Hours 20 thru 24, Final Meme

Since last update:

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - 30 pages

Final total, pages: 501
Final total, hours: 8 hrs 50 min reading, 1 hr audio

I slept for a bit, but came back for the last 45 minutes.

It was a blast as always. Can't wait to do it again! Special thanks to my loyal RAT pal, Laura, at pleasepardontheinterruption.blogspot.com.  I can't imagine doing this without you!  And thanks to everyone who visited me, the hosts, co-hosts, and mini-challenge creators. You guys are all great!  See you next time.

End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hours 20 thru 23 - gave in and got a few zzzz's
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I enjoyed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Again, loved the cheerleaders' spreadsheet.
5. How many books did you read? 1 entire book, parts of 2 others
6. What were the names of the books you read? Fever, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
8. Which did you enjoy least? We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, but I'm only 50 pages in - maybe it will get better.
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? Extremely likely.  I'll read and probably cheer again.

Hours 17, 18, and 19

Since last update:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - 99 pages, Finished

Running total, pages: 471
Running total, hours: 8 hrs 20 min reading, 45 min listening

The last hour was tough, but I was determined to finish my book! I must nap for a bit, but hope to come back for at least the last hour.

The Pet Parade Mini-Challenge

            Here's my puppy! Normally, she would have gone in to her bed by now, but she knows tonight is special and is hanging out with me!

Hours 15 and 16

Since last update:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - 43 pgs

Running total, pages: 392
Running total, hours: 6 hrs 50 min reading, 45 min audio

Hanging in there for a bit longer before I might have to succumb to a nap!

Book Spine Poetry Mini-Challenge

                                      The power and the glory
                                        peace like a river
                                      I used to know that

Hours 12, 13, and 14

Since last update:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - 76 pgs

Running total, pages: 349
Running total, hours: 6 hr 5 min reading, 45 min listening

Must log in more reading time before I get sleepy and my reading speed slows by half (or more)!

Mid-Event Survey

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
2. How many books have you read so far?  I read the second half of one and am through the first half of another.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?  I think I may be in the mood to start my Agatha Christie mystery. (Why Didn't They Ask Evans?)
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Not many interruptions except my slow computer is making me inefficient at cheering.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Not really any surprises - great fun as always!

Hours 9, 10, and 11

Since last update:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - 58 pgs

Running total, pages - 273
Running total, hours - 4 hrs 40 min reading, 45 min audio

Time for another cup of tea, I believe, along with a late-afternoon snack (as opposed to the early or mid-afternoon snack!)

Hours 7 and 8

Again, time is going too fast!

Since last update:

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - 63 pgs

Running total, pages: 215
Running total, hours: 3 hrs, 35 min reading, 45 min audio

'Name Your Read-a-thon' Mini-Challenge

               My Life in the Mansions of Chocolate!

Hours 4, 5, and 6

Yikes! Time is going by too fast!

Since last update:

Fever - 74 pages, Finished

Running total, pages: 152
Running total, hours: 2hr 25min reading, 45 min audio

Hours 1, 2, 3

Woo hoo - I won a prize! A good way to start off the day!

Reading progress:

Fever by Mary Beth Keane - 52 pgs (This book wasn't in my official RAT stack because I was hoping to finish it before today - didn't happen.)
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - 26 pgs (listened to audio while walking the dog. This one hasn't grabbed me yet, so I may start a different audiobook when I want a reading break.)

Running total, pages: 78
Running totals, hours: 60 min reading, 45 min audio

Off to visit a few blogs, maybe do a mini-challenge, then back at it!

Opening Meme

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? Not sure - I want to read them all!
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Hmmm- probably pumpkin chocolate chip bread!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I have two grown daughters, a hubby who travels a lot, and I work part-time, so I love that I get a fair amount of time to read!
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'm hoping to just get more reading done this time!

Hope everyone has a marvelous RAT!

The RAT Stack!

Here they are:
     We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (a group read)
     The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (heard good things about this one)
     The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly (love the 'Lincoln Lawyer' novels)
     Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith (another favorite author)
     Open Secrets by Alice Munro (short stories - always try to have at least 1 of these)
     Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie (still my favorite mystery writer)
     Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (been on my TBR for ages)
     My Life in France - by Julia Child (great movie - been wanting to read the book)
     Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver (also short stories)
     The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (my traditional Nancy Drew for the wee hours!)

