Social Distancing Readathon #97 - January 21 - 23

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

I'll be in. Kerry from NZ.
Hoping to finish The Lincoln Highway and King Hereafter this weekend.

I’m in!

I am in, especially since I missed the one last weekend because of being out of town.

Count me in again.

I will be participating. I try really hard to make every weekend a reading marathon, but I often fail. Life intrudes to often.

I'm in!

Cold and cloudy, 35 F. (2 C.) with a chance of snow in Charlotte NC at 11p.

Just finished Pastoral by Nevil Shute.
Starting yet another WWII historical novel, Secrets of a Charmed Life.

I'm in- it is still freezing in Toronto -the temperature tonight has a wind chill of -20C. It is a good time to stay inside and read! I am finishing up my read of Piranesi

I'm in --Tess from Ohio. Hopeful to finish my current audio book, The Cat of Bubastes and my tree book, Madonna in a Fur Coat.

I plan to read some, but I am working on Sunday, so don't expect a lot that day. I do expect to finish at least two books this weekend.

I'm reading more than I did last January but not doing well at posting on the readathon threads so far this year! I am going to try again, though I also have a couple of reasons to put down my books over the weekend.

Am mixing Ann Patchett's autobiographical essay pieces in These Precious Days with a book about Tsarist Siberia, the most recent VI Warshawski novel and a few other books. Daniel Beer's book on Siberia is excellent but it does need something a bit lighter as a counterbalance.

I'm in again. Currently reading The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, and The Innocence of Father Brown

Brrr! Count me in! This frosty weekend I'll be hunkered down reading:
My library club selection for February: The Last Time I Lied
My Santa Swap gift from Carrie: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
And definately finish the NetGalley I've been dragging my feet with: Give Unto Others
Plus a little bit from my longer projects: Under Jerusalem and Tinder Box

>1 SilverWolf28: yippee! I'm back and hopeful I'll get more read this weekend than last.

Friday night with a winter storm warning...

Books read from: People Who Walk in Darkness by Stuart Kaminsky
Books finished: People Who Walk in Darkness by Stuart Kaminsky
Time reading: about 90 minutes
Time posting: 5 minutes?
Snacks: Water with Essense-C
Thoughts: Waiting for the snow to start...
Non-book activities: Making pinto beans, walking dog, feeding birds

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 1

Friday night update:

Books read from: A Sword Named Truth by Sherwood Smith, How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith, Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman, The World Between Two Covers by Ann Morgan, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak, The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne, and Sala’s Gift by Ann Kirschner
Books finished: 2, How the Word Is Passed and The World Between Two Covers
Time reading: ~4 hours
Time posting: 0
Snacks: Nothing
Non-book activities: Listening to music

Total books finished: 2
Total read from: 7
Total time reading: ~4 hours

Update #1
Friday late night update:

So far this readathon
Books read from: 4, The Bookseller of Florence by Ross King, The Man in the Bunker by Rory Clements, Realms of Glory by Catherine Fox and The Next Civil War: Dispatches From the American Future by Stephen Marche
Books finished: The Next Civil War

Time reading: 6 hours
Time posting: 30 mins
Snacks: dinner was chicken tikka masala followed by two mandarin oranges
Thoughts: Tested positive for Covid and I'm only mildly ill but quite grumpy about it. Still, I'm confined to quarters and have zero energy anyway.
Non-book activities: Had a nap. Took out the garbage (after everyone else was off the streets). Fed the cats.

Since last update:
Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 4 (see list above)
Total time reading: 6 hours

I expect to finish the Ross King book tonight or tomorrow, and I'm going to move on to finish Along the Amber Route by C.J. Schüler. I'm also partway through Finding Philippe by Elizabeth Pewsey/Aston/Edmondson (chose moniker you wish... she wrote under all three) and I have some books from the Athenaeum to wrap up.

