Social Distancing Readathon #43 - January 8 - 10

Welcome to another readathon!

We generally run from Friday at 5 p.m. to Sunday at midnight in whatever time zone you choose, but feel free to start earlier on Friday and wrap up overnight Sunday/Monday, if that's what you want to do.

Here are some things to track throughout the weekend, if you choose:

Books read from:
Books finished:
Time reading:
Time posting:
Snacks:
Thoughts:
Non-book activities:

Total books finished:
Total read from:
Total time reading:

Who is participating -

1. SilverWolf (SilverWolf28) -- Tennessee, USA
2. Carrie (cbl_tn) -- Seymour, Tennessee, USA
3. Kerry (avatiakh) -- Auckland, New Zealand
4. Nancy (nrmay) -- North Carolina, USA
5. Susanna (susanna.fraser) -- Seattle, Washington, USA
6. Jean (majkia) -- Niceville, Florida, USA
7. Chelle (ChelleBearss) -- Ontario, Canada
8. Dee (Deedledee) -- Nova Scotia, Canada
9. Anna (annushka) -- Delaware, USA
10. Lori (thornton37814) -- Tennessee, USA
11. PawsforThought -- Sweden
12. Benita (benitastrnad) -- Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
13. Anne (AnneDC) -- Washington DC, USA
14. Cyrel (torontoc) -- Toronto, Canada

Count me in again! If we have snow this weekend I'll have even more time for reading. I'm Carrie in Seymour, TN.

I'm in again. I'm spending a few days in Te Aroha in the Waikato, will be going home to Auckland tomorrow.
Will be making a start on Romance of the Three Kingdoms this afternoon.

I'll be reading with you this weekend.
Staying in till I get the covid vaccine . . .
May snow here tomorrow too.

Nancy in Charlotte NC

Still in from Seattle. And envying all y'all who are getting the snow. (I'm originally from Alabama, so I can say "all y'all.") Normally I hate snow here, because I live on a steepish hill in a city that's practically all hills, and our snow tends to be heavy, wet, and often over a thin layer of ice. But now, since I don't have to try to commute in it, I'd like some. It's pretty and it would be variety. Also, we have a quince tree that bears much better if we have a cold winter. Two years ago we had a cold, snowy winter and had an overloaded tree allowing us to make quince jam for all our friends and relatives. Last year was a warm winter, and we had a grand total of one (1) quince. So far this year is following last year's pattern.

I'll read along as well. Jean in Niceville, FL

I’ll join in again. I work dayshift all weekend so hoping to finish two books

Just curious since I’m new to the readthons but does this happen every weekend?

Chelle - Ontario, Canada

I'd like to join in this weekend.
Dee - Nova Scotia, Canada

Count me in, please! Anna from Delaware.

>7 ChelleBearss: Yes, I post it every Thursday afternoon. The readathons were started almost a year ago by bell7, and then hosted by chatterbox for a while, and now I have been hosting them since August or September.

I've got plans for tonight and a virtual genealogy society committee meeting in the morning, but I'll hopefully find some time to read. I have listened to a book on my commute to work, and I'll get a little more reading in shortly. My numbers may not be as great this weekend, but I'll squeeze a few hours in.

I'll try to join in this weekend. I have a couple of books I really need to make some headway with and I don't really have anything that'll force me out of the house.

I will be joining this weekend - as I have since April 2020. It's getting to be a weekend thing with me.

I'll join! It's been a few years since I've participated in a Readathon but I need a break from the news. Anne, in Washington, DC.

I'm ready to light the fire and start reading early.
Currently it is Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Still cold and wet here.

I'm in- I just finished one book of short stories and am ready to start a novel.

>15 nrmay:
I loved Daisy Jones and the Six!

Listening to The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller while I make supper.

Saturday morning check in: 10.30am

Books read from: The Song Dog by James McClure, Loner by Georgina Young & The Plotters by Un-su Kim
Books finished: 1
Time reading: 4 hrs

Snacks: mexican rice for dinner last night, stewed plums for breakfast
Thoughts: looking forward to driving home this afternoon
Non-book activities: looking after my 92 yr old mother & housesitting for my brother & his wife

Total books finished: 1 The Song Dog by James McClure
Total read from: 3
Total time reading: 4 hrs

Watched the dog bury a ham bone in my brother's vege patch this morning. Heaven knows where he got the bone from, not here or from the closest neighbour.

