Readathon wrap up post

Wow, I really cant believe that it is now over and that I pretty much managed to make it though, apart from a slight break in the middle.
Since last update;
Pages read since last update:


The Messiah Code: 140
The Two Towers: 16
Towers of midnight: 18
Total: 174

Minutes read: 111

Since start of readathon:
Pages read in total since start of readathon: 1014 
Total time spent reading: 912 minutes = 15 hours and 20 minutes

I am quite pleased with this since this was my first attempt. Next time I will do the following to make it easier

• have more thinner, easier reads for when the going gets tough
• go to sleep very late the night before so I sleep longer in the morning, and maybe have a proper nap before it starts. (I had already been up for 8 hours when it started)
• alternatively, I will move to America for the weekend (lol)
• have more savoury, not sweet snacks and of course by then I will be able to drink my beloved coke
• Get spare batteries for my walkman so I can listen to audiobooks on their when my ipod battery fails
• Next time I probably wont write up as many update posts. I found that with checking the challenges and doing hourly update posts I didnt get as much time to read. So I will probably do them every 2nd or 3rd hour or when their is a natural break in my reading.

Thanks so much to everybody who made this readathon possible - the organisers, hosts, cheerleaders, sponsors etc. It was really an amazing experince for me, I cant wait for October!

Readathon end of event survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Hour 13-14 which was 1-3 in the morning for me. I eventually landed up having a bit of a sleep after that.


2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Not really sure about titles, but next time I will have some more short, easy reads on my pile. Maybe some favourite kids reads. So I dont have to concentrate too much.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Not really sure

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I liked the challenges to break it up a bit

5. How many books did you read?
I finished two and read from 2 others

6. What were the names of the books you read?
The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy (finished)
The voyage of the dawn treader by C.S. Lewis
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
The voyage of the Dawn Treader
8. Which did you enjoy least?
I love The two towers, but found it difficult to read it in these circumstances since it seemed to be very heavy to read. That could have been the time that I was reading it though (see above)
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
NA

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Definitely - reader if I can. The next one is about the time of my exams though, so if it clashes with that I will cheerlead

Readathon hour 22

Progress so far: Title of book(s) read since last update:
The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy

Number of books read since you started: 4 read, 1 finished

Pages read since last update: 203
Running total of pages read since you started: 840
Amount of time spent reading since last update:122 min
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!)
801 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Where In the World Are You Reading?
Oldies but Goldies
Collabarative Fiction
Mid-event meme
Bookclub suggestions
Book habits
Character Crush
Bookish Humour
Movie Madness

Readathon hour 19

I didn't dissappear, just slept a bit longer than planned.
Progress so far:
Title of book(s) read since last update:
The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy

Number of books read since you started: 4 read, 1 finished

Pages read since last update: 125
Running total of pages read since you started: 637
Amount of time spent reading since last update:1:27
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!)
679 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Where In the World Are You Reading?
Oldies but Goldies
Collabarative Fiction
Mid-event meme
Bookclub suggestions
Book habits
Character Crush

Readathon hour 14

Progress so far:

Title of book(s) read since last update:
The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy
Number of books read since you started: 4 read, 1 finished

Pages read since last update: 72
Running total of pages read since you started: 512
Amount of time spent reading since last update:55
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!)
552minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Where In the World Are You Reading?
Oldies but Goldies
Collabarative Fiction
Mid-event meme
Bookclub suggestions
Book habits



Other participants you’ve visited:
3 blogs and reading twitter

Prize you’ve won:
None so far!


And now, I will be off for a nap, since I am already falling asleep. Will be back in a couple of hours

Readathon hour 13

Progress so far:


Title of book(s) read since last update:

The Two towers by J.R.R Tolkien

Number of books read since you started: 3 read, 1 finished

Pages read since last update: 29
Running total of pages read since you started: 442
Amount of time spent reading since last update:30
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!)
497minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Where In the World Are You Reading?
Oldies but Goldies
Collabarative Fiction
Mid-event meme
Bookclub suggestions

Other participants you’ve visited:

3 blogs and reading twitter

Prize you’ve won:
None so far!

