Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon - Master Post

Greetings one and all and welcome to my mostly dormant blog! This blog that existed back at the very beginning of Dewey's readathons - it's hard to imagine.

Now we are in a pandemic and it's been years since I've properly done a Deweython, so I'm going to Frankenstein the old blog for the day to post Readathon updates, but I'll also be hanging out over at my Litsy, so please do stop in and say hi if you need a break from all this arduous reading.  ;-)

Here's the opening survey:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Sunny Danville, PA  (wait....it's actually sunny?)

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I didn't make a proper stack, so I don't have a good answer to this question, but when I was scrolling Libby for a potential audiobook for the day....I found Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone actually available for borrowing....instead of with 6 months' worth of holds on it.  So that's kind of a Readathon miracle.  I anticipate doing some audio walking and audio cooking to the soothing strains of Harry Potter.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Not exactly a snack, but I did get myself an order of takeout wings to enjoy for lunch today.  Guess I'll be doing some audio eating, too.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Hmmm....my name's Megan.  I've been blogging and otherwise talking books on the internets since 2007.  I live in a small town in Pennyslvania where I work in IT for a hospital system.  I guess I'm an essential employee in the age of Covid-19 but in a work from home capacity....and not on the weekends.

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 haven't participated since 2015 when my ankle was broken, so I just want to have some fun and get some reading done to kill some more quarantine time.  In 2015, I was killing broken ankle time.  They're remarkably similar except for how I can at least walk now.  Something different?  I don't think I'd listened to a single audiobook the last time I readathonned, so audiobooks will be my Readathon something different!

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Updates

Hour 2 Update

Reading Now: A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews - a book I had started pre-readathon

It's been __28__ pages and __45__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 45

Cumulative Pages Read: 28

Books Completed: 0

Eating?: Very Berry Cheerios - breakfast of champions!
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Hour 6 Update

Reading Now: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

It's been __58__ pages/__51__  listening minutes and __137__ total reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 3 hours 2 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read/listening minutes: 86/51

Books Completed: 1 - A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

Eating?: Wheat Thins for stack, then wings, a Bai and  chocolate chip cookie for lunch

Etc: I wrapped up A Complicated Kindness which was good but kind of sad.  Then I had some lunch and did some tidying up while listening to Harry Potter.  Please note, I can't believe how dumb I've been all these years not incorporating audiobooks into my readathons.  They're a lifesaver when you want to keep reading but can't use your hands!

Like, you definitely can't use your hands when eating these:

In other news, I tried to use the master list to visit some readers and was disappointed to find most of the ones I randomly picked were people that appeared not to be participating.  Guess I'll try again later.  My first readathon (*the* first readathon??) I was but a cheerleader, and my inner readathon cheerleader will never die even though the tradition appears to have.  I know it's Readathon is huge now and times change and all, but still miss the "official" cheerleading deep in my heart of hearts.

Anybody participating and want a visit, drop me a line!

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Hour 14 Update

Reading Now: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, Full Throttle by Joe Hill

It's been __158__ pages/__92__  listening minutes and __266__ total reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 7 hours 28 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read/time listened: 244/2h22m

Books Completed: 2 - A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews, Inside Out by Terry Trueman

Eating?: A salad, more wings, and more chocolate chip cookies.  Hey, at least there's a salad in there.  It's something.  And the wings had celery with, too.  ;-)

Etc:  I've definitely been updating more often on Litsy, but that I haven't gotten back here for so many hours is a great indication that I've really been absorbed in my reading.  In a time where it's been hard to focus on anything, this is amazing.

After lunch, I took Harry Potter for a nice audiowalk, and then spent the rest of the afternoon on the very short and very absorbing Inside Out by Terry Trueman, also known as an "easy readathon win." I tossed in a short story from Joe Hill's collection to round things out and listened to some more Harry over dinner.  So far it's been a most excellent readathon. 

I think I'm probably going to cheer around a bit and then finish out with however far I can get with My Dark Vanessa before heading off to dreamland. 

Readathon - the Master Post!

Final Update

Reading Now: Charlie and the Grandmothers by Katy Towell

It's been __135__ pages and __150__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 7 hours

Cumulative Pages Read: 359

Books Completed: 2 - The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Okay, so my dinner break turned into a longer thing than I expected and I got no reading done between hours 10 and like 14 or 15, much to my sadness.  That said I did read until almost 1 in the morning and managed to wake up for the last half hour, too.  I finished two books and put a good dent in Charlie and the Grandmothers, too, which happens to be a fun middle grade horror story that turned into great Readathon fodder after I cracked the first 50 pages.

