Readathon!: The Reading Pile
I've been in a rut with reading for a while. That's partly due to mental health issues, partly due to the fact that I've just started my master's degree and I'm getting into the swing of reading and research for that. (Just completed the best mini-project ever, research-wise: dragons!)
Anyway, the point is, the 24-hour readathon is coming up -- this Saturday, in fact. And I'm free weekends. In fact, I'm free most of the week, so I even get plenty of time to recover. So despite my general lack of get-up-and-go when it comes to reading, I'm hoping this event is going to help me catch up a bit and find my feet. I have a long, long list of books I may read, to provide me with something to direct my reading, without limiting my options too much. I've got a load of books I'm stranded halfway through, so I'm hoping to read those, and others I've got that I've been meaning to read for weeks or months. Others that just appealed.
Because I love lists, I've actually made lists of books for each group separately!
Already in progress:
-Garth Nix's The Seventh Tower: I'm only a couple of chapters into the first book of six. (ETA: Have now read The Fall.)
-Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death: I was partway through this when I went to Rome, and remained stuck ever since...
-Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle: About halfway through this. I might actually end up getting chance to read this before Saturday, but if not, here it is.
-N. K. Jemisin's The Kingdom of Gods: I got this on release day, squealed, read half of it... and stopped, for no apparent reason.
-Kate Quinn's Mistress of Rome: Started it in Rome, for, uh, obvious reasons, and then stopped, again for no apparent reason.
-Franz Kafka's The Trial: Started when I was in Belgium, for chrissake, and still not managed to progress.
-Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad: Ditto!
-Emyr Humphrey's Jones: Not stalled for quite as long, but since before my visit to Rome.
-Félix J. Palma's The Map of Time: Stalled since my visit to Rome.
-J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: I am not stalled on this, which may seem a surprise after all the above. I need to reread it for my course, so. On the list it goes. I'm a couple of chapters in.
I've been meaning to read:
-Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines.
-Eiluned Lewis' Dew on the Grass.
-Daphne du Maurier's The House on the Strand.
-Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower.
-Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire.
-Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak.
-Jane Yolen's Briar Rose.
Random appeal:
-Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives.
-Jeannette Winterson's Lighthousekeeping.
-Mark Gatiss' The Vesuvius Club.
-David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy.
-Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why.
-Glyn Jones' Island of Apples.
-Tristan Hughes' Send My Cold Bones Home.
-John Christopher's The Death of Grass.
-Ken Grimwood's Replay.
Of course, even that I'm not taking as a limitation -- just a sense of direction. If something else appeals, hey, I'll go for it.
What should I start with? Something I'm already partway through, for an easy (or quicker, anyway) way to finish off a first book, or start with something fresh to get me turning pages?
Stuff here is posted first to Dreamwidth. I won't disable comments here, but I prefer to receive comments on DW. Go here to do so. If you need a DW invite, ask. There is a tutorial on how to set up your OpenID here. If you comment anonymously, please sign your comments!
Anyway, the point is, the 24-hour readathon is coming up -- this Saturday, in fact. And I'm free weekends. In fact, I'm free most of the week, so I even get plenty of time to recover. So despite my general lack of get-up-and-go when it comes to reading, I'm hoping this event is going to help me catch up a bit and find my feet. I have a long, long list of books I may read, to provide me with something to direct my reading, without limiting my options too much. I've got a load of books I'm stranded halfway through, so I'm hoping to read those, and others I've got that I've been meaning to read for weeks or months. Others that just appealed.
Because I love lists, I've actually made lists of books for each group separately!
Already in progress:
-Garth Nix's The Seventh Tower: I'm only a couple of chapters into the first book of six. (ETA: Have now read The Fall.)
-Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death: I was partway through this when I went to Rome, and remained stuck ever since...
-Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle: About halfway through this. I might actually end up getting chance to read this before Saturday, but if not, here it is.
-N. K. Jemisin's The Kingdom of Gods: I got this on release day, squealed, read half of it... and stopped, for no apparent reason.
-Kate Quinn's Mistress of Rome: Started it in Rome, for, uh, obvious reasons, and then stopped, again for no apparent reason.
-Franz Kafka's The Trial: Started when I was in Belgium, for chrissake, and still not managed to progress.
-Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad: Ditto!
-Emyr Humphrey's Jones: Not stalled for quite as long, but since before my visit to Rome.
-Félix J. Palma's The Map of Time: Stalled since my visit to Rome.
-J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: I am not stalled on this, which may seem a surprise after all the above. I need to reread it for my course, so. On the list it goes. I'm a couple of chapters in.
I've been meaning to read:
-Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines.
-Eiluned Lewis' Dew on the Grass.
-Daphne du Maurier's The House on the Strand.
-Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower.
-Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire.
-Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak.
-Jane Yolen's Briar Rose.
Random appeal:
-Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives.
-Jeannette Winterson's Lighthousekeeping.
-Mark Gatiss' The Vesuvius Club.
-David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy.
-Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why.
-Glyn Jones' Island of Apples.
-Tristan Hughes' Send My Cold Bones Home.
-John Christopher's The Death of Grass.
-Ken Grimwood's Replay.
Of course, even that I'm not taking as a limitation -- just a sense of direction. If something else appeals, hey, I'll go for it.
What should I start with? Something I'm already partway through, for an easy (or quicker, anyway) way to finish off a first book, or start with something fresh to get me turning pages?
Stuff here is posted first to Dreamwidth. I won't disable comments here, but I prefer to receive comments on DW. Go here to do so. If you need a DW invite, ask. There is a tutorial on how to set up your OpenID here. If you comment anonymously, please sign your comments!