Hours Spent Reading: 11 hours

Hours Spent Blogging: 7.25 hours

Hours Spent Visiting: 0.5 hours (I visited 15 bloggers during that time)

Number of pages read: 591

Number of books completed: 2 and portions of 2 other books

Number of Mini-Challenges completed: 14

How does this compare to previous Read-A-Thons? In October of 2008 (the last time I participated in this event) I read slightly more pages (603) and for a slightly shorter period of time (10.6 hours). I completed 4 fewer mini-challenges and spent only 6 hours blogging. But I visiting more bloggers last year (25) and spent more time at that activity (nearly 2 hours). This year I participated 15 minutes longer than last year!

Now for the end of the event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Definitely hour 20.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I have to say the two books I completed were GREAT for the read-a-thon – very engaging and easy to read. They were: The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano, and The Cradle by Patirck Somerville

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? None at all – you guys rock!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I thought everything went really smoothly. I know how hard it is to coordinate these things and I was impressed that the hourly updates came out so consistently on time!

5. How many books did you read? I completed 2 and read portions of two others.

6. What were the names of the books you read? Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano, The Cradle by Patrick Somerville, and Bundle of Trouble by Diana Orgain

7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

8. Which did you enjoy least? Bundle of Trouble by Diana Orgain – but to be honest, I started it in hour 20 and was really fading at that point.

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

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

Thanks to all who make this event happen!!!

How I am feeling at this point in the Event:Well so much for my second wind…I’m falling asleep. Barely made it through this last 30 minutes. I reached my goal to get through hour 20, and I’m packing it in. Will post a summary post tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who helped with the event!

Mini Challenges during this Time Period:

From the Hungry Readers:

Your mission, which you MUST accept, is to turn to page 23 of the book you’re currently reading (or the nearest page with text on it) and find the most entertaining phrase to complete the following sentence: “I would rather read than _____________ any night!”

I would rather read than camp on the roof any night!  T- From page 23 of The Cradle by Patrick Somerville -

The stats:

Books I Have Finished:

1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
2. The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano
3. The Cradle by Patirck Somerville

My Current Read: Bundle of Trouble by Diana Orgain

Bloggers I Have Visited Since the Read-A-Thon Began:

1. Good Books & Wine
2. True Harbour
3. Aphazia
4. Just One More Thing…
5. Karen
6. Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic
7. The Book Cellar
8. Finding Biblical Truths In Christian Fiction
9. KiwiRia
10. Moored at Sea
11. Donna Shepherd
12. Bloody Bad
13. Find Your Next Book Here
14. This Book and I Could Be Friends
15. Lesley’s Book Nook

Mini Challenges (with links) That I have Completed:

1. Hour 1 Intro
2. Where in the World is the Read-A-Thon
3. Bart’s Bookshelf: Using book titles to make a sentence
4. Opi’s Ramblings: Perspectives
5. Beth Fish Reads: Eat to Read
6. Reading In Appalachia: Mix Up the Titles
7. Under The Boardwalk: Who Keeps You Company
8. Caribousmom: Collection Obsession
9. Mid-Event Survey
10. Jill’s Musical Mini-Challenge
11. Eva’s Honoring Dewey Challenge
12. Wisdom of Age Challenge
13. Libri Touches Drabble Challenge
14. The Hungry Readers: Fill in the Sentence

TOTAL Time I have participated (less the down time): 18.75 hours

Come back tomorrow when I’ll post a wrap up! Good night everyone!!

How I am feeling at this point in the Event: I am still surprisingly awake and feeling okay. I want to make it to 1:00am which will be through hour 20. I guess if I am still feeling really good, I’ll continue after that, but my plan is to just make it to 1:00am. I have only 28 pages left to read in my current book.

Mini Challenges during this Time Period:

Wisdom of Age Challenge post here on my blog.

Shanra from Libri Touches challenged us to post a drabble (100 words exactly about a reading experience). Here is mine:

October blew in on dead leaves and the sweet smell of apples from the orchards. Nights were longer and colder, days shorter. Fall reading challenges filled the blogs, but I anticipated one more than the others. One full day. One full night. The task: uninterrupted gluttony for all things bookish. It sounded so easy, but as the hours wore on and the endless pages turned, fatigue set in, blurring the pages, confounding the meaning. I read. I blogged. I carefully transcribed numbers which revealed my success. Hours ticked by; my eyelids drooped. The 24 hour Read-A-Thon ground to a halt.

