Readathon!

My Stack of Potential Reads

FRIDAY, 4/29/22

Starting tomorrow morning at 8am I will be participating in Dewey's 24-hour Readathon. I have gathered a pile of books, planned for meals, stocked up on snacks and beverages, and cleared my schedule so I can spend as much time as I want to tomorrow reading and visiting fellow readers online. It's not too late to sign up if you want to join the fun.

I will be updating this post with any Q&As or challenges that I decide to join in on as part of the Readathon.

SATURDAY, 4/30/22 

[8:30am] Opening Survey
I am reading today from Manchester, NH. It is cool (40s F) and sunny this morning, but rain is expected. There isn't one book in my stack that I am most looking forward to, but I am excited about several of them including the new Emily St. John Mandel and The Disappearing Spoon. I am starting my day with some essays by Anne Lamott from Dusk, Night, Dawn.I am looking forward to chocolate chip cookies this afternoon. The dough is in the freezer ready to slice and bake. Something about me: I have 7 books in-progress at the moment which is more than usual for me, but not by much. My last readathon went well so I expect to do mostly the same stuff. I didn't post much about my progress last time, I expect to post a bit more this time. I also plan to participate in at least one reading sprint. 

[8pm] The Half-Way Point
So far so good. I finished 1 novel, read several essays in my Anne Lamott book, a few chapters in a non-fiction book, and began two other novels. The first one was OK but didn't grab me so I set it aside and picked up something else. I will go back to the first one later. I participated in the hour 4 sprint and will probably do the hour 16 one as well. I had cookies mid-afternoon, which were delicious, and have now finished up supper so am ready for an evening of reading. 

SUNDAY, 5/1/22 

[8am] The End
I had a good readathon this time. I didn't read the whole 24-hours because, as usual, I need to sleep. I finished 2 novels; read 5 Anne Lamott essays and several chapters of a book about laundry; began 2 additional novels that I expect to finish later. 

24-Hour Readathon

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
I am reading a Nero Wolfe mystery. I have some poetry, a book about Barbara Pym's novels and a book about writing on deck as options for the evening. 

2. How many books have you read so far?
I finished 2 paper books and an audio book (all begun before today) so far today.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I have another mystery novel picked out for later tonight. 

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
My day has gone about as I expected. I got a good bit of work done on my painting project while I was listening to my audiobook. 

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
I have read more than I would have expected so far.

_________________________

Opening Survey for the Dewey 24 Hour Readathon (9am, I got a late start)

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

I am reading from Manchester, NH. It is a bit cloudy here today but is not cold (may get to 70F today) so some outdoor reading may be possible.

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

I have a bunch of books in progress and I am most looking forward to finishing books. That is my goal for today.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

I made scones (apricot and chocolate chip) and am looking forward to those. 

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Besides reading I do a lot of sewing and am planning to stay out of my sewing room today so I can get more reading in. I am working on repainting the spare room though so will be listening to my audiobook while I work in there at least part of the day.

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 have done several readathons over the years and relaxing and reading as much as I can without pushing beyond when I need to sleep is the lesson I have learned in the past. A mixture of books is also key to a good readathon for me.

Reverse Readathon

Starting at 8pm tomorrow (at least where I live) and running until 8pm on Saturday is the Dewey Reverse Readathon  and I am ready to indulge in a super-bookish weekend. I have my bingo card ready, my bookstack selected, and snacks and beverages on hand. 

Readathon - 9pm update

I completed a few more squares on my bingo card (https://bingobaker.com/play/3089916/44f44d) and I finished another book. Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis. I also made progress on my audio book (Casino Royale) and on Mysteries of the Middle Ages. 
I don't expect to be up all night reading, but I think I will get through a good chunk of another book tonight. 

Readathon - 1pm update

I have finished my first book: Murder Must Advertise by Dorthy L. Sayers. I had started it before the readathon, but it is still a finish.
I also began a book that has been on my shelf for a really long time and decided it is not for me so it is now in the "donate" pile for when my public library is ready to take donations again.

I also generated a bingo card to play: https://bingobaker.com/play/3089916/44f44d
The details of the bingo game are in the GoodReads group. My Dorthy Sayers novel got me 5 bingo squares (physical book, finished it, set in the big city of London, policeman is an "essential" job, and D is in DEWEY).

Next up is a chapter of Mysteries of the Middle Ages by Thomas Cahill and then I think a C.S. Lewis novel.

Readathon - Opening Survey

Today is Dewey's 24 hour readathon. I have my stack of books, my snacks, and comfy clothes so I think I'm all set.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
         I am reading in Manchester, NH, USA.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
          The Poetry Home Repair Manual

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
            Not sure, I have several good ones on deck including home-made beer bread.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
              I'm a librarian and a quilter and I judge beer competitions. 

