Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Tomorrow

Yes, it's 4/22, and I'm returning to my blog for another readathon.  Reading has been a struggle since school started, and while I go in major reading jags, I simply can't settle in to any one book or genre.  Simply put, I need a focused readathon to pull me back together.  I'm always excited for these readathons, and I've invited my students to participate.  Some will, some won't, and some might cheat--true.  I really just want to get them to see reading in a different way and to see book culture for what it is, a great community of readers who support one another's reading habits, interests, and likes.  What more can I say?

Tomorrow morning I have to administer a practice AP test, so in the midst of that, I'll be grading and trying to read.  I can't say that I'll do much of that though.  Once I finish, THEN I can come home and get things rolling.  Here is what I plan to read for a bit:

I'm about 25 pages from completing this AMAZING little book.  I am excited to read the final section, close the book carefully, and then contemplate the messages.  What a book!

This one I have on audio, and I think you should always have an audiobook on hand, when you just can't focus or need to get up and do something.  This one is narrated by Dan Stevens, from Downton Abbey and other fine films--enough said, and is set during WWI.  I've been taking a few classes on WWI, so I wanted to listen to a fictional story set in that era.  Gritty, but good so far!

 When I want an emotional read, I'll switch to the follow up novel to Me Before You to keep reading the story that leveled me and left me feeling forever changed.  I really want to keep going on this one, but realize that I need a time I can just focus on this one and not be interrupted.  Tomorrow is the perfect time!

I really love this series, and since this is book 2, I would like to wrap this magical read up so I can move into the 3rd book.  I've been reading these for much too long, especially considering how much I enjoy them.  Here's hoping I get to this one!

Finally, when all else fails, sleep--I mean READ about sleep.  I picked up this new book by Arianna Huffington, as a long-time sufferer of several sleep disorders.  As I've gotten older, the sleep issues have changed, and I'm always trying to figure out what works best other than consecutive days in a row of little sleep to send me into one glorious night of sleep.  (That method doesn't really work.)  I recognize the joy and wonder of sleep, and I'd like to get better about my sleep habits, so I'm eager to dive in with this one as well.

All right.  There's my introduction to the readathon tomorrow.  Here's where you can go to sign up and to learn more:  http://www.24hourreadathon.com/  

 Will you be joining in on the readathon tomorrow, and if so, what are you most looking forward to about it or to reading?

Spring Readathon Wrap Up--Finally

Yes, I'm FINALLY posting my wrap up for the readathon.  Between work that I could be doing around the clock right now, holding a practice test on Saturday, and then trying to stay awake to read, this was probably my least "reading" productive readathon in a very long time.  Having said that, I was still happy to get to participate for just a bit.  Besides that, I got involved doing a bit of cheering this year, which was fun!

Let's talk stats real quick, so you see what I mean by a not-so-hot readathon, this go around!

End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  All afternoon & evening after I jumped back in to the readathon.  When you don't get a enough sleep from the week before, pulling through the day was tough!  I kept falling asleep and ended up taking several naps.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  Some years I say read graphic novels or short reads, but I'm starting to think that you just have to read what you love most.  That's it.  In the end, it's not about finishing things quickly, unless that's what you want to do.  Otherwise, find what you love most!  I like to rotate books, which means my #'s are low, but I rotate until I find something I enjoy.  A good Laura Florand, Lauren Willig, or Harriet Evans novel will always keep me flipping pages.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Nope.  The readathon is awesome!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  I love how cooperative it always is, so that we feel supported and part of a group.  That really is the best part of it all.
5. How many books did you read?  0 =  Although I did rotate through about four different books and am close to finishing a couple. 
6. What were the names of the books you read?  I spent some time reading the following:  I Was Here by Gayle Forman, Not Without You by Harriet Evans, Bella Fortuna by Rosanna Chiofalo, The Chocolate Temptation by Laura Florand, and My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?  Because I'm nearing the end, My True Love Gave to Me.  I've really loved reading those short stories, and it's been fun getting into each individual story to see where it take you.
8. Which did you enjoy least?  None of them.  Life's too short!
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  No.  They were awesome, and I enjoyed helping out with that as well!
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  I'll always participate, even if it's just for an hour!  I would always love to come back around to hosting a challenge or something, but October might find me just participating, since school will be gnarly this fall!

Well, there's my verbose discussion of my somewhat jumbled readathon this year.  While I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked, it sure did jump start a bit more reading on my part.  Here's hoping I've turned over a new leaf!

