Social Distancing Readathon #154 - February 24 - 26

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'm in!

I'm in! I have a hair appointment Saturday morning so I know I'll have at least a half hour to read while the color processes.

Yes, please!

I'm in!

I am in! I have been doing volunteer work entering references into a research database for a professor friend and am taking the weekend off to read. I may tackle Richard Powers's Overstory for the American Authors February challenge. Other than some laundry and a little gardening (planting potatoes mostly), I seem to have a very open weekend. Aah...

Count me in again.

Now reading The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman and finding it very funny and entertining.

Still in Florida, reading on the porch and enjoying the birdsong and balmy weather.

>7 nrmay: I'm also reading The Man Who Died Twice and quite enjoying it. Am going to read a bit more from other books now before I get some sleep and post properly in the morning (it's late night or early hours here). My other planned reading includes continuing with The Last Remains, #15 in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths, and announced by the author as the last for now, and a new novel, A Spell of Good Things by Nigerian novelist Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀.

Friday night update:
Books read from: Bewilderment , Alaska
Books finished: 1
Time reading: 1 hour
Time posting: 8:40 am Saturday
Snacks: went out for pizza

Non-book activities: watched Force 10 from Navarone with son

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

Saturday Morning Update:

I finished The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. Alexander presents a meticulously researched historical timeline that shows how we moved from slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration as answers to segregation and racism. The latter is seemingly so entrenched legally, politically, culturally and economically that Alexander doesn't offer much hope for reversing it.

Watching a tennis final and then planning on reading but may need something less serious than Overstory. I have Steve Berry's latest on the Kindle.

>8 elkiedee:
I just reserved A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ at the library.
Description remends me of two others I really liked -
The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar (India) and
The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Dare (Nigeria)

Book: The Man Who Died Twice, Osman

Other activity:
Farmers Market
Cat Angels Thrift Store.
I visited and petted the cats for adoption. I'll need another cat soon. It's a little empty and lonely in my house since my last cat died just before Thanksgiving.

Sunny, 75 F. (24 C.)

Saturday afternoon update:

Books read from: Purple Hibiscus, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Purgatory
Books finished:
Time reading: ?
Time posting: ?
Snacks: tea; supper will be lentil and bacon soup
Thoughts: It's a dreary day, and everything is blooming too early. I hope we don't have a freeze
Non-book activities: grocery shopping, supper with a friend, and a Zoom meeting last night; genealogy research, hair appointment, and phone call with my brother today (it's his birthday)

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

I've already passed the point where I stopped the last time I tried reading Purgatory, so I'm happy about that! I think I'll be able to finish it this time.

I've relapsed a bit on my surgical recovery, so I'm taking it very easy this weekend, which has included several hours reading The Pursuit of Glory and The Swiss Family Robinson.

Saturday evening

Books:
The Man Who Died Twice
I picked up Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk at a Little Free Library but it hasn't grabbed me so I'll exchange it for another.

Lovely seafood dinner out with husband and sister-in-law.

Other activity:
Walk on the beach and shell collecting.
We've watched some TV including the mini series What/If with Renee Zellweger, and 'Your Place or Mine, movie with Reece Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher.

I'm here!

I finished The Dark Frigate and have Remains at hand, probably will start tonight.

Saturday night update

Books read from: Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear. I started reading Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales by Marta McDowell. I am listening to Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby. I finished reading Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis.

Books finished in this weekend's Readathon:Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis.

Book Thoughts: I am enjoying my exploration of the life of Beatrix Potterso much that I made an ILL request for a book about her gardening life! It is full of pictures and won't take long for me to read.

Non Book Activities: I spent the afternoon at FiddleFest. This is a Bluegrass Music Contest and show that has been happening in Tuscaloosa for years. I went to one of the first ones but didn't go back. I went this time because a colleague was working as one of the helpers of the show and she asked me to come. I did and I really enjoyed it.

I had a great time at my retirement party yesterday. However, I am having problems getting my paperwork done and now I am caught in a feedback loop that starts with the Medicare number. I have one, but they can't find an account. But it was a great party. I got flowers and lots of loot (gifts) that I wasn't expecting. I also had former student employees show up and former colleagues. None of these were expected but they were great fun to have there. The big surprise was that my cousin and his family drove down all the way from Kansas! That was a huge surprise. Not at all expected.

