Sunday Salon: Read a Thon Wrap Up Edition

Yesterday I participated in Dewey's 24 Hour Read a Thon - well, I really only ended up participating for about 8 hours. Last week was crazy at work and I was out of town for business meetings and didn't get home until late on Friday night. On Saturday, I had some tax stuff that I could not put off any longer . . . so I ended up not settling down to read until about 3 pm - a full 7 hours into the Read a Thon! For the next Read a Thon, I will definitely prepare better - get a good night's sleep the night before and clear my schedule of all errands and obligations.

Despite my late start, I had a blast! It was such a social experience - from the other readers to the cheerleaders and the hourly updates on the Read a Thon blog, it really felt like a party! I found that once I settled into reading that I hit a rhythm - I would read for about an hour and then check the read a thon blog to see what was going on that hour and if there was a mini-challenge that I wanted to do. I would spend about 15 mins on the blogs including checking in on others and then get back to my book for another hour. I even one a prize later in the evening - a copy of Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter which has been on my wishlist for awhile - yahoo! Prizes aside, I will definitely do the next Read a Thon (and prep better!) and I think I will add a stint as a cheerleader - they made such a difference in my experience - I would definitely like to pay that forward!

What Did I Read?
During the Read A Thon, I only read one book but it was a great one - The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott. I am so glad I had the chance to really immerse myself in this book - I felt as if I was transported to Walpole, MA in the 1800's. In cruising the blogs today, I discovered I was not alone in reading this book for the Read a Thon - Florinda from The 3 Rs Blog and Lisa from Lit and Life also worked it into their plans for the read a thon. I am looking forward to reading their reviews to see if they liked it as much as I did - my review will be up later this week.

After I finished Lost Summer of LMA, I dipped in and out of How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth which is a collection of essays on key elements of life - it is divided into sections on Health, Prosperity, Democracies, Racial Harmony, the Environment and more. The author list is impressive - Barack Obama, Thomas Friedman, Tony Blair, and George Bush to name a few. It was perfect as I grew tired at the end of the night - its not the type of book that I would read in one sitting anyway. I liked what I read from the collection last night (one essay on health and one on prosperity) and I will be reading more soon - I will also feature a longer review of the book.

What is up this week?

I am getting away to sunny Florida at the end of this week for a few days of R&R - yay! I am looking forward to getting some good reading done on the flights and while relaxing by the beach. On the blog I will post reviews of the following books:

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott (I will also be joining the discussion with the author on Wednesday on Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?)

The Season of Second Chances: A Novel (there will also be a giveaway of my ARC)

Alexandra, Gone(my blog tour stop is on Tuesday)

The Smart One and the Pretty One

I hope my fellow read a thon-ers have recovered from the lack of sleep and wish you all a great week ahead!

Read a Thon: Hour 17

By no means have I been reading for 17 hours - I got a late start this morning and then ended up napping in the afternoon. But the last 4 hours or so have been uninterrupted and I realize how much more you enjoy a book when you can really absorb yourself in it!

I am a night person so its no surprise that I am hitting my stride at this late hour but I will likely head to bed after I finish my current read (Lost Summer of LMA) and wake early to try to squeeze in one more. I realize to make the most of the Read A Thon, I really should have done some better advanced planning including getting a really good night of sleep last night and clearing my schedule of annoying errands and chores. Jennifer at the Literate Housewife is hosting a mini-challenge that addresses planning for the Read A Thon - my planning could use some help so I am excited to see what others have done but here was my feeble attempt:

1. What steps did you take to ensure you’d be able to read as much as possible today?

Apparently, not nearly enough! I left some last minute tax stuff to today that I needed to get to the accountant so I lost valuable time finishing that chore. I did make sure I didn't have any other plans so all was not lost!

Of those steps, which proved to be the most beneficial to your day?
I guess not having anything else on the agenda so I could devote myself to reading when I finally settled into it - I am in a rhythm now!

Is there anything you might do differently next time?

Definitely get more rest the week prior to the event!

Late Entry to Read a Thon!

