Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon - Plans and Updates

UPDATES AT THE END OF THIS POST

Wow! I just realized this is my seventh year participating in this 24 hour readathon. Time sure does fly. I love the Fall version because I just happen to think spooky reading is perfect for a 24 hour readathon. Scary books keep your blood moving, and that means staying awake (in theory). HaHa!

Pre-Readathon notes
I usually do not start at my official start time which is 7:00am. Not sure if I will this time either. I'll keep that up in the air. Also, as it's Saturday, I will be doing my normal outing with my mom. Lunch and a movie. We're going to see Ouija 2. I love my scary movies! I'm also going to early voting. Not sure when I will be back, but I as soon as I'm home, it's on!

I've decided to forego mini-challenges and follow Andi's advice on this post. These two things will be my focus to maximize my readathon (although the pull of social media is strong, I will try):

• Set a timer of 5 minutes to check the challenges/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram so you can get back to reading – when you are done, move your phone to another room or at least out of sight.
• Take breaks from reading in a comfy spot. I find as the later hours come on, if I’m too comfy, I get sleepy. Sit in a firm chair in those moments or read while standing up. (Note on this...if I get sleepy, I'm going to read on the recumbent bike. I'll get some exercise in while reading and I'll stay awake)

Books
These are the books I'll be choosing from. All horror!

Snacks

I went all out this time with snacks! A wide array with pumpkin well-represented (pumpkin latte mix, Krispie Kreme pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice cupcakes...yum!).

Not sure how much I will update, but if I do, I'll use this post. No need to make it sticky, as I don't plan on posting anything else here this weekend.

How about you? Are you participating? What are your plans?

Intro Survey

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?  Nashville, Tennessee, USA
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Hmmm, that's a tough one. Probably The Jersey Devil or The Awakening.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? The pumpkin pie!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a mom of two teen boys, I'm writing my first novel. I love cats. I'm the owner of a massive home library...3000+ books. I love horror novels and movies...my sister blog is a horror blog. Castle Macabre. I'm a Christmas fanatic and have a blog dedicated to that...Christmas Spirit. I host 4 readathons and 2 special readathons yearly at Seasons of Reading.
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? Try to focus more on the reading and less getting online. Wish me luck. lol

Update and Mid-Event Survey

I only did some brief reading this morning...really nothing to talley...because I had to get ready for my Saturday outing with mom. We went to lunch, stopped at Target to pick up some birthday presents for my son (and I snagged some cute Halloween tags to use as bookmarks - see pic below), I voted (Yay!) and then we went to see Ouija: Origin of Evil. Pretty good. Not as scary as I thought it would be. I loved the first Ouija movie. I've probably watched it at least 20 times. This one did have a good story and it helped explained what led to what happened in the original. So, pretty good.

1. What are you reading right now? Trying to finish up a section of Salem's Lot for my read-along, then it's Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror and Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum.
2. How many books have you read so far? zilch (see above)
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? The Jersey Devil, Hunter Shea
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? see above...lol
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? No surprises so far.

End of Event Survey

Well folks, I didn't do as well as I had hoped. I made it to the 22nd hour...and promptly fell asleep. I didn't start until the 13th hour so I maybe read for 9-10 hours, in between wasting time online, which I said I wasn't going to do, but since when do I follow any rules. lol

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  22
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Definitely Salem's Lot and I recommend horror short stories as well.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? No
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I loved the genre polls!
5. How many books did you read?  I read 70 pages in Salem's Lot, Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror, Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum (short stories)
6. What were the names of the books you read? see above
7. Which book did you enjoy most?  Salem's Lot
8. Which did you enjoy least?  N/A
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  I'm sure I will participate next time. I can't resist readathons. I will be a reader again.

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Take Back Your Shelves Read-a-Thon #TBYSreadathon

I can never resist a read-a-thon, and since I'll be reading this weekend anyway...why not? This read-a-thon is hosted by JMill Wanders.