The stats:

Books I Have Finished:

1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
2. The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano

My Current Read: The Cradle by Patirck Somerville

Bloggers I Have Visited Since the Read-A-Thon Began:

1. Good Books & Wine
2. True Harbour
3. Aphazia
4. Just One More Thing…
5. Karen
6. Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic
7. The Book Cellar
8. Finding Biblical Truths In Christian Fiction
9. KiwiRia
10. Moored at Sea
11. Donna Shepherd
12. Bloody Bad
13. Find Your Next Book Here
14. This Book and I Could Be Friends
15. Lesley’s Book Nook

Mini Challenges (with links) That I have Completed:

1. Hour 1 Intro
2. Where in the World is the Read-A-Thon
3. Bart’s Bookshelf: Using book titles to make a sentence
4. Opi’s Ramblings: Perspectives
5. Beth Fish Reads: Eat to Read
6. Reading In Appalachia: Mix Up the Titles
7. Under The Boardwalk: Who Keeps You Company
8. Caribousmom: Collection Obsession
9. Mid-Event Survey
10. Jill’s Musical Mini-Challenge
11. Eva’s Honoring Dewey Challenge
12. Wisdom of Age Challenge
13. Libri Touches Drabble Challenge

TOTAL Time I have participated (less the down time): 16.7 hours

Look for my next update at the end of Hour Twenty (or around 1:00 AM PST).

Your challenge is to think up and suggest your favorite books that feature an older protagonist! AND / OR  let’s also think up any of your favorite AUTHORS who are still writing incredible books when most people are… not?

I really like this challenge. I thought I’d come up with two lists…one for older protagonists, one for older authors. I have LOTS of books that feature either older authors or older protagonists…but I am limiting my choices to three in each category (mostly because I am getting too tired to write more!).

Older Protagonists:

1.  The Elegance of a Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (read my review) features a protagonist who is an older woman who is the concierge of an apartment building in Paris. There is also an older Japanese man…and the novel shows that you are never too old to fall in love.

2.  The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (read my review) features Roseanne McNulty, a woman in her 100th year who narrates the novel.

3.  The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg (read my review) is a novel which revolves around a middle aged woman, Betta Nolan, who finds herself suddenly without her beloved husband, John. As the book progresses, the reader is carried along on Betta’s journey of rediscovery. Many of Berg’s novels feature middle-aged women.

Older Authors:

1.  Margaret Atwood will turn 70 on November 18th. She is a phenomenal writer – really, just brilliant. She is still publishing novels, too… her latest being just last month (Year of the Flood). I’ve read the following of her books:

• The Blind Assassin (read my review)
• Cat’s Eye (read my review)
• The Handmaid’s Tale (read my review)
• Oryx and Crake
• The Robber Bride (read my review)
• Alias Grace (read my review)

2.  Pat Barker turned 66 years old this year…she is an award winning author and published her latest book in 2007 (Life Class). I’ve read her WWII Trilogy (click on titles to take you to my reviews): Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, and The Ghost Road.

3.  John Irving turned 67 years old this year. He is one of my most favorite authors. His latest novel (Last Night in Twisted River) will be released at the end of this month. I have read most of Irvings books including my favorites: A Prayer for Owen Meany (read my review), Cider House Rules, The World According to Garp, and Hotel New Hampshire.

How I am feeling at this point in the Event: I actually have found a second wind in the last 90 minutes. I had a great dinner, some apple pie and a cup of good, strong tea just before 7:00pm. It also doesn’t hurt that my current read is quite engaging.

Mini Challenges during this Time Period:

Eva’s In Honor of Dewey Challenge is posted here on my blog.

