Day 9: September 9
What did I read?: ハイ☆スピード!
How much did I read?: 8.5 pages - finished chapter 2!
How long did it take me?: 1 hour 54 min
Oh we’re back in serious mode today. Haru, maybe the day you’re not feeling well isn’t the day to take up running. 
Poor sweet Makoto needs a hug again after Haru scared him half to death by falling in the river. Makoto clearly has a habit of holding onto the hem of Haru’s clothes when he’s scared and it hurts me every time. Honestly Rin probably needs a hug, too. Hugs for all my boys, it was a hard day 
I’m actually really surprised (and pleased) with how fast I’m able to read this right now?? Like idk, in the past when I’ve tried to read books it’s felt like a lot more of an effort, but this doesn’t feel nearly as burdensome. There are moments when it almost feels…dare I say…breezy?? I think the fact that the sentences are frequently short or broken up helps a lot. The fact that I adore it probably also helps a lot xD But it’s not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe I built it up too much in my head, from that time years ago when I looked at it and barely knew any Japanese xD
Some good words, in a summary because this post turned into a monster
- 息が弾む (いきがはずむ) - to breathe hard; to pant; to be out of breath
- へばる - to be exhausted; to be worn out (is it weird that I think this looks like its meaning? like, the へ is lying down in exhaustion)
- 封じ込める (ふうじこめる) - to shut in; to confine; to contain
- さり気ない (さりげない) - nonchalant; unconcerned; in a casual manner
- 悴む (かじかむ) - to grow numb with cold (I really like that this is a word)
- 言いよどむ (いいよどむ) - to hesitate to say
- 狼狽える (うろたえる) - to be flustered; to lose one’s presence of mind (look at those flustered-looking kanji)
- 裾 (すそ) - hem (
)
Well I’m super late on the welcome wagon but heck yes, glad to have you join us! 
My two cents on what worked for me last time
What worked really well for me in terms of keeping my streak in the first challenge was to just go with my gut on what I felt like reading that day. When I was tired, I didn’t force myself to read any more than I wanted to. Like others have said, one page? Still counts. I also had a few options for things to read at any given time, things of varying difficulty levels - I had some super easy things that I could go to when I was exhausted, and some more challenging things for days when I had more energy. I think that really helped me keep the habit in the first challenge. No matter what my mood, I always had something that I could look at and go, well, that wouldn’t be so bad to read, or eh, ok, I can read a page of that. Just look at your options and see what feels best that day and do that.
Yesssss
Never forget
For those of you who were not present for the summer reading club, I highly recommend this shark manga if you are looking for something on the lighter side to read. The sharks are cute and fun and I love them. xD sharks