tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-385379932024-03-07T06:57:04.972-07:00So Many BooksSo Little Timealisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.comBlogger757125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-90639051970936258452017-12-31T21:27:00.000-07:002018-01-01T00:10:21.087-07:00My Favorite Reads of 2017In Alphabetical Order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF3nDSuUqU_-csE8XhuQle5rvF63EE0BFSLTg6qVIJw84TlhO3UD55h6I8wEf0wfeglXRwSg7Dl5IRVi2tfPnU7SFymO8SfEpZn91kGGk-dY5UvSDOYoMAYYa_zen7-WLWOEYBg/s1600/2017+Favorites+1+1st.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF3nDSuUqU_-csE8XhuQle5rvF63EE0BFSLTg6qVIJw84TlhO3UD55h6I8wEf0wfeglXRwSg7Dl5IRVi2tfPnU7SFymO8SfEpZn91kGGk-dY5UvSDOYoMAYYa_zen7-WLWOEYBg/s320/2017+Favorites+1+1st.JPG" width="320" height="146" data-original-width="330" data-original-height="151" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1kjluBQAfxYVX5C5rIdx3TAroKJD_tUfS5BDHTS2wl6I1HBhMOR2XcZKmkwGggTG5W1OI5QNVCaMWNS7v8wExkF-sbZ6yqon1uj-681lPjwHBhuJhDw3BJcbHb1bWolSFlLvew/s1600/2017+Favorites+1+2nd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1kjluBQAfxYVX5C5rIdx3TAroKJD_tUfS5BDHTS2wl6I1HBhMOR2XcZKmkwGggTG5W1OI5QNVCaMWNS7v8wExkF-sbZ6yqon1uj-681lPjwHBhuJhDw3BJcbHb1bWolSFlLvew/s320/2017+Favorites+1+2nd.JPG" width="320" height="147" data-original-width="320" data-original-height="147" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADGjrBEgsjsiX2jAaOdTs2qcUoLCMOJnS-ioSrNIZO07TW4gHn5GkGgcbc-jYCJ2veuRaWJPhkh1n_9Slj4xSG0skU1chnD8mlrzQRmygdhAxPhJGVPrTQ2lvlGrb5r5s0lOVYg/s1600/2017+Favorites+2+1st.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADGjrBEgsjsiX2jAaOdTs2qcUoLCMOJnS-ioSrNIZO07TW4gHn5GkGgcbc-jYCJ2veuRaWJPhkh1n_9Slj4xSG0skU1chnD8mlrzQRmygdhAxPhJGVPrTQ2lvlGrb5r5s0lOVYg/s320/2017+Favorites+2+1st.JPG" width="320" height="142" data-original-width="329" data-original-height="146" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZUcoHulKW2EkipIfvHlPfowcMuDiyCABvin4xE8JknigFGkNEVG3b3noWRbep6ND7NaH65Kh8wPLiLcB-a4qQ2qRcj-KQPebYUauE1cwTGfGxSxLWC7-IaKnphuYUPdrnKsr6w/s1600/2017+Favorites+2+2nd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZUcoHulKW2EkipIfvHlPfowcMuDiyCABvin4xE8JknigFGkNEVG3b3noWRbep6ND7NaH65Kh8wPLiLcB-a4qQ2qRcj-KQPebYUauE1cwTGfGxSxLWC7-IaKnphuYUPdrnKsr6w/s320/2017+Favorites+2+2nd.JPG" width="320" height="147" data-original-width="326" data-original-height="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5SvBt2fU32Kr-onn6Zav6sd7aw6GBc19KF1jsbhgI6dOE2f91dc1WAg9u_xVyU6AdDUegc_LjWJrAb93S-PPCzK-kwgfZQSym8byjpFOLOA631vduL9jy-bpzLFYe-ujHVpEvg/s1600/2017+Favorites+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5SvBt2fU32Kr-onn6Zav6sd7aw6GBc19KF1jsbhgI6dOE2f91dc1WAg9u_xVyU6AdDUegc_LjWJrAb93S-PPCzK-kwgfZQSym8byjpFOLOA631vduL9jy-bpzLFYe-ujHVpEvg/s320/2017+Favorites+3.JPG" width="320" height="110" data-original-width="437" data-original-height="150" /></a></div><center>Of the 98 books I read in 2017, <br />
these 16 were my favorites!</center>alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-67969865460326685912017-01-02T22:00:00.000-07:002018-01-01T00:06:58.686-07:00By the NumbersNovember/December 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiymnnGQTgVXzwAPxtIT9LSlOWo9RAoJaxp5on5uUPhUzGYyAN_Oyh5oSLFXTe7rSgtqup9jHTxA1iJkvJVHNZ78V9U7i1FGNVsVv5yXGYS3Gzg1ROx6jkzQLbIA0tonyC4xKAg/s1600/Books+NovDec3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiymnnGQTgVXzwAPxtIT9LSlOWo9RAoJaxp5on5uUPhUzGYyAN_Oyh5oSLFXTe7rSgtqup9jHTxA1iJkvJVHNZ78V9U7i1FGNVsVv5yXGYS3Gzg1ROx6jkzQLbIA0tonyC4xKAg/s320/Books+NovDec3.JPG" width="237" height="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz_nYvzQrqEyD0v77UXUGYRvqCTVHNqiaLyonqTAat1AGqT1HNtlF4T9yNgvtzK1hKB8w2YvQSVX8D4qBJukKscGWQcmWqogUPD54ZNa38pIazGbRlZ5BV80HJOR5QPrBu2sj1g/s1600/Books+NovDec1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz_nYvzQrqEyD0v77UXUGYRvqCTVHNqiaLyonqTAat1AGqT1HNtlF4T9yNgvtzK1hKB8w2YvQSVX8D4qBJukKscGWQcmWqogUPD54ZNa38pIazGbRlZ5BV80HJOR5QPrBu2sj1g/s320/Books+NovDec1.JPG" width="320" height="291" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnsOKKHhcpHmaGyklJ66bKEq6KfG3YHtCSv5o9VZoA5aMmieBKHQZh79_M5V7xK4J_ate-Dqr_8Jg6y3qN3sJTJsyqmP6oL0YO-rWOHOtJzFy5o6CPsysrJDjOJBjExDMHZ8nUg/s1600/Books+NovDec2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnsOKKHhcpHmaGyklJ66bKEq6KfG3YHtCSv5o9VZoA5aMmieBKHQZh79_M5V7xK4J_ate-Dqr_8Jg6y3qN3sJTJsyqmP6oL0YO-rWOHOtJzFy5o6CPsysrJDjOJBjExDMHZ8nUg/s320/Books+NovDec2.JPG" width="320" height="289" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDL2vV3OVKFMFgqqaGB2o9fbGExNYEze04e2n3bFvbA58Pcw4WV6NgTEMskWlnNi5-ns9m3nfRm3dp-wAtOKeUAjCuElR5wNOGHsmxx5UbDVOMn3uDcr82h5l54YW0orkbvnkRbQ/s1600/Books+NovDec4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDL2vV3OVKFMFgqqaGB2o9fbGExNYEze04e2n3bFvbA58Pcw4WV6NgTEMskWlnNi5-ns9m3nfRm3dp-wAtOKeUAjCuElR5wNOGHsmxx5UbDVOMn3uDcr82h5l54YW0orkbvnkRbQ/s320/Books+NovDec4.JPG" width="320" height="110" /></a></div><br />
Number of books read: 20.<br />
<br />
Fiction: 15.<br />
Non-fiction: 5.<br />
<br />
Audiobooks: 5.<br />
<br />
On the Kindle: 10.<br />
<small>(One of these I borrowed from the public library, and I own the other nine. I read four of these while traveling in Japan for Christmas.)</small><br />
<br />
Male authors: 8.<br />
Female authors: 15.<br />
<br />
5-star rating: 6.<br />
4-star rating: 7.<br />
3-star rating: 6.<br />
2-star rating: 1.<br />
<br />
Cumulative number of books read this year: 100.<br />
<small>(My goal was to read a total of 104 books in 2016, but I'm not terribly disappointed that I didn't make it.)</small><br />
<br />
<br />
How did your 2016 reading add up?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-45268176183962850352016-11-01T20:00:00.000-06:002016-11-26T12:49:39.301-07:00By the NumbersSeptember/October 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkdrX3lMAHwf64ovn9tgvjLDx_Ab4OdXHW37pruQrt5sbMKEEU_UP1oAgKbBHZ9NOoq-6yohvAxYzRgtBbuYPuyEsy1QyJChox1Qtw9vL7elPooMtgLOi3ByB68NxqInlhSE9cA/s1600/Books+SepOct+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkdrX3lMAHwf64ovn9tgvjLDx_Ab4OdXHW37pruQrt5sbMKEEU_UP1oAgKbBHZ9NOoq-6yohvAxYzRgtBbuYPuyEsy1QyJChox1Qtw9vL7elPooMtgLOi3ByB68NxqInlhSE9cA/s320/Books+SepOct+1.JPG" width="237" height="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBGeVS0ZvVV_fg2uS56fBiN4YvT7i5Rlwy2TZj03jgvNXjKBc7uWtlWCY4TVLYp5SCKlYgAkm_EsuUpn9mv8zJazpeKRHk8cK9GcJlu1P95jGKGTyuyvYFDcdTZZd8r7fKZWCHA/s1600/Books+SepOct+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBGeVS0ZvVV_fg2uS56fBiN4YvT7i5Rlwy2TZj03jgvNXjKBc7uWtlWCY4TVLYp5SCKlYgAkm_EsuUpn9mv8zJazpeKRHk8cK9GcJlu1P95jGKGTyuyvYFDcdTZZd8r7fKZWCHA/s320/Books+SepOct+2.JPG" width="242" height="320" /></a></div><br />