Can't wait to get started! And for the first time in awhile, I don't have ANY other commitments that day (except for having to walk the dog, but I have a couple of these audiobooks on my iPod).  Here is aforementioned dog (and reading companion). After her walk, I'm hoping she stays this relaxed the entire day:

Now, I have to try to forget about the RAT for the next few days, so I can get lots of work and cleaning done.  If I can feel like I'm rewarding myself, it makes the RAT even MORE fun.

October Read-a-Thon!

Sign-ups are in progress for Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-thon!  I thought I'd check the website since the event is one month from today, and I was number 100 to sign up.  That has to be lucky - I'm sure it means I'll have no interruptions that day and will break all my previous RAT records! ;) 

This will be my 9th RAT, and even though I sometimes have commitments during the day (especially in April), I participate as much as I can and it's always great fun.  Back in a few weeks with the book stack!

Bout of Books 11 Updates

Monday (Day 1)
Number of books I've finished today: 0
Total number of books I've read:  0
 Books in progress:  The Invention of Hugo Cabret - 220 pages (many are drawings)
             Rapunzel's Revenge - 10 pages
             The Light Between Oceans - 15 pages
Total pages read: 245

Tuesday (Day 2)
Number of books I've finished today: 0
Total number of books I've read:  0
 Books in progress:  The Keeper of Lost Causes - 34 pages
              The Light Between Oceans - 10 pages
Total pages read: 289 

Wednesday (Day 3)
Number of books I've finished today: 0
Total number of books I've read:  0
 Books in progress:  The Keeper of Lost Causes - 24 pages
              The Light Between Oceans - 22 pages
              Anne's House of Dreams - 30 pages
Total pages read: 365

Thursday (Day 4)
Number of books I've finished today: 0
Total number of books I've read:  0
 Books in progress:  The Keeper of Lost Causes - 28 pages
              The Light Between Oceans - 4 pages
              Anne's House of Dreams - 22 pages
              The Invention of Hugo Cabret - 63 pages
Total pages read: 482

Friday  (Day 5)
Number of books I've finished today: 1
Total number of books I've read: 1
Books finished/in progress:  The Invention of Hugo Cabret - last 102 pages
                The Keeper of Lost Causes - 7 pages
                Anne's House of Dreams - 10 pages
Total pages read: 601

Saturday  (Day 6)
Number of books I've finished today: 0
Total number of books I've read: 1
Books in progress:  Anne's House of Dreams - 7 pages
                The Light Between Oceans - 12 pages
Total pages read: 620

Aaargh.  Hope I can do better the last day!

Sunday  (Day 7)
Number of books I've finished today:  2
Total number of books I've read:  3
Books in progress:  Anne's House of Dreams - last 62 pages
                 Rapunzel's Revenge - last 116 pages
                The Light Between Oceans - 21 pages
                The Keeper of Lost Causes - 5 pages
Total pages read:  824

Well, I did meet my goal of finishing at least 2 books (although 2 of the 3 were graphic novels).  I hope next BoB I'm not as busy, so I can visit some blogs and do the challenges. 
 

Bout of Books 11 Goals

Since I have such a busy week, I'll keep my goals simple - to just read as much as possible in the books I have going already, and finish at least two:

     

  

Bout of Books 11

Well, I have a crazy busy week ahead but can't resist signing up for Bout of Books 11 anyway.  Even if I can only read 10 pages a day, it will still be fun!  Here's the blurb:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books 10 Updates

Monday (Day 1)
Number of books I've read today: 2 (I had started these earlier)
Total number of books I've read:  2
Books:  The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon - last 130 pages
             Breakfast at Tiffany's: And 3 Stories - last 86 pages
             Poirot Investigates - 24 pages (still in progress)
Total pages read:  240

Tuesday (Day 2)
Number of books finished today: 1 (started earlier)
Total number of books read: 3
Books:
    Billy Joel: The Life and Times of an Angry Young Man  - last 152 pages
    Poirot Investigates - 29 pages (still in progress)
Total pages read:  421

Wednesday (Day 3)
No books finished today.
Total number of books read:  3
Books in progress:  Kinsey and Me: Stories - 73 pages
                               Poirot Investigates - 30 pages (audiobook of short stories)
Total pages read:  524