The stats:

Books I Have Finished:

1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
2. The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano

My Current Read: The Cradle by Patirck Somerville

Bloggers I Have Visited Since the Read-A-Thon Began:

1. Good Books & Wine
2. True Harbour
3. Aphazia
4. Just One More Thing…
5. Karen
6. Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic
7. The Book Cellar
8. Finding Biblical Truths In Christian Fiction
9. KiwiRia
10. Moored at Sea
11. Donna Shepherd
12. Bloody Bad
13. Find Your Next Book Here
14. This Book and I Could Be Friends
15. Lesley’s Book Nook

Mini Challenges (with links) That I have Completed:

1. Hour 1 Intro
2. Where in the World is the Read-A-Thon
3. Bart’s Bookshelf: Using book titles to make a sentence
4. Opi’s Ramblings: Perspectives
5. Beth Fish Reads: Eat to Read
6. Reading In Appalachia: Mix Up the Titles
7. Under The Boardwalk: Who Keeps You Company
8. Caribousmom: Collection Obsession
9. Mid-Event Survey
10. Jill’s Musical Mini-Challenge
11. Eva’s Honoring Dewey Challenge

TOTAL Time I have participated (less the down time): 14.8 hours

Look for my next update at the end of Hour Eighteen (or around 11:00 PM PST).

Sometime in the next three hours, dedicate a post about Dewey on your blog. You can share a favourite story/memory if you knew her, you can talk about one of her events (which I listed above!), thank her for beginning the read-a-thon, read one of the tribute posts from last read-a-thon’s mini-challenge and then blog about your reaction to that post, or anything else that comes to mind.

I am happy to say that I was able to get to know Dewey through her events for about a year before her death. What can I say about Dewey that hasn’t been said so many times? She was an incredible, selfless person who gave so much to the book blogging community. Her events are still widely recognized as THE book blogging events which unite this community. After her death, book bloggers were first shocked and saddened, and then came together to make sure that Dewey’s events and the sense of community they fostered would continue. All of her events, including most of her challenges, have continued in her honor. I have a feeling that Dewey would be so proud of this..and I believe that she saw something here before anyone else really saw it: the amazing connection that readers could have to each other through their book blogs. Dewey’s idea to unite readers, to foster a sense that we are all in this together, and in the process to promote literacy and reading is fundamental to our little community. It is why I am still blogging week in and week out, even when I am tired or feeling burned out; and it is why I try to participate in events like the Read-A-Thon.

I am so grateful for Dewey’s vision…and for her energy to carry it out. Dewey apparently struggled with medical issues and pain in the months before her death, yet she never let on that she had personal burdens. I am so inspired by her…and I still miss her vibrant presence.

How I am feeling at this point in the Event:Very tired…time for dinner!

Mini Challenges during this Time Period:

I posted the mid-event survey in this time period.

I also decided to do Jill’s Musical Mini-Challenge:

I chose one of my favorite Norah Jones’ songs which I thought a bit appropriate for the Read-A-Thon: Wake Me Up

I especially think the the last stanza fits: “I will still feel it later on, But for now I’d rather be asleep” because that is kind of what I’m thinking right now!!!

The stats:

Books I Have Finished:

1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
2. The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano

My Current Read: The Cradle by Patirck Somerville

Bloggers I Have Visited Since the Read-A-Thon Began:

1. Good Books & Wine
2. True Harbour
3. Aphazia
4. Just One More Thing…
5. Karen
6. Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic
7. The Book Cellar
8. Finding Biblical Truths In Christian Fiction
9. KiwiRia
10. Moored at Sea
11. Donna Shepherd
12. Bloody Bad
13. Find Your Next Book Here
14. This Book and I Could Be Friends
15. Lesley’s Book Nook

Mini Challenges (with links) That I have Completed:

1. Hour 1 Intro
2. Where in the World is the Read-A-Thon
3. Bart’s Bookshelf: Using book titles to make a sentence
4. Opi’s Ramblings: Perspectives
5. Beth Fish Reads: Eat to Read
6. Reading In Appalachia: Mix Up the Titles
7. Under The Boardwalk: Who Keeps You Company
8. Caribousmom: Collection Obsession
9. Mid-Event Survey
10. Jill’s Musical Mini-Challenge

TOTAL Time I have participated (less the down time): 12.8 hours

Look for my next update at the end of Hour Sixteen (or around 9:00 PM PST).

