Sunday Summary: Adventures in and out of books

It's a gorgeous Sunday afternoon as I write this. The sweltering heat seems to have died down a little, but if it can stay at this warm sunny level for the next week, I would be most grateful, thank you very much. I've been working long hours at work but now I'm on my summer holiday - hurrah! Tomorrow my friend and I are finally going on a holiday we've been planning for what seems like years: camping by Lake Windermere. I grew up having my mum read me the Swallows and Amazons books by Arthur Ransome, adventure stories for children from the days before health-and-safety, and now we're off to that part of the country for our own adventures - though on a National Trust campsite rather than an island, and we'll have to make do with barbecues because campfires are not allowed. I've been rereading Swallowdale, the second book in the series, in which the children are shipwrecked and have to make do without their beloved boat Swallow, as "research" for the holiday. I've warned Judith to expect me to talk in the language of the books while we're away.

I haven't done much reading lately. Looking back over July it seems I've only read 7 books - usually I manage 8-10 - and three of them were Discworld books. I'm blaming the heat. I'm not one to complain that it's "too hot" - I grumble enough during the winter not to tempt fate that way - but I did find myself lacking in energy or inclination to do very much mentally or physically. I've got a whole list of reviews I still mean to write, but some of them may end up on a combined mini-review post if they're ever to be written.

But Bout of Books 11 is coming up in two weeks' time. My love of books, never very far away, has returned and I mean to make up for lost time. I'm only working three days on the week of the readathon, and if it's still summery weather I expect I'll be doing a lot of my reading in the garden or on the beach. I'll aim for my usual target of 4 books, though I'll decide nearer the time which ones those will be. I'll probably make a shortlist and choose from those.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

- From the Bout of Books team