24-hours-of-bookishness for this read-a-thon. (Note: I’ll be updating this post regularly throughout the day, to reduce the feed traffic, so please scroll down for the most recent updates.)
With a special emphasis on the shared bookishness in this case, because it’s an event in memory of a woman who was all about sharing it. (And I’ll be cheerleading later today too.)
Normally I spend a read-a-thon with whatever books want to finish reading, but this time I’m choosing books and stories that are also a part of the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event, all about the creepy and spooky. (My original plans are here.)
So it’s reading on a theme around here, but I haven’t yet come up with a plan for what happens later. Later, when it starts getting dark. Later, I’m too spooked to keep reading from this stack.
I like scary stories, but I like them best when I’m feeling safe. Here are the titles I’m fairly certain will get a chunk of reading time today, over there to the right.
Charles de Lint’s The Dreaming Place
Muriel Spark’s The Bachelors
Ann-Marie MacDonald’s The Way the Crow Flies
Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White
Kate Atkinson’s What Will There Be Good News?
Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay
Ted Naifeh’s Courtney Crumrin
Ian Hamilton’s The Red Pole of Macau
Corey Redekop’s Husk
Jo Nesbo’s The Bat.
There is another stack, about the same size, of library borrowings that make shake it up a bit, a couple of manga volumes, some short stories, another graphic novel: that’s for when I feel the urge to leave the familiar stack, you know, when you should really just go out for a walk, but you get all restless with your books instead.
Mister BIP is spending the day with me, enjoying a GW2 marathon instead. Furry BIP is curled as close to him as she can get. (The BIP-girls are with other family today.) It’s a lovely, cozy Saturday here.
And, of course, you’re here too. If we’re already acquainted, I’m happy you’re here. And if we’re just meeting now, I’m pleased to meet you. Happy read-a-thon-ing!
Hour 1 Meme:
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Toronto, Canada (where the leaves have turned colours beautifully and the trees are still more than half coloured with their varied hues, and the sky looks as though it will be clear, when it finally awakens)
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Corey Redekop’s Husk “the story of the everyzombie”
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Chocolate Caramel Bar from Sweets from the Earth (I am so, so, so addicted to their goodies.)
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
When I was a girl, I was scolded regularly for bringing a book to the table. It honed my skills for finding ways to incorporate reading into other parts of my day. I’ve not (yet?) tripped when walking while reading with a book in my hand. Currently I am perfecting the art of maxing out my library card and keeping my hold queue maxed too. I’ve learned to love coffee to increase the number of reading hours in a day, and I judge the quality of cafes based on their reading potential: don’t you?!
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I’m choosing books that all have compelling narratives. Last time, for instance, I read my first Colette novel. I do love using events to coincide with other events, like a “first” or to catch up with reading for a challenge that I’ve fallen behind with, but often that has meant choosing books which are hard to read, and I don’t end up reading all that much; this time I am all about finding stories that insist upon being read and I’m curious whether that will translate into more pages later on.
Hour 1 Update:
Time spent reading: 0
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 40 minutes
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Top of Hour Three:
Heading into the third hour, I’m going to continue reading Pasha Malla’s People Park, which is wondrously strange.
Hour Three Update:
Time spent reading: 75 minutes, total
Pages read: 48 Books read: 0
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 55 minutes
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Steel cut oats with maple syrup and cashew nuts
Top of Hour Four:
Gaining momentum: maybe the coffee has kicked in, or maybe the reality of RATing!
Hour Four Update:
Time spent reading 120 minutes, total (Still People Park: can’t help it…it’s gripping!)
Pages read: 135, total Books read: 0
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 65 minutes, total
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Coffee in the Graywolf Press mug that Mister BIP won for cheerleading a couple of read-a-thons ago (Mountain Gems Espresso)
Top of Hour Five:
Time spent reading: 165 minutes, total (about to be cheering, however)
Pages read: 180, total Books read: 0
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 75 minutes, total
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: nothing, just dreaming of the next snack
Other activities in the past hour: a shower, much needed
Hours Five and Six:
Time spent reading: 165 minutes, total (I was busy cheering!)