Readathon Starting Point--Kind Of

This morning I'm proctoring our last full-length practice AP Literature test at the high school, so I had to get up and get here for that.  While I should be doing a number of other things first, such as grading this massive stack of quizzes, essays, and annotated bibliographies looming beside me, I thought I'd hurry and check in!  As per my usual style, I thought I'd juggle things a bit and try to rotate my work a little so that I can still participate to refuel my batteries.  I'll be a much more efficient teacher--overall--if I can at least do a little "readathoning" today.

Since the school has blocked the "24 Hour Readathon" site (strangely), I looked it up on my smartphone and will just keep it moving so that I can get back to grading, which will then lead to READING.

I'll say that I really wish I would have known Dewey.  I think I came into the blogging scene right after she passed away, but know that her enthusiasm for the book community was what pulled me in back then.  It is THAT community that from time to time I still yearn for and sometimes think I'll come back to.  Obviously, I haven't given up my book blog and do think I'll bring it back at some point, but just haven't had the energy or time to do so.  For now, it's my readathon central, and that's okay.  I can say thank you to Dewey for the legacy of readers and camaraderie she left us with.  For that, I feel like I knew her, for sure.

As for getting started, here we go:

1)  What fine part of the world are you reading from today? 
Well, obviously I'm at a high school in Utah--administering an AP practice test.  :)  By noon, I'll be back to SLC doing some reading, both of the bookish kind, as well as the AP essay sort.
2)  Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I actually just picked up Gayle Forman's newest, I Was Here from the library, and I'm really looking forward to mixing it in!  I'm a big rotater with all things in my life, including books, so I know I won't just read it straight through.  I am, however, eager to start it and see how this new book goes.
3)  Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I haven't picked anything up yet!  :(  We're going to stop on our way home, and I'm going to pick up some chips and guacamole, some roasted cashews, and some dark chocolate.  I think that will tide me over, right?
4)  Tell us a little something about yourself!
As you can tell, I'm a high school English teacher, with a bit of a crazy grading and work schedule at times.  I really love my students though, which makes all of the essays and grading worth it!  I grew up in Idaho, out in the boonies, but ended up going to school in Kansas to get my MA in English.  I guess you could say, my entire life has been about books in some way, as that's what I flourished around as a little kid, and that's what I studied as a young adult, and now that's what I teach for my career. 

As for beyond work, I live a pretty quiet, but full life.  This summer I'll be heading to Italy and France on a much-planned for trip.  We've been saving and planning for this trip for over 10 years, in anticipation of my mother's retirement and my best friend getting out of med school as an anesthesiologist.  It's going to be epic!  I can't wait.  :)  And yes, I have a pile of books and e-books that I've been rifling through, deciding what I'll take on the trip.
5)  If you participated in the last readathon, what's one thing you'll do different today?  
I actually don't think I'll do anything different.  I've learned to just go with the flow and do my best.  I know that I can't participate "perfectly," so why stress?  I'll proctor this test, and then head home to do a little grading and read a bit, back and forth.  It's just nice to have a community of readers and friends to join up with for this!  So many of you I don't talk to as often, so I just enjoy meeting back up with through this forum!

End of Readathon Wrap Up

This year I crashed around 4 am, which was pretty good for me.  I still got up at a normal time though, so I'm not sure how happy I'm going to be about this whole thing today.  We'll see!  I did feel, however, that I got back into my reading mojo.  That was SO worth it!  I've been so out of the loop and down and out in my reading, that this was an excellent way to get back to it.   Let's see where I go from here...

End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  First, at 9pm, which is a normal bedtime for me.  Once I got past that, 4 am--when I noted that I kept blanking out on what I was reading and realized that I kept falling asleep in the middle of my reading.  I would literally have to shake myself back awake and re-read what I had just read.  That got a bit too annoying and I finally just tossed in the towel!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  I've thought about this from year to year and can now say that you should pick whatever you feel you can finish.  There really is something to be said for feeling like you can finish something (at least it is for me).  I left a couple of books for the readathon that I was within 100-150 pages of finishing.  That helped me feel a bit more successful and left the high point of the novel for the readathon.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Nope.  I really appreciate all the hard work that goes into it.  I always feel guilty for not taking more of a role in helping out in some way!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  I really liked the Goodreads page.  That was a nice addition this year.  :)
5. How many books did you read?  4, although I only read one from cover to cover.  The rest were books that I finished up from various stages in reading them. 
6. What were the names of the books you read? 
   Love Life by Rob Lowe, Always Emily by Michaela MacColl, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz, and I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was really amazing.  I knew it was an award winner and so I had high expectations for it, but I was really surprised by the story's direction and the sensitive way it handled the main character's personal growth.
8. Which did you enjoy least?  None of them.  I passed up a book if it didn't interest me.  The readathon is too short to stick with something for too long!  :)
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Very likely!  I really enjoy and appreciate the focused time the readathon gives me.  It's a great time to get back into the reading groove.  In the future, I need to get more involved and try out some mini-challenges maybe or even host.

