Summer Lovin’ Read-a-Thon

What better way to begin July than with the Summer Lovin’ Read-a-Thon? It runs from July 1 through July 7. Sign-ups here. Stuff to do here.

Like many bookworms, I always have a stack of books that I intended to read yesterday, but I have more reading than usual stacked around here right now. So the idea of a read-a-thon holds particular appeal right now.

Day One: Class Orientation
Tell us a little bit about yourself – Where are you from? What’s your favorite genre? What got you reading? What are your goals for this read-a-thon?

I’m from southwestern Ontario, currently reading and living in Toronto, Canada, with Mister BIP and two BIP girls, ages 13 and nearly 10. It’s a statutory holiday here today, Canada Day, and the neighbourhood is quiet, except for the birds and critters who come to the feeders in our backyard. It’s a perfect day for reading, peaceful with only the interruptions being what I choose to indulge in other than turning pages.

I’ve always been most fond of fiction, and I became a bookworm because I moved around a bit as a kid and found it easier to make friends with books than with other kids. Many times I made up excuses to stay home from school, just so I could read or re-read stories I loved. Some of my childhood favourites were Harriet the Spy, The Earthsea Trilogy (when it only had three books in it), the Betsy-Tacy stories, L.M. Montgomery’s series, and mysteries by Lois Duncan and Joan Lowery Nixon.

Now my favourite fiction is the kind that pulls me into unfamiliar places. My most recently discovered favourite author is Richard van Camp, an aboriginal writer from what is now the Northwest Territories in northern Canada, whose interconnected short stories are set in a fictional community much like that he calls home; I just finished his latest collection and immediately wanted all of his other books on my shelves.

For this read-a-thon, I want to finish the books on my stack which I have already begun reading, and I’d like to read another seven books. That’s unreasonable, I know. I thrive on unreasonable reading expectations.

TEASER TIDBITS – Challenge (July 1, 2013)

“Forugh held the pomegranate from the top, dug the knife right underneath its crown, and cut it in half. Scarlet-colored juice spilled onto the white tray, and there was a soft sigh as it sliced opened.”

From Sahar Delijani’s debut novel, set in post-revolutionary Iran, Children of the Jacaranda Tree. You just know that pomegranate is symbolic, too, right? I am halfway into this story, and I know that I will finish the rest of it in a single sitting. It is beautifully written, and the various pieces of the narrative (set in different times and places) are beginning to settle into place, but I am anxious to finally understand how they all connect. The novel begins with a very suspenseful scene, and even though some parts of it are quieter, there is still a tension that runs throughout.

Day One Stats: 
Pages Read, TODAY: 145
(Including Fresh reads 145; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Pages Read, TOTAL: 145
(Including Fresh reads 145; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TODAY: 1
(Fresh reads 1; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TOTAL: 1
(Fresh reads 1; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Participation Activities, TOTAL: 1
Challenges, TOTAL: 1

Day Two: You’re The One That I Want

Must-Have Summer Reads: Recommendations

Hilary Scharper’s Perdita (2013)

Touchstone – Simon & Schuster, 2013

Shore and shipwrecks, birding and painting, grief and memories. Maybe there is a ghost.

Janet Hepburn’s Flee, Fly, Flown (2013)

Second Story Press, 2013

Two residents of Tranquil Meadows ditch the nursing home for a roadtrip

Shyam Selvadurai’s Hungry Ghosts (2013)

Doubleday – Random House, 2013

Lush setting of Sri Lanka and the transition to another life.

Day Two Stats: 
Pages Read, TODAY: 284
(Including Fresh reads 61; Books already begun 81; Kidlit/YA 142; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Pages Read, TOTAL: 429
(Including Fresh reads 206; Books already begun 81; Kidlit/YA 142; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TODAY: 1
(Fresh reads 0; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 1; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TOTAL: 2
(Fresh reads 1; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 1; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Participation Activities, TOTAL: 2
Challenges, TOTAL: 1

Day Three: “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee”
A favourite fictional female character: Anne of Green Gables, from L.M. Montgomery’s classic novel of the same name.

She is fiercely loyal and always on the lookout for kindred spirits, loves a good story and has a fantastic imagination.

