Bout of Books 8.0 Update #2

I've been having fun with Bout of Books all week.  Normally I am a strictly monogamous sort of reader but when I am off work, I find that I'm much more able to read multiple things at once and still keep up with the plots of all of them.  I've not read constantly, but I have been enjoying the reading I have managed to fit in.  At the moment, I've finished two books and am mid-way through two more.

After my last update on Wednesday, I continued with The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan and A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick.  I've been reading A Reliable Wife with Elena this week and she has already finished it.  I'm a bit behind as I've been reading maybe 20-50 pages or so a day rather than focusing all my attention on it.  I wasn't a fan of the opening sections as the writing is pretty weak at times, but it has improved as I have gone on.  I'm currently 166 pages in and have just over a hundred left.  I will probably finish this one today.

I'm still loving my reread of The Eye of the World, the first book in the Wheel of Time series.  Before starting it I could remember literally nothing (I first read it about seven years ago) but it's surprising how quickly it has all come back.  There's nothing like epic fantasy to escape to in the holidays.  I'm currently 327 pages in, which is not even half way yet.

And then this morning I visited the library to pick up some holds, one of which was Storybook Love, the third volume in the Fables series, about fairytale characters living in secret in New York.  Graphic novels are perfect for readathons so I picked it up straight away and literally flew through it.  I found it to be a mixed bag, I loved two of the four stories, but the other two felt like filler.  It was 190 pages.

I'm hoping for some quality reading time this weekend as my husband is at the Frightfest film festival, which is basically a five day long festival of horror films.  Horror films are really not my thing, so I've opted to stay at home.  It is pouring with rain outside and the temperature has dropped, so it's the perfect day to ignore the housework/ prep for September I should be doing and curl up with a book.

If you're doing Bout of Books, how are you getting on?

Statistics:

Books Started: 4

Books Completed: 2 (Dare Me and Storybook Love)

Pages Read: 326 + 190 + 166 + 327 = 1009 (awesome!)

Bout of Books Update: First Two and a Half Days

Already my Bout of Books TBR has gone out of the window!  I started in a good position on Monday as I had just finished a book on Sunday night for the Dog Days of Summer readathon, so I was able to choose whatever book I felt like to read.  I was all set to pick one from the TBR pile when my husband suggested we visit a larger town near us that has the best library ever.  It's in the same county, so my card still works, and they had so many good books that I couldn't resist checking out a few.  When I got home, I started reading Dare Me by Megan Abbott, which I've been meaning to read for ages now.

Dare Me turned out to be a good readathon pick as it's completely addictive.  It's superficially about a group of high school cheerleaders but it's really about obsession and the darker side of adolescence.  I couldn't put it down and finished it up Tuesday lunchtime.

Next, I picked up The Reliable Wife, which I am reading with the lovely Elena from Books and Reviews.  It's about a man who orders a bride but it doesn't go quite as he planned.  It promises to be a gothic type of story and although I like where the plot seems to be going, I'm not a big fan of the writing style so far, especially the point of view shifts mid chapter.  I like it enough to continue it, but it's not turning out to be as good as I had hoped.  I've read 50 pages so far.

And then on a whim, I picked up The Eye of the World last night, book one in the massively epic Wheel of Time series.  I have read this book before, I think I got up to book eight when I was at university and then I abandoned the series when Robert Jordan passed away and what was going to happen with the series seemed uncertain.  However, the series is completed now (fourteen books!) and I really did enjoy them, so for a few months I've been thinking about rereading and then finishing the series.  I picked up The Eye of the World only intending to read a few pages but I was soon sucked in and it's now too late - I'm going to have to read them all!  I'm currently up to page 118.

For the rest of today, I'll be continuing with A Reliable Wife and Eye of the World.

Stats so far:

Books Started: 3

Books Completed: 1 (Dare Me by Megan Abbott)

Pages Read: 326 + 50 + 118 = 494

Dog Days of Summer Readathon Wrap-Up

Over the weekend, I took part in the Dog Days of Summer Readathon, hosted by the fabulous Estella Society.  It was a forty-eight hour readathon and whilst I did read more than usual, I didn't read solidly through the daylight hours.  However, I'm pleased that I managed to start and finish two books, both of which were from the stack of books I had wanted to read at the beginning of the challenge.  Both were also books I already owned, which is awesome as that's another two off the TBR!

