#boutofbooks

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, January 4th
and runs through Sunday, January 10th 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 15 information and updates,
be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
From the Bout of Books team

Well, a week later, it’s high time to post my Bout of Book recap, just for my own record at this point. I have just recovered from the first  computer crash in all my tech life. I wish this to nobody. Though Microsoft, after 4 days of support (don’t even bother with the phone support, they knew less than I do) and 5 trips to the shop, did manage to recover all my data, including Browser links, and all for free, because this was all due to something incompatible in their latest rather small update and my USB ports!!
Imagine: you unplug your USB headphones, and BOOM, you get the BSOD. If you don’t know what the BSOD is, then you are lucky, it was a nightmarish experience for a week, especially as I work entirely from home, not just for my virtual book tour company, but I teach French online and I translate novels.

My advice: be sure you regularly save all your data, on an external drive or in the cloud for nonsensitive material (Google Drive is very convenient, and free for up to 15 GB. Very cheap over that).
And save your bookmarks directly in Google Bookmarks instead of your browser, you can then access them at any time from anywhere, without installing anything.

SO, the crash put an abrupt end to Bout of Books.

Here is my final recap:

• Day 1: 98 pages read

• Day 2: 90 p

• Day 3: 10

• Day 4: 10

• Day 5: 98

• Day 6: 62

• Day 7: 69

• I also listened to a total of 50 mn

• TOTAL = 437/455 (that was my goal)

• AVERAGE Pages read per DAY = 62/65  (my goal)

So I failed. Would have worked if I had been rather worry free with a behaving computer. It was also the week on the Orthodox Christmas, so less time for reading in a couple of evenings!

• I finished Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Alard

• I read also from:

• Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust

• Toward the Endless Day, by Olga Lossky

• La cache, by Christophe Boltanski

• I listened to The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1)

I participated in a few challenges and the Twitter chat.

And here is the winner for the giveaway I organized

HOPING TO SEE YOU IN  BOUT OF BOOKS
IN MAY

#boutofbooks

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, January 4th
and runs through Sunday, January 10th 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 15 information and updates,
be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
From the Bout of Books team

WHAT I READ ON DAY 5:

1. Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust =   2 pages
2. The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1) – audio =  30 mn
3. Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Alard =  64 pages – BOOK FINISHED, review will be posted on 1/11
   
4. Toward the Endless Day, by Olga Lossky =  15 pages
5. La cache, by Christophe Boltanski = 17 pages

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 5=    98 pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  306 /455 pages

ALSO:

1. I didn’t post anything new for the challenge, too busy.

NOTES:

Finally a decent day of reading!

AND BE SURE TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY

WHAT I READ ON DAY 4:

1. Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust =  10 pages
2. The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1) – audio = 20 mn

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 4=    10 pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  208 /455 pages

ALSO:

1. I didn’t do the challenge, which was of no interest to me.

NOTES:

Well, I thought my Christmas celebration yesterday would only be in Church, but I also had something going on yesterday night, so another day with hardly any reading. It’s turning out rather bad so far, will try to catch up! I should have thought that doing Bout of Books the week of my church Christmas celebration was not a good idea!

WHAT I READ ON DAY 3:

1. Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust = 10 pages

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 3=  10  pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  198 /455 pages

ALSO:

1. I did the fun Rainbow Challenge

NOTES:

As I mentioned yesterday, today is my religious Christmas, so I had a long service in Church yesterday night, hence basically no reading time. Should be better tonight

WHAT I READ ON DAY 2:

1. Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Alard =   90 pages

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 2= 9o  pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  188 /455 pages

ALSO:

1. I didn’t do the Challenge of the day, which was of no interest at all to me
2. I posted for Teaser Tuesdays
3. I announced the French Bingo 2015 winner!

NOTES:

Funny, I spent a lot more time commenting on other blogs, for several memes and Blogging University, and ended up reading less than on Day 1!
Tonight (and I don’t have time to read during the day), I’m not going to be able to read much at all, as this is my Christmas Eve – I’m Russian Orthodox, with the Old Calendar, 13 days behind the civil calendar, so Christmas is January 7 for me, and tonight is the big night.