Readathon: Hour 19 Update

This just might be my last update for the night, as I know myself too well!  I took about a five hour break to finish laundry, make my bed, go get dinner, and do a bunch of grading.  Once I felt I had done my duty, I picked up something really short that was one the children's Beehive Award nomination list, I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis.  I've been trying to make my way through some of the children's and YA nominees this year, so it was a nice little walk back into the readathon.  Talk about a gripping little tale.  I really hope grade school children and middle schoolers are getting the chance to read this one and others in the series.

To be honest, I hit my "fatigue" point about 9pm, which is when I generally get ready for bed during the week.  I had some caffeine and a huge glass of water, so I'm feeling pretty back to my normal speed.  We'll see how long that lasts.  I doubt I'll be finishing anymore books, but I'd like to make a good dent in a couple more before I call it a wrap for the night.

Here's where things are at for the moment:

Hours Read:  
 Once again, this is tough.  I haven't really kept track very well.  My guess is that I'm somewhere around 8?  It's still not very good though.  I've had a lot of little interruptions all day.

Books Read:
4--Love Life by Rob Lowe, Always Emily by Michaela MacColl, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz, and I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis.

Essays Graded:
5--Which isn't so hot.  I would have liked to have done more than that, but I'll take what I can get.  :(

Drinks & Snacks:  Surprisingly, no more snacks, just Wendys for dinner (bad, but so good) and then water, water, water all evening.  I'm honestly going to float away at some point, right?

Number of Readathons I've Participated In:  Just for record keeping sake, I went back to see how many of these I've participated in.  This will make my 10th readathon.  I started participating back in April of 2009, which is amazing and awesome to me.  There were two that I couldn't join in on over the years, but otherwise, I've always been here. 

Well, enough nostalgia.  I don't want my sleepiness to catch up to me.  I have a little energy left and would like to keep it as long as possible.  For now, it will be book rotating time.  Best wishes to everyone who might still be hanging in there!

Readathon: Hour 11 & Mid-Event Survey

What an awesome day so far!  This has been my most productive readathon, no question.  Sometimes I feel like being a social butterfly and zooming around the net to see how everyone is doing, but this time I really wanted to just escape everything and just read!  It's been a bad 6 months for reading, so this has been a great time to dive back in--and boy have I.

Here's what I've been up to!

Books Read:  3--Granted, I was 1/2 way through all of them before the readathon began, so it would be more like 1 1/2.  Still, I'm saying 3.  :)
Pages Read:  390
Hours Read:  This is always hard to calculate, but I've been reading pretty steady today.  I've taken a few breaks here or there to do laundry, get a drink, go outside to read, etc.  I'd say at least 4?  Not great, but still good for the various interruptions, right?
Challenges or Cheering:  Zip.  I know!  It's really bad this time, but I HAD to get myself out of this reading slump.  :(  I keep saying I'll host another challenge down the road.  Maybe I'll join something later tonight???  I did go stop in on some blogs to say hi and see how they were doing, so that might count?!?
Drinks:  1 Diet Pepsi, 1 16 oz lemonade, and 1 huge glass of water.
Snacks:  Well, since I've skipped eating normal meals today, in place of reading (yes, I should go eat something), 1/2 of that bag of Doterra chips & 1/2 an apple.

UPDATE:  I should have realized the Mid-Point Survey was going up right around when I posted this.  I just came back in and attached it below.

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?  I'm going to grade some essays and then I'll dive into a few chapters of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison until I rotate on to something else.
2. How many books have you read so far?  3
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?  I'm still waiting to get back to Landline by Rainbow Rowell.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?  Well, just household interruptions and the pressure to get my grading finished.  That will always be there, so I've been going back and forth between the two.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  How much better I do if I stay away from the internet.  Sometimes I really like to feel connected to everyone, so I stay online a lot more, but I feel bad about how little reading time I get in.  This time, I swore to myself that I would spend as much time as possible reading.  I really needed it, so it has been great.

