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Laurence Djan

September Reading Challenge

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I'm taking on a Reading Challenge in September for Teenage Cancer Trust

This September, I'm taking on my own reading challenge and raising funds to help ensure no young person faces cancer alone. I'm taking on the challenge for Teenage Cancer Trust, the only UK charity who provides specialised nursing care and support for young people with cancer. I'd be grateful for your support.

Your donation, big or small, makes a difference. £25 could pay for an hour with a Youth Support Coordinator to help a young person cope with anxiety and isolation during cancer treatment. 

Thank you!

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

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£600 + £81.01 GiftAid

My Goal

£600

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My Achievements

Fundraising page

Reached 50% of fundraising target

Received First Donation

Updated Profile Pic

Added a Blog Post

Received 5 Donations

Reached Goal

Reached Fitness Target

Increased Target

My Updates

Week four of the September Reading Challenge 🐜

Wednesday 30th Sep
After 6 books and over 1,694 pages read (nearly twice my daily target!), I have completed the September Reading Challenge and raised a whopping £600 through all of your generous donations!

I never fathomed we could raise even a fraction of this amount when I began the challenge. It's so crazy to have been able to have raised so much together through the joys of reading, discovering a variety of books along the way all for a great cause.

I made a start on Her Dark Lies (2021) by J.T. Elisson (a special shoutout to Jane Esgate for being the first donor) but the final completed book of the challenge ended up being Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber (thanks to Ben Weaver's donation!). I can't say the best was saved until last, but I'm glad to have finished it! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8925922108?book_show_action=false 

Your generous donations helped encourage my exploration of a new variety of books I might never have even considered before, and it was a joy to push myself to read the most I've ever read in one month. Here's my ranking from best to worst of the books I completed over this challenge:

-Red dragon Thomas Harris 
-Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Byrn 
-All Systems Red by Martha Wells
-How to start a revolution by Lauren Duca
-Watchmen by Alan Moore
-Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber 

Thanks again so much for your generosity. It's a wonderful opportunity to have been able to make a positive difference just through the joys of reading, especially for such a good cause. 

Week three of the September Reading Challenge 🧜

Tuesday 22nd Sep
Another book crossed off the list, and another 433 pages read marks the penultimate week of the September Reading Challenge!

This week has been trickier as I've been working full time, but I managed to fly through Our Bloody Pearl (2018) by D.N. Byrn (a big thanks to Danielle Brock's donation!) and make a start on Empire of the Ants (1991) Bernard Werber (a big thanks to Ben Weaver's donation too!). Our Bloody Pearl was an enjoyably digestible read with fun characters that was far more compelling than Empire of the Ants is proving to be so far...perhaps my lack of any interest in ants whatsoever might be to blame. Check out my review of Our Bloody Pearl on Goodreads for more of my opinions: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4621654572

I'll try my best to slog through the rest of Empire of the Ants in the final week. Who knows how far I'll get in the final stretch, I might even manage to make a start on Her Dark Lies (2021) by J.T. Ellison! Thank you all so much for helping raise so much for this amazing cause. Let's keep pushing for the final week 🙏

Week two of the September Reading Challenge 🙂🩸🪧

Sunday 13th Sep
2 more books and over 700 pages read  marks a successful completion of Week 2 of the September Reading Challenge!

This week I tackled the colossal Watchmen (1987) by Alan Moore (courtesy of Alice Misik's generous donation 🥰) and How to Start a Revolution (2019) by Lauren Duca (...thanking myself would be a tad odd). I certainly enjoyed the latter more, getting through it in just 2 days and enjoying the accessible approach to such serious political issues. I know Watchmen is incredibly popular, but I fear it just isn't for me... The artwork didn't particularly grab me, and I felt it rambled and preached a bit too much to engage me - which was a shame as I've heard such good things about it! Check out my Goodreads reviews if you want a more elaborated opinion on this week's reads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8912995105
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8921956565

Next week I'll be diving into Our Bloody Pearl (2018) by D.N. Bryn, which I'm really looking forward to. Thanks again to everyone, and keep sharing the word and donating if you can 🫶

Week one of the September Reading Challenge 🀄

Sunday 6th Sep
Just Re(a)d Dragon🀄📖! The first week of the challenge has been a great success as I've read over 500 pages and we've raised even more through donations!

Red Dragon (1981) by Thomas Harris was an incredible read and is already the first (hopefully of many) 5 star book of this challenge. A thrilling read that I could hardly put down and I highly recommend. Check out my Goodreads to see my full review on the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8912047216?book_show_action=false

This week I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and attended a Silent Reading Club for the first time. It was a pleasure to meet new people, talk about books and get a solid hour of reading done. Admittedly, I actually used the time to read more of Burnt Tongues (2014) by Chuck Palahniuk, which isn't part of my reading list for this challenge but is still proving to be a very interesting and intense read.

