Fall Readathon 2012 :: Event Wrap-Up

And this, my friends, is all she wrote for 2012′s Fall Readathon. This was my most successful event so far – much-improved over spring’s disappointment – and though I’m always so very tired, I’m also fully energized. The freedom to read is such a gift, and each year I’m reminded how important it is to make time for it. I don’t read nearly as much as I should, but I still value it so much. This readathon offered a beautiful opportunity to share the importance of reading with a child, and I’ll always be grateful for the little bit of time that he stuck it out. What I know for sure is that D will keep asking about the next readathon event and will surely want to try again. I can’t wait!

Below are the final tallies for the Dyl, myself, and my best good friend Cerella, who also participated in her first 24 Hour Readathon. We all had varying schedules and levels of success, but I think each of us would agree that it was a very good day to read.

So this is now the official end to my 5th readathon. Looking forward to doing it all over again in the spring! Catch me on Twitter for random pop culture ramblings, and come back to phrenetical later this week for a few book reviews that are now pending. Happy reading!

End-Of-Event Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Though I had to take a 2-hour nap at Hour 10, the toughest moment came in Hour 22 when I made the idiotic decision to attempt an instructional textbook, of all things! It signaled the beginning of the end, for sure.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? The best decisions I’ve ever made for readathon were the easy-breezy narratives of John Grisham (this time) and the riveting series of The Hunger Games (October 2011). I saw a tweet during the event that deserves recognition because of its truth: “Every readathon needs The Hunger Games.” It truly makes the time fly!
3. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? This year I saw a lot of pre-event publicity on Twitter and that allowed me to keep the readathon fresh in my mind. This was much, much better promotion than recent years. Kudos!
4. How many books did you read? Better time management allowed me to attempt two books this time instead of the one that I typically complete during the event.
5. What were the names of the books you read? The Associate by John Grisham (completed) and The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages by Mary Ellen Dodd (17 pages)
6. Which book did you enjoy most? The Associate
7. Which did you enjoy least? It’s not so much that I didn’t enjoy The Writer’s Compass but that I should be far more alert when attempting to read it.
8. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I’m always in for readathon! First and foremost as a reader, but one of these days I’d love to host a mini-challenge. One of these days!

 

Total Pages Read: 110
Total Time Spent Reading: 1.5 hours
Books Completed and Attempted: (6 completed + 2 more attempted) Curious George Goes To The Hospital ● The Cat In The Hat ● Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day ● Christina Katerina and the Box ● Game Day ● Snoopy (10 pages completed) ● Go Long! (skimmed)

 

Total Pages Read: 468
Total Time Spent Reading: 12 hours
Books Completed and Attempted: Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (completed) ● A Brew To A Kill: A Coffeehouse Mystery (2/3 completed) ● Under Gemini (68 pages completed)

 

Total Pages Read: 390
Total Time Spent Reading: almost 12 hours… I think. My previous posts don’t add up like I think they should, but that just means I should never try to do math when sleep-deprived. So I’m saying I read for a total of 12 hours. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Books Completed and Attempted: The Associate (completed) ● The Writer’s Compass (dabbled)

sources for the images used in our banners:
Nolatari – tree image, original art by Sesillie Michelle Girelli D’Oyley
The Dyl – fleur-de-lis via logan_x (Creative Commons)
Cerella – “Aspidium” by Alex Ritter

Fall Readathon 2012 :: Hours 4-6

Our second session of reading didn’t yield great results for the Dyl, but I managed to get into a decent groove for a short time. Unfortunately, D is finished with his readathon experience. He just hasn’t been able to find anything sufficient to retain his attention, and YouTube beckoned him on his tablet. ::sigh:: We had a little heart-to-heart, and it was decided that he gave it a good try but wasn’t interested any longer. I had to explain to him that he can’t stay at my flat if he’s not participating in the event since his other activities are distracting for me, and though he doesn’t like having to go back to his own home he understands that we made an agreement to read and only read. What makes our relationship so great is that we relate to each other on a very intellectual level, so even though he’s disappointed in having to leave, he also understands the reasoning. [That's not to say he's totally mature about it; D is still only 10 years old, after all!]

During these past 3 hours I got just over a third of the time to focus on my own reading, and the story is still holding my interest. Though not great literature, my chosen book is exactly what I wanted it to be: easy reading. Cerella also had a sporadic session during these hours as she took some time for personal tasks. This can be forgiven since she was up and reading long before the sun even began to peek through the clouds in my time zone. I expect we’ll both find our grooves soon enough and will be able to churn through some serious pages in no time.
 

Pages Read This Period: 10
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 30

Snack Count: one more cinnamon-raisin bagel, also known as Second Breakfast

Books Attempted This Period: Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz

 

Currently Reading: A Brew to a Kill: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle

Pages Read This Period: 91
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 89

Coffee Count: 3 cups
Books Read This Period: A Brew to a Kill and Through the Looking Glass

 

Currently Reading: The Associate by John Grisham

Pages Read This Period: 46
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 85

Snack Count: 20 ounces of Coca-Cola (and counting), plus a few handfuls of Cheetos. The munchies set in around Hour 4, but I’ve been able to stave them off with the caffeine.

