Category: Read-a-thon

Dewey’s 24 Hour #Readathon – Update 3

Published on by Rachelle

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There’s only 6 hours left of Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon!

  • Total Pages Read: 164 and the remaining 83% of Good Omens.
  • Books Read: The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende, The Essential Feminist Reader, and Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
  • Mini-Challenges Completed: Be #FitReaders, Music is Muse, and Reading Story
  • Snacks Consumed: I had pizza for dinner, and I also got a chocolate chip cookie “pie” and a 2 Liter of Mountain Dew to go with it.

The #readathon tweets have slowed down considerably, and since Good Omens was an audiobook, I was able to multitask.  I’m beginning to get sleepy now.

Until my final update, at 7am, I’ll continue knocking off the books on my goal list:

  • The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg
  • The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
  • The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

Whether you’re participating in the read-a-thon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?

 

Dewey’s 24 Hour #Readathon – Update 2

Published on by Rachelle

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It’s an hour past the halfway point of Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon and I’m still going strong!

  • Total Pages Read: 164
  • Books Read: The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende and The Essential Feminist Reader
  • Mini-Challenges Completed: Plan a Bookish Party and the Mid-Event Survey
  • Snacks Consumed: Not really a snack, but Chinese food.  I also had a home made quesadilla and an iced chai.

I haven’t done much better than I did for the 1st 6 hours, but I’m still having a ton of fun lurking and favoriting on #readathon tweets.  I absolutely loved, reread, and bookmarked many a page of The Essential Feminist Reader, and I’ve listened to lots of music by my favorite Riot Grrrl bands.

Until my 3rd update, at 1am, I’ll be knocking off the books on my goal list:

  • Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
  • The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg
  • The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
  • The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

Whether you’re participating in the read-a-thon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?

 

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: Mid-Event Survey

Published on by Rachelle

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Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?

The Essential Feminist Reader
2. How many books have you read so far?

This is my 2nd book, but I only read 2 chapters from my first book, The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende. 
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I’m really hoping I get to The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

I haven’t really had any interruptions, except when the Boyfriend brought me my favorite Chinese food, but I have had a lot of distractions like #readathon on Twitter.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

The constant flow of Tweets!

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: A Hobbit Themed Party

Published on by Rachelle

Dewey's Readathon_Pocketwatch_BellezzaYes, I’ve already written about the Hobbit today for another Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon mini-challenge, but I just couldn’t stop my brain from coming up with all sorts of Hobbit-themed party ideas when I read Christina’s mini-challenge over at Christina Writes.

My Hobbit party would consist of the following:

  • Food and Drink:
  1. Waybread Blueberry Tarts (as found in the Unofficial Hobbit Handbook by The Shire Collective)
  2. Tea
  3. Scones
  4. Various Breads
  5. Jam
  6. Meat and Fruit Pies
  7. Various Cheeses
  8. Ale
  9. Wine
  10. Smaug the Golden Cocktail
  • Activities:
  1. Hobbit Trivia Game
  2. Viewing of all three Hobbit films
  3. Middle Earth Cosplay Contest
  • Party Favors:
  1. Hobbit bookmarks
  2. Handkerchiefs
  3. Large “hairy” plastic or rubber spiders for stabbing
  4. Books of riddles
  5. Pocket sized Middle Earth maps
  6. Small Treasure Boxes for storing the items listed above

Dewey’s 24 Hour #Readathon – Update 1

Published on by Rachelle

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I’ve survived the first 6 hours of Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon!

  • Pages Read: 70
  • Books Read: This week’s chapters of The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende for the read-along I’ve been hosting.
  • Mini-Challenges Completed: Classic Words of Wisdom
  • Snacks Consumed: trail mix, and HEB Honey Dinos.

70 pages is an extremely low number for 6 hours, but I’ve been doing a bit of #readathon lurking and favoriting on Twitter.  That’s ok, because I planned for that, and I think I’ll still be able to finish my goal, provided I stick to it and not get distracted by other books.

Until my 2nd update, at 7pm, I’ll continue to knock off the remaining books on my goal list:

  • The Essential Feminist Reader – What I’m currently reading.
  • Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
  • The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg
  • The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
  • The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

Whether you’re participating in the read-a-thon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?

 

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: Classic Words of Wisdom

Published on by Rachelle

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Allie over at A Literary Odyssey has challenged all of us participating in Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon to share our favorite words of wisdom from Classic literature.  Being a lover of the Classics, as well as a member of the Classics Club, I’ve got plenty of them, but one of my all time favorite quotes comes from my all time favorite book, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

This bit of wisdom can be applied to just about everything as I’ve made my way through the past decade of my life.  When I decided to not re-enlist in the Army, I had no idea what I wanted to do instead, besides finish college.  I didn’t even know what I wanted my major to be; I just knew I didn’t want it to be what it was at the time.  I stumbled across a former passion of mine, and, after some research, chose International Relations as my major, but I didn’t have a clue what university I wanted to attend.  I stumbled again, and found Texas State, even though I had never intended on staying in Texas after I go out of the military.  It has ended up being the best university for me, and I’ve discovered new friends, and new interests, and have had a lot of great experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise.  I also discovered that, even though I’m still interested in Humanitarian aid work specifically, and International Relations in general, what truly makes me happy is doing anything book related.  Books have always been my true love, but it wasn’t until I started reading some book blogs and then stumbled across the 24 in 48 Read-a-thon that got me started on my own blog, that I found out there are so many more book related jobs than I ever imagined.  I’m now on a crazy meandering path towards a fulfilling career, and that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for all the finding of things I hadn’t been looking for.