I was looking forward to participating in the Read a Thon but had a tough week at work, had tax stuff to finish and was out of town all week attending meetings . . . but I had a good night's rest and am recharged so I am jumping in to the Read a Thon!



Welcome to the Read a Thon . . .

Where are you reading from today? My apartment in NYC - will likely shuffle between the bed, easy chair and couch

3 facts about me …

1. I am a candy addict
2. I love to travel
3. I have a terrible sense of direction - spin me around and I could get lost!
   

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I don't have a hard number yet - I want to see how this goes. But so far, I have the following on deck

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

Alexandra Gone

Very Valentine

Kiss My Tiara

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? No goals yet - just excited to be part of it and see how I progress

First up - The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott - I have already started this and am loving it!


will check back later . . .

Sunday Salon: April 4, 2010

I am a little late getting to TSS today - it was an absolutely beautiful day here and I spent much of it outside enjoying the lovely weather. After a long walk down to Battery Park City, a friend and I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Friedman's in Chelsea Market. As I sit writing this post, I can feel my hamstrings starting to ache from the walk but it was well worth it!

This was a slow week on my blog . . . work has been insane and I am struggling to find time to read and blog in the midst of it all. This excellent post on controlling the obligations of book blogging so you ensure you can still derive pleasure from reading and blogging really helped me keep it in perspective. Thanks Caribou's Mom!

Here is what did get done this week . . . .

• Review of two books (Watermelon and Anybody Out There?) by Irish author Marian Keyes. This is the final installment of my March series on Irish authors and books.
• For the NY Challenge's March Mini challenge we were asked to write a post that incorporated a woman, NYC and history. I wrote my post on Jackie O and her life in NY.

Have you seen the Spotlight on Bookstores feature on Dawn's blog - She Is Too Fond of Books?

I discovered this feature recently and have found some great local bookstores to check out on my travels. This week Dawn featured a post I wrote on my favorite local bookstore - Housing Works Bookstore Cafe. Check out Dawn's Spotlight on Bookstores feature to find a great bookstore in your neighborhood or in any town you plan to visit soon!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and a great week of reading ahead!

Winner of Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show

I loved "Frank Delaney's Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show" (read my review here) and was pleased to have a copy to offer as a giveaway thanks to Evelyn at Interpersonal Frequency LLC. Without further ado, the winner is:

Sue

Go maire tú an lá (congratulations in gaelic!)

A New York Woman: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

As part of the NYC Challenge hosted at Fizzy Thoughts, we have been asked to feature a post that focuses on "women, New York, and history". I ran that meta-data through my brain and it somehow gave back Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. As I thought it through, however, it actually made a lot of sense - Jackie O is a NY woman with an indelible place in U.S. history. Although she lived in many places throughout her life - Newport, RI; McLean, VA; Washington, DC; France, and Greece, she was born and raised in NY and spent significant portions of her adult life in the city.

The intensely private Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sought refuge in NY following the assassination of her husband, JFK in 1963. I thought this quote from the New York Times offered an interesting perspective on her choice of NYC:

New Yorkers might be considered the most private of all Americans; urban apartment-dwelling grants anonymity to those who seek it. And so she moved to New York in 1964 to an apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue.

Although she fought for her privacy even in NY and was briefly driven out of the city by fears for her children's safety, Jackie returned to NYC and lived in her apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue
until her death in 1994. Jackie built a life for herself and her children in the city - in addition to working at Doubleday as an editor, she became a patron of many charities.

She dedicated her efforts, in particular, to two of her most loved NYC landmarks - Central Park and Grand Central Station. In recognition of her work with Central Park Conservancy, the Central Park Reservoir was renamed the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Overlooked by her 5th Avenue apartment, the reservoir was a frequent jogging destination for Jackie. The reservoir is literally an oasis in the middle of the Park and a favorite spot of mine for a relaxing walk or even an easy jog.


Grand Central Station (or its lesser known, albeit official name - Grand Central Terminal) is a NYC landmark and a destination in and of itself as opposed to merely a terminal that you pass through as you catch a train out of the city. In the late 70's, there were plans to erect a 55 story tower over GCT which would require the demolition of some of the terminal. Along with other city leaders, Jackie fought to preserve the landmark by legally blocking the right to erect the tower. The effort was ultimately successful and Grand Central was beautifully restored in 1994.