 

sources for the images used in our banners:
Nolatari – tree image, original art by Sesillie Michelle Girelli D’Oyley
The Dyl – fleur-de-lis via logan_x (Creative Commons)
Cerella – “Aspidium” by Alex Ritter

Fall Readathon 2012 :: Hours 1-3

Well, it took Dyl and me a bit of time to get around to the actual reading this morning but we finally managed to settle in for a good, quiet hour after 90 minutes of jumping around, eating breakfast, talking non-stop, and stopping every couple of pages to ask me a question. You know… just another typical day in the life of the Dyl! He did fairly well once he settled down and focused on the reading, but we’re still struggling with true “reading” versus skimming pages and just looking at the illustrations. I’ve returned several of D’s “completed” books back to the “to be read” stack, much to his displeasure. He’s also reading the short, quick books that he’s read a hundred times each, but if he’s reading them then I count them. Right now it’s still a bit of toss-up whether he’ll last any length of time or not. When I returned to the computer for this first update I found Dyl lying on the couch drifting off to sleep. It just might be too quiet and comfortable at my place! Cerella is making great progress, of course, and I’m inching along at a snail’s pace but am sufficiently sucked in to my first Grisham choice. Already this readathon is better than the last!
 

Currently Reading: The Associate by John Grisham

Pages Read This Period: 57
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 75 (more or less)

Snack Count: strawberry-banana smoothie and a bowl of Frankenberry. Lack of sleep has messed with my appetite, I think. That’ll change soon enough.

 

Pages Read This Period: 100, we think. D was supposed to be adding totals on a calculator while I counted but he got bored and stopped without telling me. Such a boy.
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 55

Snack Count: Frankenberry cereal, strawberry-banana smoothie, cinnamon raisin bagel with plain cream cheese

Books Finished This Period: Curious George Goes To The Hospital; The Cat In The Hat; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Christina Katerina and the Box; Game Day

 

Currently Reading: Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Pages Read This Period: 175
Minutes Spent Reading This Period: 150

Coffee Count: Two cups of coffee, starting on my third cup…
Books Read This Period: A Brew to a Kill
Books Finished This Period: Alice in Wonderland (I only had a few pages left in that one!)

 

sources for the images used in our banners:
Nolatari – tree image, original art by Sesillie Michelle Girelli D’Oyley
The Dyl – fleur-de-lis via logan_x (Creative Commons)
Cerella – “Aspidium” by Alex Ritter

Fall Readathon 2012 :: Let’s Begin!

It’s time for another full day of reading! I’m sleep-deprived, as usual, and I’m letting the Dyl sleep a little longer (sanity for both of us), but my best good friend Cerella has been reading for who-knows-how-long. We’re 1400 miles apart but today we’ll be connected by simultaneous reading. How cool is that?! This is already turning into my favorite readathon yet!

To make this official, I have completed the Introductory Questionnaire from the official website. I’d love to know if you’re participating in today’s readathon, so drop me a note with your blog address and/or Twitter handle. Even if you’re not reading today, please do check back throughout the day here at phrenetical for updates from me, Cerella, and the Dyl. I’ll also be posting random thoughts on Twitter as things strike me while reading, so follow me there, too.

Wishing everyone a glorious day of reading!
 

Introductory Questionnaire

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today? North Central Texas, just up the highway from Dallas
2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Though I love me some Grisham, I’m actually pretty excited to dive into SNEAK by Evan Angler. I just finished the first book in the series a couple of days ago, and I’m anxious to know where the story goes from there!
3. Which snack are you most looking forward to? I have monster cereals! Hee!
4. Tell us a little something about yourself! I have a standard tagline that truly describes who I am and what I do: pop culture junkie striving to balance the earthly experience with a heavenly calling. I blog at phrenetical.com about movies, books, music, celebrities, as well as personal stories of being aunt to a niece and three nephews. They are my joy, and the rest is just icing.
5. If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? This is my 5th readathon in a row, beginning in October 2010, and each one has been delightful and worth every minute, but my experience this past April was not quite what I’d hoped. It boiled down to choosing a much-acclaimed novel featuring a subject I love (baseball), only to discover that portions of the narrative irritated me more than it delighted. I was so discouraged, but I also wouldn’t let it go because of the superb writing and beautiful descriptive prose. I kept thinking the whole of the book would be better than some of its parts, but when I finished I felt like I’d wasted a good readathon on a sorry book. But I’ve learned my lesson! Today, if a book doesn’t hit the mark for me, I’m tossing it aside. Readathons are supposed to be FUN!

It’s time for the readathon!

For the past few years I’ve participated in the 24-hour Readathon along with hundreds of other Internet folks around the world, and it’s time for this year’s second cycle. I love these weekends and have long been hoping other friends would participate with me. This time my wish is coming true! On Saturday I’ll be reading all day with my 10-year-old nephew at my side and my best good friend Cerella reading from her home 1,400 miles from me. I’ll be blogging for all three of us, and I’m overjoyed!

