Sunday, April 10, 2011

Hours 15-16 Update (10:00 p.m. to 12 m.)

I am so sleepy right now. I'm not sure what's come over me, but I'm starting to drift a couple of times per page. It wasn't supposed to happen so early. Regardless, I'm going to keep at it, and if I need a little catnap, so be it.

Titles of book read in this span:

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, v. 4 -- p. 266-368 (finished)
  • Persuasion / Jane Austen -- p. 82-104

Pages read in this span: 126, mostly graphic novel again

Running total of pages read since started: 1,146

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin
  • Fray / Joss Whedon
  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams
  • AM/PM / Amelia Gray
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, v. 4

Thoughts on current read: Persuasion is my first Jane Austen. It's good, but I think I'm a little to sleepy for it. I lost track of some of the characters since I last opened it a week ago, and it'll take a sharper mind to really get back in.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?
  • Oldies but Goodies
  • Book Club Recommendations

Other activities this span:

  • The starting to drift off to sleep much earlier than expected.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Hours 13-14 Update (8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.)

Titles of book read in this span:

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, v. 4 -- p. 165-266

Pages read in this span: 102, a smaller part of a graphic novel

Running total of pages read since started: 1,020

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin
  • Fray / Joss Whedon
  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams
  • AM/PM / Amelia Gray

Thoughts on current read: I love the old Buffy comics. These are new to me... around Season 3 of the TV show chronology. Silly but entertaining.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?
  • Oldies but Goodies
  • Book Club Recommendations

Other activities this span:

  • The eating of sushi.
  • The watching of Sarah Silverman over dinner because my bf wanted entertainment.

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? A Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic collection. It's nice and light.... though also a little heavy. My hand hurts a bit.
2. How many books have you read so far? 5, though one of those I was 2/3 of the way through already and the others are pretty quick.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Probably Mockingjay, the third Hunger Games book. That's in the pile.
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Not really.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Yeah, the arrival of my guyfriend, who is staying the night with me while his plumbing is out. He's agreed to read with me, but I still feel guilty about not being more attentive.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nothing really this time around. It's going exactly as I planned. I am pleased to know it's gotten out to Facebook and Twitter, though.
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Only personal stuff that I can do on my end.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Buy a new couch. This one's a little too cushy, and it makes me sleepy. Also, I'm thinking of doing a charity run next time around.
9. Are you getting tired yet? Nah, I'm like a machine. A reading machine.
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? Don't read about philosophy. Also don't feel guilty about taking 20 minutes to read a Sak's Men's Catalogue. Those have words too.

Hours 11-12 Update (6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

Titles of book read in this span:

  • AM/PM / Amelia Gray -- p. 81-120 (finished)
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, v. 4 -- p. 1-165

Pages read in this span: 205, a big part of a graphic novel that is

Running total of pages read since started: 918

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin
  • Fray / Joss Whedon
  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams
  • AM/PM / Amelia Gray

Thoughts on current read: I love the old Buffy comics. These are new to me... around Season 3 of the TV show chronology. Silly but entertaining.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?
  • Oldies but Goodies
  • Book Club Recommendations

Other activities this span:

  • The fulfillment of a Starbucks run.
  • The arrival of my bf for the night so I can feel guilty about ignoring him even though I told him I was doing this..

Hours 9-10 Update (4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

Titles of book read in this span:

  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams -- p. 676-727 (finished)
  • AM/PM / Amelia Gray -- p. 1-80 (in progress)

Pages read in this span: 132

Running total of pages read since started: 713

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin
  • Fray / Joss Whedon
  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams

Thoughts on current read: AM/PM is a collection of... microfiction, I guess. Some of them are very effective, others not as. Definitely affecting in places, and I few of them I read 4 or 5 times in a row because they spoke to me strongly. So it's a good one.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?
  • Oldies but Goodies
  • Book Club Recommendations

Other activities this span:

  • The taking of the Second Bathroom Break.
  • The contemplation of a Starbucks run.

Hours 7-8 Update (2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

Titles of book read in this span:

  • The Bradbury Chronicles / ed. William F. Nolan -- p. 44-78 (set aside)
  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams -- p. 627-675 (in progress)

Pages read in this span: 84

Running total of pages read since started: 581

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin
  • Fray / Joss Whedon

Thoughts on current read: Stone of Farewell is almost done. As usually happens with these epic fantasies, I get over them around page 500 and just want to get to the end. It's not bad.... I just want a conclusion already. Luckily, I'm down to 50 pages left.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?
  • Oldies but Goodies
  • Book Club Recommendations

Other activities this span:

  • The doing of nothing else. This part was just about reading.