Pages read: 180, total Books Read: 0
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 195 minutes, total (>30 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: just about to have some chowmeinwith fried tofu strips, stahhhhrving!
Top of Hour Eight:
What with cheering and lunch-ing, my online minutes are currently outranking my reading minutes, but I think that will shift this afternoon. I’ve also shifted to Muriel Spark’s The Bachelors, to keep the stories feeling fresh. (It’s just odd now, but I think it’ll get more creepy than odd.)
Time spent reading: 195 minutes, total
Pages read: 210, total (Books Read: 0)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 205 minutes, total (>30 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: just about to have the rest of my chocolate caramel treats (yum!)
During Hour Nine:
Getting a bit foggy-headed, but the tea will help. The Bachelors has a sinister feel to it, and Spark’s style is clear and engaging, so I’ll keep on with that.
Time spent reading: 265 minutes, total
Pages read: 260, total (Books Read: 0)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 215 minutes, total (>30 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Mint Green tea
Top of Hour Ten:
Even if you’re not cheerleading officially, don’t forget to check out some of the readers’ pages when your reading brain is tired of staring at print-and-paper pages: here’s the list!
Time spent reading: 265 minutes, total
Pages read: 260, total (Books Read: 0)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 260 minutes, total (>40 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: More tea and raspberry and chocolate rugelach
Heading for Hour Twelve:
It’s getting dark now, with a murky afternoon having turned to a rainy early evening, so I may have to fight the urge to nap, but I am lucky that all three of the books that I’m reading have their hooks in me, so with some dinner at hand, the next hour should show an increase in the page count.
Time spent reading: 315 minutes, total (OMG, this book is so good!)
Pages read: 290, total (Books Read: 0)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 300 minutes, total (>50 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: About to have Thai Noodle soup from a local restaurant (thanks to Mr. BIP who made a food run for us), with a bagel and coconut butter.
Top of Hour Thirteen:
It’s completely dark now, but The Way the Crow Flies was so gripping that I never thought once of napping after all. I was only targeting 100 pages in it today, but I might pick it up again later!
Time spent reading: 365 minutes, total
Pages read: 360, total (Books Read: 0)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 310 minutes, total (>50 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Peppermint tea with a walnut brownie
Mid-point Survey:
1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?
Not tired, but things are blurrifying. I think an audiobook is in my future…
2) What have you finished reading?
Nothing. And I’m trying not to think about it, because I’m trying to keep a variety of books in play as in the past I’ve gotten bogged down by finishing one after the next, but it’s hard to break that habit.
3) What is your favorite read so far?
Ann-Marie MacDonald’s The Way the Crow Flies. So incredibly compelling. I aimed to read just 100 pages of this chunkster during the day, but I bet I pick it up again before the night is through.
4) What about your favorite snacks?
Honestly, I could not choose. Every single one has been savoury and I credit them for keeping my mind on the stories and the screen. Right now I’m looking forward to the brownie.
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!
I’ve visited more than 50 blogs that are new to me today, so I’d have to name all of them. Suffice it to say that this is my favourite part of the event: the sense of bookish community. Tonight I will visit a few more new-to-me sites, but I also want to visit some familiar bookish places to see how their read-a-thon-ing is going.
Top of Hour Fifteen:
Soon I will finish a book. There are only three chapters left in People Park, and although I was trying to rotate stories, I absolutely must find out what happens. Pasha Malla tells a great story: horrendously uncomfortable at times, but compelling and provocative. Great RIP reading!
Time spent reading: 485 minutes, total
Pages read: 461, total (Books Read: 0)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 310 minutes, total (>50 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Just water, but the next snack is worth waiting for
Top of Hour Sixteen:
Moving along in the other books that I’ve been reading throughout the day, but during the next hour I plan to bring a new book into the mix.
Time spent reading: 535 minutes, total
Pages read: 526, total (Books Read: 1)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 330 minutes, total (>55 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Chips and sliced Tofurky
Top of Hour Seventeen:
Got caught up in The Bachelors, with the drama of the trial, but I have my next read all picked out. I hope to get back to finish Muriel Spark’s novel, but I’m really looking forward to Husk. So many great RIP reads. But I’ve yawned more in the past hour than the entire rest of the day: uh oh.