I read The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan first, the final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  It's 381 action-packed pages and took all of Saturday and half of Sunday to read, off and on.  It was a great pick for a readathon as it's pacy and a very quick read for the page count, meaning I felt like I was making excellent progress.  I've loved the whole Percy Jackson series, and The Last Olympian was a fitting ending.

I finished The Last Olympian early on Sunday afternoon and decided to try to read another whole book by the end of the day.  French Milk was a good choice, as it's a graphic novel/travelogue recounting the author's experiences living in France for six weeks with her mother.  I was expecting to like this book but actually I connected with it in a much deeper way than I thought I would.  I can't wait to pick up Relish, as soon as possible.

In total, I finished two books with a total of 574 pages.  More importantly, I enjoyed both books and had a blast reading much more than I usually would.  

Thanks to all at The Estella Society for hosting the readathon, it was a great way to spend a weekend.

Readathon Sign-Ups and Goals

 

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):

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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?

Bout of Books 8.0

I took part in the last Bout of Books read-a-thon and it was a lot of fun, so I'm signing up again.  I'll still be on my summer holidays, so I'm hoping to get a ton of reading done.  I've already been reading a lot more than usual, so upping the ante even more should mean I get through a ton of books.  Which is awesome, because at the moment I'm in an "I want to read all of the books now, why can't I read faster?!?!" kind of mood.

The read-a-thon runs from the 19th to 25th of August, sign-ups are here if anyone else is interested in joining in.

Classics Club Spin / Bout of Books Wrap-Up

Today, the Classics Club spin number was announced as #6.  This means that my challenge over the next month is to read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.

I do feel that the spin has been kind to me as Rebecca was on my 'books I am neutral about' list, rather than the 'books I am dreading' one.  It's a relatively short book that I already own, so reading it should pose no problems.  In fact, I have high hopes that I'm going to very much enjoy it, as regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of gothic fiction.

This week also marks the end of the Bout of Books readathon.  My only main goal for the week was to read for at least an hour a day, which I accomplished.  Although my enthusiasm for the read-a-thon started to wane a bit by the weekend, I'm thrilled that I managed to finish four books and get three quarters of the way through the fifth.  I visited some great new blogs that I'm sure I'll keep up with and enjoyed giving myself the permission to spend some more time reading and blogging.  The only downside is the backlog of reviews I now have to catch up on!



Did you take part in any of these events?
I'd love to hear which book you got on the classics club spin!

Bout of Books: Thursday - Sunday Updates

Thursday was another successful reading day; I managed to finish The Innocents by Francesca Segal, my third completed book since Monday.  After having a reading slump for most of the month before the read-a-thon, it's lovely to be in the situation of having to catch up with review writing for a change!

Day: Thursday 16th May 2013
Time Spent Reading: 2 hours.

Friday 17th May 2013

9pm - I've not done any reading at all yet today!  My husband had two extremely intense days at work, so we celebrated by going out to dinner and then listening to cheesy 90s rock/grunge music on spotify.  I'm planning to blog for a bit, then start The Perfume Garden for a blog tour I have coming up on the 23rd.

Bout of Books: Wednesday's Update

Ah, life.  Why do you always have to interfere when I want to do nothing but read?  I managed to get a good chunk of reading done whilst getting the brakes on my car checked at the garage but due to circumstances, I had to spend quite a lot of time helping out my husband in the evening with some things for his work.  At my work, my class are taking their exams and I think the stress of this plus staying up a bit later than usual every night is getting to me a bit.  I'm feeling sleepy!

Day: Wednesday 15th May 2013
Time spent reading: 1 hour 30 minutes
Books Read: Still working on The Innocents.  It's a perfect pick for a read-a-thon as it's fast paced and easy to read / engrossing.
Books Finished: Still 2

Bout of Books: Tuesday's Update

Tuesday was a much more successful reading day than Monday!  I had a busy and extremely stressful day at work so it was lovely to come home and know that I had an evening of reading relaxation in front of me.  I finished Rules of Civility by about 9pm, which left me with the luxury of choosing a new book (The Innocents by Francesca Segal) and properly settling in to it before going to bed.  I didn't watch any TV all evening, which has actually made a very refreshing change - I could get used to this!  My husband is currently in the middle of the Hunger Games books and can't put them down, so we had a bit of a joint reading session curled up on the sofa.

