Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up

If any of you follow Serena's blog, then you probably saw her update posts throughout Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon.  She was kind enough to write about The Girl's and my progress.  And you can visit her blog to see a picture of me lounging on her couch with her dog, Charlee, who used to be half my dog, too, because we bought him together when we were in college, assuming we'd be old maids who'd have nothing but each other and our dog.  Too funny!  Oh, and there's a video of The Girl dancing to "Thriller" during hour 7.

So before I answer the questions from the end of the Read-a-Thon meme, let me tell you a little about our day.  The Read-a-Thon started at 8 am on Saturday in our neck of the woods, and the hubby, The Girl, and I arrived at Serena's right around then.  She and her husband had cooked a delicious breakfast, which helped get us ready for reading.  Despite some interruptions from the chatty and very-excited-to-participate Girl and the boys playing video games, we had a good time reading.

The boys made us lunch, and we kept reading, periodically checked the Read-a-Thon blog, then did more reading.  My hubby and Serena (thrilled at having finished her second book) made dinner, and there was reading, snacking, and more reading.  The sad thing is that despite all the reading, I didn't finish a single book.  More on that in the meme:

Which hour was most daunting for you?

We left Serena's house about 10 pm and arrived home around 11 pm.  The Girl got ready for bed, but I told her she could read in bed if she wanted, and I found her at 12:30 am lightly snoring and still holding open her book.  The hardest time for me was around 11:30 pm, when I had a splitting headache.  So I put down my book, and for some reason I thought finishing the embroidered crafts for the church fundraiser (they had to be done by the craft meeting at 10 am today anyway) and watching The Painted Veil (I'd been dying to see it since reading the book a few years ago) would help.   I finished the crafts around 2 am, decided to read in bed since I needed to sleep a bit anyway, and remember last checking the clock at about 3 am.

I had every intention of waking up a couple of hours before the Read-a-Thon ended to finish my book, but I forgot to set my alarm clock and woke myself up at 9:15 am (over an hour after it ended).  Remember how I said the craft meeting at church was at 10 am?  Yeah...there was a lot of running around frantically trying to shower and dress and get out of the house.

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

I probably am not the right person to answer this because the only book I picked up during the Read-a-Thon was The Return by Victoria Hislop.  I'd started it prior to the Read-a-Thon, and I read off and on for about 19 hours and didn't finish it.

I'd definitely recommend The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, though.  Those are action-packed, quick reads for sure.

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

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything.  I thought it was a lot of fun, and I want to thank the organizers and the cheerleaders for all their hard work.


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

It seemed very well organized.  The hourly posts were right on time, and the mini-challenges were well coordinated.

How many books did you read?

I had pulled quite a few books off my shelf, but my top priority was The Return by Victoria Hislop, as my TLC Book Tour date is Monday.  I would have read it much sooner, but a sick child and a broken train earlier in the week really ate into my reading time.  I didn't finish the book during the Read-a-Thon, but I read a good chunk of it, and after I came home from my church meeting, I spent the rest of the day finishing the book.  If I hadn't had a book tour commitment, I would have read the shorter books in my pile, and I would've gone from one book to another and back again to suit my mood.  Even though I didn't complete a book during the Read-a-Thon, I had a lot of fun with Serena and The Girl.  I also really enjoyed having a lot of time to read during the weekend, as most of my reading is done on my work commute.

The Girl finished 1 book, Bone:  Treasure Hunters by Jeff Smith.  She also finished half of Bone:  Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith and half of Maximum Ride:  The Manga, Vol. 1 by James Patterson and NaRae Lee.  She was a very dedicated, though chatty, reader, and I'm very proud of her accomplishments and glad she had a wonderful time.

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

The cheerleaders were wonderful!  Thank you guys!

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

As long as there are no other commitments preventing us from participating, we'll probably sign up for the next Read-a-Thon.  I know I'll at least sign up as a reader.  I'll play the rest by ear for now.

One of my goals for the Read-a-Thon was to distance myself from the computer and just read.  During the last Read-a-Thon, I felt like I spent too much time posting updates, etc., and every time I broke away from my book to sit at the computer, I had a hard time getting back to reading.  So I know Google Reader is overflowing with Read-a-Thon posts, and I'll do my best over the next few days to visit your blogs and see how you did.

Before I close and get ready for bed, I want to thank everyone who stopped by Diary of an Eccentric during the Read-a-Thon to cheer us on.  I read each and every one of your comments, and I appreciate them.  You guys totally rock!!