Started King Richard last night, Michael Dobbs’ telling of the events between Nixon’s second inauguration and his resignation. Based on newly released tapes from the Nixon Presidential Library, it’s a very detailed look. Quite good!

Books read from: King Richard
Books finished: none yet
Time reading: 1.5 hours
Time posting: Saturday, 8 AM
Snacks: dark & stormy
Thoughts: really good book so far!
Non-book activities:

Total books finished: none yet
Total read from: 1
Total time reading: 1.5 hours

Friday night update:

Books read from: Give Unto Others, The Secret to Superhuman Strength
Books finished:
Time reading: probably about an hour, then I fell asleep
Dinner: Bean and Cheese burrito
Thoughts: It's sunny in Cleveland but at -4f, I'm not going anywhere.
Non-book activities: watched That's my Jam

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

Friday reading

As usual I fell asleep last night before posting.

Books read from: New York, New York, New York - Thomas Dyja, My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk, Reveille in Washington - Margaret Leech
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 45 p, 4 chapters of audiobook
Time reading: 2 hours plus 2 hours listening
Dinner: sausage and onion sandwich, carrots
Thoughts: All my books are long and I need to start something shorter to feel like I'm getting somewhere.
Non-book activities: work, dinner, dog walk, gave dog a bath, episode of Strike

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 3
Total pages read: 45 p, 4 chapters of audiobook
Total time reading: 2 hours plus 2 hours listening

Update #2
Saturday morning update:

Since last update:
Books read from: 4, The Bookseller of Florence by Ross King, The Man in the Bunker by Rory Clements, Realms of Glory by Catherine Fox and re-listening to Box 88 by Charles Cumming ahead of reading the sequel
Books finished: The Bookseller of Florence

Time reading: 5 hours
Time posting: 30 mins
Snacks: about to have an apple turnover for breakfast
Thoughts: Not feeling well, though not nearly as bad as it could be. Still, never got back to sleep again last night after a brief nap earlier in the evening. So I'm kind of exhausted.
Non-book activities: Head scratches for cats. Laundry, changed sheets. Waiting for my father to call with a problem for me to resolve somehow. He's probably waiting until I doze off for another nap to call me, LOL.

So far this readathon:
Total books finished: 2, The Next Civil War: Dispatches From the American Future by Stephen Marche and The Bookseller of Florence by Ross King
Total read from: 5 (see list above)
Total time reading: 11 hours

Thinking about what else I want to read.

Cold and bright in Charlotte at mid-day.
Snow is melting off streets and sidewalks in the sun, though it's still below freezing.

Books:
3/4 way through Secrets of a Charmed Life, historical fiction, WWII in Britain.
Finished The Complete Brambly Hedge, Jill Barklem. J animal fantasy.

dinner last night was leftover Chinese take-out. Thinking about brunch now. Just coffee so far today.

Other activity:
Plan to get out for a long walk and start my new audio ed. of The Sentinel, Lee Child.
Sending some postcrossing cards.

thoughts:
So far I'm doing fairly well at sticking to my New Years 'fit and trim' plan for healthier diet and regular exercise.
Thinking of all I need to do before leaving for Florida on Feb 1.

Saturday 6 pm update:

Books read from: Bible (KJV), God Hears Her by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur, The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves, The Resistance Man by Martin Walker
Books finished: None yet
Time reading: ??
Time posting: ??
Snacks: Hamburger for supper
Thoughts:
Non-book activities: laundry, (making the bed with 3 cats in it), taking the cat litter to the landfill, cat petting, a little TV, an unexpected 4-hour phone conversation last night

Total books finished:
Total read from: 5
Total time reading: ??

Saturday, early evening

Books:
Finished Secrets of a Charmed Life. It was great.
Started Tell the Bees that I am Gone, latest Outlander novel by Diana Gabaldon.

Dinner: husband serving up his spaghetti and meatballs now! Indulging in a glass of red wine.
Have reduced adult beverages to 1-2 a week on my 'fit & trim' plan.

