Read-a-Thon for Japan, Pakistan, and other disaster-stricken places

[rachelmanija]

What it is: I will read and write reviews as I go, all day, for a period of up to two days. (Probably non-consecutive.) I can usually read 4-7 books per day, depending on length and complexity.

I apologize for being a flake: As some of you may recall, I attempted to hold a read-a-thon a while back for the floods in Pakistan, but was foiled by getting slammed by so much work that I literally did not have a single day entirely free for the next several months. My schedule is much easier now, but since circumstances may have changed for those who offered, I'd like to just start from scratch and have people re-offer.

How to donate: If you want to participate, please make your non-earmarked donations to Medicins san Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders. They are in Japan, they are in Pakistan, they are in Libya, they are everywhere that help is needed.

ETA: Or, to the Japanese Red Cross, which has a much larger presence in Japan. http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html. Note that donations must be made in yen, so check your exchange rates!

How it works: You offer an amount of money per book read and blogged. You may put a cap on the amount. (ie, "I offer $15/book, with a cap of $150.) If you sponsor me, you may propose a book for me to read. Please give me several options, in case what you suggest is hard to obtain, already blogged, etc.

Click on the "read-a-thon" tag to see the sort of reviews you're likely to get. Please check my author, comic, and manga tags (yes, I'll accept comic and manga requests) to see if I've already reviewed something. Please don't nominate anything extremely long, hard to obtain in the US, or extremely complex and difficult. No restrictions on content or quality.

Dates: It will be on 1-2 of the following days, depending on my availability and the number of my sponsors: March 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, or 31.

I apologize for being a flake, Part II. telophase, I have not forgotten Enemy Glory. It has so far defeated my efforts to get past the first two chapters, but I will prevail! Eventually! Before the end of April! But separately from this.

ETA: If you want to promote this, please feel free!

Note that despite the prevalence of the "nice people don't write negative reviews" meme, I am either not nice or not swayed, and will say exactly what I think. So what I'm offering will not only be entertaining, but may be hard to obtain elsewhere, depending on my honest feelings. Last go round, I did enjoy most of the books I read. And then there was Walpurgis III. Click on my "hilarious satanism" tag for my honest feelings about that.

Comments

[nextian]

I offer $10/book, no cap.

Can I nominate Black Ships, by Jo Graham?

[rachelmanija]

Yes, I just put a hold on it.

[rachelmanija]

Oh, wait. Try another one, in case I don't get it soon - there's only one copy, and I'm # 2 on the hold list.

[ironed_orchid]

$2.50 per book, no cap.

[rachelmanija]

Any suggestions?

[ironed_orchid]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Seanan McGuire's Toby Day series, which starts with Rosemary and Rue.

(Asuming you haven't read and reviewed these before)

[rachelmanija]

I've reviewed Rosemary and Rue already. I think most people liked it way more than I did.

[rachelmanija]

The read-a-thon is complete at 10 books! Click to see links to all reviews.

[thefourthvine]

$5/book, $75 cap.

And I nominate The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex. It's OOP, though, I think, and I have no idea about library holdings, so if you can't get it in the time or have already read it, let me know and I will come up with something else.

[rachelmanija]

I have already read it (though apparently never reviewed it) and liked it very much! But I read it too recently to want to re-read it. Try again?

I also already read Rex's Fat Vampire, which I didn't like as much. Summary: first half was excellent. Second half preachiness took over. After finishing it, I realized that nothing one of the two protagonists did had any affect on the events of the story, and arguable almost nothing the other protagonist did either.

[rachelmanija]

The read-a-thon is complete at 10 books! Click to see links to all reviews.

[cyphomandra]

$10 per book, no cap.

I'd like to nominate a couple of my favourite manga - Banana Fish (Akimi Yoshida) or Kaze Hikaru (Taeko Watanabe). The first is complete at 19 volumes and the second ongoing at 18 volumes, but obviously I am nominating the first volume of either, although I realise this is one of those double-edged approaches...

[rachelmanija]

Done! Thanks, I enjoyed it.

[rachelmanija]

The read-a-thon is complete at 10 books! Click to see links to all reviews.

