Readathon Update Fourth Hour

So far I have been reading these two books that are polar opposites--one is dripping with cynicism, and the other syrupy sweet.  But I'm enjoying them both. 

Readathon Hour 2 Mini Challenge

For this mini challenge, Miss Remmers wants to know what we've surrounded ourselves with to kick off the readathon:

" In this challenge we would like you to write a post on your blogs about your kick off strategy.  What have you surrounded yourself with for these early hours of the challenge besides your books?  Is there a coffee thermos, lucky book mark, snacks, pillow....  We want to know how you have prepared so you do not have to leave your cozy reading space (by the way - we'd like to know what is too.... (are you still in bed, a chair, the couch.....)"

Since I'm up at 5 a.m., I've got a comfy spot on the couch with one of the kids' blankets.  I do have a special book mark that I reserve for books that are actually new, not used/library books.  It's a little fabric bookmark with an embroidered rose on it.  I have not had anything to eat or drink yet.  I do wish I had cleaned up more last night, because I don't like reading when there's a mess.  Book clutter is okay, but not real clutter!!

Readathon Hour 1 Meme

Where are you reading from today?
So Cal

3 facts about me …
This one is really hard at five in the morning, but I'll try to just spit three things out:
1.  I like to make things, anything, from scratch.
2.  I watch documentaries when I'm stressed.
3.  I like to watch exercise videos while eating.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

Four main ones:
The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
I have no goals!  Just trying to have a good time.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Do it your way--whether it be intense or easy-going.  Both can be fun.  I'm already expecting to nap (after only five hours of sleep last night!)

Dewey's Readathon

Count me in!  I may not be able to do all 24 hours, but any time at all should be fun.  I have yet to plan reading material, although I think I will just stick with one or two books and see if that makes me go totally bonkers.   I will have two partners in crime, lots of snacks, and toothpicks to prop my eyes open.  Five days and counting...

Irish Reading in March

Cabbage from my garden.  Yay!

St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in our home with green macaroni and cheese, green Jello with pears, and roasted asparagus (some of which ended up sucked up in the vacuum after I accidentally dumped about two cups of salt over them--but that's another story.)  We don't drink alcohol, so we did our best by having some frothy rootbeer to guzzle down.  We threw in some Irish soda bread to the spread, but it was store-bought and as hard as the Blarney Stone.

This very unauthentic celebration of Irish culture needed to be rectified somehow, so I thought I would read a couple of books about Ireland, and stir up my Irish blood in a way that did not involve listening to The Cranberries or Snow Patrol, or watching reruns of Ballykissangel.  My first selection was Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín, a Costa Book Award winner, and Man Booker Prize Nominee.  I used to have high expectations of prestigious award-winning novels only to come away less-than-awed in many instances.  As a result, this was a satisfying surprise. 

Set in the 1950's, Brooklyn is the story of an intelligent but otherwise ordinary young girl, Eilis, who emigrates from Ireland to Brooklyn for a better job, with a strong nudge from both her mother and sister.  She experiences homesickness and depression but gradually adjusts to her new life.  She almost reluctantly falls in love with a persistent Italian-American man, but eventually has to return to Ireland because of a tragedy in the family.  It is then that she is really faced with deciding who she is, and who she will become.  

It is this theme of identity that resonated the most for me.  At this point in her life, Eilis' identity seems very vague and incomplete.  She is very much defined by others--allowing them to direct her decisions in life and almost get swallowed up in their desires without thought for her own.   As she prepares to sail to America, she is reluctant to leave:

"The arrangements being made, all the bustle and talk, would be better if they were for someone else, she thought, someone like her, someone the same age and size, who maybe even looked the same as she did, as long as she, the person who was thinking now, could wake in this bed every morning and move as the day went on in these familiar  streets and come home to the kitchen, to her mother and Rose."

And yet she tells no one of her feelings, doing what is expected of her because she does not have the strength to be her own person.  This happens repeatedly throughout the book in different situations, and tends to get frustrating.