Number of books read: 18.<br />
<br />
Fiction: 11.<br />
Non-fiction: 7.<br />
<br />
Audiobooks: 10.<br />
<br />
On the Kindle: 2.<br />
<small>(One of these I own, and I borrowed the other from the public library.)</small><br />
<br />
Number of books read with "Natalie's Book Club": 1.<br />
<small>(Ruta Sepetys' <i>Salt to the Sea</i> ‐ which we loved ‐ was our September read. In October, the pick was Sheryl Sandberg's <i>Lean In</i>, which I'd previously read.)</small><br />
<br />
Books by male authors: 5.<br />
Books by female authors: 13.<br />
<br />
5-star rating: 2.<br />
4-star rating: 7.<br />
3-star rating: 8.<br />
2-star rating: 1.<br />
<br />
Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 80.<br />
<small>(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I've to got to read 24 more books before year-end. That's a lot ‐ but I remain hopeful!)</small><br />
<br />
<br />
How is your 2016 reading adding up?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-45153500378995239972016-09-03T17:29:00.000-06:002016-09-03T17:55:03.045-06:00By the NumbersJuly/August 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7q0dWJVxNZ2id76tM3Df6J0yraCocA8uAR77nvd5gCh0kft2UeVMkJlx3rblLnHqW_8c1CLEFEtVB9Ti3ENcfFYp-D8yDSpvav1DkQU-Bj0z6rbp5CJsyaFZ45GNA50MzspfOA/s1600/Books+JulAug+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7q0dWJVxNZ2id76tM3Df6J0yraCocA8uAR77nvd5gCh0kft2UeVMkJlx3rblLnHqW_8c1CLEFEtVB9Ti3ENcfFYp-D8yDSpvav1DkQU-Bj0z6rbp5CJsyaFZ45GNA50MzspfOA/s320/Books+JulAug+1.JPG" width="320" height="146" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtJDOniX4c8b56JUoj1oyBO0IzaeuwnRynYJ8bACzC3fdtxQlFTYTz46ePI-ACxVOlYVBo-ICdwpPXecsiJhX9trHMkdpUTa19S5yflvWo2rcVSUuwb5oHRmR8vRWDZn3Ag_SaQ/s1600/Books+JulAug+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtJDOniX4c8b56JUoj1oyBO0IzaeuwnRynYJ8bACzC3fdtxQlFTYTz46ePI-ACxVOlYVBo-ICdwpPXecsiJhX9trHMkdpUTa19S5yflvWo2rcVSUuwb5oHRmR8vRWDZn3Ag_SaQ/s320/Books+JulAug+2.JPG" width="320" height="145" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin69YGq47Mh7WWoPYmju5nWpM6XQNcTIK46L1Oj6VjD5aMmJSSe5wu6JwQZ9rRDsXCCqqQS3eUfWGzgNX7wRYnqAFHDFNfMKK7x6ZSiuE5GzgPa4eUrWDE2mDjlWGftU05vilMjw/s1600/Books+JulAug+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin69YGq47Mh7WWoPYmju5nWpM6XQNcTIK46L1Oj6VjD5aMmJSSe5wu6JwQZ9rRDsXCCqqQS3eUfWGzgNX7wRYnqAFHDFNfMKK7x6ZSiuE5GzgPa4eUrWDE2mDjlWGftU05vilMjw/s320/Books+JulAug+3.JPG" width="320" height="145" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrd_QmEcrs3lXAAsoXfSnDcrAGURl9sGw7_Bz1SNNhYl8fLO2wdcyBc3Fbje4CT99MQ_a9dOfVrwwugdTi_lsPiixzN6hktsdab-HshYW4H9Se-T4bdLI2zMgozVwBshZP69mTPw/s1600/Books+JulAug+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrd_QmEcrs3lXAAsoXfSnDcrAGURl9sGw7_Bz1SNNhYl8fLO2wdcyBc3Fbje4CT99MQ_a9dOfVrwwugdTi_lsPiixzN6hktsdab-HshYW4H9Se-T4bdLI2zMgozVwBshZP69mTPw/s320/Books+JulAug+4.JPG" width="320" height="107" /></a></div><br />
Number of books read: 13.<br />
<br />
Fiction: 12.<br />
Non-fiction: 1.<br />
<br />
Audiobooks: 5. <br />
<small>(Four of these I "read" during my commute, and the other one I "read" on my iPod as incentive to exercise.)</small><br />
<br />
On the Kindle: 8.<br />
<small>(Two of these I had purchased, and the other six I borrowed from the public library.)</small><br />
<br />
Number of books read with "Natalie's Book Club": 2.<br />
<small>(Both <i>Fahrenheit 451</i> and <i>Just Mercy</i> gave us lots to discuss!)</small><br />
<br />
Books by male authors: 4.<br />
Books by female authors: 9.<br />
<br />
New-to-me authors: 6.<br />
<br />
5-star rating: 1.<br />
4-star rating: 8.<br />
3-star rating: 3.<br />
2-star rating: 1.<br />
<br />
Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 62.<br />
<small>(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I'm currently seven books behind schedule.)</small><br />
<br />
<br />
How is your 2016 reading adding up?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-79638819480625779122016-08-22T20:25:00.000-06:002016-08-22T20:25:42.149-06:00Utah Book WeekAugust 22 - 28, 2016For posts about all things bookish in Utah, visit <a href="http://utahbooks.blogspot.com/">Utah Books</a> and @UtahBooks on Twitter - and join in the fun with the Instagram Challenge.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqGzG7KqsviaxfQTSZu0ztLnveC2lQTA3RqEYj5iF5Q87BACAKtZgfLbsMAtfYrbe2NbbLwmGpxZLVbS4jPz_OJ1aiyY-n-GekUmAV4S5jrypNwOgh3I1U4APQNtFQtxtfu_G0w/s1600/Utah+Book+Week.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqGzG7KqsviaxfQTSZu0ztLnveC2lQTA3RqEYj5iF5Q87BACAKtZgfLbsMAtfYrbe2NbbLwmGpxZLVbS4jPz_OJ1aiyY-n-GekUmAV4S5jrypNwOgh3I1U4APQNtFQtxtfu_G0w/s320/Utah+Book+Week.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></a></div><br><br />
<center>#UtahBooks #Stack<br />
<small>Just a few of the books currently on my to-read list!</small><br />
</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cQ_U_8rDy5H1mDFmQLp9HJ1lZAHPEpT2wm-0vFW4_db7zMplVu5kxjdiNkzvTNBE6HdZyEie8ERdhBLUjOzphKT6_fVZFGV9Qh8DS2PswuGZQlikk-4IpJSHNDvnZykiqrCT1Q/s1600/IMG_7303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cQ_U_8rDy5H1mDFmQLp9HJ1lZAHPEpT2wm-0vFW4_db7zMplVu5kxjdiNkzvTNBE6HdZyEie8ERdhBLUjOzphKT6_fVZFGV9Qh8DS2PswuGZQlikk-4IpJSHNDvnZykiqrCT1Q/s320/IMG_7303.JPG" width="320" height="240" /></a></div>alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-50677026126639630912016-07-03T21:54:00.001-06:002016-07-03T21:55:53.666-06:00By the NumbersMay/June 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSBhwLqskhtI4D2ljDmc-b4Bb0FLiOM1wfS69exZUUyCSW-qTZyFJovETAOLp1PM_5Khq7pmml7-5u8v_-Z2eCY1C9gQYDNgKYA8Dyji1c7naMVFi9DTecjRFOEL3gaBQYmCeWA/s1600/Books+May.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSBhwLqskhtI4D2ljDmc-b4Bb0FLiOM1wfS69exZUUyCSW-qTZyFJovETAOLp1PM_5Khq7pmml7-5u8v_-Z2eCY1C9gQYDNgKYA8Dyji1c7naMVFi9DTecjRFOEL3gaBQYmCeWA/s320/Books+May.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssNzzk8xzjMQq-OBM2JuHmiueuGWGcbd1R-Fj-2E3fU36NlREcOIHe7_yhE2sQEVCn8NQ-Aj4_vkP9DUYb4Xs057OOR8BjB8WL6iJ2f__Z_TJTpm2S9XnqtBClcreu61HIIm8ig/s1600/Books+MayJune.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjssNzzk8xzjMQq-OBM2JuHmiueuGWGcbd1R-Fj-2E3fU36NlREcOIHe7_yhE2sQEVCn8NQ-Aj4_vkP9DUYb4Xs057OOR8BjB8WL6iJ2f__Z_TJTpm2S9XnqtBClcreu61HIIm8ig/s320/Books+MayJune.JPG" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-O9CranDcd2xXcvaRwQzgFZ06wPFhLVk9rbvRHobFt3fvj6ughM5VlO4yzZroVWQsYyLLXZGBjmtfurGvvcIcEQz19WpYLPVS2E-IDSGd8VVSPMl69e9aMUkGE_MmqgMkyDw4w/s1600/Books+June.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-O9CranDcd2xXcvaRwQzgFZ06wPFhLVk9rbvRHobFt3fvj6ughM5VlO4yzZroVWQsYyLLXZGBjmtfurGvvcIcEQz19WpYLPVS2E-IDSGd8VVSPMl69e9aMUkGE_MmqgMkyDw4w/s320/Books+June.JPG" width="320" height="104" /></a></div></div><br />
