This page contains enriched content visible when JavaScript is enabled or by clicking here. FolioFiles » 2014 » April » 26
 

April 26th, 2014

...now browsing by day

 

First Editions

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

girlreading

I didn’t really think about it when I read the challenge, but it makes sense that my Advance Reader’s Copy of Anton and Cecil would be a first edition :) My entry for the challenge over at The Bluestockings (a name I’d also found years ago and tried to use for a book club in SF!). Thanks for hosting!

(ETA the picture. That helps.)

Anton & Cecil, Cats at Sea by Lisa and Valerie Martin

Anton & Cecil, Cats at Sea by Lisa and Valerie Martin

Mid-Readathon Survey

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

girlreading

So I’m home, having gotten back to The Maze Runner in the car on the way back from the Ryan Montbleau concert at One Longfellow. The show was fantastic; I swear I fall more in love with that man and his music every time I see him perform live. His opening duet, Tall Heights, was also wonderful. All in all, a very satisfying three hours of musical enchantment. A sneak peek:

Tall Heights

Tall Heights

Ryan Montbleau

Ryan Montbleau

Ryan Montbleau and Tall Heights performing Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"

Ryan Montbleau and Tall Heights performing Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”

And now, back to the readathon! Here’s the mid-event survey I missed at 8p:

1. What are you reading right now? I’m listening to The Maze Runner and reading Anton and Cecil: Cats at Sea
2. How many books have you read so far? I finished the last 35 pages of Inkheart and read The Fault in Our Stars in its entirety
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? So hard to say! Maybe Stargirl, but I’ve been hearing so much praise for Patchett that I may suck it up and let Bel Canto carry me through the wee hours
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Nope!
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I went to a concert, obviously, but I listened to my audiobook on the way to and from, and used the “missed hours” fee for the fundraising side of the day
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How much reading I can actually get done if I’m really super into the book and not looking at Hootsuite
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope, just keep doin’ what you’re doin’!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Check the dates before buying concert tickets :-P No, really, I’d have gone tonight anyhow. I think I’ve found a good comfy place for Readathon and don’t feel like I need to make any big changes
9. Are you getting tired yet? I did crash at 4p (start of hour 9) and took about a 40 minute nap. Woke up feeling good, though, and am wide awake now!
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? Just being easy on yourself about “goals” with regard to pages read or books finished. That part is fun, sure, but the books will be there tomorrow, and next week, and next month – next week, all of the awesome people participating in #readathon on Twitter and across blogs and social networks won’t all be in this one place on the internet, so take advantage! Meet awesome readers! Seeing familiar faces in October will be worth it :)

Okay, time to order our ritual weekend Chinese food, and get back to bookin’!

Update

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

girlreading

Here we are, a quarter of the way through Readathon. It was time for me to stand for a while, so I’m listening to The Maze Runner while updating here, then I’ll do some stretching and barre exercises to get the blood flowing.

So, I read The Fault in Our Stars. As expected, it was devastating and beautiful, and John Green has a new fan in me. Next up, I think I’ll go with Anton and Cecil, Cats at Sea – it looks fun, light, and like a simple, swift read, which are all perfect for Readathon (and necessary after the heaviness of TFiOS). I’m pretty certain I can finish that in short order, and then I’ll switch to audio to shower and get ready for my evening out. I really, REALLY wish the concert was any other night, but it’ll be a lot of fun, give my eyes a break, and boost my fundraising total. AND, it’s not like the books are going anywhere! Hope you’re all having a great Saturday, whether you’re reading, cheering, or going about other fun weekend business :)

Oh, and here are my in-home cheerleaders. Their energy is contagious. Which means I’m sleepy just looking at their lazy bones :)

kittehs

Checking in

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

Going into hour 4, I just hit the first bit of BIG SAD in The Fault in our Stars, so figured it was a good time for a quick break to kill the momentum. Wasn’t really thinking about the whole “book about death and dying” thing when I chose it, but, what are ya gonna do? I’m really enjoying the characters (though Hazel kinda bugs me sometimes), and officially fell in love with Gus at this moment:

photo1 (7)

What literary characters have made you swoon?

Now to crack open a cantaloupe and refill my coffee!

Aaaaaaand, here we go!

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

girlreading

One of the benefits of the Great Library Update of 2014 is that I’ve discovered a few books that needed to move up the TBR stack just in time for Readathon. Combining that knowledge with past Readathon experience and knowledge of my own reading habits, I came up with this book stack:

readathon april 2014

Additionally, I have Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus on my Nook (the latter of which I’ve been more anxious to read since discovering Morgenstern’s beautiful, and unavailable, Tarot deck). I’m also listening to The Maze Runner by James Dashner, narrated by Mark Deakins.

So, I have a pretty large selection, a bit of diversity, but mostly books I think I’ll enjoy and find easy to read, because I really want to get through a ton of pages and donate a good sum to The Jimmy Fund for my Mamau.

ETA this year’s intro meme, since I actually scheduled this post for 8am – first time I’ve ever been THAT on the ball for Readathon!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Portland, Maine
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? That’s really hard to say, but The Fault in our Stars was my most recent acquisition; I’ve been meaning to pick that one up for over a year.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Ooh, another tough call! Probably the fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, basil, and assorted Italian deli meats I’ll throw together with a little fresh ground pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I recently became the newest Assistant Librarian for LibraryThing for Libraries, and I could not be more thrilled about it. I adore my team, and love being “at work” (which, as often as not, means being at home with my colleagues on Skype and my cats curled up on either side of me and my laptop).
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? I’m reading to raise funds for charity this time around, which is a real motivator! And I’m most looking forward to meeting new people – most of my Tweeps are from Readathon adds :)

Okay, back to reading – remember, every comment here is money toward the grand total, so if you’ve read this far, don’t leave without at least saying HI – help me give my money away for a good cause!