Mailbox Monday

It was a slow week for me but that's fine and dandy! I have a ton of TBRs and I really am slow reading right now. I did get two really great looking books though!

• Mothers and Other Liars by Amy Bourret
• The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

These look absolutely good!

What about you guys?

Blogoversary Celebration Post!!!

Must Read Faster's birthday is May 2!!!Sooo, almost Happy Birthday to my blog! My wee little blog is almost officially 1 year older! I had to double check because I simply could not believe it! One whole year of blogging!? Ahh! But I have in my brain a little something cooking to make my blog's B'day a bit fun! I'll have to iron out the kinks before posting the end result but I think you guys will love it!

Come back in a day or two and see what I have cooking in the oven! :)

Oh yeah and THANK YOU all for making this one of the funnest years of my life! I appreciate the people that come to my blog and encourage me! You guys rock! :)

Blog Tour: Firefly Rain

About the Book:
Jacob Logan returns to the small North Carolina town of Maryfield five years after his mother's death. Logan, whose business venture in Boston has just failed, is looking for a change of pace, and hopes to find some meaning by taking up temporary residence in the house he grew up in. A series of bizarre occurrences soon threaten that hope: his furniture and most of his possessions are incinerated in a highway explosion; his car is stolen, only to reappear and almost run him down; and he gets creepy vibes from the house's caretaker, who had carried a torch for Logan's mother. The most disturbing manifestation of a supernatural presence comes from the fireflies, who refuse to cross into Logan's property and who die when he brings them over the invisible boundary. Dansky convincingly portrays Logan's isolation and terror, and subtly gives glimpses of the forces arrayed against him.

My Review:

This book is pretty darn good! The best thing about this book is that it's story isn't the typical cliched "ghost story." I loved the firefly angle, and how subtly scary the atmosphere is. This isn't a BOO! you're terrified story but it is scary. (I hope that makes sense?) You are on edge throughout the whole thing! You don't know who is the bad guy and who is the good guy, or girl. Each character was well done and well crafted. I loved each one's reaction to the events that took place. The story rolled quite nicely and didn't drag at all anywhere. The background history was well thought out, too. Basically this is a great thriller that kept me reading and trying to piece together what was going on!

The cover art is darn pretty too! It's got that whole creepy/beautiful vibe to it that I love! It really captured the mood of the book!

All in all this book gets a 3.5/5 rating!

Other Blogs on the Tour:

Revenge of the Book Nerds: http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com/
Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
My Life In Not So Many Words: http://www.ziarias.blogspot.com/
All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Crazy Books & Reviews: http://www.lindsayphotobook.blogspot.com/
Pick of the Literate: http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/
Book Junkie: http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com/
The Cajun Book Lady: http://thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com/
I Heart Monster: http://www.iheartmonster.com
Books Gardens & Dogs: http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
Just One More Paragraph: http://tweezlereads.blogspot.com/
My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
The Wayfaring Writer: http://moonsanity.blogspot.com/
Wendy’s Minding Spot: http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
Lucky Rosie’s: http://www.luckyrosiescreations.blogspot.com/
Pam’s Private Reflections: http://hip2bhomeschooling.blogspot.com/
Star Shadow: http://www.starshadowblog.com/
Patricia’s Vampire Notes: http://patricias-vampire-notes.blogspot.com/
The Bibliophilic Book Blog: http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/
My Book Views: http://my-book-views.blogspot.com/
I Heart Book Gossip: http://juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com/
Brizmus Blogs Books: http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com/
Simply Stacie: http://stacievaughansblog.blogspot.com/
Jeanne's Ramblings: http://www.jeannesramblings.com
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: http://ramblingsofacoffeeaddictedwrter.blogspot.com/
Books And Things: http://melissawatercolor.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
Book Tumbling: http://booktumbling.com/
Jen’s Book Talk: http://jensbooktalk.blogspot.com/
Dan’s Journal: http://grumpydan.blogspot.com/
Avid Reader: http://www.tarmyblogspot.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/
The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
Cheryl’s Book Nook: http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/
I’m Booking It: http://imbookingit.wordpress.com/
Maria’s Space: http://www.reesspace.blogspot.com/
Gnostalgia: http://gnostalgia.wordpress.com/
Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com/

Taking Time For Mommy: http://takingtimeformommy.blogspot.com/

What am I Reading?

