Category: Read-a-thon

Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon Mid-Event Survey

Published on by Rachelle

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It’s time for Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon Mid-Event Survey!

1. What are you reading right now? Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio.
2. How many books have you read so far? 1, but I’m about halfway through my 2nd book, and I’ve listened to a bit of The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty and read the first chapter of The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Readathon?  I was really excited about The Haunted Bookshop since Parnassus on Wheels was so good, but now I think I’m looking forward to reading Amphigorey by Edward Gorey more.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Dresden, my extremely needy cat, has surprisingly only interrupted me once.  The Boyfriend has been gone visiting with friends since lunch, but he hasn’t been as disruptive as in the past either.  He even got up with me this morning and read with me for awhile.
5. What surprises you most about the Readathon, so far?  I’ve been more tired this afternoon than I’ve ever been during past readathons around this time.  I’m not sure why, since I’ve had enough caffeine, food, and light to keep me awake.  I usually don’t get tired until well after midnight.

Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon – First Update

Published on by Rachelle

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I’ve survived the first 8 hours of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon!

  • Pages Read: 322
  • Books Read: I finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and I started The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.
  • Mini-Challenges Completed: A Book and a Snack and Happy Birthday Poem.
  • Yummy in my Tummy: I had toasted cinnamon bread with butter and a cherry yogurt for breakfast, pumpkin scones, Colby cheese, and peanut butter dark chocolate candies as snacks, and fishless filets and oven fries for lunch.

Until my 2nd update, at 11 pm, I’ll continue reading the remaining books on my list:

  • The October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania Del Rio
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton
  • Amphigorey by Edward Gorey
  • Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey
  • The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Whether you’re participating in the readathon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading?

Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon – Clown-Free Horror Fun!

Published on by Rachelle

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Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon has officially started!  I prepped my tea kettle last night, so all I had to do when I got up at 6:30 am was turn it on, make my breakfast (yogurt and toasted cinnamon bread with butter), and get my browser ready to go with all my readathon related sites.  I’ve been running off a readathon excitement high most of the week, and I’m also excited at using my reading “nook” for the first time:
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  • What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I’m in Austin, TX, which is finally seeing temperatures that feel like early Fall.
  • Which book in your stack are you looking forward to the most? The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley.
  • Which snack are you looking forward to the most? Pumpkin scones.
  • Tell us a little something about yourself!  Here are 20 somethings about myself.  Also, the Boyfriend nicknamed me Hobbit because I’m short and obsessed with all things from the Shire.
  • If you participated in the last readathon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?  I’m returning to cheering.  I didn’t socialize much during the last readathon, and it wasn’t nearly as fun as the readathons I participated in before.

Here’s my Halloween-themed book list:

  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • The October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania Del Rio
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton
  • Amphigorey by Edward Gorey
  • Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey
  • The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

My first update will be at 3 pm.  I’ll be tracking how many pages I read and any books I finish.  I’ll also include mini-challenges I’ve accepted, snacks I’ve nommed, and any musical earworms that have gotten into my head.
Whether you’re participating in the readathon or not, what book(s) are you currently reading? 

Dewey's 24 Hour #Readathon

Published on by Rachelle

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Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon begins tomorrow, at 7 am CST, but I wanted to share with all of you what I’ll be doing.
First off, the books.  Since I’m also participating in the #ShelfLove reading challenge, all my books are off of my own bookshelves.  Since it’s also RIP XI, everything I read will be Gothic or Horror.  Since I attempted to not socialize much during the last readathon and didn’t have nearly as much fun as a result, I’m going to do a lot of cheering this time.  Due to that, all but two of the books I’ll be reading will be shorter, easier reads.  I’ll switch back and forth between books on the list as needed, but I am going to try to finish as many books as possible:

  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • The October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania Del Rio
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton
  • Amphigorey by Edward Gorey
  • Amphigorey Too by Edward Gorey
  • The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

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Yes, my TBR list is a bit long, and it doesn’t include any of the audiobooks or ebooks that I might decide to listen to or read instead, but I want plenty of choices.
My updates will be every 8 hours after my kick-off post.  Along with the books I finish and the number of pages I read, I’ll include any mini-challenges I participate in, along with other tidbits such as music or snacks.
Speaking of snacks, this is a taste of what I brought home to keep my tummy happy during the readathon:

  • Pumpkin scones
  • Cinnamon bread
  • Shortbread cookies
  • Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
  • Caramel Truffle tea
  • Chocolate Mocha tea (it has whole coffee beans in it along with chocolate chips!)

I also got pizza and some other non-snack foods, but let’s face it, I mostly graze during readathon.
Are you participating in Dewey’s Readathon?  If so, what books do you have planned to read?  Leave a comment, and include your link if you have a “goals” post!
See you tomorrow morning! 🙂

#FrightFall Readathon Wrap-Up

Published on by Rachelle

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The FrightFall readathon ended yesterday, and I didn’t even finish a single book 🙁
Below was my TBR stack, which also happens to be my remaining TBR for R.I.P. XI and part of my TBR for Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon on Oct. 22nd.

