July 3-6 Readathon!

image found on Betsy Snyder's blog

Come one, come all, and join in on this very casual Readathon! It's the Fourth of July weekend this weekend, and since a lot of people have off for at least 3 days, I thought it'd be the perfect time for us to sit down and read as much as we can. So, drop in when you can, no pressure, and show your independent streak by reading whatever you'd like!

Who is participating I'll include the city slogan and/or a fun fact about where everyone is from!

1. LauraBrook - Laura, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin "Brew City", and "A Great Place On A Great Lake"
2. majkia - Jean from Niceville, FL "Home of the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival"
3. maggie1944 - Karen from Bothell, WA "Closer Than You Think, Better Than You Know"
4. Cariola - Deborah from Chambersburg, PA "Home of The Butcher Shoppe, best dang source for fresh meat, seafood, poultry, deli items, take-and-bake pizza, and specialty foods in the state"
5. The_Hibernator - Rachel from Richfield, MN "In the Heart of it All"
6. cbl_tn - Carrie from Knoxville, TN "The Marble City"
7. lindapanzo - Linda from Chicagoland, IL "The Windy City"
8. sturlington - Shannon from Hillsborough, NC where the county motto is "You'll Be A Fan For Life"
9. LibraryLover23 - LibraryLover23 from Lancaster, PA "The Red Rose City"
10. SqueakyChu - Madeline from Rockville, MD "Get Into It"
11. DeedleDee - from Amherst, NS Happy Canada Day!
12. fuzzi - Lor from Greenville, NC "Find Yourself in Good Company"
13. BookLizard - Liz from Boston, MA "The Cradle of Liberty", very appropriate for the weekend!
14. Chatterbox - Suzanne from Providence, RI "The Creative Capital"
15. streamsong - Janet from the Bitterroot Valley of MT "One of the Best-Kept Secrets in America"
16. crazy4reading - Monica from Boothwyn, PA "Home of the Chichester Friends Meeting House"
17. porch_reader - Amy from West Brance, IA "Birthplace of Herbert Hoover"
18. katiekrug - Katie from Dallax, TX "Big Things Happen Here"
19. lahochstetler - Laurie from Bellingham, WA "City of Subdued Excitement"
20. bostonian71 - Ailsa from Boston, MA "Beantown"
21. Helenoel - from York Springs, PA "Home to the famouns York Sulphur Springs"

I know we're already a day into this most casual of Readathons, but in case anyone would be interested in using one, here's an Update format that you're free to use and alter as much as you'd like.

Currently Reading:
Pages Read:
Time Reading:
Books Finished:
Snacks:
Activities other than Reading:
Total Pages Read:
Total Books Finished:
Total Time Reading:

oh yes! Please add me: Jean, from Niceville, FL

Yes! I'll be here, on and off. May need to get outside and do a little yard work, too. Karen from Bothell, WA. Whoo hoo! I am excited. Thanks for starting this.

I will be in and out--Deborah from Chambersburg, PA. I don't have any holiday plans, but I am in the midst of having my house interior painted and will be busy moving things back into the kitchen and dining room and moving things out of the bedrooms. When I get time to take a break, I'll be reading!

Well, what the heck. I'll join too. Rachel, from Richfield MN

I'll join in for at least part of the time. Carrie, reading in Knoxville, TN.

I'll read when I can. Linda from Chicagoland. The Windy City. The Second City. The City of Big Shoulders. The Toddling Town. The City That Works.

Truth be told, my little town's slogan is: "Developing Today for Tomorrow"

Family permitting, I will read as much as I can. Shannon from Hillsborough, NC.

I'd love to join in. Thanks for organizing it, Laura!

~LibraryLover23 reading in Lancaster, PA

I'll join from Rockville, Maryland, USA. I'm Madeline, and my city's motto is "Get Into It." :)

I'm in from Amherst, NS "Faith in our people. Pride in our products"
It's not a holiday weekend for me - my country celebrates today.

Add me, please, Lor from Greenville, NC. We're expecting a tropical storm for Thursday-Friday, which should give me some reading opportunities.

#12 by @fuzzi> fuzzi, we've been watching that storm. We just put a new roof on my mother-in-law's house. We were hoping it would be finished in time. Luckily, it is!

Count me in - Liz from Boston, also known as Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe), or most appropriately for this weekend, The Cradle of Liberty.

12> Good luck! Arthur might hit us on Saturday. Too soon to tell.

Oh, you're all adding little special things about your town! I don't think mine has a motto, but Chambersburg is the northernmost town that was taken hostage by the Confederates in the Civil War, and John Brown had an important meeting here right before the raid at Harper's Ferry.

>15 Cariola: my sister attended college in Chambersburg, Wilson College.

>13 majkia: here's hoping the roof holds!

It's so great to see so many people signing up here already!

>15 Cariola: Deb, I decided a few hours after I set up the thread that it might be fun to see what people's hometown slogans were. I couldn't find one for Chambersburg, but the history was very interesting! Cities that have Civil War history fascinate me. I wrote "Home of the Coyle Free Library, founded in 1891" for you - do you have a better suggestion, or something to replace it with?

And, I should state that my official city, West Allis, has a slogan "The City at the Center". Generic, if you ask me. But we do host the Wisconsin State Fair every year, and on the same grounds are the Milwaukee Mile (car racing) and the Petit National Ice Center, one of two indoor speed skating rinks in the country. Pretty cool, and lots of fun to go skating on!

I can be around for part of this, although I'll be at the Boston meetup on the 5th, I think. So it's Suzanne, reading in Providence, RI, aka "the Creative Capital", I believe...

16> Wilson is just a hop up the road from me; I teach at Shippensburg U, about 10 miles north.

18> Well, if I was to personally make up a slogan, aside from the history, it would have to be, "Home of The Butcher Shoppe, best dang source for fresh meat, seafood, poultry, deli items, take-and-bake pizza, and specialty foods in the state." Seriously, it's worth a trip to Chambersburg--it's that good.

On my way to get a root canal done. :(

Well, city slogans: Seattle Chamber of Commerce likes to call Seattle The Emerald City, that was chosen after The Queen City was dropped because...... well, it was becoming quite a friendly city for gay people, and I guess the Chamber didn't want to use a slogan which might be, well, misused? I like better the slogan one of the neighborhoods uses. The Fremont Neighborhood is known affectionately as The Center of the Universe.

I am looking forward to a weekend when I will not think about work related stuff.

I'm going to try for a couple hours each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Yard and house work and maybe some family stuff will be my biggest distractions).

I'm Janet from the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.

I am joining in!! Monica from Boothwyn, PA. I am leaving work early today because my son is up visiting. He came up from Rehobeth Beach Delaware yesterday and I got to spend the afternoon with him watching the World Cup game between USA and Belgium. He is planning to head back down sometime this afternoon so spending time with him. I will then be off until Monday! I will be trying to get some reading in today and tomorrow too. Hoping to have time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to read. If we get the rain that they are forcasting I will be staying inside!

