End of Hour Twelve

No reading this hour.  Got ready and headed out to grab some dinner.

Driving to dinner.

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

I'm amazingly awake.  I thought for sure I would have needed a nap by now.  I think the  great books I have are really helping.

2) What have you finished reading?

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr

3) What is your favorite read so far?

Honestly both books I have read have been excellent.  Deep in the Valley and Not Becoming My Mother

4) What about your favorite snacks?

Hmmm, probably my Symphony candy bar.  Haven't snacked as much as I thought I would.

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

Adventures in Never Never Land

End of Hour Eleven

This hour I read:

Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl - 32 pages

I read for 45 minutes

Total pages read: 155

Total minutes read: 287

Books Finished - 1

Loving this book....heading out to get some dinner this hour.

Reading Snuggles

End of Hour Ten

No reading for me this hour as I was cheering.  I've cheered at 21 different blogs so far.  :)

Cheering!

End of Hour Nine

This hour I read:

Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl - 30 pages

I read for 42 minutes

Total pages read: 123

Total minutes read: 272

Books Finished - 1

I started a new book this hour and am really liking it.  I adore Ruth Reichl (Her book Garlic and Sapphires is one of my all time favorite books and got me to try sushi!) and so far this is just really grabbing me.  Yae!

My new book and adorable Rollo ears.

End of Hour Eight

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 15 pages - Finished It!

I read for 30 minutes

Total pages read: 93

Total minutes read: 260

Books Finished - 1

Deep in the Valley was so, so good.  I love that Robyn Carr writes strong female, believable characters.  Now I have to decide what to read next...

I loved this book!
(And I had an awesome model to help hold up my book for this picture.)

End of Hour Seven

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 10 pages

I read for 26 minutes

Total pages read: 78

Total minutes read: 230

We had some lunch this hour.  My book is full of lots of heart tugging emotional moments right now.

Rotisserie chicken sandwich with Ruffles.  Yum!

End of Hour Six

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 10 pages

I read for 35 minutes

Total pages read: 68

Total minutes read: 204

I was a bit sleepy this hour and also wound up having a conversation about plastic surgery and the good it can do in a person's life.  Aw, the topics that come up from a good book!

Nancy in read-a-thon mode.

End of Hour Five

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 10 pages

I read for 30 minutes

Total pages read: 58

Total minutes read: 169

Had some snacks this hour.  I am so loving this book.  Not that much more to go in it.  It'll be hard not to go directly to the next in the series!

Yummy Snacks on Fall Plates

End of Hour Four

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 12 pages

I read for 41 minutes

Total pages read: 48

Total minutes read: 139

Hmmm, thinking I might need a snack soon.

Watching my parents read makes me so sleepy.

End of Hour Three

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 7 pages

I read for 31 minutes

Total pages read: 36

Total minutes read: 98

We moved to the library this hour.  All camped out on my comfy chair with Rollo snuggled with me!

In the library now

End of Hour Two

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 15 pages

I read for 35 minutes

Total pages read: 29

Total minutes read: 67

Had a wee bit of breakfast this hour and took care of some cheerleader housekeeping.  Loving this book!

Rollo and Clara, early morning cuddling

End of Hour One

This hour I read:

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - 14 pages

I read for 33 minutes

Total pages read: 14

Total minutes read: 33

Early morning reading

Introductory Questionnaire

Rollo, ready to nap while I read.

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

The Woodlands, TX

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr.  I'm already well into it and I love her books.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?


Well last night we made Pineapple Cream Cheesy Dip, Cherry Cheesecake Dip, Cheddar Snack Mix and The Best Bad-For-You Fudge Ever.  We also have all the ingredients for Rolo Brownies and Smore's Cookies.  Right now the fudge sounds yummy!


4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I'm reading with my husband, our cats and dog and my best friend.  I'm currently drinking a mug of hot tea, expertly made by my husband and am hoping the caffeine kicks in quickly.  I am not a morning person!

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?

This is my twelfth read-a-thon.  I can't really think of anything I'll be doing differently than last time.  I'm starting out in my living room but will probably move to our library next hour.  I'll be cheering throughout the RAT (I'm head cheerleader for Team Owl).  I have lots of yummy snacks to munch on throughout the day and I'm sure I'll be taking a nap sometime today.   Aside from being head cheerleader (since that didn't exist until this RAT) none of those are new things for me this RAT.   So on with the reading!

Sleepy Jubilee is staying in bed.

Getting Ready for the Read-A-Thon & My Read-A-Thon Book Pile

It's almost time for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon!

It's the night before and Nancy and I are up making snacks.  Yum!

