I am five books behind my Goodreads Reading Challenge.
It’s a little concerning considering that we’re three-fourths into the year and I’m a self-proclaimed slow reader.
This mess all boils down to how unexpectedly busy this first semester of school has been for me. Thankfully, I have few to no academic-related responsibilities this upcoming week, so I can play catch up on my reading goal for this year—again. I’m *trying* to be extra ambitious (but realistic) this read-a-thon since I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to read for recreation this semester 😢.
THE TBR
- A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – I’ve been *reading*
(I use the term very loosely)this book since the end of July. I can feel myself losing interest in it, but I want to finally see it through because I was really enjoying the series so far. This book is the second book in the fantasy series, An Ember in the Ashes. I don’t want to spoil anything about the book just in case any of you are interested in or are reading the first book. As usual, I linked all the titles of books mentioned in the post to their Goodreads page for those who want to learn more about them 💫. - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – This is actually a re-read, and that’s not something I usually do. This book follows an Andalusion shepard, Santiago, as he journeys to the pyramids of Giza in search of a treasure that he feels is calling for him.
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – This book has been on my TBR for forever, and I was finally able to pick it up at a book sale last month. From what I understand, this is a science fiction book following five characters and how their lives interconnect through time.
- Minority Report by Philip K. Dick – This book is set in a world where the police have a technology that identifies people who will commit a crime before the crime is committed. When the Precrime System pinpoints its creator and police officer, John Anderton, as the next criminal, the whole system is put into question. I picked this book up on a whim at the same book sale as Station Eleven, so I have no expectations.
And with that, let’s begin!
AUGUST 25, 2018
10:00 P.M.
Takeout has been ordered, air-conditioner has been turned on, and Minority Report has been taken out of its plastic covering. Commence mission.
10:10 P.M.
I’m really liking the writing style so far. It’s very… cinematic. I can easily picture how this book translated into a movie—a movie that I may be watching tomorrow once I finish the book.
11:20 P.M.
I got about twenty pages into the book before I abandoned it for my dinner. Now I have a food coma 😴.
(ー_ー﹡; ) sleep is good for you.
(ー_ー﹡; ) try to get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night.
(ー_ー﹡; ) this is my bedtime cut-scene.
AUGUST 26, 2018
2:40 P.M.
Okay. So, not good. I woke up late at 10:30 A.M. today and then played Stardew Valley all morning and afternoon. For those who don’t know what Stardew Valley is, Google describes it as an “indie farming simulation role-playing video game”, and it’s very addicting (and very pointless). I’m not feeling good about my progress in this read-a-thon, so I’ll get back to Minority Report now.
3:17 P.M.
Everything is happening so fast in this book, and I have no idea where the story is going 
.
4:17 P.M.
THIS BOOK IS MY JAM. It plays around with multiple timelines and the probability of events occurring, something I’ve previously proclaimed my love for. I only just started the third chapter, but it seems that each chapter revolves around a new set of characters. I’m still not sure how the stories will connect, but I’m here for it.
6:58 P.M.
Well, this is awkward. I got halfway through the book when I remembered to update my Goodreads status on Minority Report to “Currently Reading” and discovered that Minority Report is actually a short story. Apparently, this book I picked up from the book sale, although entitled Minority Report, is a collection of short stories by Philip K. Dick. I technically finished reading Minority Report when I completed the first chapter. So, I’m technically reading more than one story and will have caught up with my Goodreads Reading Challenge once I finish this book.
ᴴᵁᴴ.
Nevertheless, I’ll be sticking to my original plan by attempting to read all the books I enumerated above 
.
Side note: if Black Mirror was ever inspired by a collection of short stories, it would be this one
(ー_ー﹡; ) sleep is good for you.
(ー_ー﹡; ) try to get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night.
(ー_ー﹡; ) this is my bedtime cut-scene.
AUGUST 27, 2018
6:00 P.M.
I got back from school a little more than three hours ago, and I have not done anything. To be fair, I read a couple of chapters of A Torch Against the Night at school, and I leveled up my mining, foraging, and fishing skills in Stardew Valley (OH MY GOSH, I HATE MYSELF FOR PLAYING THIS GAME. IT’S LIKE MY CHILDHOOD NEOPETS ADDICTION ALL OVER AGAIN). Honestly, finding out that I all but caught up with my reading challenge yesterday has made me extremely lax about this week. I’m perfectly fine with that though because (as book bloggers are constantly reiterating) reading is a hobby, not a chore. Switching up my approach to this read-a-thon by adopting a more carefree attitude makes me feel less anxious and stressed about this week (as I should be).
