My Read-a-Thon Pile

For me, half the fun of any upcoming event is the planning! Planning my to-read pile for Dewey's Read-a-Thon 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 (just three!) traditional books from my personal collection.

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!

Elapsed Time 0:00

Here We Go!
It's still dark, early on a Saturday morning, and yet I'm awake. It must be Dewey's Read-a-Thon!

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!

If you're just stopping by and want to know more about what's happening, check out the read-a-thon blog or Twitter.

The Read-a-Thon is Tomorrow!

For the first time since October 2013, I'm going to read-a-thon! This is my twelfth Dewey's Read-a-Thon - and I was among the small group of participants in the very first one in October 2007.

Follow my progress here and on Instagram (@utahalison) and on Twitter (@utahalison) and on goodreads (alisonwonderland)!

Happy reading!

By the NumbersJanuary/February 2016

Number of books read: 12.
(My goal is to read a total of 104 books in 2016, so I'm about five books behind schedule.)

Fiction: 8.
Non-fiction: 4.

Audiobooks: 6.
(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.)

On the Kindle: 5.
(I purchased three of these. I borrowed the other two from the county library.)

Books by male authors: 4.
Books by female authors: 8.

4-star rating: 8.
3-star rating: 4.


How is your 2016 reading adding up?

February Read-Along: Little Women

For several reasons, I'm saying "YES" to a February read-along of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women!

Hosted by Suey, Jenni, and Kami, the schedule is as follows:

Chapters 1-17 - February 1-10
Chapters 18-33 - February 11-19
Chapters 34-49 - February 20-29

The hashtag for discussion will be #LittleWomenRAL.

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!

Utah Book Month 2015

I'm going to attempt to resume some book blogging
while participating in Utah Book Month 2015!

#ChangingReadingHabits

Of 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.

By the NumbersFor the Year 2013

Total books read: 82.
(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!)

Fiction: 69.
Non-fiction: 13.

Audiobooks: 36.
(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.)

On the Kindle: 23.
(I purchased 12 of these. I borrowed the other 11 from the Kindle Lending Library.)

Published in 2013: 19.
Published prior to 2000: 2.

Books by male authors: 15.
Books by female authors: 68.
(One book I read - Half the Sky - was co-written by a husband and wife.)

Books that are the first of a series: 6.
Books that are part of a series I started prior to 2013: 9.

Historical fiction: 16.

Biography, autobiography, or memoir: 4.

Young adult: 27.
Middle grade: 9.
Picture books: 2.

Review copies: 2.

Re-reads: 2.

Read for my Teaching Through Literature class: 4.
Read with the "book lunch girls" (aka Natalie's Book Club): 6.
Read with the Book Buddies: 3.
Read with the 52 weeks, 52 books group on goodreads: 6.
(Obviously I didn't keep up - although I had previously read another nine of the titles chosen for this group.)
Read for my annual women's retreat: 1.
(I really enjoyed the discussion we had of Home by Marilynne Robinson.)

5-star rating: 8.
4-star rating: 57.
3-star rating: 16.
2-star rating: 1.

How did your 2013 reading add up?