Dewey's Readathon

What could be better on another Covid-19 lockdown weekend than a
Dewey's 24hr Readathon!

Our world may be different, but here the rules are the same - very relaxed and easy.
Join in as little or as much as you like. 

Read for all 24 hours or read as much as you can, when you can.

Tweet, insta, blog, hashtag or not. It's up to you how much you join in.
Whichever path you take, you'll find a supportive, fun group of bookish friends, cheering you on.

Any Australian readathoner's who'd like to keep in touch, especially during the long dark-night time of the northern hemisphere (ie our Sunday afternoon) when it feels like we're reading all alone, use the #readathonanz tag on twitter and say 'hi'.

This will be my one and only Readathon post.

All book updates, memes or Q&A's will be added below.

Scroll down to find the bits you're most interested in.

I will check in on Twitter for real time updates and chats around the top of each hour that I am awake and/or in reading mode.

Opening Meme

Where Are You Reading?

From the end of week 4 in lockdown in Sydney, Australia

What Do You Hope To Read?

I'd like to finish my #Zoladdiction choice The Conquest of Plassans.
The rest will be a bonus.

Who Am I?

My name is Bronwyn and I'm a bookseller & children's book specialist, based in Sydney.

(My eldest nephew started calling me Brona when he learnt to talk. The nickname has stuck.)

I've been blogging for nearly 11 years and a regular readathon participant for 8.

My Readathon Plans?

Readathon starts at 10 pm EST, Sydney.

Therefore most of my readathon will actually occur on Sunday 26th April.

I plan to read for a couple of hours in bed, or until my eyes won't stay open any longer!

Serious readathon reading will recommence at breakfast time.

The weather forecast for Sunday is a glorious autumnal 27℃ day.

I plan to check into social media for about 10 mins at the top of every hour.

I will join in memes and updates as I can.

Snacks?

I'm not a really a snacky kind of person, but I do a few Easter eggs left over that may be history by the end of this readathon!

Lessons Learnt?

I'm determined not to spend too much time on social media this year.

Part of what I love about this event, is the community, but I do have to remember to read some actual books as well!

You can find me on twitter with Team ANZ at #ReadathonANZ

Starting Pages:

The Conquest of the Plassans - pg 141
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line - pg 164
The Gravity of Us - pg 96

Updates:

10pm - midnight
Cleaned up the kitchen after enjoying a Spanish tapas & games nights with the boys & GF.
Read one chapter of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line.

Midnight - 9am
Slept

9am - 10am
Breakfast & caught up on the blogging world.
Have been REALLY enjoying Karen @Booker Talk's A-Z of Book Blogging tips this month.
I really recommend you take the time to read through them at your leisure.

10am - 11:30am
Morning walk
A sunny 24℃ day - perfect

11:30am - 1pm
30 pgs of The Conquest of the Plassans

1pm - 3pm
Lunch
20 pgs of The Conquest of the Plassans

3pm - 5pm
22 pgs of  The Conquest of the Plassans
Afternoon snooze

5pm - 7pm
38 pgs of  The Conquest of the Plassans
Dinner

7pm - 8pm
10 pgs of  The Conquest of the Plassans

8pm - 10pm
40 pgs of  The Conquest of the Plassans - FINISHED
30 pgs of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line

Dewey's 24hr Readathon 2019

Dewey's 24hr Readathon is here once again, bigger and better than ever.

Please check that your name is on the 1000+ list. 

I thought I had signed up weeks ago, but when I double-checked recently, I realised that I had somehow forgotten to follow through with my good intentions.

It's not too late to sign up here.

The rules are very relaxed, join in as little or as much as you like. 

Read for all 24 hours or fit in as much reading as you can, when you can.

The idea is to read as much as you can with a supportive, fun group of bookish friends.

Any Australian readathoner's who'd like to keep in touch, especially during the long dark-night time of the northern hemisphere (ie our Sunday afternoon) when it feels like we're reading all alone, use the #readathonanz tag on twitter and say 'hi'.

This will be my one and only Readathon post.

All book updates, memes or Q&A's will be added below.

Scroll down to find the bits you're most interested in.

I will check in on Twitter for real time updates and chats around the top of each hour that I am awake and/or in reading mode.

Opening Meme

Where Are You Reading?

Sydney, Australia

What Do You Hope To Read?

I like to have a selection of books.

Some are half-finished, some are for #AusReadingMonth in November, some are for Non-fiction November, Novellas in November and some are for work (all the kids books).

Obviously I won't be reading or finishing all the books on my pile.

But I like to have choice depending on my mood and for when I get sleepy.

Who Am I?

My name is Bronwyn and I'm a bookseller & children's book specialist, based in Sydney.

(My eldest nephew started calling me Brona when he learnt to talk. The nickname has stuck.)

I've been blogging for 10 years and a part of the readathon team for 6.

My Readathon Plans?

Readathon starts at 11pm EST, Sydney.

Therefore most of my readathon will actually occur on Sunday 27th October.

I plan to read for a couple of hours in bed, or until my eyes won't stay open any longer!

Serious readathon reading will recommence at breakfast time.

You can check out your start time here.

The weather forecast is for a 23℃ day - sunny but windy.

