Oh already June and time for my accounting of my progress in the challenge. I chose to try to get 20 audiobooks done in the year. Right now I'm at audios and I'm slightly behind what I should be. Not too bad and I can catch up. Just need to get to it! :D
Well this is my list so far (a couple may not have been officially reviewed yet). Wish me luck! :D
Totally rocked this one and I surpassed the 15 I was shooting for. In the end it was 18 audios! YaY!
I think I'll go for next year's challenge:
The level I'm going for is...
Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
I think this one is doable for me and keeps me on track for what I would like to do next year.
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2015-library-books
Didn't quite make this one. I needed 4 more. I didn't do bad considering all the new shineys this year. I don't know if I'll shoot for the same next year, but I did catch up on some of my series.
I almost forgot to post my challenges! It's been 1/2 way through the year (can you believe it?) and here is how I'm doing so far. YaY! Right now I'm meeting my goals.
13/15 audiobooks
I'm surpassing what I thought I would do in this category! I will have no problems completing it. I will then see how many I can get done within the year.
13/24 library books
I actually thought I'd have more books in this category, but I keep getting distracted with all the new shinys. :D However, I seem to be on track here. YaY!
Hm... I was thinking on doing a post on how I listen to audios. What do you think?
I've entered a couple of challenges this year. I've done pretty good progress on my audio challenge and I'm slightly behind on my library challenge.
Here is my progress:
6/15 audiobooks
Since I have been tracking my progress on Goodreads as well as here, thought I'd give a short screencap to show my progress. Just click on the pic below to see a bigger pic.
I'm doing better than I thought I would! YaY!
My library books almost look exactly like the one above since I can combine them and I've been doing a lot of audios from Hoopla (which is also technically from my library).
5/24 library books
Just a little more behind than I intended but still on my way to my goal!
Thought I might try a couple of challenges this coming year...
From the website:
The Audiobook Challenge is back for 2015! Join The Book Nympho and Hot Listens for the 3rd year of great audio books.
Audiobooks are great for those times you want to read but can’t for some reason like driving, doing chores, working out, or if you’re one of the lucky ones like me, listen to them at work.
I hope all those new and old junkies can join us once again for The 2015 Audiobook Challenge.
Listening is never been better, thanks to the popularity of Audiobooks just about everything is being published on audio…YAY!
There has never been a better time for reading with our ears
I'm going to try for Stenographer since I did 10 this year and I'm shooting for at least 15: Stenographer(can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
• Runs January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015. You can join any time.
• The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library. Twelve should be easy, that’s one a month. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.
• Any format will work for this challenge (print, ebook or audio) as long as you checked it out from the library it counts.• Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
• Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads. The goal is to support your local library and save money.
• To join this challenge, grab the 2015 Snagged @ The Library Reading Challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads (so as long as you have a dedicated shelf and Felicia has created a Goodreads group), Shelfari (I’ve created a Shelfari group. You can join and post your progress within the group), or BookLikes, etc., for the 2015 Snagged @ The Library Reading Challenge. The point of linking up is to have a place where people can see what you’re reading.
I'm trying for thrifty reader which is 24 books. I think I can do more but I'm also trying to read more off my tbr. Plus, knowing me I will do more new review books than I intend. LOL
The question of the day, my Interweb buddies, is, “What do you do when you’re not writing?”
After I stopped laughing, several answers immediately come to mind, most of them somewhat flippant. (It should be mentioned here, perhaps, that this is what always happens when anyone asks me a question about anything. I have a difficult time with straight answers.)
A few of my initial responses, in no particular order:
When am I not writing?
I wish I were writing.
Sleep. Eat. Go outside. Maybe go see if my friends still remember that I exist.
As I thought about these non-responses, I realized that, hey, they’re actually REAL responses.
Writers, well, write. All the time. We’re like junkies constantly looking for the next fix. Even when we don’t have a pen and a notepad and act all obvious about it, we’re writing. When someone talks to me, I’m listening, yes, but on some level I’m dissecting your story. What words do you use? How do you use them? Can I steal some of your dialogue? What are you doing while you’re talking? Is it a movement I can take? When you’re telling me that story about how your great Uncle Murray farms chinchillas, somewhere deep inside I’m thinking, “Should I make one of my characters a chinchilla farmer? What if the chinchillas suddenly became rabid and attacked? Would that make a good subplot? Can chinchillas get rabies?”
Another thing: writers are magpies and we steal. Not in a kleptomaniac way. I’m pretty sure your good silver is safe. No, what we take is tiny bits of you. Which is why writers make terrible friends. Sure, we’re listening to your story, but we’re also mining it for our own needs. We want to take that funny thing you just said. It’s shiny and we need it. Trust me, my friends are used to me saying, “Do you mind if I use that?” I really can’t imagine why any of them still talks to me.