Thursday (Day 4)
Number of books finished today:  1 (started before BoB)
Total number of books read: 4
Books:  Kinsey and Me: Stories - last 167 pages
             Poirot Investigates - 47 pages (still in progress)
Total pages read:  738

Friday (Day 5)
Number of books finished today:  1 (started before BoB)
Total number of books read:  5
Books:  Poirot Investigates - last 76 pages
             Unusual Uses for Olive Oil - 47 pages
             Island of the Blue Dolphins (audiobook) - 17 pages
Total pages read:  878

Saturday (Day 6)
No books finished today.
Total number of books read:  5
Books in progress:  Unusual Uses for Olive Oil - 75 pages
             Island of the Blue Dolphins - 35 pages
Total pages read:  988

Sunday (Day 7)
Total number of books finished: 6
Today's books: Unusual Uses for Olive Oil - last 81 pages
            Island of the Blue Dolphins - 64 pages
            Flowers for Algernon - 9 pages
Total pages for BoB:  1032

I exceeded my goals for the Bout of Books, finishing the 5 books I had started earlier and reading an additional one (completed books listed in bold).  I also read more than 100 pages each day, ending up with over 1000 pages for the week.  Next time, I will try to visit more blogs and maybe do some challenges.  It was fun knowing over 1000 other readers were participating in this event!

Bout of Books 10 Goals

My goals for the Bout of Books readathon are to finish the 5 books I have in progress and to read at least 100 pages a day. 



and my audiobook (for walking the dog):
          If I finish all 5, I'll start on one or more of these:



 It's awesome how many people have signed up for this event!

Bout of Books 10

Well, since this has turned into a Readathon blog (so far just Dewey's), I may as well add Bout of Books - an event I just heard about last month.  What reading lover doesn't love a readathon?!

From the website:
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team. 

Since I am spending a lot of today (Mother's Day) reading to console myself since my kids live out-of-state, I'll wait until later to do my "goals" post according to what books I still have in progress.

Hours 22, 23, 24 and Final Meme

Since last update:

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene - 24 pgs
20 min (or thereabouts, listening to audio as I was drifting off!)

Final totals:

Pages - 350
Hours - 7 hours 35 min (includes 35 min audio)
Books finished: A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
Books partially finished: The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene

I did stay awake longer than I ever have before (about 22 hours), but also have my lowest page total because I had to be gone so much during the day.  I didn't even do any mini-challenges this time, which is a first. Hopefully, next time I can devote the whole 24 hours- or at least all the daytime hours - to this fantastic event.

A shout-out to my faithful RAT pals Laura@Please Pardon the Interruption and Wendy@Wall-to-wall Books, and THANK YOU to the fabulous hosts/co-hosts and cheerleaders.  You guys are AWESOME!

End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? 23 onwards  - zzzz
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? See 7. below
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? It would be nice to see a list of books in the database.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The new cheerleader spreadsheet was fabulous!
5. How many books did you read? 1 and a bit
6. What were the names of the books you read? A Week in Winter and a little of The Mystery of Lilac Inn
7. Which book did you enjoy most? A Week in Winter was a great Readathon book - engrossing and easy reading
8. Which did you enjoy least? N/A
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? No, my fellow cheerleaders were great!
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  There is a 100% chance I will participate again.  I will read and cheer both, because I think that's how to get the most out of this event.

Hours 20 and 21

Since last update:

A Week in Winter - 48 pgs, Finished!

Running total, pages: 326
Running total, hours: 7hr 15min (includes 15 min listening to audio)

This is my last post until final wrap-up - going to try to read a bit in bed, but may drift off...

Hours 18 and 19

Since last update:

A Week in Winter (yes, still) - 48 pgs

Running total, pages: 278
Running total, hours: 6hr 15min reading, 15min listening to aduio

The reading pace has definitely slowed down, but I'm hanging in there. Just broke out the traditional Cherry Zero I always save for around this hour to try to get a second wind.

Hours 15, 16, and 17

Since last update:

A Week in Winter (still) - 76 pgs

Running total, pages: 230
Running total, hours: 5hr 20min (15min listening)

I'm determined to last a good while longer, but I may focus on just pages read and not track time any more.  I'll probably need to take more frequent breaks, and don't want to worry about watching the clock.

It's been a busy day, and on top of everything else there was drama in the neighborhood tonight.  Not a stellar RAT for me, but I'm not done yet!

