Weekly Wrap-up for December 11, 2011: Small Bits.

Today's wrap-up post is going to be a short one, namely because I want to get back to reading! I suppose that is an excellent reason, don't you?

I was lucky enough to get some more work this week, and I actually spent a couple of days subbing in the school I worked in last year. It was wonderful to see my old students walking the halls (hard to believe my sophomore English students are Juniors!). Many stopped to say hello when they saw me in the hallway, and they seemed happy to see me. Being back in that school reminded me how much I loved being there, so we'll see what the future has in store.

This weekend I am in the middle of a very casual readathon. The goal was basically to get my butt in gear. I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that part of the reason I keep myself so busy is that it makes me more productive. Without things to do all the time, I become very lazy, and I have started to slip that direction. I can't have that. So, this weekend has been spent with a larger focus on reading rather than simply turning on the TV (I usually don't watch too much TV, but recently it has gotten out of hand). I finished The Portrait of a Lady Friday night, and I am about 50 pages from the end of Sense and Sensibility, so I am doing well with my goal. I am probably going to start Paradiso as well, but I'm not sure if I'll finish it.

Anyway, that's about it in the world of Allie. :) I hope you are all in the middle of wonderful books!

A Very Casual Readathon.

I try and avoid double posting as much as possible, but I have been mulling this over in my head for the last couple of hours. After a few conversations on twitter, I figured I would just make a quick post to see if anyone else was at all interested in joining. I find it easier to be productive if I have someone else kicking me in the pants, so maybe you will too!

I fail at reading, so I want to have a very casual readathon this weekend. The plan is to start tomorrow (Friday) evening and finish up by Sunday evening. I'll probably have an update post that I'll continually add to, as well as posting my progress on twitter.

There is no pressure, no stress. Just a goal to be a little productive. For myself, I would like to finish up The Portrait of a Lady, Sense and Sensibility, and Paradiso. If I finish those three, this weekend will be a roaring success. :)

Let me know if you're in so I can check up on you this weekend! :)

Belated Readathon Master Post. *UPDATE x1*

Update #1

Well, I wrote my earlier posting at about 10:30 this morningish. Then I spent an hour putzing around online. Then I got sucked into cleaning out our fridge. Then I spent some time cuddling with the cats because they decided I was more comfortable than their beds. Then I started a batch of chili in the crock-pot because it is cold, chilly, and perfect for a warm bowl of chili (in a few more hours when it is ready).

Then a million other things happened and here I am, at about 3:30 in the afternoon, 5 hours AFTER I said I was going to start reading.

Whoops.

It happens, you know? But now that the apartment is slowly smelling like delicious chili goodness, the dishes are done, the fridge is no longer harboring anything freaky, and my cats have found comfier perches, I can finally start reading. The question is, what?

I think I am going to start out with Paradiso. I just finished Purgatorio the other night, so I think it would be best to wrap it all up!

Wish me luck!


Morning:
Today is the belated readathon! Yay! While it already well into hour three, I am just joining in. I decided to sleep in this morning and take care of a couple of household chores before diving into my reading.

I'm not sure how much I am planning to read today. I have three more books I need to finish before I can read any of my "fun" reads, so it will probably be a combination of:

• The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
• Paradiso by Dante
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Lucky me finished Walden last night (thoughts on that one will go up during the week).

My only goal for today is to finish one of the three titles above. If I can do that, I'll consider today a success!

Let me know if you're participating today, so that I can stop by and cheer you on!

Belated Readathon!

Well, it is Wednesday afternoon, and I am coming off of three days without a sub job. Needless to say I am feeling grumpy, angry, and a little unproductive. I think I mentioned that part of the reason I keep so busy is because without something to do, I turn into a lazy slob. I've already hit that point.

So, I need some motivation to be productive for something, and the Belated Readathon this weekend hosted by Amanda at Dead White Guys is coming at the perfect time. The goal for the readathon is to read as much as possible on Saturday. It starts at 7am EST and goes until 7am on Sunday morning.

(You can follow that link above to be taken to the sign-up post if you want in).

I'm not making a set reading pile, since I am in the middle of a number of books. Most likely I will be reading some of the following:

• Paradiso by Dante
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

Wish me luck!

Weekly Wrap-up for October 23, 2011: Readathon Recap.

Whew.

I ended up going to bed by 12:30 this morning and woke back up at 7 to finish out the readathon. I did, and then I went back to bed until about 11 this morning. I guess my body needed the sleep!

I had a great time participating. In fact, I think this was the best readathon I have participated in! I did what Jillian also did, and only came only every 2-3 hours. It kept me focused on my reading throughout the day. I also think I made a smart decision in reading a "fun" title to start it off. I'm proud of the fact I went through 3 books yesterday and made significant progress in my fourth. I rock. :)

I hope that all of you who participated also had a wonderful time! I can't wait for April!

