24 Hour read-a-thon starts :)

http://24hourreadathon.com/ 

I'm reading, hosting a mini challenge and cheering for Team Owl today, this is my starting spot.

 1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I'm in the grey and gloomy UK.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Iron Man by Ted Hughes, I read the first chapter months ago and then misplaced it.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? My Curly Wurly, it is in the fridge so that the chocolate and caramel are cold and crisp.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! This is probably my sixth readathon, I took a book blog break which lasted about two years, I'm returning to the fold this week. I'm also studying for an MA in literature so this is a great opportunity to read some lighter books.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?  Previously I gave myself eye strain so I have an audiobook available if needed. I've also got lots of fruit and healthy snacks so I don't feel bloated or have a sugar crash.

 

 

 

I've added a few
Alice Munro's Lives of Girls and Women - I'm starting with this as it is short but has small print.
John Green and David Levith, Will Grayson, Will Grayson - two authors I've been meaning to read for a while.
Kendare Blake, Anna Dressed in Blood - I saw this on a suggested reads post so thought I'd addd it to my options.
John Steinbeck, Cannery Row - a book I've been meaning to read forever.
John Hersey, A Single Pebble - highly recommended by someone on my course.
Edna O'Brein, In the Forest - a 1001 book and a bookcrossing book which I've had for way too long.
Ted Hughes, Iron Man - its tiny and has large print for when I am getting tired.
Ben Aaronovitch, Rivers of London - a school friend has been raving about this series.
Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese - a graphic novel for the tired hours, another books which has sat on mount tbr too long.
Ari Folman and David Polonsky, Waltz with Bashir - a graphic novel borrowed from a friend for the tired hours.

Dewey's Read-a-thon

My mini challenge can be found here http://katrinasreads.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/through-tea-leaves-mini-challenge.html

It's been years since I posted on this blog but I really wanted to participate in the read-a-thon next weekend so I decided to restart it. I miss blogging my thoughts on books, although I read far less nowdays as I am studying for my MA (strange that I am getting an MA in literature which leads me to read less!) and I have much more responsibility at work. I also miss all of the book blogs that I was still reading until google reader disappeared, I really need to find another reader facility and work out how to use my twitter account!

I haven't figured out which books I will read yet but I like to grab a selection of short books so that I feel I have achieved a lot in the time given - it will be a luxury for me to be able to read for one hour a book of my own choosing, let alone for a whole day.

EDITED: My stack of reads

John Steinbeck, Cannery Row - a book I've been meaning to read forever.
John Hersey, A Single Pebble - highly recommended by someone on my course.
Edna O'Brein, In the Forest - a 1001 book and a bookcrossing book which I've had for way too long.
Ted Hughes, Iron Man - its tiny and has large print for when I am getting tired.
Ben Aaronovitch, Rivers of London - a school friend has been raving about this series.
Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese - a graphic novel for the tired hours, another books which has sat on mount tbr too long.
Ari Folman and David Polonsky, Waltz with Bashir - a graphic novel borrowed from a friend for the tired hours.


Also, I'm now on twitter (I just posted my first tweet!) follow me @katrinasreads

Finishing the Read-a-thon

Hour: Finished
Time Reading: 13 hours 50 minutes
Books Read: House of the Sleeping Beauties, Rituals by Cees Nooteboom, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Toast
Books currently reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audio), The Court of the Air,
Currently Feeling: Time to get dressed, and perhaps read some more.


1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Hour 10, when I gave in to my headache and went to bed - should really go to the opticians and get some new glasses!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
This year I didn't end up reading my usual mix of YA which I don't think helped. I didn't read any books I would rate above 3 stars.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Not really. I didn't get as many comments as normal, I'm not sure if this was because of the way the cheerleading was organised or because the people I normally follow weren't participating this time.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The up-dates were good as usual. All in all I think it worked really well.

5. How many books did you read?
4 (listed above) plus part of an audio book and half of a book.


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

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Toast by Nigel Slater (a British Chef)

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Rituals by Cees Nooteboom

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I didn't try to get to everybody in my section just went every 5th person. I think personal messages work best so I liked being able to read people's posts rather than trying to greet everyone with the same message.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I've been a cheerleader the last few times and think maybe next time I will just be a reader. I still go and visit people's posts throughout the whole thing and that way I could spend more time reading. Also I noticed some people onle have one post for the whole 24 hours which I think I may try next time.