  • The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
  • A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton

I tried to finish The Queen of the Damned by the end of the weekend, but being an adult kept getting in the way.  I will hopefully finish it before the 24-Hour Readathon so I can concentrate on the rest of my TBR for this month.

#FrightFall Readathon

Published on by Rachelle

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The FrightFall readathon starts tomorrow and runs through the 9th.
There’s only one “rule” and that is at least one scary book (thriller, mystery, Gothic, etc.) has to be read during the readathon.  Since that’s pretty much the only kind of books I read during October, I’m good to go.
Below is my TBR stack, which also happens to be my remaining TBR for R.I.P. XI.  Whatever I don’t finish this week will make up part of my TBR for Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon on Oct. 22nd.

  • The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
  • A Free Man of Color by Barbara Hambly
  • October Country by Ray Bradbury
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio
  • The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
  • The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton

 

#24in48 Readathon – Final Update

Published on by Rachelle

The 24 in 48 readathon is over, and while I didn’t read for 24 hours, I still see it as a success.  Below is my final update.
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Final Update
The Boyfriend brought me home a burrito from Chipotle so I wouldn’t have to interrupt my reading time to make lunch.  However, we had plans to go out for dinner with friends, and I’m already in bed thanks to having to be up at my normal time to go to work, so I still didn’t read as much as I wanted.  That’s ok, because I got a lot of reading done, and I’ll be much better prepared for my next 24 in 48 hour readathon.
In the Middle of Reading:

  • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
  • Feed by Mira Grant

Scorpio Feed
Books Finished:

  • Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

Bookmarked Giver
Pages Read: 291
Total Pages Read: 780 – I added wrong at some point during the readathon, but this is the accurate page count.
Time Read: 6 hours 52 minutes
Total Time Read: 18 hours 25 minutes – It took me a ridiculous amount of time to get through less than 800 pages, and I can only guess that the reasons are listening to audiobooks and my edition of The Fellowship of the Ring having larger pages with a smaller type.
I don’t know when the next 24 in 48 readathon is, but I will definitely be participating!

#24in48 Readathon Update #3

Published on by Rachelle

Only 12 hours left of the 24 in 48 readathon!  Below is my update.
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Update #3
The cat allowed me to sleep in a little bit this morning and was nice enough to only paw at my ankle insistently until I raised my head from the pillow and acknowledged his presence.  I had the same breakfast as yesterday, except only one boiled egg, and twice as much tea.  Though I know I won’t make the goal of reading for 24 hours, I’m determined not to take any impromptu naps.
Current Reads:

  • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
  • Feed by Mira Grant

Scorpio Feed
Books Finished:

  • Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

Bookmarked Giver
Pages Read: 80
Total Pages Read: 576
Time Read: 1 hour 57 minutes
Total Time Read: 11 hours 33 minutes
My final update will be at Midnight Central time.  Happy reading!

#24in48 Readathon Update #2

Published on by Rachelle

We’re now a whole day into the 24 in 48 readathon.  I’m off to bed, but below is my update.
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Update #2
I really didn’t prepare for this readathon like I have in the past, and that started to show shortly after breakfast.  I didn’t get nearly as much reading time accomplished as I wanted to, but that’s because I fell asleep twice while reading The Fellowship of the Ring.  I was enjoying it, but I was so tired from not getting enough sleep (thanks to the cat) that it wasn’t enough to keep me awake.  After my two naps, I realized I needed to switch books.  I finished listening to Bookmarked for Death and started The Scorpio Races while I did some laundry, then I read Feed for a bit until my Nook warned me my battery was about to die.  I couldn’t even read (R)evolution by P.J. Manney because my Kindle needed to be recharged as well.  On top of that, I was feeling a little moody and didn’t want to read Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro, so I picked up The Giver instead.
I remembered that I had leftover Chinese food from Friday night, so I ate that for lunch.  I had some of my ice cream for dessert, and I had vegetarian “fish” filets and fries for dinner.  I also drank a lot of green iced tea.
Current Reads:

  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
  • Feed by Mira Grant
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

Fellowship Scorpio Feed
Giver
Books Finished:

  • Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett

Bookmarked
Pages Read: 457
Total Pages Read: 496
Time Read: 7 hours 51 minutes
Total Time Read: 9 hours 36 minutes
My next update will be at noon tomorrow.  Now that my Kindle and Nook are charged, tomorrow should be a better reading day.  Goodnight!

#24in48 Readathon Update #1

Published on by Rachelle

It’s hour 12 of the 24 in 48 readathon and here’s my first update!
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Update #1
For breakfast, I had two boiled eggs, whole wheat toast with Irish butter, a vegetarian “sausage” patty, a yogurt, and a large cup of Earl Grey.  I haven’t decided on lunch yet, but I know it will involve a tall glass of green iced tea.  My goal for today is at least 12 hours of reading, and compared to the last 24 in 48 readathon, I did a little better, timewise.
Current Read: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Fellowship
Pages Read: 39
Time Read: 1 hour and 45 minutes
My next update will be at Midnight central time, and I will have much more to share!  See you then 🙂