I found this site with lists of City Slogans!: CitySlogans Here!!

And here is one with the 100 best small town slogans:Small town slogans here!

Enjoy!!

I'd like to join. I'm Amy from West Branch, IA. I'm not sure if we have a slogan, but we are Herbert Hoover's birthplace, and our little town of 2000+ is the home of his Presidential Library and Museum.

I'm hoping to get a little reading done over the holiday weekend, but I'm also putting our basement back together after water got into it recently. And the kids want to go see Transformers 4, so there's that!

Can't wait to see what everyone is reading!

Greenville, North Carolina has a slogan: "Greenville: Find yourself in good company".

They paid $90,000 for that??

I am near Philadelphia PA and they have many slogans:

City of Brotherly Love
City of Homes
Quaker City
The Big Scrapple

I am also near Wilmington, DE, here is there slogan:

Chemical Capital of the World

Not sure if I would like that as a slogan.

Today is the starting day, but we seem to be missing Laura. I know she will be back to add everyone who has joined the readathon. In the meantime, what is everyone reading? I've been whipping through An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer. Not my usual fare (it's about a 60-something widower gradually and reluctantly re-entering the world of dating), but I had a root canal done yesterday and needed something light.

I just spent about an hour reading The Lace Reader. Just started it, trying to get into it.

I plan to spend as much time as possible reading this weekend, so I'll join in, though I'm crap at updating :)

Katie
Dallas, TX
Official city slogan: "Big Things Happen Here" (which isn't true; it's got to be one of the world's most boring cities)

>29 katiekrug: Big hair definitely has been known to happen in Dallas...

I've found myself reading The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi, so that I can decide whether or not to take advantage of the 84p sale on Amazon.co.uk for Kindle titles for the remainder of the series. I'm also reading The Noble Hustle by Colson Whitehead (an ARC). But I'm itching for a thumping good read that I can throw myself into. Aren't I demanding? Having done virtually no work today, I'm off to the farmer's market across the street in the park, and when I return will hunker down with a book.

>30 Chatterbox: - True. Also big churches :-/

I have been off all day and haven't gotten much reading done. I plan to start soon. I will be reading A Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. Hoping to finish this book this weekend.

Okay, PHEW! I've finally caught up with everyone (I think). Work has been crazy the last couple of days and we had a bad storm last night (plus I worked), so I didn't have much computer time. Though I could have sworn I did an update during the day yesterday, but it wasn't there just now when I looked, so I had to do it again. Oy.

I'll be adding slogans for cities in a bit. I'm going to pick up a fish fry for dinner for Mom and I, and she'll be staying overnight with me, so I'm not sure how much reading I'll get done until she leaves tomorrow. But I'm trying for something!

Will be back later for more updates and things. Also, I'm going to add an update format thingy to the top message, just in case anyone would like to use it.

I just got home from work so I haven't started reading yet. After I settle in, I'll be reading Armadale. I'll probably take a break to watch Sunday's episode of Endeavour at some point.

I'll join in!

Macon, GA - The Song and Soul of the South!

Thanks Laura! (Although whenever you get around to it, it's the Creative Capital... vs Capitol. And yes, I've spent too much time being a finicky editor this week.)

I managed to squeeze a couple of hours of reading in today - mostly during breaks from putting our basement back together. We got water in the basement a couple of months ago, and it is finally dry and clean and ready to be "restocked." I'm trying to go through stuff as I put it back so that we can donate the things that we aren't using anymore. I managed to put a few books in the donate box, but most of them went back on the shelves!

During my reading time, I finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. It is a re-read and a favorite of mine. I also started reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library to my 10-year-old son.

Thanks for hosting, Laura!

I've been reading Ice Station. Given how hot it is here this week, I'm sort of wishing I was in the Antarctic!

I'm still deeply into QB VII. I managed to read a couple chapters at the doctor's office (my dad had an appointment).

Oh, and the tropical storm has strengthened into a category 2 hurricane. We're getting wind and rain, but we're far enough inland to avoid the 100 mph winds:

Main storm impacts 7 pm Thursday until 5 am Friday. Peak winds 35 to 50 mph. Rainfall 1 to 3 inches.

Today I read a short novel by Edith Wharton - Summer. I'm not certain what I'll be reading next.....

I'm in! I'm Laurie, in Bellingham, Washington.

I'm in the middle of reading Snow in May by Kseniya Melnik and Death Watch by John Dickson Carr. I have loads of books I want to get done this weekend!

I ran some errands earlier this evening and came close to finishing the audio of The Big Sleep in the car. Since I just had a few minutes left, I went ahead and finished it. So my first completed book for the readathon is an audiobook. I read a couple more chapters in Armadale, and I'll probably read a couple more before I fall asleep.

I've been reading these books today:
1. The Italian by Ann Radcliffe - the gothic novel that is my tutored read by lyzard
2. Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer - a nonfiction CD I listen to in the car when driving
3. American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis - a novel on my Kindle

I'm reading Smasher, by Scott Bly

Just realized I was supposed to provide my city's slogan. It's "The City of Subdued Excitement"

Yes, we really are that pathetic.

45> LOL. I'd like to think your city just has a sense of humor.

I'm planning on spending the weekend finishing Longbourn by Jo Baker, which I'd recommend to fans of Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey, and The Minority Council by Kate Griffin which I'm struggling to finish. Also have numerous graphic novels that I hope to breeze through and a bunch more novels.

I finished The Perfect Match which was a frothy romance with a surprising amount of heart, humor, and crackling dialogue. A good summer read!

I've finished my first book of the readathon, The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi. A very different kind of detective story, with a VERY different kind of detective, delivery a VERY VERY distinctive kind of justice. I liked it.

Time to go spend some more time with my Amazon Vine ARCs...

I'm not working today, but my dog doesn't care about that. He wanted to eat and go out at his usual time this morning. I think a nap will be somewhere on today's agenda. I'll continue reading Armadale, with a break for The Uncommon Reader, a novella that won't take long to complete. If I go anywhere in the car today I'll begin the audio of Fahrenheit 451.

>1 LauraBrook: Laura - I'm impressed that you found a slogan for the place I live. Nothing came to mind except general Montana slogans and my google search didn't yield anything. Although the cynical Triple S slogan, 'Shoot Shovel and Shutup', is what came to mind

Not much reading done yesterday. It zoomed up to a hundred degrees by the time I got off work - and since that is very unusual here most people are air-conditioner free. It's very hard to read with a terrified Golden Retriever on your lap. Fireworks are legal here. On the nearby Indian reservation fireworks are unregulated; they have absolutely huge fireworks stands where you can buy about anything there and bring them back here. I need to get Ginnie out for a good walk this morning before all the banging starts. When I let her out to potty this morning, she immediately started growling. I have no idea it she was remembering all the bangs of last night or if something was in the bushes - there is a fox den close to the house and Papa Fox especially has had words with the dog. Other predators, such as coyotes and once a mountain lion, also come through.

