ANNOUNCEMENT: Read-a-thons I am Participating In For April

April 7th - 20th

Created by: @thoughtsontomes

Hosted by:@booklifesj @perpetualpages@brainsandbooks 

@littlebookowl & @bibliophilicwith (tumblr)

The Tome Topple Read-a-thon is a Read-a-thon where you read books with 500 pages or more and you can click here to find out more information!

MY TBR:

Challenge 1: Read more than 1 tome

Challenge 3: Read a tome that's part of a series

Challenge 5: Read an adult novel

And then Reread:

The Spring Into Horror Read-a-thon is where you read all horror books and you can click here for more information!

TBR:

Finish reading

April 29, 2017 at midnight- April 29, 2017 at 11:59pm

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon is a read-a-thon where you read as many books as you can in 24 hours and you can participate in challenges as well!

Click here for more information!

TBR To Be Determined!

Read-O-Rama Round 6 2017 TBR

I know, I know, it has already been two days of the Read-O-Rama Round 6 Read-a-thon and I am just now posting my TBR. However, I did post my TBR before the read-a-thon on my YouTube Channel. For this read-a-thon there are eight reading challenges you can participate in; you can participate in all of them, some them or even none of them. The ultimate goal of this read-a-thon is to read as much as you can in a week! It takes place from midnight on March 12th - 11:59pm on March 18th. I am so happy that this Read-a-thon takes place during my Spring Break this week and I can't wait to read some amazing books!

If you want to participate in this read-a-thon click here to find out more!

Here is what I am planning on reading for this read-a-thon:

1. Read 7 Books
2. rama in the title/author name 
   
3. Book with animal on the cover
   
   (I started this last summer and I want to finish it during the read-a-thon)
   
   
4. Main character that shares your initial
   
5. Book with Irish Elements
6. Book about an illness
7. Start a new Series 
    
8. Read a book Blind
   
   
   
   
   
   I also want to finish reading:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   I also want to read: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   If you are participating in Read-O-Rama Round 6 what are you going to read?
   
   
   
   
   

"The Shack" Book Review

"Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."

Mackenzie, the main character in this novel, doesn't understand how a loving God could let his little girl Missy get abducted and murdered during a camping trip to the lake. He is angry not only at his daughter's killer but at God. He didn't have the strongest faith before this tragedy, but now he is lost in a sea of tears, guilt, and pain and he is drifting even farther from God.

Four years later after his daughter's tragic death, he is stuck in "Great Sadness" and doesn't know how to live anymore. One snowy afternoon he walks out to get the mail and receives a note from Papa (the name his wife Nan uses for God) telling him to meet him at the shack where they found Missy's bloody four years ago.

When Mack goes back to the shack where his nightmare begun, what he finds there changes his life forever. It changes his relationship with God and makes him see the world differently. After one weekend, his heart is healed and he sees the world with new eyes.

The question that this novel focuses on is: Where is God in a world full of unspeakable pain? While I haven't been through the tragedy Mack and his family went through, I have had some hardships in my life and I've always wondered where God was during those times. This book definitely answered my question and made me see the world and my religion in a totally new way.

This may seem crazy or far fetched, but I felt this book was a way that God was reaching out to me and reminding me of his love. This book made me realize that God is "especially fond of me" and that he doesn't cause bad things to happen, he just makes tragedies in this world full of chaos into something beautiful. I cried and cried and cried because, in a world where religion is controversial and where there is so much pain, I realized that we all are loved no matter the mistakes we make and that there is always a beautiful rainbow at the end of the dark tunnel. "The Shack" answered questions I've always had about my relationship with God and answered questions I've never thought of before. I never felt closer to God, and I have this beautiful book to thank!

If you haven't read "The Shack" you have to go read it! It will transform you and make you see everything in a way you've never seen it before! Also, it's about to come out as a major motion picture! So make sure you read the book before seeing the movie.

My Rating: 5 Out Of 5 Paw Prints

 

"A Monster Calls" Book Review

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth."

"A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness is pages upon pages of beautiful art and elegantly written words that tell an amazing story. Conor's mom is going through cancer treatments and he is in denial. Ever since his dad moved to America and started another family, it has always just been Conor and his mom. While Conor's mom is going through chemo, Conor must step up and take care of his mom. Since everyone knows Conor's mom is sick everyone at school treats him differently. The bullies harass him more than anyone else, the teachers never call on him in class, he doesn't have to turn assignments in and he doesn't have many friends. Conor is set on the fact that his mom will get better, but he is afraid to face the truth. A monster shows up one night and tells Conor stories to help Conor accept his reality.

Patrick Ness's writing creates a beautiful depiction of grief and would be the perfect read for any child, teenager or adult whose life is impacted by cancer or who has lost someone close to them. While this book is a middle-grade read, it could be life-changing even for adults. The story grasps your heart and teaches you how to live again after a bump in the road or the loss of a loved one.

The beautiful black and white drawings also help pull you into the story and make you feel like you are in Conor's shoes, experiencing what he is experiencing. This read was definitely an inspirational one, and was moving to the point of tears.

I have to admit, at first I was really having trouble diving into this book. However, I don't know if this was because my life was just really busy when I started this book or if the book just dragged at the beginning. Whether it did or not, this book was amazing and I recommend it to everyone!

 

My Rating:4 Out Of 5 Paw Prints