This week it's back to "normal" here in the Must Read Faster household. Mr. Kid is back in school and mommy has the place to herself once again! So I'm really going to have more time to read! yay!

I won't lay down a plan I'll just list a few of the books I'd LIKE to get read by the end of this week (Sunday) so here they are:

1. (finish) Firefly Rain
2. The Stolen One
3. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
4. Daughters of the Witching Hill

I probably won't finish them all, or I may just pick a random book but there you are. Happy Monday!

Mailbox Saturday

**isn't that an awesome mailbox?!!!

Anyways, this week was super awesome for my mailbox (not to mention my overflowing TBR pile!) I got some awesome books for my son and a handful for myself too! Sweet!

I got the Bug's Adventure Series by K.M. Groshek (website is coming soon!)

The Cassandra Prophecy by Robert "Doc" Gowdy (would link the cover but there's a half nekkid butt on it! btw not exactly the proper space attire) *blog tour*

Never Let you Go by Erin Healy (review)

Juliet by Anne Fortier (review)

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth (review)



I'm pretty excited about these! What did you get?

Blog Tour: How Clarissa Burden Learned To Fly

Description:
How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly is the transcendent story of a young woman who, in a twenty-four hour period, journeys through startling moments of self-discovery that lead her to a courageous and life-altering decision.

My Thoughts:
Oh my did this book NOT disappoint! It ran the gamut of emotions from super depressing to extreme joy. I felt for Clarissa. I loved how she changed and actually evolved as a character. I was cheering her on and hoping that she smartened up about her tool of a husband! I hate to admit the little devil in me, laughed when she was planning the many ways of her husband's demise. I felt so much pity for her and her sad little marriage. She wasn't without fault but her story did tug at a few of the old heart strings.

I was impressed with Connie May Fowler's writing. I enjoyed how the book flowed. There wasn't a single wasted word or page. There are a few flaws but they get outweighed by the story and the characters. I even loved that darn fly! You'll have to read it to understand what I mean ;)

My Rating:

4/5

Participating Blogs:

April 16
http://www.justshortofcrazy.blogspot.com
http://www.ziarias.blogspot.com
http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
http://www.tarmyblogspot.blogspot.com
http://lorisreadingcorner.com
http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com
http://thebooktree.blogspot.com
http://www.mybookbuds.com
http://www.armsofasister.com
http://wiseowlbookreviews.com

Happy Birthday to My Little Boy!!!

My son Trent is 6 years old today! :) He's such a cool little man! Okay, done being a silly Mama.

Blog Tour: Jane Slayre

My Thoughts:

I am a horrible book blogger. There I said it. I'm horrible. Why? Because I have never read Jane Eyre! *hides behinds hands* Oh, I own a copy. I have it on my shelf but I have never gotten around to it. Needless to say though, this gave me a "clean slate" to waltz right into this book without prejudices. What was my reaction? I loved it! Plain and simple!

This book is fun and was at times wickedly funny! I was afraid that this would be stupid. I'm not going to lie. I've seen these types of books before and thought they looked... interesting. Silly me for judging without reading first! This one at least is worth a read. There are zombies, vampires, and werewolves scattered about! Our heroine isn't a full time slayer but she does get her fighting in.

I think there is enough in this book to make almost anyone happy. It's got the romance, the comedy, the action, and the suspense that, at least I crave in a book. I stayed up late two days in a row to finish it and the reading hangovers were well worth it!