I plan to check into social media for about 10 mins at the top of every hour.

I will join in memes and updates as I can.

Snacks?

I'm not a really a snacky kind of person, but tonight's red chicken curry will also double as leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Dinner is yet to be decided!

Lessons Learnt?

I'm determined not to spend too much time on social media this year.

Part of what I love about this event, is the community, but I do have to remember to read some actual books as well!

I also have a few things I have to get done tomorrow, so I've learnt not to stress about not reading for the whole time. I simply read as much as I can for as long as I can. Anything more than an hour is a bonus above my usual Sunday.

You can find me on twitter.

#ReadathonANZ

Starting Pages:

The Griffith Review #63 Writing the Country pg 101

The Breeding Season by Amanda Niehaus pg 64

Confession with Blue Horses by Sophie Hardach pg 34


Updates:
11pm Sat 26th Oct - 11am Sun 27th Oct
I was too tired to read anything, so decided a good night's sleep was the best way to start my readathon.
Woke at 7am - dozed and read until 11 (it was that kind of week. Haven't lazed away a Sunday morning like this in a very long time. It was delicious!)
Confession with Blue Horses - 110 pgs

11am - 2pm

Completed a few jobs but also read another 100 pgs of Confessions with Blue Horses.

2pm - 4pm

Lunch involved a glass of rose - turns out this is not conducive for readathon-ing.

Afternoon nap.

4pm - 8pm

Family time.

Dinner time.

8pm - 10pm

Finished Confessions with Blue Horses.

TOTAL
Read 303 pages.
Finished 1 book.

24hr Readathon

Once again it's time to gather your books, find a cosy reading nook, organise your family and friends to leave you undisturbed and read, read, read!

All the details for how to join in are over at Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. 

The rules are very relaxed, join in as little or as much as you like. 

Read for all 24 hours or fit in as much reading as you can, when you can.

The idea is to read as much as you can with a supportive, fun group of bookish friends.

Any Australian readathoner's who'd like to keep in touch, especially during the long dark-night time of the northern hemisphere (ie our Sunday afternoon) when it feels like we're reading all alone, use the #readathonaussie tag on twitter and say 'hi'.

I'll be using this post to update my reading stats and join in any memes or quizzes.

My Books:

The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola

Starting page: 142

The Feel Good Guide to Menopause by Dr Nicola Gates
Starting page: 102

Jokes For the Gunman by Mazen Maarouf
Starting page: 32

Becoming by Michelle Obama
Starting page: 174

Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

Starting page: 50

Plus a stack of kids books to be determined from the pile below.

******************************************

Opening Meme:

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

I'm in Sydney, Australia.

Which means my start time is 11pm Saturday - most of my readathon will actually fall on my Sunday 7th April. Thanks to day light savings ending here this weekend, I will finish at 10pm on Sunday.

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

I like to use the readathon to help me finish those half-read books that have been lurking by my bed for too long - it's very satisfying to finally finish a few of them. And when I get tired late Sunday afternoon, I love jumping into a few kids books. 

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Hot cross buns and chocolate Easter eggs!

4. Tell us a little something about yourself.

Sydney is having, probably it's last hurrah summer weekend.
Beautiful temps of 27-28℃ are predicted so hopefully a lot of my reading time will be outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

My family have been rewatching all the Game of Thrones episodes in the lead up to the final season start on the 14th April (although it will be lunch time the 15th April in Australia so no social media spoilers until our Monday night when we all get home from work to watch it together okay!)

The one flaw in our plan is that we still have 12 episodes to go!!
Saturday evening/night we plan to binge watch 3-4 episodes.
There will then be a lot of pressure on me to abandon my readathon on Sunday night to do another 1 or 2 before bed.

5. If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?

Every time I promise myself not to get distracted by external things like twitter and instagram and every time I do.

My plan is to limit SM time to 10 mins at the end/beginning of each hour.

I also need to go for regular little walks to clear my head.

*********************************

Updates:

11pm - 11.30pm
Finished off the final episode of season 6 of GoT

11.30pm - 12.30am
Read 18 pgs of The Belly of Paris
(FYI: an OUP classic with very small, close-set type!)

12.30 - 8.45am
Slept
Remembered that day light savings finished last night, so it's now only 7.45am!

7.45am - 8.30am
Breakfast & showered
Read 6 more pgs of The Belly of Paris

8.30am - 9.30am
Discussed GoT theories with Mr Books.
Who is Tyrion's dad? Which Targaryen is Jon's dad?
Can you turn white walkers (esp a white dragon) back like Uncle Benji was returned by the Children of the Forest? But who would want Benjen's undead, inbetween kind of life anyway?
What role has Gendry still to play in all of this?
Lots of queens now seem to be on the throne or leading armies (Daenerys, Cersei, Sansa, Yara Greyjoy, Olenna Tyrell, Ellaria Sand...but still no peace and harmony in sight).

9.30am - 12.30pm
Morning walk, coffee stop and pokemon raids (finally caught my first absol and new forme giratina!)
Read 35 pgs of Beverly, Right Here

12.30pm - 1.00pm
Finding it very hard to read when it's such a beautiful day outside....

