Number of Books 2
Pages Read 494
Time Spent Reading 4:02
Time Spent Blogging 0:26

So far I haven’t participated in any mini-challenges aside from the starting one – two were US-only and the last isn’t a giveaway that I’m interested in – but I did have lunch earlier of that pie I mentioned. It’s also nearly time for dinner, but I’m going to start my next book, first. I think it will be another change of pace with the shorter stories in A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris.

How is it going for everyone else?

1. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
2. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
3. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I loved Howl’s Moving Castle – it’s wonderful to have read two amazing books already today! I am definitely adding more Diana Wynne Jones to my next book order. It is a shame that I have now only discovered her after her passing, but I am glad to have a huge backlist to work through before I face the fact that there won’t be any more.

I have since started reading Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley. It wasn’t in my pile, but I didn’t really want any more fantasy and my choices suddenly seemed too fantasy-heavy. This should be a nice break from that.

As for the stats, I have read for 6 1/2 hours so far and have finished 922 pages. I’m really pleased with that – I think I’m doing better than last time!

How is everyone else doing? Have you read anything amazing so far?

Books Read:

Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
Touching the Void, Joe Simpson

I’ve managed to finish both, bringing me up to a total page count of about 500. I loved the first; the second I didn’t enjoy quite so much, as I’m not particularly familiar with mountaineering and while the story itself was gripping, I kept wondering why on earth Simpson ever wanted to climb the mountain in the first place! Still, though, a good read-a-thon book, as I kept reading to find out what happened to him after the accident (since he wrote the book, it’s obvious he survived).

In total I’ve been reading for 3 hours and 45 minutes. It’s been a little more difficult because it’s a lovely sunny day outside; though I’m not actually out in it, I am enjoying the sun through the windows and the nice breeze coming through at least!

How is everyone else doing? I am going to start reading again shortly, after a few blog visits; I can’t decide whether to read Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale or Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and I still plan to finish my current read, Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint, at some point during the Read-a-thon. We’ll see!

To evoke the British countryside and provide a bit of a visual for this otherwise text-heavy post, here’s a random picture of Rievaulx Abbey:

Here is the stack at the start:

There are actually two stacks there, but never mind. I couldn’t stop putting more books on the pile. As it stands, though, I am starting out with Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal. I have heard amazing things about this book since well before it was published, it’s a Nebula nominee, and it arrived in the mail yesterday so I’m very excited to read it. Best of all, it’s short and I’m told it reads quickly – so it is the perfect Read-a-Thon book! I aim to continue reading it until I’ve finished, and then come back for an update, so I’ll see you all in a couple of hours.

ETA to add the intro meme:

1)Where are you reading from today?

My flat in Beverley, England.

2)Three random facts about me… food-themed, as I’ve done this before, and part of the read-a-thon fun is the snacking:

1. I like cheese and hamburgers but not cheeseburgers.
2. I forced myself to like tea about 4 years ago and have become an addict, so will be drinking a lot over the next 24 hours!
3. I would quite happily eat pizza every day.

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

16. I know. I got excited.

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

Not really, I’d like to read more than 12 hours (my current average) and at least 4 books.

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Definitely pick short, fun books, don’t get sucked into the internet (particularly twitter) and take breaks when you need to!

Good luck to all the participants!

It’s time again for Carl’s Once Upon a Time challenge! As usual, we have gorgeous buttons, and I have an immense stack of fantasy books I would like to read. Since I have eight that I’ve pulled out which are sitting in front of me, plus my monthly Wheel of Time rereads, I think I’ll easily be able to pull off Quest the First, five books of any type of fantasy. I’ve not been doing many challenges this year, but I think I can make an exception for this one. I love fantasy, after all, so what’s not to like about reading more of it??

The choices I’ve given myself include:

1. Dreams Underfoot, Charles de Lint
2. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin – I know I’ll read this as it’s a book club choice for April!
3. Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
4. Ill Wind, Rachel Caine
5. The Native Star, M.K. Hobson – This was meant to be my first Nebula read, but I still haven’t gotten to it yet.
6. Demon Angel, Meljean Brook
7. Blood and Iron, Elizabeth Bear
8. The Dubious Hills, Pamela Dean
9. Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal – I don’t own this yet but I do plan to buy it, probably in May, which still works for this challenge!

And then, if I keep with my Wheel of Time reads, I should also be reading The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, and The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan.

Where should I start? Are you joining in?

Challenge genres include history, medieval literature, and historical fiction.  Medieval, for simplicity of definition, will be from 500-1500, and literature from all over the world is welcome, not just western Europe.  There are 3 levels:

• Peasant – Read 3 medieval books of any kind.
• Lord – Read 6 medieval books, at least one of each kind.
• King – Read 9 medieval books, at least two of each kind.

