2010 October » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

Birdwatching: Orphans!

Posted by Anastasia on October 18, 2010 3 Responses »

Oct 182010

I love Once Upon a Bookshelf‘s Listed feature, where 10 books with a similar theme or trope are put together in a list. I’ve been wanting to do something similar for myself, so I’m yanking the idea and calling it “Birdwatching” because I thought it sounded vaguely clever. Yes/no?

My fascination with orphans in books is somewhat related to my fascination with boarding schools– basically, no parents around. Not that I don’t love my parents, and not that I don’t think being without them would be horrible, but orphans in books almost always have great adventures that kids with parents never seem to having, and that’s what I was jealous of when I was younger. (Plus they almost always get families/new parents anyway, so it’s fine. It’s FINE.)

Here’s some of my favorite books with orphans:

Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgie Byng (2002).
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (1936).
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (1999-2006).
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911).
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (1997-2007).
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart ().
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner (1924-today).
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (1961). Also The BFG (1982)!
The Pellinor series by Allison Croggon (2003-2008).

Do you like books with orphans?

Review: News to Me by Laurie Hertzel

Posted by Anastasia on October 15, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 152010

199. News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist by Laurie Hertzel
Publication: Univ Of Minnesota Press (August 5, 2010), Hardcover, 224pp / ISBN 0816665583
Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir
Rating: Buy it!
Read: October 10-11, 2010
Source: Publisher (via author)
Summary from the website:

News to Me is the adventurous story of Hertzel’s journey into the bustling world of print journalism in the mid-1970s, a time when copy was still banged out on typewriters by chain-smoking men in fedoras and everybody read the paper. A coming-of-age tale in more ways than one, Hertzel’s eighteen-year career at the Duluth News Tribune began when journalism was a predominantly male profession. And while the newspaper trade was booming, Duluth had fallen on difficult times as factories closed and more and more people moved away. Hertzel describes her climb up the ranks of the paper against the backdrop of a Midwestern city during a time of extraordinary change. She was there during major events like the Congdon murders, the establishment of the BWCA, and the rise of Indian treaty rights, and eventually follows the biggest story of her life to Soviet Russia—and completely blows her deadline.

Written with the insight and humor of someone who makes a living telling stories, News to Me is the chronicle of a small-city newspaper on the cusp of transformation, an affectionate portrait of Duluth and its people, and the account of a talented, persistent journalist who witnessed it all and was changing right along with it—whether she wanted to or not.

Review

Like Kim, I’m pretty much the perfect person for this book because a) I’m interested in memoirs of people who were on the cusp of something important happening (and journalists tend to be those sorts of people), b) I used to live in Duluth, where this book mostly takes place! I also appreciate memoirs that are told with a lot of humor and vivaciousness, as this one is, and especially in memoirs about the history of journalism! (Because of being obsessed with All the President’s Men, actually.)

News to Me was so cheerful and so fun to read that I’m not quite sure where to pick out specific parts that I loved, because I loved all of it. I loved reading about the changing environment of the newspaper office, about Duluth and the Twin Cities and, later on, Russia and the east coast. I loved reading about the different people Ms Hertzel met and worked with, and her own changing views on journalism and what she herself could do as a person. It also really made me want to go visit Duluth again, which I haven’t seen in about 10 years.

Like Kim said in her review, you don’t necessarily have to be interested in journalism or even Minnesota to enjoy reading News to Me. I think everyone who enjoys memoirs would like this book, because it really does feel like you’re visiting a fun aunt who’s telling you stories about her job while feeding you cookies and apple cider. I keep using that word– fun– and I really do think it’s what best describes News to Me. FUN. You want to have some fun with your reading, right? So check out this book, because I think it’ll fit the bill.

And

Get your own copy @ Amazon (Kindle) or Powell’s and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog!

Other reviews: Sophisticated Dorkiness | Far Side of Fifty | The Iota Quota | A Closer Look at Flyover Land

Here’s the book trailer:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OUQoMUYez8&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6]

Writing this review has made me miss Duluth so much! Even if it IS impossibly cold in the winter and Lake Superior looks like something from a horror movie. I miss the bridge! The boardwalk! The interesting buildings downtown! The wonderful libraries! The trains! The playground that looked like a castle! Tours of creepy ships! Sammy’s Pizza! The zoo!

