I'm going to be participating in two readathons this week; the Dog Days of Summer Readathon hosted by The Estella Society and Bout of Books 8.0. I'm still on summer holiday and was planning to read a lot anyway, so taking part in the readathons was an easy decision.
I am a fickle reader and I don't really like the pressure of setting goals for myself. In fact, my only goal is going to be to read as much as I feel like it, when I feel like it. I'm not going to aim for a page count or number of books, I'm just going to allow myself to read whenever I feel like it without feeling guilty about it. When it comes to books I want to read, I've decided to focus on unread books off my shelf rather than kindle books, library books or review copies. I've picked out some books that I think I might feel like reading but it's not set in stone; I'll read what I feel like and so may end up reading something completely different.
Here are the books that are taking my fancy at the moment:
From top to bottom (links to goodreads):
- Across the Empty Quarter by Wilfred Thesiger - I've had the complete set of the Penguin Great Journeys books for years without reading any of them. This one is about survival in the desert in 1947 and is the perfect length for a readathon.
- The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan - This is the only book I am certain to read as I just finished book four last night and need to know what happens next. I'm starting this today and will finish it either today or tomorrow.
- Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah - I've read a few books by this author so am interested in this autobiography. Adeline's mother died giving birth to her and so she was made to feel unwelcome and unwanted.
- A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick - I've had this book for a loooong time. It's a gothic story about a mail order bride and I know I will love it, I just need to actually read it.
- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki - This is one of the only books on the Booker prizer long list that interests me. It's about sixteen year old Nao, who keeps a diary whilst she is bullying, which is later washed up by the 2011 Tsunami.
- A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo - This is about Zhuang, a recent arrival in London who falls in love with an older Englishman. The book is actually structured as a dictionary, which I think is rather cool.
- Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - This was a birthday present back in March. It's not my usual type of read, but I have been assured I will like it.
- French Milk by Lucy Knisley - Graphic novels are perfect for readathons. This is about Lucy's travels in France with her mother.
Have you read any of these?
Which ones should I definitely make time for next week?
My students go crazy for the Percy Jackson books, I bet they're really fun - what a perfect pick to finish up during the Dog Days read-a-thon! I've heard nothing but good things about A Tale for the Time Being and it's one of the few Booker's that I'm curious about, too.
ReplyDeleteThe Percy Jackson books are a lot of fun, cheesy but fun and easy to read. I am definitely going to make time for Tale for the Time Being.
DeleteA Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick has been sitting on my shelf for a good time too. Maybe if you read it, I'll join you :) Do you mind?
ReplyDeleteI've just tweeted you :)
DeleteI'm doing the Dog Days of Summer readathon for sure. Not sure of the other one yet because we have friends coming this weekend and I can't read much during the weekdays anyways. Hope you get a lot of reading done!
ReplyDeleteHave fun with the weekend readathon, whatever you decide about Bout of Books :)
DeleteI really liked A Tale for the Time Being, hope you do too. I've been meaning to read French Milk forever, can't wait to hear what you think of it!
ReplyDeleteI've heard so many good things about Tale for the Time Being, plus I managed to get it for 80p, which was awesome.
DeleteI will definitely read French Milk, it'll be a nice quick read at some point during the week.
Those are good goals! I loved Percy Jackson, I wish I'd put the spin-off series on my pile now as I keep meaning to get round to it. Warm Bodies is one of my favourite books ever and I loved A Tale for the Time Being (like you, the other Booker longlisters don't appeal).
ReplyDeleteI think I will have to buy the spin-off series too, the books are just so fun.
DeleteA Tale for the Time Being - I hope you enjoy it - I did and I didn't think I would :)
ReplyDeleteI saw your review of it Beth, it was one of the things that made me want to get to it sooner rather than later :)
DeleteI read A Reliable Wife when it first came out and have heard a lot of people knock it, but I rather enjoyed it. I recall it started a bit slowly, but then I got completely sucked into it.
ReplyDeleteI hope I enjoy it as much as you did, it fits with the usual books I enjoy.
DeleteWith that selection I'm sure whatever you do decide to read it'll be good! I think I've read Chinese Cinderella and I think it is good. It is ringing so so many bells in my head right now! Ah the perils of being an enthusiastic reader. I hope you enjoy the readathons!
ReplyDeleteIt is supposed to be good. I'm like that with books I read pre-blogging, there are some on my shelf that I'm really not sure whether I have read or not!
DeleteGreat goals and choices! I haven't read any of them, so I'm curious to see what you have to say about them.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing the Bout of Books readathon. This will be my first ever readathon, so I'm sticking with a relatively modest goal of four books and seeing how it goes.
Good luck with the readathon, hope you manage to finish four books :)
DeleteEnjoy! The only one of your pile I've read is A Reliable Wife - very dark and atmospheric - I liked it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, I'm really looking forward to that one.
DeleteI liked A Reliable Wife quite a lot. I read French Milk too and although I didn't love it, I liked it ok. I'm very much looking forward to A Tale for the Time Being so I'm interested to hear what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard Relish is better than French Milk?
DeleteWow, more fantasy?! R.R. Martin has sure altered your reading list! I'm curious to see what you think about Warm Bodies :)
ReplyDeleteI am a seriously faddy reader, I was in the middle of a big historical fiction fad when I started blogging, before that it was literary fiction and now it's fantasy. It'll be something new in a couple of years! :P
DeleteA Tale for The Time Being sounds really interesting! I think I'd heard the title of it before and didn't know what it was about. I keep meaning to read Warm Bodies and haven't yet. I'm kind of a fickle reader too, I'm not sure how to go about setting goals. I like the way you did it!
ReplyDeleteIt does sound good, doesn't it?
DeleteAnd there's nothing wrong with being a fickle reader, I don't like to put any pressure on myself when it comes to reading, as it's supposed to be just fun.
The only one I've read is Warm Bodies. It made me a little queasy, as zombie books tend to do, but I thought it was pretty good. I've been meaning to try a few of the others in your pile, including A Tale for the Time Being and A Reliable Wife.
ReplyDeleteNope, haven't read any of those yet, although I do have A Reliable Wife and I really want to read Warm Bodies.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the reading this week!
I have read exactly zero of these books, but I've heard good thing about quite a few so I'm sure you're in for a hell of a week!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of the books that are on your list for the week, but The Reliable Wife is on my TBR. Best of luck with your goals. See you around the read-a-thon.
ReplyDelete-Dilettantish Reader