Post-Read-a-Thon Survey

The 24-Hour Read-a-Thon, hosted by Dewey, has been over for more than twenty-four hours now, and although I've not yet completely recovered (boy, I sure need my sleep!), I wanted to post the end-of-event survey.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

I ended up asleep between 1:30 and 3:30, just not able to keep my eyes open another minute.

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

I think young adult books are maybe the best choice. The one I read (see no. 6) was easy-to-read and moved quickly. I actually started a new YA book yesterday before going to sleep after church that I wish I'd read during the read-a-thon: If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko. Note: I'm seeing that the publisher marked this book at "ages 9-12", but my library put it in the YA section.

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

Not that I'm complaining at all - because they were so much fun - but I think I would have fewer mini-challenges - or at least I'd force myself to participate in fewer of them, so I could actually read more.

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

The "cheerleader" concept was brilliant. I didn't realize that I would get so much energy and will to continue by the comments that were left while I was reading. I loved that!

5. How many books did you read?

I read 100 pages in a novel I'd just started the day before. I read one entire novel. And I read 130 pages - about a third of the total - of a third novel.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

These books were The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Pretties by Scott Westerfeld, and Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich, respectively.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I liked Pretties a lot. It was light and fast-moving enough to keep my attention, and I also enjoyed the social commentary.

8. Which did you enjoy least?

I didn't dislike either of the other two books. The Historian is beautifully written, but I had to think too much while reading, so it didn't move quickly enough for a read-a-thon; I will get back to it, though, especially because the storyline is compelling. I'll also finish Motor Mouth, which is typical Janet Evanovich screwball-comedic mystery.

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

Not applicable.

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

If my schedule permits, I will definitely be participating as a Reader in the read-a-thon again next year! My older daughter (currently 16yo) would also like to play along (as long as we can convince her dad).