Read-a-Thon Wrap Up!

I loved doing the Scones and Crackers read-a-thon last week. I hope that any of you that joined in enjoyed it as well. 

I plan on trying to do another one around the beginning of 2017. 

So keep that in mind and I will announce that sometime in December or January. 

I was able to get a lot of reading done last week! I picked quite a few shorter books that only took a couple hours to read so I was able to get done even more than I thought I could. 

I will briefly share what I read but I will go into more detail about each book in individual reviews to come! I will link each one to the reviews as they are posted.

I was able to mark off each of the challenges: 

1) A book by one of your favorite British authors: 

 

 

For this one I read Stancliffe's Hotel by Charlotte Bronte. 

 

2) A non-fiction book:

 

 

For my non-fiction category I read C. S. Lewis' autobiography, Surprised by Joy.

 

3) A book of poetry: 

I read The Golden Store, an illustrated selection of poetry by William Wordsworth. 

4) A play:

 

 

I read Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. 

 

5) A book that takes place in your favorite British location: 

 

 Towers in the Mist by Elizabeth Goudge takes place in Oxford which was one of my very favorite places we visited in England. 

 

6) Extras:  

 

I still had a couple of days left and so I was able to read two more books. 

 

First I read Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher. It was a bit longer but it was a really easy read so only took a couple of days. 

 

I had one more C.S. Lewis book and another Jane Austen book that I was hoping to get to but we ended up having a really busy weekend where I didn't get very much reading done. 

I had a little time on Saturday and Sunday so I grabbed Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen adapted into a graphic novel by Nancy Butler and Sunny Liew. 

Because it as a graphic novel it only took a couple of hours. 

 

  

Overall it was a great reading week. There weren't any that I hated and only two that I didn't love. 

More to come!

What did you read?

Read-a-thon TBR

It's time!

Next week is my Read-a-thon. 

For a reminder, what do I do during the British Read-a-thon?

I read books that are written by or about British people or have British locations. 

It can be pretty much anything. 

This year I want to add some more fun to it in the way of challenges. 

You can choose to do one, none, or all of them!

I am setting five challenges for the books. 

Challenges:

                                                1) A book by your favorite British author

                                                2) A non fiction book

                                                3) A play

                                                4) A book of Poetry

                                                5) A book that takes place in your favorite British location. 

That's it!

I am setting myself an extra goal of reading 7 books because that is how many books I was able to read during my first experience doing Ariel Bisset's booktubeathon this summer. I have a few very short books that shouldn't take long to read so I am hoping to reach that goal or even more!

I will also be doing a photo challenge on Instagram every day. 

I will post my picture every morning with the theme and if you are on Instagram and want to participate you can use the hashtags I will include so we can all see the pictures! 

It should be really fun!

I will wait to tell you which book I am reading for which challenge and why until my Read-a-thon recap but I will share the picture of my To Be Read list: 

There it is! My seven books I hope to read next week! 

Let me know in the comments if you plan on reading along and if you want to- share your TBR pile on Instagram, the comments here, or your own blog!

Read-a-thon announcement

Hey everyone!

It's almost time for another British read-a-thon!

Right now I am planning on doing a read-a-thon the week of August 21st-28th. 

This is the week after my kids go back to school so I figured it would be a good week to gift myself with permission to read as much as possible!

As a reminder for the British read-a-thon I read books that are written by or about British authors/ people and/or take place in the U.K.

I have already started mentally preparing my To Be Read list. 

I hope that some of you will decided to join in!

I will post again a few days before the read-a-thon begins to let you know what my TBR list is going to be and maybe come up with some fun challenges for anyone wanting to join in!

The Books of Anne Bronte

Most of you will remember that I read Anne Bronte for the first time last year. When I did my read-a-thon in September The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was the first book I read and ended up being my favorite one I read that week. 

"Gilbert Markham is deeply intrigued by Helen Graham, a beautiful and secretive young widow who has moved into nearby Wildfell Hall with her young son. He is quick to offer Helen his friendship, but when her reclusive behavior becomes the subject of local gossip and speculation, Gilbert begins to wonder whether his trust in her has been misplaced. It is only when she allows Gilbert to read her diary that the truth is revealed and the shocking details of her past."