Okay, gotta stop before my brain spontaneously combusts. But! Duluth is a wonderful place to visit, and if you can go up there and do so I’d really recommend it. Maybe not in the winter, though.

Penguin Top 10 Essential Classics REDUX Survey!

Posted by Anastasia on October 14, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 142010

Penguin is one of my favorite publishers and I especially love their classics line, so when I got an email about this contest they’re holding I knew I had to post about it on my blog. Here’s the info:

Last year, Penguin compiled a list of the 10 Essential Penguin Classics we thought every person should read. We thought our list was complete. We were wrong.

Thanks to your outstanding, passionate feedback (Where was Don Quixote? War and Peace? On the Road?) the list is being recreated, this time by YOU.

What are YOUR Top 10 Essential Penguin Classics? Click here to peruse the longlist of 100 and then vote for your top 10 before November 1st. Everyone who votes will be entered for a chance to win a wonderful prize—one of three tote bags filled with three of our much-beloved Penguin Deluxe Classics—so make sure your voice is heard!

In November we will announce a shortlist of 25 Classics, curated entirely by YOUR votes and opinions. Check for updates regularly on the Top 10 Essential Penguin Classics website and chat about your choices at the Essential Classics Redux community page.

We here at Penguin Classics understand how important a favorite, timeless classic can be to a reader throughout their lives—we have ours too! That is why we are thrilled about this unique opportunity to hear about YOUR Top 10 Essential Penguin Classics. We hope you will share in our excitement by helping us spread the word about this enormous event!

Fun, right? I’ve already voted, and here’s what I picked:

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Tales From the Thousand and One Nights by Anonymous
The Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin
Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Beowulf by Anonymous
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Confessions by Augustine of Hippo
Macbeth by William Shakespeare

It was tough for me to chose my ten because I haven’t read that many classics yet, which makes me feel like an uncultured swine. But the ones I’ve read and voted for are really good, and I highly recommend reading them. Especially the medieval stuff (which I had to read for my medieval classes but still nonetheless enjoyed)– Chaucer and Augustine’s Confessions and Beowulf and Le Morte D’Arthur are EXCELLENT, and I wish more people would read them alongside the more usual Dickens and Austen and etc.

What books would you pick for your top 10?

Book Bloggers Holiday Card Exchange

Posted by Anastasia on October 13, 2010 28 Responses »

Oct 132010

So I was feeling kind of down this morning because the Booklovers Secret Santa has opened up and I can’t afford to participate it in this year. Nor can I do the LibraryThing Secret Santa, or any of the other book Secret Santas, and overall it just really sucks for me.

But then I got to thinking. I can’t afford to send a BOOK through the mail, but I can afford a card or two! A card costs a fraction of the postage that a book costs, even internationally, and so the idea of a book bloggers holiday card exchange came upon me. And then I thought that maybe some other people would like to exchange cards, too! So I’ve come up with this:

The Deal

1. You sign up for the exchange by November 11, 2010.
2. You get the name(s) of your partner(s) by the…~~13th~~ 15th!, let’s say.
3. You send your partner(s) a card by December 3, 2010. I think that should give them enough time to get to the recipients by Christmas, yes? And if you want to throw in a corner bookmark or a book-related sticker or something that’d be totally cool.
4. You get a card from your partner and you feel really awesome about the holidays!

The twist? Since it’s a book-lovers card exchange you have to do one of the following things:
1. Write about a book you’ve read recently.
2. Give a few book recommendations to your partner based upon their interests.
3. Tell a book-related story.
4. Something else book-related that you think up yourself.

You see?! Whatever you write in the card (besides “happy holidays” of course), has to be book-related! Ha! Doesn’t that sound fun? Yes?

Sign Up!

SIGN-UPS ARE NOW CLOSED.

It is open internationally; you will have the option to send domestic or international when you sign up. You can also sign up for more than one partner if you want– up to five– but you HAVE TO SEND TO ALL OF THEM. Yes.