As always, before the big event actually begins, here is a look at our reading stacks and (stacks of snacks!) before we all hit the hay for a good night’s sleep. Though my own stack is very small, I expect to read in tandem with the Dyl during his time with me, and I’ll also post updates here on the blog every few hours. I’ve said it many times before, but my great love for the Readathon is just as much for the community aspect as the reading. Having a bit of my own everyday community participating this time just thrills my heart! Check back throughout the day Saturday for updates from all three of us. And be sure to follow me on Twitter, as well. I always take some time to check in throughout the day and night.

My goals are simple this time: read for pleasure and think nothing of how much or how long I’m reading. After the tedium of my April readathon choice, I’m putting no pressure at all on myself. And if I don’t enjoy what I’m reading, I’m ditching it quickly. I don’t do that often, but my last readathon taught me to thinking nothing of it. If it doesn’t strike me, it’s getting tossed aside. No matter how much I might want to like it! To that end I chose John Grisham novels for this weekend. Grisham is pure comfort food for me, and I’ve let his books sit for a few years now so that I’m ready for his easy reading again. I also have an e-book from BookSneeze that I have agreed to review, and since it’s a sequel I made sure to read its predecessor during the past week so that I could jump right into the new one with all the time in the world. Honestly, I’m pretty excited for ALL of my books this time!

SNEAK by Evan Angler ● THE ASSOCIATE by John Grisham ● THE LITIGATORS by John Grisham

 

The Dyl will be keeping track of his reading by stacking his books on my coffee tables. Books TO BE READ are currently at the ready, and as he reads them on Saturday he’ll move each book from the stack to the opposite table marked COMPLETED. D does really well with systems and processes, so this seemed a good way for both of us to keep track. It’ll be fun to see which titles he chooses and in what order. I have no doubt that he’ll also add books to the current stack as the day progresses and his moods change. I have a bookshelf devoted entirely to children’s books, so he has plenty to choose from and many that he’s loved since his earliest memories. I’m using this event to reinforce our habit of reading together (and taking time for reading) that we began during summer’s Camp AJ. The goal for D is not volume or even number of hours but, rather, to continue throughout the day with focus and determination. He chose his own books and he has been excited for this event all month!

THE EDGE by Sigmund Brouwer ● SNOOPY by Charles M. Schulz ● GO LONG! by Ronde and Tiki Barber ● IT’S A DOG’S LIFE, SNOOPY and IT’S A BIG WORLD, CHARLIE BROWN by Charles M. Schulz ● A TREASURY OF CURIOUS GEORGE by Margret and H.A. Rey ● THE CAT IN THE HAT by Dr. Seuss ● IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO THE MOVIES by Laura Numeroff ● CHRISTINA KATERINA AND THE BOX by Patricia Lee Gauch ● OUR SOLAR SYSTEM by Seymour Simon ● THE BIG BOOK FOR OUR PLANET (Edited by Durell, George, Paterson) ● ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNITED STATES by Judy Bock and Rachel Kranz ● ELOISE by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight ● GAME DAY by Ronde and Tiki Barber ● MOON ROPE (UN LAZO A LA LUNA) by Lois Ehlert ● ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorst

 

Unlike me, Cerella enjoys great variety in her reading, so she worked pretty hard to develop a nice mix for this first readathon event. Where I enjoy starting a book and reading till the end, she likes to switch topics every few hours and refocus her energies. I know this is more in line with the 24-Hour Readathon community, so she’s gonna fit right in!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS by Lewis Carroll ● UNDER GEMINI by Rosamunde Pilcher ● A BREW TO A KILL: A COFFEEHOUSE MYSTERY by Cleo Coyle ● IMMORTAL by Gillian Shields ● various magazines: Whole Living, Eating Well, Health, Yoga ● NIGELLA KITCHEN by Nigella Lawson ● plus a library to choose from on her Kindle

 

Cerella also has a far better snacking plan than I ever do. If I was a coffee drinker or if I liked popcorn very much, I’d really want to partake in this bounty! But I am definitely intrigued by the Pomegranate Oolong that’s shown in her awesome vignette of foods to read by. It all looks so yummy!

Lots of coffee, Starbucks Via Refreshers in Very Berry Hibiscus and Cool Lime flavors, Harney & Sons tea (including Pomegranate Oolong), Coconut Chips from Trader Joe’s, and stove-topped popcorn seasoned with Archer Farms seasonings. Seriously, can you say “YUM”?

 

By contrast, the Dyl and I like our junk food. There are some apples around – and I’m thinking I’ll try this idea that I saw on Pinterest – but in my excitement over finding Monster cereals to introduce to the boy I totally forgot to take any photos of the healthy items we’ll have at our disposal. D has requested homemade cheeseburger macaroni casserole, as well, but most of our snacking will be chips and cereal and candy, including D’s favorite Halloween treat of candy corn and chocolate. We always need chocolate, right? My requisite Coca-Cola will be consumed, of course, but I also have some drink mixes for us: cherry limeade for Dyl and raspberry lemonade mixed with ginger ale for me. On this particular day, there are no food rules. Ha!

Check back with us on phrenetical.com throughout Saturday and into the wee hours of Sunday morning for complete updates. And please drop us a note! We want to cheer other readers on during the day, too!