October 22, 2011 Read-A-Thon Start

Oh dear, I didn't remember how nasty it can feel waking up an hour earlier than normal. Like those 60 minutes you gave up is where all the energy for the new day is stored, and since you sacrificed it you're saying it's ok to function like a zombie with extra terrible morning breath for most of the day (or at least the first two hours).

But in about twenty minutes I'll be cozying up on my couch with Artemis Fowl - I could not even begin to fathom reading something not light and fluffy right now - and kicking off the Read-a-Thon. As mentioned, I won't be blogging much about it today, but I'll probably be poking around twitter a lot.

For all you readers out there attempting the task as well, good luck! And for all of you who aren't, even if it's just the back of a cereal box, read something today for the spirit of the things. ^_^

October 22, 2011 Read-A-Thon

So, I was catching up on Literary Lindsey posts, and I noticed her talking about a "Read-A-Thon."

Now, how can I ignore something like that?

So I googled October 2011 Read-A-Thon (instead of just clicking the link on Lindsey's page >.<) and found a challenge to end all challenges (except maybe writing a novel in a month for NaNoWriMo) - A 24-hr read-a-thon.

So, the officialness of the read-a-thon is something I'll probably pass on this year. For one thing, I'm finding out about it the day before it starts so I haven't read much pass "reading for 24 hours." I think you can sign up and maybe get prizes, or something, and sign-up to do it for charity, all things I'm sure the official site talks about in detail so you should head there if you're curious.

I'm going on the info I've gotten from Lindsey's blog and the schedule I found on the Read-A-Thon blog. The schedule for Chicago timezone people is = Begins 7am, Ends 7am.

Whew - early, but not too bad.

I'll probably blog at regular intervals, 7am Start, and then maybe every two to three hours. But, I'll probably tweet about it a lot (Oh my gosh! A reason to use my dust covered twitter account?) I'll add my twitter feed to this blog so it can be viewed here.

For anyone interested in reading, I suggest attempting this, or, making your own, smaller schedule for the day. If 24-hours is way too intense, shoot for 12, or even 4 or 2. Maybe just finally finish that book you started a month ago and is beginning to fuzz in your memory.

I'm going to take another page from Literary Lindsey and post some pictures of some of the books I have lined up for tomorrow. Having a selection that you're prepared to cycle through in case one book turns out not to be your cup of tea - or brand of hot chocolate, yum! - is a great idea, so thank you Lindsey!

Small Explanation:

Some of these books I've been waiting for time to read, some I've read before and have been meaning to read again, some are short story collections where I've only read some of them and would like to read more, and some are books that have been recommended to me but I've never gotten around to.

Other Books Waiting in the Wings but Not Pictured:

Mogworld, Yahtzee Croshaw

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Haruki Murakami

Five Flavors of Dumb, by Antony John

Leviathon, by Scott Westerfield

Sabriel, Garth Nix

The Folk Keeper, by Franny Billingsley

Pinocchio in Venice, Robert Coover

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake

Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris

{Oh, goodness, I hope I've spelled everything correctly...}

Well, I think this post is long enough! For more information you can head to the Read-A-Thon main site, or, check out Literary Lindsey! She writes great book reviews and is darn more consistent than me!

A Girl Loves her Lists

List #1 :


The Next Ten Books I Plan to Read {And Maybe One Day Review}

1. Rogue (Book 2 of the 'Shifters' Series) - Rachel Vincent
• I disliked the first book, 'Stray' until 3/4 the way through the novel when finally the women's lib and 'boy crisis' took a back seat to some nail-biting action and suspense. This one started off with action so I already like it better than the first. Recommended to me by a friend. I agreed to read the first two books without passing a final judgment.
• Currently Reading
2. Eclipse (Book 3 of the 'Twilight' Saga) - Stephanie Meyer
• I read the first two, with very mixed feelings. With all three of my sisters recommending the series, and the promise of a werewolf/vampire fight, I am slowly making my through this one. Very slowly.
• Currently Reading
3. American Gods - Neil Gaimen
• I love Neil Gaimen's works. He's truly one of my favorite authors. I'm enjoying the book, though it feels long - which it is, compared to many of his others - and because of that I think it feels slower paced than it really is. I love the concept and the main character, Shadow, is a delight to follow on his adventure with Gods of old and Gods of new. 
• Currently Reading
4. The Fetch - Laura Whitcomb
• Positively adored her novel 'A Certain Slant of Light.' Utterly adored. I reread it at least every four months since I first read it several years ago. Some people dig the werewolf and vampire lit, I dig ghost lit. This one is about a Fetch, or ghost who ferries souls, that falls in love with Anastasia during the Russian Revolution. What doesn't sound awesome about that?
5. The Five Flavors of Dumb - Antony John
• Sounds like it will be a welcome break from the many werewolf/vampire books I've been recommended and/or have agreed to read. About a deaf, or almost deaf, girl managing a band. Except there's so much more than that. Really, read the description on Amazon.com.
6. Heat Wave - Richard Castle
• I love the show, Castle, and have been dying to read this since I found out they actually decided to publish the Nikki Heat books. A good old-fashioned murder/mystery. Nice.
7. Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
• Sounds like a very 'plot-twisty' fantasy mystery, where two characters discover keys that allow them to communicate over distance, and they're both trying to make a daring escape {one from her father and an arranged marriage, one from a prison}. Sounds like a nice, easy, fun read.
8. Mogworld - Yahtzee Croshaw
• Sounds silly and fun and entertaining, along the same vein as Terry Pratchett. Plus, I love Yahtzee's video game reviews, so how can I pass up the opportunity?
9. Catching Fire {Book 2 of 'the Hunger Games'} - Suzanne Collins
• I enjoyed the first book. Maybe not as much as many fans, but enough to want to eventually read the whole trilogy. Plus, with the movies being made I'm worried if I don't pick up the pace I'll stumble upon a lot of spoilers for the trilogy.
10. Dead Until Dark {A 'Sookie Stackhouse' Novel} - Charlaine Harris
• Another series recommended by several of my family members and friends. I've agreed to at least read this book. Can you tell I'm rather apathetic about werewolf/vampire fiction, but keep agreeing to read books about them?