Readathon, Day #2!!

Yes, yes, I know - the readathon is really only 24 hours. But every time a readathon rolls around, it seems my Saturday gets filled up with stuff so I can't read. This time, my Sunday is pretty much empty, so I'm just gonna have my own Readathon Day 2, and get some good reading done.

I WAS able to finish 

Lumberjanes, Vol. 3 - which continues to be one of my favorite series. I absolutely love the exploits of these plucky, hilarious campers.

I also read with the kiddos - 

The Princess in Black by Shannon & Dean Hale. We LOVE this book - it's our third time reading it, I think, but Sophia just ordered #2 in the series from her latest Scholastic book order form, so we had to read it again to prepare. ;)

I was also able to read about 1/3 of 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - which is just as intense and heartbreaking as I'd expected. This is the first novel I've read by Walker, but I have read quite a few of her short stories, and knew going in what an excellent writer she is. I definitely hope to finish this one today.

Okay, enough talk - time to get some more reading done!

Readathon - Update #1

I'm finally reading - woo hoo!!! Not, like, seriously, but I've been able to make some progress on The Color Purple in between family visits and making gingerbread play-dough (thanks, preschool teacher, for that 30 minutes of my life I'll never get back....)

I have a couple of mini-challenges that I've completed as well. The first is the Share a Quote Challenge hosted by Nea -

Pick a quote from the book that you are reading or books that you've read during this read-a-thon. I love quotes, so I would really love hear the one that made a big impression on you. The quote should be: FUNNY (or hilarious) or ROMANTIC (or sexy) or INSPIRING orWOW THIS IS WRITTEN SO BEAUTIFULLY.




I have TWO quotes for you from The Color Purple -



"Everything want to be loved. Us sing, and dance, and holler, just trying to be loved."



"Time moves slowly, but passes quickly."



Next is the Character Road Trip challenge hosted by Felicia - 

1. Pick a character that you would like to road trip with
2. Tell me 3 destinations that you would hit

I recently finished Winter, the last book in the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Mayer. I'd love to take Winter on a road trip, and because she enjoyed spending time with the animals on Luna, I'd take her on a zoo road trip - the Blank Park Zoo here in Des Moines, the Omaha Zoo, and the Como Park Zoo.


Alright, back to reading!!!

READ-A-THON!!!

Yay!!! It's Read-A-Thon day!!!

It's also the day my parents are coming back from spending the winter in Arizona, so my read-a-thon will start......later.  ;)

But here's the opening meme, just to get into the spirit -


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

I am reading in Des Moines, IA, USA

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

I have a bunch of graphic novels that I can't wait to tackle.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Chicken salad and crackers! My current favorite thing.


4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

This is only the 3rd read-a-thon that I've participated in as a reader. I have twin 5-year-olds, and solo parent on the weekends, so I always have LOTS of interruptions, but I still love 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'm definitely snacking smarter - less carb, more protein. I'm going to try to participate in more mini-challenges, but we'll see how the day goes.

Okay, time to entertain the family. I will be back and reading later - have fun, everyone!!

Readathon!!

It's Readathon time!!

Yes, I know, I'm early. But it's my first one, and I'm excited - also, I know that by the time this thing OFFICIALLY starts (at 7:00 am), my kids will be up and demanding, so I'm just giving myself a little bit of time before that to do some reading and let myself feel like I'm actually doing this thing.

Since I don't want to completely freak out those of you who are used to seeing one post every 2 weeks or so (*grin*), I'm just going to update this post all day long. So if you are interested in seeing how my Readathon is going, feel free to follow along. If not, feel free to skip this one, and come back when I resume my regularly non-scheduled sporadic posting. =)

I am starting off the Readathon with

something short - I think it will be a quick read, giving me an immediate sense of accomplishment. Here we go!!!

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Update #1 - Opening Meme


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

I am reading from Des Moines, Iowa, USA. I'm told it's going to be a gorgeous fall day, so I may even get to read outside for a bit!

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

I'm excited about The Egypt Game, which I'm starting off reading. I loved this author as a kid, so I'm interested to see if her work still holds up as an adult. I also have a couple of novels by Sharon Shinn, who is an author that always works well for me.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Buffalo cheese dip!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I've been a blogger for several years, but this is actually the first readathon that I will be able to participate as a reader, and I'm very excited! I'm in charge of the kids today, so my participation will be a bit sporadic, but I can't wait. 

