while. I started reading fanfiction to escape and I got sucked in an abyss.

I have no idea if someone else is hosting similar challenges. I just grabbed some of what I have hosted before.

Here's to a happy year of great reading
Jan2023: Not much has changed. Writing a fanfiction now O_o as well as reading but I bought 7 new books in December and hope to get those read soon. Crossing fingers about adding challenges (late!)

Monday, August 26, 2013

R.I.P. VIII . . . Let the reading begin!

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VIII
Sep 1 - Oct 31

hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings

sign up here

My first time with this challenge was 2009 then I missed 2010. I've done fairly well since then but there are several books that were on my list to read that still aren't read!

Carl has so much to say, and says it so well that you really need to read his whole post to appreciate just how fantastic he is. Here's part of it
Stories can make us look back over our shoulders and question every creak and groan on a dark, quiet night. Stories can cause our hearts to race with ever-increasing tension as we forgo sleep to rush towards a surprising conclusion. Stories can make us suspicious of every character as we challenge the protagonist to be the first to solve the crime. Stories can make us sleep with the lights on, make us pull the covers just a little bit tighter, and can make every shadow seem more menacing than they ever have before.

Be they our favorite cozy mysteries, exciting police procedurals, classic tales about things that go bump in the night or contemporary terrors that chill us to the bone, there is something delicious about the ability of the printed word to give us a fright. At no time of the year is this more of a delight than when Summer heat turns to Autumn chill as the days become ever darker.
September 1st is right around the corner. It is time to begin.


Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above. That is what embodies the stories, written and visual, that we celebrate with the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event.

There are multiple levels of Peril from watching a movie to reading four books. There is also one just for the short story. And a read-a-long! The Estella Society will be hosting a group read of The Historian, details here.
Here's a list of books that have made it onto my previous lists but were never read:
Whispers by Dean Koontz
Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz
A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi ~ re-read then review
Unwelcome by Michael Griffo
Asgand Park by Ronald Simonar ~ started?
The Survivor by Sean Slater
Code Blood by Kurt Kamm ~ started
Divergent by Veronica Roth ~ started
Cowboys & Aliens
Haunting Jordan
any thing by Dick Francis or Vince Flynn
The Traiteur's Ring

Wow, and I've got more too! ...I'll add more as I find them...
Under the Dome by Stephen King (box 26)
9-2: Jimmy by William Malmborg (kindle)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (kindle) 
9-3:  The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield  (library book) 
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (kindle)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 

So what level am I going for? Funny you should ask ;-) I'm going for . . .
 and plan to . . .
Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature.
Not too sure I'll get four in but what the heck!

Oh, did he say September 1?
R.I.P. VIII officially runs from September 1st through October 31st. But lets go ahead and break the rules. Lets start today!!!

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Bout of Books Wrap-Up

Bout of Books Wrap-Up 

hosted at the Bout of Books blog

My goals were fairly simple:

Read some each day
comment on at least two blogs each day
Twitter updates
read one non-fiction
read/review one review book
read one from a list of 8
(no overlaps of RaT books)


So, how'd I do?

Read? I know I read 6 of the days, not sure about Saturday. There was time to read after going to the grocery store or maybe soon after midnight before heading to bed but I don't know if I did.

Comments? only three days

Twitter updates? every day. No chats :-(

Challenges? only two

read one non-fiction? no but I did start one
read/review one review book? no
read one from the list? no

~ Books Involved ~

Finished ~
A Soldier's Choice w/bonus chapter (Mistletoe Op) by D.L. Warner
Plague by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard
The Third Gate by Lincoln Child
Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz

Started ~
911 by Chris Owen
A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Future by Michael J. Fox

Started/Finished ~
Going Down Hard by KyAnn Waters
Kentucky 98 Proof by KC Kendricks
Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare
Set Ablaze by Morticia Knight
Soldier Mine by Amber Kell
Prince Claimed by Amber Kell
Politician Won by Amber Kell
Orlin's Fall by Amber Kell
Zall's Captain by Amber Kell
The Case of the Cupid Curse by Amber Kell & RJ Scott
The Case of the Wicked Wolf by Amber Kell & RJ Scott
The Case of the Dragon's Dilemma by Amber Kell & RJ Scott



Pages Read
more than 1,642 but less than 2,240
This doesn't include any pages from the two books I started.


See you in January!