I enjoyed this book so much. I felt that there were so many relatable things about Helen Graham and I feel like she is a really strong woman. She left behind a hard life in a time when that would not have been easy or normal. She cared so much for her son that she did everything for him. She was also really compassionate. I admire the way that Anne wrote Helen and I really liked her writing style. 

I read somewhere that when Helen slams the door on her husband it was "the door slam heard around the world" and that a lot of people considered this book to be one of the first real feminist novels. I totally get that. 

The Bronte's seemed to be notorious for writing things that weren't normal or accepted for women to write about in their time and I admire them so much for it. 

I think this book would be enjoyed by anyone who is a fan of either of Anne's sisters and it is one I will definitely read it again. 

The other novel that Anne wrote during her life was Agnes Grey. 

 When Anne was nineteen she worked as a governess for a few years. 

Agnes Grey is based on her experiences during that time. 

 " Bronte depicts the precarious position of a governess and how that can affect a young woman. Agnes was the daughter of a minister whose family was in financial difficulty. She has only a few choices for employment. Agnes experiences the difficulty of reining in spoiled children and how wealth can corrupt morals."

This sounds like it may be very close to Anne's own life and I can't wait to read it for the first time. I plan on picking it up when we visit the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth in a few months. I will review it as soon as I read it!

*Have you read either book by Anne Bronte?

Final Day of the Read-a-Thon

We did it! 

We got through the week long Read-a-thon!

Remember, just because the Read-a-thon is over doesn't mean you need to stop reading!

As you will remember, my 'to be read' pile last week looked like this: 

Yesterday I was able to get a little bit of reading done. 

We finally had a stormy day and I took advantage of that for about an hour while both girls were in school. I hung out in my room listening to the rain fall while I read more of Lark Rise. 

However, I did not finish it... or even come close. 

I won't abandon it. I will finish it! But I won't post a review of it for a few months probably because I have a few other books to talk about over the next few months. (that I have already read and have plans to read over the next few weeks!)

I stated last week that I would feel like it was a really successful Read-a-Thon if I was able to get through the first three books. So I am definitely counting this as a success. 

I loved having a reason to choose my book over a television show over the last week. It was really good to be able to push myself a little to get through a book that normally might have taken me longer to read. I really enjoyed my time reading this past week. I hope you guys did as well. 

Now, a week later, my to be read pile leftovers are: 

I hope to finish both of these books this year still. 

My favorite book of the Read-a-Thon was definitely The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. It has made me so excited to visit the Bronte parsonage now that I have read works by all three sisters. And I plan on buying my own copy of it (I read one from the library) when I am there next Spring. 

I also plan on checking out her other book. 

I am so glad that during this time I have read 3+ books written entirely by authors that are new to me. 

I had never read an Anne Bronte, Thomas Hardy, Carrie Hope Fletcher (obviously since this was her first and just came out), or Flora Thompson before. It is really fun to branch out and read something by someone that you have never read before. 

I really want to do more of this over the next year and discover a lot of authors that I have heard about but never read. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about what I read this week. I hope that those of you who read along this week have enjoyed your time reading. I plan on making Read-a-Thon's a bi-yearly event on the blog so stay tuned for another one next spring!

*What were you able to read this week?

*If you read more than one book, which was your favorite?

*Who are your favorite British authors and books? 

*Have you read any of the books I read? 

Read-a-thon, Day 7

Yesterday I began the first book in the Lark Rise to Candleford trilogy (this copy has all three in it), Lark Rise. 

I really love the way this book looks. I love the painting on the cover. 

The Lark Rise to Candleford television show is one of my favorites so I have been looking forward to reading this book for such a long time. 

It is semi-autobiographical and I believe that the character of Laura is based on Flora herself. I am not 100% sure on this though so I will have to do some more research about that. 

One of the other things I love about this book so far are the inside illustrations. 

Most of the chapters have a drawing at the heading that has something to do with that chapter. 

So far this book doesn't seem to have a plot or storyline necessarily as much as it is just thoughts/memories about the people and hamlet of Lark Rise. 

I didn't get very far yesterday. I am only a few chapters in, but I am enjoying it so far. 

Flora's writing style is really nice and I enjoy the descriptions of the area and the people. 

One of my favorite descriptions so far was of the end house. The End house is where Laura lives with her family. 

" Looking at the hamlet from a distance, one house would have been seen, a little apart, and turning its back on its neighbors as though about to run away into the fields."

