Showing posts with label non-review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non-review. Show all posts
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Non-Post: Happy Birthday to Me!
I'm taking a day off from book sharing today to celebrate my birthday, but I will be back soon with lots of great books new and old.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
48 Hour Book Challenge 2012: Finish Line
Total time spent reading: 14 hours 27 minute
Total time spent listening to audiobooks: 1 hour 12 minutes
Total time spent blogging: 1 hour 1 minute
Total time spent networking: 30 minutes
Total total: 17 hours 10 min
Books Finished During 48 Hour Book Challenge: 10
Hourglass by Myra McEntire (390 pages)
The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman (261 pages read during 48HBC)
Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit Trogen and Kari Trogen (176 Pages)
Purity by Jackson Pearce (157 pages read during 48HBC)
Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Clair (367 pages)
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (190 pages)
The Mount Rushmore Face That Couldn't See by Steve Brezenoff (90 pages)
My Name is Olivia and I Can't Do Anything About It by Jowi Schmitz (144 pages)
The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule by Kashmira Sheth (128 pages)
The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner (201 pages)
Books Started But Not Finished During 48 Hour Book Challenge: 1
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (1 hour 12 minutes)
Total Pages/Audio Minutes Read:
2104 pages and 72 audio minutes
Well, I have reached the finish line. I feel okay about how I did. I fell short of 20 hours, which was my goal (although secretly I was hoping or 24 hours). Did I have 3 more hours (or 7 more hours) of reading in me? Maybe. I spent a bit too much time last night not reading, and then this afternoon I fell asleep for a rather long nap. Everything - time spent reading, number of books, number of pages - is down compared to least year, but I think I'm okay with that. I got through some books on NetGalley that I've been meaning to read and polished off some library books. I still have a massive pile of books in my house left to read (including the one I bought on Friday to celebrate the challenge), but I've read more than I think I would have on a "regular" weekend.
In order to mark the challenge, I have made a $20 (rounding up from my total reading time) to Reading is Fundamental. I also made a $20.00 donation to the Canadian Red Cross. It's not exactly a reading organization, but they do important work and I'm happy to use this occasion to make a donation.
A big thank you to Mother Reader for this great weekend.
Total time spent listening to audiobooks: 1 hour 12 minutes
Total time spent blogging: 1 hour 1 minute
Total time spent networking: 30 minutes
Total total: 17 hours 10 min
Books Finished During 48 Hour Book Challenge: 10
Hourglass by Myra McEntire (390 pages)
The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman (261 pages read during 48HBC)
Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit Trogen and Kari Trogen (176 Pages)
Purity by Jackson Pearce (157 pages read during 48HBC)
Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Clair (367 pages)
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (190 pages)
The Mount Rushmore Face That Couldn't See by Steve Brezenoff (90 pages)
My Name is Olivia and I Can't Do Anything About It by Jowi Schmitz (144 pages)
The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule by Kashmira Sheth (128 pages)
The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner (201 pages)
Books Started But Not Finished During 48 Hour Book Challenge: 1
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (1 hour 12 minutes)
Total Pages/Audio Minutes Read:
2104 pages and 72 audio minutes
Well, I have reached the finish line. I feel okay about how I did. I fell short of 20 hours, which was my goal (although secretly I was hoping or 24 hours). Did I have 3 more hours (or 7 more hours) of reading in me? Maybe. I spent a bit too much time last night not reading, and then this afternoon I fell asleep for a rather long nap. Everything - time spent reading, number of books, number of pages - is down compared to least year, but I think I'm okay with that. I got through some books on NetGalley that I've been meaning to read and polished off some library books. I still have a massive pile of books in my house left to read (including the one I bought on Friday to celebrate the challenge), but I've read more than I think I would have on a "regular" weekend.
In order to mark the challenge, I have made a $20 (rounding up from my total reading time) to Reading is Fundamental. I also made a $20.00 donation to the Canadian Red Cross. It's not exactly a reading organization, but they do important work and I'm happy to use this occasion to make a donation.
A big thank you to Mother Reader for this great weekend.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
48 Hour Book Challenge 2012
I'm about eight minutes away from starting my 48 Hour Book Challenge.
I know I probably won't read as much as last year - I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and then, weather permitting, I'll be checking out the local Pride parade. But the rest of the time will be all about reading.