Because of my glorious success yesterday, I finished 4 books this week:

• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan
• Julius Caesar by Shakespeare
  
• Winter in the Blood by James Welch

Go me!

I really need to get that Dracula post up, and you might see it pop up later this afternoon or tomorrow. The goal for today is to catch up on some grading-so let's hope I have a super-productive day getting all of that done!

You'll also see the link-in post for the Inferno Group Read shortly. Make sure you post your review to be eligible for Adam's giveaway!

Happy reading everyone!

Readathon Master Post Part 2.

My previous master post was getting a little on the long side, so I have decided to break off into a second master post for the last chunk of the readathon!

Readathon Update 7 (10:30 PM):

My last update was just over two hours ago, and I have still been productive! Yay!

After finishing the last chunk of Winter in the Blood, I spent a little time hemming and hawing about whether to read Inferno or Richard III. I settled on the Dante, considering my Group Read starts tomorrow. I guess you could say that I procrastinated! :)

But, I am making steady progress, as shown by my stats below!

The only downer is that I am starting to get pretty tired, and Matt forgot to pick me up some caffeine on the way home. Tea just isn't cutting it anymore, but now I am trying to decide what to do...stay up late? Or go to bed and get up early to finish out tomorrow? I'm not sure. Since the Michigan State game is on, I will probably stay up to watch the end.

Anyway, on to the running stats!

Pages read: 955 (I think I might have to keep going until I cross the 1000 page mark!
Books finished: 3 (The Lost Stories by John Flanagan, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, and Winter in the Blood by James Welch)
Time spent reading: about 9 hours (this is a guesstimate)
Time spent commenting/tweeting: about 120 minutes
Mini-challenges: 3 (Intro Meme, the "States" challenge hosted by Melissa, and Mid-Event Meme)
Cups of tea: 5
# of distractions by my husband: 11 (He came home from work and didn't bring me a Diet Coke! Insert grumpy wife!)
# of kitten snuggles: 10 (Sparty continued to be my cuddle buddy. He has slept ALL day).

Readathon Update 8 (12:00 AM):

We had have some CRAZINESS in this apartment the last half hour. My team, you know, the MSU Spartans? They won the game in the LAST SECOND! It was insane. And my husband is still watching replays on Sportscenter.

Amidst all the excitement, I got further into Dante's Inferno. I am really enjoying it so far! Why was I procrastinating?

But, it is time for bed. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a lot to grade tomorrow, I would stay up later. I am planning on being up for the last two hours of the readathon tomorrow, so I will be back then!

Running Stats:

Pages read: 1008!! I crossed over 1000!
Books finished: 3 (The Lost Stories by John Flanagan, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, and Winter in the Blood by James Welch).
Time spent reading: about 10.5 hours (this is a guesstimate)
Time spent commenting/tweeting: about 140 minutes
Mini-challenges: 3 (Intro Meme, the "States" challenge hosted by Melissa, and Mid-Event Meme)
Cups of tea: 5
# of distractions by my husband: 1 million (we were watching the game. I gave up).
# of kitten snuggles: 11 (Yes, Sparty has continued to be my cuddle buddy. He has slept ALL day).

Readathon Update 9 (7:40 AM):

I ended up sleeping through my alarm.

To be honest, I'm okay with that. I read a lot yesterday and as I am typing this, I can feel how tired and grainy my eyes are. I am definitely headed back to bed after this goes up! :) Bravo to all of you who managed to stay up the entire time!

I spent some time looking through some of the last mini-challenges and only entered one (hosted by Adam), so we'll see how I do! Can I be honest and say I'm bummed that through 4 readathons I haven't one a prize yet? *crosses fingers*

Anyway, here is the end of event meme. I'm not updating my running stats, since nothing has changed.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
I would definitely say the last hour I was awake last night. I was pushing through because I wanted to cross the 1000 page mark, but I was pretty pooped!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I think I had a good selection this year. I started with a "fun" read that I knew I could finish relatively easily, then transitioned into some Shakespeare. I was worried that reading Shakespeare would be too difficult, but since most of his plays were performed in a few hours, the play went quickly! I think I will make reading the Bard for the readathon a tradition! Then I moved into a short classic, which allowed me to finish 3 books for the day.

Try and pick titles to keep your attention at the beginning. I think we all feel a sense of accomplishment for finishing a book!

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I think some of the mini-challenges were too narrow in scope. Nothing against the hosts, but the ones I entered were ones that any blogger could answer. This also has to do with prizes. I think prizes that are more open-ended draw a greater part of the blogging community.

(Again, I don't mean to offend anyone. Just my thoughts..)