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 have participated in this read-a-thon before, though not the last one, and for the most part it has gone well. I shopped ahead of time for my snacks this time and will sleep when necessary.

It's Time for a Readathon

I haven't posted on this blog since January.
I am 7 books behind on my GoodReads challenge for 2020.
The world is shut down so there is no where to go.
Obviously I need to participate in Dewey's 24-hour Readathon which begins on April 25, 2020 at 8am Eastern (U.S.)

I will be posting about it here and on twitter.

Readathon!

My #readathon pile

The Dewey 24-hour Readathon is today (beginning at 8am Eastern) and I am looking forward to a day full of reading.
I will be using this post throughout the day for updates (new stuff at the bottom).

I will also be posting on Instagram today. Generally my Instagram is private, but I opened it up for today.

Hour 1 - Getting to know you Survey

1)What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Manchester, NH
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I'm not sure, they are all appealing (that's why they are in the stack)
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Peppermint Joe Joes
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I am reading today snuggled under a quilt I made from clothes that belonged to my Mom. She died almost 2 years ago and would have loved the idea of reading all day.
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 have participated in a few readathons and the thing I always need to remember is not to read the whole time. Breaks are important. Sometimes sleeping is necessary.

6-Hour Checkin

I have finished 2 books so far (both ones I had started before), visited a few other readathoner's blogs, and completed the Literary Clue mini-challenge. I haven't had any JoJos yet, but that may be coming up soon. I also made some guesses on the Vague Recollections mini-challenge.

The Half-way Mark

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
2. How many books have you read so far?
Finished 3 (all started previously); started and abandoned one, started another and then set it aside (will go back to it), started another one and am reading it now. So I have read from 6 books so far today.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Not sure. I have a mystery novel in progress and will probably pick that up. 
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Not too many interruptions. Took time out to visit with some friends who called, which was lovely. 
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? No surprises to report. 

Books read from (+ an audiobook)

Wrap-up

I fell asleep around midnight and woke up for a bit more reading during hour 24. I got a lot of reading done: I finished 3 books and made progress on 2 more that I had started before, started one and decided it wasn't for me, started and finished one, and started one that I will continue reading. Overall it was an excellent was to spend a Saturday.

Dewey's 24-hour Readathon

The next Dewey 24-hour readathon is next Saturday (4/28/18). I participated in this event in 2015 and enjoyed it. Every time since then it has conflicted with something, but this time I am able to play along. The hosts have added a twist this time which is a goal of a combined readathon total of one-million pages.
To get ready for next week I need to:

• Sign up at the official sign-up link (DONE)
• Gather my to-be-read pile - variety is important for successful readathons
• Plan ahead for meals and snacks for Saturday - I don't want to waste time foraging for lunch when I could be reading
• Make sure my gadgets are charged up so I can visit other readers via social media

24in48 Readathon Final Update

I completed the #24in48 readathon. Here are my answers to the wrap-up questionnaire.

1. How many books did you read? Pages? (If you didn’t keep track, tell me that too!) 
   I finished 3 books, began a 4th, read parts of 2 that were already in progress, and read several short stories from other books. No idea how many pages that was. 
2. How many hours did you read?
   I read for a total of 18.5 hours. Not the full 24, but I was happy with my total.
3. What do you think worked well in this readathon?
   I didn't play along with any of the challenges, but I enjoyed reading them and I visited a little bit among book bloggers who were readathoning. Overall I thought it all went quite smoothly.
4. What do you think could be done to improve the readathon for next time?
   I have no suggestions for the organizers as their part all went beautifully as far as I could see. Personally I think remembering to sun-screen before reading outside for hours would be a good idea and coordinating schedules better with my husband so I don't have to go anywhere all weekend would also be good. I noticed some people shifted their 48 hours a bit (mostly for time-zones) and that might work better for me as well if I adjusted the 48 hours to start earlier Friday night and end earlier on Sunday evening.
5. Will you participate in a future 24in48 readathon?
   Definitely! I met two out of my three goals and had fun reading. 

24in48 Readathon: Hour 34 Update

I have read 12 hours out of the first 34 of the #24in48 readathon. 
So far I finished 2 books (Agatha Christie's The Big Four and Paul Coelho's The Spy); read 4 short stories, listened to an audiobook when I was in the car, and made progress on Oh Canada! Oh Quebec!  
Now it is time for coffee and Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum.