I still have to finish taking down postcards.

Time reading: 1 hour today
Time posting:
Food: leftovers today but free food at the FiddleFest.
Total books finished since the Read-A-Thon Began: 301
Total Time Reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 827 hours since I started doing the weekend Read-A-Thon back in April of 2020.

Books read from: Alaska
Books finished:
Time reading: 1 hour
Time posting:. 7 sm Sunday
Snacks: pretzels and hot chocolate
Thoughts:. Mmm cozy
Non-book activities:. YouTube

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

Sunday morning update:

I am finishing up the last few minutes of The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer. It is first book in the Glass Library series. I think I will continue listening when the second one comes out next week...or once it makes it to Hoopla.

Morning chores are mostly done and I am ready to settle back in with Steve Berry. His new book does not disappoint with its focus on historical conspiracies. Also hoping to get to Joanne Harris's Honeycomb later.

My only other plan is to plant a row of potatoes in our high tunnel. Dinner is a roast and vegies in the crock pot and I may make some oatmeal breakfast bars.

Sunday early afternoon

>16 benitastrnad:
Hearty congratulations on your retirement, Benita! Retired life is great.
I should catch Fiddle Fest some time - I'm a big fan of bluegrass and music festivals!

Book: Getting back to finishing The Man Who Died Twice shortly, but feeling sleepy after a busy morning..

I made a mushroom/sausage scramble for breakfast; then an iced chai latte at the coffee shop mid-morning.

Other activity:
Walked about visiting the shops in the historic district with my sis-in-law. She left for home today.
We're on our own for the next couple days, then home on Wed.
A literary note - we rode by the Pippi Longstocking House here on Amelia Island, where the 1988 movie was filmed.

Sunny, 81 F. (27 C.)

>19 nrmay:
I love visiting literary sites. It is great fun for me and a colleague of mine. We have an expedition planned to visit some presidential libraries later this spring.

Sunday afternoon update

Books read from: Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear. I started reading Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales by Marta McDowell. I am listening to Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby.

Books finished in this weekend's Readathon: Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis. Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear

Book Thoughts: I finished Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear. This was a biography of the famous children's author that clocked in at 608 pages. Of course, there were 50 pages of notes and index, but it was a hefty book that consumed hefty amounts of reading time. It was very enlightening and a very well done biography. It made Beatrix Potter into a very interesting person. Which I suspect she would have been even without the biography. She was an independent minded woman who did her duty by her parents, but also managed to live her own life. She was able to do so because she made a huge amount of money from her children's books due to astute business acumen. She invented and created toys, games, wallpaper, etc. using the likeness of her creations that made her a tremendous amount of money. What is astounding is that she used that money to purchase land in the Lake District. She vacationed there for many years and loved the landscape, the people, the farms, and the way of life and wanted to preserve it. Towards that end, she donated over 4,000 acres to the National Trust upon her death. It is an amazing life that she lived. This biography concentrates on her life as a naturalist, so most of the book is devoted to her mycology studies done in the 1890's and then her life on her farms from 1910 to her death. It is not about how or why she wrote the children's books that made her famous. I gave this biography 4.5 stars because it is just short of perfect.

Non Book Activities: I will be working in my office in a few minutes. I have boxes to haul out and can't get close to the building during the week, so today is hauling day. And - I still have to finish taking down postcards. There was also my Sunday morning phone call to my sister as well. I will start writing my Thank You cards tonight.

Time reading: 2 hours today
Time posting:
Food: Indian food for lunch
Total books finished since the Read-A-Thon Began: 302
Total Time Reading since the Social Distancing read-a-thon began: 829 hours since I started doing the weekend Read-A-Thon back in April of 2020.

>16 benitastrnad: Happy retirement! I have been mostly retired since last June and loving it. Both Betrice Potter's book went on my TBR list.

I finished The Last Kingdom by Steve Berry. I always swear I am going to read his books more slowly but then I get sucked in to the amazing settings and fast-paced action. Took a reading break to make leftover oatmeal bars from this morning's breakfast. I hacked a web-based recipe for cookies. They baked well and the corner I cut tasted good. The roast is cooking away in the crockpot.