End of Event Survey

Which hour was most daunting for you?  14.  I had a big interruption and I wasn't sure I could get back into it, but I did.  Phew.

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? A Long Walk to Water was a great short book, a quick read about a serious topic.  Charlie and the Grandmothers is a fun quick read, too.  Great for the Halloween season!

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? This is a pretty trivial thing, but back in the jolly good old days there used to be a link up for all those swell Readathon TBR pile/snack pile posts in the days before the event.  I always thought they were tons of fun and always built up my level of excitement.  Can we have the link-up again?
 
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  Everything, I think?  I'm pretty sure my only problem was me.  Like usual.  ;-)

How many books did you read? I completed two and read a little over half of a third.

What were the names of the books you read? See above.

Which book did you enjoy most/least? Honestly, I'm not sure.  They were all good and very different from each other, so I can't very well compare.

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Er, cheer more people than I did this time?  Sorry folks, my cheering was pretty shoddy this time around.  :-/
 
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Extremely likely.  It'll all depend on my mood, I think!  Sometimes, I swear, it's more fun to just cheer all day than to get wrapped up in my weird Readathon neuroses of not reading as much as I want to be reading.  Sad, I know.  Also, true.  

Thanks again to Andi and Heather for all they do to keep this great tradition not just alive but thriving.  I do think Dewey would be thrilled to see what the Readathon has become! 


Hour 9 Update

Reading Now: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (with a side of Charlie and the Grandmothers by Katy Towell)

It's been __134__ pages and __160__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 4 hours 30 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 224

Books Completed: 1 - The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

Eating?: Hot buffalo wing pretzel pieces is just about it, but it's almost time to break for a delicious roast beef sub.

I may have retired to my bed for a little this afternoon, for some more reading....most of which was done with my eyes open.  A timely text from a friend saved me from anything more than a brief power nap.  I started Charlie and the Grandmothers which seems like it's going to be a fun read for this time of the year, but then I got a little sleepy and switched over to something with less pages to keep me motivated.   I'm within a few pages of finishing A Long Walk to Water, a based on a true story novel about a South Sudanese refugee.  Break for cheering and dinner and then back to the books. 

Hour 4 Update

Reading Now: About to start Charlie and the Grandmothers by Katy Towell

It's been __90__ pages and __110__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 1 hour 50 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 90

Books Completed: 1 - The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

Eating?: A Luna bar (breakfast of champions and/or lazy ankle break-ees), string cheese, and a celebratory piece of pumpkin pie!

Why celebratory?  Because I've finished my first book, of course!  Sure, I'm totally cheating because I was already 182 pages into Kelly Corrigan's The Middle Place when I got out of bed this morning, but who cares about that?  It's 11 AM and I've finished a book already.  Shockingly, the book didn't make me cry, though I did choke up a few times.  Oddly enough, the closest I came to spilling tears was while reading the acknowledgements.  Yeah, I don't get it either.  Probably a good thing though, crying makes you tired, and I've got lots more reading to do before I even consider a nap!

Off to cheer on some readers, and then it's on to my next book!

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Good morning, one and all!  Surely it hasn't escaped you that today is the day of Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, right?  I'm going to be participating fairly properly today with the snacks and the books and the Instagramming of bookish pictures.   I do believe I will stack my updates for today in the very post you see before you, in hopes of not alienating my last 2 subscribers (Hi guys!  Long time, no see!).  So on we go with the time-honored readathon tradition of....

The Introductory Meme!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?   My very own living room in Danville, Pennsylvania

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  Hmm...  The Fill-In Boyfriend?  Charlie and the Grandmothers?  I can't decide.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?  I've got some delicious hot buffalo wing flavored pretzels in the pipeline.  They may be a little sloppy for reading and eating, but I'm still looking forward to them.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!  Let's see, I'm Megan.  I work in Lab IT (well, sort of) for a big rural health system.  This is the first Readathon I'll be participating in from my very own apartment without the distraction of other humans.  Well, until dinner time at least.  Oh yeah, and I'm recovering from a broken ankle and subsequent surgery so I'm stoked to have something exciting to do that isn't something I can't do because I can't really walk so much.  OK, at all.  Believe me, the number of exciting things you can do declines rapidly when you're short a leg and your hands are occupied with crutches.  So this is a good day because today it's exciting to sit around!  Yay!


