Dog Days of Summer Wrap-up

Oh, I had such a great time participating in the Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon. It was fun to read along with others, fun to check out some of these
teen "classics" that I've missed along the way, fun to have an excuse to read more! Here's what I read -









My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews - Okay, I have to admit this was entertaining, but seriously? It was a little bit like eating an entire chocolate cake - you know it's a bad idea even while you are doing it. I can see why these novels are popular with teens, though - So. Much. Drama. And for a kid who thinks their life is just THE WORST, reading about someone who has this much crap going on must be comforting. Fun, but I think this will be my first and last by this author.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith - I was pre-disposed to enjoy this because I watched the tv show for a few seasons back when it started, so I had a feeling this would be a fun read. I was pleasantly surprised at how non-annoying I found most of the characters - but is it a vampire-story thing, or just a teen-romance thing, where the girl is in love with the guy after about 2 minutes? Because that's a little troubling. All in all, though, I enjoyed it, and found the next book on audio so am continuing the series.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - this is my favorite of the books I read this weekend. I really appreciate the author's ability to portray each of the girls in a way that feels honest, and also that she didn't try to lessen the importance of their relationships with their families. I am definitely going to read more in the series - this book just made me happy the whole time I was reading it.






Heart to Heart by Lurlene McDaniel - Yep, this is the cover on the book I read. And the main characters' names are Elowyn and Arabeth. It was actually like reading the script for one of those old ABC Afterschool Specials - someone dies, and it serves as a warning to the friends, but ultimately everyone winds up feeling better about themselves. I can absolutely see how teenage girls eat this up.






Now I'm thinking of joining in the Bout of Books, which is another read-a-thon taking place this week. It's just so much fun!

Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon - check in!

Just a quick check-in on my Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon progress - this is fun! I actually started a day early, because I solo parent the twins on weekends, and I knew I would actually have more time to read Friday that either of the two days on the weekend, but I've surprised myself with my ability to sneak in a chapter or two here and there. Here's what I've finished -

 My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews - wow. Just wow. I think I said on Twitter that it was a little bit like a Lifetime movie on steroids - this was a fun read, but I felt a little bit ashamed of myself the whole time.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith - I have to admit to being a fan of this series thanks to the tv show - it was my guilty pleasure a few seasons back - and it was fun to see how the book and the series were both similar and different.








I have also started a couple more -

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by L.J. Smith - I realized my library had this on audio, and thought it would be great for the times this weekend when I actually have to be doing something, like fixing meals, or doing laundry. I'm about 1/3 of the way through.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - I was a fan of the movie, and I'm happy to say I'm enjoying the book as well. I'm about halfway through the novel, and expect I will be done before the day is out.











I've also been checking in on Twitter when I can - it's been fun to see what the my fellow readers have been doing this weekend.

This is the first time I've participated in a read-a-thon as a reader, and I'm loving it. Thanks bunches to the ladies at The Estella Society for hosting this fun event - now back to the books!

The State of the Stacks - Dog Days of Summer Read-a-thon edition

I will be participating in the Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon hosted by the fabulous ladies at the Estella Society, and I thought it might be fun to take a look at the book stack I've prepared for this event.


The purpose of the event is a weekend of reading fun, fluffy books -specifically books you read as a teen. Now, I missed a lot of the typical "teen" fare when I was growing up - too busy reading the Austens and Brontes, so I thought it would be fun to go back and catch up on some of the stuff I missed as a youngster.

So here's what I have on deck -

Witch World by Christopher Pike - I know this author has been around since I was a teen, but I think this is his newest release. Oh well - it will still give me a taste.


The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - I've actually seen this movie, and thought it was cute enough to want to read the book at some point. Now's the time!

Heart to Heart by Lurlene McDaniel - I know I read something by McDaniel growing up - she's the author where someone always dies, right? But I feel like a "teen read" weekend wouldn't be complete without SOMETHING by her.

Looking for Alaska by John Green - so technically NOT from when I was a teen, but since I was only so-so on the one book of his I've read, I wanted to give him another shot.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith - Oh, come on, of course I'm going to read this. The darn tv show is one of my guilty pleasures.

Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume - I honestly don't think I've ever read a Judy Blume novel. Kinda amazing, really.

My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews - because how could I NOT include the queen of the cheesy teen horror novel genre. Also, I've never read anything she's written, so it fits.



Okay friends - what should I read first? I am fairly certain I won't get through all these in one weekend - I do still have 2 year olds to wrangle- so I want opinions on what I definitely shouldn't miss!!

The Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon

What is this, you ask??

"Summer. Sun. Sand. Thunderstorms and humidity. And books. Lots and lots of books.

I don’t know about you, but I miss those dog days of summer when I had nothing to do but stay outside, all day long, in my secret reading places, devouring books by the dozens and listening to horrible 80s music. Christopher Pike. John Saul. The Baby Sitter’s Club. Sweet Valley High. Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo. What? You didn’t have an odd French romance novel phase in YOUR teens? Huh....

...So, here, I humbly introduce The Dog Days of Summer Readathon. A whole weekend devoted to reading. No challenges. No prizes. No cheerleading (unless you feel so inclined). Just a weekend of reading fun, fluffy, nostalgic books."


Yep, I remember those days - I think I checked out 10 books a week from my local library, and had no trouble reading them all. I'm guessing I won't get through 10 books during this read-a-thon, but it sounds like fun to me. I've got a stack of teen angst classics - stuff I've never read, because I was too busy reading Les Miserables the summer before my 8th grade year. I could use a little fluff these days.

Want to join us? Sign up here, or just go ahead and read with no responsibilities, just like in the good old days.....