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Bout of Books 3rd Progress Report




Bout of Books Read-a-Thon

Aug 19 - Aug 25
(12:01 a.m. - 11:59 p.m.)

hosted at the Bout of Books blog

Sign- up here
 






Friday:
Reading? check
Comment?
Twitter updates? check
Challenges?

Started/finished Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare, 150 pages. Finished Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz and Plague by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard only I didn't make note of what page I was on for either of them :/

sigh, none of the books I've read were on my goal list.

Started A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J. Fox (yea, a non-fiction) and 911 by Chris Owen


Saturday:
Reading?
Comment?
Twitter updates?
Challenges?

Wow. I don't believe I read much of anything today. I threw out my back and spent most of the day asleep, waking up after 9 p.m. and heading to the grocery store (only because my son could drive me). The cats and I had run out of our regular food.



Sunday:
Reading? check
Comment?
Twitter updates? check
Challenges?

Set Ablaze by Morticia Knight was finished early A.M. on Sunday
Soldier Mine by Amber Kell and Prince Claimed by Amber Kell....most likely book 3 also but book four doesn't come out until October! (all are short stories).. and book 3, Politician Won by Amber Kell.

I also read book 1 of another series by Amber Kell, Chalice. Bought because of a sample at the end of another. 



copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

Bout of Books 2nd Progress Report





Bout of Books Read-a-Thon

Aug 19 - Aug 25
(12:01 a.m. - 11:59 p.m.)

hosted at the Bout of Books blog

Sign- up here
 





Wednesday:
Reading? check.
Comment? half a check, just the one (The Coffee House )
Twitter updates? check.
Challenges? Commented on Spine Poetry but didn't do a poem. Completed TBR pile (no picture)

I didn't read the last hour of Tuesday. I did dishes and some ironing. Found ants in the cat food then spent some time on LibraryThing and with my Kindle app. Read Going Down Hard by KyAnn Waters, it's a short (short) story and I don't know how many pages. I'll try to look it up later.

I got 10 hours of sleep and all of it today. Then didn't feel much like reading :-(  will have to see how it goes after dinner. . . :-) finished A Soldier's Choice, 180 pages. I spent some time with HGTV then back to reading.

Finished reading Mistletoe Op, a 36 page bonus short story after A Soldier's Choice, it's their first Christmas and I'm on page 254 of The Third Gate.

Thursday:
Reading? check
Comment? forgot
Twitter updates? check
Challenges? ... Road Trip? ... I Spy? forgot

Started/finished Kentucky 98 Proof by KC Kendricks, 126 pages.
Finished The Third Gate by Lincoln Child, 351 pages for read-a-thon





copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Thursday, August 22, 2013

What kind of bookshelf are you?

My bookshelf is ... Impressive (but comforting fits just as well)
 
You collect books because you can't imagine doing anything else. You've never met anyone who loves books as much as you do.

It's hard for you to resist almost any book. Sure, you prefer good ones, but you've acquired plenty of weird and mediocre and just plain bad books too.

Your favorite book tends to be the one that you just finished reading. And with you, that can change on a weekly (or even daily) basis.

You read for all sorts of reasons - to relax, to learn, to grow, to laugh. You have books for every occasion and craving.

Your book collection is completely out of control and impossible to organize. You have books in every single room of the house.

You're constantly borrowing, lending, buying, selling, and trading books. You love to share the joy of reading with everyone you know.

Most of this it true.

I have "met" people who love books as much as I do. They're called bloggers!

It is hard to resist and with free books for the kindle I've gotten plenty of weird, mediocre, and just plain bad books along with some amazingly good ones.

Oh my! I just read this great book.... yup. There are a few books I'll always remember but I usually talk about one that I read in the last week.

Not quite every room. There are no books in the kitchen (cookbooks are in the family room) or the bathrooms, and I don't have any of my books in my son's bedroom. come to think of it, I don't know if his books are in there!

borrowing? check. lending? check. buying? check. Selling? Trading? Not so much. I have a hard time lending but share the joy of reading? Yea, I'm into that!


Check out the quiz, what kind of bookshelf are you?



copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge

I've been seeing this around and thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. This isn't actually Day 1's post, I'm still working on that, but I hope to link all the posts back to here. 

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge

Hosted by April at Good Books Good Wine, check out her day one, here




copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Day Three Mini-Challenge. . . TBR pile



Bout of Books Mini Challenge


TBR pile at Musings of a Bookshop Girl

Ellie is asking two questions. There are rules so head over to her blog and check it out.



