For August we're going to read and discuss Re:Zero volume 1 and Our Journey to the End of the Ceasing World. You can choose to follow along with both books, or just go with one of the two.

Yen Press has recently released volume 1 of Re:Zero, so you can pick that up either at a bookstore or online (Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Book Depository -- RightStuf). The book is available either as a paperback or in various ebook formats.

Synopsis: Subaru Natsuki was just trying to get to the convenience store but wound up summoned to another world. He encounters the usual things–life-threatening situations, silver haired beauties, cat fairies–you know, normal stuff. All that would be bad enough, but he’s also gained the most inconvenient magical ability of all–time travel, but he’s got to die to use it. How do you repay someone who saved your life when all you can do is die?

As for Our Journey to the End of the Ceasing World (AKA Tabi ni Deyou, Horobiyuku Sekai no Hate Made), you can find an English translation of it here on BakaTsuki. If you'd like to get a Japanese copy of the novel, you can order it online (Amazon.jp -- Books Kinokuniya).

Synopsis: The story revolves around a boy and a girl who travel together through a world that is gradually nearing its end. A mysterious illness has emerged that erases the very existence of everyone who suffers from it. The story does not, however, focus on the tragic aspect of this fairly post-apocalyptic setting, but rather shows the people and events the two travelers come across during their journey.

Re:Zero (volume 1):

August 7th -- discussion for up to chapter 2: “A Struggle Too Late” (page 68). This means you will need to read the prologue and chapter one for the first week’s post.

August 14th -- discussion for up to chapter 5: “Starting Life in Another World” (page 174). So you will be reading chapters 2, 3, and 4 for this week.

August 21st -- discussion for the remainder of the book (chapter 5 and the epilogue, ending on page 228). We will discuss the ending and the book as a whole for this post.

Our Journey to the End of the Ceasing World:

August 7th -- discussion for up to a specific point in the chapter titled “Wings.” You will find a page break marked with a big asterisk (*), the scene beforehand ending with “Before long, the only voice still speaking, the girl’s, slowly faded out and the boy fell into a soft sleep.” On my Kindle, this is page 66 (or location 999, 33% through the book).

August 14th -- discussion for up to the chapter titled “Journey.” On my Kindle, this is page 121 (or location 1847, 61% through the book).

August 21st-- discussion for the rest of the book, ending at page 195 (location 2978).

I will have a reminder in the sidebar for how far to read each week. If you choose to read ahead, that's fine–just be sure to not spoil anything that happens past the assigned reading. (And, obviously, for those of you who have enjoyed anime or manga adaptations, don't spoil anything from those either.)

The discussions will just be in the comments section of the weekly posts I put up. Everyone feel free to share your thoughts on the reading for each week, and to comment on each other's observations. I'll have some questions in the posts that can serve as prompts for discussion, but you don't have to answer any of them.

If anything about the reading program is confusing, you can ask questions here.