Read-A-Thon Updates:

Rather than write a whole slew of update posts, I am going to stick with one main post that I will edit as needed. I'll add the new edits to the top, so you can look here to see my progress.

I also want to give the link for my read-a-thon giveaway one more time so you can enter. So click it. And enter. :)

End of Hours Eighteen and Nineteen:
Title of book(s) read: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery (finished) and A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Pages read: 135
Books finished during Read-a-Thon: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery.
Running total of pages read since you started: 632
Amount of time spent reading: 60ish minutes
Running total of time spent reading: 355 minutes (about 6 hours worth-boo!)

I read all of The Little Prince, which was a beautiful little novel. I can't believe I never read it as a child. It is one I will have to read again (numerous times). With its completion, I finished three full novels today, and "The Waste Land." My goal was 3 novels, and while I am happy with that, I really thought I could get to five (darn those seven hours wasted). But, I accomplished what I set out to do.

I spent some time in the last 2 hours visiting some people and cheering. My eyes are super heavy and I am beginning to find it hard to concentrate. Seeing as it is 3 am and I have been up since 6:30, I am pretty darn sleepy. The energy drink wore off and now I think I am going to turn in for a nap.

The plan is to get back up at 6:30, have some tea, and attempt to read for another hour before the end of the read-a-thon. There is a chance (a big one), that my alarm will go off, I will grumble, and turn it off without even waking. In that case, I'll be sure to post my closing thoughts sometime in the am.

But now? I am going to crawl into bed with the kitties and the husband and read a little more of A Separate Peace, but no more updates for a couple hours.

Good luck to those of you still going. More power to you. I guess I am getting too old for this. ;)

End of Hour Seventeen:
Title of book(s) read: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (Finished!!)
Pages read: 51
Books finished during Read-a-Thon: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Running total of pages read since you started: 497
Amount of time spent reading: 35ish minutes
Running total of time spent reading: 295 minutes (about 5 hours worth-boo!)

This is going up into Hour 18, but since I posted late last hour, it has only been about a "40 minute hour" if that makes sense. I finished Brave New World and really LOVED IT. It was a great novel to read today and I marked a million things I'm going to want to talk about in the future. PHENOMENAL novel if you haven't given it a go yet!

I decided I am going to read The Little Prince by Antonie de Saint Exupery next. It is 111 pages in my edition (with some pages being pictures plus caption), so it should be a quick and delightful read. I feel a second, or third wind coming on.

If you are still reading, Go you! It is after 1 am in these parts and my cats all think I am crazy for still being up. They are keeping me company, napping on my lap.

Keep reading!

End of Hour Sixteen: I lied. :)
Title of book(s) read: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Pages read: 137
Books finished during Read-a-Thon: Lolita (finished during this reading spurt as promised) and "The Waste Land" (technically this is a poem, but it counts as a "book" towards the project I am working towards on my blog).
Running total of pages read since you started: 446
Amount of time spent reading: 60
Running total of time spent reading: 260 minutes

This was another good hour of focused reading, but I'll be honest: my eyes are TIRED. It is a little after midnight and I have been up since 6:30 this morning. I finished my first monster and I am debating a Diet Coke. I feel like I need to stay up until at least 4 to make this seem like I put in a ton of effort. And my grumpiness came back about wasting 7 hours earlier. bah.

I also have an idea of giving myself two mini-read-a-thons next weekend. I have both Friday and Saturday off, with no real plans. I think I might to two 12 hour read-a-thons each day to get more reading done. I feel this huge need to make as much progress as possible towards my blogging goal.

That might be the tiredness talking. Remind me I said this in the am.

Also, the silence is killing me (Matt is gone to a friend's house for a party and won't be back for another hour or so). I moved the ihome into the living room, and I pulled out the Snuggie again. Now I am listening to the soundtrack to The Fellowship of the Ring (I can only listen to instrumental music while reading-otherwise I get distracted).

Only 50 more pages left in Brave New World!!!!!

READ READ READ!!!!

End of Hour Fifteen:
I'm still not going to update page count. I'll take care of that as soon as I finish Brave New World. I got some reading done this hour, as well as some writing (blog posts). I am feeling a little less grumpy and angry at the circumstances that were out of my control.

I am slowly sipping my first Monster Energy drink and I am reminded of all those late and sleepless nights in college. I wrote a lot of papers the night before and pull all-nighters at least once every week. I must be getting old because I am finding it difficult now. :)

But I am pushing on. I am close to finishing Brave New World and have another book in the wings...I'll most likely write again in another 2 hours. Keep reading kids!

End of Hours Ten Through Fourteen: aka the Grumpy Hours.
I'm not filling out my form since I haven't read anything in the last 5 hours. And I want it known that it was not my doing and I am incredibly unhappy about. Like I said earlier, our plans changed this morning and our friends decided to come over instead of us meeting them for a quick lunch. They just left and it is 10pm our time. I feel pretty discouraged and pissed, but I'm going to push on and read some more.

