Read-a-thon Hour 19

I'm back! I didn't get much sleep, baby S was acting up pretty much the whole night... I thought he'd be so tired that he'd sleep in this morning, but no chance, we were up at 6:15. Sigh. This sleep deprivation thing is what I find hardest in parenthood.

Anyway, before going to bed last night and in between feeding baby S and doing puzzles etc with him, I've been making some progress on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, volume 2. I miss Buffy the series and always really enjoy the comics. I'm a total purist though and I only like the ones where the characters look exactly like on TV. No creative deviations when it comes to my Buffy, please!

Baby S seems to want something so I'm again. I hope to squeeze in a few more pages though!

Read-a-thon Hour 10

Time for me to go to bed now... When I get up in the morning I'll have to look after my son, so I probably won't get too much reading time... I had fun today and finished two books - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead on audio and One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. I started a few more too!

If I don't post again before it finishes, have a great rest of the read-a-thon, everyone!

Read-a-thon Hour 7

Where has my day gone? It's now 8pm over here and I'm tired. And I didn't even read all that much! I did spend a lot of time blogging and I spent some time reading and I also spent some time baking, which has nothing to do with the read-a-thon of course. But the results were yummy so I now have snacks for the evening. And breakfast for tomorrow. :-)

What have I been reading? I finished listening to When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead when I went for a long walk earlier today. It's a great book, I enjoyed it immensely. I'm about halfway through One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. And I read some of the first comic in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, volume 2.

I'm having a great day, but I'm certainly not as productive a reader as I have been in the past. Oh well, the point is to have fun, eh?

See you in a couple of hours!

Yay, the Read-a-thon is here!

Dewey's read-a-thon is now an institution in our blogging world. It's here again now and I'm ready! I can't participate for the full one this time, only the first half or so, but hey, it's better than nothing.

This is the pile I'll be reading from:

It's a beautiful day today and it would be a real shame not to get out there, so I'll be going for a walk and hopefully finishing the audio version of Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me as well. I'm on the last chapter and can't wait to find out what's going on!

I'll be checking in once in a while, so see you later. Enjoy the read-a-thon if you're participating too!

(edited to add this intro meme)


1)Where are you reading from today? I'm reading from my home in Tervuren, Belgium. Very close to Brussels.


2)Three random facts about me…
I got married a month ago.
I bought a pair of red cowboy boots a few days ago.
I grew up in Flushing, Queens, New York.


3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Five real books and the ending of an audiobook.


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)?
Nope, no goals, just want to enjoy a day more-or-less to myself. My husband's daughter is visiting and they took the baby out for most of the day. Time for me, yay!

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Don't miss out on the blogging aspect, the community fun is amazing!

Read-a-thon - Final Update!

That's it, it's over! I have to admit that I wasn't as productive a reader this morning as I was last night... I woke up with lots of chores in my head and I wasn't able to sit still for any amount of time... Still, I managed to get more of Mockingjay read, I'm on the last part now. I want to finish and know what happens, but I don't want the series to end. Does that make sense?


Title of book(s) read since last update: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Number of books read since you started: three finished - Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan, A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary and two started - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages read since last update: 80

Running total of pages read since you started: 562

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 90 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: 8 hours 10 minutes

Mini-challenges completed: the Hour 1 meme, Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Mini-Challenge, Show me the books, Armchair Traveller Mini-Challenge, Banned Books Mini-Challenge, Favorite Sidekick Challenge

Other participants you’ve visited: none during the last couple hours

Prize you’ve won: none

And the end-of-event meme:


1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I was getting very tired around hour 8 or 9. But I think I'm on the perfect timezone because it was 10pm in Belgium so I could just go to sleep as usual and wake up Sunday morning for more reading!


2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Mockingjay was a fabulous read-a-thon choice, I would think that the entire Hunger Games series would work very well!


3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? None, everything was great!


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


5. How many books did you read? I finished 3 and started 2 more


6. What were the names of the books you read? three finished - Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan, A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary and two started - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder


7. Which book did you enjoy most? Mockingjay!!!!


8. Which did you enjoy least? Little House on the Prairie was good in the sense that I need something simple, but it's not like it's riveting :-)


9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? No advice, but if you haven't tried it you should, it's great!10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? If I can get Joe to take Baby away again, I'd love to do this again in April, as both a cheerleader and a reader.

Bring on April! :-)

Read-a-thon Hour 20 - I'm back!

Here we go again! I got something like 9 hours of sleep so I should be set to start again now - coffee, I need coffee... Off I go to do some more reading then, see you later!

I think I'll enter Midnight Book Girl's Banned Books Mini-Challenge first though, it sounds fun!

Why should Mockingjay be on the banned books list?

The Hunger Games trilogy as a whole should be banned - it promotes violence, it puts too much focus on appearance and on man's evil tendencies. And most importantly, where is God and religion in this future reality?

