Dewey's readathon 2015

 

 So this is th post I will use to keep track up all update.  I am trying to work from a tablet so I apologize in advance for any errors.  Normally I post from my pc.

The first books I plan to work on:

The unfocused by Roselyn Jewel  

and

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

The readathon starts in 5 1/2 hours so time to get some sleep!

Stay tuned to this page to twitter @jljaina for updates!

Happy reading, everyone! 


Opening Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? USA-CA with a 5 am start
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  

Not sure yet
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? 
I have this peppermint kettlecorn that is reaaly good.  Also carrot sticks for great brain food.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am not a morning person so being up this early is really hard.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
Being I am also a festival volunteer this weekend, I am just trying to take it easy this readathon.  While I hope to read a lot I am not going to push myself.  That is saved from October's readathon. 



Classic Words of Wisdom Mini Challenge: 
“Life is short, Break the Rules.
Forgive quickly, Kiss SLOWLY.
Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret ANYTHING
That makes you smile.”
― Mark Twain 
For me this reminds me to enjoy life.  To take pleasure in the little things and that the life I live is my own.   To live that life to it's fullest.


Update-1.5 hours into the challenge. 
Reading: The unfocused by Roselyn Jewel  
Pages read: 21

A slow start but I am still just waking up so bare with me.

Update- Finishing the 4th Hour...
Finally had breakfast.  Waffles and OJ.  
Bouncing between my first two books. 

The unfocused by Roselyn Jewel  

and

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
with a strong focus on Shiver.
Total pages read so far: 66  

Update- Just after the 6th Hour.
We are now over 25% done with the readathon.  And I am finally in the zone.  It took forever to wake up but now caffeine is buzzing in me, so time to start hauling through my stack.
Almost finished with Shiver now.  
Total pages read for the readathon: 166  

Update- 8 1/2 hours in
Finished  Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Started Cruel  Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Total Pages read for the readathon: 238

Slowed down a bit.  Went for a walk,  and planned A Bookish Party for a challenge.  LOTs of flying happening here on the beach so less reading time right now.  The next several hours will be lighter until the festival is over and then we have a dinner party.  So the I may not read too much the next 6 hours or so but later I will pick it back up.    

Mid Event Update
1. What are you reading right now?
Cruel Beauty (primary read)
and
unfocused
2. How many books have you read so far?
Completed 1 book  The two mention above are still in progress.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Finishing Cruel Beauty.  From there, I don't know.  Depends on my mood and how tired I am.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Oh yes.  Plenty.  But I knew there would be.  Impossible to participate at a festival and not have interuptions.  I just do the best I can although sometimes it is hard to get back into the book.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? 
Surprised how little I have munched.  Until recently I have actually behaved quite well.  Also pleasantly surprised how many cheerleaders have stopped by.  Last time only two so this is a huge and encourageing change!  Thanks #TeamPopper!

Total Pages read so far: 289.
Hope to do at least 500! 

Food consumed:  Waffles, orange juice, mountain dew, hot tea, hot cocoa, carrot sticks, a couple red vines, white chocolate/peppermint kettle corn (surprisingly good!),  Watermelon juice/punch drink.  
Almost time for dinner soon!

Also found books for the future In 100 Years  (challenge) 

Update- Only 6 hours left!
not much reading since the last updates.  Finished the festival, cleaned up, had dinner (fish n' chips with caesar salad) and took a short nap.

Total pages so far:  345
Finished 1 book so far
2 books still in progress.

I hope to do at least 1 more update in a couple hours but the wind is messing with the internet connections so we'll see how it goes. 


Update- Less than 5 hours to go...
 Total pages read: 402  
Downing lots of tea to keep going.

End of Event Meme:

Which hour was most daunting for you? 

 The first 2 hours.  It is so early for me that it is really hard to get started.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? 

 Lighthearted, funny and fast paced are key to me.  No particular titles are coming to mind but I am being lazy and not really putting in much effort there.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  

This one ran really well.  Besides the early start time I was fairly happy.  Maybe give out more of the door prizes.  At the last hour, go crazy.    I you draw someone who can't have any prize for where they live, oh well.  draw someone else.  They'll never know and more people can win.
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  

The various platforms for getting involved was great.  good variety of mini events.  Some I could not do due to personal restrictions, but other I could.  Some were quick while others were more involved. 
How many books did you read?  I finished 1 book.  Also read over 50% of each of 2 other books.  Total of 553 pages!
What were the names of the books you read? 

Which book did you enjoy most?

Cruel Beauty by far!!!
Which did you enjoy least?

It's a toss up between the other 2.
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

Didn't cheer but would love to see an optional signup option for cheerleaders.  I love  tweeting or commenting of blogs with others.  But in April I have no way to commit to time, any number of stops, etc.  My time to post and interact is very limited and sporadic.  But to be easily able to would have been nice.  So maybe  "freelance" cheerleader option or something?  For those who feel too pressured to commit to a time or team but you can still send a list of possible stops they can do IF they can but it is not relied on.  Being on a team, you are expected to visit all your stops so if you are given 20 people but only have time for 5, 15 people are out of luck.  if you do teams plus extras then you still get committed stoppers plus hopefully a few extras. 
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? 

I'll be back in October.  If I have the day off, I will be an official cheerleader for that one.  October is a little less hectic.  As for doing Aprils...I don't know.  While I had fun I hate feeling so divided in my duties.  I LOVE the readathon and want to give it my all and yet it always falls on one of the most important weekends of the year for my husband and I want to fully support him.  So it is always a divided situation and neither side gets want I feel I want to give nor what is deserved.  So we shall see I guess.