My "To Read" pile is massive. Check back soon for pictures and updates.
For more information about the 48 Hour Book Challenge, check out MotherReader's blog.
Update #1: 10:20PM on Friday June 8
Time spent reading: 2 hours 40 minutes
Time spent blogging: 0 minutes (I will count this blogging time in my next update)
Books completed:
Hourglass by Myra McEntire (390 pages)
Books started but not yet completed:
Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit Trogen and Kari Trogen (70 pages)
It feels good to have one completed book under my belt. I'd been meaning to read Hourglass for a long time, and I'm hoping to read the sequel Timepiece before it disappears from NetGalley (I hope I'm not already too late!)
Here's a look at the pile of books I've corralled onto my couch to pick from for the next 48 hours:
I had it as one stack, but then that stack started to topple over so I put it in two. It looks a little less threatening this way, I think. I thought that it represents a pretty good mix of middle grade, teen, and adult as well as fiction and a bit of non-fiction, but it wasn't long before I realized that there was one big thing missing: graphic novels! Maybe this is okay, because it will push me to catch up on word (prose?) novels and books.
Of course, this isn't all I have to choose from. The third book from the bottom is actually my Kobo, and there's about 50 books I have on there right now. I toyed with the idea of making this a physical book only challenge, but my NetGalley list is so close to being somewhat manageable and I would love to read a few more of those this weekend. So my rule (for now) is that the Kobo will only be for reading in bed, while physical books can be for reading in the living room, bedroom, or outside. I'm hoping to find an audiobook that I can put on my iPhone for tomorrow.
Update #2: 1:58pm Saturday Afternoon
Total time spent reading: 5 hours 12 minuts
Total time spent listening to audiobooks: 1 hour 12 minutes
Total time spent blogging: 14 minutes
Total time spent networking: 0 hours
Total total: 6 hours 38 minutes
Books completed since last update:
The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman (261 pages read during 48HBC)
Books started since last update:
Purity by Jackson Pearce (18 pages read during 48HBC)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (audiobook, 1 hour and 12 minutes)
The good news is that all of my weekend commitments are now over. The not-so-good news is that my reading time isn't as high as I'd like it to be. I haven't said too much about a goal, but I had somewhere around 20 hours in mind.
I don't think I'm going to list the total books that I finish here (although that could change) - I think I'll save the big list for the finish line post.
I'm enjoying The Scorpio Races so far, I'm having a bit of a hard time getting into it but I know that there's a lot of story left (and I'm a bit out of practice in listening to audiobooks). The Little Woods was one I got from NetGalley; it's set to be published in July. It's a mystery/thriller with a bit of supernatural mixed in, all set in a boarding school.
The plan is to now spend some time networking and seeing what other people are reading. And then go read some more.
Update #3: 7:16pm on Saturday
Total time spent reading: 7 hours 1 minute
Total time spent listening to audiobooks: 1 hour 12 minutes
Total time spent blogging: 42 minutes
Total time spent networking: 30 minutes
Total total:9 hours 25 minutes
Books competed since last update:
Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit Trogen and Kari Trogen (176 pages)
Purity by Jackson Pearce (157 pages read during 48HBC)
At just over 24 hours into the challenge, I've completed four books, read just under 1000 pages, and have 9 hours of reading/blogging/networking time in. That's not too bad! I'm reaching a temporary limit on teen angst, so I think I might switch over to some non-fiction
I know I probably won't read as much as last year - I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and then, weather permitting, I'll be checking out the local Pride parade. But the rest of the time will be all about reading.
My "To Read" pile is massive. Check back soon for pictures and updates.
For more information about the 48 Hour Book Challenge, check out MotherReader's blog.
Update #1: 10:20PM on Friday June 8
Time spent reading: 2 hours 40 minutes
Time spent blogging: 0 minutes (I will count this blogging time in my next update)
Books completed:
Hourglass by Myra McEntire (390 pages)
Books started but not yet completed:
Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit Trogen and Kari Trogen (70 pages)
It feels good to have one completed book under my belt. I'd been meaning to read Hourglass for a long time, and I'm hoping to read the sequel Timepiece before it disappears from NetGalley (I hope I'm not already too late!)
