Another Readathon?

Hi all! I know it's been a solid six months since I've written here. A lot has happened between now and then. There's school, and work, and all those little things that make life worth living. Unfortunately books haven't been a part of my life since the school year started. I blocked off this weekend to change that. 

I miss reading, and as i'm getting over a dozy of a cold I can't think of a better form of medicine. 

So here is a quick introduction, I'm Sarah, by the way. Hopefully I'll find a way to be around here more. 

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Michigan, the metro Detroit area. It's kind chilly today and that makes for perfect snuggly under blankets reading!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I just bought Carry On and I'm really excited for it, but i'm not really sure what order i'll read anything in, at least not yet. 

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Gummy bears and pita chips? I'm fairly predictable here. 

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Hi! I'm in my second year of library school (though i don't want to be a traditional librarian), I have a dog who will be my unwilling cheerleader and cuddle partner all day, and I'm currently looking for authors who were born or have lived in New Orleans so I can prep for my next trip!

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I think this is my sixth readathon? It may be my seventh. My first was in Fall 10 but I haven't managed every one since. 

The main thing I'm doing different today is not worrying. Usually not having done this introductory meme by 9am would be a stress inducer for me, but i woke up a little after 8 and started reading, and occaionally texting. Sometimes it's good to remind myself this isn't about page or book counts but instead about enjoying reading, and the great community that surrounds this reradathon!

Serendipitous Settings

Now that school's over I'd like to focus on reading. I say like to instead of offering any more commitment because my life has been chaotic lately. I, and I'm sure many of you bookish folks, would agree, don't usually love chaotic. But right now it's fun, and the unknown isn't as scary. I'm waiting to hear back from a few internships and just came back from a weekend in Boston!
Which is actually why I'm writing this post.

As part of a new kind of reading challenge I'm doing a check list instead of reading to a book count. One of those checks is a book in a forgien language.

Now I'd just recently watched a Ted Talk with Elif Shafak and immediately knew i wanted to use one of her novels for this challenge. My local bookstore only had Bastard of Istanbul (which she wrote in English) and The Forty Rules of Love, which i bought after trying to clarify that it was written in Turkish (I'm still not sure. Shhh)

Anyway, Forty Rules sat at the bottom of my TBR pile for about a month. I didn't touch it during the readathon, and after I started a large Murakami (again for this challenge) instead of diving into a more digestible novel.

I finally packed it in my bag for an early Saturday flight to Boston and immediately knew I made the right choice. The main character lives just outside of Boston, and while this setting isn't relevant to the story other than to show a distance between 2008 America and 13th century Turkey I clung to it.
You see I don't know much about Rumi, and while I hate to admit it I'm fairly ignorant of most customs of Islam. I'd jumped so far out of my comfort zone that I had to claw at the one thing that felt like home when my head was swimming with religious passages.

In the bookish side of the internet we talk a lot about how books change us, or how we find them at the right time. I don't know that I learned more about myself here, or that I am changed by Shafak's story. However I do know that this small setting, just outside of Boston, kept me reading even when I wasn't sure I wanted to finish. It gave me a connection sometimes that's all a reader needs.

Halfway There *cue the Bon Jovi*

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
I'm about a third of the way through So You've Been Publicly Shamed. It's really interesting so far.
2. How many books have you read so far?
I've only finished , Gutshot, a collection of short stories.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Continuing on Publicly Shamed. Hopefully starting Red Queen.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I've had quite a few interuptions today, some have been self imposed, like going to the gym and getting lunch, others are more dog-barking related. That's life though, and there's no point getting upset over minutes in between pages.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How chill I've been. Honestly. In years past it's been a race to finish books, and by this point i'm burnt out and angry. Now my numbers aren't as high but i've enjoyed everything i've read and look forward to continuing on, with a break for Orphan black, of course.

READATHON GO GO GO

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Michigan, where is it supposed to rain. Guess I won't be reading outside.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Maybe Red Queen? I picked it up on a whim yesterday but it seemed like a good readathon book

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Gummy bears. Always gummy bears.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Hi! For those of you who don't know, I'm Sarah! I'm currently a grad student getting my MLIS in hopes of preserving books in the digital era. Other than school and books I enjoy writing, netflix and traveling. Fun Fact: I once had a fish named Ophelia who, due to some medical issues, would only swim upside down.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
My first readathon was in the fall of 2010. I haven't fully participated in every one since then but the last few i've made honest efforts in. Last year I finished two and a half books while still making time for myself. So I guess I'll continue to follow a schedule of reading until my eyes or tired or i need a break, and then playing with my dog or going to the gym. Breaks are important! Reading needs to be fun!

Guess i'll switch from my Chamber of Secrets audiobook to actually reading. See you guys later!

 
 

No Regrets, But Also No Reviews

Woah.
I could make excuses, but they'd all involve the words Grad School, Writing, Fan Fiction, and Life. I didn't realize what adding another class to my schedule would do to my reading habits, let alone my reviewing and musing ones. It's actually strange. I'm studying to work with books, to preserve them, to do all of these things that make them more accessible but that currently means i have to steal time to enjoy them.
But the semester is nearly over and I'm done stealing.

To kick off an awesome summer full of trips and books and friends I'm participating in the Dewey Readathon for my fourth year. I'm super excited. There was a trip to the bookstore. I have an abundance of gummy bears. Really, things are going to be great.

I really miss writing here, and while you can more often than not find me reblogging pictures of pretty books and begging for recs on tumblr this is where my heart is. I love the format, and the way it helps me keep track of my reading life.

So I'm back, even if being back means once again just for the months between classes.

Get ready for some serious reading/blogging tomorrow.