24in48 Readathon: Hour 14 Update

I have read 4.75 hours out of the first 14 of the #24in48 readathon. I finished Agatha Christie's The Big Four and listened to an hour of Neil Gaiman's Trigger Warnings while stuck in traffic.
Next up: either Paul Coelho's The Spy or Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum.

Dewey 24-Hour Readathon Updates

Today is #readathon! I will be using this post for updates throughout the day (new stuff at the bottom).

8:45am update
 I woke up in time for the 8am start and began my day with coffee and a picture book (If...A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers). Next up is a YA novel my niece recommended to me. I visited a few other participant blogs (ones from my list of book blogs I like to read) which was cool to see how people are getting started. 

Opening Meme:
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?I am in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?I didn't make a stack (that never goes well for me, it feels like assigned reading). I'll go with whatever appeals to me as I need new books. 3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?Strawberries and ginger cookies.4) Tell us a little something about yourself!I work as a librarian and in my free time I like to read, quilt, and spend time with my husband. He is going to read today too, but not for the whole 24-hours.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 my first Dewey 24-hour readathon and I am looking forward to spending a lot of time reading.

12:15pm update

I am making good progress on Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (which is really good, my niece was right). I took a break to have breakfast with T (my husband who finally got up) and we are ready to settle in for an afternoon of reading. 

5:10pm update
I finished Mr. Lemoncello--really excellent book--and have moved on to In Cold Blood which is my Classic Club spin book. T has been making steady progress through his book (Towers of Midnight, part of the Wheel of Time series) and he fixed us cheese and crackers for an afternoon snack. We will be taking a break this evening to watch a hockey playoff, but will be back to reading after that.  

11:45pm update
The hockey game was good--my team won and it was an exciting game. Have about 100 more pages to go to the end of In Cold Blood. Will need something lighter if I am going to push on. T has read about 300 pages so far today.

wrap-up 
I didn't make it through the whole 24-hours (I didn't think I would), but I did get a lot of reading done and really liked spending a whole day reading books. I didn't quite finish In Cold Blood, but probably will today. T had a successful 12-hour readathon, noon to midnight with a break for hockey. 

Thanks to all my cheerleaders and the people who put this excellent event together!

Readathon Begins Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, beginning at 8am in my timezone, I will be participating in my first Dewey's 24-hour Readathon. Many of the book bloggers I follow do this and this year I was able (mostly) to clear my schedule so I can join in. I have been fighting off a terrible cold all week (I think the cold is winning) and I don't really have the energy to do much but lay around and read anyway, so it seems like it should work out.

I've been reading lots of posts and tweets about preparing for readathon and have been considering what I should do to get ready. I picked up a few snacks and muffins for breakfast. I thought about making a list of books to read, but I find when I do that I end up not wanting to read any of the things I put on the list.  I have several stacks of "to read" books around the house, including some YA and a picture book for fast finishes so I should be in good shape for options. I am in the middle of a history of the Arabian part of WWI which I will read some of, and have been working may way through Mists of Avalon for ages now. I am liking Mists, but find I have to be in the right mood for it. I also can't read it in bed as it is literally too heavy so that has slowed my progress. It will be a good candidate for reading during the day.

I made a button to use on my posts (I love that picture!) and convinced my husband to read with me. Tonight I plan to relax and turn in early so I am ready to read bright and early. I'm looking forward to visiting some of the other readathoner's and checking out the mini-challenges too.

2014 Reading Projects

I am not making any reading resolutions for 2014, but I do have some projects I have committed to which I will be working on during the new year. 

Canadian Book Challenge 7
I have finished 6 of the 13 books I need to read for this before July 1, 2014. I also have a big pile of Canadian books waiting to be read and am nearly finished with MaddAdam which will count toward this challenge. So far so good with this one. I need to finish one Canadian book each month to stay on track.

Classics Club
I have read 14 of the 50 books I committed to reading for this by September 2017. If I read 6 more books from my list by September 2014 I will be where I need to be to finish by the deadline. I decided to read the King Arthur books from the list this year, so The Once and Future King, Mists of Avalon, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court are on deck. There is also a set of monthly themes planned by the Club for 2014 and I may dip into those during the year. The 2nd annual CC Readathon is Saturday and I am looking forward to starting my King Arthur project then.

Reading Challenges for 2014

• On Goodreads I committed to reading 101 books during the year. This was the same number I challenged myself to read in 2013 and it seems like a good number for me so I am sticking with it.
• I signed up for What's in a Name 7 which is being hosted at The Worm Hole. I will need to read 5 books (not overlapping with other challenges) for this. 
• I committed to reading 4 books (postcard level) for the Postal Challenge hosted at Indextrious Reader.
• I ended 2013 with more books (30+) on my Foodie to-read list than I started with, even though I completed the challenge. I have signed up for the 2014 Foodies Read Challenge and committed to reading 9-13 books (sous-chef level). On a related note, I hope to do more cooking-the-books postings about cookbooks from my collection this year. 
• I am going to read 12 books from my shelves this year for the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted at Roof Beam Reader.

