Read-a-thon: Hour Tomorrow

Oh, hi, read-a-thon. -yawns- Apparently I am constitutionally incapable of staying awake longer than 23 hours, 45 minutes, because I was chugging along just fine on The Dead-Tossed Waves at 5:30-ish, but was waking up groggily at 6-ish. No warning! And so I moved on to bed, from which I woke up at 9:30. For funsies, apparently.

But! I had a good time reading for the 21-or-so hours that I did, and I finished six books, which is a little crazy, and today I think I will avoid reading and go outside.

Read-a-thon: Beginning of Hour 21

I have now been up for 22 hours. I am 1 hour and 45 minutes away from tying my being-awake record, and four hours from the end of the read-a-thon. Who will win?

Since my last update, I have finished Matilda, which is just as delightful as I remember, and also Harriet the Spy, which is not quite the same book that I remember propelling me into a young spying career. I will have to reconcile this strange jerk Harriet with my warm fuzzy memories.

No mini-challenges this time, as I am again lazy. Instead I shall make some food and then, I think, throw myself into The Dead-Tossed Waves. Wish me love!

Read-a-thon: Middle of Hour 16

Getting a little sleepy over here... I've finished with Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles, which book I think took my marbles a little bit as I am very baffled by it. But I did not find it altogether unamusing. And now I'm starting to talk like the book. We must move on, to delightful fare like Matilda and Harriet the Spy.

The Hour 15 mini-challenge at Reading Through Life is to create a Wordle picture of my blog... it's a little odd because it seems to only take the last few posts from the RSS feed, so some strange words are highlighted (like my feed footer!), but throwing in only one post was boring and I'm not keen on grabbing more than that manually. Because I'm lazy. So behold, my lazy Wordle!



Well, apparently you have to be not lazy and click on it. But I won't make you. :)

Read-a-thon: Middle of Hour 13

Halfway through! I've finished up Death Note and have moved on to the oddly titled and equally oddly written Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles, which is just this side of the Too Weird For Me line, so we'll see how it goes.

Mid-challenge meme from the official site:

1. What are you reading right now? Ah, Orion, etc. as mentioned above.
2. How many books have you read so far? Three!
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I'm really hoping to get to The Dead-Tossed Waves, which I think will keep me up reading into the wee morning hours!
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Sadly, no, as I currently have no job or friends outside of my dear husband (who is spending his whole day playing computer games!).
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Nope! Unless you count hunger as an interruption, in which case I dealt with it by eating nommy foods.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I thought I would be tired of reading by now; last year I had a five-ish hour break in the middle of my day rather than reading straight through. But I am happy and will continue reading!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? None that I can think of right now!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? I would have more snacks on hand. :)
9. Are you getting tired yet? A bit, but the aforementioned hubby just ran out and procured me a TON of caffeine.
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? Make sure you get a change of scenery! Staying in one place all day will give you bedsores. :-/

And for Hour 13, there is a word scramble at Sheery's Place! Here are the unscrambled titles, some of which I am reminded I should put on my TBR pile!

1. Firefly Lane
2. East of Eden
3. Water for Elephants
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. The Great Gatsby
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
7. The Art of Racing in the Rain
8. The Time Traveler's Wife
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
11. A Wrinkle in Time
12. The Polar Express
13. Love Walked In
14. Where the Wild Things Are
15. The Shining
16. Goodnight Moon
17. Interview with a Vampire [sic]
18. The Secret Life of Bees
19. The Search
20. The Help

Whee! I feel like my brain is all fired up and ready to go back to reading now!

Read-a-thon: Beginning of Hour 9

Finished High Fidelity! Pretty darn good. Also ate some reheated mashed potatoes that I made last night. Pretty darn good. On to something lighter... a little Death Note, perhaps?

The mini-challenge for Hour 8 is at Blkosiner's Book Blog and it is to make a top five list (how appropriate after HF!) of characters that I love to hate. Hmmm...

I'd say that the characters that I most love to hate are the ones that I can use to bother Scott by mimicking. So then, we must have...

1. Dolores Umbridge, from the Harry Potter series. "Hem hem!"
2. Carmelita Spats, from A Series of Unfortunate Events. "Cake-sniffing orphans in the Orphan Shack!"

But then there are also the characters that are just so terrible you have to have a certain respect for them...