Thanks to the hosts and those that came and visited. Until next time!

Read-a-thon Update 4

Hour: 22?
Time Reading: 11 hours 40 minutes
Books Read: House of the Sleeping Beauties, Rituals by Cees Nooteboom, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Toast
Books currently reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audio), The Court of the Air,
Currently Feeling: Wide awake and can't stop eating!

I finished another bookcrossing book, so that is 4 now that I can release to other readers and free from my stacks. And a non-fiction to boot! I'm now going to spend some time looking at some other read-a-thoners and then get back to reading The Court of the Air so I can get a big chunl of it finished, although it won't be completed during the read-a-thon.

Read-a-thon update 3

Hour: 18
Time Reading: 8 hours 30 minutes
Books Read: House of the Sleeping Beauties, Rituals by Cees Nooteboom, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Books currently reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audio), The Court of the Air, Toast
Currently Feeling: Much more awake. Breakfast has been eaten.

Picking a short book and turning off the computer certainly helped me to focus. I read and completed the novella Miss Jean Brodie since my last post knocking off my third bookcrossing book this read-a-thon - notice that they are all teeny books.
I'm going to check my googlereader and then start Nigel Slater's Toast.

I'm Back

Hour: 16
Time Reading: 6 hours 40 minutes
Books Read: House of the Sleeping Beauties, Rituals by Cees Nooteboom.
Books currently reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audio), The Court of the Air
Currently Feeling: Not as refreshed as I'd like.

I ended up going to bed at quarter to ten (end of hour 9) as my eyes were so tired I could barely keep them open. I had woken up Friday night from a horrid dream and I couldn't get back to sleep so was tired anyway. Then tonight the same thing happened, so I'm no where near as awake as I'd like and have images of a giant fish flapping around dieing in my bath to contend with!
After my last update I read 100 pages of The Court in The Air a 500+ page fantasy, and listened to some more of the audio. I'm going to get back to reading and drinking tea but I'm going to grab The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for a quick read.

Hope you're all still doing well, I'll come say hi later on.

Back to reading

Me and my reading companion spent the last 45minutes cheerleading and are now off to read some more, must go and pick a book now!

Read-a-thon Update 2

Hour: 7
Time Reading: 5 hours 5 minutes
Books Read: House of the Sleeping Beauties, Rituals by Cees Nooteboom.
Books currently reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audio) Currently Feeling: Headachey. Not sure if it was the bad book or just my eyes getting tired.

I just finished my second book, Rituals by Cees Nooteboom one which I really didn't enjoy but persevered with as it was short, I could tick it off my 1001 list and it could be used for a read from Holand.
I'm now going to spend some time cheerleading and drinking Licorice tea. Hopefully in that time I will have decided which book I want to read next and the headache will have disappeared.
How are you all doing?

Read-a-thon Update 1

(Taken on my phone in glaring sunlight, so noy great quality - this is where I sat reading for a few hours, being passed by canal and motor boats, cannoists, dog walkers, runners and families - bliss)

Hour: 4
Time Reading: 3 hours 15 minutes
Books Read: House of the Sleeping Beauties
Books currently reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audio) and Rituals by Cees Nooteboom.
Currently Feeling: Relaxed and the time is rushing past, bring on the next book!!!


It's now the fourth hour of the read-a-thon and time is flying past. I went for a long stroll with the lovely Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in my ears. Then stopped and read all of House of the Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories by Yasunari Kawabata. In typical Japanese fiction style this was a very strange collection of 3 stories, which I will talk about when the read-a-thon is finished.

I hope everyone is coping well with the first couple of hours, I've had about a half an hour break so I'll be checking my google reader and then getting on to the next book which is Rituals by Cees Nooteboom.

Read-a-thon Begins

I'm not out as expected, although I'm off to sample some of the sunshine in a moment as my frontroom is cold and outside is lovely and warm.
A quick answer to this Meme first

1)Where are you reading from today?
To start the read-a-thon I'm actually wandering down to the river for a wander through the meadow, under the trees, past the horses and to the canal boats, audio book in ear. I will stop for a while a read if I can find somewhere comfy which isn't occupied.
2)Three random facts about me…
a. I have a house bunny called Alba
b. I'm currently trying to learn sign language, cookery, all about fairytales and photography.
c. The kids at school nickname me smiler (and probably a few horrid things I'm best off not knowing.

