I was planning to keep all our Read-A-Thon updates in a single refresh-able post, but even I got tired of scrolling down that far. And, okay, the fact that I accidentally deleted the whole thing in a single blurry-eyed moment? It required precious reading time be spent reconstructing. So the rest of the updates will be in this second part!

Update from BIP and Mister BIP, Hour 17:
Pages read since last update: 51 pgs of William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies (Total 717, BIP)
Books completed:  3 (Pippi and Phileas and Platero)
Running total of time spent reading since last update: 55 (Total  545 minutes, BIP)
Other participants we’ve visited: 3 new-to-BIP, Mister BIP has gotten his second-wind for cheerleading

Summary,  Hour 17:
Somebody, hours and hours ago, said that a shower at Hour 17 was a good idea. It’s possible that BIP is pinning unreasonable expectations (speaking of second winds) on ablutions.
It’s also possible that Mister BIP will be revising his CV tomorrow, after we’ve awakened, finally, because it seems possible that he’s missed his calling.

Update from BIP and Mister BIP, Hour 19:
Pages read since last update: 105 pgs of William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies (Total 822, BIP)
Books completed:  3 (Pippi and Phileas and Platero), but close with another (or is that just wishful, bookish thinking)
Running total of time spent reading since last update: 105 (Total 650 minutes, BIP)
Other participants we’ve visited: 2 new-to-BIP, Mister BIP has slipped into Twitter cheering because only a couple of readers on his watch are still awake

Summary, Hour 19:
Mister BIP has picked up his fifth graphic novel; BIP is accepting the reality that finishing a fifth book is unlikely, even if there are pirates involved. Mainly because watching Grover is just too much fun.

Update from BIP and Mister BIP, Into Hour 21:
Pages read since last update: 71 pgs of Lord of the Flies (Total 893, BIP)
Books completed: 4 (Pippi and Phileas and Platero and Piggy)
Running total of time spent reading since last update: 55 (Total 705 minutes, BIP)
Other participants we’ve visited: just check-ins for BIP, Mister BIP’s reduced-cheering-duties

Summary, Into Hour 21:
Mister BIP is halfway through the graphic novel he started in the last hour; BIP is thrilled to have finished 4 long-neglected classics and is celebrating with a long-awaited contemporary novel.
The day’s perches and nests have gotten uncomfortable though. Despite all the stretching breaks.
Mister BIP wants to finish his fifth and BIP wants to read another 103 pages, but it’s quite possible that moving away from the computers and over to the bed will be a deadly and final act.
So, Mister BIP is trading in his pompoms for a pillow and the Furry One has decided it’s close enough to morning to ask for breakfast. Fun has been had by all.

End-of-Event Meme:
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Likely the first, feeling that would set the tone for the rest of the day, and being surprised to find myself reading for only the first 15 minutes of it!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I think a series with inherent appeal for a specific reader would be a good bet; the familiarity, consistency from book-to-book,  could ease the pace along, whether you enjoy mysteries or fantasies or literary novels with shared settings.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I thought it was extremely well-organized. If you were pursuing increased participation, looking to bring in new participants especially, you could perhaps organize a publicity campaign in advance (e.g. have past participants commit to single posts, rotating through Blogland, for the preceding 30-45 days). Which is, in no way, suggesting I had any issue with the promotion as it stands: I knew what I needed to know in enough time to take part even though it was new for me. Nor am I suggesting that bigger is necessarily better!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I like the hourly updates, the sense that there was a Great Reader at Large keeping tabs on all of us.
5. How many books did you read?
Four slim novels. 897 pages completed officially and logged, and about 40 pages in Mockingjay.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
Pippi Longstocking.
Around the World in 80 Days.
Platero and I.
The Lord of the Flies.
And the beginning of Mockingjay.
(I love the alliteration, which was accidental until I chose my “reward” read with Peeta in mind — Pippi, Phileas, Platero, Piggy and Peeta.)
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Pippi Longstocking and Platero and I. (Both charming tales.)
8. Which did you enjoy least?
The Lord of the Flies. (Perhaps laudable, but I wasn’t properly appreciative of that in the wee hours of the morning: it just felt doubly grim.)
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I’ll have to check with Mr. BIP about this.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
It’s simply a matter of timing. And I don’t think I would commit to cheering officially alongside reading, but I really enjoyed the casual visiting and hanging out that I tried to do throughout the day. Yes, I would have read more if I’d focussed less on that, but for me it was the combo that was enjoyable.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!