Here's a look at the pile of books I've corralled onto my couch to pick from for the next 48 hours:
I had it as one stack, but then that stack started to topple over so I put it in two. It looks a little less threatening this way, I think. I thought that it represents a pretty good mix of middle grade, teen, and adult as well as fiction and a bit of non-fiction, but it wasn't long before I realized that there was one big thing missing: graphic novels! Maybe this is okay, because it will push me to catch up on word (prose?) novels and books.
Of course, this isn't all I have to choose from. The third book from the bottom is actually my Kobo, and there's about 50 books I have on there right now. I toyed with the idea of making this a physical book only challenge, but my NetGalley list is so close to being somewhat manageable and I would love to read a few more of those this weekend. So my rule (for now) is that the Kobo will only be for reading in bed, while physical books can be for reading in the living room, bedroom, or outside. I'm hoping to find an audiobook that I can put on my iPhone for tomorrow.
Update #2: 1:58pm Saturday Afternoon
Total time spent reading: 5 hours 12 minuts
Total time spent listening to audiobooks: 1 hour 12 minutes
Total time spent blogging: 14 minutes
Total time spent networking: 0 hours
Total total: 6 hours 38 minutes
Books completed since last update:
The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman (261 pages read during 48HBC)
Books started since last update:
Purity by Jackson Pearce (18 pages read during 48HBC)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (audiobook, 1 hour and 12 minutes)
The good news is that all of my weekend commitments are now over. The not-so-good news is that my reading time isn't as high as I'd like it to be. I haven't said too much about a goal, but I had somewhere around 20 hours in mind.
I don't think I'm going to list the total books that I finish here (although that could change) - I think I'll save the big list for the finish line post.
I'm enjoying The Scorpio Races so far, I'm having a bit of a hard time getting into it but I know that there's a lot of story left (and I'm a bit out of practice in listening to audiobooks). The Little Woods was one I got from NetGalley; it's set to be published in July. It's a mystery/thriller with a bit of supernatural mixed in, all set in a boarding school.
The plan is to now spend some time networking and seeing what other people are reading. And then go read some more.
Update #3: 7:16pm on Saturday
Total time spent reading: 7 hours 1 minute
Total time spent listening to audiobooks: 1 hour 12 minutes
Total time spent blogging: 42 minutes
Total time spent networking: 30 minutes
Total total:9 hours 25 minutes
Books competed since last update:
Margaret and the Moth Tree by Brit Trogen and Kari Trogen (176 pages)
Purity by Jackson Pearce (157 pages read during 48HBC)
At just over 24 hours into the challenge, I've completed four books, read just under 1000 pages, and have 9 hours of reading/blogging/networking time in. That's not too bad! I'm reaching a temporary limit on teen angst, so I think I might switch over to some non-fiction
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year - A 2011 Retrospective
A very happy new year to everyone. On this last day of 2011, here's a look back at all of the 2011 books featured on Crowding the Book Truck.
Books tagged 2011
Here's to a safe, happy, and book-filled 2012!
Books tagged 2011
Here's to a safe, happy, and book-filled 2012!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
48 Hour Book Challenge - Finish Line
9:00 pm (MT) Sunday marked the end of my 48 hour book challenge. How did it go?
Total time reading: 25 hours, 48 minutes
Total time blogging: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Total time networking: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Total hours: 29 hours, 18 minutes
Total pages: 3724 (and 111 minutes of audio book)
Total books read: 18
Books read but not finished during 48HBC: 1 (Something Like Fate)
List of Books Finished During 48HBC
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
My Life, the Theater and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff
Murder She Wrote: Skating on Thin Ice by Donald Bain
I'm Kind of a Big Deal by Stefani Wilder-Taylor
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel
He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott
Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier
What I Wore by Jessica Quirk
And Both Were Young by Madeline L'Engle
Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton
Wheels of Change by Sue Macy
Too Bad by Robert Kroetsch
Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti
Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
I didn't have any plans before entering to figure out a donation amount, but to mark how much I enjoyed this challenge, I have donated $100.00 to the Canadian Red Cross.