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I've not made a pile this year, so will have the choice of 400 odd books to pick from.

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)?
I'm aiming for 18 hours reading, a few hours cheerleading and some sleep. I'm hoping to tackle 6 books, 4 of them bookcrossing books so that I can get a few books moving again.

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
I have done this 4 times, I do allow about 4 hours sleep so that I'm not horrid all of next week and that tends to be fine. Audiobooks are great for when you want to move around. I'll go for a couple of walks, especially one before it gets dark so I don't get restless. Keep the books short/light and have some short stories or graphic novels on hand.

Read-a-thon Preparation

I'm Excited that today the read-a-thon starts. I thought I would pop a quick post up now as I may not be around at the beginning. The weather here is stunning so I'm planning on spending the first hours of the read-a-thon down by the river and meadows near my house, with a few sandwiches an audio book and a book. It means I'll be able to have a good walk and get some sunshine which will hopefully mean I'm less restless later.
Now normally this is where I would post a picture with a pile of books. However this week I haven't been at all in the mood for reading (very worrying given I'm now hoping to read for 18 hours!)so I'm avoiding making a pile, as it will just be whatever interests me there and then. I've also been reading 30 pages and deciding the book just isn't for me, hopefully I'll be more consistent today.
So rather than specific reads my goal is to finish 6 books and four of those should be bookcrossing books registared by other members that I need to send off on their book travels again.
I'll be cheerleading for 3 hours, which will be dispersed between hours 6-12, I always like going visiting other blogs and seeing what other people are doing to celebrate.
As for food I'm on a diet, and after a curry and McDonald's yesterday (last day of school celebrations) I will be having to behave. I'm off to grab and cut up fresh pineapple and mango, yogurts, rice cakes and ingredients for dinner soon.
I wish you all luck, its always nice to have comments but more important during the read-a-thon so please say hello.

I pledge....

to try and read for 24 hours on April 9th 2011. That's right, I'm signing up for the Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon again this year. The last one I missed as my laptop had died on me, but in previous attempts I've read for about 17 hours, as well as blogging and joining in with the bits and pieces happening on line.
Why do I participate? I love the knowledge that we are all doing the same thing across the world no matter where we are, as well as the contact with other bloggers and discovering new blogs.
What do I read? I normally take the opportunity to read some of my shorter books, plus some YA and graphic novels. I have managed to tackle 6 books before, and that will be my aim again this time. Worringly, I have already been looking at books on the tbr pile and thinking that'd be good for the read-a-thon.

Read-a-thon Hour 24 and I'm finished

Time spent reading: 14 hour and 25 mins
Pages Read: 1174
Books Completed: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (I had started this previous to the read-a-thon), Tales from Firozsha Bagg by Rohinton Mistry, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ash by Malinda Lo.

As the final hour of the read-a-thon begins I have finished my final book, Ash, a retelling of the Cinderella story. Rather than start a new book I've decided to go and cheer on some of the other readers. I'll be back at some point this evening with a Sunday Salon. Each of the books I finished was great and each will be getting its own review which I'll be writing up in the days to come.

The End of Event Meme:
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Randomly the first couple of hours when I was feeling really restless.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Ash by Malinda Lo and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Both great reads, nice sized font and well paced, exactly what's required for a long reading spell.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
It didn't seem to be advertised as much this year, I din't see the buzz surrounding it that I have on previous years - although that maybe because I don't use twitter, I get the feeling from the blogs I visited that that was the place to be.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
As of the other years that I have participated the updates on the blogs are always great as they keep you linked to the rest of the community.
5. How many books did you read?
I read 3 full books and finished another one.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
See the top of my post.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Probably The Hunger Games, which was great as I brought it ages ago and kept putting it off so I could read it for the read-a-thon
8. Which did you enjoy least?
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Not a cheerleader this year, I did this last time and had problems opening some of the blogs, this may just be my computer it is old and well used.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I'm very likely to participate again, I think again I would just be a reader but this time I will check out more bloggers who are participating and add them to my google reader. A lot of the blogs I read who have participated in the past weren't involved this year so I didn't have many posts to comment on.
I'm looking forward to getting outside for a while as today is another beautifully warm and sunny day.