What I'll be reading (from):

13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, Jane Smiley
Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
The Life and Death of a Druid Prince, Anne Ross and Don Robins

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Bout of Books 17 - Goals and Updates #Readathon #boutofbooks

Updates

Reading done on 8/22:

Not a stellar start...

5 pages - The Mountain Story
5 chapters, 27 pages - The Ninja's Daughter

Mini-Challenge - Book to Movie @ Writing My Own Fairy Tale

My favorite book to movie (I actually liked the movie better in this case. Shock!) =

My least favorite (they massacred my favorite book of all time!) =

Reading done on 8/23:

Bleh. Move along. Nothing good to report here. :(

Reading done on 8/24:

100 pages, The Ninja's Daughter
Reading is not going as planned...at all. :(

Reading done on 8/25, 8/26:

Didn't get a chance to update, but did finish The Ninja's Daughter on Friday.

Reading done on 8/27:

No update.

Final Update:

5 pages - The Mountain Story, Lori Lansens
The Ninja's Daughter, Susan Spann (247 pages)
Hexagram, Duncan P. Bradshaw (324 pages)

Thanks to Amanda and Kelly for the read-a-thon! 

Do I dare? I really have a TON of reading to get done before the end of the month so I'm really hoping to knuckle down with this read-a-thon.

Here's Bout of Books:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 28th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 17 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Here's what I'll be reading:

The Mountain Story, Lori Lansens - Finish

A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley 

13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, Jane Smiley

The Ninja's Daughter, Susan Spann

Hexagram, Duncan P. Bradshaw

Wish me luck!

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Reading Plans - #24in48 Read-a-Thon

I almost forgot about this! My read-a-thon, High Summer, is going on right now, but why not join another!?

I'm planning on going for a total page count rather than number of books read for this read-a-thon (I already finished one this week for High Summer. Woot!). I think I'm going to jump around with my reading rather than focus on just one book.

I have to finish the Earthsea Trilogy by Tuesday so will try to read a good chunk of it.

I'm going to get started reading 13 Ways to Look at a Novel and The Greenlanders, both by Jane Smiley. We're reading three Jane Smiley books for my Lit Collective group read (on Goodreads) in August. I'm picking up the third book, A Thousand Acres, at the library later today since I can't seem to locate my copy.

1. Where in the world are you reading from this weekend?
   Nashville, Tennessee, US
2. Have you done the 24in48 readathon before?
   I think I did once.
3. Where did you hear about the readathon, if it is your first?
   Thank goodness I subscribe to the blog via email. Otherwise, I might have missed it!
4. What book are you most excited about reading this weekend?
   13 Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley
5. Tell us something about yourself.
   Mom of 2 boys, avid reader, writer, book blogger, cat lover, singer & owner of a massive home library
6. Remind us where to find you online this weekend.
   Here on this blog, but most likely in my read-a-thon group on Facebook, Seasons of Reading, or on Twitter.

Full details on the 24 in 48 read-a-thon and you can still sign up! Hour zero post here.

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High Summer Read-a-Thon - What's in the books for me? #HSreadathon

As my summer comes to a close... Yes, I know you're probably saying, "...but summer doesn't end until September." Well, not for me. My sons go back to school on August 3rd. Ugh. Anyway, I digress. As I was saying, as my summer comes to a close, I seem to have a crap load of reading to do. Between working on my novel during my Sit Down and Write 8 writing challenge and Camp NaNoWriMo this month (on which I had a MAJOR breakthrough last week...more on that over at Stories Inside), studying for a test I have to take by Friday for a new work at home job I'm trying to get, and doing work for my two clients, the reading I have to do has kind of snuck up on me. Gah! I'm exhausted just reading this.

Anyhoo, you see my stack at the top. Let me break it down...

I have to read a large chunk of the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin (I have the omnibus edition) for TuesBookTalk Tuesday night.

I'm reading Mayan Blue by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason for a review on Friday at my horror blog, Castle Macabre. I can't wait to read this! I've heard some raves about it.