By dedicating herself to causes tied so inextricably to NYC, Jackie demonstrated her love for the city and was able to give back to the city that provided refuge for her and her family. Her life in NYC came full circle upon her death when her funeral was held at St. Ignatius Loyola Church - the same church in which she was baptized in 1929.



For further reading on the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, check out America's Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Author Marian Keyes - Skillful Chick Lit

Author Marian Keyes was raised and currently lives in Dublin, Ireland. She has written nine novels, generally in the chick lit genre, and a number of short stories. I really enjoy her novels; although they are chick lit, they often have some deeper themes and are not just fluff. I like my fluff, believe me, but if a book is all fluff it won't hold my interest for long. I enjoy following the outrageous predicaments often faced by her female protagonists while their heart endears them to me. When asked in a Book Reporter.com interview about the Chick Lit genre, Keyes had this to say:

The title [chick lit] is meant to be demeaning, but it's a very important genre. It articulates (or it did in beginning) our post-feminist world, which is all contradiction and the choices inherent in that. Today women are independent --- they have money and jobs, and all are equal in the workplace, except that it's the guys who get promoted. It also articulates our obsession with body image and food, and our anxieties --- career vs. motherhood, career vs. relationships. My generation is the first generation to benefit from what the feminists had done in the '60s and '70s. We believed everything was perfect and that everything was done with feminism. And it articulates our addictions --- exercise, spending too much, etc. Chick Lit uses humor to reflect life back to us. It's a very comforting genre, and it's the first time our generation has had a voice. It's a very important genre for all of those reasons. Yes, my books do fall into this category. Of course, the genre (like any genre) has writers of varying qualities. But the way it sells shows how important it is, how comforting women find it.

Four of Keyes's novels feature the Walsh sisters (Watermelon, Angels, Rachel's Holiday and Anybody Out There)- these novels stand alone but the Walsh sisters do appear in each of the four novels. I have read all four but thought I would feature brief reviews of Watermelon and Anybody Out There since these are her first and last (thus far) novels with the Walsh sisters.

In Watermelon, Keyes introduces us to Claire, the oldest of the five Walsh sisters. Claire thinks she is married to the perfect man until, just hours after the birth of their first child, he announces he is leaving her. Discharged from the maternity ward and carrying all her pregnancy weight (hence the name, Watermelon), Claire seeks refuge with her family in her Dublin childhood home. We are introduced to the Walsh cast of characters including Claire's parents and two of her four sisters and you get a nice taste of what the other books featuring this family will be like but the story is really Claire's. Although Claire's self-deprecating humor makes for a light read, more serious themes are also addressed as Claire faces her decimated self-esteem and discovers the value of being loved for who she really is and not for some ideal she tried to project. This, my first of the Walsh sister books by Marian Keyes, definitely whetted my appetite and I promptly sought out the rest of the Walsh sister novels.

Anybody Out There?, focuses on Claire's sister, Anna. The book opens with Anna at home in the family's Dublin home recuperating from an unspecified injury. The novel then flashes back to Anna's life as a make-up PR exec in NYC and we learn more and more about her life living single in the city. As the flashbacks progress, we also learn of her courtship and ultimately married life in NYC with her husband, Aidan (he noticeably absent from her bedside in Dublin). It clear something catastrophic has happened but the nature of the incident that caused Anna's injuries and the location of her husband, Aidan are not disclosed to the reader and I was truly surprised when everything began to unfold in the last third of the book. This novel elevates chick lit by focusing on the heavy themes of grief and loss while still maintaining her signature humor and light tone. The juxtaposition of grief and humor could fail terribly but this author works with both themes well and the result is an enjoyable but emotional read.

Check out the author's website for more info on her life and a quick look at each of her nine novels. I have her 8th novel, This Charming Man on my shelf and am looking forward to diving into it!
What are your opinions of Chick Lit? Do you deliberately avoid it or are you drawn to it?