1pm - 3.30pm
Fell asleep on the lounge...
Read 156 pgs and finished Beverly, Right Here

3.30pm - 6.30pm
Afternoon walk in the lovely, lovely sunshine....lots of distractions, but I'm reading way more than I normally would on a Sunday, so that's a good thing.
Started reading Marcus Sedgwick's The Monsters We Deserve,
pages read so far - 120

6.30pm - 8.30pm
Dinner with Mr Books
Read 142 pgs and finished The Monsters We Deserve

8.30pm - 9.30pm
Read 76 pgs of The Feel Good Guide to Menopause

9.30pm - 10pm
Read 50 pgs of The Feel Good Guide to Menopause

Running Total:
603 pgs read

Finished 2 books

24 Hour Readathon

Can you believe it's time for another Readathon? 

Where does that time go? 

All the details for how to join in are over at Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. 

The rules are very relaxed, join in as little or as much as you like. 

Read for all 24 hours or fit in as much reading as you can, when you can.

The idea is to read as much as you can with a supportive, fun group of bookish friends.

Any Australian or NZ readathoner's who'd like to keep in touch, especially during the long dark-night time of the northern hemisphere (ie our Sunday afternoon) when it feels like we're reading all alone, use the #ANZreadathon tag on twitter and say 'hi'.

I'll be using this post to update my reading stats and join in any memes or quizzes.

My Books:

Les Miserables
Starting pg: 954

Romantic Outlaws
Starting pg: 310

Frankenstein
Starting pg: 78

William Trevor: Last Stories
Starting pg: 122

The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars (Bronte Mettlestone #2)
Jane Doe #1
The Restless Girls
Elizabella
The Afterwards

******************************************

Opening Meme:

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

I'm in Sydney, Australia.
Which means my start time is 11pm Saturday - most of my readathon will actually fall on my Sunday 21st October.

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

I like to use the readathon to help me finish those half-read books that have been lurking by my bed for too long - it's very satisfying to finally finish a few of them. And when I get tired late Sunday afternoon, I love jumping into a few kids books. Their always fun, quick and easy to read, but also help me feel virtuous about getting some work reading done :-)

(I work in an Indie bookshop as the children's buyer)

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?

My nan's famous choc slice (which I made to help B18's HSC study plans, but I'm sure he won't mind if I have a few slices myself!)

4. Tell us a little something about yourself.

I'm also a pokemon go player (my why I love pokemon go post is here). 

I will probably disappear for a couple of hours Sunday afternoon to go and join in the latest Community Day event.

5. If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?

Every time I promise myself not to get distracted by external things like twitter and instagram and every time I do.

My plan this time is to limit SM time to 10 mins at the end/beginning of each hour.
I also need to go for regular little walks to clear my head.

*********************************

Updates

11pm - midnight
36 pgs of Frankenstein

Midnight - 8am
slept

8am - 9am
5 pgs of Frankenstein with breakfast

9am - 10am
morning walk & 7 pgs of Frankenstein

10am - 11am
15 pgs of Frankenstein with coffee and banana bread

11am - midday
family time

Midday -1pm
It may not look like I'm making much progress with Frankenstein...but look how small the font is and how close set the type is on each page!

12 pgs of Frankenstein

1pm - 2pm

17 pgs of Frankenstein  - FINIS 

(92 pgs in TOTAL)

2pm - 5pm

Pokemon Go Community Day

In which I caught several shiny Beldum, met several new local pokemon-ers and read nought :-)

5pm - 6pm

30 pgs of Les Mis - all caught up on my chapter-a-day challenge

6pm - 7pm

11 pgs of Romantic Outlaws, snacked and prepared dinner

7pm - 8pm

Family dinner & watched the news - no pages read.

8pm - 9pm

Bubble bath & 22 pgs or Romantic Outlaws

9pm - 11pm

Started & finished The Afterwards by A. F. Harrold - 224 pgs

TOTAL PAGES READ:
379

BOOKS FINISHED:
2

SLEEP:
8 hr overnight & 1 nap

EXTRAS:
3 walks
1 bath
1 Pokemon Go Community Day
1 longish phone call
1 TV break to watch the news

Stories & Shout Outs #17

One of the things I love about reading is the synchronicity that can happen sometimes. Last night I finished A Gentlemen in Moscow after a wonderful reading week in its company. This morning I started Frankenstein, which I thought was set in Europe somewhere, maybe Switzerland. It may still be, as I've only just tackled the four letters that begin the book. However our early epistolarian is writing from Russia no less, which has provided me with a lovely transition between my two books.

I also recently spotted the Personal Poetry Challenge thrown down by Karen @Booker Talk.

So I got to thinking that learning some poems by heart could be a) a good way to help keep my brain working and thus mitigate the potential of dementia and b) a means to encourage me to read more poetry.

It got me thinking. I have a number of snippets of poems under my belt. For instance every autumn I manage to get out at least one 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' and when I'm feeling harried and hurried I usually throw down a 'and miles and miles to go before I sleep'. It makes me feel close to my Pop. He grew up in the early 1900's and rote learnt numerous poems and odes that he could still recite just weeks before he died at age 84. He was very proud of his ability and didn't need much encouragement to recite. I particularly loved his knack for big words when reciting This is the Domicilary Edifice Erected by John (the much wordier version of This is the House That Jack Built) and I loved how he dared to stir up my sister when we were young with 'There was a Little Girl Who Had a Little Curl'.