I'm going to get started reading 13 Ways to Look at a Novel and The Greenlanders, both by Jane Smiley. We're reading three Jane Smiley books for my Lit Collective group read (on Goodreads) in August. The third book is A Thousand Acres and damned if I can't find my copy. Grrr. I'll worry about that after the read-a-thon. lol

I'll be posting updates in our read-a-thon Facebook group, or on Twitter. #HSreadathon

You can still join us for the read-a-thon. It ends at the end of the day on Sunday. Click the button below for details/to sign up.

Happy reading this week!

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My #SchoolsOutRAT plans!

Tif @ Tif Talks Books is hosting this lovely little, no pressure read-a-thon...The School's Out Read-a-Thon! I'm hoping to get some reading in, but I'm also leaving for vacation in the evening on the 16th so lots of packing and preparations going on as well. We shall see how it goes.

Here's what I'll be reading. I only need to read a portion of Wilde Lake for TuesBookTalk. I'm hoping to finish Contact and get a good portion of Worlds Elsewhere read.

A big thanks to Tif for hosting!

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Bout of Books 16 #boutofbooks

I always sign up and plan to participate...and then something always come up. Hopefully, this time will be better. All I can do is try and I do have a ton of great books on my reading plate this month.

Here's the official scoop:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Are you participating? Feel free to share your progress/what you're reading in the Seasons of Reading group on Facebook. 

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Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon - I tried (End of Event Survey)

Well, another 24 hour read-a-thon comes to a close. My attempted reading time was 10-11 hours after I returned from my outings yesterday. Of course, much of that time was interrupted by...kids, eating snacks, watching the Prince tribute on Saturday Night Live. I almost managed to stay up all night, but I kept falling asleep so that inhibited my finishing the book I was reading.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 20-21 and final hour
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? N/A
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? I'm not fond of these specific question surveys. I prefer more organic "updates."
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? It seemed the same as times before to me.
5. How many books did you read? 1/2 of a 400 page book. 200 pages. I'm a slow reader. :-(
6. What were the names of the books you read? The Troop by Nick Cutter
7. Which book did you enjoy most? A foregone conclusion since I only read the one. 
8. Which did you enjoy least? N/A
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Indeed. Reader only.

Luckily, my Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon continues today until 11:59pm CT tonight. My plan is to finish The Troop and then try to read (and finish) Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz, which is only 168 pages. We shall see if I succeed. 

How did your 24 hour reading go?

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Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon - It's SO late...an update

It's 3:50 am and I'm awake. I fell asleep...a brief nap...and then woke up to continue reading. I think I subconsciously willed myself to wake up. lol

I'm still reading The Troop (Nick Cutter). The reality of it is disturbing and I'm really starting to get a Lord of the Flies vibe, which doesn't bode well for some, or all, of the characters, I think. Let's see if I can stay awake and try to finish this book by 7:00am my time.

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Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon - Finally...officially starting!

I'm back from my day out with my boys (and mom). We had a nice lunch and then saw The Jungle Book. Terrific movie! I'm trying to convince Gabe to read the book this summer for summer reading. He's my older son and not much of a reader (I'm determined to help him become one), but The Jungle Book is his favorite so maybe the book will spark his interest. Plus, it's an eBook so he can read it on his Kindle.

So, I'm officially starting now (8pm). I'm reading The Troop and looking forward to getting scared. I'll probably grab a snack too. I've made the executive decision to forego mini-challenges this time so I can focus on the reading.

1. What are you reading right now? see above

2. How many books have you read so far? 0

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? see above

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? see intro paragraph of this post

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nothing...yet.

How's your read-a-thon going?

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Dewey's 24 Hour #readathon - Yeah, I'm just starting

I'm late! I overslept this morning...damn. I had planned to get up earlier, do the intro meme, and read a bit before I go out today to take my sons to see "The Jungle Book." Oh well. It is what it is.

I had to alter my original plans, as I didn't finish one of my books for Spring into Horror. So, these are the two I'm hoping to finish. I'll really only be participating for 12 hours (or a bit less) so we'll see how this goes. I need to finish The Troop first and then on to Akhenaten (which is a short book - 168 pages).

