Read-a-thon Spring 2026

 

It's that time of year! Time for the Spring Read-a-thon! I haven't been able to do one for awhile, but I'm hoping to be able to take some time to read today. As far as my reading list today:

• The Greek House by Dinah Jefferies
• Upward Bound by Woody Brown
• An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton

I'll be joined by two dogs and five cats, a comfy sofa, and lots of hot tea. Happy Reading!

Dewey's 24-Hr Readathon (April 2024)

I've stepped out for a bit for the readathon. I haven't participated in many years. I have a selection of books to choose from today...

Right now, I'm focusing on Act of Defiance and Welcome to Your Body (body horror short stories). I'm really enjoying the Tom Clancy book! Wish me luck!

READATHON October 2017: End-Event Survey

Closing Survey! (add your link or comment below)
1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Well, after a day working on hurricane cleanup I was so tired and exhausted that I only lasted a couple of hours before passing out. But since my whole body hurts today and I'll be taking it easy, I'm going to try to continue my reading today on my own.
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! I'm still working on the very long The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners?
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile?
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? I always try to participate.

READATHON October 2017: Getting my drink on

I'm finally ready. Settling down with a mug of tea and finally reading after a day of hard and exhausting work.

READATHON October 2017: Mid-Event Meme

Halfway through the readathon, and I haven't really been able to participate yet. Today is when everyone decided to help me with hurricane cleanup, and you have to jump at the opportunity when you have it! So today was spent on roof repairs and landscape cleanup. Now I am showered and exhausted and barely able to move. Perfect time to curl up in a chair with a pot of tea to finally get some reading done!

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
2. How many books have you read so far? zero
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Same book. It's a long book.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Today has been nothing but interruptions. I'm hoping to have tonight to settle down and get some reading done.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nada

READATHON October 2017: Book and a Beverage Challenge

The Book Monsters are asking readathon participants to post a pic of their beverage and book. Well, I already finished my Spiced Pumpkin Frappe!

I'm currently back to just water, but will put on a pot of tea later this afternoon!

READATHON October 2017: 10 Years, 10 Books Challenge

As a readathon challenge, we are being "challenged" to recommend one book published in each year of the readathon. This is my list, all of which I've personally read and recommend except for the first two, both of which are on my TBR.

2007:

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah


2008:

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks


2009:

Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell


2010:

The Passage by Justin Cronin


2011:

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles


2012:

Wilderness by Lance Weller


2013:

A Dual Inheritance by Joanna Hershon


2014:

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra


2015:

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery


2016:

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood


2017:

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

READATHON October 2017: Opening Meme

I'm getting a late start this morning. I've been running errands to get them out of the way and free me up a bit, but I still have obligations to see to. We are still going through hurricane cleanup down here in south Florida, and I have a family friend coming over today to replace some missing shingles on the roof and I have some landscaping to attend to. But I will be working at getting some reading done this weekend!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? South Florida
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I'm drinking a Pumpkin Spice Frappe right now, and planning on making chili later!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a nearing 50 divorced woman with a ZooCrew of 3 dogs and 5 cats (and a sixth cat at work that will be coming home with me one of these days). I work in the software industry, and I just went through Hurricane Irma and am still cleaning up the after effects. I have a video of the hurricane as the eye closed in on us (I spent most of the storm outside recording).
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? I think I started with the readathon when it was one or two years old, so it's been awhile now. And I'm a bit older now. I don't think I was even 40 years old when I did my first readathon. So I don't have the same endurance that I used to have, and just take it easy now. I don't try to stay awake the 24 hours, and my goal these days is to just read as much as I can.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump, and I'm hoping maybe the readathon will help jump start my reading genes again. Let's get to it!

READATHON April 2017: Closing Meme

Here we are at the end of the road once again. I was along for only part of the ride-- life is just too distracting these days.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? They all are. I'm my own worst enemy.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged for next year? Nothing can hold my interest for long anymore. My attention-deficit just continues to worsen.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? Nope
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I didn't notice any drastic differences.
5. How many books did you read? I didn't complete anything. I read a little of two different books.
6. What were the names of the books you read? I had four books to select from, but mostly just read Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran and a little of All That Is Solid Melts Into Air by Carol Giangrande.
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Rebel Queen
8. Which did you enjoy least? Well, of the two that would leave All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, but I really just started to read it. I have a long way to go yet!
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I'll usually participate, and will always be a reader (when I can commit).

 So that would be it. I'm going to continue trying to get some reading in today, and I'll see you all back here in the fall.