I hope to read for a bit after I cook dinner, before a Zoom chat. My goal for this readathon is to finish Dead as a Dinosaur, read Five on a Treasure Island, and maybe start The Western Wind.

Friday evening check-in

Books read from: Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman and Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices by Noah Feldman. Recorded book Night Country by Melissa Albert.

Books finished: 0

Time reading: 1 hour during lunch.
Time posting:
Snacks: I had a pot of pomegranate tea this afternoon as it was cold in my home office.

Thoughts: WOW! What a week! Back to work for the beginning of the semester next week, so will enjoy reading this weekend. Will get my Covid vaccination tomorrow. Don't know how that happened, but I was on the list to get it so will do so.
Books finished:
Books Read From: 3

Total time reading: 1 hour

Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 94
Total read from: 100
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 259.5 hours.

Haven't quite started yet but will be reading Intervention by Julian May and Conquest by John Connolly

I started reading a little after 5 and read Lost Children Archive until it was time to start making dinner, then switched to my audiobook (The Hemingses of Monticello).

5:00-10:00 PM
Books read from: Lost Children Archive, The Hemingses of Monticello
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 2 hours reading, 90 minutes listening
Time posting: 5 minutes
Snacks: Snack: marinated feta on crackers
Dinner: Roasted carrot and ricotta tart, baked sweet potato, green salad
Thoughts: I had to force myself to sit down and read, but I did get through Part I of my book and should finish it this weekend. I will spend a lot of the weekend with my audiobook while I take down the Christmas decorations.
Non-book activities: making and eating dinner

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 2
Total time reading: 3.5

Sunday early check in: 12.30am

Books read from: Loner by Georgina Young & The once and future King by TH White (audio)
Books finished: 1
Time reading: 3.5 hrs

Snacks: enchilada
Thoughts: time for bed
Non-book activities: driving, food prep

Total books finished: 2 The Song Dog by James McClure & Loner by Georgina Young
Total read from: 4
Total time reading: 7.5 hrs

Good to be home and have finished another book this evening.

Saturday early check in.

Books read from: Intervention by Julian May.
Books finished: 0
Non-book activities: Watched Star Trek Discovery last night with Mr. Majkia
Current snacks: Vanilla flavored black tea.
Reading time: 1 hour (yes, falling down on the job. Couldn't keep the eyes open last night.

Saturday check-in

Books read from: 2
Books finished: 1
Time reading: 9 hour shift, plus 30 mins at bedtime
Thoughts: Another trilling weekend of reading at work

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 2
I finished the rest of Dexter in the Dark and started The Secret Place. This will probably last me most of the weekend as it's around 400 pages of tiny writing.

Saturday morning check-in

Books read from: Radicalized, Fat Girl Walking, Widow of Rose House
Books finished:0
Thoughts: I have to go shopping today, something I haven't done for a long time. But if I don't I'm going to have to wear pyjama pants to work.

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 3

Saturday morning check-in:

Books read from:The Norths Meet Murder by Frances and Richard Lockridge
Books finished: 0
Time reading: half an hour of reading last night
Time posting: none
Snacks: fruits
Thoughts: hope to stay focused on doing more reading and not checking the news
Non-book activities: watched a few movies with the family

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 1
Total time reading: 0.5

Books read from: Dead as a Dinosaur
Books finished:
Time reading: ?
Time posting: ?
Snacks: breakfast was pumpkin oatmeal & iced coffee; lunch was turkey & noodles; tea
Thoughts: Why have I overlooked the Lockridges for so long?!
Non-book activities: grocery pickup, poking around on Ancestry

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 1
Total time reading: ?

I'll post my stats in a bit. I'm nearly done with one and want to finish it. I may read a bit more after that before posting. I'm just getting to a place where I can read today. The meeting this morning went a little overtime, and then I needed to send an email to get the board's executive committee to act on a recommendation, and then I needed to eat. Hopefully I can settle in and read a bit now.

