Sunday 6 January 2013

Readathon begins....

I finally settled on 2 books for the Classics Club Readathon
                           - The Beautiful and Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald (1 because I love the cover and (2) because I recently finished Hemingway's A Moveable Feast and the chapters on Fitzgerald were the most fascinating).
                           - A Good School by Richard Yates (because it was slim!) 

In Sydney the start time is midnight Sunday 6th January.

I know I wont be able to stay up much past midnight...so I ran a bubble bath and started on TBAD a couple of hours ago. The intro (which I only scanned quickly in case it gave away the story) suggested that TBAD was not one of Fitzgerald's best. So my expectations are not high for Anthony or Fitzgerald.


Now I'm just waiting for midnight with a cuppa and the 2 books in hand to see what happens next!

Perhaps it will be like NYE? Waiting, waiting, waiting for nothing much to happen...or waiting with anticipation for the most spectacular fireworks display ever!

While I'm waiting I will answer the questions posted by Allie at the Starting Post.

  1. Snacks and Beverages of Choice: Tea, coffee and later on tonight Bailey's on ice!
  2. Where are you reading from today? I'm reading at home - multiple locations (bed, lounge, back yard, front verandah, bath tub).
  3. What are your goals for the Readathon? see above
  4. What book(s) are you planning on reading? see above
  5. Are you excited? VERY!!!!!
UPDATE #1

8:30am Sunday 6th EST Australia (4:30 pm Saturday 5th EST USA).
I managed to stay awake for an extra hour last night to read some of your early starting posts. In bed I read another chapter before my eyes got too heavy to continue. Page 24/364

"It was a girl in a red negligé, silk surely, drying her hair by the still hot sun of late afternoon".

"The elevated, half a quiet block away, sounded a rumble of drums - and should he lean from his window he could see the train, like an angry eagle, breasting the dark curve at the corner."

I'm now ensconced in front of my computer with my muesli and a cup of Buddha's tears jasmine tea unfurling gracefully. I'm catching up on posts before heading to our local pool to do my morning laps. Today I will take The Beautiful and Damned with me to read as I dry off.

I'm looking forward to a full day of reading.

UPDATE #2

12pm EST Australia (8pm EST USA).
Lots of distractions so far, but I've been thinking about reading all day!

The pool was delicious - it's a 30°C day - the perfect summer's day in fact.

I got distracted by Instagram when I took a photo of my book at the pool...there is now a #classicsclubreadathon tag if anyone else would like to add photos of where they are reading today.

Now I'm back home; the housework is done; the house is quiet...it could be time to get serious about this book.

""Let's walk up the Plaza and have an egg-nog," suggested Anthony. "Do you good. Air'll get the rotten nicotine out of your lungs. Come on - I'll let you talk about your book all the way."'

UPDATE #3

9pm EST Australia (5am EST USA)
Chances are the only ones still awake are those of us in the Southern Hemisphere!

I finally got some solid reading time in this afternoon, but sadly the local news has grabbed my attention tonight. Horrific fires are ravaging Tasmania right now. Hundreds of homes lost, people missing, whole communities devastated. The downside of summers in Australia.

The Beautiful and Damned has been a bit hard to get into - too long in the build up to the wedding I think. But things seem to be racing along now...I may even finish it by midnight!

""A classic," suggested Anthony, "is a successful book that has survived the reaction of the next period or generation. Then it's safe, like a style in architecture or furniture. It's acquired a picturesque dignity to take the place ot its fashion..."''

"'He says unloved women have no biographies - they have histories."" (I was interested to come across this one as it is quoted in the Chanel bio I recently read).


18 comments:

  1. Anonymous6/1/13

    I haven't read either book, but they're both on my list for the future. Happy reading to you! :)

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  2. I hope both books turn out to be the most spectacular fireworks display ever! :D I look forward to hearing what you think of them once you make your way through them.

    Happy reading!

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  3. Hi, I'm a new follower of your blog :)
    I'm reading Fitzgerald today too, but Tender is the Night. I've also read Gatsby, but not The Beautiful and the Damned. Looking forward to seeing what you think!

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  4. Anonymous6/1/13

    Have fun today!

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  5. I read The Beautiful and the Damned years ago, and while it wasn't Gatsby-quality, it wasn't all that bad. I don't have any lingering bad memories of reading it, and I like Fitzgerald in general, so I hope it will be the same for you. I don't know Yates, so I'll be checking back to see if it turns out to be a good one! Have a great day.

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  6. I hope you are enjoying your books so far. Even not-great Fitzgerald is better than so many other things one might read. I love your cup!

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  7. Ooh, I wish I could read in the bath! Unfortunately, my bath tub can barely fit a child. Oh well! Enjoy the luxury!

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  8. Love your choices! I'm a big fan of Fitzgerald and quite like Yates too. Good luck with your read-a-thon.

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  9. Anonymous6/1/13

    You're probably asleep, now, but I hope enjoyed your reading. :)

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  10. Hope it's going well for you if you're still awake!

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  11. Anonymous6/1/13

    Interesting choices that you have made, probably I would try this title on next events.

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  12. What a great way to organise your readathon! Enjoy!

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  13. How's everything going! A Moveable Feast was interesting (Hemingway was always a bit of a jerk to Fitzgerald - personally, I found his homophobia a bit too "the lady doth protest too much", particularly after reading some of his later works, like Garden of Eden and Islands in the Stream). And Beautiful and the Damned is definitely not Fitzgerald's best, but it's not horrendous. Hope you enjoy both your books!

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  14. Hope the reading is going well!

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  15. Wondering how your reading is going? Sounds like two great reads. Love the bubble bath and the Bailey's is pretty cool. Wanna share?

    Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Appreciate it.

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  16. I am jealous that you get to have lovely summer weather when it is snowing outside my window! However, all that procrastination and distraction sums up much of my after-dinner time! So here's to hopefully reading into the wee earlies...

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  17. I absolutely love your coffee mug! So adorable! Book sounds great and like Impossible A said, I am so jealous of your summer weather right now. Icky snow here lol. Happy reading! Maybe I'll join up the next readathon you have. Didn't find out about this one until today.

    Megan @ Megz Madd Readz

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  18. I think The Beautiful and the Damned is largely autobiographical, but I haven't read it myself. For Fitzgerald I highly recommend The Great Gatsby, a masterpiece that only gets better with rereading. I think it's great that you swim every day--I used to do that in a another lifetime!

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