I am behind on writing reviews, but then that is to be expected! This week is all about reading, I'll catch up with reviews at the weekend.

Day: Tuesday 14th May 2013

Time Spent Reading: 1 hour and 50 minutes

Books Read: I'm on my third

Books Finished: 2

 

Bout of Books: Monday's Update

I had grand plans for the first day of the read-a-thon; I was going to leave work at a decent time and then spend the whole evening reading and blogging.  Unfortunately, my car is due for it's MOT on Saturday and when I popped round my parents to ask my dad to fit some new windscreen wipers, we discovered a problem with the washer jets.  As I have an old, Japanese car, I spent most of the evening trying to track down the necessary parts.  I did meet my reading goal, but didn't get to spend any time blogging.

Day: Monday 13th May 2013
Time Spent Reading: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Books Read: I was in the mood for reading success, so I started and finished The Russian Revolution: History in an Hour, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also made some more progress with Rules of Civility.
Books Completed: 1

 

How was the first day of the read-a-thon for you?

Bout of Books - My Goals

The Bout of Books read-a-thon starts on Monday and I've started to think about what I want to achieve during it.  My reading has been slowing down considerably, due to a number of different factors, but mainly work.  May is exam season for me at school and getting the children ready during the final push of the last few weeks is both tiring and emotionally draining.  I've been coming home and slumping in front of the TV most nights.  And then on weekends, I've been doing yet more work and decorating our new house.  Reading has taken a back seat.

But I'm missing reading, and in particular I'm missing that wonderful feeling you get when you finish a book and get to choose a new one.  I've been reading Wuthering Heights and Salt, Sugar, Fat concurrently for almost a week now and I'm starting to get annoyed with not finishing either one, although I am loving both.  I need to re-prioritise and make some more time for reading, so the read-a-thon is a perfect opportunity for this.

I would like to:

1. Read for at least one hour every day.  This may not sound like a lot for some, but for me at the moment it's a big step up and will fit with my work schedule.  At the weekend, I want to read for two hours a day.

2. Also free up some time to spend visiting other blogs and finding some new blogs to follow.

That's it! I'm not going to set any goals apart from that as the act of getting back into reading is the main thing for me.  As for the books I hope to read, I'm going to read for pleasure and on a whim, as I'm focused on getting the enjoyment back :)

Blogging Business and Giveaway Winner

I've not had enough time for reading lately, so I've decided to sign up for the 7th Bout of Books Readathon.  The only other readathon I've ever participated in was the one day Classics Club one, so it'll be interesting to take part in a bigger and longer event.  The week beginning 13th May is a busy one for me at work, with the children in my class taking their exams, so it'll be good to have the distraction of plenty of reading whilst I'm at home.  I currently read for about 30 minutes a day during a working week, I'm hoping to at least double that, and meet some new bloggers :)

I've also decided to work towards reading the 100 books in the Penguin English Library, alongside my classics club goal.  It's a very low key reading target (not a challenge) without a time-scale but I'm excited by it.  I've read 19 out of 100 so far, so there's plenty still to discover!  I've created a tabbed page for it here, where you can see the complete list, my progress and any reviews I have written already.

Finally, in my blog tour review post of Alison McQueen's Under the Jewelled Sky, I was able to offer a fantastic prize of ten new women's fiction hardbacks.  With the help of random.org, the winner has been selected as....

Pearl Wilson

I'll be emailing Pearl and passing her details on to the publisher.

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I read Tender is the Night last weekend for the Classics Club Readathon but have only now got the time to sit down and write about my thoughts properly (I blame going back to work).  Before picking up this book, I had read The Great Gatsby (my review), which I liked but not as much as I had hoped.  I found the themes interesting but felt that the writing was too detached and failed to make an emotional connection with the characters.  Tender is the Night is the opposite of that; it's an emotionally raw, utterly miserable book and it had me captivated from the moment I picked it up.

We start the book with Rosemary Hoyt, a young actress on holiday in the French Riviera in the 1920s.  On the beach she meets Dick and Nicole Diver, a rich married couple who have drawn people to them by their wealth, charisma and lifestyle.  Rosemary imagines herself instantly in love with Dick and the story seems to be a straightforward tale of possible adultery.  But then things change about a third of the way through the novel when we jump back in time to when Dick and Nicole met, at a psychiatric facility where Nicole was being treated.  From this point on, Tender is the Night is the story of the steady decline of their marriage and nothing is spared.  Nicole's early reliance on Dick feeds into his need to be loved and adored and this forever prevents them from being happy together.  I don't know too much about Fitzgerald but much of Tender is the Night seems to be based on his experiences with his wife, Zelda, who also underwent treatment for mental illness.