But this morning I'm going to read a good hour of The Spider Woman's Daughter before starting chores.

>39 fuzzi: Lor, are you still doing OK with the hurricane?

Happy reading everyone!

Ah, well, we are having a lovely cool, and quiet, morning. My dogs also have issues with fireworks but so far not too much noise. I'm up early, have my first cuppa at my side, and will start reading. I am at Location 2073 of 5675 (36%) in The 8:55 to Baghdad which I'm reading for my book group meeting on the 14th. So I don't have to finish it today. I'll just make some progress.

>46 BookLizard: I enjoyed Longbourn, too!

>50 streamsong: thanks for asking. We're about 60 miles inland, so just outside the hurricane force winds that hit the coast. Last night we had a lot of rain, thunder, some lightning and gusty winds. There are leaves around the yard, and one branch in the driveway, no damage that I can see.

My pond is full, which makes a happy goldfish!

Oh, and I'm up to chapter 18 of QB VII, around the halfway mark. Leon Uris has so much in this book, like Exodus, I have to read it slowly. :)

Hillsborough, NC, also doesn't seem to have a slogan that I can find but our county's slogan is "You'll be a fan for life". Meh.

I'm babysitting this morning and family is descending this afternoon, so I'm not sure how much reading I'll get done, but we are putting up a Little Free Library in our neighborhood today and stocking it with books, so that at least promotes reading!

>50 streamsong: Poor Ginnie! My lot doesn't care for fireworks, either. Fireworks aren't terribly well regulated in much of the Southeast, either.

>52 fuzzi: I'm glad the worst of the storm missed you!

I started (and stayed up too late) reading Cuckoo's Calling. It's pretty good so far, but not brilliant. I probably wouldn't have picked it up if it hadn't been a shared read for a TIOLI Challenge.

I ought to get a fair amount of reading done today - we'll see.

OK, I have read for about a half hour, been outside picking flowers for a bouquet for about a half an hour, got dressed, ate breakfast, and am about ready to settle back down for a few more pages. The 8:55 has taken me through some parts of eastern Europe which was beaten down by the communist policies of recent past. Sad.

Hi everyone, and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!!!

Mom has been the distraction I expected, so the only thing I've managed to read is the picture book Where Is Coco Going? and a few chapters in Murder on the Links before I fell asleep last night. So far it's a beautiful day, low 70's, sunny, breezy, so I've been giving my AC a reprieve and am enjoying the open windows and fresh air running through the house. We've had breakfast now and are about to head outside for a little yard work before she goes home and I can get back to reading something in earnest!

>39 fuzzi: Thanks for catching that! I meant to go back and check and then got distracted. :) Oops!

Morning, everyone! I only managed to read a few more chapters of Longbourn last night before falling asleep. Planning to watch the 12 noon news to see what Arthur is doing, then hitting the books, er, Kindle, again.

Happy Independence Day!

Hello, all...

My migraine has been arguing that it might return (the rain has arrived, and thunderstorms are promised for this afternoon) so I've done relatively little reading.

I've done a bit more in The Noble Hustle by Colson Whitehead, my next ARC, which I'll make a push to finish now. I read the first 60 or so pages of Jacqueline Winspear's standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, and I have to say that I really don't like it. It's all about the author telling us things about the characters, rather than showing us, and it's getting on my nerves to an extraordinary degree. So I may switch, and start reading The Arsonist, by Sue Miller, in its stead. Even a few pages of that was a soothing alternative!

I dipped into The Marriage Game by Alison Weir, by it isn't as good as her previous novel about Elizabeth I, The Lady Elizabeth, so I'm not feeling the urge to dump everything else and just keep reading.

I didn't do much reading yesterday (I guess I missed the fact that the readathon started yesterday!), but hopefully I will get some done today. I'm at the crisis center callroom right now, answering texts from teens in crisis. But it's pretty quiet, so hopefully I'll be able to get some reading done. I've brought along two books:

Smasher, by Scott Bly
Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families, by Francis Mark Mondimore

Happy Fourth of July! It's gorgeous here in Iowa today - mid 70s and sunny. I went for a run this morning, and I think we'll go to part of the Iowa City Jazz Festival this afternoon. I hope everyone on the East Coast is avoiding bad weather.

I read a couple of hours last night and another hour today. I'm alternating between Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution, which I bought after a recent trip to Boston, and Whistling Past the Graveyard.

Happy Fourth everyone! I've been reading Ice Station and can barely put it down. Talk about a thriller.... And an interesting set of bad guys. Who knew!

I've been doing quite a bit of reading. Gorgeous day here. I'm almost through Death Watch. This is one heck of a complicated mystery. I'm at 88% (reading on the kindle). Going to try and finish before I go out and do some shopping.

I woke up early this morning and had to take my dog for a walk. I thought it was going to be short one but it was so nice and cool out and no rain that we took a nice long walk.

I have read for a little bit this afternoon. I am reading The Casual Vacancy and hope to get to about the half way point today.

fuzzi glad you are not getting anything severe from Arthur.

Laura glad you are enjoying the time with your mother.

Happy 4th of July!!

>57 BookLizard: Liz, I haven't read Longbourn yet - are you liking it?

>58 Chatterbox: Suz, what do you think about Colson Whitehead? I just read a short interview with him in the NYT book review and it made me curious about his work. Do you (or anyone else here) recommend a certain place to start? And I'm sorry to hear about your migraine, though with all of the weather junk you guys are getting, I'm not surprised. Hope you can find something good to read to distract you soon.

>59 The_Hibernator: I hope you don't have too many texts from teens in crisis today! I give you so much credit, that must be a difficult job to do. Hope you have the chance to dig into one of your books!

>60 porch_reader: We've got the same weather here in Wisconsin. Isn't it perfect!!!?! After trimming trees and hauling stuff for a couple of hours, my Mom and I just sat outside with a glass of iced tea and enjoyed being comfortable in the garden.

>61 majkia: Jean, Ice Station sounds like a thrill ride for sure! Have you read anything else by the author?

>62 lahochstetler: I'm envious of your big-reading status! Did you get a chance to finish Death Watch yet?

>63 crazy4reading: It's that kind of a day, isn't it? So nice! How are you liking Casual? I almost checked it out at work yesterday, but since I have about 50 items already checked out, I figured it could wait another week or so. ;)

Mom is gone now, and I'm going to hop in the shower, put on some comfy clothes and head back outside with a couple of magazines and a book, and enjoy the weather! Starting tomorrow the heat and humidity are going to ramp up again, and I'll be sitting in AC, so I'd like to enjoy the fresh air while I can.

