READ-A-THON: 28-29 January

Girl Reading by Alfred-Emile-Leopold Stevens, 1856

* We'll be officially starting at 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time between Friday, Jan. 28th, and will end at 4:00 pm on Saturday, January 29th. Feel free to jump in anytime! *

I apologize for the short notice, but I was so dismayed to learn that there was no Read-a-Thon scheduled for this weekend that I decided to post a call this morning to see if anyone would be interested. Enough folks are, so I’ll be hosting again this weekend, and I hope you’ll join us!

If you're joining in for the first time, here's how it works: We'll be reading from 4:00 pm EST on Friday night to 4:00 pm EST Saturday night (you can Google to find an online time converter if you’re in a different zone). Sign up whenever you decide to join us by leaving your name and location on this thread, and include the link to your challenge thread, blog, or anywhere else you might be posting other than or in addition to here. This thread will be your check-in point and read-a-thon HQ. I'll be posting memes at hours 1, 12, and 24.

There really are no hard and fast rules here. Please don't think that you've committed to a sleepless 24-hour period or that you can't participate if you have to work! (This tired old body nodded in the chair last time but finally gave in around midnight and went to bed.) The point is simply to commit to focus on your reading for whatever amount of time you choose. We'll each track the number of hours spent reading and posting and the number of pages we've read. Post updates as often as you like; in past read-a-thons, some folks posted hourly while others checked in a few times. Give us the basics or tell us more: How are you enjoying your books? What's going on around you? What are you eating, drinking, listening to in the background? What are you doing during your breaks? Stop by to cheer on everyone else, comment on others' reading choices, or just chat a bit. It's all up to you.

So get the comfy chair warmed and the hot tea ready, and let’s make a dent in those towering TBR stacks!

Here's the list of who's participating so far and where we're all reading from--and the links to personal threads if anyone will be updating there as well as here.

WHO'S READING ALONG?
1. Deborah (Cariola--Chambersburg, Pennsylvania)
2. Michelle (Tanglewood--New York, New York)
3. Nathalie (Deern--Merano, Italy)
4. Nathan (DragonFreak--South Dakota)
5. Luci (elkiedee--London, England)
6. Suzanne (Chatterbox--Brooklyn, New York)
7. Kathy (PersephonesLibrary--Austria)
8. Jasmyn (jasmyn9--Rockford, Illinois) Jasmyn's thread
9. Linda (lindapanzo--Chicago, Illinois)
10. Terri (tloeffler--St. Charles, Missouri)
11. Kelly (kplamp--Saginaw, Michigan)
12. Belva (rainpebble--Washington State)
13. Ilana (Smiler69--Montreal, Canada)
14. Kerry (avatiakh--New Zealand)
15. Deborah (arubabookwoman--Seattle, Washington)
16. Gemma (stgemma--Northern Ireland)
17. Ellie (ellipotten--England)
18. Darryl (kidzdoc--Atlanta, Georgia)
19. Monica (crazy4reading--Boothwyn, Pennsylvania)
20. Laura (LauraBrook--Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
21. Donna (Donna828--Springfield, Missouri)
22. Sandy (sandykaypax--Cleveland, Ohio)
23. Jenn (Cailiosa--Marion, Indiana)
24. Jean (majkia--Florida)
25. Mike (CurrerBell--Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
26. Rebecca (Rebeki--London, England)
27. Alaina (Mrssmith88--Maine)
28. April (barefeet4--Seattle, Washington)
29. Mere (bymerechance--Connecticut)
30. Karen (maggie1944--Seattle, Washington)
31. Stephen (swynn--Kirksville, Missouri)

If you decide to join us, leave a post with your real name, location, and where you'll be posting your reading progress (here or on your personal thread), and I'll add you to the list.

Here is the template you can use for your hourly updates:

I've been reading: (Name of book or books you've read in the last hour)
Books finished: (in the last hour)
Pages read: (number of pages)
Reading time: (in minutes)
Posting time: (time spent writing updates and visiting threads, in minutes)

Total books read:
Total pages read:
Total time read: (in hours and minutes)
Total time posting: (in hours and minutes)

On your mark . . . Get set . . . GO!

***********************************************
First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today?
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover.
4. 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 threads)?
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

************************************************
Halfway (12 Hourr) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far?
2. What are you reading right now?
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?
5. What have you been doing during breaks?
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind?
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far?
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?>/b>

***********************************************
The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time?
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon?
4. How many books did you read?
5. What were the names of the books you read?
6. Which book did you enjoy most?

I'm always good for a readathon, even if only for awhile. I'll be out visiting most of Saturday but can probably fit in about 4 or 5 hours of reading on Friday evening.

Count me in. Linda P--Chicagoland

Glad to have you with us again, Linda!

I've not done one of these before, but always wanted to. Maybe I will try and see how it works out...I have no plans for the weekend, so why not?

I'm with tloeffler -- never done it before, have no weekend plans and down with a cold. Nothing to do but read!
- Kelly P Saginaw, MI

Count me in Caro. Will meet you here Friday at 1:00 my time. (Pacific Time)
I am belva and I live in Washington State.
Whoo Hoo!~!

I'm ready. Well actually I'm not. My book STILL hasn't showed up. So if that book doesn't show up by 10:00 tomorrow morning.......well I'm going to have to improvise.

Glad to see you all joining in!

Just curious, Nathan: what book have you so eagerly been awaiting?

I think I'll be getting a jump start on Fantasy February. I have sooo many that I want to read again, and a few new ones that there's plenty to last.

Count me in too. I'm Ilana from Montreal and I'll be trying to cram in as much as I can without depriving myself of sleep!

Count me in as well, we're expecting cyclone weather this weekend so I don't have any outings planned and I've got a couple of TIOLI books to finish.

edit: I'm Kerry from New Zealand, starting 10am Saturday, I'm 18 hours ahead of EST.

I think I've got everyone added to the list, so far. Just posting to keep this thread up top.

I think I'll join this time. I won't be able to start til about 4 PST, or 3 hours after official start time.

I'm Deborah, in the Seattle area, and I'll post here.

I cannot join in because of work, but maybe this weekend my internet will stay up so that I can cheer :)

Count me in. I think I'm addicted to these things now.
I'm Gemma from Northern Ireland and I'll be posting here.

Hiya! Ellie from England over here. I'm working Friday and Saturday, but I'll do a little reading before bed on Friday night (it starts 9pm here) and try to get in a little reading at work between customers (always interesting on a Saturday), then carry on for a bit into the evening as well. Every little helps, right? I'll post here.

Darryl from Atlanta here. I'll definitely join in on Saturday,and I may be able to check in for a few hours on Friday night, depending on how my work day goes.

I am definitely participating. I will possibly start a little late since I work till 4 on Friday. Maybe my boss will be nice and let us go early. And hopefully my son won't have to help coach swim practice today.

My name is Monica from Boothwyn Pennsylvania and I will post here. I just started 3 new books last night so this will help with me getting into them and finishing them.

Oh I just remembered that I also have a volleyball game tonight so I won't be starting until much later. I can't play so I will try to read while at the game.

>8 Cariola: I've been waiting for the book Get Off the Unicorn by Anne McCaffrey for almost two weeks. So in about two hours, I'm going to check the mail and if isn't it there, well I don't know what book I'm going to read. Probably Wormwood by G. P. Taylor, the sequel to Shadowmancer.

19> Hope it arrives! I was thinking during the last read-a-thon I participated in that a short story collection would have been great.

Pretty much why I want to read it, is because I want to see other wonders on Anne McCaffrey besides the Pern books for possible future reads. This is going to be a good day. I have absolutely nothing to do, so why not read?

I'll pop in and out - I work late tonight, and most of the day tomorrow, but will get some reading in. I kind of have to, some of the books I'm currently reading have been going for over a month now, and I have two ER books to read and review yet. *sigh* Off to snowblow my driveway before getting ready for work!

I'm in! My hubby is moving a satellite location to our business from Arkansas to Missouri today and tomorrow, soooo....I'll be reading anyway and it will be good to have company. *Going off to look for a "party" dress to read in*

I love the picture you posted, Deborah. I don't seem to have anything that lovely so I'll be in my jeans if that's okay? I'll be posting here from Springfield, Missouri because I don't want to have to start a new thread mid-readathon.

I'll be participating, too. This will be my first read-a-thon! I've been wanting to do one, but have been too busy--until now!

I'm Sandy K from Cleveland, Ohio.

I've got the house to myself tonight and a pile of books waiting for me, so I'd love to participate.

I'm Jenn from Marion, Indiana.

Edited to add: I'll probably post progress on this thread, as I haven't gotten around to creating one of my own yet. Maybe it's about time I did so . . .

Hubby's going hunting in the morning, so hopefully Saturday I'll have time to read. I'm in. I may even get to read a bit this afternoon and tonight.

I'm reading Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld, the follow on to Leviathan so a fun read!

Jean in Florida and I'll be posting here.

Mike from Philadelphia, PA.

I'm taking a Children's Lit course at my local community college, so I'm going to be reading and reviewing some LGBT picture books (of the sort like Heather Has Two Mommies), and I'll also be reading a half-dozen or more books by Marion Garthwaite in preparation for a major project I'll be working on.

Off and on, for a little variety, I'll take a look at my TBR folder on my Kindle.

ETA: I'll be posting here.

Hi, I'm Rebecca, a lurker in this group and usually to be found in Club Read (well, as of this year, at least).

I've been watching the other readathons with interest (and amazement at how fast people read!) and am tempted to have a go, even though I don't have the reading stamina some of you have.

I'm in the UK (London), so will see how long I can read for before I zonk out. I did what you could describe as a "workathon" last night, so I need to catch up on my sleep tonight.

I can't commit to a whole day of reading tomorrow, but will try to squeeze a few hours in all the same. I'm just interested to see how many pages I can manage when I have some quality reading time...

Edited to add: I'll be posting only on this thread.

I have to work until 8pm EST, but I would love to participate as much as I can. I will be posting progress on this thread.

Alaina, Maine

I'll be starting just a couple hours late, as soon as I get home from work...7 EST.

I'll be posting updates and such here, but anything I finish will have a full review posted on my own thread. Here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/104984

I'm intrigued, and have also been watching too much TV lately so I think I will join in and take this as an opportunity to see if I can make a major dent in Les Mis. I don't have much planned for the next 24 hours so I should be able to get some good reading time in.

Oh, I'm April and I'm in Seattle.

I just received my SantaThing books at long last, also have some good library books out, and don't work on Friday nights, so I think I'll join in ... although certainly not for all 24 hours!

Mere in Connecticut, posting here (at least unless I finish something and need to add it to my thread).

#31> I'm also reading Les Mis, I'm about 400 pages in, though I won't be reading it during the readathon.

A big hello from Austria! It's 10 p.m and I'm preparing everything for the long night. Nice background music: check, large teapot at my side: check, a comfortable armchair and warm blanket: check, and most important: the book.

I'll try to finish Madame Bovary today (still 100 pages to go).

Good luck to everybody!

Hour 2
I've been reading: Madame Bovary
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 44
Reading time: 80 min
Posting time: 15 min

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 44
Total time read: 80 min
Total time posting: 15 min



Pierre-Auguste Renoir: "Girl reading" (1874)

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? I'm switched between bed and arm chair.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I want to finish Madame Bovary, but I don't know, what comes next.
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. The picture above is similiar to the book's cover... I always imagined Madame Bovary as in this picture.
4. 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 threads)? My only goal for the readaton is, to read as long and as much as possible... to stay awake the whole time... not very spectacular, I know. :)
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? I am a total newbie and would welcome any advice!

I love the painting you've put up there too Deborah! I thought I'd add one by one of my favourite painters too.



Painting: Young Girl Reading by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

I'll be starting on Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon, and also starting on The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Finally, I just have one or two chapters left of Oliver Twist on audiobook which I'll be finishing today. I may squeeze in a couple of short reads too, since I find it encouraging to complete a few books during these challenges, but we'll see.

Happy reading everyone!

I will be starting with an essay, “’Lend Me Thy Hand’: Metaphor and Mayhem in Titus Andronicus” by Gillian Kendall Murray (because I have to post a quiz on it for my Shakespeare students).

Ilana, I've never seen that Cassatt before. Love the textures--looks like she used crayon or chalk.

My first read-a-thon: should I post what I am going to be reading? Not sure of how to start off...Well, I am going to try to make a dent in the biography that I've had out from the library for a month--Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise.

Sandy K

Sandy, you can copy the template for your hourly check-ins. Some people plan ahead what they will read, others post as they go along.

Happy Reading, everyone!
It's only 11:00 pm in Italy and I am so tired already that I have to read every sentence three times. Once I've finished my 15 daily pages of War and Peace I'll go to sleep. But I set my alarm clock to ring every full hour, so maybe I'll read on later in the night.

