As always I'll keep my progress report to one post so as not to spam you.
T-0.5 Everybody's here. Snacks are sorted, books are being discussed and we're getting ready to start! As per usual, the Getting To Know You survey.
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Copenhagen, Denmark. Once again, we're reading from my library. "We" being Mum, Dad, Rebekka, Michala and your's truly.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Maria: I never know!!! Rereading Narnia perhaps?
Mum: I don't know... am still making up my mind.
Dad: Well... I only brought one book, so that one by default? "Leathal White" by Robert Galbraith
Rebekka: All of them? I have to check which ones I can borrow off Maria afterwards.
Michala: I have no idea! I never make up my mind until the very last minute!
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Mum: Rebekka's cookies.
Mixi & Dad: Yes!
Rebekka: Chocolate licorice
Maria: A bit of everything... cookies, nuts, grapes - it's all good.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
As usual, we're reading together as a family. This is my 16th, Mum's 9th, Rebekka's 8th, Mixi's 5th and Dad's 2nd!
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
Mum & Mixi: Nothing... it's become a good tradition as it is.
Maria: Nothing really. This is my 16th readathon, so it's pretty much settled.
Rebekka: Not sure... last time I said I wouldn't go as crazy with the snacks... that didn't happen.
Dad: Not read any obligation reading!
Hour 2 (15:00):
First hour done. I think Dad's the only one who's reading the book he said he would - all the rest of us found something else we were more tempted by. Mum's reading "Throne of Glass", Mixi found "Ikk' for sjov" a memoir by Danish comedian about his fight with cancer and is laughing her way through it. Rebekka is reading a book by M.M. Kaye, but I don't know the English title, and I ended up with one of Mixi's books - "Last Chance" by Sarah Dressen. I'm almost 100 pages into it already - it's a really fast read.
Which books published in the 21st century do you think will be considered a classic 100 years from now?
Mixi: Harry Potter? I know the first ones were from the 20th Century, but the latter ones count. Or Hunger Games.
Maria: "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles
Mum & Dad: "The Hundred-Year-Old Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson.
Hour 3 (16:00)
Another hour gone, another 80 pages read. I only have another 60 to go now, so should finish within the hour. I like it - it's very stereotypical YA, which means it's perfect readathon material.
Mini-Challenge - Fantasy world
Which fantasy world would you most like to go visit?
Mum: Narnia
Maria: For sure!!
Dad: No doubt.
Mum: I've wanted to visit ever since I first read them.
Michala: Then I'll say Hogwarts, just to be different!
Rebekka: Hard to pick something different from what you've already said!
Maria: Yeah, you wouldn't want to live in Wonderland or Neverland...
Rebekka: Whatever the world in "Seeds of Discovery" by Breeana Puttroff is called
Dad: Malacandra (Mars in "Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis) could also be interesting.
Hour 4 (17:00)
I finished "Last Chance" about 15 minutes ago. Not as powerful as some of Sarah Dressen's other books, but a good, clean YA that kept me nicely entertained. I liked it. Now I've switched to my kindle and "Dragon Kin: Alonia & Thrift" by Audrey Faye.
Mini-Challenge - Teenage Angst
Which books that helped you escape the angst of your teenage years?
Mixi: "The Ordinary Princess" by M.M. Kaye
Maria: Pretty much anything by Tamora Pierce, but particularly the Alanna series.
Dad: I mostly read non-fiction at that age.
Mum: The Laura books I think.
Rebekka: I used music rather than books at that age... can't think of any.
Hour 5 (18:00)
I only managed 50 pages over the last hour. I knew I read more slowly when it's an ebook instead of a physical book, but hadn't realized HOW much more slowly. Ah well, who cares. It's a good book, and I'm enjoying it, so that's the important part. All the others are reading longer books, so they're still busy with theirs.
Hour 7 (20:15)
We've had dinner since I updated last (I love my crockpot for this event!) AND I've finished book 2 :-D Now to decide what to read next. I kinda want to read the next Dragon-Kin book, but I also want to get back to physical books again... Perhaps I'll turn to "The Ordinary Princess"? I haven't read that in years, and sort of got the urge after Mixi mentioned it as her comfort book.
Mini-Challenge - Favourite Books
What is the best book you've read so far in 2018?
Mum: Bread of Angels - Tessa Afshar
Dad: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Maria: Yeah, same., A Gentleman in Moscow
Michala: Either this one ("Ikk' for sjov") or "The Loose Ends List"
Rebekka: I can't remember what I read this year!!! My PH.D. assertation?
Hour 8 (21:00)
"The Ordinary Princess" it was, and as that's only 123 short pages long, I've finished it already :-D I think my next book will be "Moskitoland", as I've been wanting to read that for quite awhile, and now seems as good a time as any. Mixi'll probably be leaving soon, but the rest of us are still at it :-)
Mini-Challenge Spring-Summer-Autumn-Winter
Do you have special books that you re-read each season?
Michala & Rebekka: Other than Christmas books, not really.
Mum: But I love "12 Days of Christmas" by Trisha Ashley
Maria: Definitely! Also, somehow winter always makes me feel like rereading the Laura books. Especially "The Long Winter" - for obvious reasons. I don't really have anything for summer or spring.
Dad: Nope!
Hour 11 (00:00)
All my partners in crime have left now. Mixi left at 21:30, Mum and Dad at 22:30 and Rebekka at 23:30! I started "Moskitoland" as expected and am really enjoying it. It is very different from what I expected, but in a good way. I only have about 80 pages to go, so hope to stay awake to finish that tonight. This will probably be my last update until morning though.
Hour 20 (09:00)
I woke up an hour ago and am back at reading. I finished "Moskitoland" just before going to bed and am now reading "Beneath the Sugar Sky" by Seanan McGuire. I read the first book in the series ("Every Heart a Doorway") at a previous readathon and LOVED it, so it seemed natural to save the sequel for another one (I know I've skipped a book in the series, but that one seems more like a companion novel than a sequel, and I wanted to get back to the Wayward Children :) )
Hour 21 (10:00)
I just finished "Beneath the Sugar Sky" and loved it every bit as much as "Every Heart a Doorway". I definitely need to add that series to my physical library! This puts me just past 1000 pages, and I still have another four hours to go! Now to decide what to read next... I think it might be "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl". I've been wanting to read that for awhile, and it seems like very suitable material for a readathon. Hopefully I'm right :)
Hour 24 (13:30)
I finished "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" with just half an hour to spare, so I'm not going to pick up anything else up for the last 30 minutes. That puts my totals at 6 books and 1376 pages, which is close to a personal record, considering that there were no graphic novels involved. Mixi and Mum finished one book each, and I have to check with Rebekka how she's fairing with hers. I was right in supposing M&E&DG would make for good readathon material, but unfortunately I didn't like it as much as I had expected to. It was a LOT more depressing than I had anticipated, and though it still ended on a positive note, it's probably not a book I'm likely to reread much. Oh well. I really liked the other books I read for the readathon (especially "Beneath the Sugar Sky" and "Dragon-Kin" and only one dud out of 5 (I'm not counting my reread here) is pretty good!
So that's it for this time! It's been fun as always, and I do love that it's a family tradition now. So much more satisfying to sit together with a group of people... even if we are just sitting and reading :-)
Books read: "Last Chance" - Sarah Dressen. (245), "Dragon Kin: Alonia & Thrift" - Audrey Faye (208), "The Ordinary Princess" - M.M. Kaye (123), "Moskitoland" - David Arnold (348), "Beneath the Sugar Sky" - Seanan McGuire, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews (295)
Pages read: 1376
Currently reading: None.
No comments:
Post a Comment