Rating: 4/5


Other Blog's Participating in the Tour:

Revenge of the Book Nerds: http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com/
Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
Crazy Books & Reviews: http://www.lindsayphotobook.blogspot.com/
Book Junkie: http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com/
The Cajun Book Lady: http://thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com/
I Heart Monster: http://www.iheartmonster.com
Books Gardens & Dogs: http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
Just One More Paragraph: http://tweezlereads.blogspot.com/
The Wayfaring Writer: http://moonsanity.blogspot.com/
Pam’s Private Reflections: http://hip2bhomeschooling.blogspot.com/
Patricia’s Vampire Notes: http://patricias-vampire-notes.blogspot.com/
I Heart Book Gossip: http://juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com/
Simply Stacie: http://stacievaughansblog.blogspot.com/
Jeanne's Ramblings: http://www.jeannesramblings.com
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: http://ramblingsofacoffeeaddictedwrter.blogspot.com/
Books And Things: http://melissawatercolor.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
Book Tumbling: http://booktumbling.com/
Jen’s Book Talk: http://jensbooktalk.blogspot.com/
Avid Reader: http://www.tarmyblogspot.blogspot.com/
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/
The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
Cheryl’s Book Nook: http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/
Maria’s Space: http://www.reesspace.blogspot.com/
Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks: http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com/
Book, Books Everywhere: http://bookbookseverywhere.blogspot.com/
Renee’s Reads: http://www.renees-reads.blogspot.com/
Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!: http://writesthoughts.blogspot.com
Gnostalgia: http://gnostalgia.wordpress.com/
Reading Extensively: http://reading-extensively.blogspot.com/

Taking Time For Mommy: http://takingtimeformommy.blogspot.com/

disclaimer: i received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

What are you Reading?

I'm reading these books for blog tours! Both sound very good!

IF I finish these two then I will read

• Beatrice and Virgil
• The Stolen One

What about you?

Read-A-Thon-Wrap Up!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
I started to fade out at around 11pm but I kept chugging til about midnight.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I'd have to say that so far there have been a few. The Passage by Justin Cronin was really good! A huge book but definitely kept me turning the pages!

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Didn't really stumble upon anything that would improve it. I loved the interaction and it's really well organized!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Well I didn't do much but read so that was great :P

5. How many books did you read? 3

6. What were the names of the books you read?
The Passage, How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly, and Keeper.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
The Passage.

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Keeper was cute but it was definitely a children's novel, but it was a quick read!

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I'm DEFINITELY going to do it again! I love it! I may even try to do both reading and cheer leading, if I'm feeling adventurous!


My totals:

Books read: 3

Pages read: 1059

Time spent reading: about 15 ish..didn't really keep a good tally. It may have been less or a little more lol.

Ready? Set? GO!!!! Read-a-Thon is ON!

Oh yeah baby! It's 6am and I'm awake and ready for some READING! I got my coffee, my comfy chair, my notebook and pen, and my book! I'm going to start with (or finish) The Passage by Justin Cronin. I'm about halfway through so I'm aiming to finish it up!

I'll aim to update this post every hour or so..depends on if the kid has taken the computer over while I'm reading. I've got snacks, simple quick meals and tea made up! I'm going to try not to make a HUGE hog out of myself this time. Last RaT I snarfed down a ton of junk food so I'm going to try not to go down that route again. Anyway, here we go! Good luck everyone! Have fun and I'll see you in another hour with some updates!

Update 1:
Book: The Passage by Justin Cronin started at page 307 and read til 333 this hour..not the greatest start but good enough!
Pages Read: 26
Snacks: nothing but coffee and water so far


Update 2: (Probably won't post every hour but will update on time)
Book: still the Passage
Pages Read: 37
Snacks: i ate breakfast..grits and some coffee lol


Update 3:
Book: still the Passage
Pages Read: 42
Snacks: shared some popcorn with the kiddo..drank some coke

Update 4:
Book: The Passage
Pages Read: 38 (lots of distractions this hour..)
Snacks: fruit bites and tea

Update 5:
Book:The Passage
Pages Read: 29
Snacks: none

Update 6:
Book: The Passage
Pages Read: 49
Snacks: Cereal

Update 7: Break for Two hours (nap and lunch)

Update 8:
Book: Took a break from the Passage and picked up The Keeper by Kathi Appeltt
Pages Read: finished it! cute story, very quick read! 402
Snacks: none

Update 9:
Book: Back to the Passage
Pages Read: 69
Snacks: none

Update 10:
Book: Passage-hopefully done...this book is massive!!!
Pages: 77
Snacks: none

Update 11:
Book: finally finished the Passage! (great book! review coming soon!) /Started How Clarissa Burden Learned To Fly by Connie May Fowler
Pages: 51
Snacks: None

Took a break for dinner with the family from 7pm-9pm. Starting back at 10pm after Little Man goes to bed!