Questions

1. Which 5 books are at the top of your TBR pile at this moment?
What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
A Hero to Come Home To by Marilyn Pappano
Dragonwriter edited by Todd McCaffrey
Plague by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard
Pegasus by Kate O'Hearn
All of these have been started. My To-be-read pile is a To-be-finished pile! I also have about seven books checked out out the library.


2. If I gave you a wad of cash and sent you into a bookshop right now, which 5 books would you buy to add to the stack?

The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne (oops, just bought)
Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel
Probable Claws by Clea Simon
The Pit by Jim Melvin
Persuader by Lee Child (and the rest of the series)
Running for Mortals by John Bingham

and several coming out soon
Playing with Fire by J. J. Cook
Attitude by Robin Stevenson
Harry Potter Special Edition
The Noticer Returns by Andy Andrews
A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake
Final Catcall by Sofie Kelly
Cross-Stitch Before Dying by Amanda Lee
Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams
One Dead Cookie by Virginia Lowell


How did you do? Were you able to narrow it down to just five?
copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Bout of Books Progress

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon

Aug 19 - Aug 25
(12:01 a.m. - 11:59 p.m.)

hosted at the Bout of Books blog

Sign- up here
 








Monday:
Reading? check.
Comment? check. (Going to need a lot of Coffee and Nightmare on Bookstreet)
Twitter updates?
Challenges? check.

Strangely enough, I was in bed soon after midnight so my reading didn't start until after 4 a.m. I started The Third Gate by Lincoln Child yesterday and am continuing it today. Not on list, starting from page 52. Also reading A Soldier's Choice by D. L. Warner, am on page 77. It isn't on the list either. sigh

Tuesday:
Reading? check
Comment? check. (Curiosity Killed the Bookworm, A Librarian's Library, Read. Run. Study.)
Twitter updates? :/ forgot
Challenges? Re-Title It. No, but maybe could change The Third Gate to He Must Not Be Named, the early years.

Starting today on page 146 for The Third Gate and 90 for A Soldier's Choice. What I really need to do is stop reading online! HGTV grabbed my attention for a couple of hours too. mmm...can I set a vacation email "I'm out of the office for the next 7 days due to a Read-a-Thon"?

It isn't Day 3 here but I've already started working on challenges/comments. I've got another hour to read and while I set a timer, I think I'll be too engrossed in the book to check what page I'm on when it goes off.

I'm calling today "over", reading The Third Gate, page 216 and A Soldier's Choice, page 115. Still not reading anything from goal list.


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Monday, August 19, 2013

Dog Days of Summer Wrap-up



Dog Days of Summer
48-hour  Read-a-Thon
Wrap-up


 

hosted at The Estella Society


 






Results

I started The Flame of Olympus by Kate O'Hearn and read three short stores that weren't on the list.



Considering I wasn't going to read at all this weekend, I think I did pretty good!


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Saturday, August 17, 2013

I tried to resist . . . The Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon



Dog Days of Summer
48-hour  Read-a-Thon


start on Aug 17 at 8 a.m. est
finish on Aug 19 at 7:59 a.m. est 



hosted at The Estella Society

Sign- up here
 



Summer. Sun. Sand. Thunderstorms and humidity. And books. Lots and lots of books.

I don’t know about you, but I miss those dog days of summer when I had nothing to do but stay outside, all day long, in my secret reading places, devouring books by the dozens and listening to horrible 80s music. Christopher Pike. John Saul. The Baby Sitter’s Club. Sweet Valley High. Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo. What? You didn’t have an odd French romance novel phase in YOUR teens? Huh.

In talking with my partner in crime Andi, we were reminiscing about those days and, as usually happens, an idea was born. It’s just taken us a year to get it off the ground! We wanted to take a weekend to just kick back and read the books we are so nostalgic for.

So, here, I humbly introduce The Dog Days of Summer Readathon. A whole weekend devoted to reading. No challenges. No prizes. No cheerleading (unless you feel so inclined). Just a weekend of reading fun, fluffy, nostalgic books. I, for one, will be reading me some Christopher Pike out in the backyard somewhere, where no one can find me. I do think I will forgo the 80s music though.

So, I hope you will join us! Please sign up below to spend a weekend reading with Andi and me.

