Social Distancing Readathon #65 - June 11 - 13

Welcome to another readathon!

We generally run from Friday at 5 p.m. to Sunday at midnight in whatever time zone you choose, but feel free to start earlier on Friday and wrap up overnight Sunday/Monday, if that's what you want to do.

Here are some things to track throughout the weekend, if you choose:

Books read from:
Books finished:
Time reading:
Time posting:
Snacks:
Thoughts:
Non-book activities:

Total books finished:
Total read from:
Total time reading:

Who is participating -

1. SilverWolf (SilverWolf28) -- Tennessee, USA
2. Luci (elkiedee) -- London, UK
3. Carrie (cbl_tn) -- Seymour, Tennessee, USA
4. Benita (benitastrnad) -- Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
5. Paul (PaulCranswick) -- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
6. Cyrel (torontoc) -- Toronto, Canada
7. Susanna (susanna.fraser) -- Seattle, Washington, USA
8. Nancy (nrmay) -- North Carolina, USA
9. Janet (streamsong) -- Hamilton, Montana, USA
10. Suzanne (Chatterbox) -- Rhode Island, USA

Will join you

I will try to join some. Most of the reading may happen on Sunday.

I will be joining again. I have a busy weekend planned but will do some reading.

Im in also Silver. Will be concentrating on Monte Cristo this weekend.

I'll be reading this weekend ( and seeing some films)

Count me in again. I've barely been reading this month and need to do a bit of a jump-start.

I'll be reading again!

I'm despairing over No Safe Place by Deborah Ellis.

Heading home today after a couple days at my sister's house.

I'll be joining again this weekend - Janet from Montana. :)

I have three I'd like to finish:

Science fiction: Velocity Weapon - overdue at library - about 150 pages to go
poetry: PostColonial Love Poems - also overdue at library - about halfway through. I am a **SLOW** poetry reader
mystery set in Montana for a book club later this week: Buffalo Jump Blues

I'll start out by heading off to get the oil in my car changed this afternoon and taking Velocity Weapon with me.

Still reading Ninth Street Women- I like the way the author, Mary Gabriel connects all the stories of the five women artists to the development of Abstract Expressionism and the New York School.

Back again... Reading a thriller, Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman. Very of its genre, but entertaining. I'm in the final "revelation" stage.

Dunno what I'll read/listen to next. I have a non-fiction audiobook about the art world and Napoleon lined up, and started listening to an audiobook of Emma last night (because Fanny Price in Mansfield Park irritates me so damn much).

Friday night check-in

Books read from: Singing Whales and Flying Squid by Richard Ellis for the Nonfiction challenge here on LT. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin for my real life book discussion group. I am listening to Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman.

Books finished This Weekend: 1 - Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon. I finished this one while reading during my lunch hour at work, so am counting it as one I finished this weekend.
Time reading today: so far 1 hour
Time posting:
Food: supper was ramen take-out from the newest Japanese restaurant in town.

Thoughts: I am liking the narrator of the Vincent and Theo book. He is very good. This book was an award winning YA nonfiction book that Joe (the 75'er Joe) read and liked. He highly recommended it a few years back. This book was on my TBR list since it was a Prinz Honor Award book from the American Library Association. It is rare that a work of nonfiction appears on these lists so it made me take notice. I think this is going to be a good work of nonfiction to listen to as well as read.
Non-book activities: supper with friends
Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 132
Total read from: 140
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 382 hours since April 2020.

Saturday 12.45 pm

Books read from: 5
Paula McLain, When the Stars Go Dark FINISHED 12.06.21
Patrick McGrath, Last Days in Cleaver Square STARTED 12.06.21
Ann Patchett, The Dutch House
Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
Penny Vincenzi, A Question of Trust

Pages read: 100
Books finished: 1
Non-book activities: Social media, Bejeweled Blitz

Total books finished: 1
Total Pages read: 100
Total read from: 5

Friday evening update:

Books read from: Velocity Weapon - read about half of the 150 pages
PostColonial Love Poems - 3 poems
Buffalo Jump Blues - 1 chapter
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 2 hours
Time posting: 30 minutes
Thoughts: I seem to accomplish so much more when I do these readathons - both in getting chores done and books finished!
Non-book activities: Oil Change in Car; stopped by tire store and made appointment; watched two episodes of Major Crimes

This morning I may head down to the local farmers' market although it looks like it may be rained out.