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?

First time reader, so everything seems exciting. Mostly I'm just looking forward to the sense of community with so many other readers all reading at once. 

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Update #2 - 12:30 pm

I finished The Egypt Game at around 11:45, just in time for lunch. Now we've all finished eating, the kids are settling in with some coloring books, and I'm going to start my next book. I think I'll try one from A Good Man is Hard to Find, and then settle in with Troubled Waters.

So far, so good!

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Update #3 - 4:45 pm

I spent a bit of time with Ms. Flannery O'Connor (wow. I'm not sure I'm ready for her stories.), read a couple of chapters of Troubled Waters, and then picked up this novel -

This was a great library find - a young man in WWII NYC watches his brother go off to war, and experiences the inevitable struggles a family goes through with a loved one fighting abroad.  In the course of his duties to his family's store, he makes the acquaintance of the artist Piet Mondrian, and the two form a friendship of sorts. Really interesting ideas about the importance of imagination, and the trials of growing up. I'm glad I found this one!

Time to work on supper - then more reading! Hopefully when the kiddos go to bed I'll be able to do a little more with the social aspects of the Readathon.

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Update #4 - 8:40 pm

Mid-Event Survey (just a bit late) -

1. What are you reading right now?

Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn, one of my favorite go-to fantasy authors, and A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor, which is weirding me right out.

2. How many books have you read so far?

I have finished TWO! And started two more. So yay.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the readathon?

I'm really looking forward to digging in to Troubled Waters - the kids are in bed, so it's time for some serious reading!

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with them?

Well, I guess if you call two 4-year-olds interruptions, then yes. 

In all seriousness, they were about as good as it's possible for them to be, so I actually got a decent amount of reading done. It's almost like they were cooperating with me. =)

5. What surprises you the most about the Readathon so far?

It's the food situation. I ate too many snacky things, so by the time supper rolled around I was shaky and starving. Note to self - next time, eat real food.



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Update the last, 6:15 am

End of Event Meme -

Which hour was most daunting for you?

You know, there wasn't really an hour that seemed daunting, but that's because I knew I was going to fall asleep so I didn't fight it. I have to be awake all day today with the kiddos, so staying up wasn't really an option - this old lady can't do that anymore! SO I just fell asleep naturally. BUT - I set my alarm for early, got up, and finished the book I was working on this morning!

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I'm really happy with my decision to read YA novels, short stories, and a book from an author I know I love. The YA novels were quick reads, which gave me a sense of accomplishment. The short stories were nice "palate cleansers" in between longer reads. The novel by one of my favorite authors just felt completely satisfying.

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

This was my first time as a reader, and I really enjoyed myself. I never saw any cheerleaders, so I did kinda miss that aspect, but I know there were a ton of readers, so if they didn't get around to me it's not the biggest deal.

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I really liked the Goodreads group. I will definitely participate in that again!

How many books did you read?

Three! plus some short stories

What were the names of the books you read?

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatly Snyder
Mister Orange by Truus Matti
Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn
various short stories from A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

Which book did you enjoy most?

Probably Troubled Waters, just because Sharon Shinn is such a favorite of mine

Which did you enjoy least?

I actually enjoyed them all.

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

I wasn't a cheerleader, but I did take a short break to "cheer" for a few of my fellow bloggers that I knew were reading, and that was fun. Short breaks seem to be the key for me.

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I will definitely participate again, and I'd love to be a reader. I'm happy I was able to join in when I could and not put pressure on myself to "do more". I think the leaders of the Readathon do a great job of encouraging everyone to read as much as they can, when they can, and that makes it such an INCLUSIVE event. I love it - thanks so much!

Dewey's Readathon!

I'm taking the plunge! I'm going to participate as a reader for the first time ever in Dewey's Readathon!

It's hard to believe this will be my first year ever as a reader - I've been a cheerleader in previous years, but it never quite worked out for me to be a reader. Now, in all honesty, I won't be able to read for the entire 24 hours. I solo parent on weekends while my husband is at work, so my free time is definitely limited. BUT - I have decided that whatever time I have when I don't HAVE to be doing something else, I'm going to be reading. Will it be perfect? Nope. But it will be fun!