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?  Read!  Haha, no, seriously.  For my last few Readathons I've dedicated myself mostly to cheering.  I haven't read for the Readathon in quite a while.  So reading on Readathon day will definitely be different.  I'm an oxymoron.  Or maybe just a moron.  To be determined.

Anyhow, that's me.  I'm off to read!  See you in a few hours!  Happy reading! 

Cheering for the 24 Hour Readathon!

 

That's right, it's Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon day!  Sadly I can't commit the whole day to reading and I missed the deadline to be an "official" cheerleader, so this is going to be like the olden days when I cheered "unofficially."  Hopefully I'll be doing a little "unofficial" reading too, but I'll definitely be scraping together what spare time I've got to to cheer on the many, many people who are spending today reading, reading, and then reading some more.  Happy Readathon day to everyone participating! 

Readathon Update Hour 5

Reading Now: Some amalgamation of The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen, Clarity by Kim Harrington, and Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (Indeed I am fraught with indecision.)

It's been __67__ pages and __5__ cheers since my last update.

Total Cheers:5

Cumulative Pages Read:67

Books Completed: 0

Eating?: Raspberry Jam and PB toast for breakfast.  Then a couple of those aforementioned salted caramel chunk cookies.  More recently a couple of fun sized candy bars.  Methinks it may be time for something salty.

Okay, yeah, so I'm off to a stellar start.  My computer mysteriously restarted itself while I was working on the kick-off meme.  After that I was interrupted ad nauseum.  Shortly thereafter I decided that The Revisionists, while a very promising read in general, is probably not a good Readathon book.  Then I pored over my YA-filled Kindle for a while until I chose Clarity by Kim Harrington and read about 40 pages of that.  I think it'll work for the rest of my day probably, so I'm letting Kindle charge while I update and check in with all the unfortunate souls I'm supposed to be cheering for. 

I swear, I will get this train back on track, right after I hunt down something salty to eat.  And I'm totally going to take a picture to put in my next update. 

*wanders off distractedly*

Keep up the great reading, readers!

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon!

Greetings, all!  It's time for the greatest of October traditions, Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (what, you thought it was...Halloween?  Nope!).  On this day on a nearly yearly basis I stun all my subscribers by posting more posts in a day than I have in the last...month or so?  So...uh, sorry about all that.  I promise the abject chaos won't last but hopefully a more consistent blogger will emerge in its wake.  I mean, one can hope.  Anyhow, that's enough chatter, I need to be reading or cheering or something, so take a gander at this kick-off meme while I get down to business!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Actually, I didn't even make a stack this time because usually I end up reading one book and then having to put the rest back.  I'm starting out with The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen that I was already reading, and I think it shows great promise! Though it will probably turn out to be too long and, you know, not YA enough....  

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

I got these new Chewy Chips Ahoy salted caramel chunk cookies and they are just perfect for Readathonning.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Let's see, I'm almost 30, my TBR pile surpasses one thousand, and I am slow reader.  Does not compute.   I've been book blogging for just over 6 years (!), and the very first of Dewey's Read-a-thon is where I met a bunch of my earliest blogging buddies. :)

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?

Actually, this is the first time I've signed up officially as both a read and a cheerleader for the same Readathon, so that should be interesting.

Happy reading, all!

Dewey's Readathon Wrap-up

Okay, so, I may have finished up my Readathon around 1 AM on Sunday morning, fell asleep reading, then got up and wandered off to do other things like go to church and the movies and never made it back to post the end of the event meme, which I feel like I just have to do even if I am too little too late.  Do forgive me my tardiness, and perhaps I'll even return with some, like, book reviews and stuff later this week.  ;-)

Which hour was most daunting for you?

16?  17? I think.  I was desperately trying to read the last story in the The Chronicles of Harris Burdick and mostly failing to keep my eyes open, though I did finish, I'll have you know.
   
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale was absolutely perfect!  Fast-paced, excellent story, and an extremely lovable main character.

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Honestly, I can't think of a thing.  I had a total blast this time around.  Seriously, I was really down in the dumps when I started, and it was so great to be distracted by all my great internet friends and a couple great books all day on Saturday!