3. The murderer from In the Woods
4. Annie Wilkes from Misery
5. President Snow from the Hunger Games series

Oooh, I am frustrated just thinking of them! Well-done characters, all.

Read-a-thon: Middle of Hour 7

Whee! I can't believe six hours have gone so fast! I'm about two-thirds of the way through High Fidelity, and really, Mary, you should just make up a list of books I need to read and I will go read them. Even the ones full of death.

The Hour 7 mini-challenge at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader is to talk about armchair travelling, which is a fun way to spend your days while saving up for real travel. :)

Pretty much every book I read makes me want to go to the place where it's set, whether it's to Paris or Dublin or Montréal or Iowa. I always feel as though being able to see what the author saw when writing a wonderful story would just make that story even more wonderful. I know for sure that I felt like I understood things just a little bit better when Mary Doria Russell mentioned John Carroll University in The Sparrow because I had been there and knew people that graduated from there and lived not very far from there for several years.

And even if I didn't develop some greater understanding of a book, at least I'd be in a new and different place, right?

Now, back to London!

Read-a-thon: Middle of Hour 3

Whee! Just finished Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, and enjoyed it immensely. Good job, Alison!

Up next is High Fidelity, because if there's anything I've learned about books recommended by Mary, it's that I will put off reading them as long as possible. Commence habit-changing!

Mini-challenge for Hour 2, from Miss Wisabus...

"What were some of your favorite children’s books when you were younger? Do you have any new favorites now that you’re an adult? Have you included any children’s or YA titles in your Read-A-Thon stack this year? Leave a comment and share!"

The Phantom Tollbooth. Favorite book of ever. I also loved The Secret Garden when I was little, to the point where I owned three copies for some reason, but I couldn't tell you what that book is about today except that I think there was something about "Mary, Mary, quite contrary." I could be very wrong. And, of course, I was obsessed with the Babysitter's Club books, like any self-respecting child of the '80s.

Today's read-a-thon stack has two kids' books in it — Matilda, by Roald Dahl, and Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh, both of which I've read and loved and need to read again. In YA, I have The Dead-Tossed Waves, by Carrie Ryan; Death Note Vol. 5, by Tsugumi Ohba; and of course Angus.

Hour 3's challenge is to come up with six words to describe the read-a-thon, but I've not come up with anything great yet. Perhaps in another hour or so?

Read-a-thon: End of Hour 1

An hour into the read-a-thon, and 92 pages into the hilariously wonderful Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. How have I not read this before?

Now that there is sun, let me share with you my reading spot:



And my delightful parking lot view:



And my ridiculous cat:



I've already warned him that if he falls off the balcony again (yes, again), I'm just going to laugh at him. I hope that's enough deterrent. :)

And here is the Hour 1 meme from the official read-a-thon website:

Where are you reading from today? Jacksonville, FL, in general; my balcony in specific.

3 facts about me... Hmm. 1) I am a newly-minted Master of Library Science, though without a job. I am also 2) a newly-minted Floridian, having moved about two months ago from Cleveland, OH. The combination of the latter part of 1) and the whole of 2) leads to 3) that I blog about my new home at An Unlikely Southerner, where you can find many more facts about me, like that I am now terrified of bugs.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? -counts- Nine. You can see them here.

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)? Just to have fun and read!

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Have fun! Make new friends! Get your old friends to make you a sammich!

Read-a-thon: Hour 0

It is bright and early here in Florida (7am EDT), but also quite warm, considering (~15 degrees C, depending on which weather people you ask), and so I will be spending most of my reading time outdoors! Good work, Florida! I would take some pictures of my reading spot, but, um, sunrise isn't for another half hour. So you will have to wait. :)

But here is my stack of books, whose picture I took last night:

Stylish, no? George is even prepared to shade them from the Florida sun!

I'm starting with the delightfully titled Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, because a) title! and b) I've heard good things about it from many trusted sources and c) it's short and I'll feel accomplished when I finish it. Who knows where I will move on from there...

Like I said last year, I've never actually stayed awake for 24 hours, and I doubt I'll be making it happen today. But I will do my best! I'll check in here at the blog every couple of hours, and you can expect many Twitter updates from my fancy smart phone, most of which will probably be fun quotes from whatever I'm reading.

Read-a-thon!!