Time spent reading: 585 minutes, total
Pages read: 586, total (Books Read: 1)
Time spent listening: 0
Time spent posting: 340 minutes, total (>55 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Fried savoury tofu strips, with aioli
Top of Hour Eighteen:
Wandered around listening to Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book to get moving, but then settled into Husk.
Time spent reading: 620 minutes, total
Pages read: 597, total (Books Read: 1)
Time spent listening: 25 minutes
Time spent posting: 360 minutes, total (>55 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Panda licorice, going for sweets now
Top of Hour Nineteen:
It’s amazing how many typos I make, trying to type a single sentence, how many times I catch myself staring at the screen or the page, realizing that that’s all I’m doing: staring. But I am really enjoying Husk, which is absolutely hilarious, and the perfect book for both read-a-thon-ing and RIP.
Time spent reading: 665 minutes, total
Pages read: 623, total (Books Read: 1)
Time spent listening: 25 minutes
Time spent posting: 390 minutes, total (>60 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Spinach and potato bureka, with rocoto olives
Top of Hour Twenty:
I’m taking Courtney Crumrin to bed with me along with a manga comic, so I might yet add some pages to the total, but I’m reaching my limit and, perhaps more importantly, I’m all out of enticing snacks.
Time spent reading: 695 minutes, total (Nearly all of Muriel Spark’s The Bachelors, 100 pages of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s The Way the Crow Flies, 70 pages of Corey Redekop’s Husk, and Pasha Malla’s People Park)
Pages read: 648, total (Books Read: 1)
Time spent listening: 25 minutes
Time spent posting: 400 minutes, total (>60 participants’ sites visited)
Time spent napping/sleeping: 0
Sustenance: Just water, yawn.
I will make a final update tomorrow.
Thanks to everyone who read, mini-challenged, commented, cheered, organized, WordPress-ed, and contributed in various ways to making this event such fun for the many participants.
P.S. I’m hungry and just saw your Thai noodle soup. Guess what I’m getting tomorrow? Ha ha.
Sounds like you had a great read-a-thon! I also read your review of People Park – it sounds delightful and weird.
Thanks, Kim. I chose it because of the darkly comic bits, but it’s much more provocative and the writing more layered than I was expecting. I think you might like it…
Sounds like you had a wonderful readathon! I was so sorry I had plans for the weekend when I realized it was the Readathon weekend!!
Oh no…I’ll try to remember you email you when they announce the dates for the spring one!
Wow! Fantastic job hanging in there so long! I only made it about 15 hours. And most of that was audiobook while packing/cleaning. Sounds like you had an intense read-a-thon!
Given that you had packing to do, I’m amazed by the 15 hours: good on you! I thought I would listen to more of The Graveyard Book, but my vision didn’t get as blurry as I thought it would, so I just kept turning the pages!
This sounds like so much fun and someday I am going to join in–if only to do an abbreviated version as I bet I couldn’t make it a full 24 hours! So how far did you end up going in the AMM? Isn’t it so good? Did you read any of The Bat? I haven’t (yet) broken down to buy it, but I am still contemplating it. I’m glad others were able to get in good reading time–I think I only managed about two and a half hours today…why does that feel like so little?!
If you planned ahead, couldn’t you fit your usual Saturday routine into Friday night/Sunday just to try it once? I’m positive you would love it…really! I am almost exactly halfway into the AMM novel; I’m almost sorry that I didn’t spend more of the day with it because that time just flew. I didn’t start The Bat or three of the others in my stack either…but they still look every bit as enticing, so that’s a good thing. You’ve read an/other/s in the Harry Hole series, haven’t you?
