My first Bout of Books read-a-thon

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the radio silence on my end. 

My Mom is just about halfway through with her radiation treatment, which means it's nearly the end of the road for her breast cancer journey. Neither of us will miss the constant hospital and doctor visits, and we both look forward to having some time to figure out a new normal. Mom's hair is coming back slowly but surely, and it just starting to get that wacky post-chemo curl. As soon as I let my guard down, I got a doozy of a flu/cold combo and was out for a week, not feeling normal for almost 2 weeks after that. But work (at all jobs) is pretty much back to its regular status, which is seemingly constant, and I'm reading up a storm in my spare time.

My good friend, Jenna (from The Girl With Book Lungs), signed up to do the Bout of Books read-a-thon, and after giving it about a half a seconds worth of thought, decided I'd join in too!  It's very casual, and lasts a week long. Here's the official blurb from the website:

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 fun, doesn't it? Why don't you come and join in - I know you've got shelves and stacks of books you're meaning to get to!