Consequently, I keep asking myself the question, "What drives this novel? What keeps the reader going to the end?"  The events of Eilis' life are fairly mundane, and if you're looking for action, you will end up throwing this book against the wall in exasperation.  What kept me hanging on was the subtly mesmerizing prose--the detached and unsentimental narration that nonetheless depicted the main character with such precise psychological insight.  The tension created by the contrasts between one's innermost thoughts and what is presented to others.  A somewhat unlikeable but believable protagonist.  In other words, excellent writing. 

I wish I could say the same about 1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion.  To be fair, I'm sure author Morgan Llewellyn did not set out to write a literary masterpiece.  It's an average work of historical fiction with a few corny sex scenes thrown in for good measure.  I did learn quite a bit more about Ireland's Easter Rising, enjoying the sense of being in the middle of the action, but I felt very little connection to the characters.  Ned, the main character, survives the sinking of the Titanic, attends Saint Enda's school in Dublin, and becomes involved in the rebellion under the influence his headmaster, the soon-to-be rebel leader Pádraic Pearse.  Ned's sister marries a man she met in America, but ends up falling in love with her local priest, who also has feelings for her.  Throw in Ned's conflicting feelings for the prostitute Sile, and you've got a mediocre soap opera in the works.  But having said all of that, I think I may go on to read some of the sequels, which chronicle the continuing fight for Independence.  I'd like to learn more of the history, and of course I have to find out if Ned's sister and the priest get together . . .

There are so many other Irish-themed books I would like to get to, as well, but I will probably wait until next March to read them.  Any recommendations?

Book information:
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Published 2009 by Scribner
262 pages
Personal Enjoyment Factor 4/5


1916:  A Novel of the Irish Rebellion
by Morgan Llywelyn
First published 1998
521 pages
Personal Enjoyment Factor 3/5

Once Upon a Time IV Challenge

Artwork, The Queen, by Melissa Nucera. Check out her Etsy shop, This Years Girl.

Yes, it's that wonderful time of year again. The flowers are blooming, trees are blossoming, the sun is shining, and readers are coming together to celebrate fantasy, folklore and mythology courtesy of Carl V. of Stainless Steel Droppings. The old me surely would have signed up for the high-achieving "Quest the Third (or Fourth)", but this year I'm going for "The Journey"--at least one book and maybe more, but only if that's the way the magic happens. I have a brand new copy of Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana that I plan to delve into and savor. I know one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I have high hopes based on this one:

Happy Spring Reading!

New blog name, new layout, new vision...

Hello, out there! I know I'm very much under the radar since I decided to quit blogging, so I don't even know if this will get read.

Quitting was a really smart thing for me to do, because after my time off, I think I now believe that I can keep up my blog in a super laid back way and be okay with it. I tend to be a little compulsive about "completeness" and feel the need to review every single book I read or life as I know it will end. But not anymore! I am reinventing myself!

In honor of the "new me, " I thought it would be a good idea to abandon the connotation of addiction that the name "ChainReading" suggests. Book clutter is what I happily see when I look around my house (and car). I usually have 4-6 books I'm reading at once, all not-so strategically placed so I can at least find one of them at any given time. (I did a Google search and did not see any other blogs with this name. If anyone knows differently, let me know.) Posting will be very clutterish as well--randomly posting when I have something to say and/or time to say it!

I also have a new layout, which only came about as a result of my daughter taking her first driving lesson. I don't know if I was more scared of her getting into an accident, or concerned that she was going to be in a car with a strange man for two hours. Needless to say, I needed a distraction, and playing around with my completely inactive blog seemed to do the trick.

I should mention reading challenges. I have still been reading many blogs, and I see the oh-so-tantalizing challenges that are introduced out there. I will not be joining most of them. I do think I will have more luck with this than with giving up junk food. I hope . . .

A lot of course will be the same as before. A low level of technology. General ignorance of stats. Appreciation for comments.

And a passion for reading.

Wow, it feels good to write this! Hopefully I'll do it again soon.