I've also got a pile of books to choose from.

The top three I'm already reading -

Deep in the Valley by Robyn Carr - I'm hoping to finish this one.  I just love her books.

Let Me Whisper in Your Ear by Mary Jane Clark - I think I'm about a 100 pages in.

Flip This Zombie by Jesse Petersen - I liked the first book better but this one is OK so far.

The next three Nancy and I both chose.  We'll both read one of them during the read-a-thon-

Lifelines by CJ Lyons - I have had this for a few years (I got it as an Easter present the year it came out) and keep wanting to read it and not getting around to it.

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich - We read the first in the series two years ago and liked it a lot.

Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl - Woops, this isn't one to read with Nancy!  I love Ruth Reichl and Richard found this for me last weekend at a booksale.  It's short and might be nice to read during the RAT.

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson - I love Maureen Johnson and Nancy found this last week on a book buying outing so we threw it into the mix.

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen - This author was on my list to try this year.  After reading a review I decided to add this book to my pile.

I'm also cheering.  I'm head cheerleader for Team Owl.

I can't wait for the RAT to begin!  Now off to finish our snacks!

My Stick Family

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

End of Event Meme

Which hour was most daunting for you?

Hour Twenty - I was cheering but I was so sleepy.

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

Little Blog on the Prairie was really funny & The Golden Mean definitely kept me interested.  All the M.C. Beaton books are great too.

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

Nope, it worked really well.

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

This was the first time I actually made snacks ahead of time.  That worked really well, having those snacks to look forward to.  Also, we read in our library this year and that was really comfy.  I also like taking the pics every hour.  It's nice to be able to look back on those later.  And for us this year we started on Friday with a book signing and finished on Sunday with a book sale so it was a whole literary weekend.  That was cool.  I also think doing the read-a-thon with my husband and best friend makes it that much more fun.

How many books did you read?

I finished two (one I had been reading ahead of time) and read from one other.

What were the names of the books you read?

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell
The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock
Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton

Which book did you enjoy most?

Little Blog on the Prairie

Which did you enjoy least?

None, I had really good books this time.  I did look at one book (The Green Angel by Alice Hoffman) and decided not to start it.  Not sure if I will be reading it or not.

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

I think spreading out when you cheer works well.  I did one in the afternoon, one in the evening and two late at night.

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

Oh I'll be participating for sure!  I love the reading and the cheering so I'll be doing both.

Our final tally of Books Read

End of Hour Twenty One

No reading but I made it all the rest of the blogs on my list to cheer.  Woohoo!  This is gonna do it for me...if I have the energy I may read a page or two in bed but I doubt it.  I'm tired!  Tomorrow I have a soccer game to go to and a used book sale to go to.  So I need some sleep so I can at least half way function.  Good Night all!

My Boy has the right idea.  It's bed time.

End of Hour Twenty

No reading this hour as I was cheering.  I only made it to 9 blogs but assuming I don't cheer anymore I'll have made it to all but the L's on my list.  I think I'll try and get to those this next hour.

Our famous foot shot

End of Hour Nineteen

This hour I read:

Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton - 9 pages

I read for 38 minutes

Total pages read: 206

Total minutes read: 486

I always get less reading done once Richard goes to bed as Nancy and I wind up talking!

Finally eating the sandwich I got for dinner.

End of Hour Eighteen

This hour I read:

Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton - 16 pages

I read for 52 minutes

Total pages read: 197

Total minutes read: 448

That was the last hour of reading for my husband.  He's off to bed.

End of Hour Seventeen

No reading I was busy cheering (Made it to 10 blogs this time) and deciding what to read next.  I decided to stick with a book I had already started (Death of an Outside) by an author I love (M.C. Beaton).

My drinks so far....

Quote Time Mini Challenge

This mini challenge is to provide a quote from the book we are currently reading or have read.  
I love this one - "Never say anything important in a barn." Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell.

End of Hour Sixteen

This hour I read:

The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock - 48 pages - Finished It!

I read for 48 minutes

Total pages read: 181

Total minutes read: 396

This is honestly one of the oddest books.  It's the third in a trilogy (though there are more listed...so not a trilogy??).  It's beautiful and intriguing and just really, really odd.  Now what to read next...

Inside the cover of The Golden Mean.

End of Hour Fifteen

I spent this hour cheering and made it to fifteen different blogs.

This whole read-a-thon is so tiring for Nilla!

End of Hour Fourteen

No reading this hour as we were heading back from dinner and made a pit stop at Sonic.  Gotta have my Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.

My favorite drink

End of Hour Thirteen

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 22 pages - Finished It!

