24 in 48 Readathon is Here (Summer 2k16)

24 in 48 IS HERE!!!!

Really excited to join so many other readers for 24 hours of dedicated reading time!

Here's the stack I put together to get me through the weekend (plus, Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey on audio). I've got travel essays, graphic novels, fantasy, a thriller, and a kickass biography. I've even got plans to meet up with some other participants in the Chicago area for a little reading session in the park. Who knows... I might even end up by the pool at some point -- ah! the life!

What will you be reading? Good luck!

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My Favorites of 2015

2015 was big for me in so many ways. I celebrated two years of living in the Chicago area. Networked and made many new friends and collaborators. Saw my photography business start to really take off (2016 is going to be even better). And completed 45 books while doing it all. 45!

I'm still riding the high of surpassing my original goal of 40 and thinking back on all those that really stood out. While many have been saying that 2015 was a stellar year, it really was one of my least favorite years in terms of enjoyable reading as I found I started and abandoned more books than ever before.

Even though many of these are probably on every year-end list, I decided to compile my own top ten for 2015 and share... even if it is a couple weeks late.

Top Ten for 2015

1. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This should be required reading in every high school in the United States. On the most basic level, Coates demonstrates that discrimination based on race has been, and continues to be, an integral part of America's foundation. Raw and heartbreaking and complete truth. 

2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Dystopian tale based in Toronto forcing readers to contemplate life and death in a sobering light.

3. The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

Connected stories from Stalin's USSR to present day Russia. It takes serious skill to successfully build an entire cast of authentic characters who also keep the story alive and moving. Marra did that and more-- I couldn't put it down.

4. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, does it again with her hilarious documentation of her own battles with mental illness to shed light on this very painful and often overlooked disease. Plus, she talks about wearing granny panties as a leotard, so, really, do I need to say more?

5. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

Condensed family history devolving into individual stories after tragedy strikes. Heartbreaking but so worth it. 

6. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

A record of a very interesting marriage, Groff approaches each narrative separately, showing readers that there are always two sides to every story.

7. Euphoria by Lily King

An exploration of anthropology in its infancy (Euphoria is loosely based on the work of Margaret Mead) and the way in which professionals viewed "primitive" peoples around the world at that time. There's also a bit of a love story for those who love some drama.

8. Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg

A fun, and sometimes sad, story of a New York City movie ticket booth worker during the jazz age, and the people in her life. Read it for the atmosphere and Attenberg's Mazie.

9. Liar Temptress Soldier Spy by Karen Abbott

A nonfiction title exploring the role four females spies played during the American Civil War. Readers might be tricked into thinking they're reading fiction with Abbott's gift of engaging prose and the unbelievable tales of daring.

10. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

A family secret comes to light when a stranger takes residence in their small town and begins documenting its history. 

I'm also taking part in the #24in48 Readathon this weekend! Woot woot.

Here's my stack:

What are you reading?

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A Post: Readathon Wrap-Up

I did it! I participated in my first readathon and I'm already looking forward to the next one! Sometimes, and I'm ashamed to admit this, I feel really guilty if I read instead of doing other things, like focusing on my photography business, for example. Since I spend pretty much every night after my 8-to-5 editing, talking and/or meeting with new clients, marketing, and blogging for bethpriddy.com, reading has fallen by the wayside. The readathon gave me an excuse to dedicate every hour that I wasn't working to relax and READ to my heart's content. It was just what I needed.

I didn't finish the entire 24 hours because I did have to photograph an event and my sister-in-law was visiting, but I did complete 9 hours, one book, and a little over three quarters of another. I should note that I finished the second about 30 minutes after my 48 was up, so maybe I can count it? Anyway..

Thoughts

I mentioned that I loved Jane Harris's Gillespie and I (like top 10 books in my life love) and had tried reading this one before without success. Nope, not this time around. Summary: Poor Bessy is wandering the countryside of Edinburgh looking for work when's she suddenly hired on as a house maid to a Mrs. Arabella Reid, an English lady, she takes to be rather eccentric and out of place. Arabella, however, is quite brilliant, but suffers from secrets she keeps closely guarded. In an attempt to understand her mistress, Bessy begins snooping and ultimately uncovers information that leads her to play tricks that don't quite go to plan.

