Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Read-A-Thon and book shopping

I decided to the Read-A-Thon after all... You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging/commenting as much as I used to... I've had a lot going on in my life, not all positive, and things have been kind of heavy. So whereas a month ago I wasn't sure I wanted to read for so long, now the idea of spending my whole Saturday and a part of Sunday REALLY appeals to me. Really. I just want to curl up and read and have no one disturb me for days. Can we make the read-a-thon last longer?

So while I was thinking about what books to line up for Saturday, I decided that I needed more choice so I just went to the secondhand bookstore I try to stay away from. I ended up with a whole bag of books. Here's what I got - have you read any of them and do you think they'd be good for a read-a-thon?

Bad Heir Day by Wendy Holden
March by Geraldine Brooks
Brown Owl's Guide to Life by Kate Harrison
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
I am David by Anne Holm
Night by Elie Wiesel
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Love is a Four-Letter Word by Claire Calman
Ya-Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells
Intuition by Peter Jinks
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Runemarks by Joanne Harris

7 comments:

Lezlie said...

"Night" certainly isn't a cheerful read, but it's a fantastic book.

I hope things are getting better, Joanna!
Lezlie

Ana S. said...

I'm really sorry to hear things haven't been going too well for you, Joanna. But spending a whole day reading will certainly be a great way to take your mind off things for a while. I'm really glad you decided to join, and I look forward to reading along with you :)

Out of those, I've only read Night and Number the Stars. Both are good for the Read-a-thon because they are very quick reads, but like Lezlie mentioned Night is a very bleak book. But definitely still worth reading.

J.C. Montgomery said...

I too, am looking forward to the read-a-thon to jump start my reading as well as myself. The last several weeks have been challenging, and in reading your post I no longer feel so alone or isolated.

As for your list:

I started March and hope to get through most, if not all of the book on Saturday. So far, it has been wonderful.

Except for Lord of the Flies, I have not read any of those other books.

For now, I am planning on finishing Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, reading several stories from Irish Girls About Town, all of The Book of Lost Things and Water For Elephants. Fledgling by Octavia Butler is in the wings in case I need more matierial or a change from what I have already listed.

I hope things do get better, and that you have a productive read-a-thon.

Melissa Jungnitsch said...

Midwives was amazing-I also enjoyed YaYas in Bloom, but make sure you've read the whole series first as I believe that's the third one in a set. Hm....I like the YA you've chosen as well. Number the Stars is a hard read, but good. I read Lord of the Flies in high school, wasn't a fan then, but it was interesting. Just not my cup of tea.

Iliana said...

Joanna - sorry things have been less than stellar. I hope that spending a whole day reading will at least help put a smile on your face and make things seem a bit better.

I wasn't sure if I was going to participate because of family in town and such but I just found out I will! So, I'll cheer you on and now I gotta go start thinking about which books to read.

By the way, I've heard good things about the Harris book.

Anonymous said...

So here's my PSA (early):

Tomorrow's the day! The October 24-Hour Read-a-Thon begins in the morning at 5AM PDT. Follow the co-hosts' discussions here. Check out reader feeds throughout the day.

Above all, have fun! We're rooting for you!

And, I wanted to say that March, Midwives, and the Dark is Rising Sequence are all really good keep-you-reading kind of books. Good luck!!

joanna said...

wow, i haven't been able to log on until now, thanks for all your lovely comments... I feel better already!