I read for 65 minutes (I was so close to finishing I kept going.)

Total pages read - 133

Total minutes read - 348

Books finished - 1

End of Hour Twelve

Nothing read...spent this hour getting ready to go out and getting to the restaurant.

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

Nope, my nap helped loads.  Getting ready to head out to dinner.

2) What have you finished reading?

Nothing but I am almost done with Little Blog on the Prairie.

3) What is your favorite read so far?

Little Blog on the Prairie - Only thing I have read so far.

4) What about your favorite snacks?

My Tricked Out Crackers and the Almond M&M's were yummy too.

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

I spent an hour cheering so far and found some cool blogs.  These were some of the stand outs.

A Girl that Likes Books
Sherry Ann's Book Blog
Scuffed slippers and wormy books
Reviewing Wonderland
Capricious Reader

End of Hour Eleven

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 18 pages

I read for 44 minutes

Total pages read: 111

Total minutes read: 283

For a funny, light book this book keeps surprising me.

Reading in a slightly different position...

End of Hour Ten

This hour I read:


Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 18 pages

I read for 45 minutes

Total pages read: 93

Total minutes read: 239

This book is fun...I am just so easily distracted.

I love these!

End of Hour Nine

No reading for me this hour as I was busy cheering.  I made it to 21 blogs this hour.  Woohoo!

It's raining...

End of Hour Eight

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 11 pages

I read for 27 minutes

Total pages read: 75

Total minutes read: 194

Got up from my nap and ate some lunch during this hour.

Lunch

End of Hour Six & Hour Seven

I wound up taking a nap...I haven't been sleeping well lately and it's catching up with me now.

My Pillow

My Jammies

End of Hour Five

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 7 pages

I read for 20 minutes

Total pages read: 64

Total minutes read: 167

I got super tired during this hour and had to take a little nap. Hopefully I'll be energized enough to read a little more this hour.  Then again I may just need a little bit more of a nap...

Nancy looking comfy as she reads

End of Hour Four

End of Hour One

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 13 pages

I read for 35 minutes

Total pages read: 57

Total minutes read: 147

Snack time!  After taking care of Rollo I dug into the crackers and snack mix we made.  Yum!!

Yummy!

End of Hour Three

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 18 pages

I read for 43 minutes

Total pages read: 44

Total minutes read: 112

My book is so funny.  The kids have been a bit distracting but I'm reading and enjoying myself.  Going to have to take a few minutes this next hour to take care of Rollo who has some medical needs that need taking care of.

Richard and Andie, reading

End of Hour Two

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 17 pages

I read for 49 minutes

Total pages read: 26

Total minutes read: 69

Had a little breakfast this hour...I'm still sleepy.
"Never say anything important in a barn."  Words of wisdom from my current book.

Rollo napping next to my bookmark

End of Hour One

This hour I read:

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - 9 Pages

I read for 20 minutes

Total pages read: 9

Total minutes read: 20

Lots of time spent getting things started this hour.  My books is funny and easy to get into and I am enjoying it a lot.

My book, My Blanket and My Rollo

Introductory Questionnaire

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

The Woodlands, TX

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Um, this would be easier if I was awake!  After seeing Nancy Atherton speak I would say the next book in her series Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin.  Also looking forward to reading more in Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell.  It's a hoot!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

The Tricked Out Crackers Nancy and I made last night.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I am a night owl and most definitely not a morning person.
I love books and think bookstores are some of the most magical places on earth.  We have a wonderful one in Houston called Murder by the Book and I was lucky enough to attend a reading there last night by one of my favorite authors.
For the past two RATs I have taken (at least) a picture every hour and plan to continue that tradition this time.
As you can guess from my name I love cats and have several of them.
I love soccer and am a die hard Houston Dynamo fan.  We have a game tomorrow and no matter how tired I am I'll be there, cheering them on.  Go Dynamo!

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?

This is my 11th read-a-thon.  For the first time I'll be reading from our my own library today.  Last RAT it wasn't finished but now with the addition of two fab chairs my husband and I got for Christmas it's good to go.  I'm looking forward to the chance to relax, spend some time at home with some of my very favorite people and read!

Our Library, with Nancy reading, Rollo Napping and my feet peaking out of my blanket.

Getting Ready for the Read-A-Thon & My Read-A-Thon Book Pile

It's almost time for the 24 Hour Read-A-Thon!

I have some yummy snacks planned and my books picked out...well I think I do.  Knowing me I may sneak a few more in there.  I love to have choices!

The top four I am already reading -

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie - So far I am not a big fan.  I am over half way through but am not sure how much of this I'll read on Saturday.

Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton - I'm a little ways into this and am enjoying it immensely.  I love this series!  *Christmas Present from my husband*

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell - I'm almost half way through this book and it;s a lot of fun.

Reached by Ally Condie - Not sure I'll be reading much of this as the last time I read the last of a highly emotional trilogy during a RAT I was wiped for the rest of the time and found it hard to read at all.

As for the rest -

The Green Angel by Alice Hoffman -Looks interesting.  I have read one book by her before and enjoyed it.

The Giver by Lois Lowry - I keep meaning to read it...

Demons Are A Ghouls Best Friend by Victoria Laurie - I read the first in the series this year and really liked it.

She Did a Bad, Bad Thing by Stephanie Bond - Totally out of my normal genre.  I had it on my wish list for ages (not really sure why) so I figured I might try it for a change.

Murder Plays House by Ayelet Waldman - A good series I like.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson - I loved the first in this series and hated having to wait for the next book.

Undead and Unstable by MaryJanice Davidson - Who doesn't like Queen Betsy?  *Christmas Present from my best friend.*

Lily Dale: Connecting by Wendy Corsi Staub - Again, I love this series.

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer - Last RAT someone I was cheering for read this book and it intrigued me.  I found it at Half Price Books not long after and picked it up.

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being A Woman by Nora Ephron - I have never read any of her books but it looks fun.

Romanced To Death by Susan Rogers Cooper - My favorite mystery series.  If you haven't read this series you are missing out!

Aunt Dimity and The Next of Kin by Nancy Atherton - We'll be seeing Nancy Atherton on Friday night at a local bookstore where she'll be signing her latest book in this series.  It's addictive.

After I took this picture and posted it to Facebook I realized I had a small stack of books I had set aside especially for the Read-A-Thon.

For You Mom, Finally by Ruth Reichl - She's one of my favorite food writers.

Great At Any Age * Who Did What From Age 1 to 100...and Beyond - Looks Interesting.

True Confessions by Jon Winokur - Looks juicy!

The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock - The next in the Griffin and Sabine series.  I read the one before this at the last RAT and found this the same day I found The Espessologist.

I can't wait to start reading!

March Reads

In March I read two books.

I read...

Shelter Mountain by Robyn Carr - 5 stars - A fabulous second book in the series. I love all these characters and love how she doesn't just abandon the story from the first book but expands on it in this one, while still telling a story on different characters as well. She really made me cry in this one, as part of the story was just heartbreaking but it was done really well. This series is a definite favorite of mine.

Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn - 4 stars - Two subjects that fascinate me in one novel - Lily Dale & Titanic. I like historical fiction so this was right up my alley. The author kept the major facts the same and tweaked or embellished enough to add intrigue. A good, interesting book. If I had one minor gripe it's that I would have liked to know what became of the main characters in the future.

That's five new authors for me so far this year.  One new author (Victoria Thompson) read that I chose ahead of time.

February Reads

In February I read three books.

I read...

Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson - 4 stars - I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It was interesting, entertaining and surprising. I loved Sarah, the main character and loved the insights she had into the time she was living in. I am definitely looking forward to reading more in this series. #1 of my 10 authors to try this year.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale - 5 stars - I loved the heroine of the book. Charlotte was such fun and it was great to watch her grow throughout the book. This book made me laugh out loud at points and sigh at romantic moments. I loved the characters who were brought back from the first book and really hope she writes more. I was sick part of the time I was reading this book and it was so good it made me forget how terrible I felt. A wonderful Christmas present from my husband and definitely a favorite.

Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine - 5 stars - An amazing a heart wrenching story. Even knowing the facts of the holocaust I am still always horrified at the loss of life. I am so glad Hana's story is being told.  Read with my girls, Addison & Hannah.

That's four new authors for me so far this year.  One new author (Victoria Thompson) read that I chose ahead of time.

January 2013

In January I read two books.

I read...

What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie - 3 stars - A fun, entertaining read. The plot kept me guessing. A good start to a series.  I got to see Victoria Laurie in person in December.  She was fun and interesting.

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews - 4 stars - A fun book by a new to me author.  Will definitely be reading more by her.  There were some really funny moments in this book along with some aw sweet ones.  All in all a good, fun read.

That's two new authors for me this year so far.  I haven't read any of the new authors I chose ahead of time yet.

My Reading Goals for the Year 2011 Recap and Reading Goals for 2012

My reading goals for 2012 were:

1. Read 45 books - Done
2. Read mostly from my 2012 boxes of books (Picked out ahead of time) - Kinda
3. Finish all books carried over  - Done
4. Read a lot from series I have already started - Done I read a ton of the Aunt Dimity series.
5. Try some new authors I already have books by from a list of authors and books I chose. The only two I read were Robyn Carr and Wendy Corsi Staub (and not the book I had picked out either.)  So not so good on this one but I enjoyed the two I did read.