Number of books read: 14.<br />
<br />
Fiction: 12.<br />
Non-fiction: 2.<br />
<br />
Audiobooks: 7. <br />
<small>(Four of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other three were e-audiobooks, two of which I borrowed from the county library and "read" on my iPod as incentive to exercise and the other of which I "read" via Audible.)</small><br />
<br />
On the Kindle: 4. <br />
<br />
Number of books read with "Natalie's Book Club": 2.<br />
<br />
Books by male authors: 0.<br />
Books by female authors: 14.<br />
<br />
5-star rating: 3.<br />
4-star rating: 5.<br />
3-star rating: 4.<br />
2-star rating: 2.<br />
<br />
Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 49.<br />
<small>(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I'm currently three books behind schedule.)</small><br />
<br />
<br />
How is your 2016 reading adding up?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-477778747290337592016-05-01T21:30:00.000-06:002016-05-13T12:51:19.610-06:00By the NumbersMarch/April 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF87V_m1YHwbIlM8D3D68d182lgogG8fckeBK2_PbOwfgQsS2kFYqm6eC5RfwciSd8wOGwLEHI_jc4E7IO9Vq9-Be11IlI4VQmi6oT_9IMH1cG_Tn1pRW03jSQwW08R7UkEzVBbw/s1600/Books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF87V_m1YHwbIlM8D3D68d182lgogG8fckeBK2_PbOwfgQsS2kFYqm6eC5RfwciSd8wOGwLEHI_jc4E7IO9Vq9-Be11IlI4VQmi6oT_9IMH1cG_Tn1pRW03jSQwW08R7UkEzVBbw/s320/Books.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQ0VOD5LM7bt8Ze-DW7iDxplbqgoPU2YZ2XhKBXlq51vYZW0frEZlOjYJ_frY0tL0DW5qZ3LemGtEOIQALo4zaChDf8luI0kGs4JBvPqkcm_D3I_yhTVV5k7XdvXnHUaP5bOisA/s1600/Books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQ0VOD5LM7bt8Ze-DW7iDxplbqgoPU2YZ2XhKBXlq51vYZW0frEZlOjYJ_frY0tL0DW5qZ3LemGtEOIQALo4zaChDf8luI0kGs4JBvPqkcm_D3I_yhTVV5k7XdvXnHUaP5bOisA/s320/Books.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXNO-IFjkSqFomixvMUVN6VY-3h267pEhYkFR01ld7iO4C22zBjzhmM6zy__72KZsFDkgadFw9xLGjRdO6wRJwPX3fziQNW5QNhzROVTa-rXMYXcGaFZKbrtXPWWDvpNOV6OSPg/s1600/3rd+Line.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXNO-IFjkSqFomixvMUVN6VY-3h267pEhYkFR01ld7iO4C22zBjzhmM6zy__72KZsFDkgadFw9xLGjRdO6wRJwPX3fziQNW5QNhzROVTa-rXMYXcGaFZKbrtXPWWDvpNOV6OSPg/s320/3rd+Line.PNG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjP_8WH4rxHIBF0KQ14dltQm0k34mDSYb7DtsyzQ12Rcuwc-9kjFYh7gOeJXR_lTstQSiLJBneJB7iaWBM_vNboyaM6LcMqW-JT8lf9ue7g3nn16z7q5ZhyphenhyphenfqS9jnxmOercfC6A/s1600/4th+Line.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjP_8WH4rxHIBF0KQ14dltQm0k34mDSYb7DtsyzQ12Rcuwc-9kjFYh7gOeJXR_lTstQSiLJBneJB7iaWBM_vNboyaM6LcMqW-JT8lf9ue7g3nn16z7q5ZhyphenhyphenfqS9jnxmOercfC6A/s320/4th+Line.PNG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFfMbfeSP-p3e3jCI0CqxhZUvo85COSvwS0z1Djchb9XsRGZUlyO6q6EdBzNKQo4ZnpOIC6zGCfNysoramm_aArQRdaxf1Yj1lUdIVrMfc8bFveLRkyGQEbR1X_5qgGVDuGcFjA/s1600/5th+Line.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFfMbfeSP-p3e3jCI0CqxhZUvo85COSvwS0z1Djchb9XsRGZUlyO6q6EdBzNKQo4ZnpOIC6zGCfNysoramm_aArQRdaxf1Yj1lUdIVrMfc8bFveLRkyGQEbR1X_5qgGVDuGcFjA/s320/5th+Line.PNG" /></a></div><br />
Number of books read: 23.<br />
<br />
Fiction: 16.<br />
Non-fiction: 7.<br />
<br />
Picture books: 4.<br />
<br />
Audiobooks: 7. <br />
<small>(Four of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other three were e-audiobooks: I borrowed <i>Identical</i> from the county library and "read" on my iPod as incentive to exercise; I borrowed <i>Off the Page</i> from the library via One Click Digital and listened to much of it in the mornings while getting ready for the day; and <i>The Master Magician</i> was my first "read" via Audible, purchased to complement the Kindle book.)</small><br />
<br />
On the Kindle: 10. <br />
<small>(I purchased seven of these, including <i>Off the Page</i> and <i>The Master Magician</i>, to which I also listened to e-audiobook versions. I borrowed the other three from the county library.)</small> <br />
<br />
Number of books read during <a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/">Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon</a>: 9.<br />
<br />
Number of books read as part of a book launch team: 1.<br />
<small>(I hadn't heard of <a href="http://alexandrakuykendall.com/alex/alex/">Alexandra Kuykendall</a> when her new release <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Actual-Life-Experiment-Relishing-ebook/dp/B01AO3OVSO?ie=UTF8&keywords=loving%20my%20actual%20life&qid=1463164292&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1"><i>Loving My Actual Life</i></a> came onto my radar screen - but it was perfect for this year when my One Little Word is <b>YES</b> and I am so glad I was able to be part of the launch team.)</small><br />
<br />
Books by male authors: 8.<br />
Books by female authors: 15.<br />
<br />
5-star rating: 1.<br />
4-star rating: 15.<br />
3-star rating: 5.<br />
2-star rating: 2.<br />
<br />
Cumulative number of books read year-to-date: 35. <br />
<small>(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so — thanks to the read-a-thon — I'm actually one book ahead of schedule. At least for the moment.)</small><br />
<br />
<br />
How is your 2016 reading adding up?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-50119754438695838502016-04-24T00:00:00.000-06:002016-04-24T00:36:09.018-06:00Elapsed Time 18:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s1600/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s320/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" /></a></div><center><big>Progress Report</big></center><br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time Reading:</span> 10:30<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Pages Read:</span> 592. <small>(That's about 56 pages an hour.)</small><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Books Finished:</span> 3. <small>(<i>Helen of Pasadena</i> by Lian Dolan, <i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future</i> by Michael J. Fox, and <i>Summerlost</i> by Ally Condie.)</small><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time on Social Media:</span> 3:00 <small>(I'm @utahalison on both Instagram and Twitter.)</small><br />
<br />