I've been reading: War and Peace
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 13
Reading time: 25 minutes
Posting time: 20 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 13
Total time read: 25 minutes
Total time posting: 20 minutes

My plans for the read-a-thon: another small dose of W&P tomorrow, finish an Italian book about 'the phenomenon Berlusconi' and then maybe A Town like Alice

Edited to 'unbold'

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today?
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover.
4. 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 threads)?
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Hour 1
I've been reading: The Wild Wood
Books finished:0
Pages read:52
Reading time:50min.
Posting time:5

Total Books read: 0
Total pages read: 52
Total time read:50 min
Total time posting:5 min

Comments:Right before this started, my two books from my Secret Santa came in (The Wild Wood and Alphabet of Thorn). The Wild Wood is great so far.

Opening Meme

1. Where are you reading from today? In slushy, snow-filled NYC but cozy in my comfy reading chair.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I refuse to answer this in case I might incriminate myself.
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. The cover is in shades of green with a young woman holding a baby(?) and a strange figure looming over her.
4. 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 threads)? I'd like to finish a book or two.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? I like to read lighter fare during these, but I've seen some people successfully tackle some pretty serious reading matter.

Edited to add opening meme

#36 Deborah, I got that from the Smithsonian website. I also love the texture and also how some areas look almost realistic (her face, her hair) while others are just sketched out. My guess would be pastels and charcoal, but you could be right about crayon.

1st HOUR (4 - 5 pm)

I've been reading: Just started Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 37
Reading time: 33 mins
Posting time: 20 mins

The Menu: Nothing yet, but I'm working up an appetite!
Comments:So far so good with this, my 5th or 6th in the Commissario Brunetti series. I'll also start reading The Kitchen House in the next couple of hours probably. I'll be updating here every couple of hours or so, maybe less, my main goal being to get as much reading done as possible between all the unavoidable interruptions.

I've been reading: Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
Pages read: 102 pages
Reading time: one hour 1:00 (huge print and incredibly short chapters)
Posting time: 5 minutes

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today?
My couch listening to music while reading.

2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
One other, The Gift by James Patterson, the sequel to the one I'm reading if I get it done, which I probably will, because I'm a third of the way through it already.

3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover.
It's a big flamming W. Pretty radical.

4. 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 threads)?
No goals in particular, just to keep reading.

#41> That's great news, Tanglewood. Did you check out the santathing library that was set up yesterday, so many interesting books in there.

I've been reading: Fatelessness
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 24
Reading time: 30 minutes
Posting time: 5 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 24
Total time read: 30 minutes
Total time posting: 5 minutes

The Menu: only a coffee, though I've just iced my daughter's birthday cake and that looks fairly tempting for morning tea.
Comments: I hope to finish Fatelessness during the readathon, it's fairly grim Holocaust reading so I''ll be adding in breaks for lighter reading. I have The Heir of Night on the go so will probably read that too.

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today?
My comfy blue chair.

2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Well, I really don't plan ahead too much, but I will be reading in Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin and The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville.

3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover.
I have a lovely set of Jane Austen's novels published by Everyman's Library. They have beautiful paintings on the covers, and the author's name is in an embellished red square. The pictures are overlaid with rows of tiny gold dots. Here is an example:



I also love my collection of the Virago Modern Classic 30th anniversary editions.

4. 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 threads)?
I plan to finish most of Mary Reilly so that I will be ahead for my class, and I'm eager to get back to The Lieutenant, which I just started last night. I just want to do some focused reading--no pages or hours goals.

5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Don't stress out! Just relax and enjoy your books. Take breaks when you need them.

I've been reading: Well, I confess that I haven't started yet--been posting, planning, and eating a late lunch.
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 0
Reading time: 0
Posting time: 40 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 0
Total time read: 0
Total time posting: 40 minutes

Looks like a great group of readers for this Readathon!

Edited because the cheerleaders were sprawled out too far. . .

Hour 1 (9-10 p.m. GMT)

I've been reading: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 33
Reading time: 52 mins
Posting time: 0 mins (since I'm posting in the second hour)

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 33
Total time read: 52 mins
Total time posting: 0 mins

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? My bedroom in chilly West London.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I might potentially read from two books: Wolf Hall and Brighton Rock, but I don't anticipate finishing either one during that time.
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. The cover is a very striking red and black, which happens to be a favourite colour combination of mine!
4. 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 threads)? No goals other than to make some headway with Wolf Hall and see how I get on!
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? This is my first readathon, so I have no advice, but I do plan on getting a good night's sleep!

#41 I'm with Kerry, that's great news that you finally got them, and even better that you're enjoying the first one!

#44 I didn't know about that library. I'll have to check it out!

#45 Deborah, I love the Everyman's Library covers too, though I don't yet have a book from that collection.

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? In my living room, on my comfy reading chair given to me by my mother, with my sweet dog Coco laying on my lap. We're in Montreal, Québec Canada and it's a passably warm day for this time of year.

2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Three so far. May add a couple of short audiobooks too.

3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. Lately my favourite book cover was for The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt. It's a beautiful deep sea blue with a dragonfly as the central image, which is a reproduction of Lalique jewel from the late 19th century. The dragonfly's head is actually a woman's bust and the wings could also be very long sleeves. There are ferns and plants on the edges and the dragonfly and typography is overprinted with gold foil. Very elegant and richly creative. The Donna Leon book I'm reading currently has a gorgeous tinted photograph of a Venetian palace with a canal in the foreground. Very moody and somewhat romantic looking, but also threatening with the blood red water.



4. 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 threads)? Get as far ahead with Through a Glass, Darkly and The Kitchen House which I want to finish before the end of the month, but still allow myself to read anything else I want and take plenty of breaks. I don't want it to feel like a chore!

5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way of participating in a read-a-thon and nobody is keeping tabs on you, so just spend your time as best suits you, don't worry about how much or how little pages or hours you've actually read, and simply enjoy the camaraderie of reading along with others!

Ilana, I almost posted The Children's Book, too. Love that beautiful, magical blue cover and the Art Deco Nouveau dragonfly.

Hi, Stasia! Your cheering is much appreciated!

#47 I love your new cheerleader Stasia! Adorable!!!

#48 Rebecca, I think next time I attempt to read Wolf Hall I'll also do so in the context of a read-a-thon. I hope you enjoy Brighton Rock, it's on my wishlist along with a whole bunch of Graham Greene novels. I decided he's one of my favourite authors on the strength of one short story which is The Tenth Man. Really excellent.

#50 Deborah, I'm really glad I enjoyed The Children's Book enough to want to read it again eventually, because I usually don't keep books around otherwise, but I think I would have made an exception for this one just because I love the cover so much. I don't mean to be contrary, but I had to double check when you said 'Art Deco'. As you may remember, Art Nouveau is one of the themes in the book since it was all the rage at the turn of the century, whereas Art Deco came along later. You probably knew all this already, but I just love looking up things like that for my own satisfaction and to remind myself of things I knew about at some point.

Enough posting! Back to reading now.

ETA: Arggghhh! Typos.

That cheer will have to last everyone for a while as hubby is home from work and I need to go cook dinner and then spend some time with him. I will be back though - eventually :)

Hour 2

I've been reading: Still stuck here at the computer, but I'm off to read NOW!
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 0
Reading time: 0
Posting time: 65 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 0
Total time read: 0
Total time posting: 65 minutes

Hours 1-2

I've been reading: The Perks of Being a Wallflower and 901239::Fragile Things audiobook
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 77 plus 37 minutes of audiobook

Total Books read: 0
Total pages read: 77 + 37 minutes

Comments:
(edit: accidentally edited this instead of making a new post- whoops, there goes my first hour meme! The stats are right, though.)

>47 alcottacre: Go Pikachu!! I hate to admit this, given my age, but I had a talking Pikachu stuffed animal.

> 44 & 49 Yes, the SantaThing library was really cool. I especially liked seeing the number of participants from around the world.

Hour 2
I've been reading: The Wild Wood
Books finished:0
Pages read: 43
Reading time:40min.
Posting time: 15

Total Books read: 0
Total pages read: 95
Total time read: 1hr 30 min
Total time posting:20 min

Ilana: link to santathing2010 library: http://www.librarything.com/profile/SantaThing2010

2nd Hour: 11-12noon

I've been reading: Fatelessness
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 12
Reading time: 20 minutes
Posting time: 25 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 36
Total time read: 50 minutes
Total time posting: 30 minutes

The Menu: a peach
Comments: I spent a bit of time posting, then had kitchen time, making sushi and fruit smoothies for family lunches.

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today?
On the sofa in my family room, in my home, on the edge of the city in Auckland, New Zealand.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
3 or 4.
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover.
My current book has a depressing cover so instead will post others that I'll be reading later on today.

4. 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 threads)?
I'd like to finish my current read, continue with my current fantasy read and make a start on another TIOLI January book - Meditations
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Relax, enjoy. Don't expect to read a lot every hour. It's sometimes a good strategy to read for 2 hours without the distraction of posting.

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today?
I am reading from home....in nice cold northern IL. Starting at the table with some Arby's...then moving to the couch with a blanket and at least one kitty for company.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I don't have a set TBR list for this, but my TBR shelf currently has 42 books...not including what's on my Nook. I have plenty to get me through.
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover.
I am in the middle of The Legend of Huma by Richard Knaak. Wonderful fantasy graphics of dragons fighting in the sky.
4. 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 threads)?
My only goal is to read what I can, have fun, and find out a little more about some of my fellow reader here.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
My first one!!!

I'm reading Revolution. It's underwhelming so far, but it's early yet.

I wasn't able to start until 4:00 Central Time (stupid work), but as soon as I got off, I began!

I've been reading: John Adams by David McCullough (audiobook)
Books finished: Ha! 0
Pages read: 7 tracks?
Reading time: 50 minutes
Posting time: So far, 5 minutes. Probably 15 by the time I finish.

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: ? Whatever 7 tracks turns out to be...
Total time read:50 minutes listening; 30 minutes reading a magazine while I ate dinner
Total Time Posting: 15 minutes

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? So far, my car and my kitchen
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 8
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. My audio book is from the library, and I don't know if it's very old or just meant to look that way, but it has the book cloth cover, with a dark brown spine, and paper holders for the disks. Kind of fun.
4. 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 threads)? I would just like to read for as long as I can.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? SO not a veteran!

#33 I'm about 600 pages in, just started on "Marius". I took a week or so break from it but want to get back before I lose any of the train of the story.

I think the covers in the Penguin Great Ideas series are very striking.

Hour 3
I've been reading: The Wild Wood
Books finished:0
Pages read: 57
Reading time: 45min.
Posting time: 15 min

Total Books read: 0
Total pages read: 152
Total time read: 2hr 15 min
Total time posting: 35 min

Comments: I've never read Charles de Lint before. It's amazing how nothing much has happened so far, but it's still a very good read. He does a wonderful job creating a sense of atmosphere.

Curled up on my couch in Seattle with my cat.

I've been reading: Les Miserables
Finished: 0
Pages Read: 65
Reading Time: 1hr 20min

Hoping to do some homework, read some more, swim and then read well into the night. May need to switch from Les Mis to something else during the later hours.

Hour 3 of Readathon
Note: I didn't start until 5:10 p.m., CST

I've been reading: East is East by T.C. Boyle
Books finished: Zero, but I'm halfway through this one - because I started yesterday!
Pages read: 32
Reading time: 50 minutes
Posting time: 20 min. - lots to catch up on and figure out here

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? Home in Springfield, MO
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 3
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading-- Ocean scene featuring a prominent life ring with angry-looking Sumarai warrior on cover of floating book inside life ring; ocean liner receding in the distance.
4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon --I'd love to finish both my current book and the one I've been reading for several weeks now.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Take it easy on yourselves and have fun!

Hour 3
I've been reading: Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise
Books finished: none
Pages read: about 60
Reading time: 1 1/2 hours
Posting time: about 15 minutes so far

I didn't start reading until around 5:45pm EST! Had to finish washing bedding so that I could sit on the bed and read!

First Hour Meme: (really third hour meme!)

1. Where are you reading from today? in my knotty-pine panelled bedroom in the suburbs of snowy Cleveland, Ohio
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 4, maybe 5 if I get REALLY ambitious
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--Black and white photo of Kay Thompson in a wacky pose with a drawing of her creation, Eloise hanging on to her leg. Wish I could figure out how to just include photo in post. I think it's because I'm using Google chrome.
4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon--I'd like to finish at least one book, if not, that's ok
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? First time, yo.

Comments: finally broke down about 30 minutes ago and had some tortilla chips and queso dip. Hubby had to stay late at work and I was starving. He's picking up a pizza on the way home, so I won't get back to reading for another hour or so.

Sandy K

Just a head's up warning: I was posting about an hour ago and my internet connection failed. I called CenturyLink, and they told me there was a main line power outage that was not expected to be fixed until after midnight. Somehow I just got back in--but if you don't hear from me for awhile, please carry on without me. I'll be back ASAP!