Dewey’s 24 Hour #Readathon – Go Time!

Published on by Rachelle

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Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon has officially started!  I prepped my coffee maker last night, so all I had to do when I got up this morning at 6:30 am was turn on the coffee maker, make my breakfast (yogurt and a bagel with cream cheese), and get my browser ready to go with all my read-a-thon related sites.  I’ve got a stream set up on Hootsuite for my phone, my stack of books and reading journal are next to the couch, and snacks are within easy reach when I need them.  I mean business, and despite the fact that I’m never happy this early in the morning, I’m excited about this read-a-thon!

  • What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I’m in Austin, TX
  • Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg.
  • Which snack are you most looking forward to? The Boyfriend has promised to go to the grocery store later this morning instead of waiting until tomorrow, just so he can get a few special snack requests.  I’m most looking forward to cranberry scones to go with my tea after I’m finished with my coffee. 
  • If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?  I’m giving myself permission to divert from my goal list.

Until my first update, at 1pm, I’ll be working on knocking off the books on my goal list:

  • The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende – I’ll be reading this week’s chapters for the read-along I’ve been hosting.
  • The Essential Feminist Reader
  • Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
  • The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg
  • The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
  • The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

My plan of attack has changed a little bit since my goals post, yesterday.  I’ve decided that, instead of forcing my way through the list, I’ll read each book until I get tired of reading it.  Then, I’ll move on to the next one on the list until they’re either all finished, I get fed up with all of them and read something else, or the read-a-thon is over.

Whether you’re participating in the read-a-thon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?

 

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Starting Line

Published on by Rachelle

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Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon begins tomorrow, at 7am CST, but I wanted to share with all of you what I’ll be doing this time around before then.

First off, the books.  This read-a-thon is all about feeling accomplished.  Since my Monday’s Minutes posts have had the same books listed for what feels like forever, I’ll be trying to finish as many of my current reads as possible, in the following order, with the exception of the last three, which I will switch back and forth between as needed:

  • The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende – I’ll be reading this week’s chapters for the read-along I’ve been hosting.
  • The Essential Feminist Reader – I really need to finish this before it’s due back at the library.
  • Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
  • The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg – This is a review book that has taken me far too long to finish, especially considering that, so far, I love it.
  • The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
  • The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

After doing the math, I should be able to get through the first five on the list and still have time to post my updates and do some socializing and participating in a few mini-challenges.  This is the first read-a-thon in which I’ll be listening to an audiobook to break up the time a little better, give my eyes a rest, and get the chance to do other things.  With all of that being said, I’m reserving my right to change my mind about everything, and start picking random books off of my TBR in order to get past the 2am crankiness.

During prior read-a-thons, I felt like I was posting updates too often and they were cutting into my reading time.  So, for this read-a-thon, I’ll post updates every 6 hours, after my kick off post.  As with all read-a-thons, my updates will consist of the books I’ve finished, the number of pages I’ve read, and any mini-challenges I’ve participated in, along with other tidbits such as music or snacks.

Are you participating in Dewey’s Read-a-Thon?  If so, what books do you have planned to read?  Leave a comment, and include your link if you have a “goals” post!

 

Bout of Books 12 Wrap Up

Published on by Rachelle
Bout of Books

For Bout of Books information, visit the Bout of Books blog.

My Goals

  • finish off the books I’m currently reading. – I’ve finished the books I was reading before Bout of Books 12 started.
  • Read at least one new book off of my TBR shelf.  Onyx Webb and The Kingdom Lights were books on my TBR.
  • Finish at least 3 books. – Done, done, and done!

This is the first Bout of Books that I’ve met all of my goals! 🙂

Books Read

Total Pages Read

827.  I think I may have figured up my total pages wrong.  Either that, or I figured up my daily totals wrong.  I don’t know which, and I’m still having some difficulty getting used to the Kindle only showing percentages instead of pages.  Regardless, this has been the best Bout of Books for me so far.  I got most of the way through Walking the Labyrinth by Lisa Goldstein, despite running errands and doing laundry.  3 books + 89% of another book is really good as far as I’m concerned.  At the very least, this Bout of Books allowed me to cut down on my TBR review books and get ahead of schedule.

Mini-Challenges Completed

I only participated in 1 mini-challenge, but I also joined in on a twitter chat, which I had never done before.

Dusting Off the Shelves Read-a-Thon

Published on by Rachelle

Dust off Shelves

I’ll be participating in the Dusting off the Shelves Read-a-Thon!

Rules

  1. All books must meet the COYER Price Guidelines (so Free/Nearly Free, eBook or Audiobook)
  2. Find the oldest UNREAD ebook or Audiobook you own and clean it off your shelf.  After you read it or decide to DNF it, move to the next oldest book and so on and so on.
  3. Sign-up by 11:59 PM January 11th.
  4. Post on your blog, twitter, FB, Google+, Booklikes (you get the idea… somewhere!) that you’re participating. That’s the link you’ll need for the Rafflecopter.
  5. Have Fun!

I’ll be reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, which I downloaded for free on my Nook FIVE YEARS AGO, because I hadn’t read it since I was a kid!  I never got around to reading the ebook.  In fact, I never even “opened” it.  It’s been sitting on my Nook all these years, waiting for me to remember it’s there.  <<< This is why I’m doing the COYER challenge.  Luckily, Little Women will also count towards the Classics Club Challenge, as well as the next oldest ebook I have, Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe.