Bout of Books 11 - Signing Up and Making Goals

I'm signing up, in a pretty last minute fashion, for Bout of Books 11!  Last time  - Bout of Books 10 - I failed miserably.  Crazy week + full immersion in an obsessive X Files re-watch = very little reading.  This made me hesitant to give it another try because next week also promises to be a little crazy BUT there is no TV show obsession currently and I am way behind on my yearly goal so I could use a little motivation.  The result is that I am going to give it another try. 

So what is Bout of Books? 

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, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Sounds like a good time, huh?  Since I'm late getting signed up I'm going to double up this post and also identify what book goals I'll have for next week.

I'll probably finish The Blackhouse by Peter May before the Read-a-thon starts but just in case the first order of business will be finishing it which will leave me to start on my next ARC with an upcoming publication date...

There's a decent amount of buzz about this one and it sounds very cool so I can't wait to get started! Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

Years ago, the city of Bulikov wielded the powers of the Gods to conquer the world. But after its divine protectors were mysteriously killed, the conqueror has become the conquered; the city's proud history has been erased and censored, progress has left it behind, and it is just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power. Into this musty, backward city steps Shara Divani. Officially, the quiet mousy woman is just another lowly diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors. Unofficially, Shara is one of her country's most accomplished spymasters-dispatched to investigate the brutal murder of a seemingly harmless historian. As Shara pursues the mystery through the ever-shifting physical and political geography of the city, she begins to suspect that the beings who once protected Bulikov may not be as dead as they seem-and that her own abilities might be touched by the divine as well.

My goal will be to finish this one.  And while I'm working on that I also hope to finish three books I'm in the middle of...

 

I'm listening to the audio of 11/22/63 and Crown of Midnight and Wild Comfort is a series of essays I've been reading on my e-reader.  I'd sure like to throw some other stuff in but I know I'm a slow reader and this is likely enough for now.  Any additional will be a bonus.

Let the read-a-thon begin!