So I signed up for this 24-hour read-a-thon thing again, because it is AWESOME and I am probably INSANE. On October 9, I will be waking up early, grabbing a giant bowl of Cheerios, and settling into one of the many comfy chairs in my house for some super-awesome reading fun times to begin at 8am EDT (sidenote: Why on earth do we have Daylight Savings for nearly eight whole months? We are a strange nation) and end 24 hours later, though I died after just 20 hours last year and will probably do the same this year!

What I need from you lovelies is recommendations for books! The Read-a-thon is really not the time for 700-page novels or things that are difficult to read; it is for the reading of silly books and short books and books that I might not read if I had anything better to do.

Last year I ended up with a library-based mystery, three kids books, and a super-awesome end-of-the-world YA novel. Oh, and a second round of a delightful music-based audiobook.

Can I do better this year? I hope so! What have you got for me?

Read-a-thon, Hour 18

And... I'm done. I have been up for nearly 20 hours and I am burned out on having my eyes open. :( On the bright side, I have finished the Mischief Maker's Manual and I can now: short-sheet a bed (I've always wanted to know how to do this!), create a confetti grenade with compressed air, and fake an alien landing. Oh, yeah. Watch out, world.

Mini-Challenges!

Nope. Bedtime. Zzzzzzz.

Stats!

Time spent reading: 675 minutes (11 hours and 15 minutes!)
Pages read: 1327 (+30 minutes of audio)
Books finished: 6
Fun had: The almost-most fun, as really the opening sections of the MMM were the best. But crop circles are cool, too.

Read-a-thon, Hour 16

Holy cow! Sixteen hours already? (Well, 11 for me, but whatevs!) Measle was cute and entertaining and might be something to get for my brother, but even better is the Mischief Maker's Manual that I've just started and which is HILARIOUS. It's a guide to pulling off awesome pranks (not practical jokes, but pranks), and as proof of its hilariosity, I proffer this passage: "There's nothing good about trouble. Stay away from it at all costs. Do not flirt with Danger, and certainly don't ask Danger to marry you. Under no circumstances should you kiss Danger. Danger doesn't brush her teeth, and probably has rabies." Oh, yes. HILARITY. Ahem.

Mini-Challenges!

For Hour 17 (which is just starting, so it counts, right?): "Go to your blog and post a list of five favorite children's books. They don't have to be THE five end-all-be-all of your favorites, because then you'll just agonize over which ones to pick, and we want this to be easy. Just list five off the top of your head that you enjoyed as a child, or that your children enjoy."

1. The Phantom Tollbooth (my favorite book of all time ever?)
2. The Composer is Dead
3. The entire Series of Unfortunate Events
4. The Sherlock Chick books
5. Green Eggs and Ham

Stats!

Time spent reading: 595 minutes
Pages read: 1132 (+30 minutes of audio)
Books finished: 5
Fun had: Um, THE MOST FUN. I will be sad to put down the Mischief Maker's Manual, not leastly because Scott will steal it and return it to the library while I am not looking so that I will forget to switch the salt and pepper in the shakers (except I won't because I wrote it down so HA).

Read-a-thon, Hour 13

Note to all: The Dead and the Gone was not an appropriate book to read without copious amounts of Kleenex nearby. This is your warning. :) I'm moving on to Measle and the Wrathmonk next because I'm pretty sure that can't possibly be sad!

Mini-Challenges!

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? I'm about to start Measle and the Wrathmonk.
2. How many books have you read so far? Four!
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Well, I'm kind of excited about Measle and the Wrathmonk because it has approximately the best name ever, but I'm also looking forward to the Mischief Maker's Manual.
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? I was sadly unable to free up my whole day, but other than my meeting I was available anyway.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? No interruptions, unless you count hunger!
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Um, I didn't really think I'd make it past two books, and I've read three of a decent size already. Awesome!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Invent a way for me to be reading and blogging at the same time?
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? More snacks! I've been eating too much healthy food all day long. :)
9. Are you getting tired yet? Not yet, as it's only 9:30pm here, but give me a few more hours...
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? I can't think of anything.

Stats!

Time spent reading: 475 minutes
Pages read: 864 (+30 minutes of audio)
Books finished: 4
Fun had: Not as much... that book was so sad!

Read-a-thon, Hour 11

Nearing halfway on book number four, The Dead and the Gone, which is so far not as nerve-wracking as Life As We Knew It but the whole moon thing is still giving me the heebie-jeebies. Stay in one place, moon! Stay!

Mini-Challenges!