Read-a-thon Hour 20: Another Book Read

Time spent reading: 11 hour and 15 mins
Pages Read: 883
Books Completed: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (I had started this previous to the read-a-thon), Tales from Firozsha Bagg by Rohinton Mistry, The Hunger Games
Current Book: Not sure what to go for next '~'?

With hour 20 about to begin I'm off for a bath so I can feel more alive. Just finished The Hunger Games, an amazing read certainly one I'll be recommending in the future. I now want the second one, but may have to wait for a copy from the library as I'm on a book buying ban - I have a 5 week holiday to save for!

It seems awfully quiet around here, the people I follow on Google Reader who normally participate aren't joining in this time and there haven't been any cheerleading visits in ages in this part of town :(

Read-a-thon: Back and playing

It's twenty past five in the morning here, my alarm went off at half four but as I hadn't managed to fall into more than a slumber it took a while for me to get out of bed. I've read for the last 20mins while my computer has messed around with random messages and had to be rebooted - every read-a-thon it goes strange!
I'll quickly be checking Google Reader, sending a few messages then I'm back reading again.

Read-a-thon Hour 12: Off to bed

Time spent reading: 8 hour and 40 mins
Pages Read: 630
Books Completed: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (I had started this previous to the read-a-thon), Tales from Firozsha Bagg by Rohinton Mistry
Current Book: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 251 pages in and loving it


This year I decided to try a different method, rather than stay up till I'm completely shattered I'm going to bed now as I'm tired and its about the time I'd normally go to sleep. I'm setting my alarm for half four, giving me four hours sleep. Hopefully I'll then be able to read to the end.
Just hoping I'm not going to dream that I'm part of The Hunger Games!
Night x

Read-a-thon Hour 8

Time spent reading: 5 hour and 35 mins
Pages Read: 379
Books Completed: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (I had started this previous to the read-a-thon), Tales from Firozsha Bagg by Rohinton Mistry

Current Book: About to start The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Listening to: Starsailor and Toykyo Police Club

Another 1001 book ticked off of the list - Tales from Firozsha Baag, a mix of intertwined stories from the lives of people all living in one appartment block. As I'm reading easily at the moment I'm rushing straight back into it, and delving into The Hunger Games which I've been savouring for this read-a-thon.

Read-a-thon Hour 6 and I have my mojo back

Time spent reading: 3 hour and 17 mins
Pages Read: 217
Books Completed: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (I had started this previous to the read-a-thon)
Current Book: Tales from Firozsha Bagg by Rohinton Mistry
Listening to: Nothing at the moment

Escaping to my bedroom certainly hepled, I can't believe how few hours I have managed so far when these should be the early hours!
Anyway I'm now back on track and loving my current read. I had an early dinner - tuna pasta salad, Yum :):) And I now ready to get stuck back into the rest of this book, hopefully it'll be finished in the next few hours.

Anyone else have any blips?

Read-a-thon Hour 4 (I'm already restless)

Pages read since last post: 28!

Arrgghhh... restlessness has set in, I'm always like this when I finish a book and start a new one immediately.
This is a quick post to enter Bart's minichallenge then the computer is going to get ignored for a while and I'm off up o my bedroom away from distractions to get started on my new book: Tales from Firozsha Baag.

Walking on Glass, The Water Babies, Legends of the Fall.

Read-a-long Hour 3: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Time spent reading: 1 hour and 45 mins
Pages Read: 104
Books Completed: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (I had started this previous to the read-a-thon)
Listening to: Thunder, Lightning, Strkie by The Go Team

Having preiously started Alias Grace I knew that I wanted it fiished efore I started any new books for the read-a-long. I loved this book which reminded me that I should read more of the Margaret Atwoods on my bookshelf. I'll be reviewing this properly in the next couple of days. Another 1001 book knocked off the list.

And my quick, off the top of my head answers for Bobby's mini challenge
Favorite Female Character in a book: Jane Eyre every time
Favorite Male Character in a book: Henry, from The Time Travellers Wife - I'd marry him in a flash.
Favorite Side Kick in a book: Hmmmm.....can I have sidekicks? Hermione and Ron
Favorite Couple in a Book: Henry and Clare (TTW)
Favorite Book Series: Harry Potter
Favorite Author: Neil Gaiman, Sarah Waters, Margaret Atwood...the list goes on
Favorite Book Cover: The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
Favorite Book of 2009: The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer, both by Patrick Ness