1. What are you reading right now?

The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

2. How many books have you read so far?

I started the day by finishing a book I started before the Read-A-Thon. Then I completed one other book and have started reading my next.

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

I don’t really have any particular book. I’m enjoying my current read, and I have a stack of great books to pick my next one when the time comes. I’m just going to see what I’m in the mood for.

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

Not really. My husband was at a class all day, so I had to keep the animals in mind…but mostly I had the day to do as I pleased.

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

Only those I’ve chosen myself. It has been really quiet here all day.

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

This isn’t my first, so there are not too many surprises. Although I guess I am always surprised at how fast the time flies by (which is a good thing and a bad thing!).

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

I love this event…and I don’t think there is anything you can do to improve it.

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

This year I decided to post fewer updates…and that was a great decision. It has allowed me to spend more time reading and not feeling so rushed to get stuff done. I would do that again next time.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Um, yes! I just took a walk around the block and made myself a cup of caffeinated tea to give me a boost of energy.

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?

As I mentioned above, I think it works better to update every two hours rather than every hour. Also don’t try to do everything…it is nearly impossible to do it all…so pick and choose what is important to you. I also love keeping a spreadsheet of my hours/pages, etc… And lastly, take some breaks!

How I am feeling at this point in the Event: In need of an energy boost. I’m thinking of eating some apple pie for the sugar load. I will undoubtedly take a break for dinner in the next two hours. I just started my next book which feels good. No mini-challenges this period…but I did visit several bloggers.

The stats:

Books I Have Finished:

1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
2. The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano

My Current Read: The Cradle by Patirck Somerville

Bloggers I Have Visited Since the Read-A-Thon Began:

1. Good Books & Wine
2. True Harbour
3. Aphazia
4. Just One More Thing…
5. Karen
6. Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic
7. The Book Cellar
8. Finding Biblical Truths In Christian Fiction
9. KiwiRia
10. Moored at Sea
11. Donna Shepherd
12. Bloody Bad
13. Find Your Next Book Here
14. This Book and I Could Be Friends
15. Lesley’s Book Nook

Mini Challenges (with links) That I have Completed:

1. Hour 1 Intro
2. Where in the World is the Read-A-Thon
3. Bart’s Bookshelf: Using book titles to make a sentence
4. Opi’s Ramblings: Perspectives
5. Beth Fish Reads: Eat to Read
6. Reading In Appalachia: Mix Up the Titles
7. Under The Boardwalk: Who Keeps You Company
8. Caribousmom: Collection Obsession

TOTAL Time I have participated (less the down time): 11.4 hours

Look for my next update at the end of Hour Fourteen (or around 7:00 PM PST).

How I am feeling at this point in the Event: A bit sleepy…but I have almost finished a book and am ready to start another one during the next two hours.

And of course some mini-challenges for this time period:

Who Keeps You Company – my buddies are posted here.

And then I decided to do my own mini-challenge (Collection Obsession)…I collect a lot of stuff it seems, so narrowed it down to these:

Glassware, especially from the Depression era

My vast and growing stash of fabric…below are some recent (favorite) purchases

Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Amy Butler’s newest collection Love; Anna Maria Horner’s collection Good Folks; 100%  organic fabric by Cloud 9; Alexander Henry spotted owl (click on any photo to enlarge)

The stats:

Books I Have Finished:

1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

My Current Read: The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano

Bloggers I Have Visited Since the Read-A-Thon Began:

1. Good Books & Wine
2. True Harbour
3. Aphazia
4. Just One More Thing…
5. Karen

Mini Challenges (with links) That I have Completed:

1. Hour 1 Intro
2. Where in the World is the Read-A-Thon
3. Bart’s Bookshelf: Using book titles to make a sentence
4. Opi’s Ramblings: Perspectives
5. Beth Fish Reads: Eat to Read
6. Reading In Appalachia: Mix Up the Titles
7. Under The Boardwalk: Who Keeps You Company
8. Caribousmom: Collection Obsession

TOTAL Time I have participated (less the down time): 9.7 hours

Look for my next update at the end of Hour Twelve (or around 5:00 PM PST).