Showing posts with label 24 hour read a thon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 24 hour read a thon. Show all posts
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Hour 1 Meme
1)Where are you reading from today?
Cybils books! I'm a first round judge for the Middle Grade/ Young Adult Nonfiction category.
2)Three random facts about me…
1. I can knit while I read.
2. On Monday, a delegation of municipal government employees from Jiangsu Province in the People's Republic of China came to my library. I got to welcome them and answer questions using my Chinese skills. It's the first time I ever really used Chinese at work in a work-related way.
3. I used to live in England. My first job there was the night shift at a call center travel agency. We were, like 50 different travel agencies (Sky, Morgan Stanley, AOL etc) and my computer flashed up which one the customer was calling so I knew how to answer the phone.
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
63 (There have been 76 books nominated in my category, but I've already read 13.) I know I won't read all of them.
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
Well, I can knit while I read. I hope to finish knitting the baby sweater I'm working on (only the knitting bit, not the weaving in ends/sewing of seams bit) and get cast on for the next baby project, so I can finish it before she outgrows it.
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Alternate your coffee intake with water
Spend 5 minutes every hour doing yoga or crazy dance party or something.
Finger food that you don't have to prep and can eat while reading is key
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Dewey's 24-Hour-Readathon
Well, I'm 35 minutes late, but it's time for me to start Dewey's Read-a-thon!
This is my first read-a-thon since the Kung Fu Princess arrived on the scene and she's calling the shots today, so we'll see what happens. Today I'll be reading books that have been nominated for the 2011 Cybils awards in Middle Grade/Young Adult nonfiction.
I won't be speed-reading through them just to read as much as possible-- I'll be reading normally, thinking if they meet that magic balance of excellence and reader appeal.
So, let the reading begin!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
This is my first read-a-thon since the Kung Fu Princess arrived on the scene and she's calling the shots today, so we'll see what happens. Today I'll be reading books that have been nominated for the 2011 Cybils awards in Middle Grade/Young Adult nonfiction.
I won't be speed-reading through them just to read as much as possible-- I'll be reading normally, thinking if they meet that magic balance of excellence and reader appeal.
So, let the reading begin!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Dewey's Read-a-Thon
It's once again time for Dewey's Read-a-Thon! Yay!
It starts at noon GMT on Saturday October 22 and goes for 24 hours. It'll be my first Read-a-Thon with my Kung Fu Princess. I forsee mad reading during naptimes and lots of reading out loud (she's already heard large portions of Middlemarch) at other times. And no staying up all night to read, but depending on how she sleeps that night, some random 3am updates.
I'm in! Are you?
Signups are here.
It starts at noon GMT on Saturday October 22 and goes for 24 hours. It'll be my first Read-a-Thon with my Kung Fu Princess. I forsee mad reading during naptimes and lots of reading out loud (she's already heard large portions of Middlemarch) at other times. And no staying up all night to read, but depending on how she sleeps that night, some random 3am updates.
I'm in! Are you?
Signups are here.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Hour 17
Hours Spent Reading: 12.75
Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 1025
Listening To: "Flight of the Prince" by Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls
Just finished up The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming
All Reviews, links, and pictures will be coming later this week.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 1025
Listening To: "Flight of the Prince" by Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls
Just finished up The Great and Only Barnum by Candace Fleming
All Reviews, links, and pictures will be coming later this week.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Hour 14
Hours spent reading: 9.75
Books Read: 5
Pages Read 878
Currently Listening To: "Morena" Luiz de Aquino
I read Almost Astronauts by Tammy Lee Stone and was in a Space-y mood, so I then read a non-Cybils book, the graphic novel T-Minus by Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon.
Book Provided by...
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Books Read: 5
Pages Read 878
Currently Listening To: "Morena" Luiz de Aquino
I read Almost Astronauts by Tammy Lee Stone and was in a Space-y mood, so I then read a non-Cybils book, the graphic novel T-Minus by Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon.
Book Provided by...
