Read-a-thon Wrap Up

Well I faded out after Hour 18 and didn't really read anything else so here are the wrap-up questions.

1.Which hour was most daunting for you?
I think the early hours of the morning because I got to a point about 1:30 am where I just couldn't read anymore. I decided to go to bed at 3 am because I had not picked up a book again so I figured why am I still awake?
2. Could you list a few high interest books you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I read a lot of YA and Middle Grade books. The adult books I read were ones that I had been wanting to read for quite some time. I didn't read any because I wasn't feeling mystery-ish but I think shorter mysteries are also very good.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon?
I think it would be nice if at about Hour 18 or Hour 20 there could be a survey to all the still active participants. Twitter was full of people saying they were going to bed.
4. What do you think worked really well during this year's Read-a-thon?
I loved all the different min-challenges.
5) How many books did you read?
Eight
6) What were the names of the books you read?
Jennings Goes to School - Anthony Buckeridge
A Ribbon of Shining Steel (Dear Canada) - Julie Lawson
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
Seriously... I'm Kidding  - Ellen DeGeneres
The Prairie Thief - Melissa Wiley
Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures - Emma Straub
Silhouette of a Sparrow - Molly Beth Griffin
The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour - Michael Beil
7) Which book did you enjoy most?
I'm just going to go ahead and pick two because I can't pick one. "A Monster Calls" which packed quite the punch and "Silhouette of a Sparrow" because had it not been for "A Monster Calls" that would have been my favorite.
8) Which did you enjoy least?
It isn't that I didn't enjoy it but the Dear Canada book was less engaging than the others. Possibly because I had started it months ago and so I didn't reread it.
9) If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year's Cheerleaders?
Just make sure you leave lots of comments. I love comments.
10) How likely are you to participate in a Read-a-thon again? What role would you likely take next time? That depends entirely on my schedule but assuming that is not an issue then absolutely. I might even get back to blogging sometimes between Read-a-thons!

Dewey's Read-a-thon Hours 13-18

Update 12:42 am: goodness am I tired. 
Currently reading : The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour very slowly.

My Seryniti has Hour 17's challenge which is about challenging books. The challenge is to pick ONE that you would like to read. Actually two of the books on her list are ones I have been reading on and off for years. "Les Miserables" (seriously years for this one) and "Atlas Shrugged" which I will get to but not right now.

So the book I choose is A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin because it is not my usual sort of thing at all and I would like to read it. I don't have it so that is my excuse for not starting it tonight. Also right now I think I can manage nothing more complicated than "Spot's First Walk" which is not a challenging book!

My word is lugubrious 

: mournful; especially : exaggeratedly or affectedly mournfullugubrious

 brooding —

2

: dismal lugubrious

Update: 10:14 pm. Hmm it seems a lot later but then it usually does when it is dark outside. 
Books read: 7
Finished: Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures. 

Books read: 6

Currently reading: Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures  - Emma Straub

Snacked on: apple juice and tortilla chips with salsa

Mid Event Survey

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

I'm doing okay. Staring at the computer screen makes my eyes much more tired than reading a book does.

2) What have you finished reading?

Jennings Goes to School, A Ribbon of Shining Steel, A Monster Calls, Seriously...I'm Kidding, The Prairie Thief and  Silhouette of a Sparrow.
3) What is your favorite read so far?

The one that I will not forget is "A Monster Calls" which was just fabulous but I really enjoyed "Silhouette of a Sparrow"

4) What about your favorite snacks?

Well I've been craving tortilla chips with salsa for several days now so those are yummy. Also really appreciating the advice about not just eating junk food because I am very much looking forward to my apple. 
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

I really haven't yet. I think tomorrow might be dedicated to new blog finding because like I said in question 1 the computer makes my eyes tired.

Dewey's Readathon Hours 7-12

Update at 7:29 pm
Yikes I underestimated how much time I would spend NOT reading. Oh well.
Total books read: 6
Books read since last update: Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin - Random fun fact about me is that I hate birds. So for me to like a book which features birds is a big deal. This is a lovely well-written book and it is the coming of age story of Garnet who meets Isabella and realizes that maybe she doesn't have to have the life that she thought she did.


Okay I have been a bit of a slacker in the blog updating department which I figured would be an issue. Anyway.

Update at 4:57
Total books read: 5
Books read since last update:
Seriously...I'm Kidding - Ellen Degeneres
The Prairie Thief- Melissa Wiley - this one did not disappoint and I thought it was absolutely adorable which is good because since I "know" Melissa online she was never going to get a negative review from me.

