Summer of #BlumeALong: Sign Ups

GUYS. I admitted on Twitter today that I have somehow reached my 28th year of life without ever reading anything by Judy Blume, and apparently I am not alone. Also, those avid readers who grew up with Judy Blume are an excited lot eager to re-read. SO. The #BlumeALong was born (credit to Shaina for the hashtag) and then the Summer of #BlumeALong (credit to Katie for suggesting a second novel).

Because it's summer, and this is slightly last minute, and people have vacations and other reading events and whatnot going on, I'm envisioning a pretty laid-back schedule:

Kick-off: June 15th

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret: June 26th

Summer Sisters: July 17th

That's two weeks to read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (my copy weighs in at 192 pages) and three weeks to read Summer Sisters (399 pages), if you stagger them.

If you'd like to join us for one or both of these books, sign ups are below! (If you don't have a blog or don't want to blog about the books, but still want to read along, just link to whatever social channel you'd prefer for updates--you can always leave your thoughts on the book in the comments section of the book posts on the 26th and 17th. Or not. It's just for fun.)

Am I missing anything?

Let's Blume Along!

28 comments

Katie McD @ Bookish TendenciesJune 4, 2015 at 8:32 AM
I'm SO IN, and so excited to re-read some Judy! She was integral to my growing up, and it's going to be SO FUN experiencing it with ya'll who haven't read it! I'm going to have to try and dig out my battered copies of both books!!!
Kerry MJune 4, 2015 at 9:01 AM
I'm so glad you're in! I really love in classic readalongs when we can get a mix of new and re-readers. I can't wait!
tanya (52 books or bust)June 4, 2015 at 9:07 AM
Amazing. But my BlumeAlong may include Blubber. And in a related note, this weekend I have a special Judy Blume post planned ...
Kerry MJune 4, 2015 at 9:51 AM
No rules! BlumeAlong is just for fun. Read Blubber! Read the new Blume! Read all the Blume!

Will stay tuned for your Blume post this weekend. ;-)
Leah @ Books Speak VolumesJune 4, 2015 at 9:57 AM
Yay, I'm so excited! I'm not sure how I managed to never read her, oh wait it's probably because I had an oddly specific wheelhouse of Harry Potter and mysteries involving horses at the age I should have been reading Judy Blume.
Kerry MJune 4, 2015 at 9:59 AM
Wait, mysteries involving horses? What books are these?

(I was obsessively focused on Brian Jacque's Redwall series, so no judgement.)
shainareadsJune 4, 2015 at 10:31 AM
Oh yes!

I *think* I'm in for both... need to double-check that my library has Summer Sisters in stock!
Kerry MJune 4, 2015 at 10:38 AM
Huzzah! Even just one would be fun. Though I can't imagine a library wouldn't have Summer Sisters in circ?
shainareadsJune 4, 2015 at 10:47 AM
My library occasionally surprises me by not having certain things, but I've since checked and confirmed that I'm good to go for both! :)
Leah @ Books Speak VolumesJune 4, 2015 at 12:55 PM
Oh gosh, I'm going to have to do some research to try to remember. I was really into horses (I was pretty serious about horseback riding from ages 9 - 21, until I didn't have the time or money to do it anymore), and I was a strangely picky reader. I liked mysteries, and I liked horses, so I read books that combined the two? The only one I can remember was Shadow Horse by Alison Hart (which was about a foster girl who rescues this sickly horse from auction, nurses him to health, and then his TRUE IDENTITY comes out and there is much danger), but there were more! And then there were the Saddle Club and Thoroughbred series, which were about horses but WEREN'T mysteries.
Whynott BlogJune 4, 2015 at 1:38 PM
Totally in! I think these will provide me a nice respite from the two behemoths I'm tackling this summer (ANNA KARENINA and A LITTLE LIFE). So excited for this! Already ordered my copy of ARE YOU THERE GOD from Powell's! :D
ebookclassicsJune 4, 2015 at 3:48 PM
I'm juggling a few books right now, but heck I think I'm going to jump into Blume Along anyway!
mariahelenaJune 4, 2015 at 6:57 PM
I really shouldn't add any books to my summer pile, but I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't read any of her books either, so I'll Blume Along.
Jennifer HartlingJune 5, 2015 at 7:19 AM
This makes me ridiculously happy :D
EmilyJune 5, 2015 at 8:35 AM
This is so very awesome. I've read both titles, and have re-read AYTGIMM again as an adult, a few times I think. I believe I've only read Summer Sisters once, in High School I think.

As much as I want to jump right in, I'm going to have to ponder if it's feasible for me. I've committed to reading Anna Karenina this summer with my friend, and we're starting up next week. I'm also going to be traveling during the Margaret discussion. I might just informally participate - cheering you guys on and joining in the convo when I can!
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 11:24 AM
DO IT! No rules, fun books, great group!
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 11:24 AM
Phew, those are some biiiiig books. I've heard good things about A Little Life, though I suspect you're correct that you'll need respite from that (and AK, which I love, but is long and dense and not always the most uplifting of tales).
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 11:24 AM
I know the feeling on more books, but Judy Blume! We can all correct this oversight together. So glad you're joining!
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 11:25 AM
Yay! It's so fun to see the excitement from so many people.
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 11:26 AM
That's two commenters committed to reading Anna Karenina this summer! (Have you read it? I think reading with a friend is the right way to go about it--that's how I tackled it, and I ended up really enjoying it except for that one section on farm theory.) Glad to have you following along even if you can't add more to the summer reading list!
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 11:45 AM
Awesome! I didn't know you were into horseback riding. Horses (and people who know things about horses) are always so impressive to me (I've only been on a horse once or twice in my entire life). I had no idea there was a whole world of horse mysteries, but TRUE IDENTITIES and MUCH DANGER sounds like something I would have read. After I finished Black Beauty, of course, which I loved growing up.
BrieJune 5, 2015 at 1:19 PM
Ha! This is great! I actually just read Summer Sisters for the first time a few summers ago :) Looking forward to seeing what you think of it…it was an interesting read to say the least, haha!
TrishJune 5, 2015 at 4:06 PM
Yessssssss. Now I can finally stop saying "I can't believe I've never read Are You There God"
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 4:06 PM
I'm looking forward to it! I have no idea what to expect, which is generally how I like to approach books (though it's rarely possible).
Kerry MJune 5, 2015 at 4:07 PM
So glad you're joining! I can't wait!
EmilyJune 6, 2015 at 7:44 AM
Nope! This is my first time reading Ms. Karenina. I'm excited to read it, finally!

I'll enjoy keeping updated on the #BlumeALong - I'm super curious to hear more about the old vs modern editions and what they changed. I've always read my old, original copy. The period accessories described greatly confused me when I was a teen (a belt?!). I can get why they'd change things, but I also kind of like the history in the original.
Elle @ Erratic Project JunkieJune 27, 2015 at 4:44 PM
Alrighty...I'm joining in late. You've convinced me. I'll be tagging along for Summer Sisters so it can FINALLY move off of my TBR.
Rory O'ConnorJuly 10, 2015 at 10:34 PM
So I didn't know if I'd be able to join, but I did manage to finish Margaret. Yay!

Thanks for stopping by!