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Birthday Party + Read a Thon
Hour 10.45
Hours Spent Reading/Blogging: 6.25
Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 633
Listening To: "Split Second" Lisa Loeb
Well, I spent 6 hours for my party reading! I curled up on the futon, watched the snow and read my books. I finally decided to read the three books in the Once Upon a Time series that I haven't read yet. The first I read was the newest one, Winter's Child which I decided to read because it's snowing! Then, even though it really doesn't have to do with the weather, I read Snow and finished up with Midnight Pearls. I'm holding off on reviews because I'm itching to read more (Cybils nonfiction from here on out! There are some great books in my stack!) and because the first and last are based on stories by Hans Christian Andersen that I haven't read yet. I want to read the source material before writing my review and as Andersen tales are longer than Grimm ones, it's not going to be for awhile.
Book Provided by...
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Hours Spent Reading/Blogging: 6.25
Books Read: 3
Pages Read: 633
Listening To: "Split Second" Lisa Loeb
Well, I spent 6 hours for my party reading! I curled up on the futon, watched the snow and read my books. I finally decided to read the three books in the Once Upon a Time series that I haven't read yet. The first I read was the newest one, Winter's Child which I decided to read because it's snowing! Then, even though it really doesn't have to do with the weather, I read Snow and finished up with Midnight Pearls. I'm holding off on reviews because I'm itching to read more (Cybils nonfiction from here on out! There are some great books in my stack!) and because the first and last are based on stories by Hans Christian Andersen that I haven't read yet. I want to read the source material before writing my review and as Andersen tales are longer than Grimm ones, it's not going to be for awhile.
Book Provided by...
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Read a Thon Birthday Party Extravaganza
Hour 2.75
Time Spent Reading/Blogging: .25 hours
Pages Read: 0
Listening To: "Pretty Girl" by Ani DiFranco
I still haven't decided what I'm going to read, but I have a huge stack of books. I'm going to start with a book just for me and then move into the last bit of Cybils reading. It's time to start whittling the pile down to a short list!
Yesterday I got a present from my Secret Santa that includes the Putumayo Christmas album (OMG! Best present ever! I'll do a post later about the complete package of awesome.) So I'm off to pop that into the CD player, curl up on my couch under a blanket with a cup of coffee and a book.
Luckily, I'm by the window because IT'S ACTUALLY SNOWING! Huge fat flakes! They're sticking to things! SO EXCITED! The one thing I hate about the DC area is I really, really miss the winters I had in Wisconsin and Iowa. I never thought I'd miss bitter cold, but I do. I miss real snow most of all.
Book Provided by...
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Time Spent Reading/Blogging: .25 hours
Pages Read: 0
Listening To: "Pretty Girl" by Ani DiFranco
I still haven't decided what I'm going to read, but I have a huge stack of books. I'm going to start with a book just for me and then move into the last bit of Cybils reading. It's time to start whittling the pile down to a short list!
Yesterday I got a present from my Secret Santa that includes the Putumayo Christmas album (OMG! Best present ever! I'll do a post later about the complete package of awesome.) So I'm off to pop that into the CD player, curl up on my couch under a blanket with a cup of coffee and a book.
Luckily, I'm by the window because IT'S ACTUALLY SNOWING! Huge fat flakes! They're sticking to things! SO EXCITED! The one thing I hate about the DC area is I really, really miss the winters I had in Wisconsin and Iowa. I never thought I'd miss bitter cold, but I do. I miss real snow most of all.
Book Provided by...
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Hour 23
Hours Spent Reading: 9.5
# of books read: 5 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 1009
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: So so so so so so so so so sleeeeeeeeeepy
Listening to: "Warwick Avenue" by Duffy
Ok all, I'm out. I can't keep my eyes open for the last two hours, these past weeks and the first part of this weekend can only be described as "crazy pants" and I just need to sleep now.
So, I'm off to bed, but it was super fun!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
# of books read: 5 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 1009
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: So so so so so so so so so sleeeeeeeeeepy
Listening to: "Warwick Avenue" by Duffy
Ok all, I'm out. I can't keep my eyes open for the last two hours, these past weeks and the first part of this weekend can only be described as "crazy pants" and I just need to sleep now.
So, I'm off to bed, but it was super fun!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Read a Thon Book Review
When Joan's mother suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, she's taken from her Northern England home to her aunt and uncle's house in London. Her aunt is a famous ballet dancer, her uncle conducts the orchestra of the same ballet company, their oldest child has just joined the corps of the company and the younger three are all students at the company school.
