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 Masterpiece  Excellent  Very good  Good  Just okay  Not for me  Definitely not for me  |
1976 Governor General’s Award
Miraculously, I just finished the first Canadian Reading Challenge when I read the last two books for it during the read-a-thon. Of the 13 books required, I actually read 6 for this challenge in June! Many of them were short, which is why I was able to finish. I’ll be posting a wrap-up post about it when I can sit down and write all the reviews. Meanwhile, I’ve got a partial list going for the second challenge. I’m going for an all female line-up this time, I changed my mind and am just going to the Free Spirit with no more than 2-3 by a single author. Here’s the list so far; I’m sure some will be added to it.
Thanks, John, for hosting again. I’ll probably participate each time until I get my fill of Atwood, Shields, Montgomery, and the many other fantastic female Canadian authors!
1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I fell asleep at 1 am ET for five hours. I thought I was going to make it longer, but I just can’t stay up late any more! 2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Two of the books I read, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood and The Chocolate War by Cormier would be great choices. 3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? The only thing I can think of is to give a little leeway (maybe 3-6 hours) if we choose. For instance, the best times for me would have been 9 am ET to 9 am ET the next day. This would have been 3 hours earlier than everyone else started, but it would have given me 3 more hours of reading time during the readathon. Obviously, we can’t expect you to be there during these pre or extended hours, and we wouldn’t be eligible for mini-challenges or prizes during those hours if we chose a slightly different schedule, but it would give us more reading time if we have other commitments during part of the regular hours of the readathon. It’s not that big a deal if you don’t change it, though. I’ll still participate during the hours that I’m able. 4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Just having it! It’s a fun way to read together and accomplish some much needed reading goals. 5. How many books did you read? I read three complete books and parts of two others. 6. What were the names of the books you read? I completed Bear by Marian Engle, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, and The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. I also read parts of the Bible and parts of Lolita by Nabokov. 7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Bible; also The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood 8. Which did you enjoy least? Bear by Marian Engle and Lolita 9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A 10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I would love to be a reader in the next Read-a-thon. It’s a fun way to knock some books off the TBR pile.
I’m going to have to quit now so I can go to church. I’ve enjoyed participating again and accomplished many of of my reading goals. Can’t wait for the next one! I’ll have to do the end of readathon survey later this afternoon. Stats: Time spent reading: 10 hours
Stats: Time spent reading: 9.5 hours
Before I fell asleep, I read 60 more pages of The Chocolate War in 45 minutes. Total time spent reading: 8.5 hours  |      
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Ummm…..no. No, no, no, no, no. I don’t think I can recommend this title. That this book won the Governor General’s Award flabbergasts me. A librarian and a bear get kinky on a small Canadian island. That’s all you really need to know to realize why I didn’t like this book.
Final Stats:
I just spent half an hour reading the Bible; I read James and I and II Peter for 11 pages.
I finished The Chocolate War, yay! It took about an hour to read the final 83 pages. That’s my third finished book for the 
Well, I just woke up from sleeping for about 5 hours. Right after I said I was going strong, too! I had just eaten something, though, and that can definitely put me out. Plus, I hadn’t really slept much the night before, either, so that didn’t help.