Of course it started with a conversation. We were chatting about Margaret Atwood’s books – the ones we haven’t read yet and the ones we want to reread – and it quickly became clear that we could spend a year at this. Why not start with a month? So, here is Margaret Atwood Reading Month: November 2018.
Margaret Atwood Reading Month is hosted by Naomi at Consumed by Ink and Marcie at BuriedInPrint and inspired by decades of reading Margaret Atwood’s words: journalism and fiction, poetry and comics.
From November 1, 2018 through November 30, 2018 we’ll be reading Margaret Atwood, and we invite you to join. (On the 18th, Margaret Atwood celebrates her birthday and quietly we’ll be celebrating along with her, by reading her work. That also might be an excellent reason for cake!)
Want to join in the celebration? It’s easy. Just read one thing by Margaret Atwood or one hundred things (well, poems add up). Something. Anything. Printed page or audiobook: whatever tickles your fancy.
Post about it where you love to bookchat and then leave your link to that post in a comment below – here or on Marcie’s site. Either on this page or, as the month unfolds, on one of the event posts yet-to-come. We will curate the content and share at the end of the event.
Looking for more structure? We’re also planning weekly posts on our own sites according to the following themes.
Feel free to join in, either by commenting or creating your own contributions, on:
November 1: Beginnings – Your first Margaret Atwood
November 8: Covers – Remarkable cover images
November 15: Favourites – The ones you love or admire most
November 22: Quotations – “A word after a word after a word is power.” etc. etc.
November 29: Endings – What’s next: another book? A TV adaptation? A speech?
We first discovered Margaret Atwood through her writing, so we do want to make that the core of our reading month celebration. But there are so many platforms for her work now: videos, mini-series, TV series, films, theatre, podcasts, choral works. So once you’ve read something, if you’re inspired to watch/listen/attend something: feel free to share those experiences as well.
Looking for inspiration?
Here is a complete bibliography on the author’s own site:
http://margaretatwood.ca/full-bibliography-2/
Our previous posts on Margaret Atwood: Alias Grace(M); Alias Grace (N); The Circle Game (M); The Door (M); Hag-Seed (M); The Handmaid’s Tale (M); The Heart Goes Last (M); The Heart Goes Last (N); Maddaddam (M); Moral Disorder (N); Negotiating with the Dead (M); Oryx and Crake (M); The Penelopiad (M); Stone Mattress (M); Stone Mattress (N); The Year of the Flood (M)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Atwood
So if you’ve never read one of her books and are looking for a comfortable nook to try? Here’s an opportunity. And if you’ve read them all and are looking for a reason to reread? This could be it. Or if you’re curious about something of hers you’ve never tried (maybe her essays or children’s books)? Why not now.
We’ve got some ideas (of course we do – that’s what started all this in the first place, too many ideas about reading and rereading) but we’re waiting to see how interested you are, and what you’re most interested in reading before we announce what specifically we’ll be reading and discussing for #MARM.
Hope you’ll join! But, if not, we’ll just be over here, reading (and having cake) and reading some more.
PS. If you would like to use a badge to join in the celebration, here are three sizes.
Consumed by Ink 
I’ve had Alias Grace on my TBR too long, so I think I’ll have a go at that:)
Yay! That’s one of my favourites!
Well here it is: my review, I hope I’ve done it justice: https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/11/01/alias-grace-by-margaret-atwood-bookreview/
Exciting! The one I own that I haven’t read is The Edible Woman, so this gives me an excuse to read it next month 🙂
Ooo… Marcie and I were just talking about how we’d like to reread that one. (But, then again, we might have mentioned rereading a few others as well!) I think I read The Edible Woman in my early 20s, which would be about 20 years ago now.
This is my sort of Readathon. I’m a huge admirer of Margaret Atwood. I’ve just completed Alias Grace, but have many others on my shelves. Please consider me in! 😃
Great to hear! 🙂
I’m sure this will be a popular event as there are lots of Margaret Atwood fans out there. She seems to be enjoying a bit of a moment. 🙂
I hope so, Jacqui. I think it’ll be fun!
I’m in…for at least one of her books (of which I’ve read most). Good idea!
So nice to have you! 🙂
I’ve a couple of unread Atwoods in the TBR so I will definitely be joining in!
Hooray!
I’ll follow along in the comments, as, at the moment, I have no idea whether I’ll be able to join in by reading something of hers. What a fun month November is going to be.
There’s a lot going on in November! 🙂
Oh, no! I just announced yesterday day that I’m reading Atwood in October! Oh, well. I’ll have something to add. I’ll have read four of her books by that point: Cat’s Eye and the MaddAddam trilogy.
I think that will work out very nicely. I’m so excited! 🙂
Oh what a lovely idea-and I love that acronym “MARM” haha
I met Atwood once, she was so kind to me even though I was super nervous (I was organizing her event in Calgary) and I rudely hung around her greenroom so she would talk to me. She started commenting on how the decor of the room was very ‘art deco’ and explained that style to me. LOL I cringe with embarrassment when I think about it, but I’m still to honoured to have spent that time with her.
That sounds awesome! 🙂
Oh how exciting! I still have Maddadam to read so I’ll line that up! Brilliant.
Perfect!
Well, okay. I have read quite a bit of Atwood, but I’m sure I can find something I haven’t read yet.
I bet you can! Have you come up with anything yet?
Haven’t looked yet.
I’ve never read Cat’s Eye, which I now plan to read in November. Thanks for the post!
That’s great to hear! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!
I’m jampacked in November but I’ll see if I can find a short story or two – will that be enough to let me have cake??
Of course! Even a poem will get you some cake. Or a quote. 🙂
It’s so exciting to see what people are planning to read; I feel like I change my plan with every comment because each one sounds just perfect!
I have been doing the same thing! 🙂
What a fun idea! I’d definitely like to read more Atwood, but I think my November is probably going to be too consumed with nonfiction to do it this month. I’ll be excited to hear more about her from you and everyone else joining in though!
November is a busy month for bookish events, that’s for sure. Margaret Atwood has written quite a few nonfiction books, for anyone who wants to combine the events! 😉
I love Atwood – but I feel like I’m hoarding them and only reading one new one every few years so I can continue to ration them!
I know what you mean. I’m happy that I can’t remember the ones I read 20 years ago!
I have read only Alias Grace and the Handmaid’s tale of Atwoods. I would love to jump on the theme for the month.
That would be great! Any ideas yet about what you’d like to read?