The Sunday Salon - Read-a-thon and Printz Project

First of all, for those who celebrate it, Happy Easter! For those who don't, I hope you have a happy Sunday anyway.

I can't believe there's less than a week to go for 24 Hour Read-a-thon. I'm not participating as a reader this time (I tried to both read and co-host last time, but I ended up stressing myself out way too much), but hey, that's no excuse not to make a list of recommended books, right? You know how much I love a good list.

So if you're still trying to decide what to read, here are some suggested short books that will (hopefully) keep you hooked. The titles link to my posts on the books, in case you want to find out more:

• Skellig by David Almond (170 pages) - I read this recently, so of course I had to include it. This lovely little book only took me about an hour and a half to read.
  
  
• Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice (94 pages) - another quick and very moving read.
  
  
• Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple (166 pages) - a retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin fairy tale.
  
  
• Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (217 pages) - a bittersweet story about love, identity and loss.
  
  
• Any of the books in the Canongate Myth Series - they're all very quick reads. I especially recommend Dream Angus, Girl Meets Boy, Weight and The Penelopiad.

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - 213 pages of brilliance.
  
  
• Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block (116 pages) - a lovely little verse novel retelling the myth of Cupid and Psyche.
  
  
• Green Angel by Alice Hoffman (116 pages) - a gorgeous post-apocalyptic fairy tale.
  
  
• We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (146 pages) - if you're looking for something creepy and disturbing to keep you awake at night, this is the book for you.
  
  
• Gossamer by Lois Lowry (154 pages) - also has its creepy moments, though in a completely different way. Most of all, a lovely story about dreams and compassion.
  
  
• Zel by Donna Jo Napoli (202 pages) - a very dark retelling of Rapunzel. I couldn't put it down.
  
  
• I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman (179 pages) - and since we're on fairy tale retellings, I haven't plugged this lovely book in a while. No, I can't tell you which fairy tale it retells, because finding out at the end is what makes it so fun!
  
  
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (208 pages) - impossible to put down (and it made me cry).

There. A lot of these are children's or YA books, as in my experience those are perfect for the read-a-thon. You could also argue that it's a better idea to read longer books that keep you engrossed for longer, and you'd have a very valid point. But personally I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I actually finish a book. Another good idea is to have a nice selection of comics or even picture books so you can feast your eyes on some lovely illustrations. This works particularly well in the final hours of the event.

If you're not doing anything next weekend but don't think reading for several hours straight is for you, you should consider joining us as a cheerleader. You only need to commit to an hour or two minimum (of course, if you want to stick around for longer, that'd be great too). The community feeling and the encouragement from other readers are a big, big part of what makes the read-a-thon so special. I promise you'll have fun, and maybe you'll even make some new friends.

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On a different note, if you like YA you might be interested in knowing that Jessica and Suey started the Printz Project, whose goal is to read all the winners (and if you're brave enough, honour books) of the Michael L. Printz Award.

I think I'm feeling brave and/or crazy enough to go for both. Let's see: my total of winners/honor books read is 8. Total of books I loved: 8. Total of books that made my all-time favourites list immediately: 3 (those would be Nation, Tender Morsels and Looking for Alaska).

So yeah, I'm in. And since there's no time limit, there's also no pressure.