First, I should note that the rough dialogue is a little hard to get past in the beginning, but the authentic voice of a mostly uneducated woman working in the world of service in the 1860s is pretty incredible. Also, Bessy, the lead, is hilarious! I laughed out loud more times than I can count. A lot of reviewers expressed disappointment with the ending, and while it does lack the bang the reader expects, I still gave it five stars on Goodreads because I just really enjoyed being apart of the story. The rural atmosphere and townspeople came alive in the pages, and Bessy entertained me to no end. I recommend this to anyone, but especially those who love historical fiction or Jane Harris. Do it!!

Ranjit Singh is an ex-military Captain trying to make it in his new home in Martha's Vineyard after leaving India disgraced. Working multiple jobs to keep his wife and young daughter fed and housed, Ranjit is offered a position as caretaker to a well-loved senator's summer home on the island. When the Singh family loses heat during the winter, they decide to set up temporary camp in the Senator's home, a decision that will ultimately change their lives forever. Uncovering secrets about the Senator's shady international dealings and his tumultuous relationship with his wife, Ranjit is on a race around the city to save his family and the world.

Let me first say that I read this because NPR said the second in this series was a must-read this summer. I thought that I'd need to read the first in order to read the second and here we are. It was a fast one. Typical thriller material. Would I call it a literary thriller like every review I read before? Absolutely not. It's basically cheesy romance-part- thriller. And then there's the fact that Ranjit's whole family winds up in a detention center with the risk of being deported and all the while he's having sexy time with the Senator's wife. He blabs on and on and on about how he misses his daughter and his wife, but then as the date for deportation looms, he's literally banging this other lady while mentioning his guilt. And when the book concludes... he's flabbergasted that his wife doesn't want to return to America and doesn't want him back (btw, she doesn't even know about the banging activities). So yeah. It just didn't fit the character. At all. It was like forced, uncomfortable sex scenes to mix it up a bit. These issues aside, I did think it was awesome to see a cast of non-white leads in a new thriller. Ranjit is a Punjabi Sikh, the senator and his wife African Americans, with a Caucasian rounding out the cast as a corrupt secretary to the Senator. All and all, I'd say that if you've read other reviews and think you might like it, go for it. It's a quick read and won't break the bank. I gave this a 2.5 on Goodreads.

So.. what are you reading?? 

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My First Readathon!

It feels like it's been a million years since I've had any time to sit down and read. What better way to commit to giving myself a little downtime than signing up for a readathon?! I've always wanted to join in but the timing has never worked out, and while I do actually have to photograph an event for several hours on Saturday, I still have most of the weekend to kick back and get lost in a good one. Ahhhhhh! It's my first readathon and I'M SO EXCITED!!!! I've really missed reading and blogging and all you blogging buddies and just want to jump in on the action.

I went to the library this evening in anticipation and picked up a few titles I'd been eyeing on Goodreads. I'm sure there will be some changes (and technically Dangerous Liaisons doesn't count because I've already started it), but I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far.

Readathon TBR:

Icelander by Dustin Long

I know nothing about this one. I found it while looking for another book and thought it would be appropriate since I'll be visiting Iceland in September. *Shrugs shoulders*

Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky

I found this one in a used bookstore in Chicago but couldn't commit to buying it at the time. I'll admit I'm not familiar with her work, but do know she has an extensive library, so fingers crossed.

The Observations by Jane Harris

I tried this one a couple of years ago and couldn't finish. But then Harris went and wrote one of my all-time favorites, Gillespie and I, so I figured I'd give it another go.

What We've Lost is Nothing by Rachel Louise Snyder

This title is my library's summer reading choice (One Book, One Oak Park). You  know, the whole community chooses a book for the season and then a huge event is held for people to participate and discuss. It's pretty awesome. It also happens to be based in my current home base, Oak Park, IL, so it'll be doubly interesting.

Second Life by S.J. Watson

I enjoyed Before I Go to Sleep (I really liked the movie), so it was added to the list because thrillers are always fast reads. Online sex circles? Ha. Doesn't sound like my cup of tea but I'm giving it a go. The book, not the circles...

The Caretaker by A.X. Ahmad

The second novel in this series made a recent must-read thriller list on NPR, and who am I to argue with that?! So I picked up the first. We'll see.


So... friends, what are you planning on reading?!? Anyone have any must-read historical fiction recommendations that I should add ASAP?!

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