Friday, October 23, 2009

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: We're In (Plus Our Pile of Books)

Thanks for all the well wishes for The Girl!  She's back to her normal self, and thankfully, the husband and I are still feeling fine.  It's a good thing she recovered quickly because she's going to a Halloween dance for the 4th and 5th graders at her school tonight (she's an alien this year) AND we'll be heading to Serena's house in the morning for some readathon fun.

This is our second time participating in Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon, and I think we're better prepared this time around.  Last time, The Girl read a handful of young reader books (SpongeBob was the theme of the day), we finished Coraline together, and I started and finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  I knew we wouldn't get through the entire stack of books we'd set aside, but I'd hoped to do a little more reading than we did.  Of course, Serena, The Girl, and I chatted a lot and participated in several mini-challenges, but this means we didn't get a whole lot of reading done.  However, I prefer the readathon gatherings to the solo readathon because I think I'd get bored really fast.  This time around, I plan to do more reading and distance myself from the computer a bit.  I don't know yet if I'll participate in any of the mini-challenges, and I'm not sure if I'll be posting multiple times.  I'll at least write a wrap-up post.

As for sleeping, that's a given.  Although The Girl is free to stay up late for the readathon, we have a church meeting on Sunday morning (we're making crafts for an upcoming fundraiser) so we have to be rested.  And The Girl has a ton of makeup homework and classwork to finish.  Last year, we fell asleep between 10 pm and 11 pm, and I woke up a couple of hours before the readathon ended to finish my book.  That's probably what will happen this time, too, and I'm okay with that.  It's all about having fun, right?

Anyway, the readathon starts at 8 am in our neck of the woods, and The Girl and I have already pulled out a stack of books.  Sorry I don't have any pictures (I'm doing a quick post before I leave work, and I'm not sure I'll be online tonight due to the Halloween dance), but here are our lists:

My pile:

~The Return by Victoria Hislop -- Finishing this book is my top priority, as my TLC Book Tour date is Monday.  I already would have finished it, but a sick kid and having to drive to work one day because the train was broken really cut into my reading time.

~Fire in the Hills by Donna Jo Napoli.  This is the sequel to Stones in Water, which Ms. Napoli told me about via e-mail.  I was frustrated that first book had an open ending, and she said I wasn't the only one who felt that way, hence the sequel.

~Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi.  This book was written after Floating in My Mother's Palm, but it's set before that book and features some of the same characters.

~Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  This is the November pick for my book club.

~And some kids books for when I need a break:  Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Rodrick Rules, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  The Last Straw, all by Jeff Kinney, and Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell.  The Girl loved these books, and I'm really enjoying Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  Dog Days, so why not?

The Girl's pile:

Maximum Ride:  The Manga, Vol 1 by James Patterson and NaRae Lee
Maximum Ride:  The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Bone:  Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
Bone:  Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith (she's already reading this one from the school library, but has to finish it)
Goosebumps:  Welcome to Camp Nightmare by R.L. Stine
Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee

Wish us luck!  And to all the other participants, have a great time!

50 comments:

Serena said...

Looks like you guys have a great list and maybe I can finish those Dork Diaries.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a great list. I think it's wonderful that The Girl wants to participate. I'm not sure how much reading Amber will do. I totally understand about needing some sleep. Amber is singing with the kids at the early church service, and I think we're heading to the pumpkin patch in the afternoon, so no time for a nap.

Dana said...

Good luck and have fun with your reading. I can't wait to get started!

bermudaonion said...

I'm so jealous that y'all get to do this with Serena! I hope you have a great time!

Kristen said...

I love that you're doing this together. Maybe some year my daughter and I can as well. As it stands now, she has two different rehearsals going on Saturday and so she's committed to dancing from 9-5, leaving not a lot of time to read.

Sandy Nawrot said...

How cool would it be to have a friend and my daughter to share the read-a-thon with! Emma and I are committed to doing it someday, whenever the schedule works out. She reads as much as I do!

You will love Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I listened to it on audio and thoroughly enjoyed it!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Good luck! It should be so much fun with your group!!!

Lisa said...

I'll have to post my pile too ! It's totally fun to see everyone's list! :)

Julie P. said...

Good luck and most importantly have fun!

Staci said...

Your piles look great and I'm sure that The Girl will love Bone!! Enjoy your day together!!!

Unknown said...

Good to hear that your daughter is feeling better. That certainly makes things a lot easier for the readathon. i think it's so cool that you have Serena and your daughter participating in it together. Sadly I am doing it all alone :(. Maybe next time I'll someone to do it with me.

Jo-Jo said...

Good luck to you Anna...I just don't think I have the stamina to do a readathon. I LOVED Stones from the River so I can't wait to see what you think about that one.

Megan said...

Glad to see you're both going to be healthy for the Read-a-thon! Looks like you've both got great piles - I loved Stones From the River. Good luck and have fun! =)

Jew Wishes said...

