24 Hour Read-a-thon

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon

Well I overslept and missed Hour 1, so I’m just now putting together a post for the 24 hour Read-a-thon.  I’ll keep it short for the time being.  I’m going to try and keep all of my updates in one post so I’m not posting several blog posts over the course of one day.  Memes can be found below the hourly updates.

Summary:

• Hours Completed: 23
• Read: 2 books (1 completed), 4 short stories
• Total Pages Read: 470
• Mini Challenges: 12
• Notes: Won the Hour 21 Random Giveaway Prize!

Hour 1 (5am-6am):

Missed 😦

Hour 2 (6am-7am):

• Reading: The English Opium-Eater by Robert Morrison
• Pages Read: 8
• Mini Challenges: Introduction Meme, Where in the World are You Reading
• Notes: I spent most of this hour composing this post … ooops … not much reading took place

Hour 3 (7am-8am):

• Reading: The English Opium-Eater by Robert Morrison
• Pages Read: 25
• Mini Challenges: none
• Notes: The sun is trying to poke through the clouds.

Hour 4 (8am-9am):

• Reading: The English Opium-Eater by Robert Morrison
• Pages Read: 16
• Mini Challenges: none (I thought of doing the book puzzle but all of my books have strange titles)
• Notes: I’ve been playing on the computer more than reading, must fix this for hour 5.

Hour 5 (9am-10am):

• Reading: The English Opium-Eater by Robert Morrison
• Pages Read: 20
• Mini Challenges: Oldies but Goodies
• Notes: 12 pages left in my current book – reading is going slowly, but that is nothing against the book.  I also made some yummy popcorn this hour.

Hour 6 (10am-11am):

• Reading: Finished The English Opium-Eater by Robert Morrison & Read short story The Evil That Men Do by Elizabeth Bowen
• Pages Read: 37
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: Finally finished the biography I have been working on for several days.  I also read a short story as a break.  Still kind of sleepy but loving this!

Hour 7 (11am-12pm):

• Reading: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Pages Read: 8
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: I spent approximately 40 minutes trying to figure out what book I wanted to read.  I finally came across a collection of science fiction classics which I will be reading from for a little bit.

Hour 8 (12pm-1pm):

• Reading: Finished The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald Started The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster
• Pages Read: 28
• Mini Challenges: Book Club Recommendations
• Notes: I am enjoying reading my science fiction classics.  I keep getting distracted by things which is making me read slowly, but I am having massive fun.  My cat is currently demanding my attention by meowing at me and crawling all over me.

Hour 9 (1pm-2pm):

• Reading: Finished The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster & The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion by Edgar Allan Poe
• Pages Read: 18 pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: Had to do a few errands and eat during this hour, so didn’t read much.  I have been reading short stories from my collection of science fiction classics which I have been enjoying.  I may switch things up in the next hour and start a novel.

Hour 10 (2pm-3pm):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 2% (Kindle Ebook)  approximately 9 pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: Spent most of this hour commenting on other blog posts and so did not start reading until about 2:45pm.  The book I started is a Kindle Ebook so I won’t be able to give page number counts.  It is overcast and 55 degrees outside a perfect day to be inside reading.  I’m having such fun with this!

Hour 11 (3pm-4pm):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 7% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 23 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: The Enterprise of Death was a little confusing at first, but is becoming a really good book.  I’m enjoying reading it.  I’m also craving sweets and have none in the house – may need to send my fiance out to get snacks.

Hour 12 (4pm-5pm)

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 9% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 9 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: Mid-Event Survey
• Notes: Spent most of this hour on the phone with my mother as well as playing on Twitter (evil evil twitter).  I will try and focus a little more on reading this next hour.

Hour 13 (5pm-6pm)

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 16% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 33 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: Book Habits
• Notes: I am really starting to get into the book I am reading.  It’s starting to get darker outside now.

Hour 14 (6pm-7pm)

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 21% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 23 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: Book Sentence
• Notes: Spent some time on the mini challenge (see below for picture).  Also looked at some blogs.  Read for last 20-30 minutes.  I can’t believe we are so far into this read-a-thon already!

Hour 15 (7pm-8pm)

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 29% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 37 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: My blog feels lonely … no one has visited in the last 6 hours … oh well.

Hour 16 (8pm-9pm)

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 34% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 23 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes:   The mini challenge for this hour was writing sequels to the books you have read for the challenge … in everything I’ve read today the main character has died … kind of hard to come up with a sequel.  I may not  be reading fast, but I’m enjoying every second of this readathon.

