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My Bedside Book List | National Readathon Day with Casper


I've got yet another book-related post today, I feel like I've been doing a lot of these recently but this time I feel it's more than appropriate coming up to the first ever National Readathon Day in the US which is this Saturday, the 24th January. So I suppose this is post is particularly for the benefit of any American readers but I'm very happy to use any excuse to spend the day reading!

In case you aren't sure, National Readathon Day is a movement started up by Penguin Random House, Goodreads, Mashable and the National Book Foundation in a bid to tackle low literacy rates in the US and encourage a love for reading across the country- a very worthy cause in my opinion! To take part, you can join the National Readathon Day FirstGiving page where you can ask friends or family to donate. Then, on Saturday your goal is to read for four whole hours from 12pm to 4pm in whatever time zone you happen to be in. If you're in the US or Canada, there are also a number of different venues across North America holding Readathon events too. If you want a little bit more info on the ins and outs of Saturday's Readathon, there's a much more comprehensive guide on the Penguin Random House website

To celebrate National Readathon Day, Casper, a New York-based memory foam mattress company are asking readers to share some of the books that are on their nightstands which I thought was a fab idea! They offer free shipping and a 100 night trial period of American-made mattresses and like me, their two favourite things are a comfy bed and a good book!
Anyway, without further ado, the books that are currently on my nightstand:




1//A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks
This is a book my friend, Hilary lent to me a couple of weeks ago which is currently at the top of my night-time reading list. It's actually a series of five short stories which basically all explore different people's lives and their search for meaning and connection. I've just finished the first story in the series and absolutely loved it so I'm really looking forward to reading the rest! 

2//The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I just started this last night and I am absolutely addicted. I think I came across it on Goodreads new releases shortly before it came out, which was only this past week, so I've had my eye on it for a little while. I've heard critics describe it as "the new 'Gone Girl'" and even though I still haven't read 'Gone Girl', I can imagine this book being just as good, if not better, if what I've heard is anything to go by. The story basically begins with a woman who gets the same commuter train to work every morning, one which stops at a signal each day allowing her to watch a young couple going about their daily business in their house backing onto the tracks. Over time she invents a whole life for this couple in her mind, imagining in elaborate detail, every aspect of their lives, until one day she witnesses one shocking event that changes everything. 

3//The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
I think I started this book around New Year and at the start I really liked it, I thought it was really engaging. Basically it's about a man, Harry August, whose mind, after every time he dies, returns back to the start of his life and he continues to live it over and over again. Soon he finds that there are others of his kind who exist within a secret organisation called the Cronus Club. However, I'm about halfway through now and the plot, for me, is beginning to get a little tedious. Nothing much has happened at all over the last several chapters which is quite frustrating as well but I'm just going to keep reading and see what I think of it by the end.

4//Emma by Jane Austen 
Ok, so I've been reading 'Emma' for an embarrassing length of time. I don't even know why, because it's not that I'm not enjoying it. I suppose it's one of those books that gets set aside any time I pick up a serious page-turner. I am really loving this book so far though, I think Emma is a great character. She sort of epitomises "everywoman" in a way and there have been lots of times when I've actually laughed out loud at this book. I'm really looking forward to reading some more of Austen after I eventually finish this.


What books are on your bedside table at the moment?

15 comments

  1. You are reading some great books. I really want to get into some more Sebastian Faulks novels, having only read Birdsong.
    I struggled with The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August but actually found it picked up towards the end, maybe you should persevere!

    Bethan Likes

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    1. This is the first book of his I've read! I'd actually never heard of him before but apparently he's a big name?! Oh really? I'll definitely keep going then! I don't like to judge a book too much before I've finished it xx

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  2. I was really tempted by The Girl on the Train until it was compared to Gone Girl, which I didn't really like. Sounds really enthralling though! xo

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    1. I'm really interested to see how it actually does compare though I can imagine how the comparison could be off-putting to quite a few people! xx

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  3. Great post, I need some new books to read so thank you for sharing this post :) I love your blog and I have followed you with Bloglovin and GFC. If you ever get a chance to check out my blog I would be delighted thanks!

    Camille xo

    www.cococami.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Aw thank you, Camille! Of course I'll check out your blog :) xx

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  4. Emma is my favorite Jane Austen novel! Have you seen the movie Clueless? It's based on Emma--keeping that in mind as I read helped it go a little faster for me. :) (I took a while reading it too, much as I liked it--I think it's hard to read Austen quickly.)

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    1. Hahaha yes!! I've actually been doing this too!! It makes it 10x funnier for me :) I'm glad I'm not the only one who's taken a while to get through it! xxx

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  5. National Readathon Day is such a wonderful initiative! If I'm not up to anything else on Saturday, I'll definitely join in. Great picks, too. The only one I've actually heard of before is Emma (which is one of my favourite books ever), but the others sound so interesting as well.

    xx Mimmi, Muted Mornings

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    1. Absolutely, I agree! My family are coming to visit me on Saturday or else I would definitely have taken part. I'm definitely going to try and get some good reading in at some stage this weekend though! xxx

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  6. While I'm not American, I think I might just take part in this. It's my birthday on Saturday so, I know it may be sad, but this is the perfect way to spend my birthday :-)!
    Sarah x
    http://www.saraheliza.co.uk/

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    1. Uh, that's not sad at all! It's like guilt-free reading cos you're queen of the day :) Have a very happy birthday for Saturday, Sarah!! :) xx

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  7. I'm tempted to get Girl on the Train - it sounds really good! I've yet to read Gone Girl but that is downloaded on my Kindle. Also waiting to be read are Unravelled by Anna Scanlon, The Great Gatsby and I'm halfway through a couple of books - The State We're In by Adele Parks and The Fishing Fleet by Anne DeCourcy. I've just finished (and reviewed on my blog) an incredible book called Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey - a definite must-read recommendation!
    Ginevrella | Lifestyle Blog

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    1. Awh I do love, Gatsby! One of my favourites! I've heard some really good things about 'Elizabeth is Missing', I'm going right over to your blog right now. Excited to hear what you think!! xxx

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  8. I REALLY want to read The Girl On The Train, it seems quite hyped up so I hope it doesn't disappoint! At the moment I have quite a few books to get through, but this is pretty much top of my list!

    Milly // Mini Adventures

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