<b>Time Napping or Otherwise On Break:</b> 4:30<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Frame of Mind:</span> It's definitely past my normal bedtime, but I'm hoping for more of a feeling of success before I call it quits. I've changed into pajamas, but I still have my contact lenses in. I'm feeling a bit melancholy about the whole day.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed:</span> 4 1/2. <br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Food Consumed:</span> Pretzel Crisps. Oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar. Leftover steak and baked potato from Texas Roadhouse. Crab cakes. Red Vines. Steak enchilada with rice and beans from Cafe Rio. alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-1889420075180061982016-04-23T19:00:00.000-06:002016-04-23T19:28:55.670-06:00Elapsed Time 13:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_2TAJvVYurjBw7bLZ6jeADKsTHAI6LNwKljFXMThZGZM0K3rR3X8VtL8Qd03YTmZrpPNIgLAewxLY4ApLFpaLiqSezvGe5F8XpF0gPt0FuPjC8WSSMlEp06IBArJFbLrrHkxWg/s1600/readathon-button-girl-reading.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_2TAJvVYurjBw7bLZ6jeADKsTHAI6LNwKljFXMThZGZM0K3rR3X8VtL8Qd03YTmZrpPNIgLAewxLY4ApLFpaLiqSezvGe5F8XpF0gPt0FuPjC8WSSMlEp06IBArJFbLrrHkxWg/s400/readathon-button-girl-reading.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523881020167390130" /></a><center><big>Progress Report</big></center><br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time Read:</span> 6:30<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Pages Read:</span> 290. <small>(That's about 45 pages per hour.)</small><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Books Finished:</span> 1. <small>(<i>Helen of Pasadena</i> by Lian Dolan.)</small><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time on Social Media:</span> 2:00 <small>(I'm @utahalison on both Twitter and Instagram.)</small><br />
<br />
<b>Time Napping or Otherwise On Break:</b> 4:30<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Frame of Mind:</span> I've been much more tired than I hoped to be - but I guess the long workdays over the past two weeks have taken a toll. I'm hoping to pick up the reading pace in the second half of the read-a-thon!<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed:</span> 4.<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Food Consumed:</span> Pretzel Crisps. Oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar. Leftover steak and baked potato from Texas Roadhouse. Crab cakes.alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-56264988571260982862016-04-23T12:00:00.000-06:002016-04-23T12:58:26.789-06:00Elapsed Time 6:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s1600/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s320/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" /></a></div><center><big>Progress Report</big></center><br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time Reading:</span> 3:30 <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Pages Read:</span> 157. <small>(I am a little more than half done with <i>Helen of Pasadena</i> by Lian Dolan.)</small><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Books Finished:</span> None yet.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time on Social Media:</span> 1:00 <small>(I'm @utahalison on both Twitter and Instagram.)</small><br />
<br />
<b>Time Napping or Otherwise On Break:</b> 1:30<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Frame of Mind:</span> I was feeling quite sleepy a while ago, so I didn't fight it and just went ahead and had a nap - likely the first of several.<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed:</span> 2. <br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Food Consumed:</span> Pretzel Crisps. Oatmeal with walnuts and brown sugar.alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-23129432428508908192016-04-23T08:57:00.000-06:002016-04-23T08:59:58.047-06:00Intro Meme<center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMdo4ZZaQxzij807BashrahHS8uMDCeYJon3tOYyX74CzVjmJyoubUjBk9PZtvZzLKnBvsuY4unghzo618Q-c2jp5erK46FQJyYIDAvM5TwcGcKGczFYlFvmyUcLHzoVNtLNXvw/s1600-h/readathon.jpg"><img style="display:block; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMdo4ZZaQxzij807BashrahHS8uMDCeYJon3tOYyX74CzVjmJyoubUjBk9PZtvZzLKnBvsuY4unghzo618Q-c2jp5erK46FQJyYIDAvM5TwcGcKGczFYlFvmyUcLHzoVNtLNXvw/s320/readathon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117141831712602754" /></a></center><br />
<strong>What fine part of the world are you reading from today?</strong><br />
The suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah.<br />
<br />
<strong>Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?</strong><br />
I've got so many options, but let's go with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17731927-summerlost"><i>Summerlost</i> by Ally Condie</a>.<br />
<br />
<strong>Which snack are you most looking forward to?</strong><br />
Crab cakes. Red Vines. Pretzel Crisps. <br />
<br />
<strong>Tell us a little something about yourself!</strong><br />
Although I work with numbers, I love words! I learned to read with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_and_Jane">Dick and Jane</a> when I was six years old, and I've not stopped since. I participated in the very first Dewey's Read-a-Thon in 2007, and this is my twelfth - although it's been a couple of years since I've been able to join the fun. I am @utahalison on Instagram and on Twitter, and I'm alisonwonderland on good<b>reads</b>. <br />
<br />
<strong>If you participated in a previous read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?</strong> <br />
My strategy today is to keep changing things up - book choices, reading locations, snacks, and reading mediums - to help me keep the read-a-thon momentum going!alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-64563399254846857462016-04-23T08:40:00.002-06:002016-04-23T08:41:59.904-06:00My Read-a-Thon PileFor me, half the fun of any upcoming event is the planning! Planning my to-read pile for <a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/">Dewey's Read-a-Thon</a> is no exception. Here are the forty-two books I collected for today's festivities - twenty-one on my Kindle, eighteen from my county library, and three <small>(just three!)</small> traditional books from my personal collection.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJSluOzI6tdg_xlLEKZ_6V-Dlz_-gIrY4DByQYggb0mcVzIN5y0YkfCtmBBiuHOF5xORQtP0CR7rnsKUGPRN9hnhX82IfVO2f9EvVY7AOkU5ZuQJ2HPVOOHutHuLcNKPbN-K_2Q/s1600/ReadaThon+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJSluOzI6tdg_xlLEKZ_6V-Dlz_-gIrY4DByQYggb0mcVzIN5y0YkfCtmBBiuHOF5xORQtP0CR7rnsKUGPRN9hnhX82IfVO2f9EvVY7AOkU5ZuQJ2HPVOOHutHuLcNKPbN-K_2Q/s320/ReadaThon+1.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTUmmN80lAgei2_F8dh0BnAfNdOz1xdfEROlkAjbmiwaX_nWoeEWS_7-xHyOMeKaTDD5YSQenufU8vUarWpAwyKaJ7Hi_HmWDo4N-qK-Iluxfwy1O_1pV77FlBQgFq7AW47qPRw/s1600/ReadaThon+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTUmmN80lAgei2_F8dh0BnAfNdOz1xdfEROlkAjbmiwaX_nWoeEWS_7-xHyOMeKaTDD5YSQenufU8vUarWpAwyKaJ7Hi_HmWDo4N-qK-Iluxfwy1O_1pV77FlBQgFq7AW47qPRw/s320/ReadaThon+2.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I won't get through all of these, of course. (My lofty goal is one-third - including the five picture books.) But like I said, half the fun is in the planning!alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-11002167537272853362016-04-23T06:00:00.000-06:002016-04-23T06:20:37.743-06:00Elapsed Time 0:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s1600/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s320/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<big><center>Here We Go!</center></big><br />