I then had to learn large segments of the poems of Judith Wright and John Donne for my HSC exams, which I can still recall but not with confidence. More recently, I enjoyed learning about the six poems of Robert Frost that both boys studied for their HSC exams.

I have no way of fitting in another thing of any kind right now, but I love this idea and will tuck it away for future reference. If you'd like to join Karen in memorising William Wordsworth's sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 pop over to her blog.

One thing I always make time for though is Non-Fiction November with Katie @Doing Dewey! It's a lovely way to reflect on my year of reading non-fiction.

The 20th October is also time for the next 24 Hour Readathon. You can sign up here. The start time for Sydney is 11pm which means that most of my readathon will actually take place on Sunday the 21st.

Simon @Stuck in a Book reminded us that next week is time to go back in time with The 1944 Club. He and Karen host this biannual event where they encourage bloggers to read a book published in the same year.

I've been meaning to join one for years, but have managed to miss it every single time or failed to source a book from the appropriate year in time.

Any sort of book is welcome – novel, non-fiction, short stories, poetry – and any country or language, so long as it was first published in 1944!

This year I actually have a Maigret book on hand ready to go. Signè Picpus is #23 in the Georges Simenon ouerve. It has the added advantage of being a quick, easy read for me as well.

Grief and grieving has been front and centre of our family life this past year. The death of my much loved father-in-law has been hard. The sadness and sense of loss comes in waves. There's nothing new I can say about this that hasn't already been said or written before. However reading the words of others can sometimes provide solace or at least remind us that we're not alone, often when we need it most.

I think that's one of the reasons why we read - for those unexpected comments that speak to us across the page, like it was meant to be that we read that book at that particular time.

This week Shelf Love's review of Sabrina reminded me that "the way to get through grief is just to get through it" while reading Frankenstein reminded me that "nothing contributes so much to tranquillise the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye".

We've certainly been keeping ourselves busy enough this year, but we're aware that the busyness is a way to avoid being consumed by our feelings. Engaging with our intellectual activities (work, blogging, reading) feels like a more positive way to use this busyness.

So, in memory of my dearly loved, poetry reciting Pop, who died in 1986, I will leave us with a poem. This is not one of the Wright's that I learnt at school, but given that I turned 50 earlier on this year, it seemed the most appropriate.

Turning Fifty

Having known war and peace
and loss and finding,
I drink my coffee and wait
for the sun to rise,

With kitchen swept, cat fed,
the day will quiet,
I taste my fifty years
here in the cup.

Outside the green birds come
for bread and water.
Their wings wait for the sun
to show their colours.

I'll show my colours too.
Though we've polluted
even this air I breathe
And spoiled green earth;

though, granted life or death,
death's what we're chosing,
and though these years we live
scar flesh and mind,

still, as the sun comes up
bearing my birthday,
having met time and love
I raise my cup -

dark, bitter, neutral, clean,
sober as the morning -
to all I've seen and known -
to this new sun.

Judith Wright

Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls

Things a Bright Girl Can Do is a YA story that grabs its title from a much older book called Three Hundred and One Things a Girl Can Do. Published in 1911, it included things like how to decorate a church, make coloured fires, the rules of croquet, how to pitch a tent, do magic tricks and how to make a parachute.

However, Nicholls has not written another how-to book for girls. Her bright girls are coming of age in pre-WWI London with the suffragette movement in full swing and the threat of a war on the horizon. As you would expect from Sally Nicholls, Things a Bright Can Do is well-written and well researched.

One little thing kept bugging me though. Nicholls went to a lot of trouble to describe the time and place and she gave the reader a fabulous feel for what life was like for a Victorian girl, but she kept ascribing her main character, Evelyn adolescent behaviours and thoughts that resembled a modern teen. Given that the 'surly, self-absorbed teen' is a modern construct, dating from around WWII, it felt out of place and unauthentic.

It may have been a device to engage the modern teen reader, but I feel that lovers of good historical fiction can cope with the idea that society viewed the teen years very differently at different times. And that it might even be constructive to have that conversation with modern teens.

Once we got passed this little hiccup though, the book settled into an exciting, absorbing story.

Three young women are our protagonists. Evelyn from a wealthy family, is well-educated, but only so far. Her brother gets to go to Oxford but not Evelyn. She's expected to marry the boy next door and give tea parties. Instead she gets caught up in the suffragette's cause and finds herself going from handing our leaflets, to marching, to stonewalling parliament house and getting arrested. A life-threatening hunger-strike causes her to rethink her beliefs and the best way to express them.

May is from a Quaker family. She and her mother are heavily involved in helping the women's cause via non-violent protests - petitions, meetings, letter writing campaigns. After her mother is declared bankrupt for non-payment of taxes (a choice she made in protest about not being able to vote), May questions if this is the best way to change people's minds. May is also gay.