I bought two energy drinks. I am staying up now that I lost a grand total of SEVEN hours today to crap that was out of my control.

Brave New World: I will OWN YOU!

End of Hour Nine:
Title of book(s) read: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Pages read: 71!
Books finished during Read-a-Thon: Lolita (finished during this reading spurt as promised) and "The Waste Land" (technically this is a poem, but it counts as a "book" towards the project I am working towards on my blog).
Running total of pages read since you started: 309
Amount of time spent reading: 45ish (I was also watching the game-we're winning at halftime!)
Running total of time spent reading: 200 minutes

This was a really good hour or so! I decided on starting Brave New World as my new book and immediately got sucked in. I managed to fly through the first 71 pages pretty quickly, so hopefully I can finish this in a few more hours.

It is currently half time of the University of Michigan vs. Michigan State, and my proud State Spartans are winning! I tried not to get too distracted, but its hard not to cheer for my team when they're on.

I'm going to be slacking on the reading in the next couple of hours. I am heading over to my parents' house across town to let out the doggies (they're out of town for the day). After that, we're making some tailgate style food and watching the end of the game with our friends, so I hope I can get back to reading again soon!

End of Hours Seven and Eight:
Title of book(s) read: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot
Pages read: 133
Books finished during Read-a-Thon: Lolita (finished during this reading spurt as promised) and "The Waste Land" (technically this is a poem, but it counts as a "book" towards the project I am working towards on my blog).
Running total of pages read since you started: 238
Amount of time spent reading: about 80 minutes during these 2 hours
Running total of time spent reading: 155 minutes ( that's only about 2 and half hours worth of reading!!)

This was a good two hours. I finished Lolita, which was an excellent book! It was a great read for today once I got the chance to really dive into the end of it. I also flew through the 25 page long poem "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot. It counts as a "book" for the purposes of my blog (but 25 pages is a bit of a stretch), so I am glad to knock out another easy read. It was an interesting poem to follow Lolita, but I really liked it and have a lot to say about it. I marked quite a few passages to discuss in the future.

I'm not sure what I am grabbing next, as I haven't made it to the pile to see. I am thinking The Little Prince, but my football game is on (against our rival school!) so I don't want to get too distracted from the book (since I have heard it is amazing). We'll see!

End of Hours Five and Six:
Title of book(s) read: None. :(
Pages read:
Books finished during Read-a-Thon:
Running total of pages read since you started: 105
Amount of time spent reading:
Running total of time spent reading: 75 minutes

I showered, as planned. Then got swept up cleaning with the husband. I think I mentioned that we were having a friend from out of town come in today and we were supposed to go out to lunch. Well....plans changed. He is now coming here and while I was okay with the state of our apartment, I was not okay with anyone else seeing it for the first time. So, Matt and I have been cleaning and I finally said I was done. Matt is vacuuming now, and then he's going t clean the bathroom for the first time in the 11 months we've been living here (I always do it).

So, even though it is 1:40 and before the end of hour six, I am posting this. And I won't be back until I finish Lolita. So help me!

End of Hour Four:
Title of book(s) read: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Pages read: I am up to 209 in Lolita, which means I have less than 100 pages left!
Books finished during Read-a-Thon:
Running total of pages read since you started: 105
Amount of time spent reading: About 30 or so.
Running total of time spent reading: 75 minutes

This was a good hour. The husband woke up, so we were talking a bit near the beginning of the hour and while he was making food. He made me some delicious hash browns, which distracted me a bit!

I am in desperate need of a shower, which I am going to take care of now. I probably won't update until 2 or so (its noon now). See you then!

End of Hours Two and Three (will also be called the "Whoops" Hours):
Title of book(s) read: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and the backs of my eyelids....by me.
Pages read: my bookmark is in the middle of pages 166 and 167 and I am assuming that is where I left off, which is not so good.
Books finished during Read-a-Thon:
Running total of pages read since you started: 61
Amount of time spent reading: I'm assuming only 20 minutes?
Running total of time spent reading: 45 minutes

I apparently fell asleep. I say apparently because I do not remember placing my bookmark in place, setting the book down, or snuggling into the couch to sleep for over AN HOUR. But I did. And I only woke up when one of the cats came to cuddle and meow to be fed.

I can't be too mad at myself. I have been feeling under the weather the last few days and probably need the extra hour of sleep. I was also feeling all warm and cuddly in my Snuggie (yes, I own a Snuggie and it is one of my most favorite things ever. I'll elaborate later). I made some oatmeal and a cup of tea and am getting ready to move forward in Lolita. I have to say, I have been reading through this quickly. I find it fascinating, scandalous, and intriguing all at the same time.

How are you all holding up?

End of Hour One:
Title of book(s) read: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Pages read: 40. I finished the first "part" of the book and have about 150 or so pages left.
Books finished during Read-a-Thon:
Running total of pages read since you started: 40
Amount of time spent reading: I only read for about 25 minutes before coming back online. I started a little late in the hour as I was reading posts. :)
Running total of time spent reading: 25 minutes