When I taught in block courses, I usually started with some sort of activity to get them going or remind them of what had been done on the previous day (3×5 Quiz, is a fav), then do reading and have some sort of activity to wrap up with - it might be writing a journal response, a letter to a character, Think-pair-share about something they read, draw an illustration, etc.

Hope this helps!

Hello, I just came across this post. If I could only be in your shoes!!! I taught HS English in a semester-based block for the past 11 years. This year despite much teacher protest, we are back in the 9 period day. Many of us are ready to commit hari-kari (sp?) over this regressive change. Please don’t give up hope; the block offers a mind-boggling array of ways to instruct, esp. for our discipline. In terms of a novel, I only read key passages in class. But think of a block period as a way to cover a chapter (themes, plot progression, key quotes, character dev. etc.) in one day!
The ability to do a pre, during, and post reading lesson all in one sitting is a beautiful thing, esp in this ADD, multi-tasking world we live in. One can access all four language arts in one class and your students will actually have time to think! . I remember it seeming like a lot of time to fill up, but it just requires us to rethink the way we plan. The ideas in the previous comment are great. If you need more advice, I have trained teachers moving to the block.