Saturday 11:10 AM

Books read from: The Wonder Engine
Books finished: The Wonder Engine
Time reading: 4 hours
Snacks: cereal
Thoughts: My God what a week this was.
Non-book activities: laundry

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 1
Total time reading: 4 hours

Saturday, late afternoon

Engrossed in Daisy Jones & the Six. Nearly done; loving it.

breakfast: oatmeal with nuts & dried fruit.
lunch: leftover chop & vegetables

other activity:
tidying my loft. Loft is a nice-sized space with lots of natural light where I have my children's library, puzzles, games, puppets, dolls, toys, and musical instruments. When my little grandaughters were here at Christmas, they pulled everything out. Expecting my sister and BIL next weekend so getting ready for adult company!

thoughts:
sunny out, definitely a walk later. Nap, maybe?

Saturday 4:15 pm report (includes Friday to Saturday mid-afternoon reading)

Books read from: 6 - Bible (ESV), Old Testament Words for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe, Near to the Heart of God by Robert J. Morgan, Anchored in Jesus by Johnny Hunt, The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler, Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day
Books finished: 1
Time reading: 3.5 hours
Time posting: ?
Snacks: Chex snack mix
Thoughts: I need to grab a cat or turn up the heat.
Non-book activities: committee meeting (virtual), Zoom chat (last night)

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 6
Total time reading: 3.5 hours

Sunday check in: 12noon

Books read from: The once and future King by TH White (audio), The Plotters by Un-su Kim, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda, Utu by Caryl Férey
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 2 hrs

Snacks: sausage roll, latte
Thoughts: need to go for a walk
Non-book activities: trip to pharmacy, cafe, supermarket

Total books finished: 2 The Song Dog by James McClure & Loner by Georgina Young
Total read from: 7
Total time reading: 9.5 hrs

Made a start on several books, mostly ones from the library. Now I'm not sure which one to pick up first as they all have drawn me in so might just have to prioritise by due date.

With one eye on the NFL playoffs, I'm reading Intervention by Julian May. This morning I was listening to Conquest which is okay, but it's YA and a bit angsty (Ugh).

Dinner was pot pies. Now I'm sipping a Rum Chata.

Saturday evening check-in:

Books read from: Dead as a Dinosaur
Books finished: Dead as a Dinosaur
Time reading: ?
Time posting: ?
Snacks: Dinner was a couple of hard-boiled eggs, mandarin orange, blueberries, & tea
Thoughts: Why am I just now discovering the Lockridges? This was a delightful classic mystery, somewhere between a cozy and a police procedural.
Non-book activities: Long walk with the dog, laundry. I must really love my dog because the cold, damp and wind made for a miserable walk!

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 1
Total time reading:

I'm going to watch a couple of episodes of Mr. & Mrs. North on Amazon Prime before calling it a day. If I read any more this evening, I'll start Five on a Treasure Island.

Saturday evening check-in:

Books read from: The Widow of Rose House
Books finished: The Widow of Rose House

Snacks: I went out for a nice dinner. I'm so grateful to live in place where our COVID cases are low.

Non-book activities: Shopping and then doom scrolling.

Total books finished: 1

Saturday evening check-in:

Books read from: The Norths Meet Murder by Frances and Richard Lockridge and My Promised Land by Ari Shavit (audio)
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 5 hours
Time posting: none
Thoughts: As I was reading The Norths Meet Murder I said to myself the book is well-fitting for a show. Turns out, there is one already! Thank you for mentioning it Dee!
Non-book activities: cooking, online shopping

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 2
Total time reading: 5.5

Sunday morning report (on Saturday reading)

As expected I spent most of the day putting Christmas stuff away, and not reading, though I was able to spend a lot of that time listening to an audiobook.
Saturday

Books read from: Lost Children Archive, The Hemingses of Monticello, Jazz
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 100 minutes reading, 375 minutes listening
Time posting: 0
Snacks: Mostly pizza (lunch and leftovers for dinner)
Thoughts: I hate hate hate putting the Christmas decorations away. It is so much work!
Non-book activities: see above. Also farmers market, yoga, making bread

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 3
Total time reading: 11.5

Books read from: Five on a Treasure Island
Books finished: Dead as a Dinosaur
Time reading: ?
Time posting: ?
Snacks: lunch was leftover turkey & noodles; tea
Thoughts: The sun is out! I had almost forgotten what it looks like.
Non-book activities: Zoom church

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 2
Total time reading: ?