Hours 5-6 Update (12:00 n. to 2:00 p.m.)

Titles of book read in this span:

  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams -- p. 576-626 (set aside)
  • The Bradbury Chronicles / ed. William F. Nolan -- p. 8-43 (in progress)

Pages read in this span: 87

Running total of pages read since started: 497

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin
  • Fray / Joss Whedon

Thoughts on current read: The Bradbury Chronicles is a book I have on loan from a friend. It's a collection of short stories in honor of Ray Bradbury, many of which are based on his work. The two I've read so far have been really lovely: one based on a character from Dandelion Wine, which I've never read, and another that's a follow up to "The Dwarf", which I have also never read. Good stuff. Highly recommended so far.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?
  • Oldies but Goodies

Other activities this span:

  • The ordering of lunch.
  • The eating of lunch.
  • The catching up on a couple Words with Friends games. (Don't worry, it was quick.)

Hours 3-4 Update (10:00 a.m. to 12:00 n.)

Titles of book read in this span:

  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams -- p. 566-575 (set aside)
  • Fray / Joss Whedon -- p. 1-216 (finished)

Pages read in this span: 226, mostly graphic novel pages.

Running total of pages read since started: 410

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin
  • Fray / Joss Whedon

Thoughts on current read: Fray is an excellent graphic novel, but I'm a Buffy geek, so it has less work to do to impress me. I read it 4 years ago, and I just reread it for a book club meeting I have next week. It always makes me cry in the middle. Always.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?

Other activities this span:

  • The scanning of some reader blogs.
  • The first of the Bathroom Breaks.

Hours 1-2 Update (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)

Titles of book read in this span:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin -- p. 1-119 (finished)
  • Stone of Farewell / Tad Williams -- p. 501-565

Pages read in this span: 184, though most of these were in a kids' book.

Running total of pages read since started: 184

Books finished since the start:

  • The Trouble with Chickens / Doreen Cronin

Thoughts on current read: I've been reading this book for a couple weeks. It's a silly epic fantasy novel, nothing to write home about. I just needed a break from some heavy stuff.

Memes and Mini-Challenges completed:

  • Introduction meme
  • Where in the World Are YOU?

Other activities this span:

  • The drinking of morning coffee.
  • The eating of a breakfast sandwich.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 1 Kickoff

Hi! I'll make this quick because I've already started reading a book, and it's adorable.

Here's a bit about myself:

Where are you reading from today? New York, NY
Three random facts about me… I'm a librarian, I'm really excited to be old and grumpy, and I only go to book expos for the free tote bags.
How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 21. It's a lot, but I'm finicky and never know what I'll be in the mood for, so it's best to have a variety than to have to go searching through my collection.
Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? Not really. I just want to make it through, which is something I wasn't able to do last time.
If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Eat light meals throughout the day, and stay away from meat. Also the moderate caffeine you get from light tea is better than tons of coffee or 5-Hour-Energy because those things will cause to to crash eventually. Also, try to read short things occasionally. The sense of momentum you get from finishing something can be refreshing.

Alright, happy reading everyone!

Read-a-Thon Kickoff WHEEEEE!

So, as usual, I have been terrible about updating this blog. I've read a few books in the past month of so, but I've not wanted to talk about any of them. I'm not sure why, since they were good.

But today's the Read-a-Thon (1.5 hours and counting), and beyond just participating for the fun of it, I'm using the event to get back in touch with "writing about reading." The forced terseness of bihourly updates should help since part of my problem is "But I don't WANNA update, it's too HARD!" I'm hoping to remind myself: a) I'm happier when I'm creating content (even if it's just internet content nobody reads) and b) sometimes you guys find me amusing.

So I've already got an ambitious pile of books next to my couch... though, hmm, I just realized I should add something spooky to the pile... I bet a spooky book will help me keep awake later. ANYWAY, I'm gonna go shower. And then I'm gonna to get some coffee and a Naked juice. And then I'm gonna start. And that's my grand plan.

So good luck to everyone participating! Have a fabulous time, and may you not crash until 25 and a half hours from now. I certainly can't; I've got brunch plans in the morning, and if I sleep through them, I will be chastised by my Snarky Friend.

Related Posts with Thumbnails