Nicole is fabulously wealthy and much of the novel is taken up with their attempts to 'stay busy', by constantly visiting new places, going out every day and 'never being too tired for anything'.  I've seen reviews of the book criticising it as it's hard to feel sympathy for the ultra-rich, but this wasn't a problem for me.  Happiness doesn't depend on your bank balance and the impact of mental illness is felt right across classes.  It's soon apparent that the illusion of happiness around the Divers that draws others to them is just that, an illusion.  Sure, I'd love to own a home in the French Riveria and not have to work if I didn't feel like it, but I'd much rather be emotionally fulfilled and not have the constant need for external distractions.

It was obvious that some of the novel was based on Fitzgerald's own experiences as everything felt so real, all the complex emotions that go into a marriage, whether it is a happy one or not.  The decline of their marriage is protracted and utterly miserable to read about, as they did once genuinely love one another.  What I took from this book is the importance of both people in a relationship having the space to grow and be their own people, and to interact as equals. For the Divers, Dick was always the protector and Nicole the patient from the clinic.  This meant that whenever Nicole showed signs of independence, their relationship was threatened.   Dick's need to be adored was his weakness;

"....realising this power, he had made his choice, chosen Ophelia, chosen the sweet poison and drunk it. Wanting above all to be brave and kind, he had wanted, even more than that, to be loved."

It goes without saying that Tender is the Night is beautifully written.  It's not a book to rush through, but one to read slowly and marvel at the lyrical prose.  It didn't make me happy to read it, but it certainly had a powerful impact on me.  I'm glad I waited until I was well into my twenties and married myself before picking it up.  I know that The Great Gatsby is supposedly the 'Great American Novel', but Tender is the Night is the saddest and yet most wonderful book I've read in a long, long time.

Source: Personal copy

First Published: 1934

My Edition: Vintage, 2010

Score: 5 out of 5

Classics Club: Book 6/72 (my list is here).

The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul

The Murder of Halland is novella eight out of the nine that Lyndsay from Tolstoy is my Cat and I are reading as part of our Peirene Press readathon, and part of the Small Epics series.  Bess is a writer living in a small, tight-knit community with her partner Halland.  One morning she is woken by the sound of a gunshot and soon receives the news that Halland has been murdered.  The police start to investigate whilst Bess starts to grieve.  Throughout the process, Bess starts to see her neighbours, friends and family in a different light, and faces up the consequences of the decisions she has made throughout her life.

I should start this review by confessing that I'm not a fan of crime/detective fiction.  I've read a few popular crime books and some Sherlock Holmes, but I just can't get into it.  I know I'm supposed to solve the puzzle of who committed the crime but that's not how I like to read.  Sure enough, whilst reading The Murder of Halland, I didn't spend any time trying to work out who murdered Halland and consequently later events were a surprise to me.  The crime aspect of the book was well written but didn't appeal to this particular reader.  I also can't judge how much it 'dismantles the rules of an entire genre' (quote from the back cover), as I'm not familiar enough with the genre to tell.

Luckily, The Murder of Halland is much more than crime-by-numbers, it's also about grief and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.  Many of the sections dealing with this rang very true to my own experiences.  There's one chapter in the book where Bess is supposed to go to a library to give a talk (she's a writer) and checking her emails, she finds a confirmation.  In the space of a few short sentences she goes from almost flippancy ("should I create an auto-reply saying my husband had been murdered?") to despair;

"What had I written?  I didn't want to think about work.  Perhaps I would never want to think about writing again.  That belonged to the past and it didn't matter any longer."

Grief has been like that for me too; a roller-coaster of emotions and the constant worry of whether you are grieving properly or not, whether people will judge you for smiling or for leaving the house.  I think Juul's writing will relate to the experience of most people ("If normal everyday life had resumed, the washing needed attention.") and I connected well with Bess.

So a bit of a mixed bag.  The crime sections didn't appeal but the writing was simple and heart-felt, honest about the grieving process.  If you are a crime fan, you'll enjoy this book.