I am going to plan my March reading while i watch Rick Steves and then read Joanne M. Harris's book of fairy tales illustrated by Charles Vess.

>18 witchyrichy: What kind of potatoes are you planting? And what else do you have in your high tunnel? I grow a market garden and am always interested in what other people are growing.

>20 benitastrnad:
Benita, inviting you and everyone to North Carolina. We have the beautiful Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock, NC. His wife raised dairy goats and the goat farm and goats remain on the property.
Also - The Thomas Wolfe Memorial is a state historic site, historic house and museum in Asheville.

I'm stopping in Savannah on the way home and there you can see the Mercer Williams House Museum; that historic home was the scene of the crime in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The famous Bird Girl statue is in the Jepson Center for the Arts.

I too like literary sites!

Sunday evening

Book; Still plugging away at The Man Who Died Twice.

Dinner was leftover Cajun crawfish étouffée that my sister-in-law made while she was here.

Other activity: walk on the beach just before sunset.

Thoughts: I love to visit Florida but I would NEVER live here; the governor is a complete trainwreck.

Sunday night update:

Books read from: Purple Hibiscus, Purgatory
Books finished: Purgatory
Time reading: ?
Time posting: ?
Snacks: supper was leftover lentil and bacon soup
Thoughts: I could use a longer weekend!
Non-book activities: Church, genealogy research, laundry

Total books finished: 1
Total read from: 3
Total time reading: ?

>24 nrmay: I second the invitation to NC. I suggest a trip to any of the barrier islands, but winter is best due to a lack of crowds. There's a lovely bird refuge on the Outer Banks (OBX) called Pea Island, and it's a national park to boot. I could have spent more than a couple hours there but I wasn't by myself.

Finished The Dark Frigate (very good} and started but didn't finish Remains.

I spent most of my weekend working outside (in between rain showers) working on the chicken run/coop and brooder box.

Sunday update:
Books read from: Alaska, The Sign of Four
Books finished:
Time reading: 2 hours
Time posting:. 9:20am Monday
Snacks: banana bread
Thoughts: Hmmm so giraffes are native to North America
Interesting
Non-book activities:. YouTube

Total books finished:. 1
Total read from: 3
Total time reading: 4 hours

>27 fuzzi:
I love Pea Island and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Also the village of Ocracoke and the wild horses on Ocracoke Island. We should host a read-a-thon meet-up in NC!

>23 SilverWolf28: This crop of potatoes are plain old baking potatoes that sprouted in the bin in the house. I often plant them in large pots by the house but decided to get a little more professional in my retirement. I'm also going to plant beets, salad greens and bok choy as well. There are collards and kale already out there and I want to try to make kraut out of them. For summer, I'll do corn, beans, squash, tomatoes (mostly san marzano), peppers, and okra.

>24 nrmay: >27 fuzzi: I adore North Carolina and could definitely make a meetup there! My family vacationed there, mostly in Corolla. My husband and I have gone birding there in the winter, starting inland at Lake Mattamuskeet then heading to the OBX. We camped in Howard's parking lot one year. In the old days, you could drive on the beach at Hatteras and we would sleep in the pickup, waking to the fisherman and surf. Aah...we may need to head down as it has been a few years. I also give a little to support the wild horses.

Eva Gates writes a cozy mystery series set on the Outer Banks in a library in the Bodie Island Lighthouse and Kathryn O'Sullivan wrote three mysteries in a series set in Corolla.

>30 witchyrichy: Yum! I'm trying to sprout some sweet potatoes to plant once the weather warms. Today I planted 150 feet of bok choy, and yesterday I planted 100 feet of lettuce in the garden.

>29 nrmay: just give me some options!

>32 SilverWolf28: I had a sweet potato sprout last Spring. I planted it and got a pile of tubers in the Fall.

This year I'm planting rutabaga tops that have sprouted.

>33 fuzzi:
I'm on it!

another NC literary site -
O. Henry is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Asheville.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/349027

>32 SilverWolf28: I love bok choy! I grew it last year but was late so ended up with bug-eaten leaves. But, I discovered that the stems are delicious pickled! And yay to lettuce! It is on my list to plant as well.

>36 SilverWolf28: I am in for the next readathon.