Sunday morning- heard a webinar on Bernini and am starting to read Little Threats by Emily Schultz

Sunday 3 pm

Books read from: 6 - Bible (ESV), Old Testament Words for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe, Near to the Heart of God by Robert J. Morgan, Anchored in Jesus by Johnny Hunt, The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler, The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James
Books finished: 1
Time reading: 3 hours
Time posting: ?
Snacks:
Thoughts:
Non-book activities: updating COVID stats spreadsheet (last night), church (on TV), sleeping off a headache (with Tylenol)

Total books finished: 2
Total read from: 7
Total time reading: 6.5 hours

Monday check in: 9am

Books read from: The once and future King by TH White (audio), The Plotters by Un-su Kim, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, Utu by Caryl Férey, The Big Killing by Robert Wilson
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 3 hrs

Snacks: souvlaki & lemon rice
Thoughts: lots to do today
Non-book activities: sleeping, food prep

Total books finished: 2 The Song Dog by James McClure & Loner by Georgina Young
Total read from: 8
Total time reading: 12.5 hrs

I finished The Sword in the Stone, the first part of The Once and Future King.

Sunday afternoon

Books:
finished Daisy Jones & the Six :)
about a third of the way through the wanderers by Chuck Wendig,
sci fic/pandemic novel.

late lunch:
peanut butter & jelly sandwich & a Blue Moon Belgian White Ale.

other activity:
Sunday papers, laundry, kitchen tidying.

thoughts: walk later; husband cooking tonight. :)

Sunday evening, about to leave work, yay!

Books: Finished two over the weekend. Dexter in the Dark and The Secret Place
Reading time: 3 9 hour shifts at work and a little bit before bed each night

Really enjoying Little Threats!

Sunday evening check-in:

Books read from: Fat Girl Walking, A Homemade Life, Children of Blood and Bone
Books finished: The Widow of Rose House (yesterday)

Non-book activities: Knitting a pretty pair of mittens.

Total books finished: 1

Sunday evening check-in

Books read from: Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman and Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices by Noah Feldman. Recorded book Night Country by Melissa Albert.

Books finished: 1 - Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Time reading: 1.5
Time posting:
Snacks: Had Indian food for lunch and will be cooking and making chicken, rice, and broccoli one-pot supper.

Thoughts: Today marks the end of my at-home Christmas break. Tomorrow I will be back to work in my office on campus. I will start reading Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker sometime this week.

Books Read From: 3

Total time reading: 1.5 hours

Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 95
Total read from: 100
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 261 hours since April 2020.

Sunday evening check-in:

Books read from: Five on a Treasure Island
Books finished: Dead as a Dinosaur, Five on a Treasure Island
Time reading: ?
Time posting: ?
Snacks: dinner was hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, and hot tea
Thoughts: I would have enjoyed Five on a Treasure Island more as a child than I do now as an adult.
Non-book activities: Long walk with the dog.

Total books finished: 2
Total read from: 2
Total time reading: ?

I accomplished what I had hoped to by finishing two books this weekend, so I'm going to work on a project for a while now. I may pick up The Western Wind later this evening.

Sunday 8 pm

Books read from: 3 - The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler, The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James, and Bathed in Prayer: Father Tim's Prayers, Sermons, and Reflections from the Mitford Series by Jan Karon
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 2.5 hours
Time posting: ?
Snacks:
Thoughts:
Non-book activities: phone calls

Total books finished: 2
Total read from: 8
Total time reading: 9 hours

I may read a little more before bedtime, but I've got a couple other things to do. I suspect it will be an hour more at most from The Woman in the Mirror which I'm really enjoying. It reminds me of the old Gothic/romantic suspense books I enjoyed back in the 1970s. This one has parts of the novel set in 1806, 1947, and present-day so far.