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The cheerleaders were organized VERY WELL! I like that they continually updated who was participating, so it made it easier to post on blogs!

5. How many books did you read?
I finished three and started a fourth!

6. What were the names of the books you read?
I read "Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories" by John Flanagan, "Julius Caesar"by Shakespeare, "Winter in the Blood" by James Welch, and Dante's "Inferno." The only one I didn't finish was Dante.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I really enjoyed by first choice. It was a fun YA book to get me back into a reading groove since I have been in a bit of a slump!

8. Which did you enjoy least?
While I liked it, I would have to say "Winter in the Blood." It took me a little while to get into, and it reminded me a lot of "Ceremony," which I read earlier this year...and "Ceremony" was better written.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I was not, but I did try and cheer as much as I could. You cheerleaders ROCK!

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I will most definitely participate again! I really enjoyed focusing on my reading this time around, so that will remain a goal. I hosted a mini-challenge back in April, and I think I will do that for the upcoming 'thon. I really enjoyed that! I also hosted last April and didn't this time...and I missed that role. I'll have to think about signing up to host again!



I hope you all got a lot read! I know that this readathon was a very good thing for me-I have been in a huge slump and this has definitely pulled me out of it! Thank you to everyone who posted a comment!

Readathon Master Post.

Hi everyone! :)

I am awake and ready to go for today's readathon. The husband is still sleeping, but he has promised to cook for me and keep me hydrated until he goes to work this afternoon. ;) Ahhh, husbands....they make reading more enjoyable.

Anyway, I decided that creating one master post with all of my readathon updates would be the best option. And here it is. Anytime I have an update to share, I'll add it down below. I am planning on popping online every three hours or so to check in. Any more than that and I'll neglect my reading.

Oh, and if you are participating, please leave me a comment below so I can come and visit you today! My Google Reader is a mess, so knowing outright who is reading their little brains out will be helpful when I come around to cheer. :)

Readathon Update 1:

For hour 1, it is kind of tradition to fill out the introduction meme.

1)Where are you reading from today?
My home in dear old Michigan. :) I will say that it is kind of chilly in here, so we might finally succumb to the fall weather and turn on the heat! As for where I will be reading in the apartment, I have a few lovely little places I like to cuddle in as I read. Mainly, my bed and the couch. I may also sneak off to the library this afternoon when Matt turns on football.

2)Three random facts about me…
I am obsessed with the color green. I really want a puppy (a basset hound). Last time I checked my database, I own over 1500 books. And all of them are stored IN our 900 sq. foot apartment (My husband loves me).

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Well, I posted a pile of books on Thursday night and that pile included 5 titles. I am adding one more title to the list as a "fun" read:

• The Lost Stories by John Flanagan (this is my fun read)
• Hamlet
• Julius Caesar
• As you Like It
• Richard III
• Inferno by Dante

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 blogs)?
My main goal is to relax. I have been stressed out the last couple of weeks, so I just want a day where I can enjoy myself. But, I really want to get through the Flanagan title, a good chunk of Dante, and start one of the plays. If I can do that, today is a success.

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Have fun! Visit other bloggers at some point to check in. Also, it is easy to get caught up in trying to participate in everything, so try and remember that some reading should be done too!

Readathon Update 2 (10:45 am):

I wanted to pop in and give an update before the next big post goes up on the main site.

I have had a relatively good reading morning. I took a little break to eat the wonderful breakfast my husband cooked (pancakes if you want to know), and I have already downed my first cup of tea. It has been a good morning, but now that the hubby is up, the TV is on, which is incredibly distracting. I think I am going to move into the second bedroom (our "office") and take over the futon while he is still home.

Here are some stats for you about where I stand so far (this will be updated each time I check in with a running total):

Pages read: 227
Books finished: 0
Time spent reading: about two full hours
Time spent commenting/tweeting: about 30 minutes or so at the beginning.
Mini-challenges: 1-just the Intro Meme. The others haven't peaked my interest yet.
Cups of tea: 1
# of distractions by my husband: 2 (one for breakfast and one when we talked football)
# of kitten snuggles: 3 (each of the three kitties has cuddled at some point this morning. My lap is a rotating cat bed)

See you in a few hours!

Readathon Update 3 (2:00 PM):

I told myself I wouldn't come back online until I finished my first book, which I have! Yay! The last three hours have been a little distracting. Matt has been in the living room with me and did his whole "pay attention to me" thing. So I attempted to read while the TV was on. I got distracted numerous times, but I finally finished the first book of the day. :)

I'm going to take a little breather-a shower is in order, as well as some commenting on other blogs. I'm not sure what I am going to start next. It was going to be Inferno, but I really want to grab a book NOT on my readathon pile to start next....we'll see. I'll think it over.

