End of Event!

Last hour stats

Pages read: 316 (illustrations!)

Time reading: 50 min

Books completed: 1

Blogs visited: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 1,226

Total time reading: 17 hrs 14 min

Total books completed: 10

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3

End of Event Meme

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?

Surprisingly, 1am, which was around hour 20. I'd finally gotten warm and the book I was reading was oversized and heavy. There were quite a few head-nods that I couldn't avoid.

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that would keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Nothing that I really read this time would cut it, but I like reading parts in a series so if you happen to not be 100% awake and you missed something, you could fairly easily figure out what was going on.

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

The only thing (and this is minor) would be to have a list of the participants that was up before the event starts. I like to poke around on blogs and mark people to come back and check up on throughout the night.

4) What do you think worked really well in this year's 'thon?

I don't know - most things? Nothing is really popping out as being outstanding, I just enjoyed it all.

5) How many books did you read?

10

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

"Stiff" by Mary Roach (on audio)

"Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie (on audio)

"Moomin: The complete comic strip Vol. 2" by Tove Jansson

"Half-Minute Horrors" by Various

"The Pedant and the Shuffly" by John Bellairs

"The Vampyre" by William Polidori

"The Family Under the Bridge" by Natalie Savage Carlson

"Radiator Days" by Lucy Knisley

"Alice in Sunderland" by Bryan Talbot

"Deadly Desire" by Keri Arthur

7) Which book did you enjoy most?

"Alice in Sunderland", definitely. It was visually beautiful, full of interesting historical links, funny - it was an awesome book that I picked up on a whim, and I'd love to own a copy.

8) Which book did you enjoy the least?

"Stiff", but only because there are so many parts that describe leaky, rotting bodies in scientific detail (usually with quirky analogies that were smart-funny) and it really turned my stomach. I think I would've been better reading this one in print, rather than on audio. It's hard to "skim" while you're listening, you're forced to hear every single word and can't pass a paragraph or two to avoid the ick. It's a great book, and I liked it, but it was very hard to listen to without wanting to hurl.

9) If you were a Cheerleader.... N/A cuz I wasn't!

10) How likely are you to participate in next year's challenge? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I'll be a Reader again for sure, and I'm thinking about doing some Cheering too. Since I do several R-A-T's throughout the year (most of them do not involve staying up for the whole 24 like this one does) I feel less "pressure" to get a lot accomplished. And, I know how much a cheering comment can boost you up, having previously not received any, so that would be a fun break and would keep me going.

Thanks so much to everyone for hosting, cheering, and for reading along!

Last hour

Pages read: 70

Time reading: 45 min

Books completed: 1

Blogs visited: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 910

Total time reading: 16 hr 24 min

Total books completed: 9

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3 (Intro, Book Sentence and Mid-way Meme)

A little less than an hour left, I'm going to try and finish up a book I've already started. See you again shortly!

Is it time to milk the cows yet?

Pages read: 92

Time reading: 52 min

Books completed: 0

Blogs visited: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 840

Total time reading: 15 hr 39 min

Total books completed: 8

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3 (Intro, Book Sentence and Mid-way Meme)

Seriously - how in the world am I still this awake?

Hour too-early-to-be-this-awake

Pages read: 98

Time reading: 40 min

Books completed: 2

Blogs visited: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 748

Total time reading: 14 hr 47 min

Total books completed: 8

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3 (Intro, Book Sentence and Mid-way Meme)

I've somehow woken up more than I thought I would - plus, my book is starting to really creep me out - so I'm sticking with it! Here's hoping this lasts at least until the next hour is up. :)

Hour 21

Pages read: 98

Time reading: 40 min

Books completed: 2

Blogs visited: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 748

Total time reading: 14 hr 7 min

Total books completed: 8

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3 (Intro, Book Sentence and Mid-way Meme)

Hour 20

Pages read: 149

Time reading: 1 hr 13 min

Books completed: 1

Blogs visited: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 650

Total time reading: 13 hr 27 min

Total books completed: 6

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3 (Intro, Book Sentence and Mid-way Meme)

It's official - I'm freakin tired. A few times in the last hour or so, I've nodded off for a second, just enough so that the book (and my head) droop and then I catch myself again. Getting up to come over here and post an update is helping a bit, thankfully. I should probably make something to drink or eat something, keep me conscious for a bit. In the interest of honesty, if I had my heated mattress pad on my bed, I'd be crawling in there right about now, but I don't, so I won't. Ugh, where are my eye drops? How can one person be so tired when all they've done is read all day long?

Okay, it's been a few minutes since I wrote that last paragraph and I feel MUCH more awake now that I've had a snack and some V8. Look out books, here I come!

