Erin Reads

Hour: 10

Time: 5:00pm EST

Read/listened to since last update: Still working on Something Missing and The Reader

Brief thoughts on what I’ve read: Same as the last update — enjoying both. They’re great foils to one another in pretty much every way! I spent a lot more time blogging and commenting in this three-hour stretch than I have in the past two, so I didn’t get particularly far with either.

Other Readathon-related activities: A bit of cheerleading; Minichallenges! Armchair Travelling (see below), Book Puzzle (see below), Love to Hate (see below), Shake Your Pom Poms Minichallenge (see below)

Where I stand overall:

• The Phantom Tollbooth: 20 / 20 chapters read (DONE!)
• The Reader: 15 / 46 chapters read
• A Most Improper Magic: 0 / 21 chapters read
• The Report (10 chapters done before Readathon): 10 / 48 chapters read
• Something Missing: 6 / 17 chapters read
• Interpreter of Maladies: 0 / 9 stories read
• Housekeeping vs. the Dirt: 0 / 14 essays read
• An Abundance of Katherines: 0 / 19 chapters read
• A Thousand Splendid Suns: 0 / 51 chapters read
• Al Capone Shines My Shoes (audiobook) (5 hrs 40 mins done before Readathon): 5 hrs 40 mins / 7 hrs 51 mins listened to
• Fahrenheit 451 (audiobook): 0 hrs 0 mins / 5 hrs 8 mins listened to

For a little about why I chose each book as well as the authors, please see my initial book selection post.
For an explanation of my update format, reading time, etc., please see my initial Saturday post.

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Armchair Traveling Minichallenge:

I think the book that most thoroughly transported me from my home to a realistic location was The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. The author, David Wroblewski, does a phenomenal job creating a farm and its surrounding town in remote northern Wisconsin. Without feeling like I was in any way drowning in description, I could imagine every inch of that farm, and when I was reading, I was there.

A couple of YA series have also done an amazing job of creating worlds I would or would not actually want to visit! I’d love to experience the magic of Harry Potter, but I would want no part of The Hunger Games in real life!

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Book Puzzle Minichallenge:

Which book title does this photo (of my awesome drawings…ha) represent?

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Love to Hate Minichallenge:

The top five characters I love to hate (at the moment) are:

1. Mama Elena from Like Water for Chocolate
2. Claude from The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
3. President Snow from The Hunger Games trilogy
4. Someone I can’t name from Graceling because doing so would be a major spoiler to those who haven’t read it
5. Ralph from World Without End

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Shake Your Pom Poms Minichallenge:

Some days we’re busy, busy,
We race ’round at full speed,
But today’s the read-a-thon —
Sit your butt down and just read!

Forget those pesky errands,
From duties you are freed.
Today’s the read-a-thon —
Sit your butt down and just read!

Your friends might come a-calling,
You might have mouths to feed,
But today’s the read-a-thon —
SIT YOUR BUTT DOWN AND JUST READ!!

Hour: 7

Time: 2:00pm EST

Read/listened to since last update: Something Missing, The Reader

Brief thoughts on what I’ve read: Something Missing is extremely fun — about an OCD professional thief who calls the people he steals from his “clients” and only takes ordinary things, like a few Advil or a can of tomatoes. The only problem is that the chapters are lo-o-o-ong, so I don’t feel like I’m making much progress! The Reader is absorbing, well-written without being too dense. And the chapters aren’t more than a few pages, so it’s a nice contrast to Something Missing.

Other Readathon-related activities: Minichallenges! Indie Pride, Show Me Your Books (see below for pictures!), 100-Word (or Less!) Story (see below for the story of my day so far!)

Where I stand overall:

• The Phantom Tollbooth: 20 / 20 chapters read (DONE!)
• The Reader: 9 / 46 chapters read
• A Most Improper Magic: 0 / 21 chapters read
• The Report (10 chapters done before Readathon): 10 / 48 chapters read
• Something Missing: 4 / 17 chapters read
• Interpreter of Maladies: 0 / 9 stories read
• Housekeeping vs. the Dirt: 0 / 14 essays read
• An Abundance of Katherines: 0 / 19 chapters read
• A Thousand Splendid Suns: 0 / 51 chapters read
• Al Capone Shines My Shoes (audiobook) (5 hrs 40 mins done before Readathon): 5 hrs 40 mins / 7 hrs 51 mins listened to
• Fahrenheit 451 (audiobook): 0 hrs 0 mins / 5 hrs 8 mins listened to

For a little about why I chose each book as well as the authors, please see my initial book selection post.
For an explanation of my update format, reading time, etc., please see my initial Saturday post.

Show Me Your Books Minichallenge:

My office, with fiction on the tall shelves and kids’ books / YA on the shelf sticking out to the left…I’m sitting here as I post this!

The newest additions to my home, thanks to a library sale last weekend!

The stack awaiting me for the Readathon!

100-Word (or less!) Story Minichallenge:

The Readathon (So Far)

I woke up earlier than usual, even though it’s Saturday. I couldn’t wait for my first Readathon! I put the water on for tea. Checked the internet and found – oh no! – that it was down! 8am, time to start reading. My darling husband fixed the internet while making me breakfast. I missed the first challenge, but that’s ok. My internet returned to show me lots of encouragement and cheering from around the blogosphere (and Twitter too!). Brownie and milk in hand, I’m off to keep reading. The end! (For now…)

Good morning all! Are you ready to read?