Here are my running stats:

Pages read: 422
Books finished: 1 (The Lost Stories by John Flanagan)
Time spent reading: 4 hours (this is a guesstimate)
Time spent commenting/tweeting: about 30 minutes or so at the beginning of the day (hasn't changed in the last few hours).
Mini-challenges: 2 (Intro Meme and the "States" challenge hosted by Melissa)
Cups of tea: 2
# of distractions by my husband: 5 (breakfast, football, and multiple cases of whining. I rounded down).
# of kitten snuggles: 5

Readathon Update 4 (3:15 PM):

I wanted to update once more before diving back into reading. Over the last hour I tried to comment on some blogs, showered, and expected a delicious lunch whipped up by my husband. Apparently that meant ordering pizza, but now I am fed, clean, and ready to dive into Julius Caesar, my new book of choice. I haven't read it since college, so hopefully it isn't too painful. ;)

None of my stats have changed, so I won't bother pasting them here. Again, if you're reading today, let me know so I can try and visit (I am limiting my internet time, so I know I haven't gotten to everyone yet!).

See you in a few hours!

Readathon Update 5 (5:30 PM):

Hi readathoners! I hope you are all still hanging in there as we head towards the halfway point. I am chugging along as well!

I had a productive two hours! Matt ended up leaving for work, so I could really dig in and read Julius Caesar and what do you know, I finished it! I forgot how fast Shakespeare can move when you really understand it. I know that if it was a play new to me I would have taken longer, but since I have read Julius Caesar before, the play wasn't at all difficult to get through.

I established a "nest" on the couch, where I spent the last two hours. You can see one of our kitties, Sparty, nestled on my lap with my book:



You can see a little bit of gray fur as well, and that belongs to Lily, the baby kitty. :)

I think I am going to take a break for an hour or so...read some blogs, comment/cheer, and rest my eyes a bit. I also need to decide what to read next....I'm still not feeling up to starting Inferno (since I am a procrastinator and all), and I don't know if I want to read another play...we'll see though.

On to the stats...

Oh, I feel I should explain my page count. It is going to seem inflated because of the play. The edition I read has the text of the play on the right and notes on the left. See below:


The text doesn't take up the entire page like a real novel, so it goes much more quickly. I do read all of the notes as I go along, but in reality, I probably read only half the number of pages are are in the book if you take into account all that white space!

Anyway, the running stats:

Pages read: 739 (Julius Caesar was 317 pages, so realistically this number should be around 580. I just like the bigger number. :))
Books finished: 2 (The Lost Stories by John Flanagan and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)
Time spent reading: 6 hours (this is a guesstimate)
Time spent commenting/tweeting: about an hour.
Mini-challenges: 2 (Intro Meme and the "States" challenge hosted by Melissa)
Cups of tea: 2.5 (Sparty started drinkign my tea so I ditched my cup halfway through!)
# of distractions by my husband: 9 (His attempt at "fixing" lunch, i.e. ordering pizza, whining, and leaving for work).
# of kitten snuggles: 7 (Lily and Sparty cuddled with me on the couch during my entire reading of Shakespeare)

Readathon Update 6 (8:10 PM):

I did end up taking a prolonged break from reading after my last post. I stretched out, did a load of dishes, and took care of a few things in the apartment before decided to settle down with a new read shortly before 7pm.

I decided to go with a book not from my readathon pile, but something that has been sitting on my nightstand for a bit-James Welch's Winter in the Blood. I was also going to try and start Richard III, but the Welch novel was calling to me. And I am about 35 pages away from finishing it. :) I suppose that was a good choice, huh?

I'm starting to feel tired. Twelve hours have passed, and as I am closing in on finishing my third book of the day, I'm not sure how much more reading I can do without a much needed nap. We'll see though.

Since it is the halfway point, I need to fill out the mid-event survey. You'll also find my running stats for the night after that.

1. What are you reading right now?
I am in the middle of "Winter in the Blood" by James Welch. I am actually 30ish pages away from completing it!

2. How many books have you read so far?
2! And in just a little while, that number will be 3! Go me!

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I might start "Hamlet" instead of "Richard III." Both seem interesting, but I think reading a play I am familiar with is a better idea as I start to get tired.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Not really. I told my husband way in advance what my intentions were, but we didn't have plans anyway. It helps not to have kids...and he has been working the last four hours, so that helps in regards to distractions.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Not really! Considering I wasn't even sure if I was going to participate, this has been my most productive and relaxing readathon. I'm just trying to enjoy a day off!

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
Not much? Things have been going smoothly. I am surprised at the progress I have made!

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I'm going to be honest...I haven't been inspired by many of the mini-challenges. Nothing against the hosts, but many of them just don't interest me.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I actually think that my current plan, of checking in once every two-three hours is working splendidly. I am getting more reading done, checking in on other bloggers as I can, and focusing on what I need to get done! I do think I might sign up to be a cheerleader for a couple hours!