Gutsy and intelligent, resourceful and fanciful, Anne is still one of my favourite characters. (And, yes, the early Kevin Sullivan films were much loved too.)

I was nine years old when I first “met” Anne, and I gradually read on in the series (but was never as interested in the books about an older Anne until I, too, was that much older).

When I was an older school girl, I re-read the Anne stories countless times, for comfort and reassurance, especially in stressful times.

Even as an adult, I return to her stories periodically, surprised to find that I can finish her sentences still.

PAGE 99 TEST – Challenge (July 3, 2013)

Based on only page 99 of Benjamin Constable’s Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa, would I want to read the whole book? Toe-tah-lee.

The page is completely italicized, and it seems to be part of a notebook (love books that include letters, diaries or notebooks).

Under discussion? Some event of significance in the past which includes a SECRET STAIRWAY. Who doesn’t want to read about a secret stairway?

It’s hard to grasp the nature of what’s being discussed, as it appears to be part of a larger discussion, but there is not only a secret stairway but a “secret elite group” of people who meet (yes, secretly) to restore an old clock in Paris.

They sip Chateau Lafite Rothschild in their clandestine meetings and go about their business. What’s not to like?

I’m planning to read this novel as part of Paris in July, but I’m now looking forward to it even more, thanks to this “test”.

Gallery Books – Simon & Schuster, 2013

Day Three Stats:
Pages Read, TODAY:  157
(Including Fresh reads 30; Books already begun 96; Kidlit/YA 31; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Pages Read, TOTAL: 586
(Including Fresh reads 236; Books already begun 177; Kidlit/YA 173; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TODAY: 0
(Fresh reads 0; Books already begun 1; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TOTAL: 3
(Fresh reads 1; Books already begun 1; Kidlit/YA 1; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Participation Activities, TOTAL: 3
Challenges, TOTAL: 2

Day Four: “Tears on My Pillow”

Share the Feels: My quote is from Sahar Delijani’s Children of the Jacaranda Tree, which is truly heartful and affecting. (I finished reading it yesterday, but you can see its cover photo above where I posted it as part of a Teaser Challenge.)

Sometimes it gets to you quietly. “She hears her mother let out a deep sigh, a sigh as heavy as an old secret.”

Sometimes it’s more direct. “The air around her mother was heavy with paralysis, with internal breaking, like a marble surrendered to the blows of a hammer. Most of the time, Sheida couldn’t wait to get out of the room. The heaviness was unbearable, the pain unrelenting.”

It’s not all heavy with paralysis (there are some beautiful romantic scenes as well); the novel is consistently well-written and evocative, with a wide range of emotions therein.

Day Four, Update:
Past the half-way point, I’m not reading as much as I had hoped to read this week, but I did finish three of the five books from my first photo above.

I am reading on with both story collections (Paul Headrick’s and Alice Munro’s), but I’m happy to allow the stories to linger; they are very well written and I don’t want to squeeze more than a single story into each day. I won’t finish either of these this week.

I’m also reading on with Max Brooks’ World War Z for a read-a-long with Dee; it’s highly entertaining, but I won’t finish this week because the read-a-long isn’t scheduled to finish yet.

Danielle and I have been reading The Quincunx for awhile now, but I had set it aside to read some library books; it’s back in the stack now too, but I know I won’t finish it this week either.

But I will finish some other books. I’ve started two that are the sort that just beg you to pick them up whenever yet set them down, a YA novel in Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series (the second book, Pretties), which is quite an adventure and suspenseful, and Benjamin Constable’s The Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa, which is playful and enticing.

Besides Pretties and The Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa, I will begin the other two books in the photo below, and I have some graphic novels here that I haven’t delved into yet as well: there is still nearly half the week left after all!

Day Four Stats:
Pages Read, TODAY:  135
(Including Fresh reads 110; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 25; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Pages Read, TOTAL: 701
(Including Fresh reads 346; Books already begun 177; Kidlit/YA 198; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TODAY: 0
(Fresh reads 0; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TOTAL: 3
(Fresh reads 1; Books already begun 1; Kidlit/YA 1; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Participation Activities, TOTAL: 4
Challenges, TOTAL: 2

Day Five: “Whole Lotta Shakin Going On”

Book Shimmies: I’ve read 701 pages in total, so far, one book completely finished this week and two books finished that I was already reading before July 1st. There are at least two evenings that I’ve chosen to read instead of doing something else and one evening that I stayed up late just to make sure that I could add something to my pages for that day, so that’s enough focus for me.