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

I am reading from Nashville, Tennessee, USA

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

The Troop...love the scary so hoping this one will have me frightened tonight.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

About the snacks...a bit of a story here. I treated my boys to a junk food supper last night. We had all the dips! I made....

Hot Onion Dip

Crab and Artichoke Dip

Cherry Cheescake Dip

Yum! There is plenty left so that's my snack plan tonight. Plus, chewy sweetarts...and coffee. 

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Mom of two teen sons and two cat daughters, avid reader, owner of a humongous home library (close to 4000 books, maybe more), writer, work at home (virtual assistant and inbound customer service/call center). I like to sing in my spare time (not often enough), usually at karaoke. 

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?

I always try to stay up the entire time I participate, but have never quite made it yet. Maybe this time!

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Cat Thursday - Cat Read-a-Thon #catsreading #readathon

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

In honor of my Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon going on this week (and Dewey's 24 Hour going on Saturday), today is the Cat Read-a-Thon. This kitty is participating in Spring into Horror. Can you tell?

Arya does this. smh

LOL!

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A Reading Life (41) - Read-a-Thons, #ReadNobels and more! #SpringHorrorRAT

It's a busy week! Lots of reading fun going on.

First off, my Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon is going on today through Sunday. You can sign up through Friday (click the title). Yes, horror is in the title, but I only require one horror (or whatever is scary to you...mysteries, thrillers, gothic tales) book to be read. The rest of your reading can be more horror, or any genre you like. On my end, I'll be predominantly focusing on horror. After I finish up this week's reading section tonight of The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James (for TuesBookTalk), I'll be reading these beauties....

Goodreads

Goodreads

If I finish these, I'll be reading this book for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon....

Goodreads

and starting this one, if I finish the above...

Goodreads

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is this Saturday!

Week 3 of Where in the World will your Nobel take you? This week's questions: 

• What other Nobel-prize winning authors / books have you discovered (or didn't realize were Nobel winners) and would you like to get in your TBR or read at a later date?
• What about the book/s, author/s or setting/s attract/s or intrigue/s you?

I had noticed that a couple of the other participants were reading/had read Snow by Orhan Pamuk. This one intrigued me (this line in the description in particular "the lethal chemistry between secular doubt and Islamic fanaticism") and, as luck would have it, I came across a copy at the library sale yesterday. Yay!

Goodreads

These are authors that I have on my Read the Nobels challenge list. I own books by all of these Nobel Prize winning authors. So, books by these authors will be on my TBR in the future.

2007 - Doris Lessing
2000 - Gao Xingjian
1998 - José Saramago
1995 - Seamus Heaney
1993 - Toni Morrison
1988 - Naguib Mahfouz
1983 - William Golding
1982 - Gabriel García Márquez
1962 - John Steinbeck
1958 - Boris Pasternak
1957 - Albert Camus
1954 - Ernest Hemingway
1949 - William Faulkner
1948 - T.S. Eliot
1938 - Pearl Buck
1930 - Sinclair Lewis
1929 - Thomas Mann
1928 - Sigrid Undset
1925 - George Bernard Shaw
1923 - William Butler Yeats
1907 - Rudyard Kipling

The following are books I'm considering to read this year for Read the Nobels 2016 (two from this list):

Albert Camus, The Plague

Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook

Thomas Mann, Buddenbrooks

Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter

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Recent book acquisitions...

Library sale

Kill Your Darlings, Terence Blacker

The Silent Sister, Diane Chamberlain

Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie

Mudwoman, Joyce Carol Oates

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

The Legend of Sheba, Tosca Lee

The Wise Man's Fear, Patrick Rothfuss

The Good Apprentice, Iris Murdoch

Snow, Orhan Pamuk

The Banks of Certain Rivers, Jon Harrison

The Agincourt Bride, Joanna Hickson

Agincourt, Bernard Cornwell

What's going on in your Reading Life?

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