No.

No, no, no.

I said no.

I can't.

dang it!

Time for me starts at 5 a.m., just as I'm heading to bed ;-)

Since I hadn't planned on reading much at all this weekend, my goals are pretty simple.

Read/finish one of the following

The Alchemist by Michael Scott 
The Flame of Olympus by Kate O'Hearn
Plague by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard
While My Pretty One Knits by Anne Canadeo
The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint 

maybe start a book that counts towards the Mind Voyages challenge



copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Once Upon a Time there was a Fantasy Challenge . . .

By the time I heard about it, it had changed hosts/format then I forgot about it. It's back!

The Fantasy Project
Sep 1, 2013 to Aug 31, 2023


hosted by Michelle from The True Book Addict at The Fantasy Project . . . at a new blog.

For more information and/or to sign up,
click here

My original post is here. None of the info has changed, except adding a couple of books to my tbr pile.

My list of books is here, it has all 813 titles on it with the ones I've read in purple.

I'm currently working on listing which ones I already have on my shelves. It is a bigger project than I expected. I have shelves to look at and boxes which are listed at LibraryThing but I also have boxes/shelves in the garage and two bedrooms and there are no listings for them and no easy way to check what is in/on them. sigh This was supposed to be my project this summer.

Of the Top 101 I have the following on my shelves or have read them. Most I have no desire to re-read at this time but several I do (Harry Potter anyone?)

  1. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
  2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  3. Evermore by Noel Alyson (may need to re-read before reading Blue Moon)
  4. The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien
  5. The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien
  6. Blue Moon by Noel Alyson
  7. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
  8. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
  9. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (read in 2013)
  10. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
  11. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
  12. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  13. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
  14. Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
  15. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
  16. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
  17. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
  18. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
  19. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
  20. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
  21. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
  22. Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  23. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
  24. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
  25. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
  26. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
  27. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
  28. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll


  • Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
  • Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
  • The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
  • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
  • Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce
  • Sabriel by Garth Nix
  • Eldest by Christopher Paolini
  • The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
  • Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  • Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
  • Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews



  • also on my shelves or to-be-read list. . .

    Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
    Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
    The Alchemist by Michael Scott
    The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time series) by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
    Crossroads of Twilight (Wheel of Time series) by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
    Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
    Pern series by Anne McCaffrey (most are re-reads)
     . . . Dragonsinger, The Dragonriders of Pern, Dragonflight, Dragonsong, Dragonquest, Dragondrums, Dragoneye, The White Dragon, . . .
    Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (kindle)
    Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    Alice through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
    Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce
    The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
    The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
    A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
    Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
    Dream Warrior by Sherrily Kenyon
    My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
    Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    A Distant Tomorrow by Beatrice Small
    Magic's Promise, Pawn, Price by Mercedes Lackey


    still working on this!

    ~*~ Books Read ~*~
    9-2-13: Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
    9-4-13: Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
    2013: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

     ~*~ Books Read in 2014 ~*~
    Jan 11: Lara by Bertrice Small (730)




    copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

    Monday, August 12, 2013

    Bout of Books Sign-up/Goals

    Bout of Books Read-a-Thon
    Aug 19 - Aug 25
    (12:01 a.m. - 11:59 p.m.)

    hosted at the Bout of Books blog

    Sign- up here
     

    There will be challenges, giveaways, Twitter chats, and a social hour 


    Official Blurb:

    The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

    Don't have a blog? Make a YouTube video! There are several ways to sign up, just remember, no direct link equals no grand prize opportunity.


    My Goals

    Read some each day (easy goal, I always do this)
    comment on at least two blogs each day
    Twitter updates
    read one non-fiction
    read/review one review book
    read one of the following: 
    • Howard's Gift by Eric C. Sinoway with Merrill Meadow (non-fiction) 
    • Weight of Deeds by Eli Thrope (short stories) 
    • One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake 
    • What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
    • Informed Risk by Robyn Carr
    • And Then She Fell by Stephanie Laurens
    • Homeland by R.A. Salvatore
    • State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
    NO OVERLAPS! Howard's Gift is a non-fiction review book and can not count for all three goals.
     
    I read 1,885 and then some pages during my last RaT which was a high week for me. I'm not sure what page goal to shoot for, maybe just the three books.



    copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

    Friday, August 9, 2013

    A Non-Fiction Adventure revised

    edit: I'm so glad things have changed!  I still don't have my complete list but I'll be working on it, changing stuff around. Also, I'm changing my dates!