Hour 4

I've been reading: “’Lend Me Thy Hand’: Metaphor and Mayhem in Titus Andronicus” by Gillian Kendall Murray (critical essay)
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 8
Reading time: 40
Posting time: 25 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 8
Total time read: 40 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hour 30 minutes

Needless to say, the internet problem blew my plans of some concentrated reading! I'm off to try again, and hoipefully I will be able to check in again around 10:00.

>66 Cariola:: I'm so sorry to hear that, Deborah! I hope that everything will work as it should as soon as possible! Good luck!

I finished Madame Bovary! So far, it went quite well and although it’s 2 a.m. I’m still very enthousiastic! I’ll need some time to let this book sink in… but then nothing will stop me! :)

It’s really great (and somehow weird) to know that there are so many people outside all over the world who are reading contemporaneously!

I hope that you are all enjoying your books!


Hour 4

I've been reading: Madame Bovary
Books finished: 1 (although it’s not really fair to count it)
Pages read: 46
Reading time: 1h 30 min
Posting time: 15 min

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 100
Total time read: 2h 50 min
Total time posting: 30 min

Edited for corrections

PersephonesLibrary, what translation did you read for Madame Bovary? It's one of my favorite books, and I've been thinking of picking up the newish Lydia Davis translation.

Hour 4
I've been reading: The Wild Wood
Books finished:1
Pages read: 53
Reading time: 35min.
Posting time: 15 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 205
Total time read: 2hr 50 min
Total time posting: 50 min

Comments: Really enjoyed The Wild Wood although I wish somethings had been developed more. I was surprised to learn there is no sequel.
*************Slight Spoiler - The Wild Wood*********

I was expecting the next book to pick up with her daughter.

***************end of spoilers********************

>70 Tanglewood:: Tanglewood, I read it in French. It was hard but totally worth it!

Sorry to hear about about your internet problems Deborah. We had something similar here with internet down for a few hours and I thought I'd go mad without it!

#57: thanks for the link Kerry!

#65: Sandy, to post pictures, all you have to do is type in the following code:
{img src="http://link to your image"}
Replace these: {} with the pointy brackets

I'm not sure how to explain how to get the image link since I'm on a Mac and know nothing about PCs, but it probably involves right-clicking on the image or something till you get the option to "copy images address".

Maybe someone else can fill in here?

#69 Deborah: I like that cartoon. Along the same line you must know this one from Woody Allen: "I took a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It involves Russia."

HOURS 2-4 (5 - 8 pm)

I've been reading: Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon and started The Kitchen House, which I'm enjoying so far.
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 79+23 for a total of 102
Reading time: 123 mins (2 hours 03)
Posting time: 47 mins

Total books finished: 0
Total books read from: 2
Total pages read: 139
Total time read: 156 minutes (2 hours 36)
Total time posting: 67 minutes (1 hour 07)

The Menu: A bowl of organic whole wheat cereal with decidedly NON-ORGANIC (because HUGE) blueberries. Having dinner soon... am starving!
Comments: My eyes are going funny on me. Perfect timing to take a break, take Coco for a walk while listening to the last bit of Oliver Twist and getting some dinner.

Just got home from work, going to start reading around 9pm, not sure how long I will last though :(

1. Where are you reading from today? My comfy couch

2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? There are only two right now.

3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. The cover is all black with smoke rising from the bottom Looking for Alaska by John Green

4. 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 threads)? Since this was so last minute, I'm hoping to get in a few solid hours of reading.

5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Only done two before. I think it is important to takes breaks when you feel they are needed, it really helps.

Hours 3-4 (Started a little after 6:00 CST)

I've been reading: Calculus of variations by Gilbert Ames Bliss
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 30
Reading time: 85
Posting time: 20
Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 30
Total time read: 1 hr 25 min
Total time posting: 30 min


***********************************************
First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? Home in Kirksville, Mo. I'm at the dining room table now, but will be moving to the couch in the library for lower-stress reading. Or sleep. We'll see which wins.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 2 more
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. The one I just finished has a solid red library binding. The next one is also red but a little more interesting:

4. 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 threads)? I'd like to finish two more books for a triple-hop up the January TIOLI meter.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Um, read & enjoy yourself? Honestly, if that isn't your plan then what the heck are you doing here anyway?

Hour 2 of Readathon (7 p.m. EST - 9 p.m. EST)

I've been reading: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Books finished: Zero, but I'm about halfway through this one - very intriguing storyline!
Pages read: 136 (pg.73-209)
Reading time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Posting time: ten minutes (I also spent some time looking up images of Victorian mourning clothing, as that plays a part in the book -- I like to have accurate images in my head as I read).

First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? My living room couch in cold and snowy Indiana. I've got a rather large cat sleeping at my feet who is keeping me warm.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I don't really have a plan for what I'm going to read next, as this book is a bit large. It will keep me in reading material for a while.
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading-- The top of the cover features the torso of a lady clothed in a scarlet Victorian gown reading a book. The lower portion of the cover is a sepia-toned scene of London.
4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon --I'd be thrilled if I finished this book and moved on to another one in my TBR pile.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? I've never participated in an LT read-a-thon before, so I'm learning as I go!

10PM EST

I've been reading: The Legend of Huma
Books finished: 1/2?
Pages read: 115
Reading time: 2 hours
Total pages read: 115
Total time read: 2 hours

Still working through The Legend of Huma. It's just about to get to the really intense part (if I remember correctly). Going to take a quick break to rest my eyes for a just a little bit.

Persephoneslibrary, that's fantastic!

Hour 5
I've been reading: Alphabet of Thorn
Books finished:0
Pages read: 36
Reading time: 40min.
Posting time: 15 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 241
Total time read: 3hr 30 min
Total time posting: 65 min

Comments: Horray! Alphabet of Thorn, a fantasy novel about books. I might cheat a bit this hour and sneak away to watch Fringe.

Go ahead and do that then. It's a good show.....

In the fifth hour of the readathon, I've been reading: East is East
Pages read since last report: 53
Reading time: approx. l hour
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total pages read: 85
Total time read: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Total time posting: 30 minutes

It looks like I have around 90 pages left in this book. It is 8:10 CST which means I can be in bed by 10:00 p.m. It doesn't look like I'll be pulling an all-nighter with the rest of you! I got up very early this morning and need my rest! I'll check in and do a final posting (for today) before I crash for the night.

#65> Further to Ilana's post on putting jpegs in a post, here's the link to the html thread that's in our group's wiki.
Message #2 includes instructions on resizing your jpeg which are worth noting. I resize most book cover jpegs to '150' pixels.

Hour 3-5: 12-3pm

I've been reading: Fatelessness
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 71
Reading time: 80 minutes
Posting time: 15 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 107
Total time read: 2 hours 10 minutes
Total time posting: 45 minutes

The Menu: Lunch: Leek & Tomato soup
Comments: Have been to the gym and done an hour of cardio so haven't been available to post.
I'll keep reading Fatelessness as I'm close to the finish line.

#82 I keep forgetting about that thread and should probably have a look at it myself to pick up a few tips. I'll keep it in mind next time someone needs help.

In the meantime, these girls are here to encourage our read-a-thoners:

Well, I'm Karen, jumping on at this late date and will probably read past quitting time. It is about 6:30 pm here, near Seattle, and thus I think is probably about 9:30 pm on the Read-A-Thon clock. You all have been at it for a while. I am posting this and then beginning my reading by going back and reading this whole thread.

1. Where are you reading from today? I'll be reading in my home, south of Lake Stevens, Washington State. First, in the living room in a great reading chair, and then later in my bed. Tomorrow...chair and sofa.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I have about 4-5 books at hand and another small shelf full just over there...
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. I am currently reading The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan and the book's cover is spectacular. They took a contemporary black & white photo of some miners at the entrance to a mine and tinted it all kind of a red, like a fire. Very evocative. This HUGE forest fire was impossible to describe but the picture gives an ominous hint.
4. 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 threads)? No goals other than to enjoy reading and making progress on reading some of my TBR. I'll post on Off the Shelves I am sure.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Never done this before, but I have done one Do Nothing But Read day with folks over in The Green Dragon.

OK. Step #1: go back and read this thread.

Update after 4 hours, 15 minutes (8:20 pm CT):

I've been reading: The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman and Bennett Cerf's Bumper Crop, Volume 1 when I have to go downstairs to wait for the dog to do her business.
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 79 pages
Reading time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Posting time: It will probably be 20 minutes by the time I finish.

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 7 audio tracks; 79 pages
Total time read:3 hours, 35 minutes
Total Time Posting: 35 minutes

I've been snacking on Pepsi Max & microwave kettle corn. I'll have to leave soon to pick up my son, but will listen to my audio then!

Hour 6

I've been reading: Witch and Wizard and finished!
Pages read: 210
Reading time: One Hour and a Half 1:30
Posting time: 2 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 314 pages
Total time read: Two Hours and a Half 2:30
Total time posting: 7 minutes

I'm book fulfilled for tonight. Now I'm going to read The Gift tomorrow and hopefully finish it.

9pm to 10 pm

I've been reading: Looking for Alaska by john Green
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 27
Reading time: 50
Posting time: 5

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 27
Total time read: 50
Total time posting: 5 min

Fringe was very good. I'd hoped to make it a little longer, but I'm heading in for the night. I'll pick it back up in the morning. Happy reading to everyone else.

HOURS 4-5 (8 - 10 pm)

I've been reading: Oliver Twist (finished audiobook), and The Kitchen House
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 22
Reading time: 42 mins
Posting time: 33 mins

Total books finished: 1
Total books read from: 3
Total pages read: 161
Total time read: 254 minutes (3 hours 23)
Total time posting: 100 minutes (1 hour 40)

The Menu: My yummy homemade shepherd's pie with side of green salad.
Comments: Didn't get much reading done. Listened to the final two chapters of Oliver Twist while walking Coco, had dinner and then spent about 10 minutes finishing a chapter of Kitchen House. I'll get serious about reading in the next couple of hours and try to plough ahead!

Hour 6 3-4pm

I've been reading: Fatelessness
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 33
Reading time: 40 minutes
Posting time: 5 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 140
Total time read: 2 hours 50 minutes
Total time posting: 55 minutes

The Menu: slice of birthday cake
Comments: Finished my book so am very pleased to have achieved my main goal so early on. I'll have a break and then will pick up The Heir of Night.

Hi all

I started very late and haven't read that much so far - Conor went to sleep very quickly but he wasn't the only one, and I came downstairs at about midnight to find that the cat had sat on the keyboard and nothing would work. I rebooted the computer, twice in the end, and then my second hard drive wasn't working (this is one of the ways this cranky old PC is driving me insane), so I had to reconstruct a lot of my January reading list because I'd updated on the M drive and not saved to the C drive - fortunately the details are in my paper diary too.

Then I've been catching up on the new TIOLI challenge and adding my own, and adding comments on a couple of books to my own thread, I don't want to fall 30 books behind again or I never will catch up.

Now, the questions for this:

1. Where are you reading from today?
North London - at my desk in the sitting room

2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
7 at the moment, I normally have 6+ on the go and expect to finish one and maybe add another

Lisa Moore, February - for review at the Bookbag
Kate Harrison, The Secret Shopper Unwrapped - for rating for Melissa Nathan romantic comedy awards
Anna Dale, Spellbound
Stella Duffy, Beneath the Blonde
Mike Gayle, The Importance of Being a Bachelor - for review at WH Smith website
Sam Eastland, Eye of the Red Tsar - 1st in series, I have 2nd as ER book to review
Margaret Atwood, Writing with Intent

3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover.

My copy of February is the new UK mass market paperback from Vintage. It shows a woman's body in a blue dress, with a man's arms round her and a hand on her tummy. I'm wondering whose hands they are supposed to be - the main characters of the book are a woman now in her 50s but looking back, and her son John who has made a woman pregnant after a holiday fling. I assume it's meant to be John and the pregnant woman, given where his hand is resting. She doesn't look 6 months pregnant. It's an attractive cover, but does raise some questions - are they assuming that a picture of Helen at 56 wouldn't sell? And why doesn't Jane look more pregnant? Also, in the scene described in the book it's November in New York City, and the dress is summery with a defined waist line and short sleeves....

It also includes the detail that it was longlisted for the Man Booker. I'd wanted to read it since I heard of it through the longlist, and had recently borrowed it from the library when this copy became available. And there are two quotes from newspaper reviews - "Heart-Warming" - Daily Mail - this doesn't really sum up the book for me - the Independent's "Assured, supple, graceful" seems more accurate but it doesn't say all that much, really.

4. 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 threads)?

No set goals, I will be out for a lot of the afternoon and my main participation time now will be late morning, as then I won't read that much until after the end of the readathon at 9 pm tomorrow. I will finish February and hopefully read a substantial chunk of Secret Shopper but those would be the same without the readathon. I will probably catch up on the thread after the end of the readathon as I don't know how much computer time I'll get in the day time.

5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Enjoy your reading and participation.

Not advice but a comment - it's nice to see new people here and I think these threads will bring people together in a way the personal threads can't - I was new a year ago and still only a few people follow my threads as a lot of people prioritise earlier LT friends - I'm understanding how tricky it is now to find the time to talk to new to you people.