READATHON April 2017: Opening Meme

Here we are again, gathering together around the world to commit to a single goal-- READ. I will do what I can to get some real reading done, but I have mightily failed the last year or two. But this is a clean slate! So let's get this party started!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? South Florida
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I didn't really stock up on snacks, as I'm trying to watch what I eat and not snack too much. However I do have some grapes in the fridge! And I have some tapioca pudding I may get to!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a divorced woman working in the tech industry. I share my home with a passel of animals: Three dogs Tiki (13 year old Coton du Tulear), Zook (6 1/2 year old Chihuahua), and Roo (1 1/2 year old mix breed that DNA testing shows is mostly Chihuahua, Cattle Dog, and Chow), and five cats Momma (14 years), her son Simon (12 years), Shotsie (10 years), Izzy (2 years) and Gilly/Jellybean (1 year).
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? Nothing. I always just endeavor to do more book-related stuff: read, blog, write reviews about recently read books, etc.

And with that, my friends, let's get to it! Enjoy!

READATHON 2016: End of Event Survey

Well, that's a wrap! Another readathon comes to an end, and I have failed once again to accomplish whatever goals I set for myself. Too many distractions combined with the inability to stay awake.

End of Event Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Every hour
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Nope. I didn't even get through my one, although I should finish it today. It actually would be a pretty good book for someone to read during the readathon, as it is interesting and a short book (News of the World by Paulette Jiles)
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? Nope
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Everyone always does a great job
5. How many books did you read? I didn't complete any
6. What were the names of the books you read? News of the World by Paulette Jiles
7. Which book did you enjoy most? (only one I read)
8. Which did you enjoy least? see above
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I think I've only missed one or two over the last 7 years. I will always be a reader.

And that's all folks! We'll see you next year!

READATHON 2016: Mid-Event Survey

Busy, busy! I'm trying to read when I can, but I've had things I had to get done today. If I can finish this one book, the event will have been a success for me!

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? News of the World by Paulette Jiles
2. How many books have you read so far? Still on this one
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? If I make it through this one, I haven't decided what I may read next. Maybe The Wolf Road or A Gentleman in Moscow.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? It's been non-stop interruptions. I have a house full of animals, urgent chores that need to be done, and I'm preparing for The Walking Dead premier event my friend and I are getting together for tomorrow. But I'm reading in between things.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nothing. I've been through a lot of them now, so I know what to expect of my household, the event, and myself.

READATHON Oct 2016: Opening Meme

I'm here! I'm up! Don't start without me!

Opening Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? South Florida
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Finishing News of the World by Paulette Jiles
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I really didn't plan much in snacks this year.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! Single woman with a Zoocrew (3 dogs, 5 cats), this is my 7th year participating in the readathon.
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? I probably won't do anything different. These days, I just take it easy and try to get as much reading done as possible. I won't be staying up for 24 hours. I'm too old for that stuff!

And that being said: Let's get this party started!

Readathon (April 2016): End of Event Survey

Photo credit: Chris Wieland via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND (modified) 

Hello, Readathoners! The end is here! I did not do well this year, but I did finish my book and start a second one. So there's that.

End of Event Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I gave in shortly after 1 AM and went to bed with a throbbing headache and aching legs from sitting. Getting old sucks.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I think a collection of short stories could be good to break things up. I had The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra, but didn't read enough to need a break from longer stories.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? Nope
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Everything. The website has gotten easier to navigate over the years and find information. It continues to improve.
5. How many books did you read? Finished one
6. What were the names of the books you read? Finished When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi, and began Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman
7. Which book did you enjoy most? I've enjoyed both
8. Which did you enjoy least? n/a
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I did my first readathon back in 2009. I'll always try to participate, and I'll always be a reader.

And that, my friends, is it for this readathon. I hope you enjoyed yourselves, and I'll see you right back here again in October.

Readathon (April 2016): Mid-Event Survey

Photo credit: Chris Wieland via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND (modified) 

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi
2. How many books have you read so far? Zero
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I want to finish this one and get started on Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I've had tons of interruptions, and I've just given into them this year.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How little I've been able to participate this year. *sigh* I hope to be more involved this second half.

Readathon (April 2016): Our Bookish Childhoods Mini-Challenge

Photo credit: Chris Wieland via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND (modified) 

How's it going with everyone? I've gotten nothing accomplished yet, as I've been stuck on the phone and had a puppy playing with me. It's time to grab some breakfast, and settle down with my book!

Over at Readage, bookgirl1987 is asking people to share their childhood literary memories. This got me thinking about mine. What are some of my top memories?