Sunday 6:30 PM

Books read from: Mysteries of the Middle Ages
Books finished: none
Time reading: 2 hours
Snacks: waiting on Shake Shack delivery
Thoughts: If you're going to fall asleep reading, make sure your iPad is secure enough on its holder that it doesn't fall over and smack you in the face--ouch!
Non-book activities: took down the Christmas tree, Zoom book club

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 2
Total time reading: 6 hours

I watched a new PBS Masterpiece Theatre production and am just finishing Little Threats-really good.

Report on Saturday reading


Books read from: Lost Children Archive, The Hemingses of Monticello
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 90 minutes reading, 3 hours listening
Time posting: 5 minutes
Snacks: lunch out at an outdoor restaurant with heat lamps. Dinner: carrot gnocchi and sourdough toast
Thoughts: It's been very hard to concentrate this weekend--I'm very distracted by the news
Non-book activities: lunch out, organizing, cooking, dishes, family zoom call, political discussions, His Dark Materials episode

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 3
Total time reading: 16

Monday morning check-in

Books read from: I started reading Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker last night. Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman and Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices by Noah Feldman. Recorded book Night Country by Melissa Albert.

Books finished: 1 - Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Time reading: 1.5
Time posting:
Snacks: The Chicken and Rice one-pot supper was delicious. This is a recipe that I am going to share!

Thoughts: Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker is a book for my real life book discussion group and so far it is an excellent read. I am happy with this selection.

Books Read From: 3

Total time reading: 1 hours

Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 95
Total read from: 101
Total time reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 262 hours since April 2020.

weekend roundup

books:
still reading Wanderers by Chuck Wendig.
listened to Beast player on my walk last night.
Up next? I have 3 library ebooks on my phone and 8 or 9 books received for Christmas; plus hundreds on my own shelves yet to read.

Snack: chocolate chip cookie that my husband baked this weekend.

other activity:
laundry, watched Masterpiece All creatures great and small last night and a couple episodes of High Seas.

thoughts:
thank goodness, my husband and my mom both scheduled for their covid vaccine this week. l think I'm in the next group.
Company this week! My son & family coming for a couple days before they fly home to California. My sister arriving Sunday. I have to decide if I want to go back to DC with her, preferably AFTER the inauguration and any accompanying flurry.

A very late Monday check-in for my Sunday status update:

Books read from: The Norths Meet Murder by Frances and Richard Lockridge and My Promised Land by Ari Shavit (audio)
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 4.5 hours
Time posting: none
Non-book activities: cooking, TV

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 2
Total time reading: 11 hours

>53 benitastrnad: Share your recipe here too please.

One-Pot Chicken with Broccoli and Rice
serves 4 with very generous portions

you will need at least a 4 quart oven pot or dutch oven for this recipe.

Ingredients
4 (6 to 8-ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice (I have used brown rice but it will take longer to cook and needs more water)
4 cups chicken broth
12 ounce broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces (I have used frozen florets as well as fresh)
6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups when shredded)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees F. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, browned side up.
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onion is just softened, about 3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in rice and cook until edges of rice begin to turn translucent, and stirring to make sure rice is coated with ingredients from the pot. This will take about 2 - 3 minutes.
4. Sitr in broth and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until nearly all liquid is absorbed, about 12 minuets, stirring occasionally to make sure rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
5. Off heat, stir in broccoli, cheddar, and Parmesan. Scrape down sides of pot with rubber spatula. Top rice mixture with chicken, browned side up, and add any accumulated chicken juices from plate. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, until chicken registers 160 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Let cook for 10 minutes before serving. I check the pot about half-way through baking time and add water if the rice is too dry. If it needs water add 1/4 cup. That should be enough.

This makes a good amount of rice so you can use 5-6 chicken breasts and still have good portions for a meal for 6.

>57 benitastrnad: The recipe looks yummy! Thanks for sharing.

>57 benitastrnad:
Thanks for the recipe. Looks good. I'll try it!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/328744