And that’s not all. When I’m not actively stealing your words, movements, and stories about people you know, I’m probably thinking about my own plots, characters and worlds. Maybe I’m not able to be at my computer actually writing at this moment, but you can’t stop me from thinking about it. Sometimes I even dream about plots. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to ask my boyfriend to repeat something he’s just said to me because I was thinking about something book related. So not only are writers terrible friends, but you also probably shouldn’t date us. We cheat on you with figments of our own imagination.
Sometimes, you have to go outside. If you don’t you eventually get rickets and run out of food and supplies. Then you’re that creepy person on your block and eventually people start rumors and before you know it the only visitors at your door have pitchforks and torches…
I forgot what I was talking about.
Oh. Right. Outside. When we finally do go outside, you can probably guess what we’re doing—we’re scanning people, places and things for stuff we can put into a story. We’re obsessed. There are times when writing almost seems like a socially acceptable mental illness. We can’t stop. Ever. But people seem okay with it. They put up with our crazy because it has a (hopefully) positive result. We tell them stories. We can’t stop that, either.
Most days, I struggle to balance my writing life with my real life. What I want to do is write all day and spend the evening with my family. Somewhere inside me is this perfect vision of a home office, a kid who respects a closed door and tiptoes around quietly, and a window next to my desk where I can stare out at the picturesque view and think. In this fantasy the house also cleans itself and someone else is running all the errands. Maybe I own a unicorn and the mailman brings me candy. I mean, as long as I’m dreaming, why not?
A few of you might even imagine this is reality. Well, at least up to the part where I brought up the unicorn. It’s not. I’m a new writer. I have to have another job because my kid likes to eat, and I’m pretty attached to having a roof over my head. My mailman doesn’t bring me candy, either. I have to get that on my own. So, in reality, when I’m not writing, I’m working at my day job. I’m volunteering at 826 Seattle. I’m ferrying my kiddo around. I’m walking the dog, doing the grocery shopping, and cleaning the kitchen. I’m looking at my calendar and crying because there is no blank space for me to not do things. Because when I have free time, I’m trying to catch up on my reading, my emails, my blog posts. I’m calling back my friend who texted me a week ago because she hasn’t seen me in awhile and I’m being a hermit again. Only I’m not. I’m just way too busy. And the more I think about all of this, the more I’m realizing that while my initial answers were originally my way of cracking a joke, they are also, honestly, heart-breakingly true.
When I’m not writing…
When do I stop writing? I never stop writing.
I’m pretending I’m not thinking about writing.
I’m working, cleaning, eating, sleeping, all so I can write.
I’m wishing I were writing…
BIO:
Lish McBride was raised by wolves in the Pacific Northwest. It rains a lot there, but she likes it anyway. She spent three years away while she got her MFA in fiction from the University of New Orleans, and she liked that too, although hurricane Katrina did leave much of her stuff underwater. Her main goal in going to college was to become a writer so she could wear pajamas pretty much all the time. Currently, Lish lives happily in Seattle where the weather never actually tries to kill you, with her family, two cats, and one very put-upon Chihuahua. She is slowly building her garden gnome army.
She is also the author of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer and Necromancing the Stone.
You may contact her at LishMcBride@gmail.com, should you, for some reason, wish to do such a thing. You can also find her on facebook and Twitter.
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Ah, real life. The true torturer of all artists. Now you see why I love her writing? Everyone so needs to read this book! Even though I love nothing but a straight answer and no snark... *cough* Yea... right. ;)
Lish has provided me with a book for a giveaway. I'm footing the bill for shipping (woe is me) so I'm keeping it US only. Trust me international peeps, I still wuvs ya, and I swear you won't be sorry if you pick up this book. Now if I can only get my hands on Necromancing the Stone which will be out in Sept... Oh yea.. the giveaway...
Hold Me Closer Necromancer
Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.
Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.
With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?
I didn't do my end of the year reading challenge. Yes! I rocked it. When I was at about 120 books, I upped my amount from 100 to 150 and even blew that one away! Yep, I need to get a life. ;D At least I did so much better than I did last year. I didn't quite get to 100 read/reviews.
This challenge involves reading and reviewing any book that has been written by a male author or has a male protagonist in the book. It's a fun challenge with tons of great prizes!!
Just click on that beautiful button to go see the prizes, sign up and have lots of fun.
Oh, and no... none from my man harem will be there for prize. They are mine! ;D However, who knows? Join the challenge and you may find yourself keeping a man harem. :)
While you are here, don't forget to comment HERE to win:
This signed book!
Ah... Owen!
Oh, and tomorrow there will be a blog post by Bryan Cohen and a chance to win his book.
I also found this on Craft blog on which led to a link on how to make some adorable monster bookmarks:
Okay, I'm finally entering a book challenge. Main reason? I don't have to organize by a certain type or really be organized throughly at all. ;) Plus, if I decide to do any more challenges, this one crosses over!