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I was really happy with the mini-challenges this go round.  In the past it has seemed like many of them have been just too time-consuming.  I'm usually looking for a little break, a little fun, not a lengthy creative exercise.  Thanks mini-challenge hosts for making your challenges nice and mini and tons of fun!

How many books did you read?

I finished two, but only one in its entirety on Readathon day.

What were the names of the books you read?

Princess Acacemy by Shannon Hale plus the last few stories in The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg (and company) and one story out of Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things.

Which book did you enjoy most?

Princess Academy

Which did you enjoy least?

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, by default, I guess.  It's a good book, but they're short stories.  Some are better than others, and all but one of the ones I read on Readathon day were just so-so.  Though the last one might have got a raw deal, what with me being half asleep and all.

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

I didn't do any "official" cheerleading this time, but thanks for all the cheers, guys!  My advice?  It's fun to get around and cheer for all the people whose blogs you've never seen before, but even more fun to cheer for your friends.  I often neglect my bloggy friends on Readathon day in favor of meeting new bloggers, but I spent a lot of time trying to get around to my buddies this time, and it made the experience that much more fun!

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 like to do both read and cheerlead, but not on the same day, so I guess it'll depend on the sort of mood I'm in next time around.  Reading was definitely the right choice for me this time.  Cheerleading definitely was this past spring.  What can I say?  I'm unpredictable!  ;-)


Thanks to the Readathon hosts (and everybody working behind the scenes), to the cheerleaders, and to my blogging buddies for making another great Readathon experience! 

Dewey's Readathon Hour 14 Update

Reading Now: TBD

It's been __117__ pages and __115__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 5 hours 36 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 314

Books Completed: 1!  Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Eating?:  Shish-ka-bob!  I live in a tiny town with not even one stop light, but there's a sports bar down the street that has great wings and the best shish-ka-bobs.  I had to take a little reading break to chow on them, but it was totally worth it!  I took a picture, but now that I'm looking at it, it's abysmal and you can hardly see them in all their glory, and alas, there are no late do-overs with food photography.  Just picture marinated and beef and veggie goodness!

My shish-ka-bobs and a little eye resting sufficiently rejuvenated me so that I've finished off the wonderful Princess Academy.  I couldn't have picked a better Readathon book for myself (and I didn't, LOL, thanks Random.org!).  I'm thinking of doing some short stories now.  The Chronicles of Harris Burdick has been languishing on my nightstand forever, maybe I'll finish that.  Or maybe I'll dip into Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman.  Or maybe (hopefully) I'll manage to do both!

 

 

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired? 

 

I'm feeling good, feeling strong.  I shouldn't say this.  Whenever I say this, I immediately start feeling tired.  If anyone asks, I didn't say this.  ;-)

2) What have you finished reading?

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.  Approximately one book more than I finished last Readathon.  Go me!

3) What is your favorite read so far?

Princess Academy by default, but I'm confident it would be a strong competitor even if I'd read other things. 

4) What about your favorite snacks?

Chocolate peanut butter pie, but the ka-bobs win for "best dinner."

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

 

Agh, I've actually been sorely lacking in new blog discovery, been too busy re-connecting with old friends.  Maybe I'll remedy that here shortly.  :-)

 

Hope everybody's still going strong!  Keep up the great reading!  



Dewey's Readathon Hour 8 Update

Reading Now: Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

It's been __103__ pages and __101__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 3 hour 33 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 197

Books Completed: 0

Eating?: Oh, a few things.  But most importantly - chocolate peanut butter pie!

 

 

Okay, it had a rough five-minute journey from the restaurant to here, and my iPhone photography does it absolutely no favors, but I promise it was beyond delicious.  I would say that it will probably be my best Readathon food, but there is the promise of a shish-ka-bob this evening, so the jury is still out... 

 

I let myself get distracted from reading for quite some time my last break - visiting friends, doing mini-challenges, taking pictures to post to Instagram, and I'm probably about to do it again.  Also, I think that nap time approach-eth, but I'm trying to hold out, and Princess Academy continuing to be awesome is helping in that regard.

 

Hope everybody's still going strong!  I'm off for some cheerleading and then it's back to the book!

 

I'll leave with my cheerleading bookmark...