I've just finished The Noble Hustle by Colson Whitehead, and it's entertaining, in a kinda quirky way.

I think if you're interested in him as a person, this would be a place to go -- he makes a big deal out of being a citizen of the Republic of Anhedonia, which gives him a natural poker face (hey, if anhedonics don't get into emotion much, they don't have poker 'tells', right?), so why not try competing in the world series of poker? It's not the perfect book for a non-poker fan, since there's too much jargon in it, and people who pick it up only because of the poker stuff will loathe it because it's really about him, but it's entertaining, nonetheless. It's about life, really.

If you're looking for an intro to his fiction, Sag Harbor is probably the place to start. Zone One is more atypical; his other novels are more precursors to Sag Harbor.

Hope Arthur has blown past everyone safely further south; I wonder whether the heavy rain that we're getting here is the tail end of that or just a storm blowing in from the midwest? At any rate, it's keeping the crazed partiers from next door (they had about 50 people around in their paved-over backyard on Memorial Day, blasting noise so loudly that the windows rattled all day and when we called the cops in the evening, we didn't even have to get past the word "noise" before the guy on the other end of the line said, yeah, we know, reeled off my neighbor's address, and said, we've got people on the way, don't worry. Also, before the rain started last night we had people setting off fireworks in the middle of the street right outside, with the noise frightening the cats and the smoke keeping me anxious that something had been set on fire. (All the houses around here are wood/"painted ladies"). So, other than the headachey stuff, I don't mind this weather in the least. Especially since I have a dehumidifier chugging away, removing bucketloads of water from the atmosphere every few hours!

I've been reading and puttering around the house. Kids are coming over later and the Father wants to talk to me about ereaders. Happily, I'm reading in one, and using the computer, too.

So now, I've found them all, and have all three plugged in so they'll be charged up when he comes. Can't convince him how nice they are if they are down on the charge.

I'm still reading The 8:55 to Baghdad and I'm more fond of it now, than I was. He does get in the way of the travel descriptions some, but he also does a good job of condensing some relatively complex and long histories of places visited when riding the train from France to Iraq. And of course he includes good Agatha Christie history and stories.

OK, back to it.

I finished An Available Man this afternoon. Not my usual reading fare, but it was light and not bad. I'm not sure what I will go to next. I have a lot of books I SHOULD be reading--one borrowed from my daughter and several TBRs.

Happy 4th of July! It looks like you are all doing some great reading!
I'm sad that I can't participate... Maybe tomorrow or on Sunday I'll have some hours to spend with my books and join you.

Happy Fourth, everyone! This is Ailsa from Boston, happy to join in and read when I can this weekend. I've been reading Terry Pratchett's Raising Steam aloud to my wife, and I hope to finish that tonight so we can get back to Rick Riordan's The Serpent's Shadow. She has to read every day to kids at preschool, so it's only fair I do it at home. :)

Joining in late- reading The Plover and enjoying it very much. But the weather is cool today, so I'm trying to do some things that I have avoided during the heat wave - weeding he garden, mending some of the enormous pile of stuff, a bit of housekeeping etc.
I'm in York Springs, Pa,. just over the mountain from Cariola. As far as I know we do not have a motto, but the Confederate soldiers marched by on their way south form Carlisle to Gettysburg. ( and to talk to some folks there was never any other history here before or since - a pet peeve of mine)

>70 Helenoel: Wow, no history in 150 years??? :-)

I've read the first 60 pages of The Arsonist by Sue Miller, where most of the real story kicks off on the Fourth of July, appropriately enough, and am really enjoying it. The perfect alternative to the unpleasant/turgid Jacqueline Winspear novel. Almost time to ponder some dinner, though, especially since I need to be up & out the door so early in order to be on the train to Boston.

64>I am enjoying Longbourn, but the rainy, dreary weather here keeps putting me to sleep. I probably won't finish it tonight, but maybe tomorrow morning.

I haven't made much progress with Armadale today. I wasn't in the right mood for it. I did finish The Uncommon Reader in essentially one sitting (briefly interrupted to take the dog out). It's perfect holiday reading. I'll probably read more of Armadale later on this evening.

#73 - I love The Uncommon Reader. I agree it is a perfect short read for a holiday. I read another of Bennett's novellas as well - The Clothes They Stood Up In. It was good, but I liked The Uncommon Reader better just because I was so taken by the idea of the Queen sneaking out to get books!

>74 porch_reader: That one sounds good too! The public library system has a few copies so I've added it to my library wishlist. Maybe I can get to it during Labor Day weekend. :)

#64 by @LauraBrook> I just finished Ice Station and am glad I can come up for air. Talk about a disaster a minute. Things are out of control from page one! Fun read! This is the first thing I've read by Matthew Reilly. I'm definitely continuing this series.

I'll be starting Caliban's War a bit later tonight. I'm also listening to The Maltese Falcon but what with being so caught up in Ice Station I haven't made all that much progress of late.

Took a break to watch "Monuments Men". Will return and read a bit more of The Arsonist before bedtime...

I watched Monuments Men on a flight to Switzerland recently and really enjoyed it. It's one aspect of WWII that I knew nothing about.

As a book, I MUCH preferred The Rape of Europa, which was so much more complete, authoritative, better structured and yes, a better reading experience. The move version of Monuments Men, however Hollywoodized it was (that final scene at Altaussee was eye-rollingly over-the-top and, I think, inaccurate -- I believe the mine was part of the American zone and not the Soviet zone, so that was thrown in there for some drama...)

I read another chapter in Armadale last night, and it was perfect for a holiday. Several of the characters went on a picnic in the Norfolk Broads. Even though this is one of Collins' sensation novels, this chapter was funny rather than suspenseful. I don't remember anything else I've read of his being so full of humor.

My reading plan for the day includes The Cincinnati Red Stalkings, one of Troy Soos's baseball mysteries, as well as more Armadale.

Yesterday I got about halfway through The Lace Reader. Also, coincidentally, there was a scene that takes place on July Fourth. I chose it as a "vacation" book, so it's nice that it so neatly fits the bill. I'm not feeling my best today, after eating too much junk yesterday -- perhaps I should just lie around on the deck and read.

I finished Spider Woman's Daughter by Anne Hillerman yesterday. Mysteries are my go-to escapist genre, and I seem to be in a lightweight mood this summer. I struggled with the first hundred pages or so - the dialogue, especially, seemed a bit clunky. But then, it took off. I don't know if Anne Hillerman hit her stride, or I adjusted to the change of voice, but it was a great summer read. I hope she's working on the next one!

I was determined not to turn on the TV yesterday, but the fireworks were truly intense here last night. Once I turned the TV on (loudly) Ginnie calmed down a bit. It was my first 4th of July with her as she was a rescue dog I adopted last August. I think I'll look into a 'thunder jacket' for her with perhaps some tranqs or herbal drops for backup for next year.

