Bout of Books 10.0 | Day 7 & Readathon Wrap-Up

Currently Reading: 

Learning to Breathe Fire by J.C. Herz [BUY]

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart [BUY]

Books Completed: 

1. The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson [BUY] [REVIEW]
2. Skin Rules by Debra Jaliman, M.D.[BUY]
3. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut [BUY]
4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell  [BUY]

Pages Read Today: 83

Pages Read Total: 1212

My Thoughts on Today: I was able to get 44 more pages read in Learning to Breathe Fire today, but the book is a bit slow going and one that I'll need to read over a long period of time. Thus, I decided to pick up We Were Liars and got through 39 pages before the end of the night

Final Bout of Books 10.0 Thoughts: Overall, I am very happy with my first Bout of Books readathon! I read four books, over 1200 pages, and even began two more books. I surpassed my goals, and even though I didn't read very much in the last two days I am still psyched about my overall performance. I can't wait for the next one in August!

Bout of Books 10.0 | Day 6

Currently Reading: Learning to Breathe Fire by J.C. Herz [BUY]

Books Completed: 

1. The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson [BUY] [REVIEW]
2. Skin Rules by Debra Jaliman, M.D.[BUY]
3. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut [BUY]
4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell  [BUY]

Pages Read Today: 22

Pages Read Total: 1129

My Thoughts on Today: Today was definitely my fail day. I was just in a sulky mood for some reason, and didn't feel like reading. That's bound to happen in a week-long readathon, so I'm trying not to beat myself up about it. Tomorrow is a new day!  

Goals for Tomorrow: Since I didn't read much today at all, it looks like I won't be able to finish Learning to Breathe Fire. My goal tomorrow will thus be to break 1200 pages total for this readathon! 

Bout of Books 10.0 | Day 5

Currently Reading: Learning to Breathe Fire by J.C. Herz [BUY]

Books Completed: 

1. The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson [BUY] [REVIEW]
2. Skin Rules by Debra Jaliman, M.D.[BUY]
3. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut [BUY]
4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell  [BUY]

Pages Read Today: 312

Pages Read Total: 1107

My Thoughts on Today: Wow! Today was great! I began and finished Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. It was a rainy day here in the city, so I took advantage of the bad weather and made today a lazy, reading day. I loved Attachments, and it was just what I needed – a fun, contemporary book. 

Goals for Tomorrow: I'll actually need to be productive tomorrow, so not as much reading and more work and running errands. Nonetheless, I hope to get at least 100 pages of my next read, Learning to Breathe Fire done, if not more. It's just over 300 pages total, and I'd love to finish it by the end of this readathon. 

Bout of Books 10.0 | Day 4

Currently Reading: Nothing! Will start Attachments by Rainbow Rowell next. [BUY]

Books Completed: 

1. The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson [BUY] [REVIEW]
2. Skin Rules by Debra Jaliman, M.D.[BUY]
3. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut [BUY]

Pages Read Today: 154

Pages Read Total: 795

My Thoughts on Today: Things started off poorly today, as I was feeling sluggish and a bit lazy. I didn't even open my book until 2:00pm! I finally got my act together and started being productive, and finished the day off by reading the rest of Slaughterhouse-Five. It's definitely normal to have a bit of a slump towards the middle of a week-long readathon, so I'm not too disappointed with how today went. I'm thrilled to have completed three books! 

Goals for Tomorrow: I've decided to stray from my TBR just a bit and pick up Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I need a lighter read after a couple of heavy books this week, and as Attachments is the Booksplosion book of the month I decided to give it a try. I actually got it as a free eBook from the library! I hope to get through at least 150 pages of it tomorrow. 

Bout of Books 10.0 | Day 3

Currently Reading: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut [BUY]

Books Completed: 

1. The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson [BUY] [REVIEW]
2. Skin Rules by Debra Jaliman, M.D. [BUY]

Pages Read Today: 313

Pages Read Total: 641

My Thoughts on Today: Today was a great day! I finished The Devil in the Marshalsea at around 1:00am, then got some sleep. I decided to read Skin Rules next, as it's a quick, nonfiction book discussing skincare. It only took me about 2 hours total to read that book, and I was able to move on to book number three – Slaughterhouse-Five! My eyelids are drooping now, so it's definitely time to turn in.

Goals for Tomorrow: I do have a busy day tomorrow, but since Slaughterhouse–Five is only 215 pages I think I can finish it. Then, if I have time, I'll move onto my final book on my Bout of Books TBR!  

Book Review | The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson

I am so excited to share my latest read with all of you! I won an advance copy of The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hogson on Goodreads, and made it my first priority during the Bout of Books 10.0 Readathon that is happening right now (check out my Day 1 and Day 2 posts for more information). I read all 380 pages within two days, and I am pleased to report it earned a full 5/5 star rating!

The Devil in the Marshalsea is a historical fiction book that takes place in 1727. The story is told through our main character's perspective. His name is Tom Hawkins, and he's a 25-year-old gentleman who studied to be a reverend, but was led astray due to his love for women, drinking, and gambling. The book opens with Tom scrounging together enough money to pay his landlord the debts he owes, but before Tom can pay his debts, he is robbed of every penny. The next day he is thrown into debtors gaol (pronounced "jail"), and the real excitement begins!