I am excited to read some more of this today. I doubt I will finish it during this last day of the read-a-thon but I am excited to have got this far this week!

*Did you do any reading yesterday? 

Read-a-thon Days 4-6

Friday I was able to get a bit more reading done on Far From the Madding Crowd. 

I still didn't get to as much reading as I wanted that day but I was able to get to about the halfway point of the book. 

I took my daughter's to the park after school and took that time to do some reading while they played. 

 

Saturday I was able to spend almost the whole day reading and in so doing was able to reach my goal of finishing this book! 

I really enjoyed it. 

There were some parts that were a little harder to get through, a few descriptions that went on a little too long, a few conversations of the locals that caused me to zone out while reading...

but for the most part I really loved Thomas Hardy's descriptions and ideas. 

In chapter 17 ("Boldwood in meditation: a visit"), I loved when he was describing Mr. Boldwood's home. 

"His house stood recessed from the road, and the stables, which are to a farm what a fireplace is to a house, were behind, their lower portions being lost amid bushes of laurel."

After reading the book, I feel that they did a really good job on the recent film adaptation. It was very close to the book and the things that were changed, to me, enhanced the story. 

I will definitely read more Hardy. 

Sunday I tackled All I know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher.

I loved the inscription at the beginning. 

"This book is for those who said I'd never get anywhere in life and those who never doubted for a second that I would. Without either of you, I wouldn't be here."

This story was a collection of stories from Carrie's pre-teenage and teen aged years. 

She is still in her early twenties so it is really aimed for those kids that are still struggling through those years. 

I would venture to say that the best audience for this book is 13-17 years old. 

It was broken up into sections with each section broke up into chapters. 

For example, the first part or "Act 1" as she calls it, is titled, "How to Make Friends Without Vomiting on Their Shoes.. and other school stories."

We read about the way she was bullied and how she dealt with it, how she wish she would have dealt with it, and the things that she has learned from those experiences. She also was very candid about the things that she did wrong. The mistakes she made, the times she wasn't as kind as she should have been, the ways that she wished she would have appreciated her parents, etc. 

It was a fun and quick read. She is a talented budding writer and I will be interested in reading the work of fiction she is working on now. 

However, I don't think this was as good for pre-teen aged girls as say the American Girl books about growing up. It is not a masterpiece or a piece of work that I would recommend that everyone read or gift to young women. 

As a mother I found that there were things in her youth that I wouldn't want my daughters to do or that in our family we wouldn't necessarily encourage until they are older, but I think it is very realistic to what teenagers are going through in today's world. 

 I think Carrie is a good role model. 

She believes in being positive and kindness, and I think that is lacking in a lot of role models for young women these days. 

With my daughter's I do plan on letting them read this when they get to be about 14. And we can discuss it as they read it. 

As I read, whenever I thought that something might not exactly be appropriate for a young teen, I then thought back to when I was 13-15 years old and realized that I would have loved this book then.

She does a really good job of coming across as a big sister or friend trying to help the younger girls find their way. 

*Did you get any reading done over the weekend?

 

Read-a-thon Day 2 and 3

Sorry I didn't get a post up yesterday. It ended up being a very busy day. 

Wednesday I was able to read a lot, just like I thought I would be able to. 

Having Maddy home sick definitely made it an easy day to read. 

I loved the The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

I was able to finish the book Wednesday night before bed! 

 

I think that most people know that the book is written in three parts. Two are told from the perspective of Gilbert. One part in the middle is written by Helen. I preferred the section written by Helen so I was a little disappointed when it went back to Gilbert's point of view but I understood why that had to happen and I still enjoyed it very much. 

I really liked this book from beginning to end and I am so glad I have finally read it!

I can't wait to visit the Bronte family parsonage next year in England. 

I didn't start my next book until yesterday. 

While I was blow drying my hair yesterday morning (any time can be a time to read!) I began the first chapter of Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.

We had a really busy morning but I was able to finish the first chapter before taking Maddy to school. 

I really loved the first chapter. 

It will be interesting to read this because of seeing the movie first. 

I have noticed already that it is in my head as I am reading. 

I could see Matthias Schoenaerts in my mind as it was describing Farmer Oak.

I love his writing style so far. It is very descriptive and beautiful. 

I read a few passages from this chapter to Doug to show him how beautiful it was. 