9. Are you getting tired yet?
My eyes are tired, but it might be that my current read has tiny print. The other two titles had relatively large print.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
If you really want to be productive, only take a few breaks and limit your time on the computer. It was worked wonders for me. Also, don't worry about everyone else's page counts. Everyone reads at different speeds and different levels of material. If you are reading harder stuff, like a classic, no worries about how far you get. They're tough!

Running Stats:

Pages read: 840
Books finished: 2 (The Lost Stories by John Flanagan and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)
Time spent reading: about 7 hours (this is a guesstimate)
Time spent commenting/tweeting: about 90 minutes
Mini-challenges: 3 (Intro Meme, the "States" challenge hosted by Melissa, and Mid-Event Meme)
Cups of tea: 4
# of distractions by my husband: 9 (No new distractions since he has been at work!)
# of kitten snuggles: 9 (My two buddies have been snuggling on the couch with me all evening as I continue to read).


I also feel the need to point out that yes, we own the ugliest couch in the world. It is orange and brown plaid. From the 70s. But hey, it was free! :)

I'm In (The Readathon of course!)

I posted yesterday about my "maybe" intentions of joining in. Yesterday, I felt overwhelmed with the amount of things that I needed to do this weekend, so I figured it would be better for my sanity to do what I had to and skip the readathon.

But then I went to bed early last night and got a lot of rest. I woke up this morning determined to make my life easier this weekend. Somehow, I managed to finish grading my fifth hour's essays before their class (I did work through lunch) so I could give them back to them. This leaves me with my sixth hour's to complete this weekend. That was a huge weight off my shoulders. When I came home from work, I cleaned up the apartment, then sat down to finish Dracula.

And I feel like a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders. Because...well, I have been incredibly stressed the last couple of weeks. School has been a little chaotic, Matt's step-dad is having a hard time with his chemo, and well, the usual stress.

And after I realized tonight that I was feeling far more relaxed than I have in weeks, I decided that I NEED to participate tomorrow. I need to jump back in and feel like I am a breathing part of the book community.

So, at 8am I will be out of bed to complete my beginning memoir. I already have the husband slated to make me some breakfast in the morning. It will be a good day.

I also think that I am going to start by reading a "fun" title, just so I can truly relax and enjoy myself. :)

I'm so glad that I'm participating! See you all in the morning.

Readathon Plans (Maybe).

I posted not too long ago about my intentions to join in on the 24-Hour readathon coming up on Saturday. And while I love the event and I really would love to participate...I don't know if I will be as into the event as I usually am.

I am in a slump...and not just in blogging. Life to seems to be plodding along all right, but I seem to be going through the motions only.

I am going to try my darndest, but my participation on Saturday depends on the following:

• Finishing Dracula either tonight or tomorrow
• Finishing my fifth hour memoir projects (and I still have one class set to go after that)
• I feel better. My walking pneumonia came back with a vengeance a couple weeks ago, and I still don't think I am over it. At times, I still have a hard time breathing. I've also been feeling a bit "off" at times. Maybe it is just my mood, but I want to feel "up" to reading if I am going to participate.

Even with all of that, I decided to make a small stack of books to read this weekend. Here they are:


My original goal was to read some Shakespeare, so you can see the four titles I picked out off my list. I figured Hamlet might be a good choice for the weather and time of year. It has also been quite some time since I read it, so I am kind of looking forward to it. The bottom title is Dante's Inferno, which I have yet to start for the Group Read I am hosting (whoops).

Anyway, perhaps I will be reading alongside you on Saturday. If a post isn't up by halfway through, you'll know that life got in the way. :) But, I'm sure I'll be around on twitter to cheer you on!

Re-Readathon November 18-20.

The wonderful Jaime over at The Perpetual Page-Turner has announced that she is hosting a Re-Readathon over the weekend of November 18 to the 20.

Since I am a fan of readathons...and rereading, I figured this would be a perfect fit for me.

Last November, I took the whole month "off" from reading my classics and focused on rereading books from my childhood and teen years. It was a great break and sent me back to the classics with open arms. I found myself refreshed and renewed.

I am feeling like I need a break sometime in the near future, so Jaime's readathon will come at a great time. That weekend leads into my last two days in my current teaching placement, so spending the weekend reading old favorites will be a great way to relax before a sad couple of days.

I don't have any specific reading plans. I might reread The Hunger Games trilogy, since I have been craving them. Or I might reread some Harry Potter. We'll see. But it'll be great fun either way, no pressure, and a chance to revisit some books lingering on my shelves.

I hope you'll join in!

Readathon Shenanigans.

