Final Stretch

,Last six hours of Dewey's Read-a-thon. My eyes are starting to get tired, but I've still got some good reading left in me. 

Hour 19 Mini-Challenge: Shelfie

Here are two of my fiction shelves and many knick-knacks. I'm trying to cull enough books to downsize one shelf, but all I've really done is made room for the unshelled books so far,,,

Epic fail! I made the mistake of "resting my eyes" around 3am and opened them again at 6! I had a feeling that would happen - didn't get enough sleep the night before, so I started tired. Next April i'lol make it the whole way through (October is harder for me to do).

 End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Definitely hour 22. I was having trouble seeing clearly, so I rested my eys and fell asleep... It had been going well up until then :)
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha was great when I was starting to get tired. Half-Blood Blues was a great read as well.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? I thought it was great as always!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The cheerleaders were amazing and all the mini-challenged really engaging. 
5. How many books did you read? 5.5
6. What were the names of the books you read? Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha; Half-Blood Blues; Maggie and Pierre/The Duchess; Daughtere-in-Law, The Clothes They Stood Up In/The Lady in the Van; several stories in Alfred Hitchcock Favourite Suspense Stories; the first two chapters of This Body of Death on audiobook
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Daughters-in-Law - a really engaging read
8. Which did you enjoy least? Really liked them all - perhaps the audiobook, as I'd rather read than listen, but needs must!
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/a. My cheerleaders were fantastic. The encouragement was so great. 
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Definitely will participate, though I'll probably only be able to read part-time in October. 

Dewey's Read-a-thon Part 3 -Halfway Mark

I can't believe we're past the halfway point. I just finished book four - page count 1081. 

I have to leave to go to the Whitecaps game in about an hour, so I think I'll move on to some short stories. That way I won't leave something unfinished. I' not sure if I'll listen to an audiobook or read on my phone as I walk. Perhaps the latter as I have a book on the go that I can pick up easily.

Hour 14 Mini-Challenge:Bookish Brew

I've been alternating between ice tea and real tea. And cold pizza...

Back after a very disappointing, though ultimately exciting game. Shocking refereeing- Laba's first card was bogus and I'm pretty sure you can't kick somebody on the ground after play has stopped. Or I guess you can if you're kicking a Whitecap. Not a good sports night for Vancouver - though really, the Canicks never fail to live up to expectations...

Hour 18 Mini-Challenge: Best Of...

Here are some of my best of books for the past year. 

Best Book of the Reading Year - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I can't count how many times I nearly walked into people reading it on my phone walking to work. But I couldn't wait,

I'll give Kate Atkinson Best Author of my reading year, because I loved the Jackson Brodie novels as well. And yes, I'm one of those middle aged women who sigh when they say his name (though mainly because Jason Isaacs is lovely when he's not platinum blond), so Jackson gets my Character of the Year as well. 

Best Mystery - How the Light Gets In by Louse Penny. I discovered this series this year - I started in the middle and worked forwards and then backwards, which I think was an advantage, because the writing kept getting stronger. The only disadvantage was that it was pretty clear who the killer was in the first book, since the character wasn't in the later books :)

Read-a-thon Part 2 - hour 7-12

I can't believe we're 1/4 the way through already!

So far I've finished one book - The Clothes They Stood Up In and am nearly through Daughters-in-law, approximately 500 pages in total. Roughly on track for both my goals.

Hour 7 Mini-Challenge: Treausre Hunt

I found two books that had the three words: tree snow weapon

Now I want to read one of them :)

Hour 10 Mini-Challenge: Party Planning

What book is your party themed around? 

The Great Gatsby - it's not only one of my all-time favourite books, but it's pretty much one party after another. 

What food will you serve?

Oysters on the shell,canapés, a chocolate fountain 

What’s your signature drink?

Bathtub gin. But I'd also mix some Belmont Marks, which is my version of a bourbon lemonade

What games will you play?

Lots and lots of mind games. And maybe Cards Against Humanity or Taboo to make things a little uncomfortable. 

What party favors will you send home with your guests?

A pink shirt and a puppy.  

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? The Duchess by Linda Griff
2. How many books have you read so far? 3.5
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - I've been meaning to read it for ages. 

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? No interruptions at all, other than emails that can wait.  It helps that my mother and sister are out of town and I'll be seeing some friends briefly tonight. 
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How fast it's gone. I can't believe it's nearly been 12 hours. 

Dewey's read-a-thon Part 1

 And we're off!

Opening Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?  Vancouver, BC

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? The Clothes They Stood Up In

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Hawkins Cheesiest

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I love to read, play sports and play the trumpet. 

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? I will definitely get more reading hours In this time. I don't have anything planned for Sunday, so I plan to stay up the full 24 hours. 

Hour 2:

Mini-Challenge: Words of Wisdom

I've finished my first novel (to be fair, it's more of a novelette), so I'm taking a brief break to complete my first mini-challenge. 

My favourite classic word of wisdom would have to be from EM Forster and Howard's End: "Only connect." Sometimes the seemingly simplest statements are the most profound. I've spent most of my working life in not-for-profit theatre and while it has never been financially rewarding, the opportunity to be part of making connections between the idea and the audience has been more than fulfilling. Every time I think I'm ready to move on, I'm inspired again by a production. 

But it would also be remiss not to mention the line that inspired my blog title: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Perhaps I'll have to put both books on today's reading list!

It's April, must be time for another Read-a-thon!

What's better than curling up with a good book for a few hours on a rainy Saturday? Curling up with a stack of good books for 24 hours (give or take)!

It's time for the semi-annual Dewey's Read-a-Thon, from 5am Saturday, April 25 to 4:59am Sunday, April 26 (at least in my neck of the woods).

I'm aiming for 20 hours and 1800 pages, but that's likely setting the bar a little too high. I'll lose about 3 hours in the evening, as I have tickets to the Whitecaps game,but I'm planning on downloading an audiobook for the walk to and from the stadium (and maybe even during the game - or at least halftime). The forecast is for rain (that's a shock for April in Vancouver), which is a perfect reason to read the day away.

Here's the first crack at my pile of books for the day. I downloaded the first five parts of This Body of Death from the library on audiobook, so that will be my Whitecaps book. Which means I won't finish it, unless I get through everything else and start listening part-way through :)

My plan of attack: pick up some healthy-ish snacks on the way home from work; order pizza tonight (yay Dominos playoff special), because cold pizza doesn't need prep time and still tastes great; set the alarm for 4:30 so I can have a shower to wake myself up properly; get into my comfy clothes (yay flannel loungepants from Swains); and curl up on the couch until it's time to head out to the game.