Susan Used to Live on Reader Lane

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Susan wrote: "Susy wrote: "Did get some good sleep and have finished 2 books by now. Hope you're enjoying your readathon, Susan, good luck!
..."

Sounds like you’re off to a great start! I’m having..."

Yes, I did enjoy my other books — and stayed up *way* too late reading. But it was worth it ;)

[Susan]

Leni wrote: "Just looked up Conclave and the movie has Isabella Rossellini as well, playing a nun. I'm very intrigued. Also trying to remember if I've read anything by Robert Harris. I think maybe my dad had so..."

I haven’t read all his work by a long shot, but my favorite was Fatherland, an alternate history mystery about a policeman solving a crime in a world where the Nazis won WWII. There’s also Enigma about Bletchley Park and Archangel which plays with history and is set in Russia.

[Susan]

Elyse (catching up since giving birth in Jan!) wrote: "Leni wrote: "Just looked up Conclave and the movie has Isabella Rossellini as well, playing a nun. I'm very intrigued. Also trying to remember if I've read anything by Robert Harris. I think maybe ..."

Lol! Hard to keep all these writers with the same last name straight

[Susan]

Vanessa wrote: "Susan wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "I always like to throw a periodical or two into my Readathon , because the local library gives expired magazine issues away .
This time I've included the 2022 House Be..."

Definitely. I like to throw in graphic novels for the same reason

[Susan]

My July 2024 Closing Survey

1. How many books did you read during this readathon? Did you have any favorites? How many books did you finish? I read part/all of five books: A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov, Conclave by Robert Harris, and The War that Saved My Life, The War I Finally Won, and The Night War, all by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. My favorite is A Hero of Our Time, as much for its ironic tone and humor as for its characterizations and drama (smugglers, duels, horse thieves, kidnappers, etc)

2. Did you accomplish your goals for this readathon? Not really because I’d hoped to read from my TBR pile, and instead I got sidetracked into rereading/reading Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and stayed up way, way too late. But I mostly had a good time reading and next time I’ll remember I need some sleep ;).

3. How did your snacks and meals work out? Are there things you would change about the food and beverages side of your readathon for next time? Snacks and meals were fine. The brownie bites were a particular treat — chocolate plus!

4. Did you enjoy this readathon? What was the most successful part of your readathon? What would you change for next time? Was the most successful part where I stayed up to 4 a.m. rereading first The War that Saved My Life and then The War I Finally Won because I was so gripped by the story? But it’s also the part I’d change so that I got a bit more sleep…

5. Will you be continuing your readathon reading past the end of our official readathon? Yes, I read on last night and will be reading more today. I need to find out how Conclave ends ;)

A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov — 64 pages — READING
Conclave by Robert Harris — 95 pages— READING
The War that Saved My Life —352 pages — FINISHED
The War I Finally Won — 416 pages — FINISHED
The Night War — 56 pages — PUT ASIDE FOR LATER
(these three all by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley).

Total: 983 pages

[Susy]

Great job, Susan!
See you back in October hopefully!

[Leni]

You did great! 983 pages is awesome.
I read A Hero of Our Time a couple of years ago, and just marvelled at all the Russian tropes it contains. It probably started several of the tropes, actually. lol You can get a full board of Russian Literature Bingo just from that one book alone. So entertaining!

[Cynda]

983 pages! What an accomplishment 👏
I hope to read some today as well.

[Cathy]

I read Fatherland as well and saw the movie adaptation with Rutger Hauer. Not bad!
Did you like Conclave?

See you in October!

[Elyse]

Susan wrote: "My July 2024 Closing Survey

1. How many books did you read during this readathon? Did you have any favorites? How many books did you finish? I read part/all of five books: A Hero of Our Time by Mi..."

Wow Susan, great job! See you and Jaxie in October!

[Cynda]

Susan, hope to see you later this month at the readathon!

[Susan]

Cynda wrote: "Susan, hope to see you later this month at the readathon!"

