By Request: My Dewey’s Readathon Book List

I’ve had a couple of questions about what I’ll be reading during next Saturday-to-Sunday’s Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon.

In order to give myself the best chance of successfully completing the entire event, I’ve built a stack of “to-reads” that’s definitely longer than 24 hours’ worth.  That way, if my interest in something flags, I can pick up something else for a while.  The primary list follows, not necessarily in the order I’ll be reading them.  Quotes come from the back covers or jackets – I’m not writing my own summary copy since I haven’t read them:

The Lost City of Z: a Tale of Deadly Adventure in the Amazon, by David Grann.  “In 1925, legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization located deep in the deadly wilderness.  He never returned. … Journalist David Grann tells the epic story of Fawcett’s quest for this “Lost City of Z” as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century.”  (Nonfiction, 2010 Reprint)

In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Lines with Agents in th Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect, by Ronald Kessler  (Nonfiction, 2010)

Numb, by Sean Ferrell.  “A man with no memory who feels no pain, Numb travels to New York City after a short stint with the circus, following the one and only clue he holds to his hidden history: a brittle, bloodstained business card.”  For more, here’s Ferrell’s website: read his description, I’m thinking he knows what it’s about.   (Fiction, 2010)

My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult.  “Anna was genetically engineered to be a perfect match for her cancer-ridden older sister. Since birth, the 13-year-old has donated platelets, blood, her umbilical cord, and bone marrow as part of her family’s struggle to lengthen Kate’s life. Anna is now being considered as a kidney donor in a last-ditch attempt to save her 16-year-old sister. As this compelling story opens, Anna has hired a lawyer to represent her in a medical emancipation suit to allow her to have control over her own body.” (Quote from Library Review via Amazon) (Fiction, 2005).

Emerald Silk, by (my friend) Janet Lane.  This is part 2 in the Coin Forest Series, and I won’t give spoilers because I’m just finishing Part 1 and I don’t want to spoil them for anyone, but this is the second in a series of historical adventure novels about the Romani (aka Gypsies) set in 15th century England.  I’m looking forward to reading this

I also picked two “ringers” – books I’ve read before and loved, because “if all else fails” I know I can re-read them happily (and will re-read them after the read-a-thon if not during it). They are:

Where the Money Is, by William J. Rehder and Gordon Dillow.  These are the true-life adventures of Bill Rehder, “a 33-year veteran FBI agent” who headed up the bank robbery division of L.A.’s  FBI Bureau.  The book is a very good read, and extremely funny in places – and I’d say that even if I hadn’t known Bill my entire life.  I’ll be reviewing this book on the blog in the coming weeks (with appropriate “hey, I know this guy” disclosures) but take me on faith and read this one anyway.  It rocks – even if I do like my hardback’s cover better than the paperback cover Amazon’s selling now.  (Language warning: it’s real life folks, criminals swear.)

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card.  This one is such a classic in the genre, and such a no-brainer that (a) if you haven’t read it and you claim to like Sci-Fi, it has now been placed at the top of your reading list and (b) even if you don’t like Sci-Fi, it’s on your reading shortlist anyway.

At this point, the hardest part is not reading any of them before the event begins!

What are you reading during the read-a-thon?

6 thoughts on “By Request: My Dewey’s Readathon Book List

  • October 3, 2010 at 5:13 pm
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    Wow! That’s a lot of reading. I’m actually not planning to read in read-a-thon fashion, but I’m comforted, now, knowing you’ll be reading enough for both of us. All the best.

    • October 3, 2010 at 8:55 pm
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      Thanks, Piper!

      I doubt I’ll be reading all of it, myself. I really recommend Bill Rehder’s book if you haven’t read it though. I think it will appeal to your sense of humor and it’s a fast read. I’d recommend it even if I didn’t know him – it’s really a fun book.

  • October 3, 2010 at 8:02 pm
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    LOVE LOVE LOVE Ender’s Game. I even recommend it to those who don’t like science fiction!

    Getting excited for the Read-a-thon!

    • October 3, 2010 at 8:54 pm
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      Me too. The funny thing is, it was recommended to me almost 15 years ago by a friend whose taste in books I didn’t really agree with, so I waited over a year to read it. Boy, was that foolish – it’s one of my all-time favorites.

  • October 4, 2010 at 7:25 am
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    Thanks for the list, Susan! I loved Ender’s Game – once I read it, I wondered why it had taken me so long!

    And let me know what you think of “The Lost City of Z” and “My Sister’s Keeper”–I’ve been thinking of putting them on the TBR list 🙂

    • October 4, 2010 at 10:40 am
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      Glad you stopped by Melody! I’d like to hear what you think of your list too. I’ll definitely be posting reviews of all the ones I enjoy. I try not to post “hated it” reviews, mainly because I find it more useful to see why someone liked a book, and if nobody recommends one I assume the people I would trust either (a) didn’t read it or (b) disliked it and didn’t want to review it. If I see a good review, I know it’s one to buy.

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