I'm still working on Karen Armstrong's biography of Buddha which I hope to finish today. And then I'm on to an ER memoir, Not for Everyday Use, by Caribbean-American writer, Elizabeth Nunez. I've also started picking away at Before the Dawn.

This comes a little late, but I'm posting in sympathy for all of you whose dogs were freaked out by fireworks yesterday. My dog is completely deaf, so she just sleeps through everything now.

That is so perfect for me and mine. Benny, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was relatively calm. The noise made him raise his head and look around, but no freak-out; Greta Garbo, on the other hand, was trying to crawl into any dark small spaces she could find. She tried the bottom shelf of a bookcase, and then at another book case she obviously was looking around as she ended up tipping one shelf and all the small books fell off; then she headed for under the bed, and under a beside the bed table and into a dark corner. Finally, I pulled her out and put her in her crate, and I went to bed after having pulled all the curtains, and shut all the doors so it was totally dark in the room. I also made it so Benny's crate was up next to Greta so she could see he was sleeping soundly. This morning she is fine and a little extra tired. Big night for her. I think I might get something "natural" from the pet store for next year. She hates New Years Eve, too.

I adopted my little guy in September so this was my first 4th with him. I was prepared to put him in his crate if the fireworks upset him, but he slept through the worst of it. He was sleeping on my lap when they started. I even took him out at bedtime when things started to die down and the strange noises didn't bother him at all. I guess he's used to hearing the neighbor across the street shoot at foxes and raccoons when they go after his chickens.

>80 cbl_tn: I read Armadale last year (or the year before), and my reading of it was influenced by the stage version I saw with my Book Club. I was only about halfway through when we went, and I had a difficult time mustering up the oomph to finish once I knew what really happened. It was an excellent production, though, and if Collins didn't write such dang long books I might've finished in time! :)

>83 sturlington: Hah! That's perfect! I have two cats, one of whom (the sister, Sweetpea) isn't bothered by much, and the other (the brother, Chico) is scared of nearly every noise. There are a couple of newer families in my neighborhood and they set off maybe a dozen fireworks - for some reason, he was not at all freaked out, but when Mom and I watched the downtown fireworks on TV he hid in the hallway. *shrug* Weird.

I've managed to finish both The Murder on the Links, the second Poirot book, and a Choose Your Own Adventure book since I last stopped in. Agatha Christie's Poirot is one of my favorite TV shows, and their version of this story kept popping in my head. It was interesting to read the difference between the two, and I can't honestly tell whether I prefer Agatha's or ITV's version. I will say, however, that in the TV version, Bella Duveen's song that she sings at the beginning (where Hastings, of course, falls in love with her immediately) has been stuck in my head for nearly 12 hours now. It's a nice enough song, but ALRIGHT ALREADY! ;)

Up next is my attempt to finish Secret Lives of Great Authors - it's interesting, and well laid-out, but I can't open the book up all the way for fear of breaking the spine, and the print could be bigger/in a different font. I have pretty good eyes, and it's so small (and they use colored ink for some parts) that I can only read it during the day.

How's everyone's Saturday so far? Did you all have a good Fourth?

I finished American Psycho today. Phew! I gave it 4.5 stars. However, that's a personal rating. I'd be extremely hesitant to recommend this book widely because of it graphic violence and ability to offend just about anyone. For me, it was brilliant, though.

Since most of my family and best friend were out of town, I stayed home (no fireworks) and watched the two World Cup games yesterday with my husband. I was horrified at the violence (graciously called "fouls") of both teams in the Colombia-Brazil game. One of the Brazilian players ended up with a fractured spine and is now out of the final playoff games.

I guess this is my "Violence" weekend so far! ;)

I started The Sweet Hereafter on my Kindle last night but fell asleep before I got too far. I'm pretty sure I saw a film version years ago but don't remember too much about it.

It's a beautiful day out there, only 73--my kind of weather, I hate it once it gets into the 80s and higher. Hope to get to some yard work, but I'm still moving things for the painters.

I finished Longbourn this morning. Going to start Stormy Persuasion.

#83 by @sturlington> Hahaha! so true. ours are always freaked out by fireworks, even the one who doesn't mind shotguns going off beside her when she's hunting with Daddy.... Sigh.

>81 sturlington: The book I'm reading today, The Cincinnati Red Stalkings, also has some of the action taking place during Independence Day weekend. Right now they're on the way to a fireworks display on the 4th. I planned to read the book this weekend since it's about baseball, and baseball goes well with the Fourth of July. I had no idea just how appropriate it would be!

I have been reading The Casual Vacancy and have made it past the half way mark. I also may read Until I found you by Victoria Bylin. It is an ER book I need to finish. I am behind on them.

LauraBrook I am enjoying Casual. I feel I am learning a little about English life even though it is fiction. I don't consider myself a connoisseur of literature but the book is enjoyable if not confusing at times.

sturlington that is a cute picture. I am lucky enough that my dog doesn't get frightened by fireworks. She hears them and tries to figure out where they are coming from. Now my cat is the one that hides under the sofa in a thunder storm and fireworks. He cannot stand loud noises.

Laurabrook I have been enjoying this weather. I mowed my lawn and now I have been reading and watching the World Cup games. I haven't wanted to pop in here because then I stop reading. Once this post is finished I will begin reading again.

Madeline I didn't watch the Columbia Brazil game and I saw how the player went down on replay today. I understand that FIFA is looking into what happened and why no penalty was called for that play. I love soccer and am surprised at the violence/fouls/tackles that happen during a game. My son played goalie and some of the players that would try to tackle him surprised me. He even played with a broken collarbone/clavicle fracture in a championship game. I think I would give American Psycho a try. It sounds interesting.

Well time to get back to my reading and preparing my dinner and watching/listening to the Netherlands-Costa Rica game.

Happy Reading all!!

Well, I need to take a break so I'll update my progress. In The 8:55 to Baghdad the author compares the Baghdad of Agatha Christie's time, and the moment just before the USA bombed it, chasing down Saddam. Sadly, the city had already "modernized" away all of the charm, and ancient beauty. The Baghdad which Christie found charming was not there when this author arrived.

I am now 75% finished with it, and will soon leave to go to another basketball game. I do enjoy the games but it takes up a huge chunk of time to go to Seattle, and see the game, and return. And I'm having to drive the other direction first to pick up my friend, and drop her off before I go home, too. So, it will be a late night. Not much more time for reading today, but tomorrow is another "free" day! Whoop Whoop Whoop!

I started reading Caliban's War last night. I finished reading The Maltese Falcon today (well, listening to it). I'll be starting an audio version of Towers of Silence but probably not until tomorrow.

I haven't done as much reading the past two as I hoped I would, but I've watched a lot of great sports! I did manage to finish The Cuckoo's Calling. I admit I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but I enjoyed it very much. I'm not certain what's up next in terms of fiction - too many choices!