Hi, Cynda! With the notification problem, I’m just seeing this. Yes, I’m looking forward to it! Hope to read with you then!

[Susan]

This readathon is sneaking up on me! However, I do have my snacks planned:

—Nonni’s ThinAddictions — These are like a thin cracker with bits of nuts and fruit. My local store only carries two varieties (cranberry and pistachio), but I’ve got blueberry/lemon, papaya/passionfruit and mango/coconut for the readathon. I’ll just have to decide which one ;)
—Limocello biscotti bites
—Celery sticks and green pepper slices
—Bananas
—Balanced Break snack kits with cheese, dried fruit and nuts to try out
—Ginger-lime seltzer
—Diet coke

For Jaxie the pooch:
—A chew stick

[Susan]

And here’s my TBR. Way more than I’ll ever read, but lots of choices:

The God of the Woods, Liz Moore (suspense)
The Night Country, Stewart O’Nan (ghost story)
The Day of the Triffids, John Wyndham (science fiction)
Station Eleven, Emily St John Mandel (novel)
The Rose and the Yew Tree, Mary Westmacott aka Agatha Christie (fiction)
Fragments of a Paradise, Jean Giono (fiction)
Shadows of a Childhood, Elisabeth Gille (autobiographical novel)
Blade by Blade, Danusha Lameris (poetry)
The White Pony: An Anthology of Chinese Poetry From the Earliest Times to the Present Day, editor Robert Payne (poetry)
My Dear Kabul: A Year in the Life of an Afghan Women's Writing Group (nonfiction)
Lords and Ladies, Terry Pratchett (fantasy) (audiobook)
Carmilla, Sheridan LeFanu (horror) (audiobook)
Karain: A Memory, Joseph Conrad (short story)
Various essays by Jeanne-Marie Laskas (nonfiction)

[Vicki Willis]

I really enjoyed Station Eleven. I think that is a good choice for the RaT.

[Susan]

Vicki Willis wrote: "I really enjoyed Station Eleven. I think that is a good choice for the RaT."

That’s good to hear, Vicki. Sometimes I feel as if I’m the only person left who hasn’t read it yet

[Susan]

Susan wrote: "And here’s my TBR. Way more than I’ll ever read, but lots of choices:

The God of the Woods, Liz Moore (suspense)
The Night Country, Stewart O’Nan (ghost story)
[boo..."

Great choices!!

[Susan]

Susan wrote: "Susan wrote: "And here’s my TBR. Way more than I’ll ever read, but lots of choices:

The God of the Woods, Liz Moore (suspense)
The Night Country, Stewart O’Nan (gho..."

Thanks, Susan! Looking forward to doing some good reading this weekend. See you then

[Susy]

Looks like you’re all set to go Susan!
Btw, I haven’t read Station Eleven yet either…

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Looks like you’re all set to go Susan!
Btw, I haven’t read Station Eleven yet either…"

I’m glad I’ve got company, Susy, re not having read Station Eleven. See you this weekend

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

As always looks like a great list and I always enjoy seeing your updates. Hope we all have a great Read-a-thon weekend.

[Susan]

Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "As always looks like a great list and I always enjoy seeing your updates. Hope we all have a great Read-a-thon weekend."

Thanks! I enjoy this great reading community as much as the books, I think. Look forward to reading with you this weekend!

[Elyse]

Susan wrote: "And here’s my TBR. Way more than I’ll ever read, but lots of choices:

The God of the Woods, Liz Moore (suspense)
The Night Country, Stewart O’Nan (ghost story)..."

Welcome back, Susan and Jaxie! I love those Balanced Breaks snacks! I just picked some up today after having not bought them for quite awhile. Funny!

I may also be reading The God of the Woods. I have it from BOTM and I nabbed the audio from Libby.

[Susan]

Elyse wrote: "Welcome back, Susan and Jaxie! I love those Balanced Breaks snacks! I just picked some up today after having not bought them for quite awhile. Funny!

