Sunday Salon ~ a new (to me) readathon

ONCE UPON A READATHON

Once Upon a Readathon is new to me.  Since it starts in a few minutes, I needed to make a quick decision:  to participate or let this one pass.  I decided to go for it, since the 164 people already on the sign-up list all seem to be new to me.  I heard about the readathon by visiting the blog of Julie who commented on my blog earlier today — that's the joy of the book blogging community, that we enrich each other's worlds.  So consider this my readathon post.  Here's a summary from the sign-up page:

Set a goal for yourself to read books beyond the average number of books you read.  There is no minimum.  Read anything you like — any genre, any subject.  Grab the button and post it on your sidebar to spread the word and so you don't forget.  Then, from 12:01 am on July 8th to 11:59 pm on July 10th you read, read, and read some more.  Make sure you do at least one update post, and participate in at least one challenge.

My goal is to read as much as I can from one or more of these books, mentioned elsewhere on my blog:

The Dalai Lama's Cat ~ by David Michie, 2012, fiction (India)
Under Fishbone Clouds ~ by Sam Meekings, 2009, fiction (China)
The Death of Fidel Perez ~ by Elizabeth Huergo, 2013, fiction (Cuba)

Hmm, I see three of these have "travel" destinations.  I'll be visiting India, China, and Cuba in the next few days.  Three days of reading, three books.  Can I complete at least one?

Update:  I've participated in three readathon challenges and written a separate update post.

POSTCARD FROM THE UK

Dear Jen, I got your card today and love the weird thing your customer said.

Customer:  "I need a copy of 'For Room the Belt Holes' for college."
Me:  ...?
Customer:  "It's by Hemingway.  I think it's about losing weight."

Thank you so much for making my day.

Jen Campbell, who works at a bookstore in North London called Ripping Yarns, has published a couple of books about Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops and More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops.  Recently, she offered to send fifty of her readers postcards with either a new weird thing or a bit of her poetry.  As one who once owned a bookshop, I asked for a new weird saying -- and got it.  My card arrived Monday, July 1, and it (as I said above and on Jen's blog) made my day.  She has a YouTube video answering questions about herself.

The Sunday Salon's Facebook page has links to other blogs.