Hours 13 and 14

Oh dear, why does the time keep flying by?  Can I have my own personal Groundhog Day, please, and start over?

Since last update:

A Week in Winter - 40 pgs  (I WILL finish this eventually - and it's a lovely book)

Running total, pages:  154
Running total, hours:  3hr 20min (15min reading)

Mid-Event Meme and Hours 11 and 12

Mid-Event Meme

1. What are you reading right now? A Week in Winter
2. How many books have you read so far? 1/3 of above book
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Finishing above book!
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? There were a couple of  things I had committed to and couldn't get out of, although I went a little later to a meeting than I should have.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?  I've had to be gone a good part of the day, but I'm in for the long haul now!
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  That we have a zillion readers! Yay!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  I think the changes this season have been great!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?  I'm hoping next time to not have ANYTHING else to do but RAT on RAT day.
9. Are you getting tired yet?  I will not allow myself to become tired yet...will not...will not...
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?  Nothing I can think of at the moment.

Since last update:

A Week in Winter - 4 pages (yes, 4 pages...sigh...)

Running total, pages:  114
Running total, hours:  2hr 20min (15min listening)

I'm finally done with my outside stuff - just me, the books, and the blog from now on!

Hours 9 and 10

Well, a bit more progress this post, but I was hoping to be a LOT farther on in my first book by now.

Since last update:

A Week in Winter - 50 pgs

Running total, pages:  110
Running total, hours:  2hr 30min (15min listening)

Hours 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

 Ugh once again - 5 more hours gone and a whopping 14 pages to add to my total!  I had to go to a political convention, but am home now and hoping to get a couple of good reading hours in before I have to go to my next thing.  Off to cheer just a bit, and READ!!

Since last update:

A Week in Winter - 14 pgs

Running total, pages - 60
Running total, hours - 1hr 20min (15min listening)

Hours 1, 2 and 3

Ugh - I can't believe 3 hours are gone already.  I haven't done enough reading!  I have done some cheering already, however, which I did not intend to do until later in the day.  The new cheerleading setup makes it so easy, I could happily sit and visit blogs all day long.  Must control myself, as I want to get a chunk of reading done as well.  What with breakfast, blog visiting, and walking the dog (where I tried to listen to an audiobook, but kept running into other dog owners who I had to warn about the guy in the park yesterday who had a gun and threatened to shoot my dog if she came near his child - sorry, I digress...), here's my progress so far:

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy - 46 pages

Running total, hours - 45 min reading, 15 min listening to audio

Have to go to a meeting in about 20 minutes, and probably won't be back for about 4 hours :(  I am taking public transportation into town, however so will have my Kindle along.  See you all a bit later!

Ready, Set, Read!

Introductory meme:

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? I'm excited about all my books, but am going to start with A Week in Winter in honor of Maeve Binchy, who passed away in 2012. She was one of my favorite authors.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Frozen grapes.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!  I've loved mysteries ever since I could read, staring with Nancy Drew, Donna Parker, Trixie Beldon, and Perry Mason!
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'm hoping to cheer a little more, and also stay awake for more than 21 hours, which is my record!

782 readers signed up - holy crap!

Last pre-RAT post

All ready for tomorrow!  Now if I could only get a good night's sleep, which doesn't ever seem to happen before a Readathon.  I don't remember what kept me awake last time, but the time before I was bailing water out of a window well at 2:00 a.m!  I will be starting bright and early at 6:00 a.m. Can't believe there are 688 readers signed up as of right now!  I think that breaks the record by miles.  Awesome!!

Read-a-thon book stack!

With 5 days to go until the Read-a-thon, I have my books all ready! As usual, I have a ridiculous number in my stack, given my reading pace.  It's fun to have several to choose from, however, depending on my mood.  Here they are:

   
   
 
 

Plenty of YA and easy reading stuff.  I've learned my lesson since my first RAT, when I tried to knock back a chunk of War and Peace!  I have a couple of these on audio and/or Kindle for when my eyes get tired or I have to be out of the house.

In addition to having to attend a political convention that day, I just found out about a piano recital I SHOULD go to. Dang - I hate when life interferes with this event!  I can't NOT participate in the RAT, however, so I'll just do my best.

April Read-a-Thon!

Just signed up for the April 26 Dewey's Read-a-Thon! I have a meeting that day, but will participate all I can.  Back in a few weeks with my book stack. It's ridiculous how much FUN these things are!