I'm FINALLY home from work, so I'll be getting started now. I'm going to try to read for 2 hours, but seeing as I'm already yawning like crazy I'm not sure that's going to happen.

Hour ???
I've been listening to: The Big Over Easy, on the way home from work.
Listening time: 32 minutes
I'll be reading: The Spice Necklace, as soon as I make some tea and get things ready for work tomorrow morning.

Opening Meme
1. Where are you reading from today?
My recliner, with a cat on my lap.

2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I'm trying to make some headway on previously started books. I'm going to focus on 2 of them.

3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading - or a favorite book cover.
The cover of The Spice Necklace is quite pretty. The top half features a beautiful illustration of a nutmeg on the tree, and the bottom has a beautiful photo of a tropical beach...sigh.

4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon?
Just to try and get a good chunk of at least one book done - if I can finish a book, that's even better!

5. If you're a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice?
Yep - take breaks when necessary, and have an audiobook on hand for when you want to give your eyes and arms a rest.

Okay, off to get some reading done before I pass out!

I am back to cheer everyone on through the night (as work permits).

10 pm to 11 pm

I've been reading: Looking for Alaska by john Green
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 25
Reading time: 50
Posting time: 5

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 52
Total time read: 1 hour 40 minutes
Total time posting: 10 min

I have finished nearly an hours worth of reading. Really this book The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and The Fire that Saved America is so well written I thought I was reading a gripping novel and we were at the climax of the story.

Hour 1 6:55 pm-7:50 pm Pacific Standard Time

I've been reading: The Big Burn
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 34
Reading time: 55 minutes
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: o
Total pages read: 34
Total time read: 55 minutes
Total time posting: 15 minutes

The Menu: Healthy Choice premium fudge bar
Comments: I am totally loving reading this popular history book. My major at the University of Washington was in U.S. History, and my favorite class was in the Progressive Era. This huge fire, 3.2 million acres and a billion dollars (in 1910 dollars) of timber was destroyed and one hundred twenty-five fire fighters died, was just at the dawn of the Progressive Era. Also, to keep me interested my father was born in 1910, very near where this fire occurred. OK, back to the book.

I finished my T.C. Boyle book, East is East. I liked it very much at the beginning, but started losing interest in it midway. I'll have to think about how I'm going to rate this one. I need to check my e-mail, tuck in the husband and dog, and clean up the kitchen before bedtime. I hate to wake up to a mess! I'll probably be back here mid-morning tomorrow and plan to read for 4 or 5 hours with the group.

Total books read: One!
Total pages read: 180
Total time read: 3 hrs., 30 minutes
Total time posting: 45 minutes

Good night and Good Luck!

I'm just starting now too. It's 8 pm on the West Coast. I thought I could start this afternoon after my hair cut. I agreed to let the daughter of a friend cut my hair for a final exam in beauty school. I thought it would take 1/2 hour--it took 3 hours! I got a good free haircut though.

I did read for about 1/2 before dinner--about 10 pages of A Glastonbury Romance

1. Where are you reading from? I reading from my bed. I probably should go sit in a chair, since my bed is often conducive to my falling asleep.

2. How many books do you have in your TBR to read during this marathon? Ideally I would like to finish one more book this month. I got a good start in Forgetfulness by Ward Just, but it's not grabbing me, so I am abandoning it for now. I am now onto War Trash by Ha Jin.

3. The cover of War Trash is grim. It's a murky black and white photo of what looks like a Chinese communist army guy, with his eyes blotted out by the title in glaring red.

4. and 5. No goals or advice.

7th Hour (11 p.m.)

I've been reading: “’Lend Me Thy Hand’: Metaphor and Mayhem in Titus Andronicus” by Gillian Kendall Murray and The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
Books finished: Well, I finished the essay.
Pages read: 38
Reading time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 46
Total time read: 1 hour 55 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hour 40 minutes

Like Laura, I got home late from work (just before 10:30 pm EST), had a late dinner (sushi), and I'll try to read for 1-2 hours before I crash.

HOUR 7 (11 pm EST)

I'm starting: Yalo by Elias Khoury
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 0
Reading time: 0 mins
Posting time: 15 mins

Total books finished: 0
Total books read from: 0
Total pages read: 0
Total time read: 0 minutes
Total time posting: 15 minutes

The Menu: Supermarket sushi and a hefty glass of Pinot Noir
Comments: I expect that I'll crash soon, after three intense 12-13 hour work days, but hopefully I can read one or two chapters of Yalo before then.

First Seventh Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? At home in Atlanta

2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Two, maybe three.

3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading. Yalo was published by Archipelago Books, a small independent publisher based in Brooklyn that focuses on international literature in translation. The cover art comes from a work by Paul Klee, but I don't know its title.



4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon? To stay awake long enough to finish one book.

5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Enjoy yourself, sleep and take breaks when and if you need to.

Hour Something (Sometime after 10:00 CST)

I've been reading: Jed the Dead by Alan Dean Foster
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 93
Reading time: 110 min.
Posting time: 30
Total books read: 2
Total pages read: 123
Total time read: 3 hr 15 min
Total time posting: 1 hr

Finished that one for TIOLI #10 and I think there's just enough January left to read Beowulf for #4.

8:30 - 10:00 pm

I've been reading: Mary Poppins, She Wrote by Valerie Lawson
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 59 pages, 3 more audio tracks
Reading time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Posting time: 15-20 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 138 pages, 10 audio tracks
Total time read:4 hours, 55 minutes
Total Time Posting: 35

Just put a pan of chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Keith is also cheering me on (such as his "cheering" is). Getting ready to put on my jammies. I've decided that I will not make a conscious effort to sleep, but I won't punish myself if I fall asleep in the chair.

Keep on truckin', All!

It is 8:55 pm here (PST) and I just finished The Big Burn, in tears. I so much loved the forests of eastern Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho when I was a kid and this book is all about conservation; and, yay! It is working in some of the more recently established Wilderness Areas.

I need to go visit Wallace, Idaho where my Dad's family spent some time and which is now a destination for people who love the woods.

I am going to bed and will report on more reading tomorrow.

Another hour gone. Keep going everyone!

How's everyone holding up? It's nearly midnight, but I'm enjoying The Lieutenant and plan to keep at it a little while longer. I'm about to pop a small bag of lime-flavored popcorn, so maybe that will help me to stay awake! I will post the 12-Hour Meme at the top of this thread before going to bed, as I'm pretty sure I won't be up and about at 4 a.m.

11 to 12

I've been reading: Looking for Alaska by john Green
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 27
Reading time: 60
Posting time: 5

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 79
Total time read: 2 hour 40 minutes
Total time posting: 15 min

9 pm to 12 pm

I've been reading: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 150 (pg.210-360)
Reading time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 286
Total time read: 4 hrs 15 min

Comments: If you've never read this book or any in the series and enjoy historical murder mysteries, I highly recommend giving them a try. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out the culprit in mysteries and still at 3/4 of the way through the book, I haven't a clue. The very best thing about this book, though, is its characters. Most of the time I've discovered with mystery series, the characters are mere cardboard cutouts, but each of the major and minor players in this book have been vividly brought to life. I'd also like to note that if it were possible, I'd like to be a part of the March family. That is all.

104: I love that strip! Kate Beaton is outstanding!

I've been reading: The Spice Necklace
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 56
Reading time: 49 min

Total pages read: 56, plus 32 min of audiobook
Total time reading: 1 hour 21 min

Menu: Water - thrilling, isn't it?
Comments: Miraculously, I seem to be more awake than I was when I started. After I got stuff ready for work tomorrow I sat down, had a cat in my lap almost instantly, and was happily reading. I've got "The Golden Girls" re-runs on as background noise, so I've stopped a couple of times to watch and laugh out loud. I'm going to head over to the couch to lay down and read (this could be my downfall), and I'll try to update again before going to bed tonight.

I'm taking a couple of hours break to get dinner on the table and cleaned up. Then I'll have a free evening to read.

Love the Jane Austen strip!

I also enjoyed the Jane Austen strip. More, more!

HOURS 5-6 (10 pm - 12 am)

I've been reading: Through a Glass, Darkly and The Kitchen House
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 84
Reading time: 93 mins (1 h 33)
Posting time: 16 mins

Total books finished: 1
Total books read from: 3
Total pages read: 245
Total time read: 347 minutes (4 hours 56)
Total time posting: 116 minutes (1 hour 56)

The Menu: A very hearty portion of Bailey's on ice with a small piece of dark belgian chocolate with candied orange peel. Delectable.
Comments: Kitchen House has got me all wrapped up in the story. Loving it. It's a historical fiction story about you young irish girl at the end of the 18th century who is orphaned on the voyage to America and is taken in by the Captain to work in the kitchen house along with his black slaves. Life seemed too easy and carefree for them at first, which was a sure sign that things were going to go horribly wrong. Things have taken a bad turn now and it was hard putting down the book to switch back to the Donna Leon, but I'm enjoying going back and forth between the two stories.

Anyone still awake? I hope so!

Barely.

#111: Uh oh. Looks like I may be cheering for the invisible people soon.

12 to 1
I've been reading: Looking for Alaska by john Green
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 35
Reading time: 60
Posting time: 5

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 114
Total time read: 3 hour 40 minutes
Total time posting: 20 min

Headed to bed, I have been struggling to stay awake. more reading in the AM

I'll be reading from now on, just had to get dinner over with. It's just past 7pm here so I've got several hours ahead of me and nothing on tv.

I'm giving up for the night. I keep rereading the same paragraph and falling asleep before I reach the end

All my reading tonight has bee in War Trash. I read for 2 1/2 hours and finished 61 pages.

100> swynn, may I ask your first name? I used to teach at Mizzou, so I know a little about Kirksville. (And Terry, I had some good friends from St. Charles as well!)

I feel like I'm getting a bit of a second wind, so I'm going to try to make it to 3:00. It helps that my book is REALLY good.

I lost this hour to a long phone chat with my Mum. Still it's only 8pm.

Good for you on getting your second wind, Deborah! (Swynn's first name is Stephen, BTW - I am not sure whether he is still here or not)

Good morning read-a-thoners!

I haven’t written for some hours and here it’s little past 8 a.m.
I took the fifth hour as a break, and continued reading afterwards until the seventh hour (which was 5 a.m. in Austria). I started a book which I should finish this weekend (exam next week!) called Deskriptive Metrik.

Now, I'll just need some refreshment and on it will go!

Hour 10
I've been reading: Deskriptive Metrik
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 80
Reading time: 1h 15 min
Posting time: 10 min

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 180
Total time read: 3h 05 min
Total time posting: 35 min

HOURS 6-7 (12 - 2 am)

I've been reading: Through a Glass, Darkly and The Kitchen House
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 74
Reading time: 90 mins (1 h 30)
Posting time: 20 mins

Total books finished: 1
Total books read from: 3
Total pages read: 319
Total time read: 437 minutes (6 hours 26)
Total time posting: 136 minutes (2 hours 16)

The Menu: Another helping of Bailey's on ice.
Comments: Getting tired. This is usually the time I either go to sleep or try for a bit more reading. I need to take Coco out for a last walk and then will get ready for bed and maybe try reading a bit more before getting some sleep. I'll check in again tomorrow when I'm up again.

Happy reading to the next shift! :-)

12 pm to 2 am

I've been reading: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 148 (pg.361-509)
Reading time: 2 hours

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 436 pages
Total time read: 6 hrs 15 min

Silent in the Grave was a great book! It was so satisfying for once to discover the identity of the murderer only just before the heroine did and realize that person's motives right along with her. That's a sure sign of clever writing. I can only hope that my library carries the rest of the books in this series, because I am hooked (and exhausted -- off to bed for me, I think).

Another hour gone! How is everyone doing?

It's about an hour before the halfway point, but, as I was really struggling to keep my eyes open that last 20 minutes, I'm off to bed. Here's the meme for the 12th hour; answer after 4:00 a.m. EST, at your own halfway point, or whenever you happen to drop in.

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far?
2. What are you reading right now?
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?
5. What have you been doing during breaks?
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind?
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far?
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

Hours 3-11

I've been reading: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 16

Total Books read: 0
Total pages read: 93 + 37 minutes

Comments: I'm going to be out for most of the day, so I probably won't get much more reading done until this evening.

Halfway (12 Hourr) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Fragile Things.
2. What are you reading right now?
Fragile Things
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
Ooh, I do write quite a bit, and at the moment I'm really into dystopian stuff so it'd probably be that.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?
I'm going to the library later so I'm looking forward to picking up something new. The fact that I don't know what it is yet adds an air of mystery :)
5. What have you been doing during breaks?
Sleeping, mostly.
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind?
None yet, but I expect I'll put on some Sunny Day Real Estate later, just because.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far?
That I can read more than 70 pages of a book in an hour. I must be getting faster!
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Nothing yet, except sleep is good!