This should be a good year! 

CC Readathon 2014

Once again I plan to start off my new year with The Classics Club 24-hour Readathon. The event begins at 8am EST on Saturday, January 4, 2014. Down the Writer's Path has a post from last year on getting ready for a readathon which will help you map out a plan if you want to join in and feel like some guidance would be helpful.
I haven't decided for sure on my reading plan yet, but I do want to read the Arthurian books on my CC list this year so I may dive into The Once and Future King.

CC Readathon - Ending Post

I have now completed my first readathon! You can check out the experiences of other participants at the Classics Club Readathon Ending Post.


Overall I spent more time reading during the 24 hours than I expected I would be able too. I read most of the day (9am - 5pm) with short breaks for minor household tasks, talking to my family, and blogging/checking in with the readathon. I had a social event to go to in the evening, but read for about 2 hours after I got back, then slept for a couple hours before reading some more. I woke up early this morning and read a little more just before (and a bit after) the readathon ending hour. Overall a very productive, pleasant reading day and only a reasonable amount of ribbon candy was consumed.

Here is my wrap-up questionnaire:

1. What book(s) did you read during the event? I re-read "Murder in the Cathedral" (and wrote a post about it) ; I made good progress (the whole first epoch and a couple chapters into the second) on The Woman in White; and I read The Phantom Tollbooth.
2. What book(s) did you finish? "Murder in the Cathedral" and The Phantom Tollbooth.
   
3. What did you like about our event? I liked having a whole day scheduled for reading and I enjoyed the comments and posts from other participants. I really liked that it was laid-back and each reader set their own goals. Progress is good--whether it is a lot or a little--it's all progress. I liked the questionnaires, it was interesting to read the answers from other participants.
4. Do you have suggestions for future Readathons through The Classics Club? I thought it was excellent, and I liked the supportive, but not pressuring vibe of it. I would have liked to see a couple more check-in posts at the Classics Club blog (maybe one every 6 hours?) If the checkin posts had a survey question for participants (like, are you enjoying the book you are reading more or less than expected?) that might have been interesting.
   
5. Would you participate in future Readathons? Definitely. And next time I will be better prepared thanks to the excellent advice for participating in a readathon from Down the Writers Path

CC Readathon -- Starting Post

The Classics Club Readathon kicked off this morning at 8am. I slept through the beginning, but got started about 9am.  Here are my answers to the starting point questionnaire.

1. Name and Blog: MaryR @ bibliographic manifestations
   
2. Snacks and Beverages of Choice: coffee and bagels to start with; grapes, pretzels, goldfish crackers, and almonds are available snacks if I need them, crock-pot taco soup is planned for supper, and I got a new box of ribbon candy for Christmas, so that will be good for treats. Tea is very likely later in the day.
3. Where are you reading from today? I am reading in my living room in Manchester, NH. The view outside is cold and snow-covered, but the Christmas tree looks pretty.
   
4. What are your goals for the Readathon? This is my first readathon, so just seeing how it goes is the main thing. I want to make as big a dent in Woman in White as I can and reread Murder in the Cathedral so I can finish writing about it.
   
5. What book(s) are you planning on reading? Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, "Murder in the Cathedral" by T. S. Elliot, and maybe The Phantom Tollbooth.
6. Are you excited? Yes.

Classics Club Readathon

I have never done a readathon, and am not totally clear on the rules, but as I understand it the idea is to read for 24-hours which sounds excellent. This readathon begins at 8am EST with a kick-off post on the Classics Club blog and we will be reading for 24 hours after that!

I had everything set up for this project: groceries for crockpot Taco Soup purchased, my husband expecting to be at the office that day, and and a stack of classics from my list ready to begin. Then my husband's work project got sorted out and we were invited to a private tasting at a local brewery that evening and I am going to have to choose between beer and books on Saturday.

I think I will join in the readathon during the day, and will go to the beer event in the evening. That still gives me a solid 9 hours of reading time.

I am about 75 pages into The Woman in White, so I will be reading that and I want to re-read Murder in the Cathedral so I can finish the blog post I started about it in November. If I need a break from Wilkie Collins, I may set it aside and pick up on of the children's classics on my list (The Phantom Tollbooth or Alice in Wonderland perhaps).