It's still dark, early on a Saturday morning, and yet I'm awake. It must be Dewey's Read-a-Thon!<br />
<br />
I participated in the first Dewey's Read-a-Thon in October 2007 and in many of those since. In fact, this is my twelfth read-a-thon - and I'm looking forward to a great day of books. Good luck to the other read-a-thon participants, and a big thanks to the hosts, the cheerleaders, and all the other helpers! Happy reading! <br />
<br />
If you're just stopping by and want to know more about what's happening, check out the read-a-thon <a href="http://24hourreadathon.com/">blog</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/readathon">Twitter</a>.alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-40923382582336526112016-04-22T22:17:00.000-06:002016-04-22T22:17:27.040-06:00The Read-a-Thon is Tomorrow!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTjzTVURvm2hxF2F0RJWuTFyLLFiyWYkQzFDCCfPlwN1W2MjyYdMkz_UzWajH-Ali39ESidbmaopjieVDxF4wTvVviquuIQPt6mjmguuIMTg6CUUnSLrHY08Iu47dB67i4nfB4Q/s1600/RaT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTjzTVURvm2hxF2F0RJWuTFyLLFiyWYkQzFDCCfPlwN1W2MjyYdMkz_UzWajH-Ali39ESidbmaopjieVDxF4wTvVviquuIQPt6mjmguuIMTg6CUUnSLrHY08Iu47dB67i4nfB4Q/s320/RaT.JPG" /></a></div><br />
For the first time since October 2013, I'm going to read-a-thon! This is my twelfth <a href="http://www.24hourreadathon.com/">Dewey's Read-a-Thon</a> - and I was among the small group of participants in the very first one in October 2007. <br />
<br />
Follow my progress here and on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/utahalison/">Instagram</a> (@utahalison) and on <a href="https://twitter.com/utahalison">Twitter</a> (@utahalison) and on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/574047-alisonwonderland">good<b>reads</b></a> (alisonwonderland)! <br />
<br />
Happy reading!alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-20796629773511853222016-03-02T09:00:00.000-07:002016-03-09T17:23:22.847-07:00By the NumbersJanuary/February 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cIBYxzWIBHWx0cYJ4lJPSfRYUZp_W4_zx2a5sKidozpyPUvKs1dnEgRRQ94_C7eoqh5W49Zur2VAbkr8OdE1zCqmCHnddOTWEEvrb4GvzdgDrv7OxpCXREgNG-1MWSCUHo4u5g/s1600/Books1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cIBYxzWIBHWx0cYJ4lJPSfRYUZp_W4_zx2a5sKidozpyPUvKs1dnEgRRQ94_C7eoqh5W49Zur2VAbkr8OdE1zCqmCHnddOTWEEvrb4GvzdgDrv7OxpCXREgNG-1MWSCUHo4u5g/s320/Books1.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNVlOf0Q_f60IGdqZyrgqndQI2L6zZ28aZomfwbBJXlDUVK9rOAfTUT2cDawWJCLEkUlOPB4sMj9vbPYfTMiaWOFsSDQTuvruaSeHzmIW4aF2VNovHaQHxFQm059u8afTvjCQiA/s1600/Books2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNVlOf0Q_f60IGdqZyrgqndQI2L6zZ28aZomfwbBJXlDUVK9rOAfTUT2cDawWJCLEkUlOPB4sMj9vbPYfTMiaWOFsSDQTuvruaSeHzmIW4aF2VNovHaQHxFQm059u8afTvjCQiA/s320/Books2.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Number of books read: 12. <br />
<small>(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I'm about five books behind schedule.)</small><br />
<br />
Fiction: 8.<br />
Non-fiction: 4.<br />
<br />
Audiobooks: 6. <br />
<small>(Four of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other two were e-audiobooks, which I borrowed from the county library and "read" on my iPod, mostly as incentive to exercise.)</small><br />
<br />
On the Kindle: 5. <br />
<small>(I purchased three of these. I borrowed the other two from the county library.)</small> <br />
<br />
Books by male authors: 4.<br />
Books by female authors: 8.<br />
<br />
4-star rating: 8.<br />
3-star rating: 4.<br />
<br />
<br />
How is your 2016 reading adding up?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-74373356510968497572016-01-24T19:45:00.002-07:002016-01-24T19:45:22.463-07:00February Read-Along: Little Women<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jQvQ7vYgUOTEgZ2J6VOHCZ41fanjVaYnVUaQSXrlXM51H0w-WLxiIrHlvP6IdQyu1Nf9zEWJ4usbvgQPgpQ7HyA4ZdYS9nMo5I4h4qHud9mHmtbEE4RSvNt-nVM5K_lHT6pdhw/s1600/littlewomenreadalong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jQvQ7vYgUOTEgZ2J6VOHCZ41fanjVaYnVUaQSXrlXM51H0w-WLxiIrHlvP6IdQyu1Nf9zEWJ4usbvgQPgpQ7HyA4ZdYS9nMo5I4h4qHud9mHmtbEE4RSvNt-nVM5K_lHT6pdhw/s320/littlewomenreadalong.png" /></a></div><br />
For several reasons, I'm saying "YES" to a February read-along of Louisa May Alcott's <i>Little Women</i>! <br />
<br />
Hosted by <a href="http://sueysbooks.blogspot.com/2016/01/join-us-for-little-women-read-along-in.html">Suey</a>, <a href="http://jennielyse.com/little-women-read-along-signup-and-schedule/">Jenni</a>, and <a href="http://kamislibrarythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/01/little-women-read-along-sign-up.html">Kami</a>, the schedule is as follows:<br />
<ul> Chapters 1-17 - February 1-10<br>
Chapters 18-33 - February 11-19<br>
Chapters 34-49 - February 20-29</ul>The hashtag for discussion will be #LittleWomenRAL. <br />
<br />
I'm eager to re-read this book from my childhood — and maybe, just maybe — my participation will jump-start a return to book blogging!alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-42324322777533787282015-08-03T19:30:00.000-06:002015-08-03T19:31:42.333-06:00Utah Book Month 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZvrLgnbuIh7DT8H7ZLcy4375IidZLMycLkY87HALOeDSG1_CarzpdvsM4oLVaHdBJQGrqbSMZ8zBqdEG42sP1T_ZXy8WLLZ9Y7FhxglRF4M7Kt0D8zQr3UawIGJ7tKWSc0MWmQ/s1600/UtahBookMonth2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZvrLgnbuIh7DT8H7ZLcy4375IidZLMycLkY87HALOeDSG1_CarzpdvsM4oLVaHdBJQGrqbSMZ8zBqdEG42sP1T_ZXy8WLLZ9Y7FhxglRF4M7Kt0D8zQr3UawIGJ7tKWSc0MWmQ/s400/UtahBookMonth2015.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<center>I'm going to attempt to resume some book blogging <br />