Hours 7 -11 4-9pm

I've been reading: The Heir of Night
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 24
Reading time: 40 minutes
Posting time: 15 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 164
Total time read: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hr 10 minutes

The Menu: Dinner - chicken, peas and roast potato followed by coffee and chocolate
Comments: starting to get into my book again. Lots of distractions still from family, so lots of rereading sentences to get back into the story. Still revisiting my previous book Fatelessness in my thoughts as well.

11th Hour (3 a.m.)

I've been reading: The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
Books finished: I finished the essay but no book yet.
Pages read: 71
Reading time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 117
Total time read: 3 hours 40 minutes
Total time posting: 2 hours

12th Hour 9-10pm

I've been reading: The Heir of Night
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 34
Reading time: 40 minutes
Posting time: 5 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 198
Total time read: 4 hours 10 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hr 15 minutes

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far?
Fatelessness and The Heir of Night
2. What are you reading right now?
The Heir of Night
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
Gosh, not sure. Maybe fiction based on a family story.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?
Enjoying my current book quite a lot, also looking forward to reading a graphic novel later on.
5. What have you been doing during breaks?
Cooking, cleaning
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind?
Yes, Jazz by Chet Baker & flamenco guitar by Manolo Sanlucar
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far?
large number of participants coming and going - it's great, there's a lot of new 'faces' too
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Not this time, I'm encountering lots of distractions.

Good morning!

It's half-time already - 10 am in Italy. I slept for 6 hours (but managed to read another 10 pages of War and Peace between 3 and 4 am). Did all my food shopping, had breakfast, cleaned half of my flat and am now finally back to reading.

Since last night I've been reading: War and Peace and A Town Like Alice
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 52
Reading time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 67
Total time read: 1 hours 35 minutes
Total time posting: 30 minutes

Menu: Coffee with hot milk, freshly squeezed orange juice, some sweet Italian pastry of which I forgot the name already (crostoli?)

I won't be posting every hour and I haven't really thought about the memes yet - will do them later, I'll concentrate on my reading now for a bit.
A Town Like Alice starts very promising. I hope to finish it today.

I am running late with the cheerleading this hour due to work. Sorry about that!

I went to bed a little after hour 3 started, so am posting my update for hours 2 to 3 now:

Hours 2-3 (10 p.m. – midnight GMT)

I've been reading: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 13
Reading time: 23 mins
Posting time: 15 mins

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 46
Total time read: 1hr 15 mins
Total time posting: 15 mins

I started reading again at 8 a.m. here (the beginning of hour 12) and my update for that hour is below:

Hour 12 (8 to 9 a.m.)

I've been reading: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 21
Reading time: 32 mins
Posting time: 0 mins

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 67
Total time read: 1hr 47 mins
Total time posting: 15 mins

Comments: I don't think that I'll get much reading done over the next couple of hours, as I have to phone my parents.

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? Just Wolf Hall.
2. What are you reading right now? See above.
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? This is a really tough one! It would be fiction, but I’m not sure I’ve had an interesting enough life so far to provide much inspiration. I really admire the way The Bell Jar is written, but am glad I’ve had a happier time of it than Sylvia Plath!
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? I’ll be sticking with Wolf Hall – I have a long way to go!
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Sleeping! And doing general chores.
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? I can’t concentrate in a noisy environment, so no music for me.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? How hard it is to set aside time purely for reading – there are so many others things I need to do...
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? I’m too inexperienced so far to have any wisdom to offer.

Back from the jail again. I do wish people would stop getting arrested while the Readathon is happening :)

Hour 13
I've been reading: Deskriptive Metrik
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 19
Reading time: 1h 10 min
Posting time: 20 min

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 199
Total time read: 4h 15 min
Total time posting: 1h

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? Madame Bovary and Deskriptive Metrik
2. What are you reading right now? Deskriptive Metrik
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? I guess it would be some kind of psychograph...exploring the inner life of someone.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? I'm looking forward to start War and Peace, and I want to take a look at the Persepolis-Comics I bought yesterday.
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Most of the time I slept, but I also had to eat something of course - in general, stuff Jack Bauer does when the commercials start.... Unfortunately I often stay online WAY TOO LONG.
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? I switch between no background music, radio, and unobstrusive music, e.g. Belleruche.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? That I can see really kind of progress for myself - I'll participate at a read-a-thon every time when I have to prepare for an exam! I've never been so focused and disciplined. ... And I just like the thought that there are other people reading at the exact same moment.
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Nothing revolutionary...I think it's important to take breaks, let your eyes rest and grab some fresh air from time to time.

>132 alcottacre:: Hey Stasia! Prison? What happend? :)

By the way: Thanks for your motivational threads.

#134: That is for my job.

#52 Ilana, I'm enjoying Wolf Hall a lot, but I do think it's a book that benefits from a bout of concentrated reading. Otherwise it's very easy to lose track of all the characters and plot strands.

I started Brighton Rock now because of the film that's coming out soon and am really liking it so far. Apart from that, I've only read Travels With My Aunt, which I'm not sure is typical of his books, but I do like his writing.

>132 alcottacre: What do you do there Stasia? I don't think I ever asked! I love the Pikachu cheerleader - he's SO the cutest Pokemon... :-)

Anyway, checking in thirteen and a half hours late to start reading! I should have started at 9pm last night, but when the time came I was nodding off in my living room and ended up going to bed really early. Then we had to come to work early because the restaurant next door is having some work done on its heating system and the guy needed to get at the pipes in the shop, but Mum gave him the wrong keys by mistake, then I had orders to do, and now I'm sitting here with the constant deafening sound of drills and hammers and saws and IT'S GOING TO MAKE MY HEAD EXPLODE! It's so loud I can hardly serve my customers, I can't hear them! And it's just totally driven away a man with a pushchair. Plus they're making a mess and they've shorted the circuits once and, and, and... *keels over*

Well, let's just hope reading will take my mind off it until they're done with the noisy bit! I'm reading from the bookshop, and I'll be reading between my three current books: Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro, To Touch a Wild Dolphin by Rachel Smolker and The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha.

#137: I work as a bailbondsman, Ellie.

Glad you like the Pikachu cheerleader. I think he is cute too.

Running late again this hour.

Awww, he's going to make my day, I think! I've only read 13 pages so far during my first hour and a bit (?) - but the shop's been fairly busy and the noise excruciating, so I think it's going to be a slow day for reading... I've finished the first of the Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall anyway, and I'll make the most of the temporary quiet to read a little more!

> 135: So everything’s ok, then. You have no idea, how a simple sentence like that could inspire a whole adventurous story in my head…

Hour 15
I've been reading: Deskriptive Metrik
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 14
Reading time: 55 min
Posting time: 5 min

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 213
Total time read: 5h 10 min
Total time posting: 55 min

I’m getting a little bit tired and hungry, so it’s the perfect moment for a short break – and lunch. (Local time: 1 p.m.)

Note to myself: You must not spend so much time on surfing in the internet!

Okay, I admit it. I succumbed to the call of Morpheus. When I fell asleep in my chair around midnight, and woke up 2 hours later, I decided not to fight it and I went to bed (more comfortable).
However, I am back, and posting what I did before I conked out, then fixing an egg & cheese sandwich and hitting the chair again!

I've been reading: Nobody Said Not to Go: The Life, Loves and Adventures of Emily Hahn by Ken Cuthbertson
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 35
Reading time: 1 hour
Posting time: 20 minutes seems to be the time I've been spending on posting.

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 173 pages, 10 audio tracks
Total time read: 5 hours, 55 minutes
Total Time Posting: 55 minutes

#141: Nope, no adventure going on here :)

Computer was acting wonky, so I started a new post for the meme.

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? The Guns of August, John Adams, Bennett Cerf's Bumper Crop, Mary Poppins, She Wrote, Nobody Said Not to Go
2. What are you reading right now? I'll start back with Nobody Said Not to Go
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? It would probably be a biography of myself. I've vain like that.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? Pretty much all of them. That's why they're all staring at me from the table!
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Eating, posting, walking around
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? No. Enjoying the quiet.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? How fast the time goes by.
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? I'm sure others have discovered it, but I'm finding it's much more fun if I'm not so strict with myself.

#144: Sure. Uh huh, blame it on the computer :)

Okay. I admit it. I'm acting wonky. Not the first time, won't be the last.

In the end, I finished February late last night (or early this morning) because it seemed ridiculous to leave it with 22 pages, or 7.

So far this Readathon I've read 147 pages, including the last 33 pages of February and 42 pages of The Secret Shopper Unwrapped.

Just catching up on the posts while I sip some coffee. Elkiedee, great thoughtful analysis of the February cover. Cariola, love the Austen comics. Great to see Pikachu still going strong.

Last hour for me and Pikachu. I get off in less than an hour and will be heading home to bed.

? Hour of Read-a-thon/My 6th Hour
I've been reading: Alphabet of Thorn
Books finished:0
Pages read: 15
Reading time: 15min.
Posting time: 35 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 256
Total time read: 3hr 45 min
Total time posting: 100 min

Comments: More coffee drinking than actual reading happening.

Well I have to tell you that I did read very little last night. I wanted to start on time this read-a-thon but I had Volleyball last night so I wasn't able to really start until about 8 pm or later and then the sleep faeries got a hold of me and I slept till about 7 am. I am posting my memes and the first questions.

I've been reading: To Hold the Crown, The Other Boleyn Girl and Sarah's Key
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 50
Reading time: 1 hr or 60 min.
Posting time: 35 min.

Total books read: 3
Total pages read: 50
Total time read: 1 hours
Total time posting: 35 min.

***********************************************
First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? I read at the rec center then in my house on the lounge chair and sofa.
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 3 books
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. The book I am currently reading has the picture of a woman in a very royal looking dress. If I could figure out how to place a picture I would.
4. 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 threads)? I just hope to make a dent into these books. If I am able to finish one I would be thrilled with that.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Just relax and have fun. Don't worry about how fast you are reading or about the number of books or finishing a book during the read-a-thon. Just enjoy yourself and the book or books you have chosen to read.

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? Same as above
2. What are you reading right now? The Other Boleyn Girl
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? I am a terrible writer but if I was really going to write a book it would most likely be a semi romantic book with some true life events in it.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? The Other Boleyn Girl
5. What have you been doing during breaks? sleeping and watching Tudor
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? yes and usually pop music such as Maroon 5, Usher, Madonna, etc.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? Just seeing how many of us keep returning to them and the new ones that decide to join in.
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Just enjoy the time to read and relax. And if you can't do the whole 24 hours then don't worry about it.

Well Now I am going to go get something to eat and drink. I have to say Rebeki, I finished Wolf Hall earlier this month and it is one that you need to just concentrate on. I personally didn't love it or hate it. I do know that it piqued by interest in reading about the Tudor and the English and that is why I am currently reading the two books mentioned above.

Wow, everyone here is so OCD! Or CDO. Me, I have no idea how many minutes/hours I've read but I've got 83 pages so far.

One of our dogs went under the knife yesterday. She had a growth on her neck and we were worrying ourselves sick it was a tumor. Turned out to be nothing, yay! But I confess I couldn't concentrate to read very much, even after poor Cody got home.

She's still groggy and has a huge bandage around her neck but she's doing much better and her tail is wagging today. So today hopefully I can read more.

I've been reading: Nobody Said Not to Go: The Life, Loves and Adventures of Emily Hahn by Ken Cuthbertson
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 38
Reading time: 1 hour
Posting time: 20 minutes seems to be the time I've been spending on posting.

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 211 pages, 10 audio tracks
Total time read: 6 hours, 55 minutes
Total Time Posting: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Apparently the combination of sushi and red wine is a potent hypnotic, as I fell asleep within minutes of posting here late last night. I only managed to read the first sentence of Yalo, so I'll start from there, and report back at 10 am EST.

17th ? Hour of Read-a-thon/My 7th Hour
I've been reading: Alphabet of Thorn
Books finished:0
Pages read: 35
Reading time: 40min.
Posting time: 15 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 291
Total time read: 4hr 25 min
Total time posting: 115 min

Comments: Really enjoying this McKillip book and excited that I have another of hers on hand to read too.

I am back....had a very nice night's sleep, and have spent the last hour + feeding dogs, making a latte, writing a review, and reading threads. I am slowly creeping up on "settling down for a good long read". It is about 6:30 am here.

btloeffler: I loved Nobody Said Not To Go: The Life and Loves of Emily Hahn. What a great adventure! And so many in my generation thought women were just supposed to be housewives. I think a certain class of women have always felt free to be adventurous.

Another eleven pages down, making a grand total of 24 pages... Ohhhh, today's been hell! The shop's been jam-packed, to the point where I can't keep an eye on anyone or tidy up anything, and the constant drilling, hammering, sawing and banging of the work being done on the pipes is teeth-vibrating... I've read the same paragraph about twelve times in the last couple of hours so I'm having a computer 'n' cookie break. When I get home I'll have about three hours left, and be able to relax with a drink and something nice to eat and read more, so maybe I'll do better towards the end...