Whoof. Well, I've been to Boston and back for the meetup (to see michigantrumpet/Marianne, ffortsa/Judy, magicians_nephew/Jim, and cameling/Caro), so reading has taken a bit of a back seat today. That said, since last posting, I've made significant headway in The Arsonist by Sue Miller and read the first 100 pages of The Zhivago Affair, which is excellent. I'm enjoying both of these thoroughly, and will try to finish the former, at least, this evening, now that I'm home.

It's been a rainy day here in Iowa, so I got a bit of reading done. I finished Whistling Past the Graveyard. It was a light holiday read set in the South in 1963. Maybe because the narrator was a 9-year-old girl, I didn't feel like it illustrated the challenges of the time period as much as other books I've read lately (like The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove). But I liked Eula, the Black woman who stepped in to help our young narrator Starla. Their relationship kept me engaged with the story.

I also started This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a collection of essays by Ann Patchett. Patchett is one of my favorite authors, and the essays are top notch so far.

I'm not entirely sure where the afternoon and evening went, but they're gone! After one of my lovely cats waking me up early I tried to lay down for a nap this afternoon during a mini-Time Team marathon, only to be awoken (just at the point before sleep) by 1 phone call and 1 text about 10 minutes apart. DAGNABBIT! So no nap, and I ran out to my parents house to drop off something for my Mom and a friend, spent an hour there chatting and feeding the squirrels and chipmunks, and came home to dinner and general putzing around. I've spent the last (nearly) 2 hours watching opera things on youtube, and missing my musical past more and more. If I don't turn it off I'll be more depressed than I am, so it's time I put clean sheets on the bed (this set always rides up at the bottom, so annoying!), make a cup of tea and crawl in with a book and a kindle.

>97 porch_reader: I listened to This is the Story of a Happy Marriage this afternoon! What a coinky-dink! :)

I've heard that the audio of This is the Story of a Happy Marriage is good, Laura. Does Patchett read it herself? My book group is discussing it in July, so that nudged me to move it to the top of my TBR pile.

Ooooh, I loved those Patchett essays. I actually think she may be as good or even better as a non-fiction writer as she is as a novelist...

Last night I stayed up to finish The Cincinnati Red Stalkings. It was another good choice for a holiday weekend. I'll spend the rest of today's reading time seeing how far I can get in Armadale.

Yay! I finished Buddha by Karen Armstrong. I thought it was concisely and clearly written - a good introduction to Buddhism and not as wordy as many of her books are. It's been on Planet TBR since 2007, so I'm glad to have finally finished it!

Cat's Cradle is still the audio in my car. If I drive to see my daughter today, I'll get a couple hours in on that one and should be close to finishing it up.

I'm also working on Not for Everyday Use a memoir of growing up in colonialism influenced Trinidad by Caribbean American author Elizabeth Nunez. This is an ER book that I received in April - well at least it was received in 2014!

I read a bit of Nicholas Wade's book, Before the Dawn about the prehistory of human evolution for a second quarter group read here on LT.

And because I always need a bit of entertainment to pick up in the evenings when my brain is too tired for nonfiction, I also started Puddn'head Wilson yesterday.

So the question is, do you read multiple books or a single book at a time? I can't manage two of the same genre - two mysteries for example. Other than that caveat, I usually have half a dozen or so going.

>99 porch_reader: I liked it. It took me a few minutes to get used to her voice (it's not bad or anything, just had to get used to her cadence), but once I did I liked it.

>100 Chatterbox: Not the first time I've heard that, Suz. I've got her Truth & Beauty around here somewhere and will pick up Bel Canto when I'm back at work tomorrow. :) for the book, and :( for back to work.

>102 streamsong: I always have at least 4 books going, usually 8 or more. Usually genres being the same doesn't bother me, but if I'm deep into a series I love it's all I'll touch for a day or so until I finish it. I need some variety in what I read, I often switch books in a "session", so to speak. It's more interesting that way to me, and you'd be surprised (or maybe not) at how many little crossovers there are between seemingly disparate books.

Last night I slept horribly (for no reason I can figure out) but managed to finish Secret Lives of Great Authors and an issue of Architectural Digest. IN bed last night and this morning I've read two chapters of Just One Damned Thing After Another and it not only influenced my dreams, but it's bugging me that I have to DO things today and can't just sit on my butt and read the whole thing through in one clip! Darn that Richard and his Satanic Book Warbling! ;)

One the schedule for today is cleaning the majority of my house, at least 5 loads of laundry, cooking a meal or two for the week so I can grab and go, and then I'll end the night by sitting for my friend's foster baby (she just turned a year old) while she and her husband go to a concert at Summerfest. Should be interesting, and I suspect that tonight I will wipe out and sleep well once Cora is picked up and on her way home.

What do you all have planned for today?

>102 streamsong: - I often have more than one book going at the same time, especially if it is a time of the year when I have more than an hour or so to read each day. My most common pairing is a novel and something non-fiction. I often add an audio book as well. Like you, I have trouble with two books of the same genre. I think half a dozen might be too many for me, but I can manage 3-4.

>103 LauraBrook: - I haven't read Truth & Beauty either, but I just picked it up for my Kindle. It's one of the Daily Deals in the US today.

Sounds like you have a busy day in front of you, Laura! Today is my last day of a two week vacation. It's back to work tomorrow. It's supposed to be in the upper 80's here, so I promised the kids a trip to the University of Iowa Rec Center. I'm also still putting my basement back together after some flooding, so I hope to finish putting books back on shelves.

>102 streamsong:

do you read multiple books or a single book at a time?

I have five* books going on at once now. I always try not to do this, but I have no self-control when it comes to starting an interesting book that beckons to me. *sigh*

*two nonfiction (one on my Kindle, the other on a CD in my car), one gothic novel (a tutored read) , one humorous contemporary novel (I know the author), one books of short stories (Early Reviewer)

98> Here's hoping that you have a better day today!

On audio, I'm listening to a novelized version of Hamlet which is pretty good. Not to mention that the reader is Richard Armitage!

I got a bit further into The Sweet Hereafter last night. I hope to take a reading break this afternoon and get back to it, but I am still knee-deep in stuff that needs to be moved back in place from the last round of painting, and stuff that needs moved out of the bedrooms for the next one. Books, of course, are the biggest chore. I've been trying to purge as I go--which is a lot harder to do with the cookbooks. For those, I really feel like I need to page through every one, mark recipes that I might actually make, then decide if there are enough to make it worth keeping the book. So far, it's six keepers, one giveaway (and there must be well over 100 cookbooks). I'm hoping to get it down to where they all fit on the designated cookbook bookcase. Do cookbooks count as reading? ;)

I almost always have 3 or 4 books on the go. I may have a print fiction, a print non-fiction, an ebook, and an audiobook.

