A Literary Blog Hop and a Readathon

I’m excited to announce two events in April, neither of which I organize, but both of which will be great fun!

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Some people (but not nearly enough!) have asked my about the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop. Normally, there would have been one in February, but since the number of participants seems to dwindle, I decided to skip this time, and maybe have the next blog hop in June, as usual.

But no worries, there is going to be a Literary Blog Hop, just not mine. My Book Self is running a Literary Blog Hop from April 3rd to 12th. It’s a great substitute.

So, if you were waiting anxiously for the blog hop, sign up for this one!

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On other exciting news, there is the 24 Hour Readathon in April!

Have you ever taken part in this great event? It’s a real happening with lots of mini-challenges, social media events, and well, if you can find the time, some reading!

 

April 25th is the date! Hope to see you there…I’m definitely taking part.

A bookish and two non-bookish challenges for the new year

It’s the time of year to start a challenge or two. I came across a few that I just couldn’t resist!

#Fitreaders is a challenge for all readers (and everyone else, really) who like to get more active. I think there are quite a few Fitbit users, like me, who will keep track of their activity via their fitbit step counter.

I want to get “back on track” and walk at least 7,000 steps per day. I did this last year, but after the summer I didn’t keep track so well, and the couch-potato mode started to wake up again. So, I’ll walk 7,000 steps per day, every day, for five days per week, and a couch-potato-5,000 steps for the other two days (that’s still a walk!). link to challenge

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Cut Out Processed Food in 14 weeks! This challenge is about, well, what it says! It’s fourteen weeks in which every week something else is tackled, e.g., eating more fruit and veg, cutting out sugar, wholegrain only, etc. The good thing is that you can do each of these for just one week and then revert back to what your normally do, and tackle the next issue. Or you can do this cumulatively, and add each new mini-challenge to the previous one. I’ll just go for a simple week-by-week challenge, but who knows? I may be inspired to keep some new habits going for longer than just a week. link to challenge

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Finally, a Dutch challenge, Ik Lees Nederlands [I read Dutch] in which we’re challenged to read more books from our own country. This is a challenge that I started a few years ago and now it’s hosted by a different blog every year. I’m pledging to read 20 books by Dutch or Flemish authors this year. link to challenge

How many challenges are you doing this year?

Mini-Bloggiesta: Starting & Finishing Line #bloggiesta

Bloggiesta is an online event for (book) bloggers in which we are encouraged to spend the weekend working on our blog in any way we see necessary. We Plan, Edit, Develop, Review and Organise – no wonder our mascot is called PEDRO! Olé!

Hurray! This event is a mini-Bloggiesta, in which we do a bit of work on our blogs in between the Big Bloggiesta events (the next one is March 28-30, 2014).

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Starting Line 

I’ve got two book blogs. I’m planning to do some work on each: Leeswammes (LW) – which is my English-language Book blog and De Boekblogger (BB) – which is my Dutch-language book blog. Actually, I use Bloggiesta to work on anything related to books, reading, and reviewing, so some of the things I’ll be doing this weekend are not directly related to the blogs.

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The List 

Here’s what’s in the planning…. and everything in Italics is DONE!!

• Back-up blog (LW, BB). In WordPress, go to Dashboard, Tools, Export, choose All (first option). ****DONE
  
• Update Review Page (LW, BB). ****DONE
• Add links in reviews, to reviews by same author (LW, BB) ****DONE
• Shelfari – update books that I have finished ****DONE
• Add reviews to Amazon, etc. and let publishers know ****DONE
• Check out the mini-challenges on offer and do one or two: Facing Your Edelweiss Fears
• Make a posting schedule with dates for the blog posts ****DONE
• Update the Dystopia book list (LW)
• Update challenges pages (BB) ****DONE
• Check all links work in Literary Giveaway Blog Hop post ****DONE

Write posts:

• Bloghop blog post ****DONE
• Bloghop email ****DONE
• Bloghop winners post
• New Books (BB)
• New Books (LW) ****DONE
• It’s Monday (coming Monday) ****DONE
• Review Shovel Ready
• Review Buzz ****DONE
• Gorman short story post
• Giveaway (BB)
• Winner of Giveaway (BB)
• Ditjes & Datjes (BB)

Part of the fun of Bloggiesta is connecting with other bloggers so I expect to spend some amount of time tweeting (#bloggiesta) and reading other people’s posts and commenting.

Good luck to everybody who is taking part. If you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #bloggiesta to keep in touch with other participants. I am @leeswammes.

Could your blog use some extra work?

What I Did in 2013

Just a quick look back at the old year before it’s old hat. It’s 3pm here in the Netherlands so we have a few more hours to go before this all here below is even more history than it already is.

I found this questionnaire on The Only Cin’s blog and stole it. She stole it, too, and if you want, steal mine! Just change the answers to your own and post it on your blog. Let me know if you do, I’d love to know all about your 2013!

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’ve never done before? I started a business. How scary is that? But it is going well. Phew!
2. Did anyone close to you give birth? No one. I don’t have friends or family young enough to give birth. Ha ha. Joking, but: no.
3. Did you attend any funerals? No. I don’t have many older relatives and the few that I do have, I hope will last another few years.
4. What date/s in 2013 will you remember and why?  None jump to mind as very special, but I went on holiday on my own in June, that was a bit special.
5. Were there any illnesses or injuries in your family? Not more than normal. Actually, my family is very robust and they are seldom ill.
6. What was the best thing you bought? Well, I really like my new jeans. Otherwise, that June holiday.
7. Where did most of your money go? In the bank.
8. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: “I’m older than I once was and younger than I’ll be.”
9. This question is missing. My answer: a great auk.
10. What was your favourite TV programme? I loved watching the Danish series Borgen as well as the (Danish) series The Bridge. And we’re total Master Chef addicts in my family.
11. What was the best book you read this year? The First Book of Calamity Leek by Paula Lichtarowicz (my review).
12. What was your favourite movie this year? Cloud Atlas (maybe that was last year, but I haven’t seen a better one since).
13. What did you do on your birthday? I have no idea (it was in April). Nothing special, I guess.
    
14. Did you travel anywhere this year? To the Canary Islands (left of Africa) on my own in June. It was great.
    
15. What did you do for Christmas? I stayed home with my family and we had a lovely quiet time doing nothing.
    

Now, let me know your answers! What did you do in 2013?