In the meantime I'll just cheer you all on! GO READ-A-THON-ERS! *borrows one of Pikachu's pompoms for a quick balletic leap* :-)

Woke up and jumped in to finish my book.

Hour: 11am EST
I've been reading: The Legend of Huma
Books finished:1
Pages read: 151
Reading time: 2 hours

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 264
Total time read: 4 hours

Finished The Legend of Huma by Richard A. Knaak. Review will be on my thread shortly!

ETA: Next up is Last Snow by Eric Van Lustbader

Yet another Sleeper checking in for the morning. I'll be updating the reading I did last night before falling asleep, and then when I get home from work this afternoon (probably after the official end time) I'll post what I read today. For now...

Hour 17?
I've been reading: The Spice Necklace
Reading Time: 40 min
Pages Read: 50 pgs

Total books finished: 0
Total pages read: 106 + 32 min audiobook
Total time read: 2 hrs 1 min

Menu: So far today, just coffee but I think I'll make a sausage, egg & cheese sandwich pretty soon.
Comments: I slept fairly well last night, but when I woke up at 4 a.m., wide awake, I did consider just staying up and reading. Just as I was about to get up, I got all cozy warm again and stayed where I was. I've got to leave for work in just under two hours, so I'll get ready to go and then plonk my butt in a chair until I have to leave. I'm enjoying The Spice Necklace, but it's charms are wearing a little thin. Not that I'm not still digging it, but the format of longish chapter followed by recipes is losing its sparkle for me. Perhaps I'll feel better once I've fully caffeinated and showered. *shrugs*

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? audio of The Big Over Easy and The Spice Necklace.
2. What are you reading right now? The Spice Necklace
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? Something I've been thinking a lot about lately. Like Terri said, something about myself (most likely), or the impact a favored childhood book has on your adult life.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? I'd like to get a little audio of Friends, Lovers, Chocolate done since it's due at the library in a few days.
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Sleeping, catching up on threads here, and watching The Golden Girls reruns.
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? Usually yes, and it's usually classical music. Lately it's been a lot of Brahms and a mix I made for my massage clients.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? Honestly, it's that I've managed to read so much this time around. The last few (where I also had to work) I'd only read for an hour or so, so I'm making some decent progress, all things considered.
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Nothing that hasn't been said before. Have fun with this!

HOUR 18 (10 am EST)

I'm reading: Yalo by Elias Khoury
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 12 (pp 9-20)
Reading time: 15 mins
Posting time: 40 mins

Total books finished: 0
Total books read from: 1
Total pages read: 12
Total time read: 15 minutes
Total time posting: 55 minutes

The Menu: Coffee; I think I need a second mug
Comments: It's been a slow start, as I spent most of the time catching up on LT posts from the past few days, but I'll do better in the next hour.

Good morning, everyone! I ended up not going to bed until after 5 a.m., but I wasn’t reading. I remembered that I hadn’t posted the promised questions on the Titus Andronicus essay for my students, and they were starting to email reminders and panicky messages. Of course, I had to write the questions first! I would have liked just one more hour of sleep, but my kitty decided it was time to get up.

132> Well, Stasia, it WAS Friday night . . . And thanks for the adorable little cheerleader!

133> Rebecca, I’ve been trying to get through Wolf Hall for over a year. I love it, but I haven’t had the time to really focus on it. Fortunately, I’m very familiar with the time period and people in it, so I’ve been able to go back and pick up where I left off. But I will probably start from the beginning when I’m off for the summer.

152> Jean, I’m so glad to hear that Cody is OK. My cat is my baby and my best friend, so I completely understand.

I may not report back until later this afternoon. I have to get the state inspection done on my car. Since I’ll be waiting for it, I should get in some good reading time.

12 HOUR MEME

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far?
An essay, “’Lend Me Thy Hand’: Metaphor and Mayhem in Titus Andronicus,” and about 1/3 of The Lieutenant.

2. What are you reading right now?
The Lieutenant

3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
I’ve been making plans to start a historical novel over the summer. It will be set in Tudor/Stewart England and will focus on the Sidney family, particularly Lady Mary Wroth.

4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?
Getting further into The Lieutenant, which I am enjoying immensely. Kate Grenville is such a beautiful writer.

5. What have you been doing during breaks?
Eating, laundry, dishwashing, writing study questions, cat soothing (“yes, I know you’re there!”), smacking an uncooperative printer that I will probably have to replace, calling my ISP provider, thinking up new meme questions, reading emails.

6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind?
I have tinnitus, so absolute silence can drive me crazy. I usually have classical music on in the background. Has to be instrumental only; I can’t hear words and read words at the same time.

7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far?
Hmmm, maybe that even a well-planned read-a-thon- can be disrupted by the unforeseen. I certainly never considered my ISP having a main line power outage!

8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Just enjoy your books!

See you all a bit later.

18th Hour of Read-a-thon/My 8th Hour

I've been reading: Alphabet of Thorn
Books finished:0
Pages read: 51
Reading time: 45min
Posting time: 10 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 342
Total time read: 5hr 10 min
Total time posting: 125 min

Menu: Been sipping Hazelnut coffee. I think it's time for a bagel with scallion cream cheese.

Comments: Should do the halfway meme, but I want to get a little farther in my book first.

18th hour update (my 6th hour) - 4:15 pm CET

Since my last update I've been reading: A Town Like Alice
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 176
Reading time: ca. 3 hrs 40 minutes
Posting time: 30 minutes

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 243
Total time read: 5 hours 15 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hour

Menu: half a pizza with salame napoli, mozzarella and origano

I am making slow progress, but I am so in love with this book that I am clinging to every word, I don't want it to end! My best read-a-thon book so far. And I did some more cleaning, the usual Saturday household stuff that has to be done.

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? War and Peace and A Town Like Alice
2. What are you reading right now? A Town Like Alice
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? Something stream-of-consciousness-like nobody would like to read. Honestly - I have no idea. There is no great and important story hidden in my head which I'd like to see published and I could never write well enough for my own liking.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? Continuing very slowly with A Town Like Alice, hoping for a happy ending
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Sleeping, eating, cleaning, shopping, reading the new TIOLI challenges
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? No, can't have it. TV is switched off as well
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? That it is so enjoyable to know that nothing will get me away from my book for the next few hours
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? The most important thing for me this time was getting the sleep I needed. On my first read-a-thon I stayed up too long because it was so tempting to read at the same time with all the US participants and paid for it with a nasty and persistent headache.

>149 alcottacre:: Thanks for cheering us on, Stasia - although I slept through most of it. ;-) Pikachu must be getting tired, too.

I'm wide awake now and will be back to reading in about 30 minutes after I get the laundry folded. I'd rather be reading!!!

I'll do the meme now so it doesn't cut into my reading time.

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? East is East by T.C. Boyle
2. What are you reading right now? I'm going to get started on the book Terri is reading - and that Karen loved - Nobody Said Not To Go
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? I would probably write a reading memoir because I was so blown away by Pat Conroy's My Reading Life. I love hearing what books influence people in their everyday lives. Well, my life is "everyday" -- Conroy's is more "out there!"
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? The book about Emily Hahn.
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Sleeping, eating, taking care of the dog, household chores. It sounds like thrilling fodder for a memoir, doesn't it?
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? No music for me. Must have quiet.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? The number of people participating from all over the world.

9:30 am - 10:30 am

I've been reading: The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
Books finished:1
Pages read: (1-36)
Reading time:

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 472
Total time read: 7 hrs 15 min

Comments: Not sure what I think of this book so far, but I'll give it some time. I generally like steampunk, so I hope this will be no different.

18th Hour of Read-a-thon/My 2nd Hour

I've been reading: The Big Burn and Kingdom of Shadows
Books finished:1
Pages read: 20 + 28 = 48
Reading time: 100 min
Posting time: 10 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 82
Total time read: 155 min
Total time posting: 25 min

Menu: Nothing last night; this morning, a home made latte with vanilla flavoring

Comments: Should do the halfway meme, but I want to get a little farther in my book first. I really enjoyed The Big Burn, and am enjoying so far Kingdom of Shadows (pre-WWII Paris, spies, etc.)

19th Hour of Read-a-thon/My 9th Hour

I've been reading: Alphabet of Thorn
Books finished:0
Pages read: 44
Reading time: 40min
Posting time: 10 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 386
Total time read: 5hr 50 min
Total time posting: 135 min

Half-time Meme

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? The Wild Wood by Charles de Lint and Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip
2. What are you reading right now? Still reading Alphabet of Torn
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? A book on books. It would be so much fun to do the research.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? I don't know if I'll get to it but McKillip's Cygnet.
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Drinking coffee and fending off ferocious cats trying to steal my snacks. I was forced to give up some cream cheese so I could read in peace.
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? No, I enjoy peace and quiet.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? Wide range of reading material.

How are you all doing?

Just finished the second book and I am really happy about it, because now I can dedicate myself to something a little bit more intriguing than metric verse composition. :) Well, to be fair: It wasn’t bad, but sometimes just really dry. I haven’t yet decided which book I’ll choose now… I guess, something “more liquid”.

Hour 20
I've been reading: Deskriptive Metrik
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 68
Reading time: 2h 7 min
Posting time: 30 min

Total books read: 2
Total pages read: 286
Total time read: 7 h 17 min
Total time posting: 1h 25 min

Four more hours to go! Enjoy!

10 to 11
I've been reading: Looking for Alaska by john Green
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 12
Reading time: 20
Posting time: 10

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 126
Total time read: 4 hour
Total time posting: 30 min

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? Looking for Alaska
2. What are you reading right now? Same book
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? It would be about a couple that met in college, only she got pregnant and left him just before graduation without telling him. Years later they meet by chance, and it's a story about how they become a family. (i've thought about this before)
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? same book
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Sleeping, shower, grocery store
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? TV, not sure whats on
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? That I got quite a bit done despite starting late
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? I'm not sure

Hours 12-20

I've been reading: The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Fragile Things
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 8 plus 1 hour 26 minutes of audiobook

Total Books read: 0
Total pages read: 101 + 2 hours 3 minutes

Comments: Home at last, so hopefully I'll be getting some more reading done soon! I've only got about 20 minutes left of Fragile Things.

Hours 13-20 10pm - 6am

I've been reading: The Heir of Night & Meditations
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 17
Reading time: 30 minutes
Posting time: 20 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 215
Total time read: 4 hours 40 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hr 35 minutes

Menu: nothing
Comments: Mostly been sleeping, I nodded off a few pages into Meditations and have decided to switch to Smoking in Antarctica for my early morning read.

Errands are complete and I have the rest of the day to read as I wish. My bag of chips and strawberry kiwi juice are waiting for me next to my book. All I have left to do is remove the little furballs from my spot on the couch.

Hour 21

I've been reading: Fragile Things
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 21 minutes of audiobook

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 101 + 2 hours 24 minutes

Comments: I finished Fragile Things, yay! I loved it. I don't know why it's taken me so long to read his 'adult', non-Sandman books.

Having dinner now, then getting stuck back into The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

HOURS 10-21 (2 am - 1 pm)

I've been reading: The Kitchen House
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 51
Reading time: 74 mins (1 h 14)
Posting time: 39 mins

Total books finished: 1
Total books read from: 3
Total pages read: 370
Total time read: 511 minutes (7 hours 40)
Total time posting: 175 minutes (2 hours 55)

The Menu: an orange
Comments: I read a bit before going to sleep around 4:30 am. Didn't wake up until half an hour ago. I've been catching up on this thread and will take Coco for a walk and have breakfast shortly. My eyes can't focus properly, so I'll probably listen to an audiobook for a while.

11 to 12
I've been reading: Looking for Alaska by john Green
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 29
Reading time: 40
Posting time: 5

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 155
Total time read: 4 hours 40 minutes
Total time posting: 30 minutes

20-21st Hour of Read-a-thon/My 10th -11th Hour

I've been reading: Alphabet of Thorn
Books finished:0
Pages read: 35
Reading time: 35min
Posting time: 10 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 421
Total time read: 6hr 25 min
Total time posting: 135 min

Comments: I took a break to walk outside. It's really lovely here in NYC.

18th Hour of Read-a-thon/My 3-4th Hour

I've been reading: Kingdom of Shadows
Books finished:0
Pages read: 30
Reading time: 45 min
Posting time: 10 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 112
Total time read: 185 min
Total time posting: 25 min

Menu: Real oatmeal, milk, raisins
Comments: love spy novels of the "old fashioned sort" and Alan Furst is a master. I am learning a great deal about the Balkans and Paris and pre-WWII life. Yummy read. Quiet, dreamy gray day outside...just right for reading. Dogs are happily sleeping, and the pellet stove is cheery and bright, keeping the living room cozy warm.

