Reading Rush: And Here Be Seven
So I stumbled across The Reading Rush last night. Apparently this has been going on for years and it's a big deal but I've never heard of it. I guess it's because I read my books quietly without trumpets and drums to announce that I've read a book. Maybe I should do fan fares - it would make things more interesting. In fact walking around with my own theme song like Mary Tyler Moore would be nice. And a laugh track. I want a laugh track. Anyway - It's a week long event from July 22 (that's a Monday) to July 28 (that's a Sunday) where you are given a reading challenge and other challenges because readers like to talk about reading and how wonderful it is and it totally justifies being alone and hiding away during the summer, but still being out there and saying "look at me and see how many books I've read." Readers have split personalities.
I signed up. I don't know if I'll do the challenges. I'm trying to finish editing a book I want to finish before the end of the century and I have a job, but late at night, this looked intriguing. I like making lists and making plans and then not following through.
So here are the challenges and here are my choices and if I complete none of them - it's okay because it was fun preparing for it. Oh, and you can use a book for several challenges, so you don't actually have to read seven books to meet the challenge. All books are subject to change because I can do that if I want to.
1/ Read a book with purple on the cover
From Anna
by Jean Little.
The copy I have has a different cover, but there is purple on it. Purple is tricky. Sometimes it's blue, sometimes it's pink, sometimes it's even a little burgundy. The challenge doesn't specify what kind of purple. And really, when covers are so different from each other how is anyone going to know? So I picked this one for several reasons - It has purple on it. It's fairly short. It has my name as part of the title. I believe this is the first book I read from this author way back when I was a kid - probably because my name is in the title. And...it's written by a Canadian woman so guess who's is going to be the focus today?
2/ Read a book in the same spot the entire time
Four Seasons of Flower Fairies
by Cicely Mary Barker
Barker has paired her charming and beautiful flower fairies with her poetry in this lovely book which is a gathering of four books bound together. It's perfect for a spare moment here and there, or even a nice long sit down read.
3/ Read a book you meant to read last year
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
I started reading this book last year and found it interesting but other things came up and I abandoned it to read other things. So I'll be starting this one over again. Cozy mysteries are my favorite - I even wrote one, and this one stars a 13 year old girl as the detective.
4/ Read an author’s first book
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
by Therese Oneill I just got this book in the mail. It looks like a hoot. She gives lots of information and she talks about the things that we wonder about but are rarely talked about. Like how does a girl go to the bathroom when she's wearing all those clothes?
I found her website too. She just got another book published.
Informative non-fiction in a really funny way.
5/ Read a book with a non-human main character
Ribsy
by Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary is one of my favorte authors. I'm not much for animal stories, but I suspect this one will be fun. I guess I could have picked a book with a vampire, but those tend to be long. The Flower Fairies would have worked for this category too.
6/ Pick a book that has five or more words in the title
The Inn at Eagle Point: A Chesapeake Shores Novel
by Sherryl Woods
I'm sort of cheating at this, but I'm also reading Sweetness and Unmentionable which both fit this category. I've already started the book. I was already reading it when this challenge came out. I'm not a huge romance reader. I like my romance mixed in with other genres, but not as the main focus, however when I learned that there's a Chesapeake Shore series based on these books being filmed in my city and in towns nearby I had to check out these books. And yes, the books I write frequently have romance in them but I wouldn't call them romance books. I label them women's fiction with a healthy dose of humor.
7/ Read and watch a book to movie adaptation
Tuesdays With Morrie
by Mitch Albom
This has been on my to read list for years. Of course I had many to choose from but honestly the reason I chose this is because compared to the others, it's short. When you're fitting in 7 books in one week, that is a priority.
Bonus/ Read 7 books!
Well, we'll see about that. I think before I start this on Monday, I'll clean the house, make sure there's food in the cupboards and fridge, and hide away all my crafting supplies. If I'm spending the week reading and writing, I can't have distractions.
Oh darn, but then there's the job. Sigh. I think I have a varied selection here. Two juvenile books - one humor and one serious, a book of art and poetry, a cozy mystery, a humorous non-fiction history, a romance, and a literary book. I am eclectic that way. So is anyone else up for the challenge?
*****
Today's Canadian Woman is... Jean Little (1932 - )
Jean Little is one of my childhood favorite authors. Born in Taiwan of doctor missionary parents but raised in Canada, she had to navigate the world legally blind. Consequently her books are around children with real problems because she knows what it's like to be on the outside. The book I chose for this challenge is about a girl who is clumsy and discovers it's because she can't see very well.
She's also a professor and a recipient of the Order of Canada. Jean Little Wikipedia
