My fabulous BEDA buddies asked if I read a book every day, and though I've been reading a lot, the answer is a resounding no. I've been pushing myself to finish books quickly in order to facilitate the blogging every day, but some days I just don't make it. Jane Eyre, for example, took me four days. And I'm certainly not going to finish anything today - I have plans tonight. A lot of books, however, I can finish in a day if I want to. If I get hooked on a series, like I recently did with The Dresden Files, I will stay awake far too late in the night to finish one, then foolishly pick up the next one the next day. I love getting caught up in a world for extended periods of time.
This month, with my push to blog everyday and the resultant push to read every day, I've been working my way through some of the books on my bookshelf. I haven't bought any new books, and I've mostly chosen to read short books and YA books so that I can keep up the reading pace. Part of this has to do with anticipating the book-buying binge that I anticipate at the Festival of Books and part of it has to do with money and guilt over the books I've bought but not read.
The thing I love about the Festival of Books is that I spend time before it anticipating it and thinking about what books I want, and then I end up coming home with things that are completely unexpected. It's a true browsing experience, where I get to be around smart people who love books and they get to show me what's exciting that I might not even know I want! Even though I spend a lot of my time reading YA and science fiction, I often come home from the book fair with general fiction, or chick lit, or mysteries and I read them and love them. Part of this has to do with the fact that I go to the festival with my parents and even though I'm a grown-up, they always buy me the books, which is a wonderful treat, but also leads me into getting things that they might like so that we can share. It's like a mini book group. So even though I'm looking forward to the festival, I'm also considering buying the Gallagher Girls and the Secret Society Girl series because they sound so fun and cute. Even though I know that in a week I'll have a pile of new books to destract me for a while.
So, what are your favorite book zen finds that you stumbled upon where or when you least expect it? And what do you recommend that I keep my eyes open for at the book festival while still trusting to chance and fate and parents to help me decide what to read?
P.S. It was this interview with Diana Peterfreund that reminded me that I've always meant to read the Secret Society Girl Series. Now Peterfreund and Reviewer X are giving away a set of the whole series on Reviewer X's blog, so go here to enter.
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I work in a library. Every once in a while I find myself combing the stacks for something new to read, which is how I typically find things I wouldn't otherwise. Recently I stumbled upon the book - A Long Way Gone: memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah, which looks promising, though I won't know until I finish the book I'm currently on (City of Glass by Cassandra Clare)...
ReplyDeleteThanks for answering our question! I am still very much impressed.
ReplyDeleteThe Festival of Books looks fantastic! Do you go to it every year?
I just finished the first book in the Gallagher Girls series. It was definitely a fun read.
Last week, I was blown away by Melina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road but that wasn't a book that I just stumbled upon...hmm...one book that I loved and picked up based on its title and cover art alone is: Robot Dreams by Sara Varon.