[cyphomandra]

Great! Have donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Australian branch, as they don't actually have one in NZ).

[oursin]

$10 per book no cap.

[rachelmanija]

The read-a-thon is complete at 10 books! Click to see links to all reviews.

[oursin]

Payment sent off to MSF!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Enemy Glory may be stronger than either of us! If you can make it past the thinly-disguised D&D game, thus beating my record, I will donate $20 to the charity of your choice when you do so, whenever that may be! XD (Er, remind me of this promise as I AM ALSO FLAKY)

P.S. Sorry for filling your inbox with notifications, but new Hap & Leonard novel out today! (http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Red-ebook/dp/B004FYZJXA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1300211444&sr=8-2) Just an FYI, not recommending it for the readathon.

[estara.livejournal.com]

Aww, I guess that won't work retroactively? I just donated yesterday to Medecines sans Frontieres Germany - quite apart from the fact that I'm a regular supporting member.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I don't think I can do this for everyone who did the same, but since you're the first to ask, AND a regular member, go ahead and nominate.

[estara.livejournal.com]

Thanks for making an exception (not that I would take my 100 Euros back if you hadn't made one :P XD). Are ebook-only nominations okay or should it be print-available only?

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

E-book is OK if it's available in Kindle format on Amazon.

[estara.livejournal.com]

My nominations ( I'd be happy if you read even one) with my favourites from the top down:

Katherine Eliska Kimbriel - Fires of Nuala

Martha Wells - Wheel of the Infinite

Sharon Lee - Carousel Tides

Diane Duane - The Door into Fire (you never reviewed that, at least not tagged)

[slrose.livejournal.com]

The Sharon Lee may not be available on Amazon, but is available in multiple formats (including Kindle) at Baen.

[estara.livejournal.com]

Indeed, also Fires of Nuala is not just on Kindle but at BVC and probably cheaper there.
Diane Duane sells Door into Fire from her site and from Smashwords at least.
The only book that may be available print-only is Wheel of the Infinite, but it might be available in a library.

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

I will pledge $20/book.

As for suggestions:

Shadow Speaker, assuming you haven't read it yet (I suggested it for the first try).

The Witches of Karres, which chomiji suggested then and I happen to know you have a copy of.

Redemption in Indigo, assuming you haven't read that yet either. It's interesting and short.

I guarantee all of these are better than Walpurgis III, although they may not make for better posts. :)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Here you go!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

The Witches of Karres.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

That's the best kind of Satanism!

[erinlin.livejournal.com]

I will donate $5 per book, with a cap of $50.

My number one request: "Fallen" by Lauren Kate

butif you can't do that one:

-"Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs

- Any volume of "Mermaid Saga" by Rumiko Takahashi (and I would be willing to let you borrow my copy, if you wish)

- "Rosemary and Rue" by Seanan McGuire

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Fallen. If this is your favorite book ever, I am going to feel very guilty. ;)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I've actually reviewed Rosemary and Rue already. I think most people liked it way more than I did.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

The read-a-thon is complete at 10 books! Click to see links to all reviews.

[ejmam.livejournal.com]

I will pledge $10/book, with an additional $5 for each book you review that goes on my TBR list as a result of your review.

Please note that negative reviews are good for this, as often I'm in the mood for awfulness. I made sure to credit you when people saw me reading Anne Bishop, for example.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good offer!

[ejmam.livejournal.com]

$115 sent to DWB. I think they are the charity that has gotten the most money from me over my lifetime (before this donation, I mean). They do good work.

[slrose.livejournal.com]

$10 per book.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

The read-a-thon is complete at 10 books! Click to see links to all reviews.

[chomiji]

$5 per book, cap of $50, and I'd love for you to read Witches of Karres.

;-)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

The Witches of Karres.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

The read-a-thon is complete at 10 books! Click to see links to all reviews.

[chomiji]

I have done the donation biz ... do you want a screen cap or their acknowledgment, the way the help_japan folks did?

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I trust you. ;)

[nextian.livejournal.com]

Donation complete! I didn't get an emailed receipt, but I can scan in the mailed one if you like.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

That's OK, I trust you.