For Hour 10:
"What book or books do you return to read again and again and why?" Well, I "read" The Composer is Dead for about the fifth time during today's Read-a-thon (so good!), but I generally don't re-read books because there are so many good ones out there! The Phantom Tollbooth is one book I've read a million times; I have also read the Harry Potter series multiple times and I'm working on making my way through the Hitchhiker's Guide series again. Here's a list of the books I read for a re-read challenge a little while ago: Summer Lovin' Challenge

Stats!

Time spent reading: 370 minutes
Pages read: 663 (+30 minutes of audio)
Books finished: 3.5
Fun had: Quite a bit; I love reading through all the comments people are leaving! (Hint? Yes.)

Read-a-thon, Hour 9

Okay, I'm back from my meeting adventure and ready to go! In fact, I've even got another book to add to my list, because on my half-hour walk to the meeting I listened to The Composer is Dead, which is only 40 pages of book and half an hour of audio, but do I care? No I do not! :)

Mini-Challenges!

None this time! I'm diving right back into reading!

Stats!

Time spent reading: 250 minutes
Pages read: 439 (+30 minutes of audio)
Books finished: 2.5
Fun had: Much! I love the music to The Composer is Dead and also I ate some kielbasa. Mmmmmm.

Read-a-thon, Hour 4

Four hours! I've finished off The Case of the Missing Books, which ended up being pretty disappointing, and I'm halfway through A Midsummer Night's Dork, which I'm still not sure about but it's cute, for sure.

Mini-Challenges!

I put up a pin for the Hour 3 challenge, but since I've got to get off to my meeting, I'll be passing on hours four and five. More challenges when I return!

Stats!

Time spent reading: 220 minutes
Pages read: 439
Books finished: 1.5
Fun had: A goodly amount, aided by zucchini bread! Mmmmm.

Read-a-thon, Hour 2

Two hours down already! I'm in the midst of The Case of the Missing Books, which is, um, interesting? I pretty much want to punch every character in the novel, but I think I'm supposed to want that and otherwise it's fairly interesting. I hope that as a librarian I never have to worry about a whole library full of books gone missing. That would be less than excellent.

Mini-Challenges!

For Hour 1:
Where are you reading from today? Two couches in my fun room in Ohio!

3 facts about me … Hmm. I am very excited to be reading a whole bunch today, because mostly I do classwork. Relatedly, I am working on a master's in library science. Unrelatedly, I am currently wearing a Snuggie.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Seven, including the one I am currently working on.

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)? Nope! Just having fun and reading books!

Stats!

Time spent reading: 120 minutes
Pages read: 216
Books finished: .5
Fun had: Slightly more than usual

Read-a-thon, Hour 0

All right. I have eaten my Cheerios (mmmmmm), I have a giant water bottle, I have a Snuggie and a comfy couch. I am ready for the Read-a-thon!

My plan for the day: Read from eight to noon, spend the next four or five hours at my meeting/get-together, read from five (or earlier!) until I pass out, which will probably be well before eight tomorrow. Confession: the longest I've ever stayed up in one go is 23 hours and 45 minutes, at which point I passed out from sheer exhaustion. I've been up since six-thirty today, so if I can make it to six I will be proud of myself! I'll try to update the blog every two hours or so (or when I make it to the end of a book, or when I have to get up and pee anyway [see: giant water bottle]), and I'll probably be Twittering slightly more often than that.

Oh, and a reminder: I'm shilling for Donors Choose this month, because they are AWESOME, so please check them out via the links in those posts and consider donating. You will make a lot of students and teachers ridiculously happy.

And now some pictures, because I know the internet likes pictures!

The Pile of Possibility. I'm starting with the top book for sure, but who knows what else I'll get to! (Also note that it is the water bottle that is giant [1.5L], not the books that are tiny!)

The Chair of Chillin'. This is where I'll be starting the Read-a-thon. Please ignore the evil cat; she likes it better that way. :)

The Couch of Comfy-ness. I can't start here, because I'll fall asleep, but I will be rockin' the Snuggie here later.

Read-a-thon!

Because I'm crazy, and because I might need to make up for lost time on my personal Donors Choose challenge because of all the homework I suddenly have, I am signing up for the 24-Hour Read-a-thon that's taking place 24-25 October, starting bright and early at 8am! Yay? I'm so crazy. You should totally join up too so that I can be maybe slightly less crazy? Please?