I drink two cups of coffee in the morning, eat my oatmealwithbanana, do horse chores, and then I'll see if it's raining or not.

Saturday noon check-in

Books read from: Singing Whales and Flying Squid by Richard Ellis for the Nonfiction challenge here on LT. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin for my real life book discussion group. I am listening to Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman.

Books finished This Weekend: 1 - Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon.
Time reading today: so far 1 hour
Time posting:
Food: peanut butter and jelly toast and coffee for breakfast

Thoughts: I am finding Singing Whales and Flying Squid to be very enlightening. The Ocean is as much of a mystery to humankind as is the Universe and I find this surprising. This book concentrates on the 20th century and it is amazing how much has been discovered in just the last 100 years.
Non-book activities: grocery shopping
Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 132
Total read from: 140
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 383 hours since April 2020.

Saturday 12.45 pm

Books read from: 6
Patrick McGrath, Last Days in Cleaver Square STARTED 12.06.21
Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
Ann Patchett, The Dutch House
Deborah Levy, Things I Don't Want to Know
Penny Vincenzi, A Question of Trust
Rupa Sepetys, Out of the Easy

Pages read: 156
Books finished: 0
Non-book activities: Social media, WhatsApp, Bejeweled Blitz, radio, Sounds of the 70s on TV

Total books finished: 1
Total Pages read: 256
Total read from: 7

Saturday 9:30 PM

Books read from: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Books finished: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Time reading: 3 hours
Food: Homemade strawberry-rhubarb bars
Thoughts: This just isn't a good reading month for me somehow.
Non-book activities: Errands, baking, setting out new birdfeeders.

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 1
Total time reading: 3 hours

Mid day on Sunday

I have finished Mr Norris Changes Trains at the start of the weekend and read about a quarter of The Count of Monte Cristo, I am also making good progress with Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English which I may finish today.

Total reading time to date : 14 hours.

I am still reading Ninth Street Women- it is really long but I am happy with the narrative. I tried to start and read a number of books at the same time but... I am happier completing one book at a time!

Sunday morning update:

Books read from: Bonecrack
Books finished: Bonecrack
Time reading: ?
Time posting: ?
Snacks: rosemary almond cookies, a handful of dark chocolate Skinny Dipped almonds, tea
Thoughts: We need rain.
Non-book activities: Yesterday I went to the farmer's market, then grocery shopping, worked on genealogy, binge watched several episodes of Leverage, did some prep work for today's lunch, cleaned, and walked the dog.

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 1
Total time reading: ?

I'm getting ready to start Faded Coat of Blue. I have a friend coming for lunch after church today and a Zoom book club this evening, so I probably won't finish the book today. I hope I can at least make a good start.

Sunday morning -

Books:
Finished No Safe Place by D. Ellis. Very good but wrenching. Illegal teen immigrants in Europe.
About half-way through Artificial Condition, 2nd of the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.

granola, egg, toast, coffee for breakfast.

Other activity:
My sister and I spending time with our mom.
I have my niece's dog for the weekend. He's very good and sweet and always welome.
Putting peppers and another tomato in pots today; planting lavender along the edge of the patio.
Doing a zoom storytime for my little granddaughters in a few minutes. :)

Cloudy, 73 F. (23 C.) in Charlotte NC

Sunday noon check-in

Books read from: Singing Whales and Flying Squid by Richard Ellis for the Nonfiction challenge here on LT. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin for my real life book discussion group. I am listening to Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman.

Books finished This Weekend: 1 - Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon.
Time reading today: so far 1.5 hours
Time posting:
Food: Starbucks cappuccino for breakfast and Chinese buffet for lunch. Boy-oh-boy will I be glad when the Indian Restaurant reopens. That Chinese buffet is so bad that every time I go there I ask myself why I eating that food. The answer - it is the closet thing I can get to substantial vegetarian food.

