Dewey's Readathon - Opening Survey

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I am reading in Denver, CO

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?I am most looking forward to reading Asking for It by Louise O'Neill

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?I am most looking forward to enjoying some aromatic Good Earth tea while I settle in to read.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!I am a public librarian and former classroom teacher. I am also a Christian Friend(Quaker) and a labyrinth walker.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? This is my first working readathon. In past years I've had the day off from work. I  was able to read for the full 24 hours, or until I fell asleep. Today, I have 3 books in my TBR pile, and I know I probably won't finish them. Also different is that I only plan to read YA books. I am participating in the YALSA Hub Challenge, so today is a 2 birds 1 stone kind of deal.

2014 Hub Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

I participated in YALSA's 2014 Hub Reading Challenge. You can read about the challenge here. The objective of the challenge is to read/listen to 25 books from the  list of eligible titles. I completed this challenge for the first time last year because 1. I like challenges and 2. I am on a YA literature reading binge. This year I completed the challenge because last year was fun and because I liked discovering books that I normally wouldn't have read. The audio of Monstrous Beauty last year was a fantabulous discovery.

I finished the challenge earlier this week, and was able to complete my own personal mini-challenge by reading at least 1 book from each award category along with all of the great graphic novels. 

My 2014 Hub Reading Challenge Favorites:

1. All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry
2. Beautiful Music For Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
3. Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang
4. Dodger by Terry Pratchett
5. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
6. Lexicon by Max Barry
7. Will & Whit by Laura Lee Gulledge

Goals for next year:

• Finish the challenge.

• Read at least 1 book from each award category and all of the amazing audio books. (Graphic novels and audio books are difficult for me so I use the challenge for motivation.)

• Make the challenge more of a social experience by sharing progress updates on social media.

Truth in Fiction - Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

It seemed like life was a sort of narrowing tunnel. Right when you were born, the tunnel was huge. You could be anything. Then, like, the absolute second after you were born, the tunnel narrowed down to about half that size... Then you started to grow up and everything you did closed the tunnel in some more. -  June p. 254

Maybe you had to be dying to finally get to do what you wanted... Then I had this thought: What if it was enough to realize that you would die someday, that none of this would go on forever? Would that be enough?  June - p. 255

I knew the way lost hopes could be dangerous, how they could turn a person into someone they never thought they'd be. - June p.322

*I needed to know that my mother understood that her hand was in this too. That all the jealousy and envy and shame we carried was our own kind of sickness. As much a disease as Toby and Finn's AIDS. - June p. 349

* emphasis mine

Truth in Fiction - A Flight of Angels by Rebecca Guay

The Rabbi was concerned for he knew that foolishness and fear are like tinder and matches, and wickedness the flame they produce.

Truth in Fiction - Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert

Still, I suppose a hunger improperly satisfied is better than starving. - Teacher to Annie

You are often solitary, and sometimes lonely, I know. But you did not create yourself. No one does. - Dr. Anagnos to Annie