Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Virtual Travel Challenge. 08.18.2012

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Virtual Travel Challenge!

08.18.2012

By Zara D. Garcia-Alvarez / @ZaraAlexis

Thanks to Stella at Ex Libris for hosting this travel challenge! She’s asked participants to:

Choose a book and find a picture to match the setting you envision for the novel.

***

I envision The Red House by Mark Haddon…

***

…taking place in this type of setting:

***

***

***

***

***

All these photos are taken in Hay-on-Wye, the place where the book takes place!  From the “red house” in which the families stay (though it isn’t winter), to the vast foliage, hills, and water that surround them, to the quaint houses and touristic town that brags intimate cobblestone shops!

***

For more posts on The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon, you can visit here.

***

When you read a book, is the real setting the same as what you imagined it would be?

***

Zara Alexis

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Music Challenge! 08.18.2012

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Music Challenge!

08.18.2012

By Zara D. Garcia-Alvarez / @ZaraAlexis

Thanks to Aneeqah at My Not So Real Life for hosting this challenge! She’s asked participants to:

…choose one book that you’ve read this year, or one of your favorites, or even a book that you’ve read for the read-a-thon. Then, choose a song that matches your book. Post a picture/link to your book, and embed/link your song.

***

My book of choice is:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

***

Paired with…

“Secret Heart” by Feist

***

Why?

The character of Harold Fry is timid and reserved, burdened by the monotony of his lifestyle while harbouring a deep-rooted sadness and secret that compels him to walk more than 600 miles from his home in Kingsbridge to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The song is not only called “Secret Heart,” but the tone of this version of this song is both haunting and harsh, a passionate outcry reverberating beneath Harold Fry’s extremely controlled and optimistic demeanour.

***

For more posts on The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon, you can visit here.

***

What book would you choose to pair with a song?

***

Zara Alexis

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Friday Update. 08.18.2012

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon Friday Update

08.18.2012

By Zara D. Garcia-Alvarez / @ZaraAlexis

Okay, I cheated a little. I swerved away from my original TBR list and jumped from Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong to The Blondes by Emily Schultz! Who can resist a literal community of “killer” blondes? Not me. (I’m not blonde, but I can surely live vicariously through the characters in this book!)

We’re nearing the last leg of the read-a-thon. How are you keeping up? Better than me, I hope. Here’s my summary for yesterday’s reading fun:

Friday

Number of pages I’ve read today:  78 pages

Number of books I’ve read today: 0

Total number of pages read to-date: 554 pages

Total number of books I’ve read for the read-a-thon: 2

Books Read: The Red House by Mark Haddon, The Emperor of Paris by C.S. Richardson

Books Reading: Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong, The Blondes by Emily Schultz

  

 

  

 

***

Other accomplishments: Aside from reading between two books, I was able to participate in one challenge for the day, the Book Spine Haiku Challenge!

***

For more posts on The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon, you can visit here.

***

What do you require to sit down and read? Quiet? A comfy couch? Coffee?

***

Zara Alexis