A few things I wanted to get out there before the reading begins:

• First, THANK YOU to all the cheerleaders, official and un-, who are out there supporting all of us readers. I won’t be replying to comments today, but I want you to know that your dedication and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated!
• Second, I’m sorry to those whose readers and inboxes I’ll be cluttering with my updates. After today, it’s back to not more than once a day, I promise!
• After much pondering, I’ve decided I want my first Readathon to be fun, not stressful. To that end, I’m not going to plow through my books at top speed, because I really don’t enjoy reading that way.
• I’m also not going to count pages and time read in each update. I’m not so much an numbers person, so all that counting every few hours wouldn’t be fun for me. I’ll do all that at the end.
• I won’t be updating hourly; I’m not sure yet what interval will feel doable, but I’m guessing every 2-3 hours.
• I am planning to stop around midnight EST (16 hours in), but I may push a little past that. I’ll post a final update to let cheerleaders know I’m going to bed.

My tentative update format is below. If any of these ends up annoying me or being too time consuming, I’ll just drop them!

Hour: 1

Time: 8:00am EST

Read/listened to since last update: N/A

Brief thoughts on what I’ve read: N/A

Other Readathon-related activities: N/A

Where I stand overall:

• The Phantom Tollbooth: 0 / 20 chapters read
• The Reader: 0 / 46 chapters read
• A Most Improper Magic: 0 / 21 chapters read
• The Report (10 chapters done before Readathon): 0 / 48 chapters read
• Something Missing: 0 / 17 chapters read
• Interpreter of Maladies: 0 / 9 stories read
• Housekeeping vs. the Dirt: 0 / 14 essays read
• An Abundance of Katherines: 0 / 19 chapters read
• A Thousand Splendid Suns: 0 / 51 chapters read
• Al Capone Shines My Shoes (audiobook) (5 hrs 40 mins done before Readathon): 5 hrs 40 mins / 7 hrs 51 mins listened to
• Fahrenheit 451 (audiobook): 0 hrs 0 mins / 5 hrs 8 mins listened to

For a little about why I chose each book as well as the authors, please see my initial book selection post.

Let’s get cracking! Have fun, everyone!

For some reason, while I was getting my books together for the Readathon yesterday, I had “The Final Countdown” stuck in my head. Remember that? And now it’s probably stuck in your head too. (Sorry.)

Anyway.

Just about 24 hours left before the Readathon! I spent yesterday choosing my go-to pile of books. Inadvertently, I seem to have chosen a color theme:

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster: I’ve never read this childhood classic! It’ll go quickly, plus it has pictures. And then I won’t get any more “You haven’t read The Phantom Tollbooth??” comments.

The Reader by Bernard Schlink: This one’s denser fiction, but it’s short, with not a lot of text on each page. Plus, I’ve been meaning to read it forever.

A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis: This newish YA title has been waiting for me since I picked up an advance copy through work a year ago. From what I’ve heard, it’s quick historical fiction with some magic and romance mixed in.

The Report by Jessica Francis Kane: Fresh from the library, this new historical fiction title was so highly recommended by Jen from Devourer of Books that I must read it soon!

Something Missing by Matthew Dicks: A recommendation from trusted coworkers at my old bookstore job, this novel follows an OCD criminal who only steals little things from his clients (like, a few Advil and a can of soup) that no one will notice are missing. It sounds light and fun, which I think are probably good when you’re reading for 16+ hours straight!

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri: I’ve been wanting to read this collection of short stories ever since I read Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth. And I’m thinking short stories will be a nice break.

Housekeeping vs. the Dirt by Nick Hornby: I read and absolutely adored The Polysyllabic Spree (seriously…adored), and this is the next in the series of Hornby’s compiled Believer articles. I found Housekeeping vs. the Dirt at Half Price Books last weekend and just about yelped with glee. The articles are short, intelligent, and witty. I will be taking breaks as needed for a good dose of Nick Hornby.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green: This is another YA novel, but more contemporary. Another quicker read, without the fantsy / magic / etc. elements of my other two YA-ish novels.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini: I needed a book set in Afghanistan for October’s World Party Reading Challenge theme. Since I just picked this one up at a fantastic library sale, I thought I’d give it a go.

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (audiobook): This one isn’t pictured above, but ironically, its cover is also blue. If I need a break from reading, I’ll be listening to this. I’m already halfway through it, though, so if I need another audiobook, I’ll be turning to…

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (audiobook): I’ve meant to read this classic forever, so when Sheila at Book Journey recommended the audio version read by Christopher Hurt, I immediately requested it from the library. If I don’t get to this one during the Readathon, I’ll be listening to it soon after. (If you’re wondering, it’s box is black plastic, but the label is all red and orange. Good thing it’s not pictured, because it would totally throw off my color scheme.)

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Whew! So that’s it. There’s no way I’ll get through even half of those, but I’d rather have options than be underprepared. Have you read any of these? Are they good choices? Should I make last-minute emergency switches?

I’ll be posting short updates throughout the day, though I haven’t figured out yet at what interval. Probably when I need breaks! I’ll also be cheering others on as part of Team Hyperbole for at least an hour. Blogs named “I…” thru “Jenn…” — I’ll be seeing extra of you on Saturday! I’ve already written you a limerick, heh heh heh…

Have fun everyone…I’m looking forward to readathon-ing with you!