Halfway (12 Hour) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far?
Through a Glass, Darkly, The Kitchen House and Oliver Twist
2. What are you reading right now?
I'll probably start listening to Diary of a Wimpy Kid on audiobook soon and when my eyes aren't so wonky continue with Kitchen House.
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
I ask myself that question a lot. They say "write what you know", so it would probably be a fictional account of a woman not unlike myself and all the crazy adventures and trouble she gets into. Then again, I could go into something totally wild and write the story of a female serial killer who kills off all the men who've done her wrong. Pure fantasy of course and it would have to be funny somehow.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?
The Kitchen House
5. What have you been doing during breaks?
Sleeping mostly. Also walking Coco and eating.
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind?
Not usually. I get distracted too easily.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far?
No surprises really. Nice to see such a big turnout.
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Sleep when and as much as you need to. There'll be other read-a-thons!

Between 8:15 and 12:00 (minus about an hour where I fell asleep):

I've been reading: Nobody Said Not to Go: The Life, Loves and Adventures of Emily Hahn by Ken Cuthbertson
Books finished: 1 Hurray!
Pages read: 89
Reading time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Posting time: 20 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 300 pages, 10 audio tracks
Total time read: 9 hours, 25 minutes
Total Time Posting: 1 hour, 30 minutes

I'm so proud that I finished one of the books I had on my pile, that I'm going to take a break and go get some lunch. The sun is shining today so I'll grab some Vitamin D while I'm at it!

I've been reading: Nobody Said Not To Go
Pages read: 57
Reading time: 90 minutes
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 237
Total time read: 5 hours

I am loving my current book. It's too bad in a way because I really need to read The Color Purple for book group next week, and should finish the half-read Gweilo, a memoir about growing up in Hong Kong in the 1950's. These are both books I'm excited about, but the Emily Hahn story has me enthralled. Why haven't I heard about her before now? She was a prolific writer in the mid-1900s.

Btw, I'm reading Nobody Said Not To Go for the Missouri Readers group. Deborah and Stephen in Kirksville, we'd love to have you read along with us because of your Missouri connections. Actually, anyone can join and we have several out-of-state members. You can check out our little group over here.

I missed the official half-way spot so I'll do this now:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? The Big Burn and Kingdom of Shadows.
2. What are you reading right now? Kingdom of Shadows
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? What I know: the ordinary life of a middle America single woman and how she learns to love it.
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? I hope I get to crack open The Great Mischief by Alistair Macleod
5. What have you been doing during breaks? Cooking, eating, dishes, letting dogs in and out the door.
6. Background music: None, quiet with the whisper of cars driving on wet streets out front.
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? I don't think I've been surprised.
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? When you sit down to read, be sure that is what you want to do. Forcing yourself to read is against "The Rules" IMHO.

Since I last posted on this thread I've read another 100 pages, slightly to my surprise. Though quite a lot of those are from The Secret Shopper Unwrapped, which is easy reading and has some pages with only a few lines of text on. So my total is 247 pages.

I do have background music on sometimes - usually from my Ipod on random shuffle - mix of folk, rock, pop, country, mostly. But most often including last night and today my background noise is Radio 4, spoken word radio. I can screen out well once I start to read.

I'm almost embarassed to post--I'm such a slug. I've just woken up at 10 am my time, with only a few hours to go. I'll keep reading through the afternoon after the official end though, and maybe I can finish one book. So far:

Book I'm Reading: War Trash by Ha Jin
Total pages Read: 86
Total time Reading: 2 1/2 hours

>184 arubabookwoman:: Don't be so hard to yourself! :) Good luck for finishing the book!

My current book is – literally – more liquid than the preceding one: Die Badewanne des Archimedes (~ “Archimedes’ bath tub”, it’s about scientific legends)

Hour 22
I've been reading: Die Badewanne des Archimedes
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 49
Reading time: 1h 3 min
Posting time: 20 min

Total books read: 2
Total pages read: 335
Total time read: 8 h 20 min
Total time posting: 1h 45 min

#179> Ilana - Diary of a Wimpy Kid started as an online illustrated story so you might like to check it out - http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html?ThisJournalDay=1&ThisPage=1

Hours 21-22 6 - 8am

I've been reading: Smoking in Antarctica & How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 84
Reading time: 45 minutes
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 299
Total time read: 5 hours 35 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hr 45 minutes
The Menu: Breakfast - a fruit smoothie
Comments: Racing through the graphic novel How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, it's about the author's experience of a Birthright tour of Israel, how she went with preconceived ideas on how the tour group would be fed Israeli propaganda but what she found was refreshingly different. Interesting and the artwork is good.
I'm off to the gym now and will report back in a couple of hours, will either go back to The heir of the night or listen to an audiobook, depends how loud the music is playing there.

Sorry, I've been a complete reading slug so far today (although I ordered the new Kindle and did some housework). I'm only on page 34 of Yalo, which is excellent so far, and I think I'm ready to devote myself to it now.

1 to 3
I've been reading: Looking for Alaska by john Green
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 39
Reading time: 75 minutes
Posting time: 5

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 194
Total time read: 5 hours 55 minutes
Total time posting: 35 minutes

In my first hours:
(because I just got up @ 11:30 A.M. my time; Pacific)

I've been reading: Sense and Sensibility
Books finished: zippo
Pages read: 65
Reading time: 1 hour and 22 (bedtime reading last night)
Posting time: 0 thus far

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 65
Total time read: 1 hour and 22 minutes
Total time posting: 0 thus far

***********************************************
First Hour Meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? Yesterday I read maybe 15 pages while still at my son's home; then last night I read while in bed. I haven't read anything yet today......not really awake yet, no coffee, haven't even been up an hour. (hangs head in shame)
2. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 1
3. Tell us about the cover of the book you are currently reading--or about a favorite book cover. On the cover of my copy are Elinor and Marianne, two sisters in the story.
4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon? I just want to get some reading of this first book of the 'Austen-a-Thon' knocked back.
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

************************************************
Halfway (12 Hourr) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far? Sense and Sensibility
2. What are you reading right now? Sense and Sensibility
3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? My family
4. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon? Sense and Sensibility
5. What have you been doing during breaks? sleeping
6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind? no, none
7. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far? That I forgot about it until someone I told about it yesterday reminded me. LOL!~!
8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? nothing

Now, I think I will go and read until the end which I think to be only one hour away. :-(
belva

Wow, everyone's done some great reading overnight. One hour left (officially)!

Books I've been reading: flipping back and forth between Revolution and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
Pages read: 207 (135 of the former, 72 of the latter)
Comments: I could have read a ton more except for, you know, sleeping, going to yoga class, watching college basketball, and yelling at the condo management people for letting ice dams build up on our roofs.

I don't feel like filling out the whole 12-hour meme, but the what-book-would-you-write question is very creative, Deborah! I'd do one of those girls-coming-of-age type of things ... when I wrote in high school I made my characters teenagers, but as I get older I write them into their twenties too. Not that I'd ever get it organized into an actual novel structure.

23rd Hour of Read-a-thon/My 5th Hour

I've been reading: Kingdom of Shadows
Books finished:0
Pages read: 45
Reading time: 60 min
Posting time: 10 min

Total Books read: 1
Total pages read: 157
Total time read: 245 min
Total time posting: 35 min

Menu: 2 small pieces of "light" Havarti cheese, and 10 yummy multi-grain crackers
Comments: definitely into the spy novel now, it is getting exciting...war looms on the horizon and all the people who fear the Nazi machine will eat them are trying to find ways to safety, freedom and peace. Except for those who aren't.

Well, the car has been inspected, I replenished my stock of freshly roasted coffee beans, and I stocked up on some necessities at Sam's. I did get in 35 pages of The Lieutenant while waiting for the car. And we're almost done! I'm going to read for the next 25 minutes to add to my final totals for today and for the whole read-a-thon. See you in a few!

Between 12:55 pm & 2:15 pm"

I've been reading: Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969 by David Eisenhower
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 58
Reading time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Posting time: 20 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 358 pages, 10 audio tracks
Total time read: 10 hours, 45 minutes
Total Time Posting: 1 hour, 50 minutes

It's almost 3:00 Central Time, and I started yesterday at 4:00 Central Time, so I'll go for another hour. Maybe I can finish the Eisenhower book!

This has been fun, even though I really only read for half the time. And it will be good to have 2 books off my "table stack" so I can start replenishing it from my shelves!

Re: #181-- Deborah & Stephen, I second Donna's invitation! We read some (mostly) interesting books, and things we'd never have read before. Case in Point: Our current read, which everyone was hesitant about because it isn't readily available. I think we're all going to be glad it was chosen!

And . . . . we're DONE! I hope you enjoyed the read-a-thon, got some awesome reading done, and will join us for another read-a-thon soon. (There are rumors of a Monday/Tuesday event . . . )

Here's my last update:

24th Hour (actually noon to 4 p.m.)

I've been reading: The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville
Books finished: I finished the essay but no book yet.
Pages read: 48
Reading time: 1 hours 20 minutes
Posting time: 15 minutes

Total books read: 0, but one essay
Total pages read: 165
Total time read: 3 hours 40 minutes
Total time posting: 2 hours 10 minutes

*******************************************
And here's the template for The End-of-Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time?
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon?
4. How many books did you read?
5. What were the names of the books you read?
6. Which book did you enjoy most?

Hour 22-24

I've been reading: The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Hunger Games
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 72 of Wallflower, 60 of Hunger Games

Total Books read: 2
Total pages read: 233 + 2 hours 24 minutes

Comments: Aaaaand I'm done! I feel physically exhausted. I think I'm going to be taking it very easy for the rest of the night.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Probably the last one. It was just hard to keep going.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time?
I think The Hunger Games is pretty good... I certainly couldn't stop reading it despite how tired I was.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon?
I don't think so? It was great, I had a lot of fun today.
4. How many books did you read?
Read from three, finished two (both of which I'd started before the read-a-thon)
5. What were the names of the books you read?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Fragile Things
The Hunger Games
6. Which book did you enjoy most?
Wallflower. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I think it's a book that's going to linger in my mind for a very long time.

Thanks for hosting, Deborah, and congrats to everyone!

24th hour update (my 9th hour) - 10:00 pm CET

Since my last update I've been reading: A Town Like Alice
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 134
Reading time: ca. 2 hrs
Posting time: 20 minutes

Total books read: 2
Total pages read: 377
Total time read: 7 hours 15 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hour 20 minutes

Many interruptions since my last posting, mainly phone calls, I should have switched it off. I managed to get my book finished, but I didn't read as much as planned.

Oh - another meme:
The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The 2nd - 11pm here in Europe. I fell asleep over War and Peace
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? not really
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? no
4. How many books did you read? read 2, finished 1
5. What were the names of the books you read? War and Peace and A Town Like Alice
6. Which book did you enjoy most? A Town Like Alice

The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
The fourth hour, when my ISP went down and I was told that there was a power main outage that might not be fixed until after midnight. Not good for the read-a-thon host!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time?
I’d recommend a short story collection. Two that I’ve loved are Don’t Cry by Mary Gaitskill and Ideas of Heaven by Joan Silber.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon?
No, not really. It worked for me!

4. How many books did you read?
Half of one.

5. What were the names of the books you read?
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville.

6. Which book did you enjoy most?
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville—and I’m going right back to it for the rest of the evening and will post a review on my thread when I’m done.

7. Which did you enjoy least?
The essay on Titus Andronicus—which was good, but I wanted to be reading something fun, and I knew that I had to formulate questions on it for my students.

8. Did you learn about any books from other participants that you plan to put on your Wish List?
No, but I’m motivated to get back into Wolf Hall.

9. How likely are you to participate in another read-a-thon?
Very likely, but unless I’m on break, I can only do so on Thursday through Sunday.

Not posting totals because I lost count when I had a little catnap.

The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? 10pm last night. I had wanted to stay up until 11pm but no go.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? I think it really depends on the reader.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? No, another great job.
4. How many books did you read?I just now finished my second book.
5. What were the names of the books you read? The Wild Wood and The Alphabet of Thorn
6. Which book did you enjoy most? Both were good reads but McKillip's The Alphabet of Thorn

Today's reading: Nobody Said Not To Go
Pages read: 71 since last posting; 128 total for today
Reading time: 2 hours since last posting; 3.5 hours total today

Total books read: one book finished yesterday - East is East
Total pages read: 308
Total time read: 7 hours total

I think it's interesting to see that, while I read approximately the same amount of time both days, my reading rate was faster yesterday. I'm guessing it's the nature of the two books. T.C. Boyle reads quickly; while a biography requires more attention to detail.

It's another beautiful day here in midAmerica. I'm going to take advantage of the warmer temps and sunshine and do some outside chores. We still have leaves that need raking, and I'm in the mood for fresh air and exercise after reading the day away.

It's been fun and productive. Thank you, Deborah, for setting things up so well. I've enjoyed sharing my reading experience with others. For those of you continuing on, Happy Reading!

It's 1:15 my time, so I guess the official redathon is over. I'm continuing to read.