All right.  I think I'm off to go scrounge for some food, get my bed remade after cleaning my sheets, and grading some papers before I can sit back down and read in earnest.  I'll be back a bit later though!  Good luck to everyone!

Readathon: Opening Post & Hour 6

I've been up for a bit, but as I promised myself, I would spend some time reading as soon as I got up.  This has been such a bad year for reading and such, that I didn't want to give myself ANY excuses to wander off from the reading--so that's what I did.   I also set myself up for success and left two books that I was nearly finished with, so that I could get up and dive back into them.  It's psychologically satisfying to start the day off with a book already finished off, even if it's not a "start to finish" read.  :)


Anyway, here is my opening meme AND my report for hour 6 all wrapped into one!  I don't think I'll be back again until later this evening, unless I go a bit stir crazy (although I have a "book walk" planned in to take care of that), so here we go...

Opening Meme:
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?  Salt Lake City
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  Landline by Rainbow Rowell
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?  My Doterra chips.  :)  They are these awesome mixed variety of potato chips that include different sweet potatoes as well.  Yum!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!  I turned 40, 10 days ago today, and it was kind of awesome!  (What's with all the 40 angst? It's really pretty cool.)
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 started with a couple of books that I was within 100 pages of finishing.  That way, as soon as I woke up, I grabbed one of them and just finished it as I was waking up.  It started my readathon off with a successful book finish!

Here's what I've finished so far:

I really thought that the last 75 pages of this book was a great choice for me to start my day off today.  I've read his previous autobiography, which was interesting and filled with insider information about Hollywood.  More important, I appreciate the details he includes about what he has learned about living his life and maintaining strong ties to his family and friends.  Those stories were interesting to hear and touching.

Well, there's my update and starting point!  I hope to be back in the next 5-6 hours.  Good luck to everyone and happy reading!

 

I'm Back!

Yes, I'm back.  Another readathon pulled me from the dark abyss of my own absence.  It's not that I haven't been reading, but I will admit to a bit of a reading slump and to needing a major time out from everything.  Regardless of the major silence going on here, I have read a few great things and have still been excited about this upcoming readathon!  I was especially excited to see that it fell over Fall Break this year, which meant I could actually push things aside and join in (once I knew I was going to be in town). 

Anyway, enough of the boring talk.  Yes, I'll be joining in the readathon again and will be posting.  I can't wait!  I'm a major book rotater though, so I don't anticipate finishing many books.  That's kind of okay by me.  I might be squirreling myself away this time and not jumping online very often.  In the past, that has taken my attention away from my reading, so I might stay away for large chunks of time.  We'll see though, who knows.  I miss people and I might get really overcome with a need for conversation and jump on!

Here are the books I have on rotation, with a few more on my iPad that I'll be "e-reading" along the way as well.  I'll also be breaking in to grade an essay every couple of hours or so (since that is just the norm around here).

Okay.  I have about six more essays to grade before I can head to bed, so I need to get to it.  I look forward to getting to my reading in the morning, so I'll see everyone bright and early!

Readathon Finish Line

I finally crashed last night about 3 am after finishing one last graphic novel and trying to read a bit more from goodness knows what else.  I just know I fell asleep my iPad next to me and the television on.  That's the sign that I needed to just call it a night!


Today I'm feeling a bit haggard, which I wasn't expecting.  I've been taking it easy and just doing some light reading and even took a little cat nap.  Very strenuous day, eh?

Well, here's my readathon wrap up!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? 3 am, when I finally threw in the towel!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  Eleanor and Park.  I didn't get it finished, but I really enjoyed what I started and can't wait to finish it this week.  I've learned that the key it diving into a book that makes you forget about the pages your turning and the time that's passing. 
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Not really.  I just really enjoy being involved and appreciate all the time and effort that everyone puts in to putting it together for us.  THANK YOU so much!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  The hourly posts and all of the constant communication.  It was easy to see where we were at and how everyone was doing, which was nice.
5. How many books did you read? 3, but they were pretty short.  I read a book of poetry, 2 graphic novels, and several hundred pages in a couple young adult novels.
6. What were the names of the books you read? Poems from Homeroom, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Graphic Novel, and The Uglies Graphic Novel.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?  The book of poetry was a nice diversion and had some great stories.
8. Which did you enjoy least?  None of them.  I liked them all.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  No.  They were great!
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Well, I need to see how things are going in the fall and how busy I am.  I'd love to try to host a challenge, if things are going well.  Sometimes it's all I can do though to just participate.