As I've said, I didn't have any goals for time spent/books read, but I'm not surprised that I ended up reading/blogging/tweeting for over 29 hours. I have an obsessive personality, and when I get into something, I tend to really get into it. Why, then, (you might ask) was it not 48 hours? I love sleep. And I wanted to challenge myself, but the memories of staying up all night for the Royal Wedding (and how bad I felt after that) are all too fresh in my mind. I'm happy with this. I enjoyed what I was reading. I didn't really blog much as I went aside from updates, but I hope to soon write up reviews for most of the books. I finished some that have been on my "to read" list for a year (and some that I just picked up at the library on Friday). There was fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, middle grade, teen, and adult. I read paper books and ebooks (and although I like book, there is something satisfying about having a stack of books). I read and I read and I read...and now I'm done. For now - I still plan on picking up a book to read before I fall asleep.
Check out the others at the Finish Line.
48 Hour Book Challenge
I don't usually do non-review posts, but this weekend I'm making an exception. I've decided to try the 48 Hour Book Challenge. I have no idea how it's going to go. I don't even have a goal really, other than making a dent in the huge pile of books I have sitting in a chair beside me.
(That's kind of a blurry picture, eh? I might try to take a better one later. )
And that pile doesn't even include my overstuffed Kobo...
The challenge is hosted by MotherReader. Here's a list of people taking part. As soon as I post this I'm going to head over and add myself to that list.
The basic rules are to read as much as you can in 48 hours. No picture books, but middle grade, teen, adult, and graphic novels are fair game. You can also count the time you spend blogging, and for every five hours of reading you can spend one hour networking (commenting on other blogs, tweeting, etc.).
My challenge will run from Friday at 9pm to Sunday at 9pm (MT). I left work at 9pm tonight and started off by listening to an audiobook on the ride home.
I'll keep updating this post with the details of how it's going. Okay, I think that's it!
Update #1 - 9:50pm Friday
Time spent reading: 40 minutes
Time spent blogging: 10 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Books read: Something Like Fate by Susanne Colastani (audiobook) (40 mins)
Books finished: none yet
Update #2 - 12:08am Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 17 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total time to update: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Total total time: 3 hours
Books read since last update: Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (68 pages)
Books finished since last update: Robot Dreams by Sara Varon (258 pages), My Life, the Theater and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff (214 pages read during 48HBC)
So it's not going so badly so far. I think my math is right - the hours and minutes are starting to confuse me, so if I make any noticeable errors please let me know! Also, the date/time of the this post will keep changing because I had other posts scheduled to run this weekend, but I want to keep this at the top. So look below for my review of Hip, Hop by Catherine Hnatov.
I spend a lot of time reading (like many of us, I'm sure) but I can't remember the last time I actually sat down and focused so much on reading. It was a little intense, but in a good way. I was very aware that I was reading, almost like I was an actor playing someone who was reading.
I think I'm at about my limit before I need to sleep, so I'm going to move my reading into bed (too personal?). I'm torn; I've been reading the Murder She Wrote book before falling asleep, but it usually lulls me to sleep (and I say that in a fond way, because I love my Murder She Wrote novels). Should I try for something that might keep me reading for a bit more?
Update #3: 7:05am Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 20 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total time to update: 2 hours, 22 minutes
Total total time: 5 hours, 22 minutes
Books read since last update: And Both Were Young by Madeline L'Engle (154 pages)
Books finished since last update: Murder She Wrote: Skating on Thin Ice by Donald Bain (170 pages read during 48HBC)
(I should also add that I wasn't sure if there was a standard way of reporting time spent, so I modeled mine on what I saw at Rebecca Reads, because it made a lot of sense to me! So thank you, Rebecca Reads!)
Maybe it was the excitement of the 48HBC coursing through my veins (or maybe it was the iced coffee drink I had around 7pm), but I read for another two hours after I headed in to bed. I decided to go with my Murder She Wrote book and when I finished that I started on the teen novel by Madeline L'Engle. Today I hope to finish some books I have on my Kobo, especially some from the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab that are set to expire very soon.
Update #4 - 11:38 AM Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 10 minutes
Time spent networking: 60 minutes
Total time to update: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Total total time: 9 hours, 52 minutes
Books read since last update: All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel (143 pages)
Books finished since last update: I'm Kind of a Big Deal by Stefani Wilder-Taylor (145 pages read during 48HBC), Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott (262 pages)
Total pages read during 48HBC: 1414 (plus 40 minutes of audio)
All three of the books I read or started this morning are ones I picked up from the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab.They're either about to be published or have just been published.