 



Dewey's Readathon Hour 4 Update

Reading Now: Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

It's been __88__ pages and __112__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 1 hour 52 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 88

Books Completed: 0

Eating?: Peanut butter and raspberry jelly toast and a cup of caramel vanilla cream coffee with enough sugar and half and half in it to disguise the fact that it's still a cup of coffee (said the girl who hates coffee but loves a good caramel latte)

I tell you, when I really need it to come through for me, Random.org always picks me a good book.  With the help of it and my LibraryThing library, I took a gamble and let it pick me a book since I am crap at making decisions.  I would not have picked Princess Academy for myself, but so far it's been a perfect choice, which is a good testament as to why I should not make my own decisions (LOL!).  I'm totally absorbed and the pages feel like they're flying by.  Actually, I didn't really even want to stop to update and consult the internet, but then I got interrupted anyway and figured now would be as good a time as any! 

I feel like I haven't participated in a mini-challenge since a few Readathons ago, so I'm joining one today.  Uniflame is looking for pictures of our Readathon snacks, so here is my breakfast first snack.  PB and J toast!  Yum!

My parents just went for breakfast, and I have begged them to bring me home a piece of pie from the restaurant.  Cross your fingers that there will be a piece of delicious chocolate peanut butter pie in my next update!  ;-)

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon!

 

 

That's right, it's Readathon day!  Being a glutton for punishment, I've signed up to read again.  I usually do better when I just cheerlead since I usually spend too much time in front of the computer and not enough in front of a book, but I like reading, so here goes.  A warning to those who read me in a feed reader, I am planning on posting an update every few hours.  If you're not interested in Readathon posts, go ahead and mark me all as read today, but don't leave me, I promise I'll be back to my normal low rate of posting by tomorrow.  ;-)

 

 

And now for the introductory questionnaire...

 

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

 

At home in Bloomsburg, PA, USA

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

 

Guess what?  I have no book stack.  However, Random.org has helpfully chosen Princess Academy by Shannon Hale as my first book, and I feel pretty good about that!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

 

I'm about to have some delicious raspberry jelly on some toast.  That's something to look forward to!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

 

Let's see, I'm 28.  I graduated from college with a degree in political science, but ended up working in a surgical pathology lab in a hospital, which is waaaay more science than political.  Blogging is how I get my creative jollies because I certainly don't get any working full time at my day job, and I've been at this blogging thing for a recently-celebrated five years.  In fact, if you need a break today, my 5 year blogiversary giveaway is still open, so check it out if you like.  I'm giving away some of my favorite books.  (And I promise that will be the last plug for the giveaway.  Really.  Just had to sneak it in there one more time.  They're my favorite books.  I want people to read them.  LOL!)

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?

 

Like I said up there, I didn't make a pile of books today.  I've looked and I've thought about it, and as much as the pile gets me all excited for Readathon day, it usually disappoints me by the end with how little of my exciting pile I even touched, much less read.  So I'm trying it without the pile today, so hopefully I won't be bummed out when I only read, like, one book.  Oh, and no scheduled interruptions today - that's different than at least the last two times! 

 

 

All right, enough chatter!  I'm off to read. 

 

Happy reading, all!

Read-a-thon Wrap Up

Reading Now: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

It's been __45__ pages and __60__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 6 hours 50 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 318

Books Completed: 1 - Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed

End of event meme

1.Which hour was most daunting for you?

Hour 9? I needed a power nap. Or perhaps Hour 17 when I decided finishing the book I was reading was hopeless and just gave up and went to bed?

2.Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I'd say The Future of Us because it really is interesting, but it kind of turned into my Read-a-thon archnemesis that eventually defeated me, so maybe not?

3.Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

I dunno - twist more people's arms until they agree to cheerlead. ;-) That 69 cheerleaders to 442 readers is a pretty hefty imbalance. Not that the cheerleaders didn't do a great job! You all did...which is why I want more of you! Muah!

4.What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

Loved the cheerleading HQ site. It was super helpful that it was updated to reflect those who signed up but didn't end up participating. It was always a drag having to click through a bunch of non-participants just to find one reader to cheer on. Great job on that, guys!

5.How many books did you read?

I finished one I already had started and was in the middle of two by the end of the 'thon.

6.What were the names of the books you read?

See above plus Dear Bully Ed. by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

7.Which book did you enjoy most?