Update 12:
Book: Clarissa
Pages: 93
Snacks: None

Update 13:
Book: Clarissa- FINISHED
Pages: 146
Snacks: None

Update 14: Started on Firefly Rain but it was about midnight by this time and my brain was dead so I called it a night.

Read-a-Thon totals:

Pages: 1059
Books finished: 3
Hours Read: about 15 (ish) my log got kinda fuzzy after 11pm lol.


All in all, I wished I could have concentrated more. I didn't get as much reading in as I'd have liked but it was fun! I can't wait for the next one!

Review: Illustrated Guide To Religions by James A. Beverley

Summary: This is a reference book for the many different religions of the world, told with both views (Christian and Non.) Each religion is laid out for the reader's easy understanding. There are numerous illustrations to go with the descriptions. A very handy source book for families to have around the house.

Review:
This is a beautifully illustrated book that explains all the different world religions. I enjoyed the balanced views on each. This is a big book but is organized well and easy to read. This is pretty much an encyclopedia of all the religions in one BIG book! The descriptions are informative and interesting, which I loved. Like I stated before the book is balanced, which I respected very much. The book does give a Christian response to each religion after each description, which was incredibly interesting and thought provoking.

The book is huge but is very high quality! The pictures are beautiful and the paper is very durable. I can see this book being very helpful for children that need a quick reference for a project or report. This isn't a book you just sit down and read from cover to cover (unless that's your thing!) but it is a handy volume to have on hand.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com http://BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Monday-Check In

So I'm just gonna come right out and admit it. I've been a slacker and I apologize for it. Good news though, I'm so excited for this week and weekend's read-a-thons! I'm reading as much as I can when I can. I'm trying to get myself back on track so I can do this blog justice again!

I've already listed my goals for this week and so far so good! I'm plowing through The Fellowship and starting up kinda slow on The Passage, but I'll take it. I realize it will be a miracle if I finish The Passage in one week. This book is HUGE..like the unabridged version of The Stand huge!!! So I'll be happy if I make it at least half way through!


So if all goes well, I'll wake up around 5:30 (ish) on Saturday and start reading before the kiddo wakes up. Then after he's up I'll take a little break and make him breakfast and get him doing something fun, maybe he can even join me in reading? I don't think I can make it all night, BUT my husband gets home early on Saturday and has Sunday off, so I could try and stay up a little late. It would be awesome of him to wake up with the kiddo in the morning (on Sunday) but he usually wants to sleep in, but I think if I ask him nicely he'll get up ;)

Rambling on, I have a few ideas about a giveaway that I might do. I went through my piles and bookshelves looking for Read-a-Thon books and discovered I had some that I could use for a giveaway. I think you guys might like this selection too! So let me cook up that idea and I'll let you know what happens, of course.

Okay now, back to reading.

Clear Away the Clutter Read-a-Thon

Who can participate
Anyone. You do not have to be a participant of the Clear Away the Clutter challenge to join in the read-a-thon. Or even have a blog.

When
Begins: 7am, Monday, April 5th
Ends: 11pm, Sunday, April 11th

Okay so since I've been in a super major INTENSE reading slump, I have decided to join this event..as well as Dewey's this weekend. I have a LOT of TBR clutter on my desk and would love to whittle it down some. I'm not gonna go super crazy but I'm definitely going to read these books this week:

1. (finish) The Fellowship of the Ring-FINISHED!!!
2. The Passage
3. (maybe) The Forest House

I'm definitely going to get about 10 hours of reading in but I will try for more if possible.

I'll update my progress here:

• The Fellowship of the Ring-458 pages/total about 4 hours (cuz I'm slow)