    A Non-Fiction
    Adventure

    2017 - 2024

    hosted by Michelle of The True Book addict

    For more information and/or to sign up, click here

    Here are the guidelines:

    • choose 50+ non-fiction books; the number is up to you.  Choose 50, 75, 100, 200.  It's entirely your choice
    • Books must be non-fiction--biography, autobiography, history, memoir, cooking, travel, science, etc.
    • list them at your blog (or on Goodreads or another social media site, if you do not have a blog)
    • choose your completion goal date five years in the future and make note of it with your list of titles (like this:  reading goal--50 books  goal dates--March 20, 2012 - March 20, 2017)
    • come back here and post the link to your list in the linky below
    • write a review (or a short summary) on the book when finished and link it to the title in your list (or link to your review on Goodreads, again, if you don't have a blog)
    • there will be pages posted at the top of the blog for you to link your reviews
    • when you have completed the challenge, come add your link to the Completed Challenges page
    • there will be a blog roll in the sidebar where I will list you/your blog linked to your lists
    • grab the button in the right sidebar and link it back to this blog
    • check out this PAGE which contains links to various online sources with lists of reading ideas
    • I might host a read-a-long from time to time.  If you are hosting one, or an event or challenge surrounding a non-fiction title, post about it at this PAGE
    A couple more important details:
    • this challenge can be crossed over with any other challenges
    • your link in the linky below must lead to your list, not just your main blog address.  Any links that are that are blog links only will be delete
    My Goal: 50 books in 8 years


     ~ Books to Read ~
    1. Others Unknown : The Oklahoma City Bombing Conspiracy by Stephen Jones
    2. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Revised and Expanded Edition by Oliver Sacks
    3. The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston
    4. If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation by Janine Latus
    5. I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story by Rick Bragg
    6. The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade by Ann Fessler
    7. The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer
    8. The Privilege of Youth by Dave Pelzer
    9. A Man Named Dave by Dave Pelzer
    10. Look Up for Yes by Julia Tavalaro and Richard Tayson
    11. Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox 
    12. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
    13. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
    14. Wide Awake at 3:00 A.M. by Choice or by Chance? Richard M. Coleman
    15. Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir by Jennette Fulda
    16. Honey, Do You Need a Ride? Confessions of a Fat Runner Paperback by Jennifer Graham 
    17. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
    18. Skidboot: The Smartest Dog In The World by Cathy Luchetti
    19. Paw Tracks at Owl Cottage by Denis O'Connor
    20. Paw Prints in the Moonlight by Denis O'Connor
    21. Toby Jug by Denis O'Connor
    22. Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper 
    23. Casper the Commuting Cat by Susan Finden
    24. Cleo by Helen Brown
    25. The Cat Who Came Back for Christmas by Julia Romp
    26. Stuff by Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee
    27. The Less of More by Joshua Becker
    28. The Flexitarian Diet
    29. AARP New American Diet
    30. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
    31. Getting Things Done by David Allen
    32. Enough Already! by Peter Walsh
    33. The Body Book by Cameron Diaz




    ~ Books Read ~
    Read during old challenge dates - Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Rooney Doland
    Read during old challenge dates - The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (8-6-14)


    ~ Books Read ~





    copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2016

    Thursday, August 8, 2013

    Eat and Run by Scott Jurek (#109)

    After I laced up my shoes and actually went for a run I came back and stated looking for books. While it's true that I have no desire to actually RUN the Badwater Ultramarathon it was interesting reading about someone who has.

    The most interesting piece of information is that Scott is Vegan. He even tried Raw for a while but he's been able to accomplish so much without meat.
    If we wouldn't take steroids ourselves...why would we eat the flesh of an animal that has?

    Or was the sum of a plant-based diet greater than its parts? Vegetarians are likely to have healthy habits outside the kitchen as well as more active lifestyles and less smoking.

    Each chapter has a recipe and an information snippet. . . Finding the Time, The Naked Truth (barefoot running), Counting Calories, Making Progress.

