Susan Used to Live on Reader Lane

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

The only foods I have set up so far are fattening desserts, but you sound like you have a healthy meal plan there. I need to sneak in some salads and veggies throughout the day. That's one thing I'm behind on planning is actual meals

[Lena]

Susan wrote: "I’m running late, but I’ll be reverse reading with the rest of you ;). I just signed up and made it official.

Since I had a good time with a theme of beach reading for the reverse Readathon last ..."

I love your theme of an (imaginary) Paris cafe! That's such a cool idea. I might use that for future readathons!

[Susan]

Bonjour! Savourer!

That's the extent of my high school/college French. What a clever idea!

[Jamie]

I did not realize Jules Verne books were made into graphic novels! Ooh.....
Yummy healthy snacks! I hope to eat better on this one.

[Susan]

Updated Readathon Book Choices

*Ebooks From the Library*
Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne (graphic sci-fi)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne (graphic sci-fi)

*Audiobooks*
The Half-Life of Marie Curie (non-fiction), 1 hr, 19 mins
Les Liaisons Dangereuses, de Laclos (tragedy), 2 hours, 9 minutes
Tartuffe, Moliere (comedy), 1 hr, 47 min.

*Books*
Lisette’s List (fiction, set in Paris and Provence)
The Club Dumas, Arturo Perez-Reverte (literary suspense)
Maigret, Georges Simenon (mystery)
Tartuffe, Moliere (comedy)
Distant Transit, Maja Haderlap (poetry)
Wind, Sand, and Stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (adventure memoir)
Les Fleurs de Mal, Baudelaire (poetry)
Les Plaisir des Mots, Georges Jean (an illustrated poetic dictionary)

*Magazines*
Granta
Virginia Quarterly Review

[Susan]

Leni wrote: "Oh, this is an amazing concept! I'm tempted to borrow your beach idea, because of the heat. But also because of the heat, I don't think I can muster any planning beyond cold drinks and reading in f..."

I hope the heat lets up, Leni. Cold drinks and reading sounds good to me

[Susan]

Ann A wrote: "Ahhh.....Paris. My favorite city! Your packing list looks fascinating. I have only read Tartuffe and a Maigret.

Also impressive food plans. I'm happy to hear Jaxie gets something special as well ..."

Great to see you, Ann. Definitely can’t leave Jaxie out! Look forward to checking out your reading lineup

[Susan]

Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "The only foods I have set up so far are fattening desserts, but you sound like you have a healthy meal plan there. I need to sneak in some salads and veggies throughout the day. That's one thing I'..."

Your desserts look amazing! I was thinking my snack plans could use a dash of chocolate :D

[Susan]

Lena wrote: "Susan wrote: "I’m running late, but I’ll be reverse reading with the rest of you ;). I just signed up and made it official.

Since I had a good time with a theme of beach reading for the reverse R..."

Thanks! You’re welcome to the idea. This is my fifth reverse Readathon and I wanted a twist ;)

[Susan]

Susan wrote: "Bonjour! Savourer!

That's the extent of my high school/college French. What a clever idea!"

Bonjour, Susan! Hopefully my French will be enough to order — Une café au lait, s’ll vous plait. :D

[Susan]

Jamie wrote: "I did not realize Jules Verne books were made into graphic novels! Ooh.....
Yummy healthy snacks! I hope to eat better on this one."

I was happy to find the Jules Verne graphic novels — Journey to the Center of the Earth looks very fun!

Good luck with the snacks — I snuck in a deluxe ice cream sandwich :)

[Susy]

Good luck & happy reading, Susan!

[Vicki Willis]

Sounds like you are all set! Enjoy!!!

[Ann A]

Bonne lecture, Susan!

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Good luck & happy reading, Susan!"

Thanks, Susy! Enjoy your Readathon!

[Susan]

Vicki Willis wrote: "Sounds like you are all set! Enjoy!!!"

I’m as ready as I’ll ever be . Enjoy your reading!

[Susan]

Ann A wrote: "Bonne lecture, Susan!"

Merci, Ann! Enjoy your Readathon!

[Susan]

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? For this Readathon, I’m imagining myself reading in a small cafe in Paris. The name of my imaginary cafe is Le Livre Ouvert (The Open Book), and as dusk is falling, I’m sitting with a new book and a mineral water, ready to spend a leisurely evening reading ;).