Some rules:

1. You HAVE to send a card. A card is something like this. You can make it yourself or buy it at the store. If you run out of room to write in your card you can continue on some separate sheets of paper, but you can’t just write a letter full-stop. The card itself doesn’t have to be book-themed OR holiday themed (but it might be nice if it was). I would personally refrain from sending specifically religious-themed cards, because that sort of thing tends to offend people, even if you didn’t mean to offend them.
2. You HAVE to write something book-related in your card. You can’t just say “happy holidays.” You COULD just write a list of books and that’s all, but I don’t think that’s in the right spirit, do you?
3. You DON’T have to send anything else but the card, but if you want to stick in something else that’d be fine. But it has to be flat enough to fit in the envelope– no upgrading into package territory, here.
4. The most you should spend is $5. The point of the exchange is that it’s cheap enough for us money-less people to participate in, so everything should cost $5 and under. I don’t even know if you can BUY a card that costs more than $5. A fancy bookmark, maybe.

Quickie Privacy Policy:

I’m doing this by myself, so I’m the only one who will see ALL the information. You partner(s) will be the only ones besides me who will see your address/email/etc. After the exchange is over all the info will be deleted.

One More Thing

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment here or email me about them! I’m sure I’ve forgotten something. Also, please do spread around the link for this post! Feel free to take the graphic and post it somewhere.

Update: Got your card(s)?

Why not post about it on your blog? Or Tweet about it! (hashtag: #bbhcex)

Review: Dreadnought by Cherie Priest

Posted by Anastasia on October 12, 2010 5 Responses »

Oct 122010

195. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
Publication: Tor Books (September 28, 2010), Paperback, 400pp / ISBN 0765325780
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Adventure, Steampunk
Rating: Buy it!
Read: October 1-8, 2010
Source: Bought
Summary from Amazon:

Nurse Mercy Lynch is elbows deep in bloody laundry at a war hospital in Richmond, Virginia, when Clara Barton comes bearing bad news: Mercy’s husband has died in a POW camp. On top of that, a telegram from the west coast declares that her estranged father is gravely injured, and he wishes to see her. Mercy sets out toward the Mississippi River. Once there, she’ll catch a train over the Rockies and—if the telegram can be believed—be greeted in Washington Territory by the sheriff, who will take her to see her father in Seattle.

Reaching the Mississippi is a harrowing adventure by dirigible and rail through war-torn border states. When Mercy finally arrives in St. Louis, the only Tacoma-bound train is pulled by a terrifying Union-operated steam engine called the Dreadnought. Reluctantly, Mercy buys a ticket and climbs aboard.

What ought to be a quiet trip turns deadly when the train is beset by bushwhackers, then vigorously attacked by a band of Rebel soldiers. The train is moving away from battle lines into the vast, unincorporated west, so Mercy can’t imagine why they’re so interested. Perhaps the mysterious cargo secreted in the second and last train cars has something to do with it?

Mercy is just a frustrated nurse who wants to see her father before he dies. But she’ll have to survive both Union intrigue and Confederate opposition if she wants to make it off the Dreadnought alive.

Previously: Boneshaker

Review

As much as I liked Boneshaker, I like Dreadnought EVEN MORE, and so writing this review will be difficult as I’m determined to not lapse into fangirlish squeals– which is why it’ll be short. Basically: Dreadnought is really, REALLY good.

What’s good about it? Lemme list it for ya: zombies! trains! airships! mecha! big action sequences! a strong, independent female lead! (with guns!) a dashingly gruff Texan ranger! soldiers and spies and mad scientists! excellent writing! LOTS OF FUN!!

If that paragraph up there doesn’t convince you to freakin’ buy this book (and Boneshaker) already, I don’t know what will. Maybe this: Dreadnought was the most fun I had with a book since the last time I read a Diana Wynne Jones books. It’s definitely going on my “top books read in 2010″ list, and I’m going to recommend it to everyone I know.

Some people have expressed annoyance with the fact that Mercy supposedly doesn’t show emotions. I take exception to that, because a) she DOES show emotions, she just doesn’t let them drip out all over the place every other page, and b) she’s a freakin’ war nurse. Isn’t it a good thing that she’s not overly emotional and having breakdowns everywhere? The ability to be stoic when the situation calls for it is something I’d want in my war nurse, seriously.