The Future of Us

8.Which did you enjoy least?

N/A

9.If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

I wasn't, technically. So I'll just say, Great job, Cheerleaders!

10.How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I love the Read-a-thon, and I'm sure I'll participate again if my schedule allows. That said, when I started participating in the Read-a-thon it was more as a cheerleader, and I think I might go back to that. It's fun being more involved with the community aspect of the 'thon. Plus, no matter how much I try to tell myself it's not a numbers game, I always end up a little depressed by what a slow reader I am. So, yeah, maybe I'll go back to cheering with a little reading on the side to save my sanity!


Did you participate in the Read-a-thon? How'd it go for you?

Read-a-thon Hour 14 Update

Reading Now: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler alternating with Dear Bully Ed. by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

It's been __92__ pages and __120__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 5 hours 50 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 273

Books Completed: 1 - Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed

Eating?: Couple pieces of cheese and a piece of shoo-fly pie

And we've passed the midway point, so the mid-event meme!

1. What are you reading right now? Mostly The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
2. How many books have you read so far? I've finished one, but I didn't read all of it today.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I'm not sure how much of the second half of the Read-a-thon I'll be awake for, but really I'm just hoping to finish at least one of the books I have started - The Future of Us and Dear Bully
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Not really. And I didn't quite free up the *whole* day...
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Hmmm, my mom interrupted me to chat this morning just when I was getting started. I yelled at her but ended up chatting anyway. Then there was a quick trip to Pumpkinpalooza where I soothed my anguish at stepping away for the Read-a-thon by eating lots of yummy food
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I don't know why, but I'm always surprised at how little I manage to get read in a very long time. Newsflash - Read-a-thon day doesn't actually make you a faster reader.
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? The Magic 8 Ball says "Ask again later."
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? I think maybe next time I won't read, and I'll just sign up to cheer. I love the reading, but I like to feel more connected to the internet-y goings on, too!
9. Are you getting tired yet? Not really. I may have had a short power nap this afternoon that got me back on track!
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 off the top of my head!

Read-a-thon Hour 10 Update

Reading Now: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler alternating with Dear Bully Ed. by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

It's been __91__ pages and __109__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 3 hours 50 minute

Cumulative Pages Read: 181

Books Completed: 1 - Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed

Eating?: Triscuits, a piece of blueberry custard pie, glass of water (gotta stay hydrated!)

Very happy with my decision to alternate The Future of Us with Dear Bully. Actually, I've been going much heavier on The Future of Us, though. At first, I thought the tiny print in the ARC was going to be an issue, but the story of two high schoolers in 1996 discovering the Facebook pages of their future selves grabbed me, and I stopped noticing the print so much.

All the early internet nostalgia is so funny. It's hard to believe how much things have changed technology-wise since we dialed-up and installed that free for so many hours AOL for the first time! I can just barely remember my mom telling me to get off the internet because people might be trying to call on the phone. I'm kind of filled with nostalgia and stuff except for, uh, that really slow dial-up internet and the really slow computer I had to go with it... Glad things are speedier now or Readathon cheerleading would be a huge drag!

Speaking of cheerleading, I'm off to do some.

Read on, my friends!

Read-a-thon Hour 7 Update

Reading Now: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

It's been __11__ pages and __17__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 2 hours 1 minute

Cumulative Pages Read: 90

Books Completed: 1 - Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed

Eating?: French fries, Chocolate vanilla peanut butter fudge, fresh-squeezed lemonade, a steak sandwich, and a spring roll.

All right, you caught me. I obviously didn't get much reading done in the last few hours. I may or may not have wandered off to Pumpkinpalooza to eat a long lunch. I brought back fudge and pie for this evenings Read-a-thon eating, though.

A wise commenter or two said that Dear Bully is probably good for dipping into and out of, so I'm switching to The Future of Us for a while to keep it light. Now, enough slacking and back to the books!

Read-a-thon Hour 3 Update

Reading Now: Dear Bully Ed.by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

It's been __79__ pages and __104__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 1 hours 44 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 79

Books Completed: 1 - Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed

Eating?: Quaker Oatmeal Squares for breakfast and a snack of Welch's Berries 'n Cherries fruit snacks. Yum!

