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.

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

Murder She Wrote: Skating on Thin Ice by Donald Bain

Winter sports are popular in Cabot Cove, Maine, and that’s what the owner of the local skating area is banking on. After renovating the facilities, the new arenas have attracted a top coach and one of the most buzzed about pairs in the country. They’ve only recently started skating together: she’s originally from out West, and he was one-half of a popular Russian pairs team. Whispers of rumours and scandal surround them – even in the quiet Maine town. While Jessica learns more about the inside world of skating, she gets to know more about this team and other locals who also have an interest in the arena. But there's more going on than just death spirals; a dead body is discovered and everyone is a suspect.

I love figure skating, and I love Murder, She Wrote, so I was hoping that this would be the equivalent of two great tastes that taste great together. I did enjoy it, but it wasn’t as delicious as I hoped it would be. My first hurdle was getting past the idea of a first-class internationally popular ice skating rink being built in Cabot Cove, but hey – this is the MSW world where anything is possible (and, to be fair, they did show it to be struggling). Rather than reading about senior skaters – quite a bit of time is devoted to Jessica getting back on the ice, to varying results – I would have preferred reading about cut-throat senior-division skaters; couldn’t Jessica have taken a trip to Colorado Springs, California, or Detroit? But, really, the mystery moved right along and thanks to consultations with Dick Button, the skating information was largely accurate. There might not be enough to satisfy people who pick it up because of the skating angle, but fans of MSW and gentle mysteries should enjoy it.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Murder She Wrote: Nashville Noir by Donald Bain
Murder She Wrote: The Queen’s Jewels by Donald Bain
Death Drop by Alina Adams
Axel of Evil by Alina Adams
Skate Crime by Alina Adams

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

Dog and Robot have been best friends ever since Dog sent away for a ‘build your own robot’ kit. They love doing things together: going to the library, watching movies, going on trips. One day they take a trip to a dog-friendly beach. They have a blast playing in the water and napping on their towels. It’s a perfect day – but when Robot wakes up, he can’t move! Dog tries everything he can, but there’s no way he can get Robot home. As it turns from day into night, Dog reluctantly leaves Robot behind. Alone at the beach, Robot dreams of the future – and what could have been. Will Dog and Robot ever be reunited?

I was thoroughly surprised by this book. While I tried to guess what would happen next, it kept moving in directions that were completely unexpected. The panels that show Dog leaving Robot on the beach were incredibly sad and, despite the bright colours and style, very dark. Over the course of the next year, terrible things kept happening to both of them. But good things happened, too, even while they were apart. This might be a spoiler, but I ultimately found this book to be bittersweet. I never thought that I would describe a book about an anthropomorphized dog and his robot friend as being realistic, but I loved how things ended in this book – not too neat, but done in a satisfying way. I have read and loved Chicken and Cat and Chicken and Cat Clean Up, but they didn’t prepare me for just how much I would enjoy Robot Dreams.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon
Chicken and Cat Clean Up by Sara Varon
The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar
Fred and Pete at the Beach by Cynthia Nugent

Wheels of Change by Sue Macy

People often think of the history of transportation as going from horses and carriages to the automobile. But where does the bicycle fit in? On two (or three) wheels, bicycles changed how people traveled, socialized, and even thought about the world. Bicycles were particularly important for women because they represented a way for women to get out into the world beyond their own houses and neighbourhoods. Few people could have predicted how important bicycles would become to the women's movement.

Until now, I've really only thought of bicycles and feminists together in the context of the phrase "a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." In Wheels of Change, though, it was easy to see how connected bicycles were to movement, freedom, and change. This book has lots of examples of just how pervasive the bicycle culture became in American society. I liked the pictures of the different models of bikes and the (now ridiculous sounding) reasons why bicycles weren't suited for women.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Basketball Belles by Sue Macy
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg
Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone

Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton

Taylor is 14 years old - and has built a Farnsworth fusor. Garrett has figured out how to make a solar-powered generator to heat his entire house. BB contracted leprosy and now studies the science behind the disease. These are just three of the teenaged scientists profiled in Science Fair Season. Far beyond the world of paper-mache volcanoes, these teens are making discoveries that attract international attention - and millions of dollars in prize money and patents. All of this competition comes to a head at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair: the Super Bowl of science competitions. Join Judy Dutton as she goes behind the scenes and shares all of the stories, dramas, and discoveries during 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). The science parts were accessible for people like me who have very little science backgrounds; I don't need to know the ins and outs of what the kids were doing, just that they were doing it. I think my favourite stories were of Kelydra , the Erin Brockovich-esque scientist who didn't just try to show how dangerous chemicals were but also came up with a better way to fix them, and Kayla, who used music and repetition to help teach concepts to children with Autism. All of the stories and students were just so great, though, that at one point I summed it up with 'I just want everybody to win everything.'

I read a review copy at NetGalley. It was provided courtesy of Hyperion.

See more at Judy Dutton's website.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Elephants on Acid by Alex Boese
Letterati by Paul McCarthy
American Bee by James Maguire
How We Do It by Judy Dutton

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

When Eddie's father committed suicide, he left a giant hole in her life. Eddie's mother is barely functional; she rarely gets dressed and has trouble with her own grief, let alone Eddie's. Eddie's best friend tries to be there for her, but he won't tell her everything that he saw on the night that her father died, and that's driving a wedge between them. So when Eddie meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father's, she's desperate to make some kind of connection with him as a way to keep her father alive. But as she grows closer to Culler, she could also be coming closer to a very dangerous situation.