I just started a new book-The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

Friday-almost finished The Cat of Bubastes and Madonna in a Fur Coat. Time Read: 2 hours

Saturday-FINISHED The Cat of Bubastes and Madonna in a Fur Coat, and The Gold Bug Began Into the Raging Sea, The Wide Sargasso Sea, and Much Ado About Nothing.

Time reading: 4 hours 30 mins
Time posting: 5 minutes
Snacks: popcorn
Dinner: Chicken breasts baked with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms with a tad of chicken broth, parmesan couscous
Thoughts: too numerous to list!
Non-book activities: took my mother to physical therapy, to radiation treatment, and to the beauty shop for her mani/pedi--yes, she's 88, still very mobile, and able to do these things! Also cleaned her house and left her 2 fridge meals before driving the 90 minutes back home. I will be staying with her on Thur/Fri and returning home on Saturday for the next 4 weeks until she finishes radiation.

Total books finished: 2, thus far
Total read from: 4, thus far
Total time reading: 6 hours 30 minutes thus far--but have Sunday to go!

THE GRAND FINALE:
TOTAL TIME READ 10 hours 35 minutes
Total Read from 5 The Cat of Bubastes, The Gold Bug, Much Ado About Nothing, Into the Raging Sea, Madonna in a Fur Coat
Total Finished 3 (The Cast of Bubastes, The Gold Bug, Madonna in a Fur Coat

Saturday update:

Books read from: Give Unto Others, The Secret to Superhuman Strength and The Last Time I Lied
Books finished: Give Unto Others (finally!)
Time reading: a few hours
Dinner: Basmati rice and vegetables with red curry
Thoughts: Maybe Donna Leon is running out of new ideas.
Non-book activities: watched an episode of Peaky Blinds, watched the Bengals beat Tennessee (Yay!), worked on a new puzzle

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 3

Saturday evening update on Friday and Saturday reading:

Books read from: Robert E. Lee and Me
Books finished: Robert E. Lee and Me
Time reading: 4 hours
Time posting: 5:45 PM
Snacks: potato chips
Thoughts: This was a great read on confronting historical reality after growing up steeped in Lost Cause mythology.
Non-book activities: farmers market, listened to a basketball game, afternoon nap

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

Saturday evening update
Books Read From: A small bit in Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission by Barry Friedman. Nothing so far this weekend in We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. Honey Bus by Meredith May finished Friday night. I started reading Pilgrimage to the End of the World by Conrad Rudolph. I am listening to Spy Who Was Left Behind by Michael Pullara.

Books finished in this week's Readathon: Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May
Time reading: 1 hour yesterday evening and 1.5 hours so far today.
Time posting:
Food: lentil and feta salad with some canned beef vegetable soup
Activities Other Than Reading: I picked up my glasses today and nearly choked when I saw the final price for them. I did put them on and walked out but as I drove around this afternoon I think that the distance prescription for the left eye is not correct. I couldn't see as well out of that eye as I would like. Up close vision is fine.
Thoughts: It was bright and sunny today but on the chilly side. I did go for coffee and sat out in the sun eating a croissant and drinking a cup of coffee. It was very pleasant and perfect activity for a Saturday afternoon of relaxation. I need more of those. I was reading my book on the pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain and thinking that perhaps I should try doing that. Surely I am not so old and decrepit that I can't walk that route? It is not quite 1,000 miles from Le Puy, France to Santiago and is doable in 3 months. Before I die I would like to do a pilgrimage of some kind. A woman I worked with 20 years ago went on a pilgrimage every year and I always thought it was something I wanted to do. I am also reading this book because it is in my stack of short books that I started reading last year. It is only 132 pages so I should be able to get it done this weekend and I know that it will give me something to think about for when I retire.
Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 194
Total time reading for the Read-A-Thon since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 528.5 hours since April 2020 when I signed up for my first weekend Readathon.

