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.