Oh, and there’s also no romance, which I appreciated because it would have been completely unnecessary. And you know how unnecessary romance irritates me! (Although I do look forward to a possible romance subplot later on with Mercy! I love Mercy. Mercy is one of my favorite characters. Yes.)

Oh, and the only thing I didn’t like was the reveal of the who the spy was, because it didn’t make sense to me and I kept thinking it was a red herring– but wasn’t, apparently. Sort of a downer, that subplot.

Also the ending was a bit fast, but I’m assuming that part of the story will continue in another book and so I didn’t mind it so much. ANYWAY. Still a wonderful book, and buy it buy it buy it! (Please? And while you’re at it buy Pirate Talk or Mermalade as well. Also any Diana Wynne Jones book, and then we will be best friends!)

What book has made you squeal like a hyperactive three-year-old lately?

And

Get your own copy @ Amazon (Kindle) or Powell’s and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog!

Other reviews: The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf & Book Review | Fantasy Book Critic | Society of Burned Lives | Open Buddha | Team Grondul

The universe that Dreadnought is set in has an awesome official website with lots of goodies.

Read the first chapter of Dreadnought online here!

Review: Pirate Talk or Mermalade by Terese Svoboda

Posted by Anastasia on October 11, 2010 No Responses »

Oct 112010

194. Pirate Talk or Mermalade by Terese Svoboda
Publication: Dzanc Books (October 1, 2010), Paperback, 151pp / ISBN 0982631804
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: Buy it
Read: October 2010
Source: Publicist (@luxlotus did a Twitter giveaway)
Summary from Amazon:

Pursued by a mermaid, two boys talk their way into pirating and end up in the Arctic where a secret unhinges them both. Disabled piecemeal, harassed by a parrot, marooned on a tree-challenged island, posing as Pilgrims, scrimshawing and singing their way out of prison, the spunky pirates of Pirate Talk or Mermalade defy and indeed eliminate all description: it’s a novel in voices.

Review

Lauren Cerand (@luxlotus) is one of my favorite publicists because she always knows the best books and the best authors and then she sometimes even gives away copies of those books by those authors to plebs like me. So when I saw that she was handing out copies of Pirate Talk or Mermalade by Terese Svoboda like it was delicious, delicious booty I knew I had to get one for myself if I valued my reputation as a book blogger. (I also previously enjoyed another book Ms Cerand gave away, Please Step Back.)

Well. Ms Cerand hasn’t let me down! Pirate Talk or Mermalade is WONDERFUL, in that way that makes me want to go back and reread it another three or four times. I admit the format was a little confusing, because it’s in dialogue and sometimes I lost track of who was talking (especially when more than two people were talking), but it’s a fantastic story. A fun story. A story with pirates and mermaids, the really good sort that use their wiles on silly sailors and have peg legs and everything! (The mermaid have the peg leg. Because that’s just silly– one of the pirate brothers had the peg leg. And, oh, the way he got that leg was so. funny.)

I wasn’t expecting the humor! I was expecting magical realism and a bit of adventure, which is what’s in there, but there’s also funny bits! And exciting bits! And creepy bits as well! By the time I got to the last chapter I think I was out of breath, and I KNOW that when I finished the last page I just sort of stared at it for a while. In shock, see. Because it was SUCH a perfect ending even if it was a little bit sad, and it stole my breathe away. Yeah.

So I really like Pirate Talk or Mermalade. I think you should buy it and read it, especially if you like Emma Donaghue’s sort of books books. The symbolism! As an English major, I got really into the symbolism. I could write a paper about this book. I could write several papers, and I don’t even really like writing essays after four years of being an English major! But I would write one for Pirate Talk or Mermalade. Oh yes.

How did she even manage to get so much STORY and CHARACTER into only so many pages of dialogue? Eh? Who can tell me? (This is probably why I should have taken more creative writing classes.) It makes me sit there with my mouth open. It’s quite different from what I normally read, but I like that. It’s good to read some different things once in a while, so don’t let the fact that it’s in all dialogue through you off. You’ve probably read Ellen Hopkins‘ books, and those are all written in verse. This is much less weird.