Despite obvious efforts from my parents to sabotage my Readathon, I have managed to get some reading done over the past 2 and some hours. I finished the book I already had started prior to the Readathon, Carry Yourself Back to Me which was good but I have to admit I definitely didn't love it. I'll give it points for reminding me that I need to read more books that leave me smiling instead of crying, though.

Speaking of crying - okay, maybe not quite crying but more like open-mouthed gaping, I just started and devoured the first almost 50 pages of Dear Bully, a collection of 70 authors stories about bullying. Ellen Hopkins wrote the introduction, and she included a few statistics that are just jaw-dropping no matter how many times you might encounter them. So far, I'm really impressed with these short pieces about being on both sides of the bullying situation.

I can't decide whether I wanna keep at it and read it straight through or just dip in and out of it all day and read another book in between. While I decide, I think I'll go do some cheering!

Keep up the great reading, all!

Readathon!

Good morning, all! It's time to read! That's right, today is the day of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon. I am, of course, participating - this time as a reader. I will be tracking my progress today until, I'm guessing, midnight or so, so expect a few more posts than usual because I'm not that person who posts the one post and then updates it all day. I promise that by tomorrow all will be back to normal around here, so if you could care less about my reading progress today please accept my apologies and feel free to mark all these bad boys read tomorrow morning and we can go on about our normal, light posting routine.

All right, now that all the apologies are made - how about an introductory meme?



1)Where are you reading from today? - Bloomsburg, PA, USA

2)Three random facts about me…

- I'm being a punk today and starting out finishing the book I was already reading. I figure it'll give me an early boost because it's so much easier reading a book that you're already in the middle of. I've only got about 30 pages left. Okay, the truth is I meant to finish it yesterday and totally failed. What do you want from my life?

- I might take a little break to go to something called Pumpkinpalooza today. Probably for lunch. There will be pumpkin catapulting and pumpkin pie eating contests and pumpkin shot putting. I mean, you can't miss that, can you? Well, maybe you can, but the jury's still out.

- I really like Bath and Body Works hand soap. Okay, that's really random. And no I was not paid to say it. ;-)

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? - 12ish


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)? - My goal is to have fun!

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? - Don't get too caught up in the numbers game (see question above). I track my numbers, but I don't put too much stock in them. It's not a competition (even with myself), so getting caught up in comparing # of pages or books read is usually just an exercise in frustration. Just enjoy a day where you have the perfect excuse to do nothing but blog and read!

Now, I better go get reading! Hope you have a fantastic day whether you're readathonning or not!

Ready to Read?

Arguably my favorite book blogging event is coming up in a few short weeks. Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon takes place on October 22nd this year, and as of yet, I haven't stupidly made plans that totally (or even mostly) prohibit me from spending a gloriously guiltless day of reading and blogging for as much of 24 hours as I can handle. The first Readathon took place in October 2007 when my was just a baby and was how I really started to meet some of the bloggers that I still love! Therefore, of course, I have a total soft spot for it.

I am busy at work assembling a pile of easy and absorbing reads to fill my Readathon day. I think I'm going to be aiming mostly at YA this time, because it's easy and also because I'm totally craving a bunch of YA since it seems to be very much lacking from my reading this year for no apparent good reason.

I hope you're planning on Readathon-ing this year, whether you're a veteran or a newbie. It's fun for all, and you only have to read as long as it's fun, and, believe me, it's fun for quite a while. You can enjoy the encouragement of cheerleaders as you creep into your 23rd straight hour of reading, or cheer on your fellow readers before you chuckle softly to yourself at the insane souls who are really going to stay up all night reading as you tuck yourself into your warm, welcoming bed (at a decent hour - LOL!) to sleep until it's time to catch up with everybody early the next morning when people are still reading.

That's my pitch - it's great fun and I hope to see you on Readathon day, so head on over and sign up to read or, if you'd rather, to cheer on the readers (which, is at least as fun as being a reader, if not occasionally more fun!).

So, will I be seeing you on Readathon day? =D

Read-a-thon Hour Update the Last

Reading Now: my computer screen

It's been __64__ pages and __60__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 6 hours 8 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 326

Books Completed: 2 - Blind Faith by Ellen Wittlinger and Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor

Eating?: No eating, just drinking water!