I even have a book stack all ready -

I've been paying attention to suggestions from seasoned Readathon veterans, so I have a few books by authors I already know I love; a couple of books of short stories; a couple of YA novels; and if none of these strike my fancy, I'll just pick up something else. I know I'll never get to read ALL these books during the Readathon, but it will be nice to have some good choices.

If you don't know what the Readathon is, you can find out more info here. I'm so excited to be joining everyone this year! Bring it on!

Bout of Books - Progress reports

Well, friends, here's the dilemma - I've joined this read-a-thon to encourage myself to read more books this week, but all I wanted to do yesterday during my reading time was play around online, getting acquainted with the Bout of Books and it's participants. *sigh*

I'll update my daily progress on this post, so those of you who care can check back, and those of you who are completely uninterested can just skip it! =)


Monday's Progress -

Time spent reading - 20 minutes in print and 1 hour in audio

Books read - The Color Master by Aimee Bender (print) and The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by LJ Smith (audio)

Books finished - none

Notes - I am going to struggle with balancing my online time and my reading time. Must prioritize better!!


Tuesday's Progress -

Time spent reading - 30 minutes in print and 1 hour in audio

Books read - The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March (print) and The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by LJ Smith (audio)

Books finished - none

Notes - I had a hard time staying awake tonight - sleep was the priority over reading. Thank goodness for commutes or I wouldn't be getting any reading done!



Wednesday's Progress -

Time spent reading - 30 minutes in print and 1 hour in audio

Books read - The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March (print) and The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by LJ Smith (audio)

Books finished - none

Notes - note to self - the week from hell at work is not the best time to be trying to increase your reading. While I'm not necessarily reading MORE, I am certainly having a good time participating in the challenges and general reading goodness that has been Bout of Books this week.



Thursday's Progress -

Time spent reading - 2 hours 20 minutes in print (Woo hoo!)

Books read - The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March, The Color Master by Aimee Bender

Books finished - The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March

Notes - Finally, a day where I could really sit down and read for a while - it felt great! It helped to have such a fun and entertaining novel to sink into. I feel like I've finally gotten my groove for this read-a-thon - better late than never.




Friday's progress -

Time spent reading - 1 hour in audio

Books read - The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by LJ Smith

Books finished - none

Notes - I am making a quick trip up north tomorrow to visit family - my sister is in town from Wisconsin - so my free time today was spent getting things ready for a day trip with two toddlers.



Saturday's progress -

Time spent reading - 3 1/2 hours in audio

Books read - The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by LJ Smith

Books finished - The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by LJ Smith

Notes - yay for a road trip to help me finish my audiobook! No time to read my physical copy today - too busy playing with the fam. Had a great day - now I'm exhausted!



Sunday's progress -

Time spent reading - 2 1/3 hours in print

Books read - Looking for Alaska by John Green

Books finished - Looking for Alaska by John Green

Notes - it was nice to finish up the Bout of Books with two strong days of reading - one in audio and one in print. While I didn't meet all of my goals this week, I had a lot of fun, and will definitely be joining in next time!

Bout of Books 8.0 - Sign up and Goals

Okay, friends, I'm taking the plunge -  

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 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team



I'm riding a bit of a high from having so much fun during the Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon, so I thought I'd try to keep the momentum going and sign up for this event. Since the goal seems to be to challenge MYSELF, it seemed like a great fit.


The Bout of Books hosts encourage participants to set goals for the week, pushing themselves to read more than they normally would during that week. I'm using the goals template found at the Bout of Books website -  it's quick and easy, and hits all the main points.


Goals for the Week -


Time Devoted to Reading -

I want to try and read 1 and 1/2 hours each day. This will be a stretch, but I think it's possible.

My Goals -

I can normally finish 1-2 books per week, depending on their length and level of intensity. I'd like to push myself to finish 3 books this week - 2 lighter reads, and 1 more serious - as well as finishing the audiobook I'm currently about 1/3 of the way through.


