OH MY GOSH. I HAD ALMOST FINISHED THIS POST AND THEN IT WAS ACCIDENTALLY DELETED AND IT AUTO-SAVED THE DELETED BLOG, SO IT CAN'T BE SAVED. I AM GOING TO RE-WRITE IT, BUT IT PROBABLY WON'T BE AS DETAILED AS BEFORE, BECAUSE I CANNOT BE BOTHERED DOING THAT ALL AGAIN.
Alright, so basically, I had initially explained what a readathon was, gave examples, and explained why I took place in this one. Let me see if I can paraphrase, in the social media book community, a lot of creators will start a readathon which is when a group of people aim to read a certain amount in a particular amount of time. It can be themed, 24 hours, or anything in between. The contemporary-athon is a week long readathon that has challenges you can partake in, that helps you read as many contemporary books as you can in that time. I did not focus on any of the challenged in particular, but was happy to get through around 750 pages/ 1.5 books of diverse literature.
The book that I did not finished was "Crazy Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan. I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie, and I got the ebook for 99 pence a couple of weeks ago, so it was the perfect pick for this readathon. I have always been interested in Asian culture. I went through a phase in high school when I would only watch Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese TV. I was therefore kind of aware of the shenanigans that can take place in the high-class societies of Asia. This was my first time looking at the happenings in Singapore, though, and I found it fascinating. I loved reading about the city itself, the gossip that would slip through the cracks, and how everyone handled the drama. It was like I was reading one of my dramas. That being said, though, I was not a huge fan of so many multiple-perspectives. I got about half way through the book by the end of the readathon and I was still confused about who some of the characters were, and were not emotionally invested in any of them because I hadn't had much time to get to know them and get in their heads. If I had my way, I would have focused on three characters tops: Rachel, Astrid, and Eleanor. I feel like those 3 women would have given the full picture of everything happening and we would feel the emotional blows that they all went through. Right now, I have about 15% of the book left, but if I had to guess, I would say that it will be a 3 star rating.
"I'll Give You the Sun" on the other hand is so far the best book that I have read in 2018. It was the perfect combination of fluffy contemporary and hard-hitting contemporary, and it also handled the multiple POV's perfectly. The reader goes back and forth between Noah and Jude, but also goes back in time during Noah's perspective, so we can see how the twins have changed and what they have experienced in the matter of a few years. Both of the romances (one heterosexual and one homosexual) were so swoon-worthy and well-written. I loved both of the romantic interests and how unique they were, and was so invested in them working. How amazing is it as well, that we get to see diverse romance in a YA novel? I was rooting for both of the main protagonists even though they were flawed as well. I don't think that protagonists should be perfect, I like to see the flaws, but they also had redeeming qualities and reasoning behind their actions which made them relatable and easy to cheer for. The tragedy that happens in the book is handled so well and is very realistic. I have been through what the characters went through, and can say that the emotions felt, especially the anger and guilt, are all real responses to such a tragedy. I think the real reason that I gave this book 5 stars, though, was the fact that when it ended, I had to tell myself multiple times that the characters were not real. By the end of the book, they both felt like my friends and I wanted their happiness so badly that I hurt. Such a beautiful book.
In terms of the actual readathon, I might not have sped through 7 books, but I felt like I read and enjoyed reading so much more this week because I was not forced to try and push through my yearly TBR. It's made me step back and think of a few things- first of all, I don't think I will do a yearly TBR for next year because it's starting to suck the joy out of reading, and second of all I am going to give myself the liberty to read what I want for the rest of this year as well. I would still like to try and tick a few of the books off of my list, but I will go about them on my time and when I am ready for them. Life is too short to be reading books you're not in the mood for. As always, contemporary saves the day!
Thanks for reading!
Have you ever taken part in a readathon?! Let me know!
A.C. Woodruff