Well, I'm off to get ready for a busy week!  Thanks again to all those who put this together.  You all did an amazing job!

Readathon Update: My Late MidPoint Survey

It's getting close to Hour 19 now, and close to midnight.  Sleep is hard to ward off when you're used to crawling in bed before 10 pm so that you can be up before 6 am every day, but I'm hanging in there for the moment.  We'll see how much longer I last though!

Since I started WAY later than everyone else, I figured I'd catch up with the Mid Point Survey.

Mid-Event Survey
1. What are you reading right now?  Well, since I just finished a graphic novel, I'm going to move back to a novel.  I think I'm going to bounce between Eleanor and Park and Diamonds and Deceit.  Both are YA novels that keep things moving, which I need right now. 
2. How many books have you read so far?  2--amazingly enough, considering when I started.  I finished a short book of poetry and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Graphic novel version.  I've also read over 100 pages so far in Diamonds and Deceit and listened to a bit in an audiobook. 
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?  Well, since I'm probably in my final stretch, I think I'll settle in with those listed in #1.
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?  No.  I really should have, but this has been my first day "free" for weeks, so after sleeping in and then running a quick errand, it was not quite the full day that I would have wished.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?  More than I expected.  I'm always surprised by the little things that interrupt a readathon.  Oh well!  You just dive back in and go back to reading.  :)
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  The crazy weather we've had that has made reading perfect.  We've had non-stop, constant rain here, which has been glorious!  When you live in a desert, the sound of rain on the windowpanes is absolutely hypnotic. 
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Not that I can think of.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?  Start earlier.
9. Are you getting tired yet?  I live with tired, so that's a given!  :)  Yes...I don't think I'll make it much longer.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?  Finding a good story that makes sleep the farthest thing from my mind is always the best thing possible.  Really, that's the key.

All right, it's time to fight the good fight and see how much I can read in these final hours.  Good luck to the rest of you as well!

Readathon Kickoff: SO Late!

Yep.  I'm just kicking off here.  Let's state the obvious and get it out of the way.  I haven't posted in forever!!!  What better way to "try" to get my groove back than with a readathon though, right?  Life has really kicked me in the rear end in so many ways over the past six months, that it has been crazy.  I don't even know if I've read/finished a book in the last month, which is sad enough as it is, so I'm just happy to be here!  Work always overwhelms me with all of the grading & responsibilities for one.  But my grandmother passed away the first of this month, so I'll admit it--I clammed up a bit.  Not always my best quality, but now I'm ready to step back out.   


Thank goodness for a readathon to move things along though!  The grades have been graded, the sleep has been slept, the errands have been erranded (ha, ha).  Let me get reading now! 

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?  Salt Lake City
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  Eleanor & Park, Allegiant, or finishing up The Chocolate Touch (It's all about the escape read for me today!)
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?  Crackers & Cheese--I picked up some of those fancy water crackers w/ sesame seeds.  I love, love, love them.  I'm a bit more of a savory gal than a sugar fan, so this is what I'm actually getting ready to snack on. 
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!  I'm a book "rotator," (20 books at a time to be exact--yes, it's an illness, I think)  so I'm worried that I won't actually finish a darn thing with as little time as I'm giving myself!  I have a feeling I'm going to get going and will flip to something else.  I might have to grab a graphic novel just so I feel like I can accomplish something before it's all said and done.
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?  Relax.  I've learned it doesn't do me any good to fret over what I can't do.  I can't do it perfectly, so do what I can do and enjoy my time here!  It's just great that we have a community of readers who enjoy doing this in the first place.  I'm just thankful that there are amazing folks who are still so willing to put it together.  THANK YOU!!!

Dewey's Readathon: Finish Line--Late Post

Yes, I finished up the readathon. I stayed up so much later than I every have before, this time making it to 4 am.  To be honest, I was nearly delusional though, which made me feel old and irritated at said "oldness."  Why?  Because I've always been somewhat of a night owl, who could stay up until all hours of the night through most of my teens and twenties.  Gone are those days!  *sigh*  Yep.  I'm an adult, and this confirmed it.


Anyway, besides feeling old and tired...  I really enjoyed myself.  I read some great books and rotated my way through quite a stack.  When you rotate, you don't necessarily finish very many, but I think read quite a bit. 