Nell is from the poor streets and comes from a large family, living hand to mouth, day by day. Nell has grown up wearing her older brothers hand-me-down clothes, but it has never worried her. She prefers wearing pants and playing cricket with the boys. She is attracted to girls. Nell gets impatient with suffragettes (and politicians) who talk a lot about social justice but do little to actually improve the lot of women and children living in the slums of London.

World War One changes everything for all three girls. In good ways and in bad.

The relationship between May and Nell is explored thoughtfully, whereas Evelyn's relationship with Teddy feels less well-developed. Perhaps because Teddy is not as well drawn as the three girls are by Nicholls, until right at the end, when he has been injured in the war.

Having Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth still very much in my mind, I was impressed to read a section that was obviously referencing Brittain's thoughts and experiences in the lead up to the Battle of the Somme. In her afterword, Nicholls acknowledged her gratitude to Brittain as the character of Evelyn obviously has a lot in common with Brittain.

Nicholls certainly writes an engrossing historical fiction and like all writers of history she has to make choices about how best to tell the story she wants to tell which involves what to leave out, what to gloss over and whether or not to go for accurate use of language. Nicholls choices are not jarring or even deal breakers, but they are evident to the adult reader.

All Fall Down was an earlier YA book by Nicholls about the Black Plague that I also enjoyed.

Book 13 of #20BooksofSummer (winter) drop-in title
21℃ in Sydney
16℃ in Northern Ireland
I read this book during the July #reversereadathon

Reverse Readathon

The #reversereadathon is just what I needed this weekend. Hosted by our wonderful friends at the 24hour Readathon, the reverse readathon is a lowkey 24 hr reading event that 'reverses' the usual starting time. It's still a 24 hour thing, but, for me, instead of starting at 10pm on the Saturday evening, I get to start all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 10am on Saturday.

But of course, I'm not only on the other side of the world, I'm also in another hemisphere.

So I will reverse the seasons as well!

In Sydney, Australia, I will be celebrating the July Reverse Winter Readathon by rugging up in my coat, scarf and favourite throw blanket.
It may not feel very much like winter, though - the predicted temp for today in Sydney is a balmy 21℃, with a slight chance of an afternoon shower. July is already our warmest July on record (& sadly one of the driest, which is not a good sign for the summer ahead) and we still have four more days to go!

My plan?

To head off to my local cafe at 9:30am, position myself at a window table, order my coffee and settle down to read, read, read!

I hope to finish some of the half-read books by my bed -

1. Last Stories by William Trevor
2. Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls  Finished at 6:35pm - 155 pgs in total
3. Taboo by Kim Scott  - 36 pgs read
4. Clock Dance by Anne Tyler  Finished at 2:45pm - 155 pgs in total
5. Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor  
6. Basho the Complete Haiku

And complete this week's pages for the LesMis chapter-a-day readalong.   78 pgs

I also have a stack of kids books that I should/could read for work 

1. The Bad Guys Episode 7 by Aaron Blabey  FINISHED - 156 pgs in total
2. Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
3. Sisters &  FINISHED - 201 pgs in total
4. Smile by Raina Telgemeier  FINISHED - 218 pgs in total

I will pop back here and on twitter every now and again to update how many pages read and any cafe updates! 

#TeamANZ is also up and running on twitter.

What about you?

Where are you reading? 

What season is it and what time are you starting?

3pm UPDATE

5 hrs of #reversereadathon & I've just finished Clock Dance.

I've enjoyed a morning walk, coffee break, beauty appointment, mini-grocery shop, lunch with another cuppa & 155 pgs of reading. 

I finished Clock Dance sitting on the back porch in the afternoon sun.

The zygocactus is in its final days of bloom.

Feeling a little melancholy and nostalgic yet hopeful after being immersed in Anne Tyler's world all morning....now trying to work out what's next.

Thought I would go round and visit a few posts and check twitter before deciding...

5pm UPDATE

7hrs
All caught up (& now a little bit ahead cause it got very exciting) of my LesMis chapters.
233 pages read in total 

The sun is going down, streaky clouds cover the sky.
The coldness is creeping in; time to turn on the heating.

The renovating neighbours have finally stopped with the banging and scraping - on a Saturday!
New owners yet to move in & making themselves very unpopular before we've ever met them.
Two weeks of jack hammering, then two weeks of water-proofing and the most god-awful toxic smell, now weekend work as well!! Inner-city living sucks!

Just as well I can lose myself in a good book or two.
Time foe some YA

Midnight UPDATE

14hrs
After a dinner break with the family, I hit the graphic novels, whilst curled up in bed.
I finished Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls and read Aaron Blabey's The Bad Guys Episode 7 plus Smile and Sisters by Raina Telgemeier.

That's five books FINISHED
963 pages read in total

But now it's time to sleep.

THE END

999 pages read
5 books finished
2 books part read

1hr break for an appointment
1 hr break for dinner with the family
8 hr break to sleep
another hour or so spent on social media throughout the day
which means I spent just over 12 hrs reading
#success

I enjoyed the reverse nature of this readathon. Starting bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Saturday morning got me off to a flying start. Normally I would finish the 'thon late on Sunday night, making me tired for Monday morning work. I won't have that problem this time at all and I'd be delighted to join in a #reversereadathon again.