1. I can't remember whether it was Christmas or for my birthday, but my mother gave me a copy of Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic and I found it was a great introduction to poetry. What a wonderful way to feed a child's imagination!
2. As a child I had a couple of bookshelves over the head of my bed (the shelves fell down more than once, and I'm lucky that they never did so while I was laying under them!) One of my earliest memories is of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, which had a place on my shelves. It was read regularly (I think it had an orange book cover).
3. And one Christmas I got the Judy Blume collection. Who can forget how groundbreaking Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret was?
4. There was a book that I read about Frederick Douglass when I was about 9 years old. I don't remember the name of the book, but it started a love for books about slavery and the underground, and I was equally fascinated by a book about Harriet Tubman read around this time.
5. It's not exactly a children's book, but I read The Stand by Stephen King for the first time around the age of 12, and it became a favorite. It also started a love for post-apocalyptic literature, and I have read the book many times since.

I want to thank bookgirl1987 for making me sit down and think back on what helped start my love of books!

Readathon (April 2016): Intro Meme

Photo credit: Chris Wieland via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND (modified)

Greetings from Southwest Florida! We're starting this morning curled up in bed, where the old woman is curled up on the pillow next to me...

...the middle child is nestled under the covers as usual...

...and the puppy is squeaking her toy incessantly.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Southwest Florida, down near the Everglades

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Finishing the one I'm already reading, which is When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Mango-Key Lime Pie

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! A divorced woman who works in the tech industry, I live with three dogs and four cats. I don't read enough, because I'm tethered to a computer and phone.

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? I don't think I'll do anything differently. My goal is simply to read all I can over the next 24 hours and relax and enjoy the time. If I sleep, I sleep. If I decide I need to go out for something, I will. But mostly I'll try to read.

Time to get to it. Happy reading everyone!

Readathon: Closing Survey

Well, I wasn't very productive this readathon, as I had conflicting things on the schedule. I had to step out in the afternoon for a mammogram, and then attended the annual Zombicon. I left Zombicon around 8:30 and went to dinner afterward, and didn't make it home until about 10:30. Then I needed to remove my makeup and get a shower and take care of my animals. I was so wiped out that I didn't get hardly any reading done after I got home.

Imagine my surprise to wake up this morning and find that we are the lead story on Today for a shooting that occurred down there around 11:45 PM! But here are a few photos from last night:

The makeup artists downtown did a pretty good job on my bite mark!

And there were the religious protesters, who we initially were unsure whether they were legit or simply acting like "end of the world" activists in the apocalypse!

Protesters used megaphones to tell attendees how sinful they were.

And then later on the gay activists showed up to peacefully plead with the protesters to stop being bullies (the other side of the sign that we don't see said something like "Don't be bullies!"):

Gay rights activists stand in front of religious protesters, who then climbed up ladders to be seen.

It was really a lot of fun, there were some amazing costumes, and it raised money for charity. So it was a great time right up until the end when the shooting happened!

And for my Closing Survey:

Which hour was most daunting for you? I was exhausted from attending Zombicon, and was out of it by 12:30 or so.

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Both of the books I read during the readathon were capable of keeping me engaged, it was life that distracted me. Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickam and Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope, you guys always do great! It just gets better every year!

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I liked the layout of the website, and the easy shortcuts on the right side. The website was very well organized. (However the "give me buttons" area was screwed up.)

How many books did you read? I was reading two, but still haven't finished them. I was distracted by a mammogram and Zombicon.

What were the names of the books you read? As mentioned above: Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickam and Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Which book did you enjoy most? Brother is inching to the lead, just because it's so creepy and suspenseful!

Which did you enjoy least? Well, there were only two, so see above. But I really like both almost equally.

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? n/a I don't think I have ever been a cheerleader in my life. I've always been more the "mom".

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I've tried to participate as a reader in every one of them since 2009!

So that's my wrap-up for the fall edition of Dewey's Read-a-thon 2015. See you all next time!

Readathon mini challenge: Book Scavenger Hunt

Just One More Thing is hosting a challenge for the 9th hour of Dewey's Read-a-thon, and she's proposed a scavenger hunt. She has provided five things for you to seek out in your current read. Here are my submissions!

1. Something hard:  alligator spines
2. Something fast:  Homer's fast ball
3. Something sweet:  Rose telling Elsie "I will miss you forever."
4. Something high:  doing acrobatics in an airplane
5. Something funny: Elsie speaking with a union guy by the name of Malcolm.

Malcolm: "I thought you were going to read the copy of Das Kapital I gave you."
Elsie: "Tried. It's the boringest book I ever read, bar none."
Malcolm: "That book has ignited the world!"
Elsie: "Then I guess the world must be some pretty dry tinder."

Readathon mini challenge: Halloween Preparation

The Secrets in Books is hosting the mini challenge this hour, and she is asking for creepy Halloween reading recommendations. I think the book that I'm reading right now for the readathon is a suitably creepy choice!

As described on Goodreads:

From the bestselling horror author of Within These Walls and The Bird Eater comes a brand-new novel of terror that follows a teenager determined to break from his family’s unconventional—and deeply disturbing—traditions.

Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…

It is creepy indeed! And I'm really enjoying it!