Next week I'll be tackling Watchmen (1987) by Alan Moore - nearly 3kg and the size of my head, this one will definitely be a hefty read. Looking forward to flying through these books and raising even more for this great cause. Thank you so much to everyone and your generous donations 💓

All Systems Go on the September Reading Challenge 🤖

Tuesday 1st Sep
All Systems Go! Or should I say All System's Red by Martha Wells, the first book I've read this month for the September Reading Challenge 📖🤖. A big thanks to Megan Wintle whose initials and generous donation helped decide this book.  

In honour of everyone blowing my donation targets out of the water before the month even began, it was only right that I used my day off work on the first day of the month to eclipse my daily target of 10-20 pages per day. Reading the eBook on my phone, I read all 160 pages of Martha Wells’ science fiction novella All Systems Red (2017). I quite enjoyed it and found it easier than I had feared as someone who is rather unfamiliar and perhaps a little scared of science fiction. Check out my Goodreads to see my full review on the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8906224344?book_show_action=false

This was actually only meant to be the second or third book I tackled this month, as I was going to start reading the books in order of their popularity on my Instagram poll and then make my way through as many as possible. The frontrunner was Watchmen (1987) by Alan Moore, but whilst I wait for it to become available through my local library the next book will be another eBook: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. 

I’m so excited to read as much as I can for this challenge and raise as much money as we can for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Keep brining your excellent support for this great cause by sharing my page and donating where you can. Much love to all of you and thank you so much again!

Thank you!

Saturday 29th Aug
I've barely been able to keep up with all of your fantastic donations! We've completely smashed the original £150, and I've had to up our target twice in one day 🤯. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far, I'm so excited to start the September Reading Challenge and see just how much we can raise for the Teenage Cancer Trust together! :D

I have been busy curating September's reading list based on the initials of my lovely donors. See if you can find which one matches your name :)
-How to Start a Revolution by Lauren Duca (2019)
-Her Dark Lies by J. T. Ellison (2021)
-When We Were Sisters by Emilie Richards (2016)
-Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (2006)
-Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks (1953)
-Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn (2018)
-Watchmen by Alan Moore (1987)
-Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes (2011)
-If I Had Two Wings by Randall Kenan (2020)
-Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (1981)
-The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora (2019)
-Empire of the Ants by Bernard Weber (1991)
-The One That Got Away: My SAS Mission Behind Enemy Lines by Chris Ryan (1995)
-All Systems Red by Martha Wells (2017)

It might be a tad too ambitious for me to try and read all of those books in a single month, so I'll put it to a vote on my instagram page to prioritise my reading order. 

I'm taking on a Read-a-thon in September for Teenage Cancer Trust

Friday 28th Aug
Hi everyone, my name is Laurence. After impulsively signing up to the September Reading Challenge because of an Instagram advert, my generous friends and family have already helped exceed half of my fundraising goal before the month has even begun 🥳

My goal is to read between 10 to 20 pages of a book each day, with my reading list for September decided by the initials of my wonderful donors. 

Inspired by my favourite book-enjoyer and best friend Ruby, I've been reading more than ever since  October 2025. This September will mark nearly a full year of me returning to the wonderful world of books, and what better way to continue this journey than to raise money for a brilliant cause by raising funds to help ensure no young person faces cancer alone. I'm taking on the challenge for Teenage Cancer Trust, the only UK charity who provides specialised nursing care and support for young people with cancer. I'd be grateful for your support.

Your donation, big or small, makes a difference. £25 could pay for an hour with a Youth Support Coordinator to help a young person cope with anxiety and isolation during cancer treatment. 

Thank you!

Thank you to my Sponsors

£109.25

Archie

Well done. What a noble cause. Keep up the great work.

£55.88

Erika Rocha

Thanks for the opportunity to help support teenagers with cancer.

£55.88

Clarisse Russell

£50

Ms

Great cause, enjoy the reading!

£39.20

Alice Misik

Good luck with the reading goal king!!!

£38.36

Lavin Assad

£37.06

Henry

£28

Anonymous

i was broke last time so here is my donation to push you over :—)

£20

Jane Esgate

Excellent work Larry! 😇

£17.89

Ruby

£17.89

Ben Weaver

£17.89

Megan Wintle

Great cause Laurence good luck!!!!

£17.89

Anonymous

£15

George Bigwood

Go Gary

£12.25

Tasha Howard

🫶🫶🫶 go on Larry

£12.25

Alex E

that's my goat right there!! fuck cancer💗

£12.25

Victor Djan

Well done so proud of you 👍

£12.25

Laurence Djan

£10

Lowri James

good luck finding a book for L.J!

£8.96

Danielle Brock

£6.44

Panki

£5

Anonymous