The Reading Challenge Group discussion

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Have too many books on your TBR, making it a mess? If you shake it, do leaves of books fall?
If so, this is just what you need!
Starting tonight (March 20) at midnight, and ending March 31 at 11:59 PM, join us for a readathon to help tackle that list!

This has come at a good time, since my goal is to start April with a clean slate, that is, finish all my library books without renewing them.

Lots going on but will try to get as much reading done as possible.

Woo hoo! I needed something to shake up my reading rut!

I definitely need this. My TBR pile is huge since I have a book buying obsession.

Books finished:

I'm in! I could use a boost.

I love the picture at the top, Jenny.

Count me in! I have been slacking lately

Finished
The Witch's Book of Shadows: The Craft, Lore & Magick of the Witch's Grimoire 3/25/17 312 pages
Sanctum 3/25/17 343 pages

Can't sleep. Reading The Last American Vampire.

Reading Kindred and so far I love it!

I have been slacking on my reading. I'm going to give this a go!

Alli, thanks and glad to help you out of your rut Renee! Good luck with your goal Rose!

Thanks. There are so many books-- so little time.

Im game

This seems fun - I'm in too. I've not done a readathon before - does anyone have advice? Is it better to try to read a few shorter books, or is it a chance to tackle something longer than usual?

I stayed up too late last night reading The Seventh Scroll! I'm so close to finishing it, but knew today would be miserable if I kept going. Maybe I'll finish on my lunch break. :)

Trisha, I don't have any recommendations on length since I'm not so worried about how many books I manage to read. I'm more geared towards knocking out something that I've been meaning to read and putting off.

Checking in on the readathon really helps with motivation whatever your goals are. It's up to you!

Thanks, Allison. I like the idea of using the readathon for extra motivation.

Sonia, the ending of Bleak House is very dramatic. Enjoy!

I am so in about this one!!

I always read a bunch of books at the same time, but I am curious as to which one I will finish first. I am enjoying them all.

Rosemarie wrote: "This has come at a good time, since my goal is to start April with a clean slate, that is, finish all my library books without renewing them."

Hi Rosemarie...renewing library books could be my part time job...I will try to finish mine too, but I'm def going to have to return some! ;)

I'm in...currently reading a short series of books by Wanda Brunstetter. Not usually my type of reading, but needed something light & fast. Just finished #3 "The Hope of Spring". It's nice to change it up once in a while. :)

I'm using the readathon to try an get some of the March mini-challenges finished. So far I'm 75% finished with The Last American Vampire for The Ides of March. And about 30% through A Few of the Girls: Stories by Maeve Binchy for Luck of the Irish. Still deciding what to read for March Madness, but Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen is looking interesting.

And I can't wait to start The Other Einstein for Wonen's History theme.

Renee, you must let me know how The Other Einstein is! Good progress everyone! I have read about 45 pages so far... bad me! Haha

I started reading Bleak House this morning, as the readathon was the incentive I needed. To my surprise I'm enjoying it so far, the descriptions of London are fabulous. Despite all the changes since Dickens' time, many of the places are still recognisable. I read on the Tube & in coffee shops so have made a good start. While in London I visited the Dickens Museum too, which was lovely (see www.dickensmuseum.com)

I finished the book I just started yesterday because it such a great book- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. I recommend it to those who haven't read it yet.

Trisha, Bleak House is one of my favourite Dickens novels. Enjoy.

Rosemarie & Sonia - thank you both for your encouragement. It's good to know you like the book.

I'm working on Curried Away I'm hoping to finish it by tomorrow.

More than halfway thru a book I just started Monday night...a light read by Wanda E. Brunstetter "The Pieces of Summer"...enjoying a change of pace. :)

Finally an excuse to finish a series book. Checked out Holiday Grind in December, renewed twice and returned unread to library. On my second checkout and final renewal, so I figured I better tackle it. It will help my Cereal Crunch challenge as well. Nothing like a Christmas mystery in March...but it is snowing here in North Dakota today, so it might as well feel like Christmas.

Probably won't make much of a dent since I have a long list of owned TBR books and a pretty good stack of library TBR books. Maybe I'll do a mixture of both and get at a couple of book from both stacks read.