Great list going, here!

Jew Wishes said...

Oh, almost forgot, you asked about linking my post, and of course you can. Thank you.

Alyce said...

I've got a lot of YA titles on my list for when I get tired. I'm so excited because this is my first time participating. I'm hoping I'm ready to read at 5am tomorrow. :)

Wrighty said...

They all sound so good! I have several of the same titles that I haven't gotten to yet. Enjoy the weekend. I won't be an official participant but I still hope to read a lot in this gloomy weather. I'll be a cheerleader to all and check in on progress. Good luck!

Andi said...

Great looking books! I'm chomping at the bit for the Read-a-Thon and can't wait to get started. Have fun!

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Yay! Can't wait until tomorrow--sounds like you and The Girl have it all figured out (and glad she's feeling better). Have fun!

Mark David said...

Oh you're actually going to be reading with other bloggers in person? That must be really nice, like your own cozy book club :)

I also have Maximum Ride The Manga Vol. 1 on my shelf, but I haven't gotten into it yet. But the drawing is nice :)

Hope you and your family have a lot of fun reading!

Tricia said...

I tried to get my The Girl to participate with me this time. She's got other plans tomorrow unfortunately. But, I'm hopeful she'll join in one day soon. You, The Girl, and Serena have fun tomorrow! I'll be checking in. :)

Melissa said...

My daughter is doing the Read-a-Thon with me, too! She is almost 8 and it will be our first read-a-thon. She's very excited about it.

I wanted to ask: I need a review policy, and I really like the wording on yours. Would it be all right if I used some of yours in mine?

Kailana said...

Good pile of books! I hope you have fun!

Anonymous said...

Your list is great so is The Girl's . Hope you guys have fun reading.Its always nice to have company while reading.

Veens said...

It is all about having fun :)

Great List, I m glad The Girl is also joining in :)

Blodeuedd said...

Have fun :)

Marie Cloutier said...

Good luck with the read a thon! :-) Have a great day ladies!

Arielle said...

It's so cool that you get to do this with The Girl! Hope you have loads of fun :D

ccqdesigns said...

Such a great morning here in South Alabama, just the perfect time to grab that cup of coffee and read, read, read!!! So keep up the great reading and enjoy!!!
Rebecca
the Transcendentalists team!

Memory said...

I think The Girl will really like Jeff Smith's Bone series! They're such fun books. I've been thinking of rereading them near the end of the read-a-thon, if I get burned out on prose novels.

Aarti said...

Man, everyone is reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid but me! Will have to remedy that. Looks like your list is great, Anna! Good luck reading!

Valerie said...

I hope you both have a good time during the read-a-thon. Enjoy the books you get to read!

Anonymous said...

Yay Diary of a Wimpy Kid!!! :D Great job keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Great lists - good luck!

Mark David said...

Hope you're enjoying every minute of the read-a-thon :)

Anonymous said...

Hope you two are having a great readathon!

Darlene said...

Good luck to you and The Girl. Hope you're having fun at Serena's.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a great list of books! I hope you're still having fun - enjoy your remaining reads :)

Michelle said...

Way to hang in there! Halfway through - keep it up!

Eva said...

I'm popping by to offer some cheering! Not sure if you're participating, but just in case: read! read! read! ;)

Nicole (Linus's Blanket) said...

Great lists! Hope you and The Girl have been having an excellent time!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

You are really doing great! Isn't the time flying by? I am starting to feel exhaustion setting in, but blog-hopping is helping. Keep up the good work.

Toni said...

Awesome reading and update. Keep it up ladies!!!

Eva said...

We're coming up on the final quarter! You've done great so far-see it through to the end! You can do it!

The Bookworm said...

Happy reading to you and The Girl :)
Thats a great pile of books!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Care said...

WOO HOO! I envy a non-solo RaT. I am dreaming of one day being sequestered in that plush readathon hotel - preferably somewhere with a pool and free WiFi - with like minded bookfriends and all we do is read and blog and giggle. no dishes, no rolling of eyes with amusement of me attempting to stay awake (my hub) etc. APPLAUSE and congrats on a fun readathon!

tanabata said...

I'd definitely love to be part of a read-a-thon gathering if I could. I hope you all had a fantastic read-a-thon! :)

Anna said...

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by and wishing us luck and cheering us on!

We started at 8 am and I managed to stay awake until 3 am, while The Girl conked out around 12:30 am. We had an awesome time, and all your cheerleading was a big help. Though I didn't update my blog, I read each and every one of your comments and kept up with the readathon blog while I was at Serena's house. Thank you all so much, and look for my wrap up post in a few!

Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooks said...

Woo-hoo Anna, The Girl, and Serena! It must be so fun to do the Readathon in person, with others (not that reading and cheering with online friends isn't a blast!)

Congrats on all you did.

Anna said...

~Dawn: Thanks!