while participating in <a href="http://utahbooks.blogspot.com/p/utah-book-month-2015.html">Utah Book Month 2015</a>!</center>alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-60056339680958661652014-04-26T22:34:00.000-06:002014-04-26T22:34:16.661-06:00#ChangingReadingHabitsOf the last 15 books I read, five were audiobooks on CD, two were e-audiobooks downloaded to a mobile device, two were Kindle books I purchased (for $1.99 each), five were from the Kindle Lending Library, and only one - just one! - was a traditional book on paper.alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-71542515783398881302014-01-05T20:23:00.000-07:002014-04-26T22:32:10.959-06:00By the NumbersFor the Year 2013Total books read: 82. <br />
<small>(I read 80 books in 2012, but I read 93 in 2011 - and my goal remains to read 104 books in one year. Maybe in 2014!) </small><br />
<br />
Fiction: 69.<br />
Non-fiction: 13.<br />
<br />
Audiobooks: 36. <br />
<small>(Twenty-seven of these I "read" via CD during my commuting time. The other nine were e-audiobooks, which I borrowed from the county library and "read" on my Kindle or on my iPod, mostly as incentive to exercise.)</small><br />
<br />
On the Kindle: 23. <br />
<small>(I purchased 12 of these. I borrowed the other 11 from the Kindle Lending Library.)</small> <br />
<br />
Published in 2013: 19. <br />
Published prior to 2000: 2.<br />
<br />
Books by male authors: 15.<br />
Books by female authors: 68.<br />
<small>(One book I read - <i>Half the Sky</i> - was co-written by a husband and wife.)</small><br />
<br />
Books that are the first of a series: 6.<br />
Books that are part of a series I started prior to 2013: 9.<br />
<br />
Historical fiction: 16.<br />
<br />
Biography, autobiography, or memoir: 4.<br />
<br />
Young adult: 27.<br />
Middle grade: 9.<br />
Picture books: 2.<br />
<br />
Review copies: 2.<br />
<br />
Re-reads: 2.<br />
<br />
Read for my Teaching Through Literature class: 4.<br />
Read with the "book lunch girls" <small>(aka <a href="http://nataliesbookclub.blogspot.com/">Natalie's Book Club</a>)</small>: 6.<br />
Read with the <a href="http://bookbuddies3.blogspot.com/">Book Buddies</a>: 3.<br />
Read with the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/87982-52-weeks-52-books">52 weeks, 52 books</a> group on good<b>reads</b>: 6. <br />
<small>(Obviously I didn't keep up - although I had previously read another nine of the titles chosen for this group.)</small><br />
Read for my annual women's retreat: 1. <br />
<small>(I really enjoyed the discussion we had of <i>Home</i> by Marilynne Robinson.)</small><br />
<br />
5-star rating: 8. <br />
4-star rating: 57.<br />
3-star rating: 16.<br />
2-star rating: 1.<br />
<br />
How did your 2013 reading add up?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-14684472925065211982013-12-06T23:07:00.000-07:002013-12-06T23:07:09.554-07:00Three Audiobooks - A Mixed Bag<center><big><i>Daddy's Gone A Hunting</i> <br />
by Mary Higgins Clark</big> <br />
Published in 2013. <br />
Audiobook narrated by Jan Maxwell. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ishSwTrTf7PaGH-UHJ60led5ezBdPP3tNQtGS8KUFYYBm5TSXo9vwlxos2iWdzXCtiPNshMnIEqb4A2jJpWZyVbL26benY14by_dr3cdAXrq9xemvjVibELTGdfeEWoS7dqpEg/s1600/daddy's+gone+a+hunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ishSwTrTf7PaGH-UHJ60led5ezBdPP3tNQtGS8KUFYYBm5TSXo9vwlxos2iWdzXCtiPNshMnIEqb4A2jJpWZyVbL26benY14by_dr3cdAXrq9xemvjVibELTGdfeEWoS7dqpEg/s200/daddy's+gone+a+hunting.jpg" /></a></div></center>I read my first MHC mystery on recommendation of my sister 30 years ago while visiting my family during Christmas break from college. I was so scared that I ended up sleeping at the foot of her bed because I didn't want to be alone on the ground floor of the house. Over the years I've read almost every other MHC mystery, usually eagerly anticipating the new releases.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately - or maybe not - I think my tastes in reading material have changed in recent years. While <i>Daddy's Gone A Hunting</i> was a satisfactory accompaniment to my commute over the past week or two, I found the story and the characters to be only so-so. I didn't see much that I hadn't seen before.<br />
<br />
<small>2013.77</small> <br />
<br />
<br />
<center><big><i>Al Capone Shines My Shoes</i> <br />
by Gennifer Choldenko</big> <br />
Published in 2009. <br />
Audiobook read by Kirby Heyborne. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7SI6fgN9h3lHsIKK3qFJyIQsIY5EjHUQUOqOgVJH96g4RpZC6qa99qlUdfyABOZ-AHzz3neItbI-hq7QeKEWfYnBgieXxK45aQkiR_K5NBuDOg-iKVAay1fD2bPWovFahl4r0g/s1600/al-capone-shines-my-shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7SI6fgN9h3lHsIKK3qFJyIQsIY5EjHUQUOqOgVJH96g4RpZC6qa99qlUdfyABOZ-AHzz3neItbI-hq7QeKEWfYnBgieXxK45aQkiR_K5NBuDOg-iKVAay1fD2bPWovFahl4r0g/s200/al-capone-shines-my-shoes.jpg" /></a></div></center>When my son was in fifth grade, I was the leader of one of the several book groups organized in his classroom by the teacher. One of the books we read together was <a href="http://books4alison.blogspot.com/2010/04/al-capone-does-my-shirts-by-gennifer.html"><i>Al Capone Does My Shirts</i></a>. The fifth graders and I all liked it a lot.<br />
<br />
This sequel finally made its way to the top of my to-read list - partially because of my high expectations of narrator <a href="http://www.kirbyheyborne.com/kirby_heyborne_narrator.php">Kirby Heyborne</a> - and I think I liked it even better than the original. The book has great characters and exciting adventure, as well as emotional insight. Well done!<br />
<br />
<small>2013.68</small> <br />
<br />
<br />
<center><big><i>Bellwether</i> by Connie Willis</big> <br />
Originally published in 1996. <br />
Audiobook read by Kate Reading. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmc19UzLy0I9ZISRlIpYd3mNmJhoGPCZW1byWbdlS10BaaIKDkimwK4OQpaTa0EXWWRBgIMuirhQylKABZMogoMVKB0YQW5zYGQ3YwrI-lLQR3i3Ct3citv7C3p17ZX6N5_QLerA/s1600/Bellwether.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmc19UzLy0I9ZISRlIpYd3mNmJhoGPCZW1byWbdlS10BaaIKDkimwK4OQpaTa0EXWWRBgIMuirhQylKABZMogoMVKB0YQW5zYGQ3YwrI-lLQR3i3Ct3citv7C3p17ZX6N5_QLerA/s200/Bellwether.jpg" /></a></div></center>One of my all-time favorite books is Connie Willis's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24983.Doomsday_Book"><i>Doomsday Book</i></a>. Perhaps apprehensive that I'll be disappointed, to date I haven't read a lot of her other work. I'm glad I took a chance on <i>Bellwether</i>.<br />
<br />
The blurb on the back of the CD case explains that "pop culture, chaos theory, and matters of the heart collide in this unique novella." I found it delightful!<br />
<br />