Hour 18

Pages read: 125

Time reading: 1 hr 50 min

Books completed: 0

Blogs visited: 3

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 501

Total time reading: 12 hr 14 min

Total books completed: 5

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3 (Intro, Book Sentence and Mid-way Meme)

Sleepiness is starting to settle in. It all started when I started to get cold, so I put on a sweatshirt. Then I moved over to the recliner and put a pillow on my lap (both to keep warm and to protect myself from the size and heft of my current book). Then one of my cats decided to join me. So I got a little cozy and snuggly and now I'm tired. Dangit. If I do need to take a nap, I hope I can at least hold out until I finish the book. Once I put it down I'm not going to want to hold it up for any length of time, even though it's wonderful and I'm loving it.

p.s. The craziness might start to creep in on these updates from now on. Just so you're warned.

Hour 16

Pages read: 125

Time reading: 1 hr 50 min

Books completed: 0

Blogs visited: 3

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 501

Total time reading: 12 hr 14 min

Total books completed: 5

Total blogs visited: 8

Total challenges completed: 3 (Intro, Book Sentence and Mid-way Meme)

I finished two more books, one of them on audio, so now I've changed what I'm listening to. Currently, I've got NKOTB on my iPod, turned up a little loudly to keep me awake. Since it's such a big, heavy book, I've started "Alice in Sunderland" while I'm sitting at the dining room table. Plus, it's filled with small writing and lots of beautifully intricate illustrations and mixed media collages so the bright overhead light helps out. Hope you're still up and reading along!

Halfway Survey

1) What are you reading right now?

I'm listening to "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie. Getting ready to pick up "Alice in Sunderland" by Bryan Talbot

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?

"Radioactive" by Lauren Redniss. I've been looking forward to it for weeks!

4) Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Not really. I just had to make sure I didn't work this weekend. (I need tomorrow to recover.)

5) Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Well, I always plan to run one errand during these 'thons just to do something so I don't end up sleeping by hour 8, but then my parents stopped over for longer than I expected. And then there was those 2 loads of laundry. Oh well. I just get right back to reading as soon as I can.

6) What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon so far?

Honestly? How little time I've spent reading. I know I got a late start, but I feel like I've hardly missed more than an hour and a half. The clock doesn't lie, unfortunately.

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

Not that I can think of.

8) What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

I'll do it again next year for sure. I think the only difference I'd make is that I'd make sure to keep the day before free - completely free - so I can do all of the house stuff and make a final grocery run. I didn't give myself any prep time this time around.

9) Are you getting tired yet?

Yes, but just barely.

10) Do you have any tips for others, something that is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

I'm a big big fan of audiobooks. They're great for a break from holding up a book for so long, and if you're going to walk or run errands you can still "read".

Hour 12

Pages read: 145

Time reading: 2 hrs

Books completed: 1

Blogs visited: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 229

Total time reading: 7 hr 24 min

Total books completed: 3

Total blogs visited: 5

Total challenges completed: 2 (Intro and Book Sentence)

One more book down, and I'm still listening to "Bet Me". Just had a disgustingly greasy and good Chinese food dinner and I'm so full I could burst. I've had enough of the crappy food and will stick to healthy stuff for the rest of the night. It's the only way I'll make it through!

Hour 10

Pages read: 84

Time reading: 1 hr 26 min

Books completed: 2

Blogs visited: 3

Mini-challenges completed: 1

Total pages: 84

Total time reading: 5 hr 24 min

Total books completed: 2

Total blogs visited: 5

Total challenges completed: 2 (Intro and Book Sentence)

I'm finally done with "Stiff"!!!! No more rotting corpses for me - at least not the literal variety - and I'm starting to read physical books instead of just listening to them. My parents stopped over to drop something off and ended up staying for over an hour, so I lost some good reading time. But that's okay - it helped keep me awake. Now it's just starting to get a little darker outside, and I'm worried that when it's pitch black in a couple of hours that I'll crash and want to take a nap! Alright, back to reading. How is everyone else doing?

Hour 9

This mini-challenge, hosted by Midnight Book Girl, invites you to make a sentence out of your book titles. Mine reads "Things in the night, bound to shadows, committed the murder at the vicarage". Spooky, right?

Hour 7

And I have yet to touch a page! I'm nearly done with "Stiff", which, though incredibly interesting and funny, is more stomach-turning than I expected. Yuck.

Pages read: 0

Time reading: 2 hours (all in “Stiff” by Mary Roach)

Books completed: 0

Blogs visited: 1

Mini-challenges completed: 0

Total pages: 0

Total time reading: 3 hr 58 min

Total books completed: 0

Total blogs visited: 2

Total challenges completed: 1 (Intro)

Hour 4

Still stuck on audio, but I'm feeling the need to run an errand, so I'm stuck listening to cadaver stories for a while yet.

Pages read: 0

Time reading: 1 hr 58 min (all audio). I'm listening to "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie and "Stiff" by Mary Roach

Books completed: 0

Blogs visited: 1

Mini-challenges completed: 1(“Intro”)

Total pages: 0

Total time reading: 1 hr 58 min

Total books completed: 0

Total blogs visited: 1

Total challenges completed: 1

Good Morning (Or, Hour 1)

Well, I overslept by a half hour, so yay Read-a-thon! I'm trying to catch up on my missed morning jobs while listening to an audiobook so it still counts as reading time.