Update #5 - 5:57 PM Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 3 hours, 42 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 10 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total time to update: 3 hours, 52 minutes
Total total time: 13 hours, 44 minutes
Books read since last update: Something Like Fate by Susanne Colasanti (audiobook, 35 minutes), Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton (80 pages)
Books finished since last update: All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel (115 pages), He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott (370 pages)
Total pages read during 48HBC: 1979 (plus 75 minutes of audio)
A late afternoon nap put be slightly off pace, but that's okay. I knew I wasn't going to be hardcore about this, with the no sleeping/no anything but reading style.
Update #6 - 10:03 PM Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 3 hours, 37 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 14 minutes
Time spent networking: 43 minutes
Total time to update: 3 hours, 34 minutes
Total total time: 17 hours, 18 minutes
Books Read Since Last Update: Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (55 pages)
Books Finished Since Last Update: Koko Be Good by Jen Yang (300 pages), The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier (192 pages), What I Wore by Jessica Quirk (79 pages read during 48HBC)
Total Pages Read During #48HBC: 2605 (and 75 minutes of audiobook)
My eyes are starting to feel tired. Not strained, but tired. I've only had a few moments where the books are starting to run together (when I was reading All The Things You Are, the main character goes to visit her grandmother, and I thought 'wait, I thought the mother's parents were dead?' and then realized that that was from the book I'd just finished, Between Forever and Always). I did wonder before starting this if it was somehow disrespectful to the books, in an abstract way - that I'd be whipping through them, not paying attention, only focused on finishing them so I could read more, more, more. I don't feel that way now. I think if anything, I am giving the the books more attention than I otherwise would (or at the very least, the same). I'm doing this because I love reading. Normally I have a lot of distractions - my TV is almost always on in the background, I'd be spending more time on Facebook - that happen while I'm reading. Today, though, the only time my TV was on was when I accidentally sat on the remote and turned it on by accident. I'm definitely not saying that I'm going to start watching no television, but maybe...a wee bit less?
Update #6 - 1:57 PM Sunday
Time spent reading since last update:5 hours, 6 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 16 minutes
Time spent networking: 30 minutes
Total time to update: 5 hours, 52 minutes
Total total time: 23 hours, 10 minutes
Books Read Since Last Update: Something Like Fate by Susanne Colasanti (36 minutes)
Books Finished Since Last Update: And Both Were Young by Madeline L'Engle (83 pages since last update), Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers (172 pages during 48HBC), Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton (145 pages read since last update)
Total Pages Read During #48HBC: 3005 (and 111 minutes of audiobook)
I'm just about 7 hours away from the end of my challenge. It's kind of nice to be so near the 24 hour mark. I know I said I didn't come into this challenge with any goals, but since I hit about 15 hours I've thought that 24 would be good. My next non-goal is 30 hours, so I'd have to spend almost all of the remaining 7 hours reading, blogging, and networking. Will I get there? Who knows.
I hate to say it, but I wish I'd chosen a different audiobook. It's been a long time since I've come up against a book that so was just not for me. It's not a bad book and I know there's an audience for it, but I'm just having a bad reaction to it.
One of my favourite parts about Fall for Anything was that I had no idea just how dark it was going to get. There were so many possibilities and they were all so possible and it kept me hooked and guessing.
Science Fair Season: I thought I would like it, and I ended up loving it. It's got a ton of crossover potential (adult/teen, fiction readers/nonfiction readers, science fans/non-science fans).
After I'm done blogging, I'm not sure where I'm going to head next. I still have a pile full of books so I'll likely just grab one but right now nothing is grabbing me.
Update #7: 9:00 pm - Finish Line!
I'll just make some notes here and then write up an actual finish line post.
Time spent reading since last update: 5 hours, 28 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 18 minutes
Time spent networking: 22 minutes
Total time to update:6 hours, 8 minutes
Total total time: 29 hours, 18 minutes
Books Finished Since Last Update: Wheels of Change by Sue Macy (96 pages), Too Bad by Robert Kroetsch (96 Pages), Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti (271 pages) Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry (152 pages), Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (104 pages since last update)
Total Pages Read During #48HBC: 3724 (and 111 minutes of audiobook)
I made an error in my last update and overcounted by an hour, so my final total comes in at just over 29 hours.