Saturday night update:

Books read from: A Sword Named Truth by Sherwood Smith, Crazy Brave: A Memoir by Joy Harjo, Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak, The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne, The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell and Sala’s Gift by Ann Kirschner
Books finished: 0
Time reading: ~5.5 hours
Time posting: 0
Snacks: Nothing
Non-book activities: Watching football

Total books finished: 2
Total read from: 9
Total time reading: ~9.5 hours

Saturday reading

Books read from: New York, New York, New York - Thomas Dyja, My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk, Reveille in Washington - Margaret Leech, The Life and Times of Michael K - J. M. Coetzee, Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont - Elizabeth Taylor, Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout, Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
Books finished: still 0
Pages read: 303 p, 6 chapters of audiobook
Time reading: 5 hours 45 minutes plus 3 hours listening
Dinner: spicy sesame soy noodles
Thoughts: I had a full day or reading, with no one home and nothing really to do
Non-book activities: farmers market, walked the dog multiple times, yoga, library, store, made dinner, episode of Strike, Wordle

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 7 New York, New York, New York - Thomas Dyja, My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk, Reveille in Washington - Margaret Leech, The Life and Times of Michael K - J. M. Coetzee, Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont - Elizabeth Taylor, Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout, Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
Total pages read: 348 p, 10 chapters of audiobook
Total time reading: 7 hours 45 minutes plus 5 hours listening

Sunday afternoon update
Books Read From: A small bit in Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission by Barry Friedman. A little bit from We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. I finished reading Pilgrimage to the End of the World by Conrad Rudolph. I am listening to Spy Who Was Left Behind by Michael Pullara.

Books finished in this week's Readathon: I finished Pilgrimage to the End of the World by Conrad Rudolph and on Friday night Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May.
Time reading: 2 hours so far today.
Time posting:
Food: My normal Sunday morning cappuccino from Starbucks and my noon Indian take out.
Activities Other Than Reading: So far today I have only managed to make one phone call and now I am in the process of updating my computer. I need to do some cooking today because I have nothing for lunches this next week. I need to wash some clothes today and get two new masks sewn. I don't really need new masks but I am tired of the ones I have been wearing for 2 years so decided that I wanted at least one new mask. I have lots to do this afternoon so I am wileing away the time here on LT. Go figure.
Total books finished since the read-a-thon began: 195
Total time reading for the Read-A-Thon since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 530.5 hours since April 2020 when I signed up for my first weekend Readathon.

Monday morning checkin

Books read from: King Hereafter, The Lincoln Highway, The twelve and the Genii
Books finished: 0
Time reading: 2.5 hours
Snacks: dinner last night - fusilli with chicken, banana sago pudding
Non-book activities: Several trips into city centre on Saturday and a zoom meeting on Sunday that I had to organise for.

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 3
Total time reading: 2.5 hours

I'll keep reading today, I just have to type up some minutes from yesterday's meeting.

Sunday 10 pm update:

Books read from: Bible (KJV), God Hears Her by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur, The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves, The Resistance Man by Martin Walker, Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich
Books finished: Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur, The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves
Time reading: ??
Time posting: ??
Snacks: some chocolate
Thoughts: I should finish the Martin Walker audiobook tomorrow. I might even finish the Erdrich book before I go to bed tonight!
Non-book activities: church on TV, cat petting, work

Total books finished: Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur, The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves
Total read from: 6
Total time reading: ??