I spent the morning at church. I will make a grocery store run this afternoon. Other than that, I'll be reading the rest of the day, with occasional breaks for laundry and to give the dog a bath. I'll be focusing on Armadale today, and I'll listen to Fahrenheit 451 in the car.

>102 streamsong: I always have more than one book on the go. I try to keep it to a manageable number -- four or five perhaps, and no more than one or two non-fiction books in the mix. They also need to be distinct in style/narrative voice, etc. -- so there has to be a reason other than sheer whimsy for me to jump around like that. For instance, right now I'm involved in a moderately seriously contemporary novel, The Arsonist by Sue Miller, a historical novel, The Marriage Game by Alison Weir, and a non-fiction book, The Zhivago Affair. When I've finished the first of those, I'll move on to Euphoria by Lily King, so there is a kind of substitution there. I'll be picking up a mystery or suspense book soon, and probably returning to the about-to-be-published third volume of the Deborah Harkness "All Souls" trilogy (fantasy). I also always have an audiobook on the go -- only one -- and have just started The Small House at Allington by Trollope.

OK, finished The Arsonist by Sue Miller, which ends up pulling too many of its punches and turning into too much of a domestic mini-drama for my taste. Meh. Still beautifully written, but the second half was disappointing.

Now off to finish The Zhivago Affair.

ETA: Does anyone have favorites from amongst the city slogans?

I confess to a few: Lancaster, PA, the Red Rose City (presumably because of the name association with the House of Lancaster and England's Wars of the Roses) and Bellingham, Washington, "City of Subdued Excitement". That sounds both very ironic and very Chinese.

I also love the name of the Bitterroot Valley.

>102 streamsong: I often have more than one book in my "currently reading" pile. Right now, though, I am DEEP into QB VII, so everything else is on hold.

Last night I got sleepy, but only had two pages to read until the end of the chapter...I must have tried at least four times to read those two pages before I gave up, put a marker in the book, and turned out the light...

I am always in the middle of a bunch of books. I'm currently in the middle of ten (yes, it's a sickness). Anyway, I've been reading quite a bit this weekend. I finished Death Watch and Snow in May and am not reading Ten Lords a-Leaping, which is rather long and has way too many forgettable characters. As it's an ER book, I have to persevere.

I usually have more then one book at a time. Usually all fiction but of different genres.

Well I have been reading most of the day. I did my grocery shopping early. Will be making my lunches for the week and cooking a skillet lasagna for my dinner tonight and some other nights this week.

I only have 100 pages left in The Casual Vacancy and hope to finish it before heading to bed at 8 pm.

I'm loving all the responses about number of books. The only problem I have with reading multiple titles is when I am not overly fond of a certain book - usually nonfiction- but want to finish it anyway and it takes **forever** to finish it.

>112 lahochstetler: Ten books- wow!

>110 Chatterbox: How could one not love "Home of the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival"?

>111 fuzzi: Oh, I have so done that when trying to finish a chapter!

Here are some bitterroots for you:



For hundreds of year this valley was a gathering place for tribes to gather the roots to dry for winter food. Whatever white man called them '"bitterrroots" was not kidding! The only time I tasted one I had to spit it out - and that was stewed with huckleberry juice to make it so called palatable...

Now they are fairly rare in the valley and only found on a few dry hillsides.

Too hot here! I have given up and will drive the hour to my daughter's and we will do a bit of cozy air conditioned shopping. But that means I get to listen to my audiobook in the car for two hours.

Janet, I have such fond memories of central Idaho, and western Montana, in the summertime. And yes, I do remember it could get very, very hot. The house I visited was in a dip of elevation created by a creek, and we were surrounded by tall poplar trees which created a haven of cool shade, but outside of that little area, it was hot.

I finished reading The 8:55 to Baghdad and I'm glad. I will go to my book group in about 8 days and be able to discuss it without apologizing that I was unable to finish. There are been several book group books this year that I simply put down. I enjoyed parts of the 8:55 book, but not enough to recommend it to any one except those who are huge Agatha Christie fans, or those fascinated by the history and environment of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, etc.

I think I'll go get The Farm (on audio) and see if I can arrange it so I can listen while painting.

I am so glad that the Readathon got me to focus on finishing this book.

I haven't followed the formula very well, but I have managed to get some reading done. I finished Longbourn on my Kindle and read 2 hardcover historical romances, Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey and Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick. I planned for the weekend by stocking up on easy to make meals - ham & cheese sandwiches, potato salad, potato chips, pulled pork, and strawberry and blueberry shortcake for dessert. Unfortunately, the leftover pulled pork made me sick last night, so I'm not touching what's left of the potato salad. Planning to stop at the Shake Shack for a burger and fries and maybe a black & white shake tonight on my way to my friend's house to watch True Blood. Not sure what I'll start reading when I get home tonight - so many choices, so little time.

Hope everyone else has had a productive and enjoyable Readathon!

Didn't post much this readathon but I did get some good reading time in - a little over an hour each day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I focused on just one book: The Dark Tower VII by Stephen King. I'm in the middle of the action now and enjoying it very much.

>114 streamsong: I confess I overlooked the " Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival" -- mea culpa...

>115 maggie1944: I may look for The 8:55 to Baghdad at the library since I am interested in the history of that era (if not overly excited by Agatha...)

Now down to the last 20 pages of the Zhivago tome; interrupted by a phone call.

>116 BookLizard: booklizard I love Johanna Lindsey! How was her new book?

>117 LibraryLover23: Stephen King is one author I really want to read more of except the books are usually so thick that it takes me forever to read them. I started Under the Dome and I haven't picked it up in about a year now.

Well I have 50 pages left in The Casual Vacancy. Not sure if I will finish it tonight since I am now headed to bed. I need to be up early for work (4 am to walk my dog).

Enjoy the rest of the read a thon. Happy Reading all!

>118 Chatterbox: I recommend you spend a few minutes with the book, in the library, and read a few pages before you take it home. It is a mixed bag.

As some of you may know I've been struggling a little bit with reading, and it has made me sad. First, I had cataracts and they slowed me, then I had the surgery and the recovery, and changes to my vision slowed me, then I became over committed to a punch of stuff, and that made reading time rare. But I will say this weekend I feel the reading mojo coming back. I've not only finished The 8:55 to Baghdad but have made significant progress in reading The Language of Flowers which is a book I've been dipping into occasionally. I became "hooked" very slowly and now that I am I expect there's a good chance I'll finish it in the next few days, maybe hours! I'm jazzed!

I used to do only one book at a time, but my wife got me into reading four or five and the habit has stuck (and in some cases turned into seven or eight at a time).

I haven't done as much reading as I'd like this weekend, but I did finish Pratchett's Raising Steam and went back to the Riordan one for bedtime reading. During the day I've been concentrating on Laura Silver's Knish (an Early Reviewers book), but have also been working on Joan Nathan's The Jewish Holiday Kitchen and all the magazines that piled up while we were away.

