Women Unbound Reading Challenge

November 1, 2009, to November 30, 2010
Challenge Blog
Co-hosted by Aarti, Care, and Eva
Participants in this challenge are encouraged to read nonfiction and fiction books related to "women’s studies."

According to a Wikipedia entry, women's studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to topics concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. It often includes feminist theory, women's history, women's fiction, women's health, feminist art, feminist psychoanalysis, and the feminist and gender studies-influenced practice of most of the humanities and social sciences.

There are three levels for readers:

• Philogynist: Read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction.


• Bluestocking: Read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction.


• Suffragette: Read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction.

I'm planning to read as a "suffragette." Here are some of the many books I'm considering:

Non-fiction

• 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History: From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the E.R.A.
  by Tonya Bolden


• America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins


• The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence by Rachel Simmons


• Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her
  by Melanie Rehak


• No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women by Estelle Freedman


• Pink Think: Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons
  by Lynn Peril


• Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi


• Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls
  by Mary Pipher


• The Silent Passage by Gail Sheehy


• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

Fiction

• A novel by Margaret Atwood


• A novel by Natsuo Kirino


• The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff


• American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld


• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
  by E. Lockhart


• The Help by Kathryn Stockett


• The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston


• The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg


• Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka


• The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

Subtitled Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch - and me, Ruby Oliver.
Published in 2009. 244 pages.


This is the third Ruby Oliver novel, and I loved it just as much as I did the first two, The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book. Ruby is such a fun character. And isn't that cover just adorable?

I'm happy to hear that a fourth Ruby Oliver book, Real Live Boyfriends, will be out in the fall of 2010. In the meantime, I'm checking out what Ruby has to say in her advice column "Ask Ruby."

2009.67

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Published in 2009. 391 pages.


This sequel to The Hunger Games was everything I hoped for! Because I'd heard that it ends on a cliffhanger, I had considered waiting to read this until closer to the release of the third book in the trilogy. But I decided that Catching Fire would be perfect for the recent 24-Hour Read-a-Thon - and it was!

2009.68

Testimony by Anita Shreve

Published in 2008. 305 pages.


I had a hard time putting this one down, but I sometimes found myself wondering, "So what?" or even, "Who cares?" Ultimately, though, Testimony is a thought-provoking exploration of choices and consequences.

Other book bloggers' reviews of Testimony:
If you have read and reviewed this book, I would love to link your review here. Please leave me a comment or email me your link!

• Joy (October 26, 2008)


• pussreboots (September 30, 2009)

2009.66

Elapsed Time 24:00

Final Report

Time Read: 13:30

Pages Read: 1434. (That's an average of 106 per hour - which was possible only because of the graphic novels I read.)

Books Finished: 5 - The Treasure Map of Boys, Catching Fire, Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero, Blankets, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.

Time Blogged: 7:30

Frame of Mind: I made it to the end! I took an hour-long nap midway through - and I think that was a good move. Reading graphic novels after midnight also helped contribute to my success. Now it's time for some sleep!

Read-a-Thon End-of-Event Survey

Here is my end-of-event survey:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

About halfway through, I was feeling really sleepy. Instead of pushing on, I decided to take an hour-long nap. That made a big difference in my ability to make it to the end.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I read two YA novels and then three graphic novels this time, and I think that that was a good approach.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

This was my fifth time to participate in the Read-a-thon, and I thought it was great!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

The publicity - by word of mouth or otherwise - was very successful, resulting in a large number of participants.

5. How many books did you read?

Five.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero by Charise Mericle Harper. Blankets by Craig Thompson. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I adore the character Ruby Oliver in The Treasurer Map of Boys, which is the third Ruby Oliver book. Catching Fire, the second in The Hunger Games trilogy, is excellent. And, while not what I expected, Blankets is going to stick with me for a long time.

8. Which did you enjoy least?

Neither the most recent Fashion Kitty episode nor the second of the Diary of Wimpy Kid books were particularly outstanding, although I have enjoyed other books in both series.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

Not applicable.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

If at all possible, I will participate in the next read-a-thon! This is one of the few things I do that's just for me. I'd like to be a reader again - but if my schedule is too busy, then I'll be a cheerleader (or some other type of helper).

