The Terror of Knowing

It’s that time again – it’s Bout of Books 19! Those of you who have been around the blog for a while may remember I participated in the last few rounds (check out my BoB 18, BoB 17, or BoB 16 updates posts for how I did) but for those of who you don’t know about Bout of Books here’s a quick overview:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 8th and runs through Sunday, May 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 19 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

As you can see, it’s a very low-key readathon which is my kind of readathon since there are very few challenges and/or expectations of you other than to simply read. That’s the kind of readathon I can do (hopefully anyway). However, I still have a few books in mind that I’d like to get to so this is my tentative TBR for the upcoming week ahead:

1. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
   I’ve started this and I’m really enjoying it so it makes sense to carry on reading it for the readathon. Plus the TV show (which I’ve been highly anticipating) premiered last week so I’d like to start watching it asap before I miss too many episodes. So, yeah, I need to finish the book itself asap because it looks amazing.
2. Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
   I got an eARC of this through NetGalley since I’d heard Sam Missingham from Harper Collins raving about it over on Twitter. Honestly, though? I don’t think I’m the right audience for this (since I’m not middle aged and/or married) but it’s entertaining enough. I don’t know if I will actually finish it but a readathon would be a good way to shift through it and make sure I finish it so I can review it.
3. Spellslinger by Sebastian de Castell
   Again, another eARC I got through NetGalley, but this one sounds much more promising. I mean, for a start, it’s fantasy. Secondly, these phrases are included in the synopsis “Magic is a con game” and “perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher”. Why yes, I am that easy.
4. Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott
   I’m going to copy and paste this book’s synopsis too (sorry/not sorry): “The town of Rotherweird stands alone – there are no guidebooks, despite the fascinating and diverse architectural styles cramming the narrow streets, the avant garde science and offbeat customs. Cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I, Rotherweird’s independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history.” I mean, come on, of course I want to read that. Plus I have an eARC and it’s released soon so, you know, I need to get on this right now.

I’m sure I’m going to end up reading precisely none of these books, as is the tradition with readathons, but it’s always nice to have a plan in mind. Over the course of the readathon my main hope is just to read as much as I can, prioritising that as an activity over watching a TV show or a film. I also would like to try to interact with other BoBers via Twitter, Instagram, and on here of course. I think that’s a pretty damn achievable goal so watch this space…

If you want to keep up with my (admittedly sparse) updates during the course of the readathon, I’ve started a Twitter thread of my updates.

Are you participating in this round of Bout of Books? Comment below if so, I’d love to chat books and we could help cheer each other on during the readathon. 

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