I am really sorry, guys, but I am going to have to step out of the event. I’m feeling tired and queasy, so I’m going to focus on getting better. It’s not unlikely that I will do some reading in the process, but it’s no read-a-thon for me this time around. Hopefully I’ll feel better and be better prepared for the next one!

To all those of you who are participating: good luck and have fun!

For the June Read-a-thon, I signed up weeks in advance and spent a lot of time planning what to read, what to eat, how to get home in time for the start of it &c.

This time around, I signed up just a few days before the event, and I didn’t actually discover the date of it until extremely late. This is, of course, because I have been completely out of the book blog loop since the summer. The only reason I discovered it in time is because I found my friend Sam’s book blog and he’s signed up to take part as well. (It’s definitely worth checking out his blog—he reads a lot and he writes great reviews of what he reads.)

I have done some prep work, though. I’ve set up my internet so that I can surf from my bedroom (which is convenient as that’s where I tend to do most of my reading), I’ve bought snacks (and coffee!) to get me through the night and right now I’m about to go make a big batch of fruit salad, so I have something healthy as well, not just the usual crap. ;) I also need to clear some stuff out of my bedroom and go dig up my camera so that I can show you my books and anything else I might feel like.

I have assembled a huge pile of books to choose from. Most of it consists of the old murder mysteries from my grandfather’s house, but there is also some Douglas Coupland, a book by Alan Cumming (yes, the actor) and my Collected Poems of AE Housman, to get me through those patches when I don’t feel like reading much. I also have a couple of volumes of manga, in case I get really tired. They tend to be easier to get through.

I am missing my copy of A Strong and Sudden Thaw a little, though. I lent it to my friend Banquo when she was here this summer and I don’t at all regret that, it’s just that right now I have an incredibly powerful urge to re-read it. I miss David and Callan!

Kick-off in just over an hour. I better go get those last things sorted!

I just signed up for the Read-a-thon which is being held again this weekend. You can read all about it over on Dewey’s blog, and the sign-up page is here (and if you click on the image, you will get to the Read-a-thon FAQ, just in case you don’t know what it’s all about).

I really enjoyed this last time, so I’m looking forward to it a lot, especially since I haven’t really been reading a lot lately. Maybe this will get me back in the saddle, so to speak. Because I haven’t read much lately, I am going to set my goals a lot lower this time around.

Last weekend I visited my grandfather’s house with the rest of my family and ended up coming back home with a bunch of old murder mysteries, mainly British ones. You see, my greatgrandmother was a great reader in general, and of murder mysteries in particular, so there were a bunch of those old books in my grandfather’s bookshelf. He’s moving from a big house to a small apartment, so he really wanted to get rid of stuff. Me? I was only too happy to oblige. ;D

Those murder mysteries are going to be my chief Read-a-thon fare, I feel relatively sure about.