Thoughts: I am finding Singing Whales and Flying Squid to be very discouraging but very enlightening. I have about 10 pages left in the book and the author is wrapping up the chapters on the state of the oceans - and it is not hopeful. He believes that we have overfished the top predators to the point that they will never return. The only hope for mankind to continue to eat cod, pollock, and haddock is if somebody can figure out how to farm them. Anchovies are about gone as well. I am just reading about the collapse of the Peruvian anchovy fishery and the author believes that is just a portent of things to come.
Non-book activities: talking on the phone this morning.
Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 132
Total read from: 140
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 384.5 hours since April 2020.

Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday

Books read from: 6
Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
Ann Patchett, The Dutch House
Deborah Levy, Things I Don't Want to Know
Penny Vincenzi, A Question of Trust
Rupa Sepetys, Out of the Easy
Carol Shields, Collected Stories

Pages read: 143
Books finished: 0
Non-book activities: Social media, WhatsApp, Bejeweled Blitz, radio, TV

Total books finished: 1
Total Pages read: 399
Total read from: 8

Sunday night check-in

Books read from: Singing Whales and Flying Squid by Richard Ellis for the Nonfiction challenge here on LT. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin for my real life book discussion group. For fun and mind candy I started French Rhapsody by French author Antoine Laurain. I am listening to Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman.

Books finished This Weekend: 2 - Singing Whales and Flying Squid: The Discovery of Marine Life by Richard Ellis and Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon.
Time reading today: it only took me .5 hours to finish the Marine Life book this afternoon.
Time posting:
Food: I got my homemade granola mixed up and baked this afternoon so now I have breakfast food for the rest of the week.

Thoughts: Singing Whales and Flying Squid was a very informative book. It was published in 2005 but was chocked full of all kinds of information about marine life of all kinds. It read like an encyclopedia. Each chapter was short enough that it never got boring, but long enough to be a quick survey of the topic. It is perfect for an overview of the subject but not so long that it got boring or too academic. It was also a blunt book, in that the author simply says at the end that marine life at all levels of the food chain are on the edge of extinction. He warns that fin fisheries are unlikely to ever recover, so the world's oceans will NOT be the source of protein now or in the future. The author does a great job of making people who eat fish feel guilty about eating anything that comes from the ocean except for farmed fish. I eat at Long John Silver's once a year and I think it is time for me to end that practice. I am feeling a bit self-righteous about eating fish. I stoped eating fish, except for one day a year, after I read Mark Kurlansky's book on Cod almost 20 years ago.

Non-book activities: talking on the phone this morning.
Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 133
Total read from: 141
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 385 hours since April 2020.

Monday morning check-in

Books read from: Singing Whales and Flying Squid by Richard Ellis for the Nonfiction challenge here on LT. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin for my real life book discussion group. For fun and mind candy I started French Rhapsody by French author Antoine Laurain. I finished listening to Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman.

Books finished This Weekend: 3 - Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman, Singing Whales and Flying Squid: The Discovery of Marine Life by Richard Ellis and Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon.
Time reading today: 1 hour
Time posting:
Food: breakfast was homemade granola and yogurt. still have to make my coffee for the day.

Thoughts: I went to bed a bit early last night and finished listening to Vincent and Theo before I went to sleep. I was impressed with this book. It was written for a Young Adult audience so it is not the definitive work on Vincent and Theo Van Gogh. It is a biography of their lives as brothers, so it doesn't center on Vincent's art, but rather on art as a way of life for both brothers. The subject of the mental illness in the family is dealt with honestly and openly as is the fact that Theo died from syphilis. YA readers are going to have questions about both the mental illness and the sexually transmitted disease so teachers or parents are probably going to get questions about both and should be prepared to deal with them. This is a good look at the Belle Epoch Parisian art scene. I learned much about the Van Gogh family. For instance, they were middle class and all fo the children in the family received good educations. Vincent Van Gogh was fluent in three languages - Dutch, English, and French. In many ways it was a remarkable family and it is that family life that was centered on in this book. I can understand why this book was highly recognized by the ALA when it came out. It is a sensitive portrait of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother and how that relationship was the defining relationship in Vincent's life.

Non-book activities: talking on the phone this morning.
Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 134
Total read from: 142
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 386 hours since April 2020.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/333028