However, I think it will take longer to read than the last book. 

The rest of yesterday was a fail for reading. 

I have been having a weird feeling in my ear/left side of face for a week so after dropping Maddy off at school I went into the Instacare just to get it looked at. The doctor said there was a lot of fluid in there but it wasn't infected so that is why it feels weird but not painful. 

He gave me a prescription for Prednisone for the next few days. 

Then I went grocery shopping and to pick up the prescription. 

It took so long that by the time I was done I had to be back at the school to pick up my daughters and didn't have time to even read in the car. 

We brought groceries home to put away and then went right back out to run some errands I needed to run with them and to go to the post office to mail a certain package to Donna!

By the time we got home it was dinner time. 

I figured that I would spend the evening reading but I just didn't feel like it. So I watched some dumb television instead and then went to bed as I was feeling quite tired. 

Unfortunately I could not sleep. I think it is a side effect of the medication but I don't even know if I slept at all. I think I may have had an hour or two. I thought about getting up to read in the middle of the night but I couldn't concentrate on the words. I was too tired to read and just couldn't fall asleep. Ugh. 

So yesterday I read one chapter. One. Not the best read-a-thon day ever. 

But today is a new day and since I was able to get all of the errands done yesterday I am hoping that I can spend at least a couple of hours reading today. 

My goal for the weekend is to finish this book. 

I am really hoping I can be in the third one by Sunday but we shall see!

*How is your week going?

Read-a-Thon Day One

Yesterday didn't go quite as I had planned it but I was still able to start The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and get about halfway through. 

The morning started out really well. I was able to read for about an hour before getting lunch ready for Madeline and taking her to Kindergarten. 

I had some errands to run whilst she was in school (it is only half day so she is there for a little over two hours) so I was doing that. 

My phone died while I was out. 

As soon as I was about done with everything I needed to do and going to take the last of her time at school to read, I checked my phone and saw that I had missed calls from the school and my parents. 

Madeline had become sick while at school and was in the office waiting to get picked up. 

I felt so bad. My parents were about to drive the 45 minutes up here to get her (They are SO wonderful.) but luckily I got to the messages in time to save them the drive. I was so sorry that the one day my phone died, it was the day I was needed.

I checked out both girls so that I wouldn't have to take Maddy out again... it was close enough to Abi getting out that this made sense. 

Anyway, what should have been a really relaxing afternoon of reading was unfortunately filled with all of this and then making sure she was well. 

Thank goodness she did not become sick again and has been improving steadily.

As soon as she was settled into a restful spot in her room, quietly playing and Abigail was doing her homework, I got dinner in the crock pot and settled down to read again. 

I was able to get in at least an hour. 

After dinner we got Madeline to sleep and then Abigail hung out in my with me and we each read (she is re-reading the Harry Potter series to herself now)  and that is when I got the bulk of my reading done. 

I am really enjoying this book so far. Like I said, I am about halfway in. 

There was one passage so far that I really related to. 

As an introvert, I am not good at and do not enjoy small talk. It is so hard for me to keep it going so I am always worried I come across as aloof or snobbish. But if someone gets me talking about something I am interested in it is hard to shut me up. In the chapter "A Snake In The Grass", Helen says, " I was wearied to death with small-talk- nothing wears me out like that. I cannot imagine how they can go on as they do."

And in her next sentence, "Is it that they think it a duty to be continually talking and so never pause to think, but fill up with aimless trifles and vain repetitions, when subjects of real interest fail to present themselves?- or do they really take pleasure in such discourse?"

I loved this because it is how I feel a lot. Large gatherings of people I don't know well or don't share many interests with wear me out.

I love silence. I love being alone. And so far that has made it very easy to relate to the character of Helen, as she seems this way too. 

I also really like Anne's writing. Classics are not always a quick read for me and I don't always get into them nor connected to the characters as quickly as I have with this one so I am hoping that this continues. 

 

Today I won't be leaving the house. With Madeline recuperating I may end up having more time to read today than I thought I would. So my goal is to finish this book today!

 

*What are you reading? 

*Were you able to read yesterday? 

Read-a-Thon Day One: My Hopeful To Be Read Pile

I have a very ambitious To Be Read pile for this week. 

I am pretty sure I won't be able to get through this pile but I plan on making quite the dent in it. 