WHAT I READ ON DAY 1:

1. Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Alard =  69 pages
2. Toward the Endless Day, by Olga Lossky =  17 pages
3. Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust = 12 pages
4. The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1) – audio = 26 mn

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 1= 98/455 pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  98/455 pages

ALSO:

1. I took part in the crazy Twitter Chat and met many new book bloggers
2. I posted my task of the day on Twitter: Introduce Yourself #insixwords. I says it all!
3. I posted a bookgiveaway
4. And a book review: The Lady Agnès Mystery, vol 2

NOTES:

I’m amazed I managed to read all this, even with an hour of the chat taking on my reading time.
On the other had, I still need to send New Year greetings…

Here is the rest of the schedule:

Challenges/Giveaways

Saturday 1/9
Once Upon a Chapter — The Comfy Reading Spot

Sunday 1/10
FREE DAY!

What will I am reading from:

• Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Allard
• Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust
• Toward the Endless Day, by Olga Lossky
• Gaspar, Melchior & Balthazar, by Michel Tournier, maybe
• Audio: The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1)
• Maybe: La cache, by Christophe Boltanski

My daily reading average for 2015 was 63 pages a day.
So my challenge this week is to read 455 pages (average of 65 pages/day).
Not counting some time for audiobooks as well.

HOW DID YOU DO?

#boutofbooks

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, January 4th
and runs through Sunday, January 10th 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 15 information and updates,
be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
From the Bout of Books team

WHAT I READ ON DAY 4:

1. Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust =  10 pages
2. The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1) – audio = 20 mn

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 4=    10 pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  208 /455 pages

ALSO:

1. I didn’t do the challenge, which was of no interest to me.

NOTES:

Well, I thought my Christmas celebration yesterday would only be in Church, but I also had something going on yesterday night, so another day with hardly any reading. It’s turning out rather bad so far, will try to catch up! I should have thought that doing Bout of Books the week of my church Christmas celebration was not a good idea!

AND BE SURE TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY

WHAT I READ ON DAY 3:

1. Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust = 10 pages

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 3=  10  pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  198 /455 pages

ALSO:

1. I did the fun Rainbow Challenge

NOTES:

As I mentioned yesterday, today is my religious Christmas, so I had a long servide in Church yesterday night, hence basically no reading time. Should be better tonight

AND BE SURE TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY

WHAT I READ ON DAY 2:

1. Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Alard =   90 pages

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 2= 9o  pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  188 /455 pages

ALSO:

1. I didn’t do the Challenge of the day, which was of no interest at all to me
2. I posted for Teaser Tuesdays
3. I announced the French Bingo 2015 winner!

NOTES:

Funny, I spent a lot more time commenting on other blogs, for several memes and Blogging University, and ended up reading less than on Day 1!
Tonight (and I don’t have time to read during the day), I’m not going to be able to read much at all, as this is my Christmas Eve – I’m Russian Orthodox, with the Old Calendar, 13 days behind the civil calendar, so Christmas is January 7 for me, and tonight is the big night.

AND BE SURE TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY

WHAT I READ ON DAY 1:

1. Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Alard =  69 pages
2. Toward the Endless Day, by Olga Lossky =  17 pages
3. Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust = 12 pages
4. The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1) – audio = 26 mn

TOTAL PAGES IN DAY 1= 98/455 pages
PAGES READ SO FAR=  98/455 pages

ALSO:

1. I took part in the crazy Twitter Chat and met many new book bloggers
2. I posted my task of the day on Twitter: Introduce Yourself #insixwords. I says it all!
3. I posted a bookgiveaway
4. And a book review: The Lady Agnès Mystery, vol 2

NOTES:

I’m amazed I managed to read all this, even with an hour of the chat taking on my reading time.
On the other had, I still need to send New Year greetings…

Here is the rest of the schedule:

Challenges/Giveaways

Friday 1/8
The Book Monsters — Scavenger Hunt

Saturday 1/9
Once Upon a Chapter — The Comfy Reading Spot

Sunday 1/10
FREE DAY!

What will I am reading from:

• Couple Mechanics, by Nelly Allard
• Albertine Disparue, by Marcel Proust
• Toward the Endless Day, by Olga Lossky
• Gaspar, Melchior & Balthazar, by Michel Tournier, maybe
• Audio: The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1)
• Maybe: La cache, by Christophe Boltanski

My daily reading average for 2015 was 63 pages a day.
So my challenge this week is to read 455 pages (average of 65 pages/day).
Not counting some time for audiobooks as well.

HOW DID YOU DO ON DAY 1?