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Lisette’s List by Susan Vreeland. I’m saving it for tomorrow.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? A special treat — a deluxe ice cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream, sugar cookies, and rainbow sprinkles

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I’m retired, and my reading buddy is a black and white pooch named Jaxie. She will spend most of the Readathon dozing, but will appear *instantly* for meals and snacks. ;)

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? Nothing much different. I’m looking forward to spending a day devoted to reading (and snacks ;)

[Susan]

Mid-Event Survey!

What are you reading right now? I’m getting ready to pick up Wind, Sand and Stars again, a poetic account of the early days (1926) of flying the mail from France to Senegal by the author of The Little Prince. When they wanted a better look at where they were, the pilot and the navigator stuck their heads out the windows of the plane!

How many books have you read so far? A graphic novel (Journey to the Center of the Earth) — well-done adventure, pretty faithful to the original, too. I also listened to my latest Brother Cadfael mystery, The Confession of Brother Haluin, way too late (4 hours) and started Wind, Sand and Stars before getting some sleep.

What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the readathon? I don’t know. I’m interested in everything on my list, which makes it hard to pick one.

Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Not many at all. As usual — cope and carry on :)

What surprises you most about the readathon, so far? How fast the time is zipping by

[Vanessa]

I am Alternating between two books right now
BATS OF THE REPUBLIC by Zachary Thomas Dodson
( Stopped to wash dishes for about 30 minutes ) and
THE LEGENDS OF LUKE SKYWALKER by Ken Liu

I am most looking forward to having NO interruptions during
the readathon's second half .

[Ann A]

Wind, Sand, and Stars sounds intriguing! I'll look forward to hearing what you think of it.

I love how many of us say what surprises us most is how fast the time is going. Time flies when you're having fun!

[Cynda]

Enjoy your no interruptions time/getting reading done time. I read a couple of stories by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but not Wind, Sand, and Stars. Looks good. Enjoy!

[Susan]

Vanessa wrote: "I am Alternating between two books right now
BATS OF THE REPUBLIC by Zachary Thomas Dodson
( Stopped to wash dishes for about 30 minutes ) and
THE LEGENDS OF LUKE SKYWALKER by Ken Liu

I am most ..."

I hope the no interruptions pans out for you, Vanessa. Enjoy your reading today!

[Susan]

Ann A wrote: "Wind, Sand, and Stars sounds intriguing! I'll look forward to hearing what you think of it.

I love how many of us say what surprises us most is how fast the time is going. Time flies when you're ..."

What’s the old joke about why did you throw the clock out the window? Because I wanted to see time fly. ;)

[Susan]

Cynda wrote: "Enjoy your no interruptions time/getting reading done time. I read a couple of stories by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but not Wind, Sand, and Stars. Looks good. Enjoy!"

Thanks, Cynda! I think most people who know Saint-Exupery at all know him from The Little Prince, so it’s interesting to read about his and other’s real life adventures

[Jamie]

Susan wrote: "Cynda wrote: "Enjoy your no interruptions time/getting reading done time. I read a couple of stories by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but not Wind, Sand, and Stars. Looks good. Enjoy!"..."

I am curious on your thoughts when you finish this. I am one of those that recognized his name, indeed from reading The Little Prince. Looks like maybe I should read more.

[Susy]

Susan wrote: "Mid-Event Survey!

What are you reading right now? I’m getting ready to pick up Wind, Sand and Stars again, a poetic account of the early days (1926) of flying the mail from France to Senegal by th..."

I've been doing readathons for quite some time now but each time I'm flabbergasted how quickly time goes by!

[Susan]

Jamie wrote: "Susan wrote: "Cynda wrote: "Enjoy your no interruptions time/getting reading done time. I read a couple of stories by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but not Wind, Sand, and Stars. Looks..."

Jamie, There are a lot of good things in the half of Wind, Sand and Stars that I read, but I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it because of the author’s comments relating to race and colonialism in the section I just got to. His attitudes are definitely those of his time.

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Susan wrote: "Mid-Event Survey!

What are you reading right now? I’m getting ready to pick up Wind, Sand and Stars again, a poetic account of the early days (1926) of flying the mail from France to..."

Yes, and it seemed to go even more quickly toward the end ;). It’s over??

[Susan]

Closing Survey!

