The Importance of Being Wanton by Christi Caldwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wild hearts lead to passionate heartache. Emma and Charles are match made of spirit. Neither are looking for forever until seduction sets their souls ablaze. Caldwell pulls emotions in every direction. The Importance of Being Wanton is a battle of the heart that is as unpredictable as it is emotional.



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 I am Finished!

Nine rolls.

Eight prompts filled.

Five books off my physical reading shelf read.

No ladders, yet also no snakes. 

Previous Rolls

1. Space 1: Author is a Woman

A Distant Melody (Wings of Glory #1) by Sarah Sundin, 355 pages (worth 2 rolls) - Finished 4/9/2020

2 You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-10 00:43:11 UTC

Space 11

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-10 00:44:57 UTC

Space 19: Set in UK

The Scandalous Suffragette by Eliza Redgold, 234 pages, set in London, Manchester, and the Kent countryside (worth 2 rolls). Read April 9th-14th. 

3. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-15 13:56:05 UTC

Space 24

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-15 13:57:14 UTC

Space 28: Written between 1900 and 1999

The Final Days: The Classic, Behind-the-Scenes Account of Richard Nixon's Dramatic Last Days in the White House by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, originally published in 1976 (456 pages without the index). Worth 2 rolls when completed. Read 4/16-4/22.

 4. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-23 00:31:33 UTC

Space 32

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-04-23 00:32:04 UTC

Space 41 - Characters involved in politics

Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis - Suez and the Brink of War by David A. Nichols (286 pages without notes or index). Worth 2 rolls when completed. Read 4/17-May 11.

 5. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-12 21:04:28 UTC

Space 48

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-12 21:04:48 UTC

Space 59 - Book published more than 10 years ago

I am using a book that I read during the game. The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby (285 pages without notes and index). Read 4/25-4/27. Worth two rolls.

6. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-15 01:35:41 UTC

Space 70

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-15 01:36:02 UTC

Space 73 - Categorized as YA

Another book I read during the game is Beauty Queens by Libby Bray (396 pages; I listened to the unabridged audiobook). Read 4/25-26th. Worth 2 rolls.

7. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-16 14:56:03 UTC

Space 78

You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-16 14:56:24 UTC

Space 82 - Urban Fantasy

The Dead & the Gone - 309 pages.  Read 5/15-16. Worth one roll.

8. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-19 00:27:52 UTC

Space 94 - Nonfiction

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh. Read 5/13-14. Worth 2 Rolls.

9. You rolled 2 dice:

Timestamp: 2020-05-19 00:41:19 UTC

Space 100 - Right on the nose, how 'bout that?

1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire by Rebecca Rideal (234 pages of reading material).

Title: The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History

Author: Molly Caldwell Crosby

Publish Date: September 7, 2007

Publisher: Berkley Books

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 368 pages

Source: Library

Date Read: April 25-27, 2020

Review

This story is a detailed look at yellow fever in the United States and a few colonial places that fell under the US. While not as exhaustive as Pox, it does go into the social, medical, economical, military, and political underpinnings of these epidemics and the search for a cause and a cure. The narrative mostly takes place in Memphis (the author's hometown) and Cuba (where the research was conducted). The writing could be overdone and a little lurid; it is the author's debut book and is about a little known (now) but still going on disease, so I gave her a break on that.

This was a very good anthology and a great way to end Snakes & Ladders.

Update #3

Since I was up yesterday a hour before the start of Dewey, by 11pm I was so tired that I could not get my eyes to focus on words. So I set my alarm for 4:30am and went to sleep. Got up with my alarm to give me two and half hours of reading before the end of Dewey. I will end up with not finishing either book for the readathon, but I'm 67% done with Plague and 35% done with Beauty Queens, so I think I made a decent mark on this round. 

Closing Survey

1. 1. How would you assess your reading overall? I think I did a decent job 
2. 2. Did you have a stategy, and if so, did you stick to it? No strategy, just read as much as I could
3. 3. What was your favorite snack? This morning's breakfast brought to you by Apple Cinnamon rice crisps and English Breakfast tea.

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Update #2

Got through 35% of The American Plague and 35% of Beauty Queens. Then I took a time out for dinner with the family and a virtual wine tasting party (my friend set up a face to face wine tasting party for the end of March, but when the stay at home order came down, she needed to regroup and find a work around - she did via delivering plastic shot glasses of wine and cheese, crackers, fruit, and chocolate caramels, then we met up on Zoom). Now I am going to quickly do some cheerleading my fellow Dewey readers, then get back to Plague.

This afternoon my son wanted in on the Dewey action, so he listened to chapters 7-15 of Wings of Fire #7: Winter Turning. The WoF series is VERY popular with the older elementary school age kids, both books and graphic novel versions. My son is listening for free from the Epic app. He really likes audiobooks because he can color, play with Play-doh or Legos and still get a story in - it works with his ADD. 

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Update #1

I got in 3 hours and 14 minutes on the audiobook - I am really glad I chose the audiobook rather than slogging through reading. The audiobook is fantastic and the narrator really does a great job giving different voices to each character. But now, I am going to switch to a physical book. First up at bat is The American Plague.

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OP

It's time! It's also 7am in the morning here in Kansas. *Yawn* Going to start by listening to a couple of hours of the audiobook so I can give the caffeine and breakfast time to kick in. Pages in parenthesis are the page counts minus the indexes, sources lists, selected bibliography, etc. 

TBR

1. Eisenhower 1956 (286 pages)

2. The American Plague (285 pages) - 35% done

3. Minority Leader (218 pages)

4. War on Peace (309 pages)

5. Oklahoma City (353 pages)

6. Beauty Queens (14 hours 8 minutes) - 35% done

Opening Survey

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Wichita, Kansas

2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? War on Peace 

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to? Chex Honey Nut Mix and beer

4. Something about yourself: part of the fun of readathons for me is the prep and watching other prep - getting TBRs ready and acquiring snacks/drinks

5. If you participated in the last readathon, what's one thing you'll do differently? I made sure to have all household chores done yesterday so that I don't feel guilty for reading all day when there's laundry or dishes to do.