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  11am to 1 pm???  I got SO sleepy that it was ridiculous.  I then hit the wall again right before I fell asleep around 4 am.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  The Chocolate Thief by Lora Florand was such a great read!  I started it late afternoon, and it took me through some rough hours into the night.  I was pretty determined to finish it last night, but found myself asleep with it at 4 am.  It was so good though, that I woke up, grabbed the book, and finished it this morning/afternoon!  The thing about that book was that it transported me to Paris (which is always great), THEN, it kept talking about these amazing chocolates--which was a torture unto itself.  The relationship in the book had me flipping pages too though, so it was kind of an all-round perfect read for a readathon as it kept me going for quite awhile.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Really, no.  I have so much respect and appreciation for all of those who put it together and volunteer their time.  THANK YOU so much! 
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  It was awesome, and I so appreciate all that everyone did to help make it a success!
5. How many books did you read?  Technically, just TWO, but because I rotate books, I probably read a third one.
6. What were the names of the books you read?  Insurgent by Veronica Roth and Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?   The Chocolate Thief as mentioned above.  It was such a fun read!
8. Which did you enjoy least?  I don't think I had a least favorite read this year...
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  I will always participate, when I can!  I'd love to participate in a mini-challenge again in the future.  I haven't done one in awhile, but I'd love to jump back in and do one again, if I can!  :)

Thanks again to all of those who put this together.  We all appreciate you guys SO much!

Just FYI, don't forget to check out my giveaway of James Dashner's newest book The Eye of Minds!  It will be running this week and I'd love to get you all in on the giveaway.   The publisher is offering two free books this week, which is awesome!  It really is a great read, so go check it out!

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: MidPoint Survey (At Least MY Midpoint)

I've been reading now, off and on, for about 9 hours.  We're almost to hour 15 though, so we're well over half way... *sigh*  What can I say.  I'm doing all right at this read-a-thoning business, but I can't plaster myself to the couch and read for 24 hours straight.  Things happen, right?

Anyway, I did end up running to the library to pick up the audiobook of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, which everyone has been raving about.  I'm pretty excited to start listening to it starting on Monday.  On that little errand, I finished listening to Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, which I'd been listening to over the past couple of weeks back and forth to work, so I was still able to keep going with my reading.

Let's do a quick Midpoint catch up though and then I'm going to do a little blog hopping.  This is the point where I tend to do my best reading, so I'm going to capitalize on it!  We'll see how I do.  I never make it to the finish line, so I don't know if I'll be back to update or not...

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?  No.  I'm doing great now.  I'm a night girl, so I'm okay now.  I wasn't so great earlier this morning though and thought I was going to need a major jolt of caffeine to make it out of the afternoon!  :)

2) What have you finished reading?  Well, I finished two books that I was already well into before the readathon started.  I finished up, Insurgent earlier this morning, and then Twenties Girl this afternoon when I ran errands.  Other than that, I've been rotating books like crazy!

3) What is your favorite read so far?  I've really liked reading The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory.  Maybe it's just all the history that I'm curious about, or Phillipa's great storytelling, but I've really fallen into it.

4) What about your favorite snacks?  Diet Pepsi, Green Tea, and hot apple cider (not mixed together...yuck!).  Okay.  So those are drinks and not "snacks," but I like drinks more than food items when I'm reading.  I don't like to eat while I read as much as drink something while I'm reading, so the drinks are a must.

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!  Not yet!  :(  I have really stuck to reading and twitter, for the most part.  Visiting a few blogs this evening is my goal, so off I go! 

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Hour 10 Update

Okay, so it's really my Six hour update, but we're well into the readathon and I need to give a little update because I've finished my first book!

I had some serious issues getting going this morning though.  What's up with that?  After writing my initial post, I put laundry in, read a few blogs, looked at Tumblr, folded some laundry, sorted through my email, and added a few more books to my Goodreads account.  FINALLY, I got sucked into my first book about four hours ago though, and I was off and running!  Thank goodness!

Hours Reading:  My guess is really only around 4 w/ all the interruptions
Chapters Read:  Three chapters in Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe (which is what sucked me in), Six chapters in Revolution 19, and then I FINISHED Insurgent's last 17 chapters (about 170 pages).
Books Read:  1--Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Snacks:  A handful of Pirate's Booty earlier this morning and some Diet Pepsi is about it.  I was a little too distracted to grab a snack.  It's not a good habit, but I tend to not eat much all day on Saturdays, so I'm thinking it's about time to eat some dinner here pretty soon, especially since I skipped lunch!  I'm about ready to eat an apple and maybe have my Thai leftovers.  Yum!
Nap Close Calls:  One pretty serious ones around 11 am.  *Yawn*  The Diet Pepsi helped pull me out of it though! :)

Well, I'm off to run to the library real quick.  I have an audiobook to finish though, so all is well.  I can keep on "reading" while I'm out!  Let's hope that quick errand shakes some of my sleepiness off or I'm going to be fast asleep on the couch here in another hour or so... *Yawn*

How are you all doing?!?  I need to head out and do some blog hopping soon!

