Hour 24

It's over!  Another great Read-a-Thon (and I even came back for Hour 24)!

Since last update:

Bleachers - 42 pgs

Final total, pages:  517
Final total, hours:  10hr, 15min

Books read:  V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton - Finished
                    Bleachers by John Grisham  - 72 pages
                   The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene  - 10 pages

I would like to have read more pages and hours, but I'm pretty happy considering I got very little sleep the night before.  I'll do better next time.  Most importantly, I had lots of fun!

End-of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? That would have to be Hour 20 1/2 to Hour 23 - I slept!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Mysteries work well for me, because they hold my interest. 
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? It was cool that we entered the books we read into a Database, but I didn't understand how we could actually see the list.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? It was all good!
5. How many books did you read? 1 and part of 2 others
6. What were the names of the books you read?  V is for Vengeance, Bleachers (partial) and The Bungalow Mystery (partial)
7. Which book did you enjoy most? V is for Vengeance
8. Which did you enjoy least?  I'm halfway through Bleachers - it's o.k, but I'm not loving it
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Nope
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.  Mostly a reader, but also some cheering.

Would like to give a shout-out to my loyal Read-a-Thon buddies:

Laura @Please Pardon the Interruption
Wendy @Wall-to-Wall Books
Ashley Amanda @Fictionista

It was great fun hanging out with all of you.  See you in April, 2013!!

Hours 20, 21, 22, and 23

O.K, I admit it - had a nap.  But I'm back for the last hour!!

Since last update:

Bleachers by John Grisham - 28 pgs
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene - 10 pgs  (Yes, it's Nancy Drew!)

Running total, pages:  475
Running total, hours:  9hr, 45min
Total books:  1 +

Hours 18 and 19

Oh, man, I just finished my first book, but the last 20 pages was rough going.  I may have to nap a little, but hopefully I'll be back in a few hours.

Since last update:

V is for Vengeance - 69 pages   Finished!!

Running total, pages:  437
Running total, hours:  9hr, 15min
Total books:  1

Hours 16 and 17

Oh, I'm getting sleepy!!  Maybe I can get a bit of a second wind here.  I had a cup of tea an hour ago, but it's not really helping.  It's early to be breaking out my Coke Cherry Zero, but I may not have a choice. I want to at least finish my one book before I give in for a nap (even if I do sleep for a bit, I think I'll be back).

Since last update:

V is for Vengeance (yes, still!) - 56 pages

Running total, pages:  368
Running total, hours: 7hr, 45min

Hours 13, 14, and 15

Still at it, and still on my FIRST book, but I am enjoying it, and I am going to finish it and move on to other stuff!  I got almost no sleep last night, but I'm doing o.k. at the moment.  If I disappear for a bit at some point, I will most likely be back.  I don't tend to sleep (I know - I said the dreaded word!) for very long stretches of time.  Hope most of you are still hanging in there!

Since last update:

V is for Vengeance - 68 pgs

Running total, pages:  312
Running total, hours:  6hr, 45min

Think I'll go check out the current mini-challenge.

Hours 11 and 12

Half over! No - I don't want it to be!!

Still having more interruptions than I want, but I'll keep plugging along because it's so much FUN!

Since last update:

V is for Vengeance - 52 pgs.

Running total, pages:  244
Running total, hours:  5hr 15min

I had a big stack of books prepared because I thought I'd be skipping around, but I'm into this one and want to see what happens. 

Hours 9 and 10

This will be a quickie post.  No breaks for awhile - I'm going to try to focus for a couple of hours.

Since last update:

V is for Vengeance - 32 pgs

Running total, pages:  192
Running total, hours:  4hr

Hours 7 and 8

I can't believe the RAT is 1/3 over.  I fear my reading pace will grow more sluggish as the day wanes.  I will hang in there as long as I possibly can, however.  Listen to me! It's only 2:00 in the afternoon!  Perk up!  Perk up!  May be time for that 3rd cup of tea.

Since last update:

V is for Vengeance - 68 pgs

Running total, pages:  160
Running total, hours:  3hr 15min

My goal is to finish this book (I am enjoying it) and read a bit of a few others.

Hours 5 and 6

Must get that page count up! Too much time piddling around with non-RAT stuff.

Since last update:

V is for Vengeance - 26 pgs

Running total, pages:   92
Running total, hours:  2hr

Hours 3 and 4

My first reading update:

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton - 66 pages
Hours:   1hr 30min

Time for my 2nd cup of tea. 

Hours 1 and 2

Aaaarrgggh!  So much for my good night's sleep before the Read-a-Thon.  I am just barely coming to life 2 hours into this thing, after being up for 3 hours during the night baling water out of a window well and trying to get the &*@# sump pump working. 

My opening Meme:

Introductory Questionnaire

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Utah
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Probably V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?  Hmmm.  I'm looking forward to my Take-N-Bake veggie pizza for dinner.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!  I have two daughters away at college, and work part-time at home for my hubby.  Said hubby travels a lot, so I have a fair amount of reading time.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?  I was hoping to cheer a little more this time, but since I'm getting a late start, that may not happen. 

Must grab my cup of tea and get started READING now!

Ready to Go!

I've got my meals and snacks all planned for tomorrow.  Egg-white omelette for breakfast (which I made tonight for re-heating in the microwave), salad for lunch, pizza for dinner.  Snacks include veggies, fruit, trail mix, cheese and crackers, and possibly a bagel.  No sugar because that ends up making me sleepy.  Drinks will be water, tea (probably lots), and my traditional Coke Cherry Zero for sometime past midnight.

Here's my reading companion  (trying out the clothes basket was entirely her idea - she does have a proper bed!):

Now I just have to hope for a good night's sleep, as I start bright and early at 6:00 a.m. MST.  Good luck, everyone! 

Read-a-Thon Preparation

I'm getting my books ready today, as I'll be busier during the week.  Here's the stack (I'm a fairly slow reader, but like to have a lot of variety to choose from):

I'm noticing a pattern in my RAT book selection (this will be my 5th Read-a-Thon).  If there is a Sue Grafton Alphabet Mystery I haven't read, I add that because I find them engrossing.  I also have a Nancy Drew for the wee hours when it's hard to focus.  In addition, I like to have a book of short stories or essays for short-attention span needs. This time, it's "My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space", a book of essays I chose in honor of just sending my youngest child off to college!  I also have a couple of Newberry Medal winners, as I'm trying to eventually read them all.  And I have several books on my Kindle, if I feel like e-reading for awhile. All pretty easy reading material.  I learned my lesson on my first RAT, when my stack included "War and Peace"!

Good luck, everyone.  Stop by and say hi!