Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

"A Nod to Nonfiction"
Hosted by Tammy at Tammy's Book Nook.
What is your favorite non-fiction book, and why? One of my all-time favorite books is The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Reading this memoir of a Dutch Christian women imprisoned in a concentration camp during World War II was a life-changing event for me!

What genre(s) do you enjoy, and are there particular writers that you would recommend to others? My favorite non-fiction reads are memoirs and biographies. I loved Michael J. Fox's Lucky Man and am looking forward to his new memoir Always Looking Up. Anne Lamott's work is very good too. By the way, I've read some of Alice Sebold's powerful memoir Lucky for the read-a-thon today.

If you don't read non-fiction, why not? I do read non-fiction, but I read a lot more fiction. I think that is because much of the time I like my reading to be a form of "escapism."

Elapsed Time 14:00

Progress Report

Time Read: 9:00

Pages Read: 556.

Books Finished: Hot Lunch. (I've got 94 pages to go in I, Coriander and 44 pages left in Lucky, so I should have another one or two finished fairly soon.)

Time Blogged: 4:15

Frame of Mind: I'm feeling pretty good right now. My husband has brought some Mexican food home from Cafe Rio - so I'm going to eat dinner while I keep on reading!

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 5.

Food Consumed: Breakfast - Bagel with Bacon and Provolone Cheese and Two Hard-Boiled Eggs. Handful of Cadbury Mini-Eggs. One Sundae Cone. Lunch - Tomato Sandwich and Crab Cakes. Piece of Fudge (which my daughter brought back from her recent trip to Disneyland). Some Potato Chips. Handful of Gummi Bears. Some Cheetos. (Yes, I've been snacking to stay awake.)

Read-a-Thon Mid-Event Survey

Now that we're halfway through, we have a survey to complete:

1. What are you reading right now?

I've been working on I, Coriander, a children's book that is this month's pick for my book club.

2. How many books have you read so far?

I have only finished one - the YA novel Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley. I've also read about half of Alice Sebold's memoir, Lucky (which I had started prior to the read-a-thon).

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

A quick and easy read for the second half - as I get more and more sleepy - is the graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale. I'm also thinking that Laurie Halse Anderson's latest YA novel, Wintergirls will be a compelling read - one that will keep me awake. (My 13yo daughter, who read it today, warns me that it might make me cry a whole bunch, though.)

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Fortunately, I didn't have any major commitments already on the calendar when I found out about the read-a-thon. I did beg off an assignment at work - but other people can cover that. I also told my son, who turns 10 next week, that we couldn't have his birthday party today, so it'll be next Saturday.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

My entire family has been in and out of the house all day. But mostly I've just kept muddling through - gently reminding them that today is my read-a-thon.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

It really has flown by - at least this first half.

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

This is my fourth time participating in the read-a-thon. I thought it was fabulous the first time, and it's just getting better and better.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Last time I said that I'd go to bed earlier the night before. I tried to do that last night - but only with limited success.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

I am a bit sleepy. I keep getting up and walking around the house, and then I find another snack to eat.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

I decided to focus mostly on children's and YA books this time, and I think that's a good approach.

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

"Join BookCrossing"
Hosted by debnance at readerbuzz.
I'd heard of BookCrossing before but didn't really know what it is. I'm now a member - and this might be the start of a whole new adventure!

Elapsed Time 09:15

Progress Report

Time Read: 6:30

Pages Read: 372. (I read from page 72 to page 202 in Lucky by Alice Sebold and then switched to Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley.)

Books Finished: None (yet).

Time Blogged: 2:30

Frame of Mind: I'm a little sleepy but doing alright. I'm nearly done with Hot Lunch, and it'll feel good to have one book finished.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 3.

Food Consumed: Breakfast - Bagel with Bacon and Provolone Cheese and Two Hard-Boiled Eggs. Handful of Cadbury Mini-Eggs. One Sundae Cone. Lunch - Tomato Sandwich and Crab Cakes. Piece of Fudge (which my daughter brought back from her recent trip to Disneyland).

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge

"Love Your Local Library"
Hosted by Jessica at The Curious Reader.

1. What is the name of your local library? What city is it located in? My local library is the Draper Library, which is a branch of the Salt Lake County Library System. It's located in the city of Draper.


2. How often do you go to the library? If you're a regular, do the staff know you? I go to the library nearly every week with my younger kids. Some of the staff know us very well.


3. Do you browse while you're there or just pick up items you have placed on reserve? I use the library's "hold" system profusely, but I also like to browse. At least once a month, my kids and I spend several hours at the library, browsing, using the computers, and just "hanging out."


4. What is your favorite thing about your local library? The children's staff - Anne, in particular - run some excellent programs that my kids and I have enjoyed over the years. My daughters and I have participated in "Great Reads for Girls," and my son currently attends a monthly "No Girls Allowed!" event.

Elapsed Time 06:00

Progress Report

Time Read: 4:00

Pages Read: 160. (I read from page 72 to page 202 in Lucky by Alice Sebold and then switched to Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley.)

Books Finished: None (yet).

Time Blogged: 1:45

Frame of Mind: I can't believe that the read-a-thon is already one-quarter done! I'm not making as much reading progress as I would like, but I'm having fun.

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 2.

Food Consumed: One Bagel with Bacon and Provolone Cheese; Two Hard-Boiled Eggs. Handful of Cadbury Mini-Eggs. One Sundae Cone.

Elapsed Time 03:00

Progress Report

Time Read: 1:15

Pages Read: Only 28. (I read from page 72 to page 100 in Lucky by Alice Sebold.)

Books Finished: None (yet).

Time Blogged: 1:30

Frame of Mind: I've been distracted a lot so far this morning with getting myself awake and fed, responding to family members as they've gotten up, and watching the Twitter Feed. My somewhat reluctant reader son is currently sitting next to me reading Measle and the Wrathmonk, though, which gives me the warm fuzzies, and we enjoyed creating an entry for the first Mini-Challenge together. I'm going to be more focused on my reading as the day progresses!

Cans of Diet Coke with Lime Consumed: 1. (I just opened my second.)

Food Consumed: One Bagel with Bacon and Provolone Cheese; Two Hard-Boiled Eggs. Handful of Cadbury Mini-Eggs.