Dewey's Readathon: Getting Started!

 

Well, I thought I would be up and at 'em a lot earlier, seeing as we're on Fall Break right now, but I just could NOT get myself to fall asleep last night.  I think it was the anticipation of it all, right?  I did let myself read a bit last night to try to "get sleepy, so I thought about counting that as my starting line.  :)

Anyway, I'm up and have pulled myself together to get started for the readathon this morning, and am really excited to get going!  Here's my starting point then:

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

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  That's hard to say.  I'm a bit of a "book rotater," and have a number of books on my list today that I'll be dabbling with.  I am excited though to jump into Just One Year by Gayle Forman though!  Also, since I've been fangirling pretty hard over Superman this year, I'm going to be finishing up the original three Superman comics and will be reading The Return of Superman--awesome!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?  I'm a Peanut Butter M&M or a good old apple and popcorn sort of gal, so those are on my list for today at some point.  :)  Also, not a snack, but I picked up Thai food last night, which is ALWAYS better second day.  Yum!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!  Well, I teach a Pop. Lit. class, AP Literature, and World Literature.  Because of that, I'm constantly needing to read like a mad fiend.  That doesn't mean that I don't want to put down things for those classes and just pick up whatever in the world I want to!  :)  Today I might just rotate through things for my classes, and then pick up some things for me as well!

Other than that "work boringness" I am just coming off a birthday this week.  It wasn't a milestone birthday or anything, so I didn't really care.  I let it come and go without much fanfare.  I'm actually in the midst of planning a huge "go somewhere crazy"birthday for next year.  I'm thinking Paris.  Any votes out there?  New York City also has crossed my radar, but Paris keeps floating to the top of my radar (if I can afford it, that is).

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?  This is a tough one.  I've done quite a few readathons and I've done things different on a number of occasions.  Do I participate more online and sacrifice reading time or not?  If I don't participate, I feel isolated, but if I spend too much time online, then I sacrifice my reading time.  It's a huge catch 22!  As with anything, I'm going to aim for balance--as always!  I have been looking forward to today, and said no to so many other things just so I could participate, that I'm going to just take it as it comes.  I think I'll jump on every couple of hours and read what others are doing, and then post every four or six?  We'll see!

Okay, I'm off to get some reading done.  I can feel the reading bug setting in, so I'm going to catch it while it's grabbing me, but I'll be back soon!  Below are some of the books I'll be reading (since I can't take a picture of them...they're mainly ebooks).

 

 

 

Well, I'm off now!  Let's see what I can get through in the next hour or so.  I'm hoping I can finish one of the books I'm already part way through...

Friday Night Reads: Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon Coming Up!

Happy Friday!  It's a bit late tonight, but I'm happy to say that things are settling back to "normal" around here (if that's possible).  I'll always be busier than I would like to be, but if I'm not sitting on a Greek island somewhere, with my feet up staring at a beautiful Mediterranean sunset, then I'll always be too busy.  Things are good though right now.

I was excited to see a tweet posted about Dewey's Read-a-Thon coming up on October 12th.  We'll be off for Fall Break that weekend, so I'm pretty excited to jump right in and enjoy a nice day off reading.  What could be better, right?  I haven't had a lot of luck with making it through one, but I'm all signed up!  Check it out if you're interested in joining in.

Well, here's what I'm reading at the moment.  Since I'm a book hoarder and read about 20 books at a time (yes, it's an illness), here are just a few of the ones I'm reading at the moment...and very well could still be working on next week:

What are you reading this weekend and are you going to jump in on the readathon next weekend?

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Final Survey

Well, I lasted about fifteen minutes after I posted that final blog post.  I put the laptop away, grabbed my book, and literally faded into sleep.  Talk about a quick transition!  I still think it was successful day all-round, for all that I was able to read and get accomplished.  Besides, it's nice touching base with so many other great bloggers and readers.

