Sunday, October 23, 2011

End of Readathon Meme

  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The last 3 - I had to go to sleep!
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I think mysteries work well. Like last time, I read one by Sue Grafton.
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? List the readers earlier.
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? It was all great.
  5. How many books did you read? 1 finished, 1 almost finished, and another 1/4 done
  6. What were the names of the books you read? 'U' is For Undertow, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and The Hidden Staircase
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? Liked both of my first two a lot
  8. Which did you enjoy least? The Nancy Drew book - but it's still fun
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I wasn't an official cheerleader, but I tried to visit a few blogs every time I posted to mine. I would encourage all participants to do the same.
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Very likely. I'll be a Reader, with a bit of cheering on the side.

Hours 21, 22, 23, 24 and Final Totals

Was only able to read 14 pages and listen to 17 after Hour 20 (2:00 a.m.). I did manage to stay up for 21 hours - that is one hour more than last time. As usual, however, I didn't seem to get as many actual reading hours in as I wanted to (the breaks were too long). Still, I'm happy I read an entire 400 page book and came REALLY close to finishing another.

Final numbers:

Pages: 643
(darn, wanted to beat my 684 total from April - will do it next time!)

Hours: 11hr 30min reading, 1hr 45min listening

Books read: 'U' is for Undertow by Sue Grafton - Finished
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon - 186 pages (almost done)
The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene - 54 pages

Thanks to everybody! See you next time!

Hours 19 and 20

The last 1 1/2 hours has been sllooowww reading because I keep drifting off, and then have to read the same half page again. Have still made some progress, however:

Since last update: 72 pages, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
(I'm really enjoying the book, so that does help)

Running total, pages: 612
Running total, hours: 11hr 15min reading, 1hr 15min listening
Running total, books finished: 1

I really want to finish one more book, but don't know if I'm going to make it. Last R-A-T, I fell asleep for awhile then came back for the last hour, so that may happen again. In any case, the next post will probably be my final wrap-up. Great job, everyone!

Hours 17 and 18

Resorted to listening to Nancy Drew on CD to give my eyes a rest.

Since last update: 37 pages - The Hidden Staircase (I have both the book and CDs so I can keep track of the pages)

Running total, pages: 540
Running total, hours: 9hr 45min reading, 1hr 15min listening
Running total, books finished: 1

It's past midnight and I have not turned into a pumpkin, so I am not giving up!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Hours 14, 15, 16

Oh dear, I must be getting tired. I lost an hour somewhere, as I thought this was the beginning of hour 16, not 17 (had the hours wrong on my last blog post). It's only 10:00 p.m, so I know I've still got some good hours left in me! I just washed my face (a tip from my R-A-T pal, Wendy, I believe) and broke out the Cherry Coke Zero to give me a boost.

Since last update: 100 pages, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

Running total, pages: 503
Running total, hours: 9hr 45 min reading, 30 min listening
Running total, books finished: 1

Mid-Event Meme

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? I just finished my first book! I think I'll start The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time next
2. How many books have you read so far? Sigh...just 1
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? The one I mentioned in #1
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Extra housecleaning, shopping, and laundry so I wouldn't feel guilty!
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Not too many - mostly from the dog.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? No surprises, really. It's fun, as always.
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Publish the participants list a little earlier, so we can visit blogs beforehand.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Read faster! (Just kidding - I accept that I am stuck at my reading speed.)
9. Are you getting tired yet? Nope
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Not really.

Hours 11,12, 13

Finally finished my first book!

Since last update: 121 pages, Finished 'U' is for Undertow

Running total, pages: 403
Running total, hours: 8hr, 15min reading, 30min listening
Running total, # of books: 1

Just had a quick dinner, am going to read a couple of blogs and get right back at it!
Stop by and say hi!

Hours 9 and 10

Can't believe it's been 10 hours already. My, how time flies when you're having fun! My breaks have been too long, but I get caught up looking at blogs. I've only participated in 1 mini-challenge, but am still only up to 5 1/2 hours of reading time. Must get back to it!

Since last update:

46 pages, Still on 'U' is For Undertow

Running total, pages: 282
Running total, hours: 5hr 30 min reading, 30min listening

Hour 9 Book Sentence Mini-Challenge

Hours 7 and 8

Since last update: 62 pages, Still on 'U' is For Undertow

Running total, pages: 236
Running total, hours: 4hr 30min reading, 30min listening

Off to do a mini-challenge and have some overdue lunch!

Hours 5 and 6

Really into my book! Must grab a quick snack and get back to it!

Since last update:

77 pages, 'U' is for Undertow

Running total, pages: 174
Running total, hours: 3hr 15min reading, 30min listening

Hours 3 and 4

The time is going too fast! Not much progress the last 2 hours because of breakfast, blogging, dog walking, etc. However, I did get my current book from the library on CD so I could listen while I walked the dog. Good advance planning or what?!

Since last update:
15 pages listened to, 'U' is For Undertow

Running total, pages: 97
Running total, hours: 1hr 45 min reading,
30 min listening (BOCD)

Hours 1 and 2

Hope everyone is well into a good book!

My first update:

82 pages, 'U' is For Undertow by Sue Grafton

Running total, pages: 82
Running total, hours: 1hr 45min

Time for my 2nd morning cup of tea.

Beginning meme

1)Where are you reading from today? Utah
2)Three random facts about me…
1. I'm not a great sleeper, and often read for an hour in the middle of the night.
2. Asparagus is my favorite vegetable.
3. I love college football, and will be checking scores during the day (no watching games, though!)
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
15, because I'm a mood reader! (I'll be lucky to finish 3!)
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? I just want to read more pages than last time - need to hit at least 800
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Healthy snacks

Read-a-Thon!!!

Ready...set...go!!
Good luck, everyone!
Stop by and say hi!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

R-A-T books!!



I've finally picked my stack. Had a hard time narrowing it down, so I've got 15! I'm a slow reader, but at least I'll have lots to choose from. Here's the list:

Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
Dead Over Heels by Charlaine Harris
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
U is For Undertow by Sue Grafton
The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I may have to add a few others if I don't finish what I'm currently reading by then. Nothing too heavy here, with plenty of mysteries to hold my attention. Probably the "heaviest" one because of the old-fashioned language, is The Dark Frigate, which is part of my quest to Read the Newberry Medal Winners. Eleven more days! Can't wait to give myself permission to read for a whole 24 hours! WOO-HOO!