I may also be reading The God of the Woods. I have it from BOTM and I nabbed the audio from Libby.."

Aren’t those Balanced Break snacks fun? I just discovered them last week and stocked up with some for the readathon. I guess I’m late to the party ;)

I’ve heard wonderful things about The God of the Woods, including that it was a great summer read. So probably a great fall read, too, I hope

[Kate]

I love that you've included a chew for Jaxie in your snack list.
Have a great readathon.

[Ann A]

I'm happy to see someone with more TBR possibilities than me! Haha. I also enjoyed Station Eleven - haven't read anything else on your list.

Looks like you and Jaxie are ready to go. See you tomorrow!

[Susan]

Kate wrote: "I love that you've included a chew for Jaxie in your snack list.
Have a great readathon."

She appreciates it ;).
Enjoy your readathon!

[Susan]

Ann A wrote: "I'm happy to see someone with more TBR possibilities than me! Haha. I also enjoyed Station Eleven - haven't read anything else on your list.

Looks like you and Jaxie are ready to go. See you tomor..."

Lol! I can’t believe the readathon is almost here. See you tomorrow — have book, will read ;)

[Susan]

Meal Plans:

Breakfast —
Pumpkin biscuits
banana
Coffee

Lunch —
1/2 Reuben
Broccoli

Dinner —
Shepherd’s pie

[Cynda]

Yum pumpkin biscuits. A good start for morning 🌞

[Susy]

Hope you have a great readathon, Susan!

[Vicki Willis]

Have fun! Enjoy the treats!

[Susan]

Cynda wrote: "Yum pumpkin biscuits. A good start for morning 🌞"

You know, I’m not crazy about them ;). But the store had a two for one deal, and I still have a box to finish…Have a good readathon!

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Hope you have a great readathon, Susan!"

You, too, Susy! Look forward to seeing what books you’re enjoying today

[Susan]

Vicki Willis wrote: "Have fun! Enjoy the treats!"

Thanks, Vicki! Enjoy your reading and treats ;)

[Susan]

1) What part of the world are you reading from today? I’m reading from the mid-Atlantic area of the US where the trees are reaching the peak of autumn color, and the weather has been unseasonably warm. I’ll definitely try to read outside for a bit.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Blade by Blade by Danusha Lameris. I ordered the book because I really liked the few poems of hers that I’ve read, and I’m looking forward to discovering more.

3) Which snacks are you most looking forward to? Limoncello biscotti bites

4) Is this your first Dewey's Readathon? Nope.

5) What are your goals for this readathon? Read books in good company, nibble a few snacks, and enjoy the day

6) Which book are you starting with for this readathon? The Day of Triffids by John Wyndham which has made the TBR for several Readathons with no success so far.

7) Tell us a little something about yourself! I’m retired and will be kept company today by little dog Jaxie who is not interested in books (usually) but loves treats. On one infamous occasion, she mistook a book for a treat — silly pup

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Bad thing about FL is it does not show the beautiful Autumn season -- sounds like good snacks and great weather

[Elyse]

Susan wrote: "Aren’t those Balanced Break snacks fun? I just discovered them last week and stocked up with some for the readathon. I guess I’m late to the party ;)

I’ve heard wonderful things about The God of the Woods, including that it was a great summer read. So probably a great fall read, too, I hope..."

Yes, they're so good! I'd been buying them for years and then stopped when I got pregnant and quit my job but I noticed some generic ones at Hannaford that are cheaper than the brand names so I bought some. I like the ones that have chocolate chunks and banana chips! The dried cherry ones are delicious too!

I'm hoping to get some physical reading time in this morning and I will start God of the Woods! Happy reading!

[Susy]

Hope you're enjoying your reads Susan (have you started your The Day of the Triffids yet?) and Jaxie her treats!

[Ann A]

Hope you're enjoying your Readathon, Susan - and Jaxie is keeping to her appropriate treats. Heehee.