Book: War Trash
Pages read: 39
Time Read: 1 1/2 hours

Total pages read: 125
Total time read: 4 hours

Hour 24

I've been reading: The Gift by James Patterson (no touchstones, because I couldn't properly find the right one.)
Pages read: 341
Reading time: Two hours and Fifteen Minutes 2:15
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: 2
Total pages read: 655
Total time read: Four Hours and Forty-Five Minutes 4:45
Total time posting: 17 minutes

Halfway (12 Hourr) Meme:

1. What are the titles of the books you have read so far?
Witch and Wizard and The Gift both by James Patterson

3. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?
Fantasy, Science Fiction, or anything about human nature (I'm working on all three.)

5. What have you been doing during breaks?
Sleeping...eating...

6. Background music: yes or no? If yes, what kind?
Yes, listening to the Sirius channels. Helps me focus believe it or not.

8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Don't think about the page number you are on. Does wonders.

The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
None actually.

4. How many books did you read?
Two and finished both of them.

5. What were the names of the books you read?
Witch and Wizard and The Gift by James Patterson.

6. Which book did you enjoy most?
Pretty equally good.

I read a little past your official end time, it is still quite early afternoon here on the left coast, and there is more reading to be done. I will post my last comments here about this Read-A-Thon. Great Fun! I am best available when the work week is over and it is over later here than it is on LibraryThing's clock.

I finished The Big Burn and very glad I did. If you have any tolerance for reading history, I recommend it to you. A special and memorable piece of the Forest Service's history. I made most of the way through Kingdom of Shadows and am loving it. As you can tell, I like history and reading a little historical spy novel is just the ticket for a cool, rainy, gray January day.

The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I did not read until I was daunted so no hour was most daunting. I like my comforts way too much for that. Went to bed at a regular time and got up same way. Ate when hungry.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? Some one else suggested Hunger Games and I'd agree that it is high interest, and has two sequel which could also be read on the same day.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? No suggestions come to my mind. Great job, and Thanks!
4. How many books did you read? One complete and one half of another.
5. What were the names of the books you read? The Big Burn, Kingdom of Shadows
6. Which book did you enjoy most? I loved The Big Burn! And I am liking the Kingdom of Shadows. They are very different so I really can't say which is more enjoyable.

Thank you very much. Great fun, and I enjoyed reading everyone's reads and comments.

That's all folks, Karen, near Lake Stevens, Washington State, USA

The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I think it was hour 16 or 17, because I had kind of a low point: I got really tired, but power napping helped a lot.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? What is exactly meant? Books that are so exciting, people won’t be able to put them aside? I don’t know, but for the next time I would probably choose several different genres of books – that if you’re getting tired, you can switch e.g. to a book with more “action”.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? Not really. I think, you, Deborah, did a great job! Thanks for hosting!

4. How many books did you read? I read 3 books of which I finished 2 (but for the third one only 12 pages were left! … almost!)

5. What were the names of the books you read? Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert; Deskriptive Metrik by Sebastian Donat, Die Badewanne des Archimedes by Sven Ortoli/Nicolas Witkowski

6. Which book did you enjoy most? Definitely Madame Bovary! Great story, great language!

So here comes my final record for…
HOUR 24
I've been reading: Die Badewanne des Archimedes, Madame Bovary, Deskriptive Metrik
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 89
Reading time: 1h 50 min
Posting time: 15 min

Total books read: 2
Total pages read: 424
Total time read: 10h 10 min
Total time posting: 2h

Thanks to you all I had a lot of fun! I wish you a nice Sunday!
I've got to go now - have to finish my book! :)

AT THE END:

I've been reading: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Books finished: none
Pages read: 23
Reading time: 40 minutes
Posting time: 10 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 88
Total time read: 2 hours, 02 minutes
Total time posting: 15 minutes
Menu: only H2O, just now getting my coffee.

*******************************************

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? none, as I forgot about the event. I am so sorry Deborah. You do such a wonderful job hostessing too. :-(
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? I do think that light books work well for me to break up the reading of the deeper ones during a Read-A-Thon. Perhaps even a book of shorts. I may try that next time.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? Mark it on my calendar. LOL!~!
4. How many books did you read? 1
5. What were the names of the books you read? Sense and Sensibility
6. Which book did you enjoy most? That would have to be the only one I read from; Sense and Sensibility.

Thank you again, Cariola, for being our 'hostess with the mostess'. You deserve flowers.
belva

#187 Thanks for the link Kerry, I started to look at the illustrations and they're lots of fun! I have to say that I really enjoyed the audio and been laughing along quite a bit!

HOURS 21-24 (1 - 4 pm)

I've been reading: Diary of a Wimpy Kid on audio and The Kitchen House
Books finished: 0
Pages read: equivalent of 177 pages (kid's books are great for upping page count!)
Reading time: 153 mins (2 h 33)
Posting time: 30 mins

Total books finished: 1
Total books read from: 4
Total pages read: 547
Total time read: 664 minutes (10 hours 13)
Total time posting: 175 minutes (3 hours 25)

The Menu: yogourt (I'm starving!).
Comments: I made an apple/nectarine crisp while listening to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Just took it out of the over a short while ago. Can't wait to chow down!

The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The last hour before going to sleep and the first hour upon waking when my eyes wouldn't focus. 
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? 
I like to break things up with graphic novels and/or audiobooks, but every person has their preferences.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? 
I liked this one the way it was, and I enjoyed the new meme questions. 
4. How many books did you read? I read from 4 books and finished 1
5. What were the names of the books you read?
Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
6. Which book did you enjoy most?
I enjoyed all of them. Diary of a Wimpy Kid made me laugh out loud. Also, I can't wait to jump right back into Kitchen House

Thanks Deborah for another fun read-a-thon!

Thanks Deborah for hosting this event through thick and thin! And thanks Stasia for an awfully cute cheerleader!

Wow, I suck today! I've barely read a page! About 25 pages in total, how rubbish is that?! I was falling asleep just as the read-a-thon started, went to bed, had a crappy (and really noisy, busy, crazy...) day at work, then came home and crashed again and ended up watching Nurse Jackie and eating cheesecake... Well, I tried to read at work at least, the thought was there! :-)

Anyway, it's been fun reading what everyone's been up to, and catching up with the memes, and laughing at Stasia's Pikachu cheerleader (aah, that little guy made my day!)... Congrats to the host and the hosted for a wonderful read-a-thon!

It wasn't a good Read-a-Thon for me, either; I've only read 54 pages of Yalo so far.

Good job, everyone!

Well I didn't get any reading done the rest of the day. I just couldn't get into reading for another 7 hours. I did go to Borders because my daughter needed a book for her class and I bought myself 2 books so I feel I made a good decision. I am thinking about hosting a read-a-thon but only doing one for 12 hours instead of 24.

Congrats to everyone for doing a great job and a special thanks to Deborah for doing a wonderful job at hosting this event.

end of read-a-thon meme
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Pretty much all of today--I read last night pretty steadily from about 5:45pm until midnight, with just an hour and a half break to eat a snack and check in here, hubby was home with a pizza for dinner shortly after that, so got in the biggest chunk of reading last night. I slept 9 hours! and read a little bit, but then got caught up in doing stuff around the house, getting lunch, checking facebook and only read for maybe an hour total today.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? hmmm...well, mysteries are always good for keeping my interest...

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon?
Nope! I like the memes.
4. How many books did you read?
I read 2 books, didn't finish either one, but made a good dent in them. I'm pleased.

5. What were the names of the books you read?
Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise a biography by Sam Irvin
and Her Royal Spyness a mystery by Rhys Bowen

6. Which book did you enjoy most? I liked them both for different reasons. The Kay Thompson bio got really interesting once it got into descriptions of her work as a cabaret performer, and her time in Hollywood where she became Judy Garland's close friend. The chapter on Eloise was fascinating, too.

I didn't read as much as I wanted to, BUT I am very glad that I was able to participate in my first read-a-thon. I've made a goal this year to do a lot more reading, and the read-a-thon helped to show me just how much time I COULD be reading instead of channel surfing, and playing computer games, etc.

Sandy K

Thank you, everyone, for participating, and for your kind words. I'm looking forward to the next read-a-thon!

Glad to hear you all did well during this readathon. I had a tough day at work, had a headache, and went to sleep early.

Haven't read a thing in over 24 hours, though I am feeling better now.

Hours 23-24 8 - 10am

I've been reading: The Heir of Night
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 58
Reading time: 60 minutes
Posting time: 5 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 357
Total time read: 6 hours 35 minutes
Total time posting: 1 hr 50 minutes

The Menu: water
Comments: Managed a full hour of reading while at gym, now fully engrossed in the story with lots of interesting fantasy elements developing. I'll have to keep reading this one today.

The End-of-Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
No daunting hour, I opted for a good night's sleep instead.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time?
I'd also suggest short stories or an engrossing YA

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon?
No.

4. How many books did you read?
5 books

5. What were the names of the books you read?
Fatelessness by Imre Kertész 120pgs - finished
The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe - 138pgs
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - 7pgs
Smoking in Antarctica by Steve Braunias - 24pgs
How to understand Israel in 60 days or less by Sarah Gidden - 60pgs

6. Which book did you enjoy most?
The Heir of Night & Fatelessness

Another thankyou to Deborah for hosting this event. Loved the jpegs.
Thanks to everyone else for sharing their reading.

Hi all

Just before the end of the Readathon I read another 21 pages, so my total is 268 pages. I'm now going to read a little bit more before bedtime.

Thanks to Deborah for hosting and hope everyone who had a chance to take part enjoyed themselves.

Thanks to Deborah for hosting the read-a-thon and to our energetic cheerleaders for their support. It was great again to see what everyone was reading.

"Thanks" to my first client today who was a no-show (grrrrrr) I got to read for an extra hour at work!

Pages read: 30, + 71 min audio of BOE , + 111 min of FLC
Reading time: 3 hrs 32 min
Posting time: Errm, 15 min?

Total books read: 0
Total pages read: 136 + 3 hrs 34 min of audiobooks
Total time reading: 5 hrs 33 min
Total posting time: I'm guessing a half hour, but I really have no idea.

The Menu: Treated myself to a calorie-free breakfast at McD's *ahem*, and a skim latte from Starbucks before work this morning. It's almost 5pm now and am just starting to get hungry, so that stuff stuck around all day! Other than my breakfast I've just had a few glasses of water.

Comments: This has been a surprisingly good thon for me, even with working. Everyone did a great job, and I'm looking forward to the next!

The End-of-Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Didn't really have any.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? Nothing from today, but I did enjoy reading from James Pattersons "Women's Murder Club" series during a thon last year. Short chapters, a lot of action, the pages fly by...

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? Just for me to try and get 2 days off in a row to participate.

4. How many books did you read? I finished none, but read from 3.

5. What were the names of the books you read?
The Spice Necklace by Ann vanderhoof
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (audio)
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith (audio)

6. Which book did you enjoy most? I enjoyed them all, but The Big Over Easy is the most fun. It amazes me that Jasper Fforde can build these varied worlds. His imagination seems limitless, and I always find myself smiling or laughing out loud at his cleverness. This is the first in the Nursery Crime series (I believe there are only two books - is it really a series then?), and even though it's been years since I read The Eyre Affair now I'm looking forward to reading book #2, Lost in a Good Book, sooner rather than later.

Deborah, thanks so much for hosting, you did an excellent job. And thanks to our cheerleaders, especially Stasia and her peppy Pikachu! It was great reading with you all today! See you at the next one!

Okay, I ended 2 hours ago but got so tied up with dinner that I forgot my last post!

I've been reading: Going Home to Glory by David Eisenhower
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 45
Reading time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 345 pages, 10 audio tracks
Total time read: 10 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time Posting: 1 hour, 50 minutes

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 7 last night, when I fell asleep in the chair and then woke up all stiff & achy. That's when I gave up and went to bed.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? I was engaged with the books I read. I'm glad that I chose to read from several different books--I think it might have been more difficult had I read the same book the whole time.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? NONE!
4. How many books did you read? I only finished one, but read from several.
5. What were the names of the books you read? I finished Nobody Told Me Not To Go, and almost finished Going Home to Glory. I also read some from The Guns of August, Mary Poppins, She Wrote, John Adams and Bennett Cerf's Bumper Crop.
6. Which book did you enjoy most? Nobody Told Me Not To Go. I wasn't sure I would like it when I started, but it was fascinating.

THANK YOU, Deborah and Stasia and Pikachu! And all the rest of you--it's so fun to read WITH someone! If I told my son "Hey! I read 345 pages since yesterday evening!" he would say "So?" Here, I get cheerleaders!

The End-of-Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? From 1 am to 8 am, I slept
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time? I think it all depends on your interests, but Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts was a good read
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon? More notice before hand, but it went well anyways
4. How many books did you read? 1
5. What were the names of the books you read? Looking for Alaska
6. Which book did you enjoy most? I only read one

After I posted my last report, I finished the book Kingdom of Shadows and just wanted to report it is a fine book and those liking spy novels set before WWII will love it. Also, thanks to Pikachu, Deborah and Stasia for all the organizing, set up, encouragement and cheering !