Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon - Reading Plan

This is by no means set in stone... But I figured it would be a good idea to have a list of potential books I might like to read during Read-a-Thon to reduce the amount of thinking required on game day.

Short Stories/Novellas

• The Professor (At The Lake, #1) by Bentley, Bella
• For One Last Kiss (A Grim Reaper Romance, #0.5) by Taylor, Calista
• The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Giffin, Emily
• An Etiquette Guide to the End Times: A Novella by Sepp, Maia
• Try Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #1) by Cunning, Olivia

Short and Short-ish Novels

• 12 Years a Slave by Northup, Solomon
• Ru by Thúy, Kim
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman, Neil
• Stop What You're Doing And Read This! by Haddon, Mark
• BeSwitched by Snow, Molly
• A Gift of Ghosts (Tassamara #1) by Wynde, Sarah
• You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You: The Believer Book of Advice by Spitznagel, Eric
• A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Beah, Ishmael
• A Child of a Crackhead by Speight, Shameek
• Why Not Me? by Kaling, Mindy

And a few books I need to read for different challenges or need to be returned to the library...

• Q
• X
• Authors...A, U, X, Y, Z

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

Just when you thought you had enough excuses to stay in pjamas all day....

The Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is scheduled for October 17th.  I'll actually be on a plane flying to India so I'm not sure if this is a good thing or very much a bad thing.  I will have a lot of in-flight hours to kill.

So if you'd like to participate, please visit the GoodReads group Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon.

The Oakdale Dinner Club by Kim Moritsugu

I'm so excited to be the first half of the day before I get a follow back on my way home and watch movies with my life and the other hand is the only thing that would have to go back and I don't think that I have a great way of the day before I get a follow back.....

Sorry, I was just wondering what text the iPad would produce if I choose the middle option guesstimate. Looks like computers won't be writing books for us just yet. But if you broke it up in just the right spots, it might make intriguing poetry. Not that this has anything to do with this week's book.

Or maybe it does. One of the characters has a little bit of writers block and when you are staring at a blank blog post, not knowing where to start, a little inspiration is more than welcome. 

As for The Oakdale Dinner Club, it was a fun book. Sort of a what people feel about marriage after 20 years in. The main character, Mary Ann, the creator of the club, discovered that her husband had an affair with a co-worker and decides she wants to have one too. She decides the club would be a good way to ease herself into the dating pool and to vet possible fling options. 

That leads us into a whole cast of characters that make-up the club.  Like Alice, a single mom, who is not the marrying kind but it has been 4 years since she's hooked-up and perhaps it's time to make a connection. Or Sam, a stay-at-home dad who is trying to write his first novel and in a marriage that is not doing all that well. Like I said, this book is fun and airy and if you're not looking for deep angst, this is the book for you.

It is never too late to figure out who you are and if unhappy, make a change. I know I can relate some days.

Some other reviews of The Oakdale Dinner Club:
National Post
CBC
Sukasa Reads

The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill

This is the book that made me take the BookRiot article seriously. I've finished it over a week ago and it has stuck with me. Especially with our local government coming under fire for separate buses for French students. This book helped me see this issue from a totally different perspective.

This story takes place in Montreal, told from the point of view of a child star all grown up and trying to figure life out.  Nouschka's father was a famous folk singer who would use his children on the tv/radio stage to help his image. They filmed Christmas specials that they still aired 20 years later; their lives are still tabloid fodder. She and her twin brother are living with their elderly grandfather and it is a year before the referendum to decide if the province will separate from Canada. They have a very bad relationship with their father, he can't talk with them unless he wants something from them.  Nouschka is trying to get her life in order, going back to school to get her high school diploma and finding talent in writing. 

The best thing about this book is the writing. O'Neill is amazing. She makes the best word choices, vivid imagery, sharp characters. She made me want to binge on this book until, sadly, it was over. I have a feeling I'll be following this authors career for many years to come. Plus I can take solace in the knowledge that she has a debut novel to get caught up on. 

So if you want to read a book that is super Canadian, this is the book for you. Not only that, it is Quebec French Canadian and for some of us Anglo Canadians, it could be a positive learning experience. We need to be reading more books that give different perspectives on the Canadian identity, shine a spotlight on what's wrong with our country, maybe start a discussion. 

Perhaps a little naive but can't we just get along?

For some real reviews/info on this great book:  The Walrus; CBC Books; Montreal Review of Books; The Guardian; The Star; The Globe And Mail

Heather O'Neill's Tumblr Blog... and when I was there, I found out that she is has a new book coming out in April! Even more good news. 

Are you ready for the challenge? Am I?

I haven't visited or posted for way too long... But I happened by this post in my gmail promo folder and it made me feel like I should get out of my den of isolation. I've been trying to read more books but haven't given much thought in who I've been choosing. Mostly ones getting the most promotional attention by the kobo/Chapters/Indigio/Amazon marketing team.

Take a read of this and come on back to see if you are on the same page...

Book Riot: Support Rad Lady Authors

So, now you see why I broke my silence?  I like that there wasn't a lot of finger pointing.  Just some thoughts on how we could be more thoughtful in how we choose our next read.  Try to dedicate a month to female authors, or even dig deeper by picking female authors or colour, minority groups, etc.  I really should try that challenge, might be telling. Also, get the word out. Review, blog, book club them, etc.  My book club rarely meets but I can blog.

So let's try to revive my blog.  If you visit and want to post a review of an awesome book, please send it my way. Or have a link to a review you've posted elsewhere, send those too. And I'll try to post more reviews.