Books to Read -

Witch World by Christopher Pike
The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March
Harvest by Jim Crace
The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by L.J. Smith (audiobook)




So there we go - now it's time to stop blogging and start reading!

Dog Days of Summer Wrap-up

Oh, I had such a great time participating in the Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon. It was fun to read along with others, fun to check out some of these
teen "classics" that I've missed along the way, fun to have an excuse to read more! Here's what I read -









My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews - Okay, I have to admit this was entertaining, but seriously? It was a little bit like eating an entire chocolate cake - you know it's a bad idea even while you are doing it. I can see why these novels are popular with teens, though - So. Much. Drama. And for a kid who thinks their life is just THE WORST, reading about someone who has this much crap going on must be comforting. Fun, but I think this will be my first and last by this author.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith - I was pre-disposed to enjoy this because I watched the tv show for a few seasons back when it started, so I had a feeling this would be a fun read. I was pleasantly surprised at how non-annoying I found most of the characters - but is it a vampire-story thing, or just a teen-romance thing, where the girl is in love with the guy after about 2 minutes? Because that's a little troubling. All in all, though, I enjoyed it, and found the next book on audio so am continuing the series.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - this is my favorite of the books I read this weekend. I really appreciate the author's ability to portray each of the girls in a way that feels honest, and also that she didn't try to lessen the importance of their relationships with their families. I am definitely going to read more in the series - this book just made me happy the whole time I was reading it.






Heart to Heart by Lurlene McDaniel - Yep, this is the cover on the book I read. And the main characters' names are Elowyn and Arabeth. It was actually like reading the script for one of those old ABC Afterschool Specials - someone dies, and it serves as a warning to the friends, but ultimately everyone winds up feeling better about themselves. I can absolutely see how teenage girls eat this up.






Now I'm thinking of joining in the Bout of Books, which is another read-a-thon taking place this week. It's just so much fun!

Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon - check in!

Just a quick check-in on my Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon progress - this is fun! I actually started a day early, because I solo parent the twins on weekends, and I knew I would actually have more time to read Friday that either of the two days on the weekend, but I've surprised myself with my ability to sneak in a chapter or two here and there. Here's what I've finished -

 My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews - wow. Just wow. I think I said on Twitter that it was a little bit like a Lifetime movie on steroids - this was a fun read, but I felt a little bit ashamed of myself the whole time.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith - I have to admit to being a fan of this series thanks to the tv show - it was my guilty pleasure a few seasons back - and it was fun to see how the book and the series were both similar and different.








I have also started a couple more -

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by L.J. Smith - I realized my library had this on audio, and thought it would be great for the times this weekend when I actually have to be doing something, like fixing meals, or doing laundry. I'm about 1/3 of the way through.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - I was a fan of the movie, and I'm happy to say I'm enjoying the book as well. I'm about halfway through the novel, and expect I will be done before the day is out.











I've also been checking in on Twitter when I can - it's been fun to see what the my fellow readers have been doing this weekend.

This is the first time I've participated in a read-a-thon as a reader, and I'm loving it. Thanks bunches to the ladies at The Estella Society for hosting this fun event - now back to the books!

The Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon

What is this, you ask??

"Summer. Sun. Sand. Thunderstorms and humidity. And books. Lots and lots of books.

I don’t know about you, but I miss those dog days of summer when I had nothing to do but stay outside, all day long, in my secret reading places, devouring books by the dozens and listening to horrible 80s music. Christopher Pike. John Saul. The Baby Sitter’s Club. Sweet Valley High. Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo. What? You didn’t have an odd French romance novel phase in YOUR teens? Huh....

...So, here, I humbly introduce The Dog Days of Summer Readathon. A whole weekend devoted to reading. No challenges. No prizes. No cheerleading (unless you feel so inclined). Just a weekend of reading fun, fluffy, nostalgic books."


Yep, I remember those days - I think I checked out 10 books a week from my local library, and had no trouble reading them all. I'm guessing I won't get through 10 books during this read-a-thon, but it sounds like fun to me. I've got a stack of teen angst classics - stuff I've never read, because I was too busy reading Les Miserables the summer before my 8th grade year. I could use a little fluff these days.

Want to join us? Sign up here, or just go ahead and read with no responsibilities, just like in the good old days.....