(ー_ー﹡; ) sleep is good for you.
(ー_ー﹡; ) try to get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night.
(ー_ー﹡; ) this is my bedtime cut-scene.
AUGUST 28, 2018
10:52 P.M.
Today was unexpectedly busy. However, I was able to squeeze in a little reading during free moments. I made some progress on the Philip K. Dick book and A Torch Against the Night, although the former was sort of dragging.
The short story I’m on right now is “What Dead Men Say”, which is supposedly a prequel to the novel, Ubik. I actually tried to read Ubik last year, but I ended up abandoning it because it just wasn’t exciting enough to hold my attention. Now, I’m having the same problem with its prequel, but I’m gonna push through this time so I can finish this damn book.
On the other hand, A Torch Against the Night is finally picking up. That, or it’s easier for me to follow and immerse myself into the world since I’ve actually been dedicating time to the book these past few days 
. Whatever the case, I’ll try to read a few more pages before I call it a day.
(ー_ー﹡; ) sleep is good for you.
(ー_ー﹡; ) try to get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night.
(ー_ー﹡; ) this is my bedtime cut-scene.
AUGUST 29, 2018
10:45 A.M.
You know what’s worse than love triangles? Love squares.
I hope this thing is mostly resolved by the end of A Torch Against the Night because I don’t know if I can continue reading the series if it isn’t. I know, how dramatic of me. But, these sort of things are stressful to read about 😬.
(ー_ー﹡; ) sleep is good for you.
(ー_ー﹡; ) try to get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night.
(ー_ー﹡; ) this is my bedtime cut-scene.
AUGUST 30, 2018
9:53 A.M.
As much as I hate the love triangle, I really have to hand it to Sabaa Tahir for the impressive world-building in this series. This is my first time reading a fantasy story that calls to mind middle eastern culture and folklore. It’s refreshing considering how over-saturated the fantasy genre is with settings that reflect Europe in the Middle Ages.
(ー_ー﹡; ) sleep is good for you.
(ー_ー﹡; ) try to get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night.
(ー_ー﹡; ) this is my bedtime cut-scene.
AUGUST 31, 2018
4:25 P.M.
I finally finished A Torch Against the Night! There were so many plot twists in the last third of the book and leaving me with more questions than answers yet again. I’m debating if I should read the third book already or wait until the fourth book comes out.
For now, I’ll try to finish Minority Report and start on another book. I’m not going to force myself to finish the book I choose to begin since I have some school work that I need to prioritize this weekend. I’m just glad I finally finished a book and can feel myself getting out of my drawn-out book slump 💪.
9:28 P.M.
I can’t stop laughing 
. I’m reading the Philip K. Dick right now and just finished a hilarious/stupid/quietly smart short story “Oh, to be a Blobel!”. 10/10 do recommend if you’re in the mood for a short, comedic sci-fi story.
(ー_ー﹡; ) sleep is good for you.
(ー_ー﹡; ) try to get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night.
(ー_ー﹡; ) this is my bedtime cut-scene.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
10:45 P.M.
Well, it’s the end of the read-a-thon.
I originally set out to read four books, but only ended up reading two: A Torch Against the Night and Minority Report. However, I counted all the short stories in the misleadingly titled Minority Report book separately towards my Goodreads goal. So, I technically read ten books/stories this read-a-thon!
Even though I’m well caught up with my Goodreads goal, I wouldn’t call this read-a-thon a success just because I feel like I sort of cheated 😂 (🎶 ᵞᴼᵁ ᵂᴵᴸᴸ ᴺᴱᵛᴱᴿ ᴮᴱ ˢᴬᵀᴵᶠᴵᴱᴰ 🎶). Anyways, there’s always next time…
Belle Can Read 
Two book is definitely still an accomplishment! I don’t think I even read two book last month so you did great!
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Oh no hahaha. Thanks, Ellyn 😂.
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Philip K. Dick Is better known for his short-stories, 10 have been adapted into movies. I’m glad you have liked what you have read.
Pulling out of a reading slump is hard, smart to go with a redo, it reminds you why you love to read. ❤️❤️ Great going Belle!
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I’ve been living under a rock, Philip K. Dick is awesome 😂. Thanks for the words of encouragement, Dani ❤
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