Readathon hour 12 + mid-event meme

Mid-Event Survey:


1. What are you reading right now?
Lord of the Rings - The two towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. How many books have you read so far?
I have completed 1 book, but read bits out of 2 others.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Well, I would have said The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (late addition to my reading pile), but my mother has abducted it. So, I will go with The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
I had asked my parents to have my daughter, but at the last minute they didnt, so I persuaded her to do the readathon too. She has now gone to bed

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Apart from daughter spilling chicken all over the bed and having to change and wash all the linen, no. I did stop for dinner and fell asleep at 1 stage.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
That I am actually still here.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
No

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I would go to bed later the night before, so that I sleep in longer in the morning. Or, have more of a nap just before the readathon starts
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Since it is now 1am here, I am a bit. I did fall asleep unintentially between 11 and 12 and may have another nap a bit later.

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?
Not really


Progress so far:
Title of book(s) read since last update:

The Two towers by J.R.R Tolkien

Number of books read since you started: 3 read, 1 finished

Pages read since last update: 42
Running total of pages read since you started: 413

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!)

467

Mini-challenges completed:

Where In the World Are You Reading?

Oldies but Goldies

Collabarative Fiction
Mid-event meme
Bookclub suggestions
Other participants you’ve visited:

3 blogs and reading twitter

Prize you’ve won:

None so far!


P.S The time on some of my posts has been a bit off. I have posted some from my phone so it seems to be giving the wrong time.

Readathon hour 10

Since last update:
Reading: The two towers
Pages: 42
Minutes: 80

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Readathon hour 8

Title of book(s) read since last update: Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
Number of books read since you started: 3 read, 1 finished
Pages read since last update: 39
Running total of pages read since you started: 329

Amount of time spent reading since last update: 40 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: (keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!)
298 minutes

Mini-challenges completed:
Where In the World Are You Reading?
Oldies but Goldies
Collabarative Fiction

Other participants you’ve visited:
3 blogs and reading twitter
Prize you’ve won:

None so far!

Readathon Hour 7

Book read in hour 6: Towers of Midnight
Pages Read: 23
Time spent reading: 30 minutes

Readathon hour 6

Ok, I missed doing an update post since my reading companion messed her chicken on her bed and we had to end up changing all the sheets. During the 4th hour I read:
Book read: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Pages read: 68
Minutes read: 57

During the 5th hour I read:
Books Read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (finished) The two towers
Pages Read: 42
Minutes Read: 41

Challenge so far:
Books finished: The voyage of the Dawn Treader
Pages Read so far: 267
Minutes Read so far: 228
Challenges done:
Introductory meme, Where are you reading from, Collobarative Fiction challenge.

Readathon hour 4

Book read: Voyage of the dawn treader
Number of pages: 56
Minutes read: 45
Challenges: collaborative fiction challenge
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Readathon hour 3

Two hours are over and so far so good. Brenda is reading with me and doing well too.
Book read in hour 2: The voyage of the dawn treader
Pages read: 56
Minutes: 40
Challenges: Where are you reading from challenge.

Readathon hour 1

1)Where are you reading from today?
My room at home in Durban south Africa. Will probably move around the house a bit
2)Three random facts about me…
I am scared of fire
I drive a green car
I bite my nails :-(
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
9 but will jump around with them
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
To get up to date with my challenge reading - jane eyre, Wuthering Heights, The voyage of the Dawn Treader
5)If you're a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? I am a newbie
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Readathon hour 2

Book read during hour 1: Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
pages read: 45
Minutes: 58
Introductory meme done!
Just had a few minutes break for something to eat, about to start again.

Read-a-thon

Is starting now and I am starting with Towers of Midnight!

Read-a-thon - reading pile.

The read-a-thon starts tomorrow and I am really excited if a little apprehensive. I am still not entirely sure what happens, but I guess I will get into it as I go along. This afternoon I popped into the library and sorted out my reading pile. It includes the following books:

• Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson - I would like to finish this book, but since I am only a quarter of the way through it is not likely
• The way we were by Marcia Willett
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -on chapter 12 will go up to 23 for the read a long.
• The two towers by J.R.R Tolkien - chapters 1-7 for Read a long
• Sex and the city by Candace Bushnell (having a second try at this)
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - will read volume 1
• The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy
• The voyage of the dawn treader by C.S Lewis

I do have a few more books lying around which I can turn to if I get bored of those, but I at least want to make sure I finish the read a long books.
Tomorrow morning I will stop off at the shop for some snacks and meals to keep me going and then I think that I am set.
See you tomorrow at 14:00 my time (12:00 GMT)

Dewey's 24hr read-a-thon

I was browsing the internet the other day and I came across the Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon. It is scheduled for April 9th. I have never participated in something like this before although I have done a scrapping cyber crop which I guess is similar. Since I will be childless that weekend I have decided to sign up. I doubt I will manage to go without sleeping, but I will give it my best! Why don't you pop along and check it out?