I might be a little late to the party, but I wanted to let you all know that sign-ups for Dewey's 24-hour Readathon are up and running here. You need to get on that and sign up to participate! :)

I look forward to this event more than anything else. It is a great way to interact with the book blogging community, enter some awesome contests, and get a LOT of reading done.

There are also lots of opportunities to get involved-from cheering, to hosting a contest, to reading! I suggest you peek around the site and see what kind of commitment you want to take on.

In April, I hosted a mini-challenge and co-hosted the last few hours of the readathon. This time around, I am focusing solely on reading. I am way behind and need to "catch up," so that day will be a great way to do that. I am planning a Vlog for the day before to show you my pile of books, and my random cheering thoughts. :)

Who else is participating?

End of Event Survey.

It is currently 6:34am and I am waiting out the last hour and a half of the readathon before collapsing into bed. I have to work at 11:45 (yeah, I know. I'm crazy), so I am going to crash in bed as soon as possible. I did take a nap from about 11:30 to 3 in the morning, so at least I got some sleep.

That said, having pneumonia really put a damper on my readathon experience. I am bummed I wasn't more active and didn't read as much.

Hosting the last couple hours has been fun. Colleen was wonderful and did an extra post so I could wake up a bit and get my bearings. I really should have looked at wordpress a bit more before jumping in, since I was trying to figure out the posting format as I was going. Oh well, lessons for next time. :)

Anywho, because I am the last host and I am wasting time before crawling back into bed, I am going to start my end-of-event-survey. Maybe I can be #1 on Mister Linky. Woo!!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
I would say the first few hours were the hardest. I woke up on time to start with everyone and managed to do the first mini-challenge, but I was so exhausted that I had to go back to bed. When I woke up again, husband put his foot down and told me I had to go to the doctor. And I am glad I did. Pneumonia is no joke people. It stinks.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I had every intention of reading some fun things-some YA for example, but I just didn't spend a whole lot of time reading. I think that having variety is key to having a good readathon experience.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I think everything went great this year! And seeing it from the administrative end was new and inspiring. The volunteers and coordinators bust their butts. It is amazing to see!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I think we had a great variety in mini-challenges! And it seemed as if readers were really responsive to the challenges we had!

5. How many books did you read?
Technically 2. I finished the last 200+ pages of Mary Barton and started Their Eyes Were Watching God, but didn't get very far.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
See above. :)

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Even though I just started it, I have a really good feeling about Hurston's book!

8. Which did you enjoy least?
While I really liked Mary Barton, I should have read something fun today. I was going to...but my guilt got in the way and I knew I needed to finish it.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I was not, but I did stop by as many blogs as I could to leave comments. I think next year I will take a stint as a cheerleader. :)

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I will most definitely participate again. I really liked my co-hosting gig. It was rewarding and I would consider doing it again. I also LOVED hosting a mini-challenge. I had 158 something entries. It was amazing and I loved people's answers. Later this week I'll have a post up about the books people chose.
I will say that I will never do this again if I am sick. I have no idea how I am awake right now and I feel like death. Never again. It was fun and rewarding, but I know I am going to regret it later.


I hope you all had a great readathon! I am sticking online for a few to make sure things run smoothly through the end and then I am CRASHING. Talk to you all later!

Read-A-Thon Update #3. (with kittenz)

Oh HAI all!

I know I was just here updating with my mid-event survey, but I'm back because I FINALLY finished Mary Barton. WHOOO!

Now it is time to move on to something else and since I have been talking about it non-stop , I am definitely picking up Their Eyes Were Watching God. I'm not sure how far I will get into it, since at some point I am going to need a nap before picking up the hosting gig at the main site at 4am. Right now I am feeling pretty awake. We'll see how it goes.

I am also waiting for the husband to come home with food because I am HUNGRY. We are lacking in the dinner ingredient department and since I was supposed to be at a family party tonight, I was okay with that. But with the pneumonia diagnosis and such, I stayed home. Therefore, no tasty dinner. *sigh* Oh well, he should be home soon.


How is everything going with you guys? I am trying to comment as much as I can, but I am no good at that cheerleading. I am not good with rhymes so all I seem to be saying is "Good job. Happy reading." <--- LAME.

Anyway, the two pictures are of two of my reading buddies. The little gray one is the baby, Lily (named after Lily Bart from The House of Mirth) and the black kitteh is Sparty (short for Spartacus-my college mascot was a Spartan). Lily does that little "Oh, look how cute I am" move all the time and I find it irresistible. And Sparty? He's cuddling with my copy of Jane Eyre in the picture and on the world's ugliest couch-it used to be my grandmother's (taken a few days ago). Cute.

The other kitteh is a big grouch and I didn't want you all to become grumpy on me, so she gets no picture.

