Bout of Books 13.0

I can't say that the timing is good - in fact it couldn't really be much worse. My holidays and long weekends are a distant memory.  But I am going to give this my best shot. Who knows, maybe it will motivate me to get the 20 exam papers I have to set, finished before Bout of Books starts (unlikely, but I will cross my fingers.). Perhaps it will encourage me to take a few breaks from setting exam papers and actually relax. Either way, I want to sign up for this. My TBR pile has grown thanks to my retail therapy and the fact that my favourite bookshop is at the entrance to my grocery shop. (I dare you to avoid that level of temptation! Especially when the staff are awesome and know what I like - and keep books aside for me that they know I will LOVE!)

So, what is the plan - besides putting a dent in my TBR pile (apparently one challenge is not enough to get it back down to a reasonable number)?

I will probably start off with the next book in The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Andrew McCall Smith, which is Morality for Beautiful Girls. These books are wonderful. They are also quick to get through, which is of course an added bonus for a readathon. Nothing like feeling accomplished on the first day.

I might then read Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. This is the last book of hers that I have to read. I usually find that books like these go very quickly.

It is tempting to then consider Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman, because it could be nice to read one or two short stories a night and feel like I am still making progress. My other alternative is the Complete Short Stories of Sherlock Holmes, but, shew, that is a massive book. I prefer to leave that one for random reading throughout the year.

Considering my workload, I think that should be more than enough to be getting on with, but just in case I do manage to pull off the biggest miracle of the millennium and finish setting papers before the readathon starts, I will probably set out to put a dent in one of my thicker stand alones (the majority of my books on my TBR pile are over 500 pages.) Or I could try and finish The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton. I mean, I have only been reading it since the beginning of the year - if not longer.

Wish me luck!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team