Other things I have done. Took a nap. Went for a walk and encountered the Wrath of a Squirrel who chattered at me in Very Angry Tones until I was a safe distance. Somehow I must have disturbed him from whatever it was he was doing.

Dewey's Readathon Hours 1-6

Update 12:54:

Books Read: 3
Book finished: A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness - I was not going to do plot summaries of every book I read but this one packs quite the emotional punch. Yikes. I might have to take a little break to recover from that.
Snacks consumed: one banana
Total pages: I have no idea.

Update at 11:54 am

SNACKS

Books read: 1
Currently reading: A Ribbon of Shining Steel on page 120
Pages read total: 326

Update at 10:46 am

Books read: 1
Book Title: Jennings Goes to School
Number of pages: 206


Yay it is finally Readathon time! Sure enough I was right because the book that I started was "Jennings goes to School" by Anthony Buckeridge which was not in my Stack!

Introductory Questionnaire 

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

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to today?
I think I'm going to have to say Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin

3)Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Oh that's easy enough I got a Conscious Box yesterday and it was full of yummy snacks. The timing was coincidental but I'll take it.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself.
I'm a librarian/archivist with an interest in digital preservation. Also I'm addicted to Pret a Manger which unfortunately for my budged they have right near me.

5) If this is your first read-a-thon what are you most looking forward to?
Just being able to sit down and read without feeling guilty about it.

Readathon Pile

Okay I'm getting super-excited about this and I was going to post all of the books that I have yet to read but I think that it will be better if I just post the ones that I am planning on getting too. Keeping in mind that the books I read may end up not being those ones at all because I change my mind a lot and I have a lot of unread books from the library as well as from the $5 for all the books you can fit in your bag

I like to have a lot of choice in my reading material which is eclectic and perhaps why I fail at having a YA blog. Don't get me wrong, I love YA but I cannot live on one genre alone. I do not except that I will get through all the books in either pile or both piles and there are many books that are not in the pile that I might read instead but I figured I should at least try and have some method to my madness.

These piles might have been amassed sort of randomly too so that is why they are subject to change.

So anyway this is Pile 1 the Pile that I hope to get to.

No the books are not straight because really why would I do that? Anyway since you can't read them they are from bottom to top.

Travels with Zenobia: Paris to Albania by Model T Ford - Rose Wilder Lane and Helen Dore Boyleston (yes she of the Sue Barton books fame) - I am on a Rose Wilder Lane kick right now.
Once Upon a Toad - Heather Vogel Frederick
Salvage the Bones - Jesmyn Ward
The Prairie Thief - Melissa Wiley
Silhouette of a Sparrow - Molly Beth Griffin
Seriously.... I'm Kidding - Ellen DeGeneres
A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness
A Ribbon of Shining Steel - Juliet Lawson
Exiles from War - Jean Little - These two I went through a Dear Canada phase earlier this year and these are the only two that I still have.
Behold Here's Poison - Georgette Heyer
Shakespeare's Christmas - Charlaine Harris - this one I will only get to if I like the first two that are on my iPad
A Secret Rage - Charlaine Harris

The backup pile

This is a little more diverse and reflective of my reading habits.

Happier at Home  - Gretchen Rubin
The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson - I hear the sequel is out now so I am of course just getting around to this!
Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria - Noo Saro-Wiwa - Once upon a time I wrote a thesis on oil and corruption in Nigeria. I am still interested in Nigeria.
I have Iraq in my Shoe - Gretchen Berg
One Way of Love - Gamel Woolsey
Free Land - Rose Wilder Lane
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores - Jen Campbell - I'm a librarian someone needs to come up with weird things patrons have said to librarians.
Picture Perfect (Commercial Breaks 2) - P.G. Kain
When Beauty Tamed the Beast - Eloisa James - also if that doesn't work I have another Eloisa James and a Julia Quinn I haven't gotten to.
Bruno's Dream - Iris Murdoch

Plus the stuff on my Kindle including Bitterblue. 

Abandon a Blog?

What me? Never. Why would I do such a thing? Actually yes I did and I realized that I read way more than I write. I am not cut out for blogging or at least not blogging about one type of book. I guess I don't have to do that either but I am not sure expanding genres would help.

Anyway I am doing Dewey's Readathon this October which sounds super-fun so the blog won't be dead for a little while.