I didn't read as much as I would have liked, bit I did finish The Lace Reader. One book in a weekend is pretty good for me.

I'm a little late to the discussion, but three books is about the max for me. One work of fiction, one nonfiction and possibly a third book of short stories or essays. I son't know how all of you multiple book readers manage it!

I didn't read as much as I'd hoped this weekend, but today I finished Misspelled Paradise: A Year in a Reinvented Colombia. It was good, but not brilliant.

My current fiction book is Libriomancer and my next nonfiction will probably be The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft and Detection, but I doubt I'll get to it tonight.

It's been really interesting seeing what everyone has been reading!

>120 maggie1944: Glad to hear that the reading mojo is coming back! I have had to request the library book, which probably means I'll just bring it home; if it doesn't work, I'll take it back; no harm, no foul. I think I've read stuff by the same author that has left me with mixed views, but can't remember why that was the case. We shall see...

So, I read four books over the holiday weekend, The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi, The Noble Hustle by Colson Whitehead, The Arsonist by Sue Miller, The Zhivago Affair by Peter Finn and Petra Couvee; I also finished an audiobook, Jack of Spies by David Downing. The latter was a real disappointment. The Sue Miller novel proved to be disappointing, plotwise, although the writing remained elegant and pristine throughout, making it a good read, at least, if not a satisfying story. I dipped into the new Jacqueline Winspear novel, The Care and Management of Lies and didn't like it much at all: the leaden prose was the culprit. I also started re-reading a book by a favorite author, In Pale Battalions by Robert Goddard, that I don't think I've read in 20 years, and started listening to The Small House at Allington as my next audiobook.

119> I really enjoyed it. Another Malory novel. James and George are taking their daughter Jack to Connecticut for her coming out to fulfill a promise made at her birth to the American in-laws. Jack refuses to be separated from her cousin and BFF Judy, Anthony's daughter, so the journey turns into a family affair. Very amusing!

122> How did you end up liking The Lace Reader? I really enjoyed it when I read it years ago, but I know it's not for everyone.

>125 BookLizard: I have mixed feelings about it. I am not a fan of mixing up points of view and past/present tense. I liked the setting and the dogs.

I'm sad to see the holiday weekend wrapping up, but I'm happy with the reading that I got done. I finished The Sparrow and Whistling Past the Graveyard, and read a chunk of Bunker Hill: a City, A Siege, A Revolution and This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. I also read several chapters of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library to my kids. Thanks for hosting the Readathon, Laura!

123> Book Bullet for Crimes of Paris. I usually don't like nonfiction, but I've read more in the past few months than I've probably read in the past few years. I hope you like Libriomancer. I just checked and the third in the series is coming out in January - only 1/2 a year away.

I'm happy with the amount of reading I got done over the long weekend. I finished The Uncommon Reader and The Cincinnati Red Stalkings and I listened to nearly half of Fahrenheit 451. I'll probably read a few more chapters of Armadale this evening and that should get me past the halfway point.

Well, I've been a bit of a bum this afternoon. I only managed to read two middle-grade-ish books, and have been doing lots of laundry, catching up on phone calls, and cleaning. Tonight, though, I'm hoping I can pry myself away from my Roku player and at least get to the halfway point of Just One Damned Thing After Another. It's so good, and despite the fact that I have the rest of the books in the series ready to go, I'm stretching out my reading to keep enjoying it.

Hope you all got some good reading time in this weekend! Sorry I wasn't around more to ask questions, etc. Thanks so much for joining me, and I'll see you all on the threads! :)

I finished reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and enjoyed it immensely. I am too tired to try to explain why but you could travel over to my thread and read my thoughts there. http://www.librarything.com/topic/175260

>125 BookLizard: I love the Malory Novels. I just started reading them again. I will be looking into purchasing that book. I do have some coupons for B&N... I can just see how entertaining that book will be.

>130 LauraBrook: Thanks for hosting and don't worry about the questions. I enjoyed reading about what others were reading and doing.

Thank you, so much, for hosting the Read-A-Thon! I definitely benefitted from focus on reading! Yay!

>133 maggie1944: I agree! I've gotten into the habit of turning on the TV evenings when I'm tired. This refocused me on reaching for a book. Hooray!

I finished Cat's Cradle in the car yesterday. So that means I completed the three books I started in June. Yay!

>134 streamsong: streamsong: Awesome job on finishing your 3 books!! I too have started to turn on the TV instead of picking up a book.

The weekend is over, and while I did not finish one entire book, I almost finished the 426 page QB VII.

While I will wait until I finish (50 pages to go!) to post a review, I cannot praise this author, Leon Uris, enough.

In QB VII he introduces you to the eventual defendant and plaintiff, and in doing so, gets you caring about the players on opposing sides, seeing their positions, understanding their thoughts...and then about halfway through the book, hits you (BAM!) with a fascinating trial!

More later, but this book is highly recommended.

Yes, thank you for hosting the read-a-thon- I got quite a bit of reading done!

>136 fuzzi: I can't remember how, but I found that book in high school and really enjoyed it. You should also look for Mila 18. His latter books have been big disappointments too me -- heavy handed and teetering on propaganda. Even his Irish books lacked nuance. But these two, and Exodus are kind of iconic.

Agreed -- thanks for hosting & galvanizing me to to read more (than usual)...

Thank you for hosting, Laura! I think this is my most successful readathon experience yet.

Wonderful! I'm so glad that you all got so much accomplished. Finishing a couple of books and getting some back issues of Architectural Digest off of my magazine rack was about it for me, but it was the first time that I'd really had a few days off, together, in months and months, so the face that I didn't perhaps read as much as I expected is okay with me.

When's the next long weekend? I could use this as a reading focus every time.

Thank you all so much, again, for reading with me!

Thanks for hosting. Next long weekend is Labor Day which is early this year, September 1st. So we could have a readathon August 29 - September 1. I'll actually be on vacation for the 2 weeks before, so hoping to get in a lot of reading then.

I have long weekends during the summer since I am off on Fridays. Labor Day will only be a 3 day weekend for me since my Fridays off end Aug. 15th. :(

We may not even need to confine ourselves to long weekends... Any summer weekend could be an excuse for a holiday/readathon!

>143 Chatterbox: Chatterbox ~ that is true!! I love having readathons just to have a reason to sit around and read.

If anyone is up for a readathon this weekend, I could host. I could do with something to deal with my growing stress level, and escaping into some books sounds like a good strategy...

Thoughts?

Sure, I could join in.

I could join in for a while.

I'd love to try...I just started Ender's Shadow, and it's turned out to be a "don't want to put it down" book!

I'll be at work until about 2 on Saturday, but I have BIG plans to sit on my butt and read for the rest of the weekend, so I'd be in!

Cool -- I have created a thread for this. https://www.librarything.com/topic/177900#