Source: From the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Published: 2012

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Classics Club Readathon - Ending Post

 

So my first ever readathon is now finished.  I managed to get a good chunk of reading done, although not quite as much as I had hoped.  I read about 260 pages of Tender is the Night yesterday and finished it off in bed this morning.  It was a very good book, but boy is it miserable.  When I read The Great Gatsby, I felt like there was emotional detachment all the way through, but that's not the case with Tender is the Night; there's so much raw pain in it's pages.  I'm glad that I read it, and reading it over the course of a day and a bit (normally it would take me about a week) enabled me to get right into the book and experience it more fully.  There'll be a review to follow in the next few days.

Closing questionnaire:

1. What book(s) did you read during the event? Just Tender is the Night by F Scott FItzgerald. 
2. What book(s) did you finish? Technically none, as I finished this morning (Jan 6th).
3. What did you like about our event? I enjoyed visiting other blogs and finding some great new blogs to follow.  I loved the social aspect of reading together and being able to read guilt-free, putting everything else aside for the day.
4. Do you have suggestions for future Readathons through The Classics Club? Maybe extend  the event over a whole weekend?
5. Would you participate in future Readathons? Definitely!

Whilst I didn't quite reach my reading goals, I'm pleased with the amount of reading I managed.
How did you get on?

Classics Club Readathon

The Classics Club readathon is here!  Even though it doesn't techincally start until 1pm GMT, I have decided to just read on the day, January 5th, rather than trying to follow American times.  I was all set to read Bonjour Tristesse, but then last night I was struck with an urge to read something 1930s and miserable.

Enter Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald!  I read about fifty pages or so last night and so far I am enjoying it and already feel more of a connection to it than I did to The Great Gatsby.  The characters are all very rich, but aimless, bored and miserable.  Perfect for January.

I'm probably going to concentrate just on this book today, but if I need a break from it I might still pick up Bonjour Tristesse.  I'm also hoping to spend some time commenting on blogs and being social, as this is my first readathon.

Happy reading everyone!

Edited to add the classics club questionnaire:

1. Name and Blog: I'm Sam (the female kind) and my blog is called Tiny Library.
2. Snacks and Beverages of Choice: It's almost 2pm here, I've just had some homemade minestrone soup and croutons for lunch.  I plan to snack on Christmas chocolates throughout the afternoon (dairy milk, yum!) and then I'm visiting my parents for a chicken madras later on.  It's going to be a good food day!
3. Where are you reading from today? My home, which is near London in the UK.  I'm moving between my sofa and comfy reading chair.
4. What are your goals for the Readathon? Just to enjoy the day.  I go back to work on Monday so a lovely relaxing day reading is perfect preparation.
5. What book(s) are you planning on reading? I'm reading 'Tender is the Night' by Fitzgerald.  If I finish that, I'll continue the French Riveria theme and pick up 'Bonjour Tristesse' by Francoise Sagan.
6. Are you excited? Of course!

Upcoming Events

I don't tend to sign up for yearly reading challenges but what I have discovered over the last year or so is that it's much more fun to read cooperatively than alone.  In the spirit of reading togetherness, here are two reading events I'm taking part in soon:

1. Classics Club Readathon - 5th January 2013

Believe it or not, this will be my first ever readathon!  No way will I manage twenty-four hours (I love sleep too much), but my husband is out for most of the morning so I intend to get a good chunk of reading done then.  Unfortunately, I have packed most of my classics away for our upcoming house move, and War and Peace won't have arrived yet (see below), so I think I'm going to start with Bonjour Tristesse, as I have a copy of it to hand and it's nice and short, therefore satisfying for a readathon.  To be honest, I'll be pleased to finish just the one book but I might also root around and start something new.

Information and sign up: here

2. War and Peace Read-along - All Year

War and Peace isn't even on my classics club list, but I loved Anna Karenina so much that I've jumped at the chance to read War and Peace in a group.  Reading solo, it intimidates me but chunky books like this are so much easier when read with friends.  The schedule is quite relaxed and runs all year, so I should still have plenty of time to read other books alongside it. I've ordered the Peaver and Volokhonsky translation as I thoroughly enjoyed their translation of Anna K.  

Information and sign-up: here

I'm excited, lots of classics reading in the upcoming months!  At the moment, all I want to read is classics, fantasy epics and 1000+ page chunksters.