Gaol in 18th century England is truly hell. In order to avoid the dreaded Common Side, where prisoners are packed in tight quarters and dying of gaol fever, one must pay room and board to live on the Master's Side – a difficult task to accomplish when one is thrown into gaol for owing money in the first place. Tom meets an interesting fellow named Samuel Fleet, who pays his rent. But Fleet is not a favorite in the Marshalsea, the gaol where Tom now stays. In fact, Fleet's last roommate was brutally murdered and it soon becomes Tom's job to find out who did the deed, or he will be unable to escape the Marshalsea.

The Devil in the Marshalsea is thus a murder mystery story filled with twists and turns. Hodgson does an amazing job of building complex characters, and also educating the reader about life in a debtors gaol in the 1700s. I was amazed to find out that many of the characters in this book are based off of real life personalities, and I am now interested to learn more about this culture that I never knew existed. But aside from the fascinating history, the story of The Devil in the Marshalsea is just pure awesome. If you're a fan of Clue, you will love this book. The ending was shocking, and every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I was quite surprised. According to Goodreads, this is the first book in the new Tom Hawkins series, and I just need to find out what happens next!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Devil in the Marshalsea, and highly recommend it. It was definitely my favorite read of 2014 thus far. It comes out on June 10, so be sure to preorder your copy on Amazon HERE. You don't want to miss out on this thrill ride!

I use Amazon Affiliate links so you can find the books I talk about easily. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Bout of Books 10.0 | Day 2

Currently Reading: The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson [BUY]

Books Completed: None yet! 

Pages Read Today: 174

Pages Read Total: 328

My Thoughts on Today: While I didn't get to finish The Devil in the Marshalsea today, I'm still very happy with my progress. I had a very productive day filled with laundry, housework, and even a book event (more details to come on that), so to read even more today than I did yesterday is great! 

Goals for Tomorrow: I plan on staying up late to finish The Devil in the Marshalsea tonight because I have around 50 pages left and I just need to find out what happens! Then tomorrow I'll reach for the next book on my TBR, and perhaps finish it (since it's a short one!).

Please feel free to share how your Bout of Books is going in the comments! 

Bout of Books 10.0 | Day 1

Happy Monday! This week I'm taking part in Bout of Books 10.0, a week-long readathon where a bunch of readers throughout the world make reading a priority and share their thoughts on bookish things across social media. You can find out all the details on the official Bout of Books website.

What I really like about this readathon is that it's very laid back. There are no challenges and no specific goals. All one has to do to participate is read more than she usually does in a week. As I've just wrapped on my second year of law school, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to jump back into reading before my summer internships get underway. I'll be posting little updates for you at the end of each day to share my progress, but feel free to follow me on Twitter and Goodreads for even more updates.

Day 1

Currently Reading: The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson [BUY]

Books Completed: None yet! 

Pages Read Today: 154

Pages Read Total: 154

My Thoughts on Today: I'm overall happy with my start to Bout of Books! While I definitely spent time doing other things when I could have been reading, I definitely read more than I usually do in one day! I'm really enjoying The Devil in the Marshalsea as well. It's creepy, and Hodgson's writing makes me feel like I'm watching the story unfold in movie form. Very cool!

Goals for Tomorrow: I would love to finish The Devil in the Marshalsea tomorrow and possibly move on to my next book. Stay tuned to find out what that book will be! 

Book Review & Giveaway | Serendipidus by Jennifer Ott

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

This Sunday is a bit different here at OpenLetter2NYC! I just completed my first ever 24-hour readathon! I heard about Dewey's Readathon last minute, but I decided to participate a bit. It was a great experience, and I can't wait until the next one!

During the readathon, I completed Serendipidus by Jennifer Ott. This book is just delightful! The story revolves around Venetia De Mille, a famous supermodel living in New York City. Venetia was raised in a nunnery, not knowing who her parents are. All the nuns knew was that she was to love nature. That she did! Venetia was very in tune with the Earth, and even talked to animals more than people. The nuns made her leave the convent so she could find her true destiny in life, and when Venetia ends up in bustling NYC, she lucked into a modeling job after being scouted in Central Park. She wasn't thrilled with her career, but her angelic looks allowed her to buy a penthouse apartment away from the noisy city streets.

Serendipidus really gets going when Venetia meets a shunned scientist, Poindexter Scheigopherer. When a sudden and violent storm shakes the Earth to a halt, Venetia and Poindexter join forces to try and get the Earth spinning again. What follows is their trip around the world as they try to get society to wake up from the devastation before it's too late and they all meet their doom.

While Serendipidus is a short read at just over 200 pages, it is a great one, packed with adventure, humor, and thought-provoking passages. Our villain in this story is none other than Medusa Dominatrix, and while she is quite despicable for trying to end Earth's existence, I always laughed at her ridiculous antics and looked forward to every appearance she made in the story. I was also very impressed with Ott's ability to make such a deep and dark, apocalyptic plot very uplifting and enjoyable. Serendipidus is full of hope, and it really helps shed light on how our actions are affecting the Earth even when we don't think anything of them. Ott does a great job at creating a wonderful story while simultaneously commenting on society.

Overall, I loved Serendipidus and highly recommend it. It is a quick and easy read, and one that I think anyone will enjoy. Part end of the word, part urban fantasy, and part humor, Serendipidus has something for everyone. You can purchase the book on Amazon for just $2.99 HERE. You can also enter to win a copy of Serendipidus by entering the giveaway below. Best of luck!


Did you take part in Dewey's Readathon? Tell me about your experience in the comments!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.