Here's my final survey, before I head off to catch up on our Great Gastby ReadAlong post for this last week and I can maybe even get a couple of reviews written for this week!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  1:30 am, after Prom.  I just couldn't do it!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  I always recommend you break things up with a great graphic novel.  For me, it gets me going.  Outside of that, I just started Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed and absolutely love it.  I literally think I'll be up this evening finishing this one up, and I just started it!
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Nope.  I think they are so well run.  Thanks to everyone who puts so much time and effort into these!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  Everything. It's like a well-oiled machine by this point, to those of us on the outside.  Nice job!
5. How many books did you read?  1 1/2--but I only was able to read for about 5 1/2 hours or so?
6. What were the names of the books you read?  Relish by Lucy Knisley, and about another 200 pages in three other novels.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?  So far, Cinders and Sapphires.
8. Which did you enjoy least?  None of them.  I would have tossed them aside if so!  :)
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  I love participating in these.  They do tend to be tricky for me, as they are always during the school year, so I do the best I can.  I'd love to host another challenge again though.  That was really fun a year ago.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Hour 21--Dying on the Vine

I just got back from chaperoning the prom and am feeling like I want to take a stab at an hour or two of reading.  I might just end up with the lights on and a book on my face, fast asleep, but I'm going to try for a bit. 

I have to say that the prom was fun!  I'm kicking myself that I didn't climb the steps in the capitol building to take a picture of the crowd.  It was pretty impressive.  We had over 900 kids attend, and it was a mad house of sequins, tuxedos, and sweat.  After standing all evening on marble floors, my poor feet probably hurt worse than the ladies with the six inch heels I saw tonight.  It was fun though, and I loved seeing so many of my students there.  I'm hoping they can focus better now that prom and midterms are behind them!  We have five weeks of school left and a big AP test looming in less than two weeks.  Crazy!

Anyway, I'll get back to reading for a bit.  I can't say how long I'll last, but I'll give it a try...

Thanks for all the great cheers from our cheerleaders, and also the fun comments from my fellow book blogging friends.  Thanks guys!  You really are keeping me in it.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Off to Prom!

I know it's a little odd to have someone say they're headed to the prom, but that's what I've got to gear up for now!  I'm helping out as a chaperone, with a group of other ladies I work with at school.  It's actually really fun, so I'm looking forward to it.  That does mean, however, that I have to take a time out from the readathon.  Here are my stats...

Books Read:  1 Graphic Novel, and rotated 30-40 pages through 3 other books
Hours Spent:  5 hours
Unintentional Naps:  One teeny 30 minute nap that side-swiped me.
Snacks:  Strawberries all gone!  Yes, that was healthy, but the two Diet Dr. Peppers, not so much.  :)
Challenges:  None yet, but I'd like to when I get back.  I really wanted to do a chunk of reading before I left.

All right.  I'm off to get ready!  Hopefully I'll be back for part of the final stretch.  Good luck to everyone!

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: And So It Begins

Yes, I'm finally off and running now.  I was up at 6 am to get started, but will admit that I fell back to sleep for another hour.  That will probably ensure I can stay awake later, right?  Anyway, I'm a bit of a Saturday flutter-bug, so I had to clean the kitchen and eat my breakfast first thing.  Now that it's all taken care of and I have a load of laundry in, I'm ready to roll!

Introductory Questionnaire

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?  Salt Lake City
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella 3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?  Strawberries!  I bought a beautiful pack of strawberries, and I'm going to enjoy to my heart's content.  When they're gone, I have some yummy real fruit juice pops.  Yum!  (Yes, do you sense I'm on a fruit kick right now?  I think I'm ready for summer or something.) 4) Tell us a little something about yourself!  Hmm.  I think I'm a bit of an open book on my blog, but will say that I'm a bit of a book rotater, so readathons tend to stress me out when it comes to numbers.  Because I rotate, I sometimes don't finish a book from cover to finish.  Oh, something kind of fun is that for retirement, I told my financial planner that we have to save/plan so that I can spend my summers on a Greek island when I retire.  Serious.  It's one of my favorite places on the planet, so I see myself sitting in the sun outside a beautiful blue and white stone home, looking out over the Mediterranean.  Ah!  I destress just thinking about it!  :) 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 seem to be traveling or have something big happening on the day of the readathons.  I now try to just enjoy whatever part of it I can join in on!  Tonight I have to chaperone our school's prom, so I'll be taking a huge chunk out of the readathon to join up with a bunch of ladies I work with. I'm going to take my iPad along with me and just jump on when/if I can and then use it as a nice unwind later tonight.

Well, I better get to reading.  I have the books stacked and ready, so off I go!