My favorite pirate movie (besides Cutthroat Island and PotC, of course. Oh, and The Goonies!)!

What are your favorite pirate novels? I’m quite fond of The Princess Bride, as well as Piratica and The Princetta (although that one’s less pirates and more high seas adventure. It FEELS like a pirate book, though?). Oh! And my dirty secret: Vampirates. I’ve only read the first one, but I’ve bought the next two and am just waiting to feel sick enough that they’d cheer me up. Maybe I’ll read them in December, when my yearly cold comes.

And

Get your own copy @ Amazon (Kindle edition) or Powell’s and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog!

Other reviews: elimae

Someone else read this book, please, so we can talk about it!

Watch the trailer:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dq7724_0oc&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6]

Pirate Talk or Mermalade at Largehearted Boy.

Fall 2010 24HRAT: The Main Post

Posted by Anastasia on October 9, 2010 26 Responses »

Oct 092010

As I did for the spring readathon, I will be posting ONE post during the main even of the ‘thon. I will be updating this one post throughout the day. After the ‘thon I will be doing a wrap-up post. Probably this will show up on Sunday if I haven’t fallen into a post-’thon coma. Books I read during the ‘thon will be mini-reviewed during the ‘thon, and those will be posted here.

So, my goals for this readathon are: make it until at least 2am, read at least three books, comment on at least five blogs, and do at least two challenges (not including the memes). Let’s see how I do!

Please note that I will be absent sometime within the day for at least a few hours, because I’m going out and doing autumn-type things with my family. If I don’t update in a while, that’s why.

Important posts: Prep post

I can also be found in these places:
Twitter, which I’ll be updating slightly more frequently.
DailyBooth account, where I’ll be posting pictures if I don’t look like an ogre.

To all cheerleaders stopping by: thank you so much for visiting and cheering me on! I know all us readers really appreciate y’all, and without you I’m sure we’d give up on the ‘thon a lot sooner. <3
To my fellow ‘thonners: Good luck! And don’t forget to say “hello” if you want/can spare the time!

Note: all times are MST. Last updated: 2:09am.

Reading Stats

Start time: 6:00am!
End time: 2:09am
# of books read: 3
Total hours read: TBE
Total pages read: TBE

Goal Stats

Books: 3/3!
Blogs: 5/5!
Challenges: 2/2!
Hours: 20/20!

Reading Log

Time: 6:00am
Book: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Food Consumed: Coffee, bagel, cereal, tea (black chai), popcorn (lime & salt flavor), chocolate
Mini-Review: It needs a longer review than what I can write for it today! Keep an eye out for one sometime next week. I will say this: barring a few missteps, it was VERY good. Very enthralling, with a wonderful story and great characters.
Rating: Buy it/~~Borrow it~~/~~Bin it~~
372pp/~9h (to be calculated more precisely later)

Time: 3:52pm
Book: Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye
Food: Coffee (2nd cup), cheese (Swiss), dinner
Mini-Review: TBW
Rating: ~~Buy it~~/Borrow it/~~Bin it~~
pp/hmin

Lost track of what I was doing sometime around 5pm. Tried reading The Dreaming vol. 1, hated it, switched to Sport. Will go back to Heck afterwards, I think.

Time: approx. 7:14pm
Book: Sport by Louise Fitzhugh
Food: Tea, graham crackers, yogurt
Mini-Review: This is the third book in the Harriet the Spy series, and while I don’t like it as much as the first two, it was a lot of fun and surprisingly exciting. It took me a while to get the humor, but it’s great stuff, a really different flavor from the humor in the other books. Plus Sport’s family is great! Really enjoyed this one.
Rating: Buy it/~~Borrow it~~/~~Bin it~~
218pp/2h30min

Notes

5:42am: I woke up early! Have I ever woken up this early for the ‘thon before? I can’t remember. I know I woke up LATE once. Hm.

7:41am: Taking a small exercise break, which is mostly just twirling my arms and legs around like a madwoman. Fun! I may go get breakfast soon.

1:19pm: Went out of the house like I said I would, but we didn’t actually go anywhere except for Walmart, wherein I stayed in the car and read for a while. Ha. Almost done with my first book, which is a REALLY good one, btw. My next one will be much shorter, however! I need to get moving!