Hour 17 (9pm-10pm):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 36% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 10 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: Classic Paranormal Tome Challenge
• Notes: Spent most of the time trying to figure out where the readathon post was, then played on twitter for a while … read for about 15 minutes this hour … will do better this next hour!

Hour 18 (10pm-11pm)

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 41% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 23 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: I’m getting really really sleepy … started dozing off while reading … trying to hold out though … I’ve made it through 18 hours … I can make it through 6 more hours!

Hour 19 (11pm-12am):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 43% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 9 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: Reading Crush
• Notes: I played on Twitter way too much this hour and then took a photo of my cat (see picture below).  All three cats were very demanding this past hour.  I want to spend one full hour focusing on reading, but my attention span has been a little off today what with how many activities are going on.

Hour 20 (12am-1am)

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 49% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 28 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: Movie Madness
• Notes: I amazingly have more energy now than I did about an hour ago … the caffeine is kicking in.

Hour 21 (1am-2am):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 50% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 5 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: I had to get up and do a couple of things around the house and eat something and play on Twitter so I got hardly any reading done.  I plan on being more productive in the next hour.  Won the hour 21 random giveaway I am so excited – I’ve never won anything before – really!

Hour 22 (2am-3am):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 57% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 32 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: None
• Notes: Started fading towards the end of the hour … but I’m trying to get my energy back up.

Hour 23 (3am-am):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 62% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 23 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: Referral Challenge
• Notes: I can’t believe I’ve made it this far … getting tired but I’m still going.

Hour 24 (4am-5am):

• Reading: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
• Pages Read: 67% (Kindle Ebook) approximately 23 additional pages
• Mini Challenges: End of Event Survey
• Notes: I made it!  I only missed one hour and that was hour number 1 – so I lasted 23/24 hours.

Introduction Meme

1)Where are you reading from today?’

I’m reading from my lovely apartment in Everett, WA, 20 miles north of Seattle, WA.

2)Three random facts about me…

I have 3 cats, one who keeps talking to me while I write this post

Science is a passion of mine even though I haven’t worked a science related job in 3 years

I love cloudy rainy days more than I do sunny ones

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

I don’t really have any tally.  I have several in my bookshelves to choose from as well as many in my Kindle.  I don’t like to have set rules.  I just want to go where the reading takes me.

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)?

No goals other than to try and have fun with this.

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

This is my first time.

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?

The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington

2. How many books have you read so far?

1 book and 3 short stories

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

The one I’m currently reading.  I doubt I’ll finish it during the read-a-thon though.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Nope – I’m pretty boring

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Not really, but I have had to read while my fiance has been watching TV which can be distracting, but I do that usually

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

How easily it is going.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

I’ve been having trouble with the mini challenges, maybe more than one mini challenge per hour?

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Have more snacks available … I’m craving sweets!

9. Are you getting tired yet?

I was tired earlier, but as it is 4pm I’m doing rather well right now.

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 what has  been working well for me is just pacing myself, not reading mass and not worrying about reading a whole lot of pages, but just enjoying what I’m reading.  The cheerleaders are doing a great job so I have no suggestions for them other to keep on doing what they are doing!

Book Sentence Mini Challenge:

Shakespeare’s wife sacrifices the late Mr. Shakespeare.  (maybe she sacrificed him because he was late or was he late because she sacrificed him?)

One of My Read-a-thon Buddies:

End of Event Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Got really tired during hours 2, 18, and 22 those were definitely the hardest hours for me

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I can’t think of any specific books, but I think short story collections are a must.  I really enjoyed reading those – they gave me a sense of accomplishment.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Not really, though some of the mini challenges were really geared towards one specific reading genre and that made it hard to participate in them.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

Personally it was just pacing myself.  Overall was the high involvement in twitter – that was a lot of fun!

5. How many books did you read?

I read one book and 4 short stories and am more than halfway through a second book.

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

The English Opium-Eater by Robert Morrison, The Evil That Men Do by Elizabeth Bowen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion by Edgar Allan Poe, & The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I’m really enjoying The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington though I’m not finished with it

8. Which did you enjoy least?

The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion by Edgar Allan Poe – it was really short and I didn’t fully understand it

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

I wasn’t a cheerleader though I did try to visit some blogs and cheer people on.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I am very likely to participate again – I loved this!  I definitely want to be a reader again – it was a lot of fun!