Every little bit helps to reduce the piles.

Kayleigh, as Rose said everybit helps! I have an owned TBR of around 520 books and a libary one of around 260 LOL. Now that I am done work till Saturday, I'll see what I can get read!

I finished book #2, a reread of The Secret Garden. I loved it.

The Secret Garden :) I love that book!

I'm actually in the middle of a reread of The Secret Garden and a reread of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland

In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox came available from my local library so I snatched it up. The Carol Burnett Show was a true classic. Brilliant and hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip down memory lane through this memoir. I listened to the audiobook, which was read by Carol Burnett, herself, and made use of interview clips from many of the actors involved.

If you haven't seen the show, you should consider tracking down some of the performances. (Maybe they're on YouTube or Netflix.) They're really was a Golden Age of television

I'm always engaging in a Readathon, yet my To Read keeps getting longer and longer.

This week I plan to finish

I read another Animorphs In the Time of Dinosaurs
It was rather interesting, and the whole series is really good. It may have some moments when it is dated, and may be for kids, but it is still really good. There are plenty of moments that are dark.

I like reading kid books but have been meaning to read them for quite a while. Which books should I read first?

Rosemarie wrote: "I like reading kid books but have been meaning to read them for quite a while. Which books should I read first?"
Stuart Little
Charlotte's Web
The Velveteen Rabbit

Three to start

Thank you for that list, Celia. I read those to my kids when they were small-and that was a long time ago, since they are both moms now. I love the story of the Velveteen Rabbit. I left out a word in my posting. It was the word "newer", that is, since my kids grew up.
I think E.B. White is an excellent writer and have read many of his books for adults(collections of essays, articles, etc.) He writes so well.

Rosemarie wrote: "Thank you for that list, Celia. I read those to my kids when they were small-and that was a long time ago, since they are both moms now. I love the story of the Velveteen Rabbit. I left out a word ..."

I am going to the library to pick up When You Give A Mouse A Cookie. I read about it in Voracious, a book about books. I'll let you know how I like it.

Thanks. There are two opinions about the Mouse-Cookie book. I would enjoy hearing what you think of it.

Ah the Mouse series. Its so cute:) If you give a mouse a cookie, if you take a mouse to school and if you give a moose a muffin are the three I remember. I also recomend Henry and Mudge and Mr.Putter and Tabby series

Henry and Mudge rings a bell, but the others are new. I will check to see if the library has them, thanks.

Your welcome Rose! Henry and Mudge is about a six or seven year old boy Henry and his huge mastiff, Mudge, and all the adventures they have. My favorite was Bedtime Thumps.
Mr. Putter and Taby is about an old man and his tabby cat and their day to day life. It is an illustrated chapter book series for advanced elementary readers. Henry and Mudge is for younger elementary readers, just because of the different lengths. The mouse and moose books are kinda like the little old lady who ate a fly- If you give a mouse a cookie he will want ---- and then he'll want -----, and so on to the end. Also younger elementary. I had a preschool at my high school connected to a child development class. I usually did story time with a mouse book, and they found it cute and funny.
Oh, another older elementary author is Dick King Smith. I love love love Three Terrible Trins and The Stray. The Stray will make you cry though. Me and my mom both did on our first read through. I look forward to seeing your thoughts on whatever books you pick up!

Thanks for the info. My grandson is learning to read and books for younger readers have changed a lot since his mom was his age. I read a lot of books for nine and up but don't know that much for the under nines-except for Doctor Seuss and the oldies. I have not any books by Dick King Smith yet.

I second Henry & Mudge, as well as Mr. Putter & Tabby. Cynthia Rylant also writes The Poppleton books, which are hilarious.

And there's always Frog and Toad, who never stop being as awesome as the first time you read them. By Arnold Lobel. :)

The Syd Hoff books are very cute. And the Little Bear books by Minarik are sweet and whimsical.

I think you can find all of the above under the Harper-Collins "I Can Read" label. Plus, they're leveled so you can find some intriguing Non Fiction titles as your grandson's skills get stronger.

(I'll have some recommendations when he's ready for chapter books.)