Completed My 3rd 24 Hour Readathon!

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.”

~Albert Einstein

Well Mr. Einstein, while I respect your accomplishments and achievements, this time I am going to bask in my SUCCESS!!!!! For the first time, since I started participating in the Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon a couple of years ago, I have successfully made it through the whole 24 hours of reading! When I have slept a bit maybe then I can be a person of value. Right now though, I can barely function enough to get myself to bed. That is what participating in this challenge can do, but it is marvelous!

I have also completed the two other reading goals I had set up for myself. I have completed 4 books in print (started a 5th one) and 1 audiobook. I have also hit my goal of reading at least 700 pages. That is a record for me in one day, especially with all the fun mini-challenges and social media postings to distract me. Picking an audiobook was a great idea. It helped me be able to get up and move around a bit and keep my eyes fresh.

Closing Survey:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? This was an exhausting 24 hours. However, I believe Hour 22 was the worst. My house was too quiet and dark. Luckily, I was able to make some coffee.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged for next year? I would stick to humor (books by Amy Poehler and Anna Kendrick were my favorite), mysteries (such as Agatha Christie novels) or children’s novels (Roald Dahl books or Harry Potter).
3. List books completed:

• High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
• How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen
• The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling (audiobook)
• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
• Started: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

To be honest, I don’t love any of these books (excluding Tuck Everlasting). I might recommend The Strange Library. Murakami’s books are always so unique.

While I am obviously thrilled to have made it the full 24 hours, I am not intending to do that in the future. However, I am still looking forward to participating next time – maybe for 18 hours instead. I am grateful for all the support I got from family, friends, coworkers, and fellow readathoners. See you next time!!!

 

24-Hour Readathon Halfway Point

We are officially 12 hours into the Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon. It has been a gloomy day, which might inspire more reading, but gloomy days always make me tired, so I am definitely more exhausted than last time. I am still going strong though. I’ve finished 2 books and read about 300 pages. I’ve also completed 8 mini-challenges and was very active (if not too active) on social media. My audiobook was a good idea to help me get up and walk every now and then. My snacks have also treated me well. I am looking forward to opening the Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream after dinner.

One of the many things I love about participating in the readathon is all the fun mini-challenges you get to participate in. For example, check out my awesome book face on the right. Surprisingly, that is the first time that I’ve ever done something like that. However, my goal for the next 12 hours (besides staying awake) is to not be overly distracted by the mini-challenges and social media. I want to get through more of my TBR pile. This is going to be difficult, because the later the hour the harder it is to keep my eyes focused when they really want to sleep. Thank God for large print books!

Here’s to the next 12 hours! My Weekend is All Booked!

24-Hour Readathon Begins! April 2017

I am super excited to begin my 3rd time participating in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon! I participated a year ago and almost made it 24 hours but not quite. I hope to be more successful this time. Wish I hadn’t been too excited to get a decent night’s sleep last night. Oh well.

I’ve made some tweaks to my literature this year. I have added large print books for some of the later hours when your eyes start to get a bit blurry. I also have a supply of audiobooks to allow me to continue reading while moving around a bit. This will hopefully keep my body going for 24 hours. I hope to read around 700 pages and finish at least 4 books.

I have my reading spots, my book stack and snacks all ready. I actually have multiple reading spots this year. I’ve included a picture of one and will post from a different one later. My snacks are plentiful. While they don’t look too healthy, I do have some apple slices in there somewhere.

It’s time for the opening survey:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Missouri City, Texas, USA (first time doing this in the US!)
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I am most looking forward to reading Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Twizzlers
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I have recently moved back to the United States and am now working at a Public Library. Clearly I love books.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? As mentioned above I am adding audiobooks to my reading list as well adding some additional reading spots to keep things fresh.

Let’s do this!!!!

My Must Read Book List for 2017

What books do you want to read in 2017? Here is the list of books I would like to read in 2017:

1. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
2. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
3. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
4. The Midnight Assassin by Skip Hollandsworth
5. The Selection by Kiera Cass
6. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
7. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
8. Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson
9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
10. Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
11. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
12. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
13. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
14. Bolshoi Confidential by Simon Morrison
15. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

However, these listed are not the only books I will read this year (and to be honest I have a hard time keeping to a list), so feel free to send me recommendations of books you have loved – both old and new.