Also, I won a prize! Yay! I picked Jon Stewart’s new book, which I hope is good. I haven’t read his first one, but I enjoy his show, soooo.
3:11pm: Taking a small break to make more coffee before starting my next book. Wanna see one of my sock monkeys? His name is Mr Nilsson:

8:05pm: Have switched books in an effort to keep my mind on what I’m reading instead of the TV/internet/etc. Am now reading Sport by Louise Fitzhugh!

9:50pm: Got my second wind! Finished Sport, and am now going back to Heck. I’m wishing we had some hot chocolate, but…we don’t. I’ll have to scrounge something else up from the kitchen. Snacks!!

1:07am: I’m lagging again. I want to finish this book, and then depending on how awake I feel I MAY try for a graphic novel. If I can stay up later than my goal of 2am, then so be it, but I’m not going to force myself. Only 40 minutes to go!

2:10am: Finished my third book and I’m exhausted. I’m clocking out. Good luck to everyone sticking to it!

Challenges/Memes/etc

Hour 1 – Intro Meme
Where are you reading from today?
Albuquerque, NM! More specifically, my apartment (and later on I’ll be outside and at Big Lots, I think).

3 facts about me …
1. I’m graduating college in December!
2. I like doing art!
3. I hate sweating and doing anything more physical than walking!

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
13 official books, plus several hundred public domain ebooks if I need to dig into my Kindle.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
Yup! I talked about them above.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Don’t try to do TOO many things at one time because it’ll just distract you from reading. But! Do try to participate within the community of ‘thonners somehow. Whether that’s through Twitter or doing memes is up to you!

Hour 2 – Back in the Day Children’s Book Mini-Challenge [host]
What were some of your favorite children’s books when you were younger? Do you have any new favorites now that you’re an adult? Have you included any children’s or YA titles in your Read-A-Thon stack this year?
(My comment, copied & pasted like a true internet pro:) Man, I have lots. I loved The BabySitters Club, Marissa Moss’ Amelia books, Little Women, the Boxcar Children, Little House on the Prairie, the Anastasia Krupnik series, Harriet the Spy! And more!

I’ve got a few YA books in my ‘thon stack, including Sport, the third book in the Harriet the Spy series. I haven’t read it before, so I’m excited!

Hour 3 – 6 Word Celebration! Mini-Challenge [host]
Required: books, water, perseverance, and CHEERLEADERS!

Hour 7 – Armchair Travelling [host]
The book I’m reading now, People of the Book, is taking me all across Europe, as well as into America and Australia! So far I’ve been to: Sydney (Australia), Sarajevo (Bosnia), Vienna (Austria), Venice (Italy), Tarragona (Spain), Seville (Spain), Boston (USA), and now I’m in London (England)! The stories that happen in these places aren’t always happy (in fact, I’d say the majority of them were decidedly downcast), but the way Geraldine Brooks writes really gives you a sense of what it felt like to be living there, in that place, in that time period (because I’m time-travelling as well!) without going overboard with descriptions. She gives you just enough to make you feel like you’re there, and the rest is up to your imagination (or Wikipedia).

Hour 12 – Mid-Event Survey!
1. What are you reading right now?
Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go, although I’m not paying much attention to it, to be honest.

2. How many books have you read so far?
…just the one.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
A graphic novel!

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Nah, just told the parents what I’d be doing.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Yes! Mostly they’re interruptions I’ve done to myself, because I’ve been having trouble concentrating. I deal with them by forcing myself back to reading!

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
That I haven’t been reading as much as I did in the other ‘thons! I know I read smaller books for those, but I thought for sure I’d be reading faster. Oh well.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
None that I can think of at the moment!

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Cut myself off from the internet for a few hours instead of obsessively checking it every thirty minutes. It’s more productive if I read for two hours and THEN check the internet!

9. Are you getting tired yet?
Yes, actually, even though it’s not very late here. I think it’s because I started with a dense, heavy book and reading that took a lot more effort than if I had started with a graphic novel or something.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Drink lots of water and dance around the room for exercise. I personally like doing the Macarena!

Hour 14 – Wordle Mini-Challenge [host]