The Sunday Salon: Why Yes, This Is My First Read-a-thon!

Friends, there is a story to go along with this post, but I have spoiled the ending for you already! I apologize, but there it is: I will be taking part in the read-a-thon (cue groans and complaints of the coming tl;dr). Dewey always nagged me to do so, but I was always working and couldn’t afford the time off. However!

The boyfriend made plans to go visit his grandmother, who was visiting his parents. This is happy-fun-times and it rarely happens so I requested a Saturday and Sunday off so he could have my car, which I never do because on those days I get awesome hours. Well, of course things were going to go pear-shaped—it’s ME—and they immediately became not only a pear, but a piping hot pear cobbler, because Grandma decided not to come and H1N1 was cited and there went that trip! Yet I still retained my time off! I thought, “Well, maybe someone will want to trade with me.”

Then I found out the read-a-thon was the 24th, and boy, did I get excited! So excited that I will potentially throttle anyone who tries to take my days off away. >.>

I have read a bunch of resources about the best books to read and how to organize my time, and since it’s my first read-a-thon I decided to take it easy, since I will not be staying up the whole day—I am too cautious about my health since I’ve started working out, and that’ll likely be a workout day. I’ll still be around 10am – 12am, though, which is plenty of time for awesome amounts of reading and chatting and encouragement. :D

Here are the books I will be reading! Just covers for now, because some of them are at the library and I must go fetch them. :)

combined image of Pump Six and Other Stories, How They Met and Other Stories and Black Juice covers

1. Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi
2. How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan
3. Black Juice by Margo Lanagan

combined image of Y: The Last Man - Unmanned, Stealing Heaven and The Last Unicorn covers

4. Y: The Last Man – Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
5. Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
6. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

I have decided to focus on some short story collections I have had on my reading list for quite awhile. I always hesitate to read collections because I am a completist and must comment on every single story in the collection like some kind of freak. With the nature of the read-a-thon and the fact that it’ll be start and stop as I go about my day, eating and working out and other activities, I can use the short stories as fillers. The other books are all short titles from my to-read shelf, and I am reading them so I can stop feeling bad that they’re still sitting there! I’ve read Unmanned before, but it was a long time ago and I’ve forgotten huge chunks of it. Tons of people have been asking me to read The Last Unicorn, too! They’ll finally get their wish.

I’m not setting any high expectations, though, for that path only leads to disaster! I’m just going to try to have a relaxing Saturday full of reading instead of a hectic Saturday full of popcorn, screaming kids, angry mothers, personal pan pizzas, and the soda machine running out of ice during the lunch rush. :D

9 comments

Kailana said:

Yay for doing the read-a-thon, Renay. I hope you have lots of fun!

posted on October 11th, 2009
christina said:

Yay! I cannot wait to hear your review re: D. Levithan’s How They Met. I have read both books by him and Rachel Cohn and then finally picked up my first DL book-only: Boy Meets Boy. I absolutely LOVE him. Really. Love. Him. I cannot wait to get my hands on more DL it was that incredible.

It’s my first time taking part in the ReadAThon as well. I’m excited and nervous about keeping distractions to a minimum. LOL. I’m surrounding by non-readers who think I’m nutso.

posted on October 11th, 2009
Amanda said:

Oh man I couldn’t do a short story collection in the readathon! I have a hard time reading them at all, honestly. They just feel like a bunch of little books so it’s hard to get through them. :D

Glad you’re going to be participating, though1

posted on October 11th, 2009

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I”m so happy you’re joining in. And reading some books I want to as well. :)

posted on October 11th, 2009

If you don’t love The Last Unicorn, it will hurt my heart. (That’s probably some serious emotional manipulation to lay on a blog comment, but I will pull out the big guns for my Favorite. Book. Of all. Time.) Also, can you expand on what resources you’ve found helpful in preparing for the readathon? I have limited time for this one (my mom’s in town), but I always like to over-strategize for these types of things.

posted on October 11th, 2009
Vasilly said:

Good luck on the read-a-thon! I love participating though I never read as much as I want to. I’m going to add Beagle’s A Fine and Private Place to my stack for the event.

posted on October 11th, 2009
Debi said:

SQUEEEEEEEEE. I was about to hit that damn “mark all as read” button when I saw there was a post from you and I just had to sneak in one quick post before I begin my self-imposed blogging banishment. I’m sooooooo glad I did!!!! Yes, now Debi will be dancing around the house singing, “Renay’s doing the read-a-thon! Renay’s doing the read-a-thon!” Okay, so a singing/dancing Debi may not be a pretty sight, but it sure will be a joyful sight! :D :D :D :D

I want to read Pump Six soooo badly! I read one story from it (The Fluted Girl). It was so haunting and sad that I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

posted on October 12th, 2009
Renay said:

@Kailana I hope so, too! I really want to get some good reading in. :D

@Christina Want to hear a frustrating story!? I put this book on hold so I could go pick it up and my library still checked it out from under me to someone else. :(

Oh well! It’s there, I will place a hold and get it, just not for readathon purposes.

David Levithan is largely hit or miss for me. I enjoyed the escapism of Boy Meets Boy, thought Wide Awake was a disaster, but have really enjoyed his co-authored works.

(I am exploding from excitement that Will Grayson, Will Grayson is coming out next year!)

I say, let them think you’re nuts! We all know how sane we are! :D

@Amanda I just watched an online video of Stephen King and your comment made me think of it. He was really rude about people who didn’t read short stories. XD

Short stories are HARD, though, no lie, especially if the collections are like anthologies. It’s a lot of stuff to pack into your head all at once.

@Amy Maybe I will convince you to read some with my AMAZING COMMENTARY!

@Dreadful Penny So what you’re saying is, “If you don’t love The Last Unicorn THIS MUCH you afre off my buddylist forever?” That’s three people I will cause to suffer Eternal Disappointment if I don’t like it.

SO MUCH PRESSURE.

As for resources posts, I mostly spent tons of time browsing through Nymeth’s read-a-thon tag. Other advice I read: have plenty of drinks, don’t forget to eat, and don’t forget you can always read at stoplights if you need to go out.

@Vasilly Good luck! I hope to read all Beagle’s work one day!

@Debi Oh my gosh I have never seen anyone so excited that I am going to sit around in my pajamas and read. XD You are so funny!

As for Pump Six, I will let you know how some of the other stories are if you’ll promise to read The Lies of Locke Lamora next year! ;)

posted on October 13th, 2009

Nah, you’ll still be on my buddylist…. I guess :) But I’m doing my love of that book a disservice if I don’t force it on other people (it’s so Mommy Dearest, I know).

posted on October 13th, 2009

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