I hope you are all making great progress reading! Let me know how it is going!

Mid-event Survey.

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
I am still reading Mary Barton. I took a break and read a short story last hour (The Yellow Wallpaper), but I only have 93 pages left in Gaskell!

2. How many books have you read so far?
None. Thanks for asking. :)

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I'm looking forward to starting Their Eyes were Watching God. I have heard so many good things.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
I tried, but spent an hour or so at the doctor's office earlier since I have the plague. Needless to say I only started reading about 2 hours ago.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
see above. :) I would also like to say that twitter is way too distracting. :)

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
It seems to be a lot bigger this time around-YAY!

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I actually think it would be a good idea to push the time...forward? so we would start earlier? Maybe that is silly, but I would prefer reading from 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM in ONE day rather than have it carry over into the next day. I know that wouldn't work for all timezones, but in some areas it really carries over into Sunday.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I haven't had my co-hosting gig yet, so I don't know if I can really answer this in regards to that. As a reader, my goals for next time are to not be sick.

9. Are you getting tired yet?
YES.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Well, I am just trying to enjoy myself at this point. I realized as soon as I woke up I wouldn't be gung-ho today with being so sick, but I am managing just fine. Whatever I get read it okay and I am enjoying getting to talk with other bloggers.

And I am most definitely going to host another mini-challenge in the future. I had a blast hosting and it is a GREAT feeling to give away books. So, be prepared for more of that!


Now I really won't be back until I finish Mary Barton.

Happy reading!

Read-A-Thon Update #2.

I figured it was time for another update.

I have spent a lot of time sitting up in bed chatting on twitter and browsing participants' blogs. I finally decided to get down to reading last hour and flew through about 70+ pages of Mary Barton by Gaskell. I have a bit more to go (about 140 pages), but the end is in sight.

I also just fixed myself a snack since dinner items are no where to be found in this house. Matt is at work, so I am sure I will eat some dinner when he returns home tonight.

In any case, I probably won't update until I finish Mary Barton, so happy reading to you all!

Book Origami Mini-Challenge.

Perhaps it is the drugs and illness kicking in, but I just spent fifteen minutes creating some wonderful book origami for a mini-challenge.

Before anyone yells at me, this copy of the book is missing about 50 pages, so...don't hate me for ripping and folding a book. A good chunk of the story is missing people. And that means that this book would be pretty unreadable. I love me some books, so NO HATING on me.

Anyway, here is what I started with, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne:




Then I started tearing and folding (I KNOW-SEE ABOVE PEOPLE):



And ended up with an "A" (if you've read the book, you'll get why).




That was fun. Now I am really getting back to reading. :)

"Oldies but Goodies" Mini-Challenge Winners.

Ummm....wow you guys. I am impressed by the number of entries (155!) and the fact that you all seemed to love talking about these old books that I hold so dear to my heart. It has been an absolute blast reading through your comments and I have added a LARGE number of titles to that massive TBR list I have. It also made for good reading while sitting in the doctor's office this morning. :)

It is great to see that at some point, these books we call "classics" have impacted everyone. I suppose that is why we call them classics, hmm?

Reading through all of your entries and your cries of, "How can I pick just one?" had me thinking about which books I would label my favorites. It came down to 1 story out of a million that I wanted to share.

When I was coming up with the premise for my blog and developing my book list, challenge requirements, and naming my blog, I took a good long look at what I was trying to accomplish. I wanted a name to speak to what I was going to do and years long project it was going to be. That is when my eyes glanced over Homer's The Odyssey on my list. It had been a couple years since I read the story, but I was drawn to the name. I loved the struggle of Telemachus finding himself and his role in society, I loved the drama of Odysseus finding his way home. No matter what obstacles were in their way, both men met those challenges and conquered them.

The name of my blog was born and The Odyssey was the first book I read and discussed on my blog. And whenever I get low or frustrated, I can look at that blog name and remember.

Cheesy? Probably.

Anyway, I know why you're all here and that is for the names of the WINNERS.

I chose two winners randomly through random.org. They are:

#41: Savs (having a hard time finding your blog!)

and

#125: Simplerpastimes

And since there were so many entries....I randomly picked one more winner (again, from random.org):

#20: Amanda

Congrats to all the winners! You have until the end of the read-a-thon to contact me through my blog e-mail (you can find it on my profile page).


But wait....


My husband was so impressed with your response and shocked by the outpouring of your responses that he wants to pick one more commenter. I let him read through the comments and he selected one more person to win based on this comment:

"You rock, Allie Cat.

My favorite classic? Gone With the Wind, Gone With the Wind, Gone With the Wind!!

Because it is about a woman's struggle through war, and societal expectation, and an insane sort of upbringing.

Because it was my first classic. (I was sixteen the first time I read it.)