Joan cannot understand their ballet-obsessed world, and the family, especially Anne, who's closest to Joan in age, cannot understand someone from so backwards a place as Rochdale and lacks the culture and sophistication to truly understand ballet.
Overall, it's a story of both sides kinda meeting in the middle to find peace, but honestly, the Garland family were absolutely horrible to Joan when she arrived. They're so self-obsessed and wrapped up in their own world that no one gave her time to properly mourn her mother and their whole attitude about her lack of knowledge and interest in ballet was "well, you'll learn." It was a bit appalling actually.
I do like though that there are two protagonists that we follow, Joan and Anne. I also liked the subplot of Delphine, the youngest child who is horribly spoiled and, frankly, a bit like Queenie Rothington for those who've read the Drina books. She's painted as a horrible attention hog with an overly inflated sense of self, but at the same time, she's always been told she's the best and she's part of this near-mythical ballet dynasty and she's the very youngest, and I think a lot of her actions are actually driven by fear that she's not good enough, not worthy of her last name.
I'm off to read the sequel.
Book Provided by... my wallet. I own it.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Hour 22
Hours Spent Reading: 8.5
# of books read: 5
# of pages read: 945
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: Second-windy
Listening to: "Unison" by Bjork
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
# of books read: 5
# of pages read: 945
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: Second-windy
Listening to: "Unison" by Bjork
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Hour 21
Hours Spent Reading: 8.5
# of books read: 4 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 848
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: Peaceful
Listening to: "I seraillets have" by Willhelm Stenhamer, performed by the Grinnell College Singers
# of books read: 4 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 848
# of mini-challenges completed: 8
Mood: Peaceful
Listening to: "I seraillets have" by Willhelm Stenhamer, performed by the Grinnell College Singers
Read A Thon Mini Challenge
Stella is challenging us to post pictures about the books we're reading! Usually I don't put in links and pictures while doing any sort of read-a-thon thing and instead go back and add them in later, but, if you want pictures, by Jove, I'll give you something to look at.
I'm reading Ballet Family by Jean Estoril, which is about ballet in London and was originally published in 1963. The above picture (which I blatantly stole from the Independent Newspaper) is from a 1960 production of "La fille mal gardee" at Covent Garden.
Rochdale is part of Greater Manchester (oh, city of my heart!) Often, when reading about the North, it talks about groddy canals. I'm pretty sure the canals used to be gross, but they've done wonderful restoration work on them and now they're positively lovely. Here's the Rochdale Canal:
Here are some more random canal pictures that I took in Manchester this spring. They're not of the Rochdale canal, but various ones around town as we wandered...
And... some more ballet:
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
I'm reading Ballet Family by Jean Estoril, which is about ballet in London and was originally published in 1963. The above picture (which I blatantly stole from the Independent Newspaper) is from a 1960 production of "La fille mal gardee" at Covent Garden.
And, because the main character comes from Rochdale, which her London cousins look down on (because everything in the North and bleak and horrible if you're from London. Grrrrr) Here's a picture of Rochdale!
Rochdale is part of Greater Manchester (oh, city of my heart!) Often, when reading about the North, it talks about groddy canals. I'm pretty sure the canals used to be gross, but they've done wonderful restoration work on them and now they're positively lovely. Here's the Rochdale Canal:
Here are some more random canal pictures that I took in Manchester this spring. They're not of the Rochdale canal, but various ones around town as we wandered...
And... some more ballet:
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Hour 20
Hours Spent Reading: 7.5
# of books read: 4 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 802
# of mini-challenges completed: 7
Mood: Peaceful
Listening to: "What Is Love" by the Shangri-Las
Currently reading The Ballet Family by Jean Estoril which has the maddening hilarity of London snobbishness for the North, especially the Manchester area. So typical, even to this day, but I'd like to once again state for the record that Manchester is one of my favorite places on Earth.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
# of books read: 4 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 802
# of mini-challenges completed: 7
Mood: Peaceful
Listening to: "What Is Love" by the Shangri-Las
Currently reading The Ballet Family by Jean Estoril which has the maddening hilarity of London snobbishness for the North, especially the Manchester area. So typical, even to this day, but I'd like to once again state for the record that Manchester is one of my favorite places on Earth.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Read a Thon Book Review
Vogelein is a clockwork faerie, designed to be a small dancing automaton that the faeries gave a bit of soul to, to make her real. She still needs to be wound on a regular basis, or she dies and forgets everything. Not only her memories of life events, but things like how to speak, or fly.