I did want to re-read something this week, and I wanted to read something from the graphic novel shelf, so I guess I’ve gotten off track from those goals, but there is still time this week. For the rest of the week? I’d like to continue squeezing some reading in every day (including some re-reading and graphic novels) and make 1,000 pages for the week for sure. I definitely plan to finish the Benjamin Constable novel that I’m having so much fun with. And last night I started Ellen Hopkins’ Crank, which is pretty gotcha too.

COVER TITLE SCRAMBLE – Challenge (July 5, 2013)

July Titles:
1) fi   het  ohes   tisf   IF THE SHOE FITS; 2) eth   eegd   fo  vnere THE EDGE OF NEVER; 3) rfits  gisht   a   veonl  FIRST SIGHT A NOVEL; 4) utre   lvoe  TRUE LOVE; 5) ehtre   tletil   rdswo  THREE LITTLE WORDS

August Titles:
1) lafl   fo   veif FALL OF FIVE; 2) wrnco    fo    gdminhit CROWN OF MIDNIGHT; 5) eht   rohe THE HERO; 6) gib   ysk diwengd  BIG SKY WEDDING; 8)  siht   rilg   a   veonl  THIS GIRL A NOVEL

Day Five Stats:
Pages Read, TODAY:  441
(Including Fresh reads 197; Books already begun 24; Kidlit/YA 220; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Pages Read, TOTAL: 1142
(Including Fresh reads 543; Books already begun 201; Kidlit/YA 418; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TODAY: 1
(Fresh reads 1; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TOTAL: 4
(Fresh reads 2; Books already begun 1; Kidlit/YA 1; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Participation Activities, TOTAL: 5
Challenges, TOTAL: 3

Maybe the best part of R-A-T-ing is the excuse to gather treats to accompany your accelerated reading habit?

Day Six Stats:
Pages Read, TODAY:  287
(Including Fresh reads 70; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 217; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Pages Read, TOTAL: 1429
(Including Fresh reads 613; Books already begun 201; Kidlit/YA 635; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TODAY: 1
(Fresh reads 0; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 1; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Books Read, TOTAL: 5
(Fresh reads 2; Books already begun 1; Kidlit/YA 2; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 0.)
Participation Activities, TOTAL: 5
Challenges, TOTAL: 3

Day Seven: “We Go Together”

Accomplishments, large and small: Choosing, two nights, to read instead of doing something else. Staying up late, twice, to finish a book. Fitting reading into every single day, even the busiest. Sitting down to begin and finish a book in one afternoon. Read at least SOME of every book that I intended to pick up this week. Visited lots of participants’ blogs and added several to my feed reader.This afternoon, I hope to finish two other books. Which would mean that although I had hoped to finish the books in my stack AND read seven books, I did finish reading seven books (including some that were already underway). Given that I knew my goal was unreasonable, I’ll be more-than happy with that result. I will update later today with my totals and any new accomplishments.

Update for accomplishments: Started and finished Bessie Head’s slim novel, Maru, for A Celebration of Bessie Head and Her Work.  Started and finished the second graphic novel based on Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series (Cutters). So I’m really excited to have a “7” in my stats, even if it’s not the one I’d imagined. Another 268 pages would take me to a nice round number, but even though it has rained all day, I don’t think I have that many reading hours left in my Sunday. Still, those unreasonable reading goals creep in….

Day Seven Stats, Mid-day:
Pages Read, TODAY:  303
(Including Fresh reads 127; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 176.)
Pages Read, TOTAL: 1732
(Including Fresh reads 916; Books already begun 201; Kidlit/YA 635; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 176.)
Books Read, TODAY: 2
(Fresh reads 1; Books already begun 0; Kidlit/YA 0; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 1.)
Books Read, TOTAL: 7
(Fresh reads 3; Books already begun 1; Kidlit/YA 2; Re-reads 0; Graphic novels 1.)
Participation Activities, TOTAL: 6
Challenges, TOTAL: 3

Only 5 blank spaces: I love reading bingo!

How about you? How is your read-a-thon-ing so far?