Saturday, April 29, 2017

Dewey's Readathon Post

Wrap Up

Even though I managed to stay awake for 23 hours, only 10 of those were reading. While I'm a bit disappointed, for a girl who took a nap and didn't force anything, it's not too bad for a Saturday.



Closing Survey

1.Which hour was most daunting for you?
It started getting dicey around hour 22, and I finally went to bed at hour 23 (5 AM). The tiredness hit me a lot faster this time around.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that could keep a reader engaged for next year?
I think Bee Cottage by Frances Schultz and I Don't Know What You Know Me From by Judy Greer were both entertaining and quick reads.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the readathon next time?
Nope! Aside from the unfortunate blog sluggishness (which you were on top of), I think things went well this time!

4. What do you think worked really well this time?
This is a personal thing, but being more relaxed about reading was nearly revolutionary.

5. How many books did you read?
I finished 7, listened to half of another, and got a chapter of an ebook.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
I finished: "Nightlights" by Lorena Alvarez (56 pages)
"The Bee Cottage Story" by Frances Schultz (160 pages
"Wayward, Volume 2" by Jim Zub (136 pages)
"Scenes From My Life" by Judi Dench (224 pages)
"The Phoenix Rising, Volumes 1 & 2" by (204 & 168 pages, respectively)
"I Don't Know What You Know Me From" by Judi Dench (256 pages)
I read part of "Big Bona Ogles, Boy" by Michael Gallagher (it's so damn good!)
I listened to 4 1/2 hours of "Peggy & Me" by Miranda Hart

7. Which did you enjoy most?
"Nightlights"! I didn't know a thing about it (just saw 2 posts that Liberty made), so it was all a wonderful, colorful surprise!

8. Which did you enjoy least?
"Wayward, volume 2". It felt uneven to me, though the artwork is pretty (though gruesome at times), and I won't be continuing with the series.

9. How likely are you to participate next time, and in what role?
My usual, I'll for sure be here, and as a reader! I'm planning on cheering for the people I know, but probably won't add lots of new blogs and things to follow.

Thank you so much to Andi and Heather (and the stable of volunteers) for running this joint. It's a big deal, and so much fun! And thank you as usual to my RAT buddy, Sherry Ann! Even though she was on vacation, she rocked it, hard, and I'm so proud of her! 

Hour 20

Not sure how I'm awake right now (at 2:30 AM), but I'm doing okay. (I probably just jinxed myself.) I managed to read a few more GNs, and am working on a memoir currently. Once I get too tired to sit up and read this hardcover, I'll go to bed and work on an ebook until I fall asleep. 

I think having The Golden Girls and Bob's Burgers on in the background has helped!

Hour 13

Not many more pages read, but that's okay. I visited Winston next door (he's a cat) and he helped me take some bookish photos between scratches and Greenies. My two cats managed to get up when I got home and have been walking around the house, looking for things to chew on/knock over/rub against and knock over/etc, so the usual fun times around here. I was going to try and read "book" books mostly, but since I took book pictures next door, I think I'll just go through those instead.

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?
Nothing, but soon I'll be starting Phoenix Requieum, volume 1.

2. How many books have you read so far?
I've finished two, and got halfway through another.

3. What book are you most looking forward to in the second half?
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby. It jumped off of the shelf when I was browsing earlier, and it seems like a good RAT book to do in chunks.

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with them?
I just dealt with them, and didn't freak out over "losing reading time", which is a first for a readathon for me. Having a headache didn't help, certainly, but now that that's gone (hope I didn't just jinx myself!) I'm feeling more bookish than before.

5. What surprises you most about the RAT so far?
How relaxed I am this time around. It's a nice change, to be honest, since I'm a massive worrier and anxious person.


Hour 8

So far, so little reading. I've managed to finish one book, a GN, and listened to about 4 hours of an audiobook. Otherwise, it's been trying to manage the headache that won't go away. I napped for about an hour, which helped a little, and had a lackluster Lean Cuisine for lunch after I woke up starving. I took a break to talk to my Mom, and have been watching the last few weeks worth of As Time Goes By, one of my favorite shows. 

Coming up for me? I think I'll try and finish one of my current reads, maybe grab another comic or graphic novel off of my shelves. Hoping that the weather breaks and that it finally starts to rain - if it does, my headache should go away (I sound like I'm 1,000 years old) - and I still need to visit Winston next door. But maybe a long shower first? Don't know.

I do know that I should try and stay away from Litsy if I want to read some more! :)


Hours 1 & 2


Good morning, Readathonners! 

As usual, plans for the day have changed. I'll be staying home all day, rather than going to my class (bad night, low headache, v sore back), and my one jaunt out will be to visit my neighbor's cat, Winston, later this afternoon. I've managed to spend far more time than I'd like to admit on Litsy this morning, and also managed to finish my first book! 

Opening Survey
1. Which fine part of the world are you reading from today?
My cozy and cluttered house outside of Milwaukee, WI

2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I don't have a stack, so I don't have a favored book! 

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Taco dip, mmmmmmm!

4. Tell us a little something about yourself!
I'm drawing a blank here. Uhhhhhmmm, Mom to two cats, have read 60+ books so far this year, slowly working on my family tree, and spending lots of time finding an assisted living place for my cousin. 

5. If you participated last time, what's one thing you'll do differently today?
Not making any plans at all! I'm totally winging it today.



Friday, April 28, 2017

Prepare yourselves - Dewey's is coming!


It's that time of year again - Dewey's time! This is the latest I've ever signed up (with a whopping 13 hours before the start), and the least organized I've ever been, and I'm okay with that. 

No real plans for tomorrow, no books that are screaming out to be read. No special trips to the library to check out a bunch of things "just in case". I'm planning on winging it most of the time. I've got a genealogy class downtown in the morning, so unless I can peel myself out of bed early to start reading, I won't get started until the early afternoon when I get home. And, while I'll still be here to update occasionally, I plan on spending most of my time on Litsy (LauraBrook) and Instagram (laurareadsandreads). It's easier to do a quick photo and sentence to post, rather than logging in, updating the thread... it's not like it's hard or takes hours, but I'm starting to give in and do more social media things. 

So that's my plan for this readathon - read whatever sounds good at the time, not sweat spending time posting and following people online, and not worry about needing to do some things outside of the house. Fingers crossed I still get some good books finished!