I personally aimed for King level, but I failed pretty hard.  The medieval books I read this year were:

1. Eleanor the Queen, Norah Lofts
2. Company of Liars, Karen Maitland
3. Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin
4. Butterfly Swords, Jeannie Lin
5. Shadow of the Swords, Kamran Pasha
6. Katherine Swynford, Alison Weir
7. The Burning Land, Bernard Cornwell
8. Virgin Widow, Anne O’Brien
9. The Tale of Murasaki, Liza Dalby
10. The Lute Player, Norah Lofts
11. Shadow of the King, Helen Hollick
12. The Dark Rose, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
13. Scoundrel’s Kiss, Carrie Lofty
14. The Stolen Crown, Susan Higginbotham

While I did manage to read 14 books (which is pretty paltry out of over 200 books so far this year) only one of them was history and none of them were actually medieval literature. I’m pretty ashamed and actually very surprised. Lots of the books I read were historical, so clearly I misnamed my blog, but never mind – I’m sure I’ll continue reading medieval books into 2011. I’ll consider this a partial failure.

How did you do with the challenge? Either stick your wrap-up link in the MckLinky below or just let me know in the comments.

2011, though, might just be different.  I say might, because let’s face it, I almost always fail at challenges.  But I’ve recently become much more disciplined in my reading, and if I can choose books that I definitely want to read and which I feel are worthwhile, I might have a shot.

So, first up will be A Year of Feminist Classics.  I’ve been interested in this challenge ever since I heard about it.  It’s hosted by four bloggers and they’re rotating which books they host each month.  I’ve read hardly any books that deal with feminism and none at all on this list (I know – I’m ashamed!).  So I really want to give it a try.  Some of the books are expensive and not in my library, but I’ll see how I’m feeling when those months come along.  Here’s the list:

January: A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollestonecraft - Amy
February: The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill - Ana
March: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen - Emily
April: Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Iris
May: A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf - Ana
June: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan OR The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer – Amy
July: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir - Iris
August: The Women’s Room by  Marilyn French - Emily
September: The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf - Amy
October: Ain’t I a Woman? by bell hooks - Iris
November: Gender Trouble by Judith Butler - Ana
December: Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde - Emily

My second challenge that I’m announcing today is the What’s in a Name 4 challenge, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.  I’ve never done this one before but it looks like fun.  The rules are to read one book in each of the following categories between January 1 and December 31, 2011.  I’ve included my options below.

1. A book with a number in the title

• Sixty-one Nails, Mark Shevdon
• The Thirteen Treasures, Michelle Harrison

2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title

• Confucius Jade, Frederick Fisher

3. A book with a size in the title

• Small Island, Andrea Levy
• Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson

4. A book with travel or movement in the title

• Looking for Alaska, John Green
• A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson

5. A book with evil in the title

• Roots of Evil, Sarah Rayne
• Demon Angel, Meljean Brook

6. A book with a life stage in the title

• Woman by Natalie Angier

Which challenges have you signed up for in 2011?

Strangely, I have discovered that non-fiction is definitely slower than fiction.  I thought I was getting close to the same speed, but I’m really not!  I don’t mind, I just think it’s bit funny, as I don’t note these things in my normal reading life.  I suspect it’s because I have no real feeling of urgency to find out what happened, as I would with a book based more on plot, so I slow down a bit to enjoy.

Books Read From: 4

Pages Read: 794

Time Spent Reading: 10:15

Books Read:

• The Passport, Herta Muller
• The Lost City of Z, David Grann
• A Long Way Down, Nick Hornby

How is everyone else doing?  Still awake or up again?

I still haven’t participated in any of the mini-challenges and I’m not sure I’m going to!  I’m enjoying just reading and to be honest, I’m not really looking to win any books.  I’m trying to cut down on my TBR pile, not add to it, although I wouldn’t protest if I got lucky.

My next book will be Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson.  I’m switching between fiction and non-fiction and while it’s made me read a bit less, I think it’s a nice change from the usual overdose of lighter fiction books I choose for the Read-a-thon.  Anyway, here’s how I’m doing:

Number of Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 624
Time Spent Reading: 8:08
Time Spent Blogging: 1:58

Ooh, I nearly missed the mid-event survey!

1. What are you reading right now?

I’m just about to start Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

2. How many books have you read so far?

3 so far.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I think this one, actually; I really like Bill Bryson and I’ve saved this one for a month or so now.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

No, I just didn’t make any plans!

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Yes, I have had a few interruptions, and mostly I’ve just rolled with them.  Luckily they haven’t lasted too long, so I’ve been able to get back to reading.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

Not too much really, I’m just surprised I’m still awake.  I’ve been asleep at this time in the first three, I’m pretty sure.  I’m not good at staying up.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Not yet!

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Nothing yet; I might make more concrete plans in terms of meals and snacks like others do, but I just wasn’t organized this time around.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

I am, but hopefully I can still read a bit before dropping off.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

I don’t right now, but if or when I do I will share. =)

How’s everyone else doing now? Still good I hope!

Number of books read from: 3

Titles: The Lost City of Z by David Grann, The Passport by Herta Muller, A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Pages read: 412

Time spent reading: 5:23

Time spent blogging: 1:28