2012 was an interesting year for me reading wise.  It was a tough year for me personally and I think that showed in my reading as my reading was a bit sporadic at times.

Over all I read books by 32 different authors (2 I didn't finish), including 18 new to me authors.  I fell in love with Robyn Carr & M.C. Beaton's books, discovered Shannon Hale, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Ally Condie and Tara Altebrando.  I feel like I read some really good books this year, ones that will stick with me and that I'll remember.

Going forward my reading goals for 2013 are:

1. Read 46 books
2. Finish all books carried over (There were three but I finished one last night, so down to two.)
3. Try some new authors I already have books by.  The authors I have chosen are :

Cassandra Clare
Rhys Bowen
Sarah Dessen
Meg Cabot
Harlan Coben 
Sarah Vowell
Carolyn Haines
Robin Jones Gunn
Heather Webber
Victoria Thompson

Richard and I both got new chairs for our library for Christmas and it has made the room so wonderful to read in.  I really want to have fun reading this year, finding some new authors I love and just enjoying the world of books.  Happy Reading everyone!

December Reads

In December I read three books.

I read.....

Death of a Cad by M.C. Beaton - 4 stars - I just love this series. I had no idea who the killer or why was till Hamish explained it all. I love a mystery that keeps me guessing.

When Christmas Comes Again: The World War I Diary of Simone Spencer, New York City to the Western Front, 1917 by Beth Seidel Levine - 3 stars - An interesting read about a time I don't know much about. I know surprisingly little about WWI and knew nothing about the Signal Corps before reading this book. This book was well written and interesting.

Believing (Lily Dale #2) by Wendy Corsi Staub - 4 stars - I really liked this book, though the middle part went a bit slow. The story line with her moms past is really interesting and I can't wait to see what happens in the next two books.

November Reads

In November I read four books.

I read.....

The Bathtub Reader: An Amusing Miscellany for the Discerning Mademoiselle by Carrie Bell & Amy Helmes - 4 stars - A fun, light read. I loved some of the info I got from this book. A perfect car book.

Crossed by Ally Condie - 4 stars - I didn't love it as much as Matched but it was still a really good book. It made me sad, made me think and mostly made me want to know what's going to happen in the end. I am going to a reading by the author this month to get the last book in the trilogy and I am really looking forward to it.

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle - 3 stars - A cute, fun mystery. She went on a bit too much about coffee tips (how to store beans, how to make espresso, ect.) & there was one plot point I thought was glaringly obvious but those are the only negatives. I didn't guess who the bad guy was and that's always a plus in my book. I would definitely read more in this series.

Austenland by Shannon Hale - 5 stars - I just loved this book. It was fun, romantic and creative. I really liked that the main character had issues with men but wasn't an air headed pushover (my biggest complaint with so much of chick lit heroines.) There were some great lines in this book and I was thrilled to read they have made a movie (It hasn't come out yet) and a sequel to the book came out last year. Austenland was definitely a great read.

October Reads

In October I read six books.

I read.....

Do You Want To Know A Secret? by Mary Jane Clark - 4 stars - Well written and surprising. I never guessed who the murderer was. I really like MJC's style.  It's been years since I read any of this series and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it.  Extra cool that part of it was in Houston too.

Do You Promise Not To Tell? by Mary Jane Clark - 3 stars - A good read (though there were a crazy amount of characters to keep up with) that kept me guessing all the way through.

Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues by Nick Bantock - 3 stars - Oh so odd yet so intriguing!  I read the first of these years ago and was thrilled when I recently found this one.

Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton - 3 stars - Sweet, funny and a lovely mystery.  It was fun to see how some of the characters in the series met.

Further Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes - 3 stars - Some great essays, odd short stories and intriguing glimpses of Marian Keyes real life.  I kept this book in my foster cats room and read it off and on. Hannah and Addison enjoyed it immensely and are now Marian Keyes fans. :)

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton - 5 stars - How is it possible I gave never read anything by M.C. Beaton before? I loved this book! It was charming and funny and kept me guessing. I loved Hamish Macbeth. I was certain I knew who the killer was from early on and was totally wrong. I can't wait to read more in the series.  (I read Hamish in Robert Carlyle's voice the whole way through the book.)

I also tried to read Fireside by Susan Wiggs this month and decided she was definitely not for me.

The read-a-thon helped me finish up some books and got me going towards my goal.