List of Books Finished During 48HBC
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
My Life, the Theater and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff
Murder She Wrote: Skating on Thin Ice by Donald Bain
I'm Kind of a Big Deal by Stefani Wilder-Taylor
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel
He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott
Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier
What I Wore by Jessica Quirk
And Both Were Young by Madeline L'Engle
Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton
Wheels of Change by Sue Macy
Too Bad by Robert Kroetsch
Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti
Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
(That's kind of a blurry picture, eh? I might try to take a better one later. )And that pile doesn't even include my overstuffed Kobo...
The challenge is hosted by MotherReader. Here's a list of people taking part. As soon as I post this I'm going to head over and add myself to that list.
The basic rules are to read as much as you can in 48 hours. No picture books, but middle grade, teen, adult, and graphic novels are fair game. You can also count the time you spend blogging, and for every five hours of reading you can spend one hour networking (commenting on other blogs, tweeting, etc.).
My challenge will run from Friday at 9pm to Sunday at 9pm (MT). I left work at 9pm tonight and started off by listening to an audiobook on the ride home.
I'll keep updating this post with the details of how it's going. Okay, I think that's it!
Update #1 - 9:50pm Friday
Time spent reading: 40 minutes
Time spent blogging: 10 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Books read: Something Like Fate by Susanne Colastani (audiobook) (40 mins)
Books finished: none yet
Update #2 - 12:08am Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 17 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total time to update: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Total total time: 3 hours
Books read since last update: Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (68 pages)
Books finished since last update: Robot Dreams by Sara Varon (258 pages), My Life, the Theater and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff (214 pages read during 48HBC)
So it's not going so badly so far. I think my math is right - the hours and minutes are starting to confuse me, so if I make any noticeable errors please let me know! Also, the date/time of the this post will keep changing because I had other posts scheduled to run this weekend, but I want to keep this at the top. So look below for my review of Hip, Hop by Catherine Hnatov.
I spend a lot of time reading (like many of us, I'm sure) but I can't remember the last time I actually sat down and focused so much on reading. It was a little intense, but in a good way. I was very aware that I was reading, almost like I was an actor playing someone who was reading.
I think I'm at about my limit before I need to sleep, so I'm going to move my reading into bed (too personal?). I'm torn; I've been reading the Murder She Wrote book before falling asleep, but it usually lulls me to sleep (and I say that in a fond way, because I love my Murder She Wrote novels). Should I try for something that might keep me reading for a bit more?
Update #3: 7:05am Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 20 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total time to update: 2 hours, 22 minutes
Total total time: 5 hours, 22 minutes
Books read since last update: And Both Were Young by Madeline L'Engle (154 pages)
Books finished since last update: Murder She Wrote: Skating on Thin Ice by Donald Bain (170 pages read during 48HBC)
(I should also add that I wasn't sure if there was a standard way of reporting time spent, so I modeled mine on what I saw at Rebecca Reads, because it made a lot of sense to me! So thank you, Rebecca Reads!)
Maybe it was the excitement of the 48HBC coursing through my veins (or maybe it was the iced coffee drink I had around 7pm), but I read for another two hours after I headed in to bed. I decided to go with my Murder She Wrote book and when I finished that I started on the teen novel by Madeline L'Engle. Today I hope to finish some books I have on my Kobo, especially some from the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab that are set to expire very soon.
Update #4 - 11:38 AM Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 10 minutes
Time spent networking: 60 minutes
Total time to update: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Total total time: 9 hours, 52 minutes
Books read since last update: All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel (143 pages)
Books finished since last update: I'm Kind of a Big Deal by Stefani Wilder-Taylor (145 pages read during 48HBC), Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott (262 pages)
Total pages read during 48HBC: 1414 (plus 40 minutes of audio)
All three of the books I read or started this morning are ones I picked up from the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab.They're either about to be published or have just been published.
Update #5 - 5:57 PM Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 3 hours, 42 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 10 minutes
Time spent networking: 0 minutes
Total time to update: 3 hours, 52 minutes
Total total time: 13 hours, 44 minutes
Books read since last update: Something Like Fate by Susanne Colasanti (audiobook, 35 minutes), Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton (80 pages)
Books finished since last update: All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel (115 pages), He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott (370 pages)
Total pages read during 48HBC: 1979 (plus 75 minutes of audio)
A late afternoon nap put be slightly off pace, but that's okay. I knew I wasn't going to be hardcore about this, with the no sleeping/no anything but reading style.