I surprised myself last night. I posted my last update in Hour 16, but I made it well into Hour 18. A quick cheerleading run around the blogosphere actually gave me a good second wind (there's just something about cheering in the late night), and if I hadn't had so much to do today, I feel like I could have definitely even started another book after finishing Sparrow Road with ease. Speaking of Sparrow Road, it doesn't hit shelves until the 12th of May, I believe, but when it does, definitely get your hands on a copy. Because it is so good. I want to say many other things about just why it's so good, but I'll save them for my review. It made me smile and cry and wonder and when the summer ended in the book, even I missed it. That is all.

And now for the end of event survey thingy...

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Hour 15 for sure. It was only 10PM, and normally I would have plenty of steam to keep going past midnight, but when I got back from Zumba, I was so beat I didn't know if I'd make it much further. Thankfully a hot bath and some cheerleading got me back on track!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor definitely made for a good one!

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Seems like I heard about a lot of clamoring for more organization from the cheerleaders. It might be helpful to have a list of actively participating readers at the start. I was using the sign-up page to cheer for a while, and more than a few people who had signed up gave no indication that they were actually participating in the Readathon which was kind of a frustrating waste of time, but I didn't want to miss anybody who, for some reason, hadn't done the beginning meme either. *helpless shrug* With the amount of readers reading these days, it seems like a little more organization is called for so no reader goes uncommented on!

This is by no means a personal complaint. As a reader, I got plenty of support and appreciated everybody's great comments, and I know many, many readers did. All you cheerleaders did do a fantastic job! This is just a bit of what I struggled with and what I saw people saying around Twitter. =)

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

The hosts and the mini-challenges were great (even though I didn't have time to participate in many). Thanks for all your hard work guys!

5. How many books did you read?

1 and a half...

6. What were the names of the books you read?

Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor, Blind Faith by Ellen Wittlinger

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

Sparrow Road

8. Which did you enjoy least?

No least. They were both good reads!

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

I was only cheering unofficially during my breaks from reading, but from what I saw of the cheerleaders, they did a nice job!

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've had tons of fun in both roles before, so I guess it depends on how the mood strikes me.



Thanks again to all the organizers and hosts and helpers for all your hard work making a great event for us to all have fun together and continue to honor Dewey by coming out to read as a community year after year. I hope and I believe that she would be proud. =)

Read-a-thon Hour 16 Update

Reading Now: Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor

It's been __22__ pages and __30__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 5 hours 8 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 266

Books Completed: 1 - Blind Faith by Ellen Wittlinger

Eating?: Had a burger and some chicken fryz on my way back from the Zumbathon (way to kill a good workout right?)


I arrived back from the Zumbathon with negative energy. If you're considering a mid-Readathon Zumbathon for your next Readathon, may I advise you to think twice?

I decided to take my game to the tub for some cleansing, rejuvenating bathtub reading. Though I didn't get a great deal of reading done tubside, I am mildly rejuvenated, but I'm afraid the end might still be near for me. I'm going to try and dig deep and put away at least the last 60 or so pages of Sparrow Road before I shut the door on this Readathon.

If this ends up being my last update, good luck if you're pushing on through the wee hours of the thon! Drink lots of water and caffeine-y things! Pick mindless books! Turn up the volume on your Tweetdeck alerts so they will jolt you from the occasional stupor! Prop your eyelids open with toothpicks! Okay, some of these ideas are better than others. The bottom line is, though, keep on reading on. You can do it!

Good luck and goodnight (I think?)!

Read-a-thon Hour 9 Update

Reading Now: Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor

It's been __70__ pages and __78__ reading minutes since my last update.

Total Time Spent Reading: 4 hours 38 minutes

Cumulative Pages Read: 244

Books Completed: 1 - Blind Faith by Ellen Wittlinger

Eating?: String cheese and a glass of water


Still enjoying Sparrow Road, but it's time for my Readathon intermission. I paid for the Party Hearty Zumbathon weeks ago, and now must go and Zumba for a few hours. I guess it's a good thing that even though I'm not really reading for charity today, I'll at least be Zumba-ing for it! Here's hoping all the physical activities invigorate me, and I don't come home all broken down and feeble. I'd love to be able to fit a few more hours in tonight, though the full 24 probably won't happen.

It's been a little less easy to make the most of my reading time with other people in the house and having to get myself into gear for Zumba, but it's still way more reading and blog fun than I would normally have on a Saturday, for sure!

Happy reading all, and hopefully I'll see you later for more quality reading time!

Just keep reading, just keep reading..... =D