Elapsed Time 21:00

Progress Report

Time Read: 11:30

Pages Read: 966. (My page rate has increased over the past hour since I switched to graphic novels.)

Books Finished: 3 - The Treasure Map of Boys, Catching Fire, and Fashion Kitty and the Unlikely Hero.

Time Blogged: 6:30

Frame of Mind: Starting on two graphic novels (one for children and one for young adults) has kept my brain from feeling too overloaded. I just may make it through to the end.

Total Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 5.

Additional Food Consumed: Some Teriyaki Beef Jerky. Another Roll of Necco Wafers.

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

"Turn to Page ..."
Hosted by Shel
I would rather read than "arrange an accident" any night!
(From page 23 of Catching Fire.)

Elapsed Time 17:30

Progress Report

Time Read: 8:30

Pages Read: 488. (That's an average of 57 per hour.)

Books Finished: 1. (Hopefully it'll be two before too long!)

Time Blogged: 6:00

Frame of Mind: I'm still feeling pretty good. It's getting late though, and my eyes are starting to feel a bit buggy.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 5.

Food Consumed: One Bowl of Lucky Charms Cereal. One Bowl of Microwave Popcorn. One Roll of Necco Wafers. One Bowl of Steamed Broccoli with Melted Cheese. Some Bean Dip with Tortilla Chips. One Utah Truffles Raspberry Bar. One Plate of Chinese Food (Vegie Lo Mein, Lemon Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and Cream Cheese Wontons). Two S'Mores (prepared by my resident 10yo chef). Another Plate of Chinese Food. A Handful of Swedish Fish.

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

"Honouring Dewey"
Hosted by Eva
I just spent a few minutes reading a post I wrote about Dewey right after her death, as well as looking through my email at some of the messages we exchanged. What an amazing woman she was! And how grateful I am to have rubbed shoulders with her in cyberspace!

(Button courtesy of Bethany.)

Elapsed Time 13:30

Progress Report

Time Read: 6:00

Pages Read: 320. (An average of 53 per hour.)

Books Finished: 1. (The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart.)

Time Blogged: 4:30

Frame of Mind: I'm feeling pretty good right now. My husband has brought some Chinese food home from Sampan - so I'll be snacking on that for the next little while, as I continue reading Catching Fire.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 3.

Food Consumed: One Bowl of Lucky Charms Cereal. One Bowl of Microwave Popcorn. One Roll of Necco Wafers. One Bowl of Steamed Broccoli with Melted Cheese. Some Bean Dip with Tortilla Chips. One Utah Truffles Raspberry Bar. One Plate of Chinese Food (Vegie Lo Mein, Lemon Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and Cream Cheese Wontons).

Read-a-Thon Mid-Event Survey

Now that we're halfway through, we have a survey to complete:

1. What are you reading right now?

I'm on page 76 of Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games. When Catching Fire was released last month, I thought maybe I'd wait to read it until closer to the release of the third book in the trilogy because I've heard it ends with a big cliff-hanger. In preparation for the read-a-thon, however, I decided that Catching Fire would be a perfect choice for today. (It is!)

2. How many books have you read so far?

I have only finished one - the YA novel The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Some quick and easy reads for the second half - as I get more and more sleepy - are the latest in the Fashion Kitty graphic novel series and the two of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series that I haven't yet read.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Fortunately, I didn't have any major commitments already on the calendar when I found out about the read-a-thon. It's been hard to stay completely focused on the read-a-thon today, though. I did end up spending about two hours on some family matters this morning.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Both of my kids are working on school projects today, so they've needed me to answer questions and give suggestions on and off all afternoon. As the night continues, though, things will be more quiet. (Maybe too quiet.)

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

It really has flown by - at least this first half.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

This is my fifth time participating in the read-a-thon, and I've enjoyed it every time!

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

If it were possible - but it's probably not - I'd try to arrange to have my family out of the house for a good part of the day.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

I was very sleepy at the start of Hour 11. I decided to not fight it, so I napped for an hour and I'm doing much better now.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

I decided to again focus mostly on YA books, and I think that's a good approach.