Update #6 - 10:03 PM Saturday
Time spent reading since last update: 3 hours, 37 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 14 minutes
Time spent networking: 43 minutes
Total time to update: 3 hours, 34 minutes
Total total time: 17 hours, 18 minutes
Books Read Since Last Update: Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (55 pages)
Books Finished Since Last Update: Koko Be Good by Jen Yang (300 pages), The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier (192 pages), What I Wore by Jessica Quirk (79 pages read during 48HBC)
Total Pages Read During #48HBC: 2605 (and 75 minutes of audiobook)
My eyes are starting to feel tired. Not strained, but tired. I've only had a few moments where the books are starting to run together (when I was reading All The Things You Are, the main character goes to visit her grandmother, and I thought 'wait, I thought the mother's parents were dead?' and then realized that that was from the book I'd just finished, Between Forever and Always). I did wonder before starting this if it was somehow disrespectful to the books, in an abstract way - that I'd be whipping through them, not paying attention, only focused on finishing them so I could read more, more, more. I don't feel that way now. I think if anything, I am giving the the books more attention than I otherwise would (or at the very least, the same). I'm doing this because I love reading. Normally I have a lot of distractions - my TV is almost always on in the background, I'd be spending more time on Facebook - that happen while I'm reading. Today, though, the only time my TV was on was when I accidentally sat on the remote and turned it on by accident. I'm definitely not saying that I'm going to start watching no television, but maybe...a wee bit less?
Update #6 - 1:57 PM Sunday
Time spent reading since last update:5 hours, 6 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 16 minutes
Time spent networking: 30 minutes
Total time to update: 5 hours, 52 minutes
Total total time: 23 hours, 10 minutes
Books Read Since Last Update: Something Like Fate by Susanne Colasanti (36 minutes)
Books Finished Since Last Update: And Both Were Young by Madeline L'Engle (83 pages since last update), Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers (172 pages during 48HBC), Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton (145 pages read since last update)
Total Pages Read During #48HBC: 3005 (and 111 minutes of audiobook)
I'm just about 7 hours away from the end of my challenge. It's kind of nice to be so near the 24 hour mark. I know I said I didn't come into this challenge with any goals, but since I hit about 15 hours I've thought that 24 would be good. My next non-goal is 30 hours, so I'd have to spend almost all of the remaining 7 hours reading, blogging, and networking. Will I get there? Who knows.
I hate to say it, but I wish I'd chosen a different audiobook. It's been a long time since I've come up against a book that so was just not for me. It's not a bad book and I know there's an audience for it, but I'm just having a bad reaction to it.
One of my favourite parts about Fall for Anything was that I had no idea just how dark it was going to get. There were so many possibilities and they were all so possible and it kept me hooked and guessing.
Science Fair Season: I thought I would like it, and I ended up loving it. It's got a ton of crossover potential (adult/teen, fiction readers/nonfiction readers, science fans/non-science fans).
After I'm done blogging, I'm not sure where I'm going to head next. I still have a pile full of books so I'll likely just grab one but right now nothing is grabbing me.
Update #7: 9:00 pm - Finish Line!
I'll just make some notes here and then write up an actual finish line post.
Time spent reading since last update: 5 hours, 28 minutes
Time spent blogging since last update: 18 minutes
Time spent networking: 22 minutes
Total time to update:6 hours, 8 minutes
Total total time: 29 hours, 18 minutes
Books Finished Since Last Update: Wheels of Change by Sue Macy (96 pages), Too Bad by Robert Kroetsch (96 Pages), Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti (271 pages) Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry (152 pages), Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (104 pages since last update)
Total Pages Read During #48HBC: 3724 (and 111 minutes of audiobook)
I made an error in my last update and overcounted by an hour, so my final total comes in at just over 29 hours.
List of Books Finished During 48HBC
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
My Life, the Theater and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff
Murder She Wrote: Skating on Thin Ice by Donald Bain
I'm Kind of a Big Deal by Stefani Wilder-Taylor
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel
He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott
Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier
What I Wore by Jessica Quirk
And Both Were Young by Madeline L'Engle
Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton
Wheels of Change by Sue Macy
Too Bad by Robert Kroetsch
Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti
Watching Jimmy by Nancy Hartry
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)