Because I share a love of the book with my mother. She doesn't adore much literature, but it was she who kept nudging me to read Mitchell; when I finally did, I fell in love, with reading, with history, with Atlanta, with the story of the American Civil War.

Because my grandmother was from Atlanta, GA, and I hope to move back there, some day. I'm pulled to my history in Atlanta. My people were in Georgia for generations.

Because all of my love, for everything above, is rooted in Gone With the Wind.

And Margaret Mitchell? She is my literary best friend."

Congrats Jillian! Now my husband is calling me Allie Cat. :)

Thank you all for entering. Winners, contact me by the end of the readathon so I can be in touch with you about picking which title you want (that way I can order you your lovely and get it on the way)!

Read-A-Thon Update #1.

Well guys, I have had an eventful morning and I haven't had a chance to read anything.

I decided after waking up super early this morning that I needed more sleep after writing my introductory post. I made sure to set my alarm to get my mini-challenge off the ground and running and collapsed back into bed.

Once I woke up, I knew I needed to just give up and go to the doctor. My lovely husband bundled me up and off we went. Sure enough, what I have been fighting off the last week is not a mere cold. They did some tests and told me I have walking pneumonia. Wonderful, huh? So, I got a big old shot of antibiotics and strict instructions to take care of myself. The doctor told me to relax, lay in bed, rest, and maybe read a book.

Good timing? Maybe.

Now that I am confirmed in having the plague, I am staying home the rest of the day. I am going to go huddle up in bed with my pile of books and read/sleep. I'll leave my laptop on the nightstand so I can update.

First up will be finishing off Mary Barton. After that, who knows?

In any case, I hope you are all having a great time reading and plowing through your big piles of books. My task will be determining the winners for my mini-challenge!

Another update once I actually read something!

Read-A-Thon Introduction Meme.

Hey guys-

I woke up specifically to complete the introduction meme before heading back to bed. I am still feeling quite ill, so I need some more sleep. I'll be back in an hour or two I am sure. :) I hope you all get a lot of reading down this first couple of hours!

1)Where are you reading from today?
2)Three random facts about me…
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
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 blogs)?
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?


here we go:

1. I am reading from home, which is in Michigan. I live about 45 minutes north of Detroit and wonderfully, no snow today!
2. I am happily married, I have 3 cats, and my favorite TV show of all time is I Love Lucy.
3. I think there are close to 10, but I'll be happy just to finish the one I am halfway through (again, not feeling good)
4. I want to have fun. Originally I was hoping to plow through some reads, but feeling like crap won't help me get there.
5. Take breaks. That is what saved me the last couple of times. And I have never stayed up the entire thing... (this time I have to be up during the last 4 hours. eek).


Good luck guys. See you soon.

Read-a-Thon Prep.

Hey guys! Are you all pumped for the read-a-thon tomorrow?

I know that I am super excited, especially since I am taking a much more active role in the events tomorrow. I am hosting a mini-challenge starting at the beginning of Hour 4 (with a cool prize if I do say so myself), as well as hosting the final four hours. Yep, hours 20-24 will be hosted by yours truly. I'm assuming you might all be asleep, but I promise to attempt to be entertaining if you are up then!

I am a little worried about tomorrow. I woke up Monday morning feeling a lot like death. I have been taking lots of medicine and such, but I still feel quite awful. Most of Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in bed, so I am still recuperating. I didn't get nearly as much done or read this week, so I am hoping to pull it together for tomorrow.

I am going to try and condense my posts for tomorrow as much as possible, with only one post for status updates (I said try, so don't hold me to it!). We'll see how it goes since I like the freedom of posting when I feel like it.

I do know that I am taking two breaks. Tomorrow night we are having party for my grandma's birthday at my parents' house, so I will be gone for a few hours eating and carrying on. I also know that I will be gone at some point taking a nap before my hosting gig. I'm sure you understand that! ;)

All that being said, I have a huge stack of books that I am going to be reading from, and here they are (sorry about picture quality. It was early when I took it and rather gloomy):


The left stack from top to bottom:

• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
• Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
• Great American Short Stories Collection by Barnes and Noble
• House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

The right stack from top to bottom:

• Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume 1 by Diana Wynne Jones
• Silas Marner by George Eliot
• Walden and "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Looks ambitious, doesn't it? If I don't finish Mary Barton tonight, then that will be the first thing I read tomorrow. I also want to get the first half of Lady Chatterley's Lover read for the readalong. After that? Things are up in the air. The two books by Diana Wynne Jones are in honor of her passing. I have read the Chrestomanci title before (it is my own copy), but House of Many Ways was lent to me by a friend. I'm not sure I want to read it if I am still feeling plague-y, but we'll see.

So much to choose from!

What are you planning on reading tomorrow?