The hard part for me is that afternoon slump, whichever way the world spins.
4pm is always my danger zone.
I got through it with chocolate.

Reading the graphic novels late at night was a GREAT thing to do (& I would highly recommend Telgemeier's books for this).

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon

I love Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, but it is truly amazing how many times other major life events fall on these two of the years! This year I will be travelling in Japan, so I'm sorry to say that I will not be stopping everything to read for 24 hours this time.

However, I still want to say hello to everyone and join in part of the fun by posting my starting questions.

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

Japan.

To be precise, I am in Aomori chasing cherry blossoms.

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

Travelling with is Memoirs of Geisha by Arthur Golden

Narrow Road to the Interior by Matsuo Basho

Kafka on the Shore by Murakami

Lonely Planet Japan

DK Japan Eyewitness Travel Guide

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

On of the specialities here is Aomori Ginger-Miso Oden.

Aomori is also the apple capital of Japan and their apple pie is meant to be one of the best ever.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I've been a blogger for nearly 9 years and an avid reader all my life.

I love to travel and read books about the places I've been too as well as the places I hope to go to next.

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?

Obviously my biggest change this readathon is LOCATION!

And the fact that the main things I will be reading today will be travel guides, maps, menus and street signs.

If you'd like to see some of my Japan pics, check out my Insta page brona68.

Hopefully I'll have some time to check twitter to see how everyone is going as the day progresses.

Until then, happy reading!

Dewithon 2019

I recently spotted this at Paula's Book Jotter blog:

Why am I so excited?

My name is the first give away - Bronwyn (although my variation is apparently a masculine Anglicized take on the traditional Welsh spelling of Bronwen).

My mother's ancestors are the next clue. 

My grandmother's maiden name was Llewellyn, although less salubriously, it was her grandfather who first came to Australia...as a convict (he stole a copper pot).

My Pop had closer Welsh ties.

His dad immigrated to Australia (from Llantrissant via the California goldfields) in the late 1800's.

We are still in touch with the children and grandchildren of his siblings back in Wales.

I have also visited Wales twice (which is quite a feat when you think about the distance between Sydney and Cardiff - 17 165 km to be precise!) My first visit was all about the family history; the second was about rugby!

One of the things I love about Wales is the resurgence of pride in local customs and language. All the sign are in English and Welsh.

Llantrissant Church were some of my ancestors are buried.

With all this ancestor pride and interest, you'd think that I would have read tons of Welsh books or books set in Wales. Wrong!

I'm hoping that #Dewithon19 will rectify this.

What exactly is #Dewithon19?

Dewi is the diminutive form of the Welsh name Dafydd (David) and the readathon is all about the literature of Wales. Paula has various links on her blog to help us discover Welsh authors, books, events, prizes and publishers.

The one and only book I've read set in Wales, by an English author, is Patrick O'Brian's Testimonies. The main female character was called Bronwen, hence my interest. Testimonies (or Three Bear Witness) was only the second book I have ever read with a Bronwen protagonist (the other being Bronwyn's Bane - book 3 in a children's fantasy series). Bronwyn is not an unusual name in Australia but it's not common either. My name has never been found on bookmarks, mugs, pens or door plates. I went to Wales thinking I would finally find a keyring or notepaper or something with my name on it, but no, it turns out Bronwen is an old-fashioned name in Wales and not considered mug-worthy!

On my TBR pile is Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was Valley.

I visited Dylan Thomas' home/museum in 1991 but have yet to read any of his work, although I have seen one production of Under Milk Wood.

I have read a few Roald Dahl books in my time, but even though he was born in Cardiff, the books never felt particularly Welsh to me, so it wasn't a connection I registered until seeing his name on one of Paula's lists. 

Philip Pullman also spent most of his childhood in Llanbedr, North Wales, but again. I don't feel a Welsh connection when I read his books.

Have you read any Welsh writers or read any books set in Wales that you can recommend to me?

I'd love to explode Mount TBR!

It's time to get our Welsh on (cael ein Cymry ymlaen)!

On Doubt by Leigh Sales

Touted as a pocket-sized antidote to fake news, Leigh Sales essay On Doubt has been re-released eight years after it's initial 2009 publication in the Little Books on Big Themes series. With the on-going, even increased need for a discussion on self-doubt, balance and truth in our modern lives, this little book has struck a chord with it's 2017 readers, becoming a best seller at work in recent weeks.

Leigh Sales is an ABC journalist and current affairs presenter who has been curious and sceptical all her life. She was the quintessential, questioning, ever-doubting teenager that grew up to do the same thing throughout her career.

She aims to challenge blind faith and over-confidence, but living life with a doubtful mind has it's own pitfalls including anxiety and a lack of an all-consuming passion to name two.

The essay is dotted with fascinating little stories about her childhood, George Bush, Sarah Palin, old style journalists and public disputes between journalists & historians. 

There's even a 12th century philosopher, Pierre Abelard who taught,

that the path to truth lay in the systematic application of doubt. Not only should doubt be brought to bear on external issues, but it should also be turned inwards to test one's own assumptions.

Sales discussed the perils of what she called 'niche news' in 2009. This is the news of telling consumers what they want to hear and it is, of course, interesting to see how this has now morphed into the fake news of today's mad, mad world.

