I took part in the SundayYAthon this past weekend over Easter, from Thursday 13th to Monday 17th April. You can find out more about it or read other blog posts about this weekend of reading by clicking the hashtag #SundayYAthon here.
It took me a while to narrow down a reading list that was actually doable, because I had seven books out from the library, two new books that I'd purchased myself and five ARCS to choose from. Eventually I chose four books, because that felt manageable in five days, and I chose a variety of genres. The books I picked were:
- Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame
- History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
- Just One Year by Gayle Forman
- The Selection by Kiera Cass
I'm pleased - and pretty proud - to report that I finished all four books in the five days. I've been reading a huge amount in the last couple of weeks but I was impressed with how much I managed in this time frame as I was also spending time with my family and actually enjoying the Easter celebrations. Also, all of these books are from the library. Here's how I did over the five days:
Day one (Thursday 13th): I went to start The Selection just after midnight, thinking I'd get a headstart as I was still awake and was off work the next day, but I'd just finished It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. It's not a YA book, if you're interested - it deals with domestic violence - but it was absolutely incredible and I literally cried the whole way through the last few chapters. My heart hurt so much but it was so good, definitely a new favourite. However, it was such a deep and impactful book that I couldn't take anything else in. So, I started this first thing in the morning once I'd recovered a bit more and got through the first 100 pages pretty quickly. I then picked it up at various points during the day and read the odd chapter here and there. I then had a long bath and read all but the last few chapters. I finished the last few chapters in bed that night, finishing the whole book in one day, on the first day of the SundayYAthon.
Day two (Friday 14th): I read the majority of Just One Year, a companion books to Just One Day which I read last year. Unfortunately, I found it pretty difficult to get into this one and I found myself putting of reading it, despite knowing that I needed to finish it. I hate not finishing books. I think it's so do with the fact that I've studied two years of creative writing as part of my Open University degree, so I know much much effort and hard work goes into writing and I can't bare the thought of putting that much into something and having people not finish reading it. Anyway, I managed about two-thirds of this book before heading out for an evening with some work friends.
Day three (Saturday 15th): I finished Just One Year in the morning, ready to start History Is All You Left Me straight away. I read the first half of it really quickly, then slowly worked my way through the next few chapters one at a time in between doing jobs around the house. When I went to bed I had less that 100 pages left to read. I considered staying up to finish it but it was already 12:30AM and I needed sleep.
Day four (Sunday 16th): I completed History Is All You Left Me first thing in the morning, whilst eating Easter chocolate for breakfast (Is there any other breakfast option on Easter Sunday?) I then started reading Did I Mention I Need You?, which is the second book in the series after, Did I Mention I Love You? This book was acting as my reward for finishing the other three as this was my most-anticipated read out of the four. I read exactly halfway through this book. I could have read more but I was also spending time with my family as it was Easter Sunday.
Day five (Monday 17th): I had quite a lot to do in terms of prepping to go back to work after two weeks off and just some other general things around the house, but I still made time for reading. I finished Did I Mention I Need You? at about 10PM, right before I went to sleep. Now I need to get my hands on the third book in the series, Did I Mention I Miss You?
Find my reviews for the four books I read, plus many more, over on my GoodReads account. Don't forget to add me as a friend, I love seeing what everyone is reading and sharing thoughts. You can also find bookish stuff over on my YouTube channel, which I started a few months ago.
Total number of books read: 4
Total number of pages read: 1,340
Overall feelings: I'm proud of myself for immersing myself in reading and working my way through some books that have been on my TBR for some time. I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the SundayYAthon and I've met some lovely people who share my passion for reading YA.
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