    There is mention of a study, on page 150, that scares me. The study followed men and women over a fourteen year period and found that men who spent more than 6 hours a day sitting were 17% more likely to die during that time than men who sat for less than 3 hours. It get worse for me, women were 34% more likely to die. And to make things even scarier. . .
    This increased mortality persisted regardless of whether the participants smoked, were overweight, and - this shocked me-regardless of how much they exercised.
    I enjoyed this book very much. I don't eat enough of a variety of veggies to enjoy most of the recipes and my doc said not to change my diet (blood thinners) so I'm putting this on my wishlist and will pick up the paperback later on and read it again, with a highlighter and bookmarks.

    There were two sections of pictures.




    Eat & Run
    My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
    Scott Jurek with Steve Friedman
    978-0547569659
    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
    June 2012
    227 pages
    hardcover (paperback, ebook, audio)
    Age range: High School +
     
    nonfiction (Marathon running-training, Marathon running-physiological aspects, Athletes-nutrition, Vegan cooking)
    source: public library

    finished reading: August 8
    Grade: C+ 

    For nearly two decades, Scott Jurek has been a dominant force—and darling—in the grueling and growing sport of ultrarunning. In 1999, as a complete unknown, he took the lead of the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile traverse over the old Gold Rush trails of the California Sierra Nevada. He won that race seven years in a row, setting a course record along the way. Twice he won the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile “jaunt” through Death Valley. Recently he set an American record of 165.7 miles in 24 hours—6 1/2 marathons in one day. And he was one of the elite runners who traveled to Mexico to run with the Tarahumara Indians, as profiled in the bestseller Born to Run. His accomplishments are nothing short of extraordinary, but that he has achieved all of this on a plant-based diet makes his story all the more so.

    In Eat and Run, Scott Jurek opens up about his life and career—as an elite athlete and a vegan—and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family, to his early beginnings in running (he hated it), to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, to his world-spanning, record-breaking races, Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart all the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Chock-full of incredible, on-the-brink stories of endurance and competition, fascinating science, and accessible practical advice—including his own favorite plant-based recipes—Eat and Run will motivate everyone to “go the distance,” whether that means getting out for that first run, expanding your food horizons, or simply exploring the limits of your own potential.
    ~*~*~


    Challenges this counts towards:
    150+
    Outdo Yourself
    Library
    Back to School
    Monthly Mix-up Mania
    Nerdy Non-Fiction

    copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013

    Thursday, August 1, 2013

    ARC August Challenge

     
    ARC
    Reading Challenge
    August


    hosted at Read. Sleep. Repeat.    Sign- up here

    You really need to go to the sign-up page just to read the conversation Octavia has with us. Here's the basics.

    If you’re like me you are probably up to your ears in ARC’s and review request. Scratch that. If you’re like me then at this point there is a giant pool somewhere filled with all the ARC’s and review request you currently have.

    Type up a post just saying you’re participating then add your link in the linky below! The post can be as detailed (how many ARC’s you have, etc.) or as simple as you want just make sure your mention this post so other people can join! At the end of ARC August I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner. See! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! So go on! Start sorting through that review pile, get that post written, and sign up!

    Yes, I've got a pile to go through but most of it is upstairs and dinner is on the stove. I have no idea how many I'll get to but my goal is four reviews posted. That winner she's mentioned? $20 gift card for more books!

    Book Choices (small sample. . . Yikes!)
    • What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
    • Candy and the Cankersaur by Jason Sandberg
    • 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman
    • Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: An Insider's Look at the World of Flea Markets, Antiques, and Collecting by Maureen Stanton
    • The Weight of Deeds by Eli Thorpe
    • Cat and the Lady Killer by Lisa Orchard
    • Finding the Voice Inside You by Jill Birth
    • The Holder's Dominion by Genese Davis
    • Howard's Gift by Eric C. Sinoway with Merill Meadow
    • The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club by Duncan Whitehead
    • The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett
    • Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti
    • A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
    • Kekula by Jahcolyn Russell Neiman
    • A Modern Witch by Debora Geary 
    • The Right Side of the Tracks by Jaxx Steele
    • Second Chance by Sandra J. Gerencher
    • Spin the Plate Short Story by Donna Anastasi
    • True North
    • Whiskey Gulf by Clyde Ford

    ~ Books Read ~
    1.
    2.
    3.
    4.

    copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2013
    Disclaimer

    In accordance to the FTC guidelines, I must state that I make no monetary gains from my reviews or endorsements here on Book Dragon's Lair. All books I review are either borrowed, purchased by me, given as a gift, won in some kind of contest, or received in exchange for an honest review.