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. I was terrified that Eddie was going to get hurt (emotionally, psychologically, physically) but I knew that she had to hit some sort of bottom before she got better. I love Courtney Summers' writing - if you haven't read anything by her, pick up one of her books (three so far - check out her website here). Also, on a non-content note, I love the feel of her books - the actual, physical books. Well done with that, St. Martin's Griffin.



Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Five Minutes More by Darlene Ryan
The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1-19 by Jocelyn Brown

What I Wore by Jessica Quirk

What's the secret to looking great? According to Jessica Quirk, it's kind of like a recipe. Based on her popular blog What I Wore, this book shows how a closet full of staples (and a few show pieces) can blossom into a magnificent clothing collection. What I Wore is divided into four sections that match up with the four seasons. The advice is practical and there are lots of tips for people who are working from a limited budget. I think this could be a great gift or resource book for someone who is just starting their career or transitioning from college to the workforce. As someone who is decidedly plus-sized, I'm not sure how applicable all of the 'recipes' are to me, but there were a lot of great ideas about how to manage my closet and build a solid wardrobe.

See more at Random House.

See more at What I Wore: A Personal Style Blog.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
What I Wore Today by Korero Books
Love, Loss, and What I Wore by Ilene Beckerman
Nina Garcia's Look Book by Nina Garcia
Wear This, Toss That by Amy E. Goodman
Oh No She Didn't by Clinton Kelly

All The Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel

Things are going pretty well in Carly's life. She has good friends and a great best friend. Her mom has a great job working in the clothing department of popular daytime soap opera. She gets along great with her stepfather (she calls him 'Faux Pa'). Sure, not everything is perfect. She doesn't always get along with her step-siblings, her grandmother has Alzheimer's, and her mom has seemed really stressed lately. But everything changes on the day when the FBI arrives at Carly's house to arrest her mother for fraud and embezzlement. Suddenly Carly's life is upside down and she has no idea what's going to happen next.

Carly is at an age where she's too old to be kept in the dark but too young to really make her own decisions. This is a terrible age in real life but a great age for this novel, because it really ups the dramatic tension. Can you love the sinner but hate the sin? Can you forgive your mother for making mistakes that have changed your entire life? There's an honesty, a genuineness in this book. Things aren't sugar-coated; there isn't a magical turn that makes everything okay after all. Things are hard, things are difficult, things are painful. I've never read anything by Courtney Sheinmel before, but this book definitely made me want to pick up her other stuff.

Check out Courtney Sheinmel's website.

See more at Simon & Schuster.

I read an advanced copy from the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Positively by Courtney Sheinmel
Girls Like Us by Sheila Weller
The Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies
She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Tess has been in a coma since New Year's Day; her car slipped off the road and ran into a tree. Abby, Tess' younger sister, wants nothing more than to have Abby back. Abby's used to living in Tess' shadow - pretty, smart, popular Tess - and she's built her own identity as the second best sister. No one else really believes that Tess will wake up. But when Abby sees Tess' eyelids move after hearing the voice of a guy in the hospital, she's sure that this boy somehow has the key to waking Tess up. It could be just like a fairy tale...as long as it works.

I love how Elizabeth Scott writes. The way this novel shifts and changes is so subtle. Abby suffers from major self-esteem issues and refuses to see herself as someone worthwhile - but she's also blind to the realities of other people. She frequently misjudges Eli (the mysterious boy) and - most crucially - Tess. Her acts almost become self-fulfilling prophecies: by pushing people away, she feels justified in assuming that they will leave her. I think she would benefit from some therapy (maybe some cognitive behaviour therapy) - if she wasn't a fictional character. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on here: self-image, sibling relationships, perception, class differences, mental health, and how to come to terms with reality.

I read an advanced copy from Simon and Schuster Galley Grab.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler
Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott

Summertime - and the living is easy? Not for these poor little rich kids. Ally is still trying to get over the humiliation she faced at a former friend's birthday party. Most of the town still hates her family. And now she has to deal with the fact that her father - the one who lost everyone's money - is on her doorstep, while her mom is dating a wealthy doctor. Jake still isn't over Ally, but she wants nothing to do with him. Even worse, his mom has put her foot down, and now he won't be summering with the rest of his friends at the beachy summer hotspot where they all vacation - he's stuck serving coffee and going to summer school. With so may people falling out and falling apart, is there any chance that these two could make up - and make out?

I was really confused at the beginning of this book, and it didn't help that I didn't know it was a sequel to She's So Dead to Us. (I'd downloaded the book from the Simon and Schuster Galley Grab based on the title alone). The characters kept referencing things that I had no idea about, and I didn't now who was the one keeping Harriet-the-Spy-meets-Gossip-Girl type notes (or if she was even in the story). If I hadn't have been reading this as part of the 48 Hour Book Challenge, I probably would have stopped reading. But then, a funny thing happend: I couldn't put it down. I found myself pushing through to the end, trying to figure out if these kids could cut through the drama and be honest with each other. Yes, Ally does make a lot of her own drama, but she's also really hurting. And Jake makes some bad moves, but there's genuine growth there. As it built to the cliffhanger ending, I was definitely hooked - and can't wait to see what happens next. Well played, Kieran Scott. Well played. Overall, it was a fun, beachy read (but you might want to pick up She's So Dead to Us first).


Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott
Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
Maine Squeeze by Catherine Clark
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott

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