The state of our political system is discussed. Our need for strong leaders to provide electoral certainty has given rise to absolutes. Any leader that changes his of her mind, prevaricates or takes too long to make a decision is seen as a poor leader. Complex issues are not debated, nuance is avoided at all costs, while black and white thinking reigns supreme.

It's easy to see why so many people found Trump attractive when viewed in this light.

Sales finished her 2009 essay poking a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun at herself, clearly showing that she didn't take herself too seriously after all:

I feel that without a doubtful mind, I wouldn't learn as much or have as much fun. But I could be wrong.

The 2017 postscript added another 20-odd pages to her original essay which brought us update with Trump, Turnbull, Shorten and social media, all 'neatly manicured to show our best possible selves to the world'.

Sales believes we have now become so used to distortion in every part of our life that people, especially those in public life, 'no longer bother to hide their deliberate skewing of reality'.
She claims that we've stopped caring about the facts and don't trust any organisation or politician to tell us the truth or anything genuine.

But we can do better than double speak and political correctness - the secret is authenticity.

the reality is there are not two equal sides to every issue...There are not two sides to racism or bigotry....When the facts are overwhelming, they should be presented as such.

Facts matter. Integrity matters. Honesty matters. It's important to understand that your own opinion is not always right and it's vital to be open to the views of others.

I read On Doubt late in the day during the 24 hr #DeweyReadathon in preparation for #AusReadingMonth and #NonFicNov. 

It was a quick, easy read with nothing particularly new or startling to reveal, but it was a timely reminder for us all to check in with our own certainties and black and white thinking, to exercise some doubt and caution and to question those who claim to tell us the truth.

I'm not quite sure what koala's have to do with a French philosopher, however this was the quote that Sales used as her epigraph. Since it's #AusReadingMonth, what the heck! Perhaps this can remind that the first thing you should doubt is the notion that koalas are cute and cuddly. Cute they may be; cuddly they are not!

Dewey's Readathon

 Dewey's Readathon is here once again, bigger and better than ever.

This time around they're celebrating 10 years of readathon wonderfulness.
Check out the blog to read all sorts of lovely memories about the early years and the inspirational Dewey who began it all.

Please check that your name is on the 1000+ list - I thought I had signed up weeks ago, but when I double-checked last night, I realised that I had somehow forgotten to follow through with my good intentions.
It's not too late to sign up here.



This will be my one and only Readathon post.

All book updates, memes or Q&A's will be added below.
Scroll down to find the bits you're most interested in.

I will check in on Litsy & Twitter for real time updates and chats around the top of each hour that I am awake and/or in reading mode.

My start time is 11pm EST, Sydney.
I will start off with a good hour or two of solid reading, before drifting off to sleep.
Most of my reading time will therefore be on Sunday the 22nd October.
You can check out your start time here.

Starting Meme

Where Are You Reading?

Sydney, Australia


What Do You Hope To Read?

I like to have a selection of books.

Some are half-finished, some are for #AusReadingMonth in November, some are for #Non-fiction November and some are for work (all the kids books).

The Austen's are left over from #AusteninAugistRBR.
The short stories of Guy de Maupassant are left over from #ParisinJuly.
That's the kind of reading (& blogging) year I've had!

I've tried to include short stories and novella's this time around to help me feel like I'm completing something, instead of just tallying pages.

Obviously I won't be reading all of the above.
But I like to have choice depending on my mood and for when I get sleepy.
I'm pretty sure I will be starting with The Ladies of Missalonghi.

Who Am I?

My name is Bronwyn and I'm a bookseller based in Sydney.
(My eldest nephew started calling me Brona when he learnt to talk. The nickname has stuck.)

I've been blogging for 8 years and readathoning for 4.

Australia, Cuba - Jan 2017

My Readathon Plans?

Readathon starts at 11pm EST, Sydney.
Therefore most of my readathon will actually occur on Sunday 22nd October.
I plan to read for a couple of hours in bed, or until my eyes won't stay open any longer!
Serious readathon reading will recommence at breakfast time.

The weather forecast is for a 22℃ day with a chance of a sprinkle of rain.

I plan to check into social media for about 10 mins at the top of every hour.

I will join in memes and updates as I can.

Snacks?

I'm not a really a snacky kind of person, but I did make chocolate crackles for the booklets this weekend (which just happens to be one of my favourites too!)
I've made a salad ready for Sunday lunch and I've filled the fruit bowl with apples.

Mr Books & I are planning on dining out at the Night Noodle Markets (weather permitting) as I figure my eyes would need a little break by then & tomorrow night is our last chance before it finishes up for another year.

Lessons Learnt?

This year I've arranged for most of the family to be out doing other stuff to leave me in peace and quiet in the house.
I'm determined not to spend too much time on social media this year.
Part of what I love about this event, is the community, but I do have to remember to read some actual books as well!

My social media accounts are here - twitter, instagram, goodreads and litsy (@Brona).

Our #TeamANZ members are - Elizabeth, Elanor, Louise, Maree, Nikks & Dimitra, with our honorary tweeter from The Netherlands, Nancy.