<small>2013.69</small>alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-67453675387766648782013-10-30T18:02:00.002-06:002013-10-30T18:02:24.680-06:00Code Name Verity by Elizabeth WeinPublished in 2012 <small>by Hyperion</small>. 339 pages.<br />
<a href="http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/printzaward/previouswinners/winners">2013 Printz Honor Book</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_WOFUaliQPiZjWbHCt3lzKqzTLQtSLYZmUhR0D2pJtaIX_xFf8_d5CFxsYpTvgXRbG_nB3LHDS6zQRQqg8v6EDJFNFzrZNCOngW9Dys3Lt2uQdm4h1iMWfE4nA2vDpWGSeJWSQ/s1600/Code+Name+Verity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_WOFUaliQPiZjWbHCt3lzKqzTLQtSLYZmUhR0D2pJtaIX_xFf8_d5CFxsYpTvgXRbG_nB3LHDS6zQRQqg8v6EDJFNFzrZNCOngW9Dys3Lt2uQdm4h1iMWfE4nA2vDpWGSeJWSQ/s320/Code+Name+Verity.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i>Code Name Verity</i> was the pick for my October meeting with the "book lunch girls" (aka <a href="http://nataliesbookclub.blogspot.com/">Natalie's Book Club</a>). I was eager to read it both because I'd heard good things from several friends whose book opinions I value and because I'm all about "girl power" - and I definitely have an affinity for World War II novels. (I mentioned a number of World War II novels that I read with another book club in <a href="http://books4alison.blogspot.com/2012/07/bliss-remembered-by-frank-deford.html">this blog post</a>.)<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into the book and just never really connected to the characters. Maybe I missed something? I was hoping that my book club will fill me in - but, alas, only two of the other members had finished it before our meeting and, given the plot twists, we couldn't really talk about the book. I did discover that both of those that finished had listened to the audiobook - which might be related to the fact that they liked the book better than I did. Also relevant, I think, is the fact that I started the book during a week when I could only read a few pages at a time before bedtime; if I'd been able to invest an hour or two at the start, I think the whole experience might have been a better one.<br />
<a href="http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/2012/07/book-review-code-name-verity.html"><br />
Melissa Mc at Gerbera Daisy Diaries</a> loved <i>Code Name Verity</i> when she read it last year. <a href="http://libraryqueue.blogspot.com/2012/10/code-name-verity.html">Tricia at Library Queue</a> had mixed feelings.<br />
<br />
2013.70alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-30184201647435131772013-10-13T06:00:00.000-06:002013-10-13T06:13:19.574-06:00Final Read-a-Thon Post<center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpf_Y0hb_E8RSbzTSGE_5X2A6Lalg-RbMQ8O-sOR49RABMrnRkjXmeev4YNF85M_UOO1HfI1Kw3D2FohyphenhyphenPagCZWVpsbBXTvCjs0GNK47qhnfvpOe79KYTImMqnsdbEAt3JHVbIw/s1600-h/readathonreader.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 144px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpf_Y0hb_E8RSbzTSGE_5X2A6Lalg-RbMQ8O-sOR49RABMrnRkjXmeev4YNF85M_UOO1HfI1Kw3D2FohyphenhyphenPagCZWVpsbBXTvCjs0GNK47qhnfvpOe79KYTImMqnsdbEAt3JHVbIw/s400/readathonreader.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395922628553489186" /></a><br />
<big>Final Report</big></center><br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time Read:</span> 13:00<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Pages Read:</span> 892. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Books Finished:</span> 6. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time Blogged and/or Tweeted:</span> 7:00<br />
<br />
<b>Time on Break:</b> 4:00<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Frame of Mind:</span> I'm really pleased with the outcome - and I'm also very ready to sleep for a while!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed:</span> 4. <br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Food Consumed:</span> A mug of hot chocolate. Some raspberry-flavored almonds. A bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich and a hashbrown from McDonald's. A few Pretzel Crisps. Some E.L. Fudge cookies. A bowl of honey dew melon and raspberries. A chocolate croissant. Two crab cakes with Japanese sticky rice. Two pieces of pizza with pepperoni, black olives, and mushrooms. Another mug of hot chocolate. Some Heath Pieces.<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><b>Traditional End-of-Event Questionnaire</b></center><br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Which hour was most daunting for you?</span><br />
<br />
Hour 19 - 1:00 a.m. in my time zone - when I finally decided to take a nap. I slept for about two-and-a-half hours - but then I resumed participation, finishing my sixth book and a little bit of blogging and Tweeting.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?</span><br />
<br />
Young adult novels are great read-a-thon picks. Ann Dee Ellis' <i>Everything Is Fine.</i> and <i>Catching Jordan</i> by Miranda Kenneally were good ones for me this year.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?</span><br />
<br />
I thought things went quite well this year. I didn't have as many visits from either cheerleaders or other participants as I have in the past, but that's probably a function of the high number of people involved.<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?</span><br />
<br />
I enjoyed Tweeting and reading Tweets about the #readathon.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">5. How many books did you read?</span> <br />
<br />
I finished six books.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">6. What were the names of the books you read?</span><br />
<ul><li><i>The Astronaut Wives Club</i> by Lily Koppel</li>
<li><i>Catching Jordan</i> by Miranda Kenneally</li>
<li><i>Everything Is Fine.</i> by Ann Dee Ellis</li>
<li><i>Just Being Audrey</i> by Margaret Cardillo and Julia Denos</li>
<li><i>Lulu and the Brontosaurs</i> by Judith Viorst and Lane Smith</li>
<li><i>Who's on First?</i> by Abbott & Costello and John Martz</li></ul><br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Which book did you enjoy most?</span><br />
<br />
They were all great - but I think my favorite was <i>Everything Is Fine.</i>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">8. Which did you enjoy least?</span><br />
<br />
Not applicable.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span><br />
<br />
Not applicable.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?</span><br />
<br />
