2016 'Make Me Read It' Readathon Results

For those who remember as far back as two posts ago, you will remember that last week I was doing a readathon! And to be honest... it didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I was hoping to get through three books, but after having a really successful first day where I finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and then made a decent start on The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton, I then kind of stalled.

It was a combination of things that resulted in me stalling - I actually had a really rough week with my health, with a really bad migraine very early on Wednesday morning, followed by days of migraine symptoms and such. Lots of other symptoms throughout the week, too.
Another reason I stalled was because I was having trouble really getting into The Secret Keeper. I was unsure whether to stick with it because I had read over half by Tuesday, or whether to stop it and move onto Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which had been voted to a joint second place. Eventually I did start Uprooted, but not until Friday/Saturday, and by that time I was just not feeling the thing.

Uprooted is fantastic so far, and I have also started one or two other things... but basically that means I got through a total of... one book. Which is good but not really what I wanted... At this point I am just going to continue reading what I am reading, and maybe make the other books that I had chosen for the readathon a kind of loose to-be-read pile for the future. Maybe I should do my own readathon? Who knows.

Has anyone read anything good in the past week?

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{2016} June Reading

Books bought/received:
~ The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine (won!)
~ Self-Reg by Dr Stuart Shanker with Teresa Barker (review)

Books read:
~ Where the Trees Were by Inga Simpson (review)
~ Gate of Lilacs by Clive James (review)
~ Something New by Lucy Knisley (review)
~ The Moor (Mary Russell #4) by Laurie R. King
~ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
~ The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman (review)
~ Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
~ O Jerusalem (Mary Russell #5) by Laurie R. King
~ Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das
~ Odd Type Writers by Celia Blue Johnson
~ Breathing Under Water by Sophie Hardcastle (review)

I have been trying to get through more of my review books lately, as well as just kind of reading what I wanted when I wanted to, so that kind of accounts for how much I have jumped around this month.

As you can see, my interest in the Mary Russell books has diminished slightly, but I am still getting through them. I am kind-of-sort-of reading the sixth book, Justice Hall, right now, in between other things.

time near the balcony enjoying the breeze and a book~

Quite a few of the review books were a delight to read this month: the Lucy Knisley and Neil Gaiman in particular were met with overjoyed noises from me when they arrived, and then were savoured as I read as slowly as I could. Where the Trees Were and Breathing Under Water were quite interesting surprises, and I am so glad that I requested them, as they were a bit of a departure from stuff I normally read and I was so glad to have branched out. Unfortunately, the Clive James, while beautiful, was still a little hard for me to understand, so I had to admit defeat with that one.

all rugged up with books, journal, and kitty!

The other stuff I read is a bit of a mixed bag: some scifi, nonfiction, a book written in verse, one on the Buddhist eightfold path... looking back on it now, I am kind of surprised. I loved each of them in individual ways, and have already recommended the scifi (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet) to several people. Awakening the Buddha Within was picked up off my shelf (it still had a bookmark in it from before...) and read to the end at a time when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, and it actually really helped me to take a step back and reassess how I was seeing things. It has re-sparked my interest in Buddhist texts.

Otherwise, I am still trying to chug along with the review books, and am currently reading a book from the library calle The Mistresses of Cliveden, which I am really enjoying. Expanding horizons, guys. What are you reading at the moment?

if I have learnt anything from my cat, it's too seek the sun, even if that means sitting on the floor.

Love to all who read.

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July 2016 'Make Me Read It' Readathon

You read that title right, folks, I am going to try and participate in a readathon! I haven't done one of these in a while, so I am a bit excited. I found this over on my friend Katharine's blog and it sounded like so much fun. It was created by Ely and Val of Tea and Titles, follow this link to find out all the info!

As a basic introduction, the readathon will last from July 9th to the 16th, in whatever timezone you're in. The person participating (ie. me) can choose as many books as they like, but Ely and Val recommend choosing more than you think you can get through because, and here's the twist, other people get to vote on what you read! So there is a list below of the books I have chosen, and whatever gets the most votes will be read first, and so on and so forth.

So please, vote away!

What should Bethwyn read for the readathon?

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Prudence by Gail Carriger

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johanssen

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

Do Quizzes

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