Starting Pages:

The Commandant - pg 19
The Real Jane Austen - pg 190

Love and Freindship

Jane Austen's Shorter Works - pg 69

Inglorious Empire - pg 36

The Best Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant - pg 62

10 Years in 10 Books

Submit one book recommendation published in each year of the Readathon (2007-2017).
Obviously my list will only be of interest to you, if you love historical fiction and memoir as much as I do!

2007

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Murakami

In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and--even more important--on his writing. 

Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. 

Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a panorama of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after fifty, of seeing his race times improve and then fall back. 

By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running.

I'm not a runner and never will be.

But there was something so utterly engaging and mesmerising about this book, I recommend it to everyone who loves really thoughtful and thought-provoking memoirs.

2008

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

An irreverent comic adventure, spanning three continents, about a father and son against each other and against the world. 

For most of his life, Jasper Dean couldn’t decide whether to pity, hate, love, or murder his certifiably paranoid father, Martin, a man who overanalyzed anything and everything and imparted his self-garnered wisdom to his only son. But now that Martin is dead, Jasper can fully reflect on the crackpot who raised him in intellectual captivity, and what he realizes is that, for all its lunacy, theirs was a grand adventure. 

As he recollects the events that led to his father’s demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries—about his infamous outlaw uncle, Terry, his mysteriously absent European mother, and Martin’s constant losing battle to make a lasting mark on the world he so disdains. It’s a story that takes them from the Australian bush to the cafés of bohemian Paris, from the Thai jungle to strip clubs, asylums, labyrinths, and criminal lairs, and from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition. The result is a wild rollercoaster ride from obscurity to infamy, and the moving, memorable story of a father and son whose spiritual symmetry transcends all their many shortcomings. 

A Fraction of the Whole is an uproarious indictment of the modern world and its mores, and the epic debut of the blisteringly funny and talented Steve Toltz.

I couldn't put this book down.

It was funny, quirky and thoroughly absorbing.

For lovers of weird family stories and a fine example of modern Australian literature.

2009

Tinkers by Paul Harding

An old man lies dying. Propped up in his living room and surrounded by his children and grandchildren, George Washington Crosby drifts in and out of consciousness, back to the wonder and pain of his impoverished childhood in Maine. As the clock repairer’s time winds down, his memories intertwine with those of his father, an epileptic, itinerant peddler and his grandfather, a Methodist preacher beset by madness.  

At once heartbreaking and life affirming, Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, illness, faith, and the fierce beauty of nature.

Not always an easy book to recommend.

It's slow pace is tedious to some, but I found it haunting and beautiful.

2010

Hare With the Amber Eye by Edmund de Waal

2011

Pure by Andrew Miller

2012

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

2013

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

2014

This House of Grief by Helen Garner

2015

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

2016

Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift

2017

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Hour One
11pm - midnight

The Ladies of Missalonghi
pages read: 48

TOTAL: 48pgs


Hour Two
midnight - 1am

The Ladies of Missalonghi
pages read: 16

Fell asleep around 12:30am

TOTAL: 64pg


Hours Three - Ten
1am - 9am
slept


Hour Eleven
9am - 10am

The Ladies of Missalonghi
pages read whilst eating breakfast and enjoying my first cup of buddha's tears tea: 38

TOTAL: 102pg


Hour Twelve
10am - 11am

The Ladies of Missalonghi
pages read with another cup of buddha's tears tea as I waved the family off on their outing: 58

TOTAL: 160pg


Hour Thirteen
11am - midday

The Ladies of Missalonghi
pages read: 36

TOTAL: 1 book completed - 196pg


Hour Fourteen
midday - 1pm

On Doubt (revised edition)
pages read after a walk to my local cafe for a coffee break: 20

TOTAL: 1 book & 216pgs


Hour Fifteen
1pm - 2pm

On Doubt (revised edition)
pages read over coffee and second breakfast: 94

TOTAL: 2 books completed & 310pg

Hour Sixteen
2pm - 3pm

On Listening
pages read after a leisurely walk home to clear my head: 47

TOTAL: 3 books finished & 357pgs


Hour Seventeen
3pm - 4pm

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower
pages read: 50

TOTAL: 3 books & 407pgs


Hour Eighteen
4pm - 5pm

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower
pages read: 86

TOTAL: 4 books completed & 493pgs


Hour Nineteen
5pm - 6pm

Family break to do stuff together


Hour Twenty
6pm - 7pm

The Real Jane Austen
pages read after dinner break: 2

TOTAL: 4 books & 495pgs


Hour Twenty-One
7pm - 8pm

The Real Jane Austen
pages read: 20

TOTAL: 4 books & 515pgs


Hour Twenty-Two
8pm - 9pm

The London Eye Mystery
pages read whilst lazing in a bubble bath: 59

TOTAL: 4 books & 574pgs


Hour Twenty-Three
9pm - 10pm

The London Eye Mystery
pages read: 29

TOTAL: 4 books & 603pgs


Hour Twenty-Four
10pm-11pm

The London Eye Mystery
pages read: 93

TOTAL: 24hrs - 4 books finished & 696 pages read

Another fabulous readathon dine and dusted.
See you all again in April 2018.

Until then, happy reading!