How would you assess your reading overall? Totally successful because I’m happy with what I read

Did you have a stategy, and if so, did you stick to it? I had a plan of starting with a graphic novel and then switching to an audiobook. That worked well. I got so engrossed in the audiobook that I almost forgot to get some sleep ;)

What was your favorite snack? Popcorn

Wanna volunteer for our next event? Stay tuned for the recap post! I might. Will see how things look in the fall

[Susan]

What I Read:

Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Davis Worth Miller and Katherine Maclean Brevard, illustrated by Greg Rebis: A very nice retelling of the Jules Verne classic adventure story in a graphic format. 71 pages

Wind, Sand and Stars, Antoine de Saint-Exupery — a book of lyric, almost mystical essays about the experiences of an early commercial mail pilot who flew in both Africa and South America — unfortunately marred by outdated racism and colonialism. I read about half. 109 pages

The Confession of Brother Haluin, Ellis Peters (audiobook) — Another solid Brother Cadfael medieval mystery, but one where Brother Cadfael plays a minor (but important) role. 6 1/2 hr out of 7 hrs 20 min = 198 pages

Tartuffe, Moliere, Richard Wilbur translation - A middle-aged man falls under the spell of a falsely religious conman. A sheer delight in Richard Wilbur’s sparkling verse translation. 167 pages

Distant Transit, Maja Haderlap (poetry) — Translated from the Slovenian, these powerful poems speak about dislocation from place, language, and self, anchored in carefully reported natural details and personal observation. 85 pages

630 pages total

[Vicki Willis]

Looks like a successful read! See you in Oct!

[Susan]

Bonne! Looks like a success in Paris.

[Ann A]

What interesting books you read this time, Susan! I was also happy with everything I read. Can't wait to do this again in October!

[Susan]

Vicki Willis wrote: "Looks like a successful read! See you in Oct!"

Thanks, Vicki! See you next time!

[Susan]

Susan wrote: "Bonne! Looks like a success in Paris."

Oui, oui! See you in October, I hope!

[Susan]

Ann A wrote: "What interesting books you read this time, Susan! I was also happy with everything I read. Can't wait to do this again in October!"

Nice to see you here, Ann! October will probably be here before we know it (see time flying ;)

[Cynda]

I too have read a couple of early-flight selections of Antoine Saint de Exupéry. I will remember to Wind, Sand and Stars as a Dewey's option. . . .Hooe to see you in October!

[Susy]

Susan wrote: "What I Read:

Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Davis Worth Miller and Katherine Maclean Brevard, illustrated by Greg Rebis: A very nice retelling of the Jules Verne classic adventure story in..."

Wow, looks like you had a great readathon, Susan! See you in October hopefully!

[Lena]

Great job Susan!! :-)

[Susan]

Cynda wrote: "I too have read a couple of early-flight selections of Antoine Saint de Exupéry. I will remember to Wind, Sand and Stars as a Dewey's option. . . .Hooe to see you in October!"

Hope to see you in October, too!

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Susan wrote: "What I Read:

Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Davis Worth Miller and Katherine Maclean Brevard, illustrated by Greg Rebis: A very nice retelling of the Jules Verne classic adve..."

Thanks, Susy! See you next time!

[Susan]

Lena wrote: "Great job Susan!! :-)"

Thanks, Lena! I’m already looking forward to the next one. Hope to see you then!

[Susan]

I can’t believe it’s getting to be that time again! So, I’m signed up and thinking about what I might read. Fall seems to call for some spooky stories ;). Hope to see you there!

[Susy]

Haven’t signed up yet cause the form doesn’t work on my phone but I’m definitely participating! And yay for spooky books!
See you in a couple of weeks!

[Elyse]

Welcome back, Susan!

[Vanessa]

Susy wrote: "Haven’t signed up yet cause the form doesn’t work on my phone but I’m definitely participating! And yay for spooky books!
See you in a couple of weeks!"

Same . I may start a short spooky book during the Readathon .

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Haven’t signed up yet cause the form doesn’t work on my phone but I’m definitely participating! And yay for spooky books!
See you in a couple of weeks!"

See you here in two weeks! It’s getting close ;)

[Susan]

Elyse wrote: "Welcome back, Susan!"

Back at you, Elyse! Only two weeks to go

[Susan]

Vanessa wrote: "Susy wrote: "Haven’t signed up yet cause the form doesn’t work on my phone but I’m definitely participating! And yay for spooky books!
See you in a couple of weeks!"

Same . I may start a short spo..."

I like spooky books for the fall, too! Can’t believe the Readathon’s almost here!