If at all possible, I will participate in the next read-a-thon - although April has been a hard month for doing that the past two years. I'd like to be a reader again - but I'm also thinking that it might be fun to try cheerleading.alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-9668084760293877272013-10-13T04:36:00.001-06:002013-10-13T04:36:59.153-06:00Yet Another Mini-Challenge<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE6PoEt-TuzOKKguPBM_buH8dzRe4PIHXklu19-LRxELOSEvgw3uEG-IYrSUhh4MVKZKzfnj0_y7fMKcyUq9u0w-XYn1JNDkDHzF6Yrfdi9yS0RvOvyD7cPB6Qh9B7sjWZ9BenA/s1600/readathon+read+all+the+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE6PoEt-TuzOKKguPBM_buH8dzRe4PIHXklu19-LRxELOSEvgw3uEG-IYrSUhh4MVKZKzfnj0_y7fMKcyUq9u0w-XYn1JNDkDHzF6Yrfdi9yS0RvOvyD7cPB6Qh9B7sjWZ9BenA/s320/readathon+read+all+the+books.jpg" /></a></div></center><br />
<center><big>"Turn to Page"</big><br />
Hosted by <a href="http://www.reflectionsofabookaholic.com/2013/10/hour-22-mini-challenge-turn-to-page.html#.Ulp2kdKsiSo"><i>Reflections of a Bookaholic</i></a></center><br />
For this challenge, I had to turn to page 32 of the book I am currently reading and find the most entertaining phrase to complete the following sentence:<br />
<br />
<center>"I would rather read than ________ any day!"</center><br />
From <i>The Astronaut Wives Club</i>, modifying the tense and a pronoun, I ended up with this:<br />
<br />
<center>"I would rather read than invite some of the wives over to my house in Stoneybrook to try out a facial mask any day!"</center>alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-30228604654440607302013-10-12T22:00:00.000-06:002013-10-12T22:14:49.025-06:00Elapsed Time 16:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s1600/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfnjDc7v6gAcTNOPa1cnA_TGgoFx9okq4lIyLZ_sy07DUZDsBsgoWGpgbkF8wKMthWziE9_Spjet7nEgj3Ov4NRC8QrE6gOi36LyHmjG6NFZADsI3zo8QI9mAUCDrg9_WLO9WxA/s320/ReadAThon+Day%2526Night.jpg" /></a></div><center><big>Progress Report</big></center><br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time Read:</span> 9:15<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Pages Read:</span> 587. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Books Finished:</span> 2. <small>(I've finished <i>Everything Is Fine.</i> by Ann Dee Ellis and <i>Catching Jordan</i> by Miranda Kenneally.)</small><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Time Blogged and/or Tweeted:</span> 5:15<br />
<br />
<b>Time on Break:</b> 1:30<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Frame of Mind:</span> I'm really pleased that I've read two complete books plus more than half of a third. I'm getting tired, though, and although I'm definitely a night person, I'm not so good at late nights when I've woken up before 6:00 in the morning. I guess we'll see what the next few hours bring.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;">Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed:</span> 3. <br />
<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />
Food Consumed:</span> A mug of hot chocolate. Some raspberry-flavored almonds. A bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich and a hashbrown from McDonald's. A few Pretzel Crisps. Some E.L. Fudge cookies. A bowl of honey dew melon and raspberries. A chocolate croissant. Two crab cakes with Japanese sticky rice.alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com1Draper, UT, USA40.5246711 -111.8638225999999940.4280676 -112.02518409999999 40.6212746 -111.7024611tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38537993.post-70679750567546122072013-10-12T18:44:00.002-06:002013-10-12T18:51:41.355-06:00Another Mini-Challenge<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE6PoEt-TuzOKKguPBM_buH8dzRe4PIHXklu19-LRxELOSEvgw3uEG-IYrSUhh4MVKZKzfnj0_y7fMKcyUq9u0w-XYn1JNDkDHzF6Yrfdi9yS0RvOvyD7cPB6Qh9B7sjWZ9BenA/s1600/readathon+read+all+the+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE6PoEt-TuzOKKguPBM_buH8dzRe4PIHXklu19-LRxELOSEvgw3uEG-IYrSUhh4MVKZKzfnj0_y7fMKcyUq9u0w-XYn1JNDkDHzF6Yrfdi9yS0RvOvyD7cPB6Qh9B7sjWZ9BenA/s320/readathon+read+all+the+books.jpg" /></a></div></center><br />
<center><big>"Best of Your Reading Year"</big><br />
Hosted by <a href="http://www.lisasworldofbooks.net/2013/read-thon-mini-challenge-hour-13-best-reading-year"><i>Lisa's World of Books</i></a></center><br />
I'm all about book lists, so I'm happy to share a few of my "bests" of 2013 (so far):<br />
<br />
<center><b>Best YA Book of Your Reading Year</b><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745753-eleanor-park"><i>Eleanor & Park</i> <small>by Rainbow Rowell</small></a></center>An almost perfect read, this is a gritty yet tender YA love story set in the mid-1980s (when I wasn't much older than the main characters are).<br />
<br />
<center><b>Best Non-Fiction Book of Your Reading Year</b><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6260997-half-the-sky"><i>Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide</i> <small>by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn</small></a></center>I was first exposed to this important book at a women's retreat I attended in 2010, and I was deeply moved when I "read" it on CD at the beginning of this year. By Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, this is a call to action I can't forget.<br />
<br />
<center><b>Best Children's Book of Your Reading Year</b><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11699349-the-lions-of-little-rock"><i>The Lions of Little Rock</i> <small>by Kristin Levine</small></a></center>I absolutely loved this exploration of racism in the late 1950s. The main characters - Marlee and Liz - are terrific, and Marlee's "voice" is just perfect. I highly recommend this to both middle grade students and adult fans of historical fiction.<br />
<br />
<center><b>Best Fiction Book of Your Reading Year</b><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13438524-flight-behavior"><i>Flight Behavior</i> <small>by Barbara Kingsolver</small></a></center>I've been a fan of Barbara Kingsolver's fiction for a long time, and her most recent novel did not disappoint. It's beautifully written as well as a meaningful exploration of today's social issues.<br />
<br />
<center><b>Best Title Character of Your Reading Year</b><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9545064-the-story-of-beautiful-girl"><i>The Story of Beautiful Girl</i> <small>by Rachel Simon</small></a></center>Spanning 50 years, the story of Beautiful Girl - and those in her life - is a compelling tale of love, social justice, faith, and choices. I loved this one!<br />
<br />
What are the "bests" of <i>your</i> reading year?alisonwonderlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08652716231337658058noreply@blogger.com0