[Susan]

Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "Bad thing about FL is it does not show the beautiful Autumn season -- sounds like good snacks and great weather"

The weather here has been beautiful — but then you’ve got the whole no-snow nor ice in FL so maybe a wash? Hope you had a great Readathon!

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Susan wrote: "Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "Bad thing about FL is it does not show the beautiful Autumn season -- sounds like good snacks and great weather"

The weather here has been beautiful — but then yo..."

Thank you Susan, i definitely had a fun time. :)
Yeah it was not quite warm enough but I took a hot bath last night late, and that was relaxing so that works :)

[Susan]

Elyse wrote: ". I like the ones that have chocolate chunks and banana chips! The dried cherry ones are delicious too!

I'm hoping to get some physical reading time in this morning and I will start God of the Woods! Happy reading!.."

Ooo! Those sound delicious! I will have to see if one of my grocery stores carries those. So far I’ve just seen a couple options from Sargento’s.

Hope you enjoyed God of the Woods! I didn’t get to it, but it’s closer to the top of the stack now ;).

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Hope you're enjoying your reads Susan (have you started your The Day of the Triffids yet?) and Jaxie her treats!"

I did start The Day of the Triffids and am totally engrossed. And, shhh forgot to give Jaxie her special treat so I just gave it to her, and she’s happily chewing away.. She would thank you for reminding me if she only knew ;);

Hope you enjoyed your Readathon!

[Susan]

Ann A wrote: "Hope you're enjoying your Readathon, Susan - and Jaxie is keeping to her appropriate treats. Heehee."

Yes, she did! All books are still unchewed. Of course, she got small tastes of my treats (the dog-appropriate ones) so maybe that helped.
Hope you had a good Readathon, Ann! I’m looking forward to catching up on everyone’s reading this evening and getting lots of ideas for future reading!

[Susy]

Susan wrote: "Susy wrote: "Hope you're enjoying your reads Susan (have you started your The Day of the Triffids yet?) and Jaxie her treats!"

I did start The Day of the Triffids and am totally engrossed. And, sh..."

Good to hear Susan!
And I'm sure Jaxie telepathically knows and appreciates me reminding you lol
See you back in April!

[Susan]

Susy wrote: "Susan wrote: "Susy wrote: "Hope you're enjoying your reads Susan (have you started your The Day of the Triffids yet?) and Jaxie her treats!"

I did start The Day of the Triffids and am totally engr..."

See you next year Susy! Look forward to seeing what you read this time as I catch up on everyone’s doings

[Susan]

2024 Closing Survey
1. How many books did you read during this readathon? Did you have any favorites? How many books did you finish?

I finished a couple short books — a nonfiction essay of The Slinky Lady by Jeanne Marie Laskas, an audiobook adaptation of Carmilla by Sheridan LeFanu, and a book of poetry, Blade by Blade by Danusha Lameris. I also got off to a good start in a science fiction thriller, The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. My favorite might be the essay by Jeanne Marie Laskas even though it didn’t have any vampires or mysterious visitors from outer space, just a real life heroine who raised her family and kept a business running on her own. But really I enjoyed everything, even the over the top Carmilla ;).

2. Did you accomplish your goals for this readathon? I didn’t. I’d hoped to read more but got distracted. But I enjoyed everything I did read plus the snacks so it was still a success in my book ;).

3. How did your snacks and meals work out? Are there things you would change about the food and beverages side of your readathon for next time? The food was good!

4. Did you enjoy this readathon? What was the most successful part of your readathon? What would you change for next time? I had a good time reading, so I’ll count it as a success!

5. Will you be continuing your readathon reading past the end of our official readathon? Yes, I have to find out what happens next with the terrible triffids!

[Elyse]

I ended up reading God of the Woods last week after the readathon. It was pretty slow. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. See you in April!

[Susan]

Elyse wrote: "I ended up reading God of the Woods last week after the readathon. It was pretty slow. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. See you in April!"

Thanks for the heads-up, Elyse. I’m still hoping to get to read it but won’t rush