2017 Reading Challenge

24 books completed

8 books ahead of schedule

24/50 (48%)

View Challenge

Completed My 2nd 24-Hour Readathon!

HOORAY! I made it to the end of another wonderful 24-Hour Readathon! My husband helped me celebrate by preparing this feast on our gorgeous balcony – complete with a bottle of Prosecco! Salute!

When I did this Readathon last October for the first time, I realized that I was grossly unprepared. I didn’t really think through book selections or prepare snacks in advance. There is nothing like needing a good snack at 4am, only to realize that there is absolutely no food in the house. This Readathon, I was much more prepared. I had my reading station prepped in advance with lots of books to choose from and plenty of snacks to get me through.

I am grateful for everyone of the readathoners that sent me messages of encouragement. It is always nice to feel like you are not alone during the most difficult hours. The hourly postings were also well done.

While I was more prepared with snacks this year, I noticed some many people with book-related gear and accessories. Some of these items were fantastic! Loved it! I feel I need more items like this for next time.

My favorite moment of the Readathon was when I made a comment on Twitter about my husband stealing one of my snacks that I prepared in advance. A fellow readathoner replied, “what a crime! Tell him to keep his grimy hands off!” Both he and I enjoyed response immensely, and he didn’t steal anymore of my snacks for the remainder of the Readathon.

Here are my responses to the final survey:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 15 was where I started to fade. That was also 4am my time, so I am normally not awake at that point anyway.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? If you want some enjoyable short books, you could read anything by Roald Dahl. I have enjoyed some more recent bestsellers like The Martian by Andy Weir, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (read during this readathon).
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? I felt that the mini-challenges this time were a bit more time consuming that last year. I don’t want to spend all my time doing the challenges when there is reading to be done.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I felt that I had a lot of support this year – cheerleaders encouraging me during the hardest hours. I also loved all the posts prior to the readathon to help us prepare and get excited for this event.
5. How many books did you read? I finished 3 books.
6. What were the names of the books you read? Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, After the Fall by Arthur Miller and Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
7. Which book did you enjoy most? I enjoyed Big Little Lies a lot more than expected. There was a twist at every corner that kept me very interested through the end. When I finished I had that moment of sadness that I would never experience reading that for the first time ever again.
8. Which did you enjoy least? I enjoyed After the Fall the least, but I still enjoyed it. Arthur Miller plays can be hard to really get into. I normally don’t really start enjoying them until at least halfway through. 
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I will definitely participate again. Now that I have improved some of my own failings from the first time (last year), I would like to maybe be a cheerleader the next time. The support I got from fellow readathoners was fantastic!

See you next time!!!

 

24-Hour Readathon Halftime Report

So I am still going strong with the 24-Hour Readathon. We have reached the halfway point, so we are officially 12 hours in. I’m not going to lie. I’m a bit tired. It is 2am here in Italy, but I am sticking with this. Here is the midway survey, and my answers:

1. What are you reading right now? I just finished After the Fall by Arthur Miller. Since I am a bit tired, I am going to read something light and fun. I’ve chosen to read Winnie-the-Pooh next. 
2. How many books have you read so far? I’ve finished two books so far. 

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I am looking forward to continuing reading Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. I started it months ago but couldn’t find the time to finish it.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I’ve had very few interruptions. Even my husband has left me alone for most of the day.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I am much more prepared for readathon this year. However, some of the hourly challenges seem a bit involved and time-consuming when our focus is suppose to be on reading. I think during the 2nd half of this readathon, I may be a bit more picky on what challenges I participate in, so I have more reading time.

Let the 2nd half begin!!!

24-hour Readathon for the 2nd time!

I participated in Dewey’s 24-hour Readathon last October and loved every minute of it, even the late hours when I was super tired. Since it was my first readathon I was a bit unprepared for things, so I am making up for it this time. Here is a picture of the reading station I have prepared for myself before the readathon was to begin.

I now have a station prepared with lots of book choices that I can choose from depending on my mood. May I recommend not reading a horror novel at 4am? That was one of my rookie mistakes last year. I creeped myself out. I also have prepared some snacks that I can just grab when I get hungry. I have candy on the reading station, but also fruit and other snacks already prepared in the kitchen. There isn’t a lot of time to worry about food, so being prepared with that in advance is a good plan. I am excited to use this readathon to have some quality time with lots of different literary characters.

 

HAPPY READING!!!!