Hour 1 Meme

1) Where are you reading from today?

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2) Three random facts about me...

Skip-Bo is one of my favorite games, I own enough essential oils to practically open my own shop, and a giant snake has peed on me.

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

28, according to my earlier post, but there are a couple of books that I'm thinking of starting today, so - 30.

4) Do you have any goals for the Read-a-thon?

I'd like to read 6 books, whether from start to finish or not. Really, I just need to thin out my TBR books, so I'll probably be reading faster today than I would normally. Well, until I get too tired, that is. :)

5) If you're a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Have fun, and take a break if you need to! Sometimes you just need to not be sitting down with a book in your hand, and that's okay.

Alright, off to it!

It's almost time...

Here's a quick shot of my TBR stack for tomorrow's read-a-thon. From Left to Right, Top to Bottom, they are:

"Moomin, The Complete Comic Strip, Vol. 2" by Tove Jansson

"Britten and Brulightly" by Hannah Berry

"Alice in Sunderland" by Bryan Talbot

"Radioactive" by Lauren Redniss

"Asterios Polyp" by David Mazzucchelli

"Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel

"The Pagan Stone" by Nora Roberts

"Deadly Desire" by Keri Arthur (already started)

"Summer" by Edith Wharton (already started)

"I.O.U." by Nicholas Adams

"Camera" by Jean-Philipe Toussaint

"Savage" by Jacques Jouet

"My Paris" by Gail Scott

"Henrietta's War" by Joyce Dennys

"Sizeable Reflections" ed. by Shelley Bovey

"The Family Under the Bridge" by Natalie Savage Carlson

"The Vampyre" by John William Polidori

"A House to Let" by Charles Dickens

"The Pedant and the Shuffly" by John Bellairs

"Radiator Days" by Lucy Knisley

"Griffin & Sabine", "Sabine's Notebook", "The Golden Mean" and "The Venetian's Wife" all by Nick Bantock

"Dracula's Heir" by Sam Stall

Plus, I'm listening to two more on my iPod - "Stiff" by Mary Roach and "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie.

Of course, I'd like to read all of them tomorrow, and while they're all short (and most have pictures) I don't know if that's really feasible. That's still a lot of pages to get through. Okie dokie, I'm going to turn this computer off and head to bedfordshire. See you all in about 8 hours!

It's Alive!

Photo credit: crazy-frankenstein.com

Helloooo there! Yes, I am alive, despite my overly-long absence of six months. I apologize to the few hangers-on that are still here. But what can I say? Life just got in the way, and each time I thought to come back and update here, some kind of shiny object popped up in front of me and I quickly forgot.

To update you, I still have Job #1 and #2, with the addition of Job #3, still doing #1 but renting a room from an established MT closer to my house. It's going okay, but it's not what I thought it would be, and it's not going to change (the issue is with the owner - nothing hairy, but we just have very different ideas as to how an MT business should be run) so I'm on the lookout for another room to rent in the same area. I have to say, doing this just a few miles from my house has made my life a heck of a lot easier and I look forward to going to work again. There are still one to three days a week that I'm back at my old place, and that's just fine, but my concentration is on my new business. Please cross your fingers that I'll find somewhere else nearby to rent before the snow flies!

In book news, I'm clipping right along. As of this morning I've read 117 books, which is probably the most I've read in one year in my adult life. This is mostly due to the fact that I am not working a ton, and it's also due to my love of audio books. Each time I drive I've got a book playing, it's hardly ever music. That alone ups me at least 2 books a month. The realization that not every book I read will be The Book I Adore also helps. Every time I picked up a new title, I'd think "Okay, here we go, new favorite book", and really? That never happens, especially when you're hoping that it will. Instead, I've given myself permission to skim-read if something isn't really grabbing me. It may sound trivial, but it's helped for sure.

My new reading goal for the year is to complete my LibraryThing 11-11 Challenge before next week Saturday (only 4 more books to go, shouldn't be much of a problem) so that I can read guilt-free for both Dewey's Read-a-Thon next weekend and for the rest of the year. There are a lot of books that I've owned for years and that while I'd still like to read them I know I'm not going to want to keep them. I'm hoping to get through a fair chunk of them before 2012 starts.

Otherwise, to quote Peter Gabriel, "same as it ever was". I'm still working on de-papering my house (an on-going battle to be sure) and letting things go. My sentimental soul wants to keep everything in some kind of a preserved "Laura Museum" which is ridiculous and doesn't let me fully live my life, so culling what goes and what stays has become a new priority. Parents are good, the cats are doing well (and are, unbelievably, 8 years old) and things just keep on rolling here in Wisconsin. I'll do my best to keep up with Ye Olde Blog in the future, and you can certainly expect a flurry of posts next weekend.

Take care until next time!