MotherReader

Final stats for MotherReader: Eight young adult books, 2262 pages, and 30 out of 48 hours spent reading or reviewing.

I substituted two books from my alternate pile because one of my original choices was too long to finish and one was too depressing to read. But since the alternates were also books that had been blogged about, they still fit my criteria and thus my goal.

Of the eight books that I read, I can only use one, Happy Kid! at my seventh-grade booktalking session in the fall, though I am on the fence about using M or F? Maybe, we’ll see.

Some books were light, several were funny, a couple were intense, and one was extra edgy. I enjoyed all but one of them. New York City featured in four of the eight books, which I find surprising since it wasn’t planned. Three books were girl books, three books were boy books, and two had a boy/girl pair. Again, unplanned.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, because they were all so different, but if forced to choose I’d pick Happy Kid! because I liked it and I know I can’t wait to recommend it. My second favorite was King Dork, even though I grumbled about it taking forever to read. It was the stupid font size. Those were some densely packed pages.

As for my experience, it was fun — mostly. It was a beautiful weekend here, so I spent a lot of time outside while I read, and that was a treat. I enjoyed most of the books, so that turned out great too. But I suppose I prefer things in moderation. A little reading, a little chatting, a little (very little) cleaning. My husband and kids were wonderful at letting me read, not interupting me, and taking care of themselves for one weekend. They even cleaned up the kitchen. Well, once.

As it turns out, having to read isn't the same as getting to read, which was what I suspected all along. My real goal in this challenge was to push myself just past the point of comfort, past of the point of fun even. I realized that I had reached that place when I was craving the chance to do the dishes. But, no, I had to go read. Again.

Overall, I had a good time and accomplished a lot. I’m excited to see what other bloggers did. I’m just excited that other bloggers played. What a rush! I’ll spend the day checking out the other blogs, and not reading a book. Well, maybe just one.