Ha! :-)

Read-a-thon Hour 9

Right, it's 10pm here now and I'm going to bed. I want to get all the sleep I need, since Baby's out of the house for the weekend, I need to take advantage! I might read some more in bed, we'll see. Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow morning for some more read-a-thon fun! My timezone is perfect for me, since I'll still have 4 or 5 or 6 reading hours after I wake up! Those of you still staying up - have fun! :-)


Title of book(s) read since last update: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mockingjay by Suzanne CollinNumber of books read since you started: three finished - Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan, A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary and two started - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages read since last update: 33

Running total of pages read since you started: 392
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 5 hours 10 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: the Hour 1 meme, Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Mini-Challenge, Show me the books, Armchair Traveller Mini-Challenge (below)

Other participants you’ve visited: none this hour

Prize you’ve won: none (yet!)

Read-a-thon Hour 8 + Armchair Travelling Mini-Challenge

Title of book(s) read since last update: Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Number of books read since you started: three finished - Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan, A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen, The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary and two started - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages read since last update: 38

Running total of pages read since you started: 359
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 20 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 4 hours 40 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: the Hour 1 meme, Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Mini-Challenge, Show me the books, Armchair Traveller Mini-Challenge (below)

Other participants you’ve visited: 

Valerie (Life is a Patchwork Quilt)

Vanessa

Vasilly (Classic Vasilly)

Vegan Medusa

Verena (Vanilla Prinzess)

Wendy @ its JUSTme- wendy

Whitney (She Is Too Fond Of Books)

Zee (Notes from the North)

Sissy

Spav @ Fiction Kingdom

spowell

Prize you’ve won: none (yet!)

__________________________

Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader is hosting this Armchair Travelling mini-challenge and asks if we're ever tempted to go to a place after reading about it. I've been tempted twice in the recent past - I want to see Guernsey after reading The Guernsey LIterary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and I want to go to Hong Kong after reading The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee. I guess I'm tempted by places I knew nothing about before reading books set in them... 

Read-a-thon Hour 6

I'm getting tired! It might be time to pick up a graphic novel soon... although Mockingjay is hard to put down... Sigh. What do I do?


Title of book(s) read since last update: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Number of books read since you started: two finished - Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan, A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen and one started - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Pages read since last update: 48

Running total of pages read since you started: 261
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 3 hours 40 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: the Hour 1 meme, Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Mini-Challenge, Show me the books
Other participants you’ve visited: None this past hour

Prize you’ve won: none (yet!)

Show me the books Mini-Challenge

Here are a few of my shelves - I'm not organized enough to separate them into read and un-read so they're all mixed in together on the same shelves!

Read-a-thon Hour 3

Title of book(s) read since last update: Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Number of books read since you started: one finished - Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick RiordanPages read since last update: 33
Running total of pages read since you started: 107
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 1 hour 20 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: the Hour 1 meme, Back-in-the-Day Children's Book Mini-Challenge
Other participants you’ve visited: 

• Wendy @ its JUSTme- wendy
• Whitney (She Is Too Fond Of Books)
• Trish (Love, Laughter, Insanity)

Prize you’ve won: none (yet!)

Read-a-thon Hour 2 + meme

Title of book(s) read since last update: Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Number of books read since you started: none finished
Pages read since last update: 74
Running total of pages read since you started: 74
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 50 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 50 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: the Hour 1 meme, below
Other participants you’ve visited: none yet 
Prize you’ve won: none (yet!)


As for the Hour 1 meme - 

Where are you reading from today? Brussels, Belgium

3 facts about me … Let's see... I have an almost nine-month-old son; I was born in Warsaw, Poland; I am Buffy-verse obsessed :-) 

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 13. Too many?

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)? Nah, I just want to have fun. And I want to spend more time visiting other blogs than I did last time, which is why I also signed up to be a cheerleader.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Pick short and/or action packed books and have fun! And don't forget the other readers, the read-a-thon is a community-building event and You'll get more out of it if you participate in the social side.

Read-A-Thon - Hour 22

Title of book(s) read since last update: finished Speak by Laurie Halse Andersen
Number of books finished since you started: 3 (one of which I started before the read-a-thon)
Pages read since last update: 73
Running total of pages read since you started: 556
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 55 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 7 hours 25 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Intro Meme, Sarah's Foreign Language Mini-challenge, Grains of rice
Other participants you’ve visited: Nymeth, Alessandra, Lezlie, Sarah, Joanne, Valentina, J.C. Montgomery, Tammy, Iliana
Prize you’ve won: 0

Speak was amazing. A YA book about issues that teenagers (and many adults too) are too afraid and embarassed to talk about. Like rape. It also highlights ways of dealing with traumatic incidents. And shows how our family and friends can influence which way we choose. My edition had a short interview with the author included, where I found out that there is another book called Catalyst that is set in the same high school and deals with pressure to get good grades and get into good colleges. I can't wait to read it.