I’m very tempted to do this sometime–or at least an abbreviated read-a-thon as I think I couldn’t stay awake all night long (I used to be able to stay up half the night reading, but I can’t do it anymore–even on weekends sadly–though every weekend I make a valiant attempt!). Is the next one in the spring? Now if this could happen during my winter break from work that would be great, but holiday-time is probably not the best time to organize something like this. I think I am at about the same point in AMM as you are–or maybe just a little past the halfway mark. It’s almost like watching a train wreck–you don’t want to look but you can’t help yourself! I know bad things (more bad things) are going to happen, but I keep speeding through the pages–I’m sure you know what I mean! As for Harry Hole–I’ve only read The Redbreast and now that The Bat is out and in English I want to go back and start from the beginning–hate buying hardcovers when I can avoid it (and still have those two Gillers to read, too….). I’ve been starting new books left and right lately–I think I need to make a flow chart to see exactly what’s going on with my reading pile! 🙂
The next one is in April, and I bet you’d be surprised how many hours you can clock if you do a bunch of prep in advance (good food and constant snacks and drinks are essential) and keep the right amount of activity in your day (I still have trouble with this part). When I think about it objectively, I have no idea how AMM is creating this kind of suspense with such a high wordcount, but it’s happening. I’m looking forward to The Bat, but I’m also anxious about starting yet another series, when I really did intend to start tidying some up, rather than add to the list of those underway. BTW, I would love to see your template for a flowchart…my list-making doesn’t cut it!
Wow looks like you did great for the Read-a-thon. I’ll look forward to your review on Anne-Marie Macdonald’s book. I really enjoyed Fall on Your Knees, and want to see if this one lives up to that as well.
Oh, it does, it does: you need to have a copy. I’m more than halfway into it, and it’s going strong. But I also left several years between my re-read of FOYK and this, so I wasn’t expecting what I might have expected if I’d read them closer together either; it’s a completely different book, and I have no idea how she is making it work like she is, but it is working, and brilliantly so.
Well, I now have it as a preview copy on my Kobo so I can check it out and then see if its worth it.
Wow! well done – what a great event. You certainly had a good pile of books to read from. I loved The Woman in white and The Way the Crow flies.
I’ve only taken part in one week-long read-a-thon before (and it wasn’t completely successful for me, mainly because I was new to the idea of it and didn’t do the preparation that I do for day-long read-a-thons) but this stack REALLY made me wish the read-a-thon lasted for more than one day because I really, really wanted to read every single book in the stack.
I am loving all the pictures!!! Looks like you’re having a great Readathon!
Read all day
Read all night
Read that book
‘Til the morning light!
#TeamTamales
Thanks for stopping by: I’m not certain if I’ll make it ’til morning light, but I’m trying!
Thanks for cheering me on! You’ve done a lot of reading and cheerleading, wonderful job! In the voice of Dory: Just keep reading, just keep reading, just keep reading, reading, reading..
Thanks, Claire. I’m hoping to actually finish a book in the second half…you’re doing so well on that score!
Nice to see you participating, and a great looking stack of books with you too. Good luck and hope to see you in the later hours of the readathon.
You too! Didn’t you read Ann-Marie MacDonald for the last read-a-thon? I just gobbled 100 pages of her later novel and it’s amazing.
Hahaha, I love the fact you covered all your reading bases with your pile. 🙂
You have a pretty awesome stack yourself…and we’ve both got Spark in there too!
[…] – A blogger whose read-a-thon pile has more than 5 books – Buried in Print (and one of those is Wilkie Collins, be still my […]
Love the cover of People Park and your reading-themed coffee mug!
Thanks, Cass: I let it out of the cupboard on other days, too, but it insists on being present for all read-a-thons, which is understandable.
Ah The Woman in White, one of my all time favorites.
It’s one that I will only read a portion of, but I’m looking forward to it, and I’ve had it on my TBR list for-ev-ahr!
I am here to cheer you on during this read-a-thon so remember just keep on keepin’ on…Go Go Go!!! #cheertamales P.S. you have a great selection of harder material mixed with lighter reads love it
Thanks, Rayna: good advice!
Go go go! 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying the readathon so far. I’ll be here cheering you on as you conquer that pile o’ books! #cheertamales
Woot: thanks, Beth! I’ll look forward to your cheers!
Yay, M! I’m so glad you’ve joined the read-a-thon. I can’t believe your stack is so small! *heh heh*
*cough* I haven’t posted the photo of my library stack yet…
GREAT stack! I love the idea of reading for a theme (RIP VII is a great one!). Enjoy the day!
Thanks, Andi: can’t wait!