Sunday Night Summary:

Books read from: House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, The Innocence of Father Brown, by G.K. Chesterton A Gentle Answer by Scott Sauls, and Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

Books finished: House of Mirth and The Innocence of Father Brown
Non-book activities: Watched NFL playoffs, went to church
Pages read: 350-ish

Sunday night:

Books read from: The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One
Books finished: none
Time reading: 1 hour
Time posting: 9:20 PM
Snacks: shepherd's pie for dinner
Thoughts: The weekend felt way too short.
Non-book activities: Zoom church, online grocery shopping, cooking

Total books finished: 2
Total read from: 1
Total time reading: 5 hours

Saturday night update:

Books read from: Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak, The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne, The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell, Sala’s Gift by Ann Kirschner, Freiheit! The White Rose Graphic Novel by Andrea Grosso Ciponte, Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala, The Italian Boy by Sarah Wise, and Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
Books finished: 4
Time reading: ~7.5 hours
Time posting: 20 minutes
Snacks: Apples and baby carrots
Non-book activities: Watching football

Total books finished: 6
Total read from: 13
Total time reading: ~17 hours

Final stats

Books read from: People Who Walk in Darkness by Stuart Kaminsky, Changeling by Roger Zelazny, Psalms (King James Bible)
Books finished: People Who Walk in Darkness by Stuart Kaminsky
Non-book activities: Cooking, baking, shoveling snow, making a snowman, watching football with my dad

Total books finished: 1
Books not finished: 2
(ot quite halfway through Changeling, up to chapter 107 in Psalms)

Sunday reading

Books read from: New York, New York, New York - Thomas Dyja, My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk, The Life and Times of Michael K - J. M. Coetzee, Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont - Elizabeth Taylor, Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
Books finished: still 0 though I am close on a couple
Pages read: 196 p, plus 4 chapters of audiobook
Time reading: 3 hours 30 minutes plus 2 hours listening
Dinner: leftover sesame noodles
Thoughts: The Coetzee novel I'm reading is a copy that my daughter apparently read in high school. It's full of her underlinings and margin notes, and it makes me feel like we're reading it together.
Non-book activities: laundry, brunch with friends, walked the dog, husband came home from a trip, made dinner, episode of Station Eleven

Total books finished: 0
Total read from: 7 New York, New York, New York - Thomas Dyja, My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk, Reveille in Washington - Margaret Leech, The Life and Times of Michael K - J. M. Coetzee, Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont - Elizabeth Taylor, Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout, Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
Total pages read: 444 p, 14 chapters of audiobook
Total time reading: 11 hours 15 minutes plus 7 hours listening

Final update (through Sunday when I went to bed):

Books read from: Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich, 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost
Books finished: Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich
Time reading: ??
Time posting: ??
Snacks: nothing
Thoughts: I should finish the Martin Walker audiobook tomorrow
Non-book activities: a crossword puzzle after I finished reading

Total books finished: 1) Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur, 2) The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves, 3) Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich
Total read from: 1) Bible (KJV), 2) God Hears Her by Our Daily Bread Ministries, 3) Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur, 4) The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves, 5) The Resistance Man by Martin Walker, 6) Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich, 7) 'Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost
Total time reading: ??

Monday morning update for Sunday:

Books read from: Locke & Key Small world, The Secret to Superhuman strength
Time reading: off and on during football games
Breakfast: Fried egg, biscuits and bacon. Dinner: left-over vegetable curry
Non-book activities: Football games and an episode of Peaky Blinders

Total books finished: 3
Total read from: 3
Total time reading: I'm not sure

weekend wrap-up

Books:
Still reading Tell the Bees that I am Gone and the audio of The Sentinel, Lee Child.
Started a re-read of one of my favorite J novels, The Exiles by Hilary McKay.
This won the 1992 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and is laught-out-loud funny; about 4 endearing sisters who love to read.

Dinner last night was my husband's pot roast, garden salad, ice cream. We had family here for dinner.

Sunny, 45 F. (7 C.) in Charlotte. Only small patches of snow left.

Are we getting a thread for this weekend? I have some books I need to finish before the end of the month so am in need of a proper readathon.
It’s Thursday night here now so it’d be nice to get a thread up in preparation for reading tomorrow.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/339118

>42 PawsforThought: Lately I seem to get the readathon created around 8 or 9 p.m. USA central time.