Read-A-Thon - Hour 20

Title of book(s) read since last update: umm, mostly I've been sleeping...
Number of books finished since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 25
Running total of pages read since you started: 426
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 20 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 5 hours 50 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Intro Meme, Sarah's Foreign Language Mini-challenge, Grains of rice
Other participants you’ve visited: Nymeth, Alessandra, Lezlie, Sarah, Joanne, Valentina, J.C. Montgomery, Tammy, Iliana
Prize you’ve won: 0

I'm still reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - very good!

Read-A-Thon - Hour 9

Title of book(s) read since last update: i've been working on the collection of essays by Polish actress Krystyna Janda and on Speak by Laurie Halse Andersen
Number of books finished since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 46
Running total of pages read since you started: 401
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 40 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 5 hours 30 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Intro Meme, Sarah's Foreign Language Mini-challenge, Grains of rice
Other participants you’ve visited: Nymeth, Alessandra, Lezlie, Sarah, Joanne, Valentina, J.C. Montgomery, Tammy, Iliana
Prize you’ve won: 0

I'm getting very tired and can't concentrate on reading anymore so I'm off to bed soon... will be back in the morning for the last stretch!

Read-A-Thon - Hours 7 and 8

Title of book(s) read since last update: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Number of books finished since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 123
Running total of pages read since you started: 355
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 4 hour 45 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Intro Meme, Sarah's Foreign Language Mini-challenge, Grains of rice
Other participants you’ve visited: Nymeth, Alessandra, Lezlie, Sarah, Joanne, Valentina, J.C. Montgomery, Tammy
Prize you’ve won: 0

Number the Stars By Lois Lowry is about two best friends in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen. One of the girls is Jewish so you can imagine what her life becomes. The other learns quickly about sacrifice and courage. Well-written and presented, with some interesting bits of Danish history. And an easy, quick read, perfect for the Read-a-thon!

Read-A-Thon - Hour 3

Title of book(s) read since last update: still on The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 29
Running total of pages read since you started: 107
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 40 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 1 hour 40 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Intro Meme
Other participants you’ve visited: Nymeth, Alessandra, Lezlie, Sarah
Prize you’ve won: 0

Read-A-Thon - Hour 1

Title of book(s) read since last update: One True Thing by Anna Quindlen

Number of books read since you started: 1

Pages read since last update: 61

Running total of pages read since you started: 61

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 40 minutes

Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 40 minutes

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Other participants you’ve visited: 0

Prize you’ve won: 0

I finished Anna Quindlen's One True Thing - a beautiful story about a mother-daughter relationship. The mother is diagnosed with cancer and the daughter moves back home to take care of her - and is later accused of her murder. It's about getting to know your mother as a person in their own right and about how that reflects on how you know yourself. Beautifully written. I loved all the characters, inlcuding the minor ones; my favorites were Teresa the nurse and Mrs. Forburg the English teacher. I did have to try not to cry whenever I read it in public, but it was worth the minor embarassment. I recommend it and am curious about other Anna Quindlen books.

Now for the read-a-thon intro questions. If you haven's seen them go visit Dewey.

Where are you reading from today?
My apartment in sunny Brussels, Belgium.

3 facts about me

I'm a singer and actress in my spare time, I'm Polish and I just bought a beautiful house with my partner Joe

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

14, but I'm no good at making decisions about books. I'm very well aware that reading all 14 is impossible.

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)?

No really... I do want to update every hour and I do want to get some sleep tonight so I already know I won't do the whole 24 hours!

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?

It's my first time so I'm only accepting advice! :-)

Read-A-Thon - Here we go, finally!

The start is finally here! Yay! I want to finish a book I started this week first, One True Thing by Anna Quindlen, my Q author for the A-Z Challenge. It's very, very sad so far, but I don't have that much left and I hope that there will be something uplifting at the end!

Good luck to everyone else participating!

Read-A-Thon and book shopping

I decided to the Read-A-Thon after all... You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging/commenting as much as I used to... I've had a lot going on in my life, not all positive, and things have been kind of heavy. So whereas a month ago I wasn't sure I wanted to read for so long, now the idea of spending my whole Saturday and a part of Sunday REALLY appeals to me. Really. I just want to curl up and read and have no one disturb me for days. Can we make the read-a-thon last longer?

So while I was thinking about what books to line up for Saturday, I decided that I needed more choice so I just went to the secondhand bookstore I try to stay away from. I ended up with a whole bag of books. Here's what I got - have you read any of them and do you think they'd be good for a read-a-thon?

Bad Heir Day by Wendy Holden
March by Geraldine Brooks
Brown Owl's Guide to Life by Kate Harrison
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
I am David by Anne Holm
Night by Elie Wiesel
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Love is a Four-Letter Word by Claire Calman
Ya-Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells
Intuition by Peter Jinks
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Runemarks by Joanne Harris