Today I will be starting The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. 

I am so excited to read this book. I have it out on loan from the library, which is one of the reasons I am reading it first. I have never read anything from Anne Bronte. I am fascinated by the Bronte family and the talent that filled the family. I am a fan of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre by her sisters so I am looking forward to seeing how I will enjoy Anne's writing. 

The next book I hope to read this week is Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. 

Thomas Hardy is also a new author for me. I have wanted to read his work for a while but it wasn't until seeing the movie adaptation of this book last spring that I went out and bought the book. 

I really enjoyed the film so I am hoping that I will enjoy the book and his writing as well. 

After two classics I am going to switch to something light. 

My next read will be All I know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher. 

She is my favorite YouTuber and the one that is kind of responsible for me becoming obsessed with watching YouTube and all that is has to offer nowadays. It is a book aimed toward young adults about dealing with growing up, but I have read a lot of reviews from moms that said there were things in it that helped them as well as giving them some good ideas whilst raising their own daughters. 

As a mother of two daughters, one of which is rapidly approaching her teenage years, I wanted to read it and see if it is something that would be appropriate and helpful for her as she gets older. 

If I get through those three books this week I will consider it a successful read-a-thon. 

If I still have time I will start Lark Rise To Candleford by Flora Thompson. 

This edition is actually a trilogy (Lark Rise, Over to Candleford, and Candleford Green) put into one book so it is quite hefty and ambitious for the tail end of a read-a-thon. I have owned this book for a few years and have yet to read it so I am really hoping I can at least start it.

I love the television series that was based on these books and can't wait to read them to see how close the show is to the book. 

My last book in the pile is Jane Austen's Letters collected and edited by Deirdre Le Faye. 

I honestly don't think I will make it to this book but it is one that has been sitting on my shelf for so long I wanted to add it to the pile just in case. It is a collection of letters written by Jane Austen and sent to a variety of different people. It should be pretty interesting. 

Today I have cleaned my house first thing and since one little is off at school and the other is playing outside, I plan on starting the first book as soon as I am done with this post. 

Happy Reading!

 

*If you are planning on reading this week, let me know in the comments what books you hope to tackle!

Announcement: British Read-a-thon!

I am planning on doing something really fun next week. 

I want to invite any of you that would like to join me in this event. 

You don't have to go anywhere. You don't have to dress up. In fact, nice cozy clothes are the best attire. 

You don't need to buy anything. The cost is free. All you need is a pile of books you already own or that you have borrowed from the library, a cozy place to sit, and perhaps some creature comforts such as a blanket and a mug of hot cocoa (or whatever drink makes you happy!). 

It is finally September. And to me, September means Fall. 

It may not officially be Fall yet. It may not have cooled off outside. But the leaves of the trees are beginning to turn and there is a certain feeling in the air that promises of sweaters and cozy socks and my favorite time of year.

To celebrate our arrival into September I am planning on having a Read-a-thon!

Do you remember the read-a-thon days at school?

They were my absolute favorite. You would get to take your blanket and pillow and sometimes a stuffed animal to school. You would have some fun treat. And you would read all day. Or at least a few hours. It was heaven. 

With the demands of life I knew that I wouldn't really be able to devote an entire day to just reading. Because of this I decided to do a read-a-thon similar to some that I have seen on YouTube. A week long read-a-thon. 

Starting next Tuesday, September 8th I will be hosting a Scones and Crackers British themed read-a-thon!

It will go through the next Tuesday, September 16th. 

On the first Tuesday I will be posting my hopeful 'To Be Read' pile. 

Each day I will post about what I was actually able to read the day before. And maybe there will be some challenges/ questions/ tags. 

Because this is a week long read-a-thon you don't have to devote one full day (although you can if you are able!). You can take some time each day during that week to make a point to sit down and read or grab every second of free time you have throughout the day to get some reading done. 

All of the books I read during this time will have a British theme. They will either be written by a British author or take place in the United Kingdom. 

I hope that some of you will be able to join in on this journey and share in the comments each day what you are reading. 

It should be a lot of fun and a really good way to get those British books off of your 'To Be Read' shelf and finally make a dent in them!

Again, I will start this with my 'To Be Read' post next Tuesday!

Here's hoping for some rainy, cool weather next week!

 

 

Let me know if you think you will participate!