Her guardian, Jacob, has passed away and she must find a human she can trust to care for her, without making her a prisoner or a plaything. Along the way, she meets some real faeries.
Lovely. I especially liked Midhir, and how much our modern world has corrupted him. The line, "even the iron doesn't hurt me the way it once did" broke my heart.
This is a graphic novel. The visuals are black-and-white and hand drawn and beautiful.
Also, most excellent back matter.
Book Provided by...ummm... i can't remember. I think I got this from the author at ALA a few years ago, but it's been on my shelf FOREVER and I'm not 100% where it came from.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Hour 19
Hours Spent Reading: 6.5
# of books read: 3 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 694
# of mini-challenges completed: 6
Mood: Peaceful
Listening to: "Buddy Holly" by Weezer
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
# of books read: 3 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 694
# of mini-challenges completed: 6
Mood: Peaceful
Listening to: "Buddy Holly" by Weezer
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Read a Thon Book Review
Well! I finally read a Betsy-Tacy book. Liz B raves about them. My friend Mary gushed about them when she visited this summer. Meg Cabot is obsessed. And, it's one of the Anita Silvey's Best 100 children's books and counts for several of my reading goals this year.
Betsy and Tacy are the best of friends and this story follows the adventures they have at the age of 5 in Minnesota at the turn of the century. When you think of "old fashioned" books, this is what you think of. Very episodic with their silly and fun stories about made-up adventures...
In general, this is not my favorite type of story, BUT, I do want to read more, because, well, the characters are 5 and they have lovely 5-year-old type adventures. Such things are not my favorite, but I could see myself really enjoying their 10-year-old type adventures, plus they grow up and get married and things. I think I'll like those stories, so I'm definitely looking out for the rest of this series.
Book Provided by... purchased copy from the library booksale.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Hour 18
Hours Spent Reading: 5.5
# of books read: 2 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 515
# of mini-challenges completed: 6
Mood: Energized! (Thanks to the Dance-a-Thon mini-challenge)
Listening to: "First Love" by Adele
# of books read: 2 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 515
# of mini-challenges completed: 6
Mood: Energized! (Thanks to the Dance-a-Thon mini-challenge)
Listening to: "First Love" by Adele
So, I read the new Jack of Fables book, The Big Book of War, by Bill Willingham. I'm not going to review it right now, because I have a big Fables post in the works, so I'm saving it for then. Meanwhile, I've started Betsy-Tacy!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Read A Thon Mini Challenge
Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile wants are top 5 children's books, off the top of our heads. I'm doing the my top 5 from birth-6th grade. PLEASE NOTE: These WERE my favs when I was that age. Trying to do it now would be too hard.
1. Richard Scarry's Biggest Word Book Ever!
2. The Secret Garden
3. Snowbound (Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, 7)
4. Ballet for Drina
5. Two Moons in August
Update 10/27/2009OMG! I was adding in the links and just saw that Two Moons in August is back in print! GO READ IT NOW!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
1. Richard Scarry's Biggest Word Book Ever!
2. The Secret Garden
3. Snowbound (Baby-Sitters Club Super Special, 7)
4. Ballet for Drina
5. Two Moons in August
Update 10/27/2009OMG! I was adding in the links and just saw that Two Moons in August is back in print! GO READ IT NOW!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Hour 17
Hours Spent Reading: 4.5
# of books read: 1 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 437
# of mini-challenges completed: 5
Mood: Content
Listening to: the episode of "Law and Order" Dan's watching in the other room, the washing machine
# of books read: 1 complete, 1 partial
# of pages read: 437
# of mini-challenges completed: 5
Mood: Content
Listening to: the episode of "Law and Order" Dan's watching in the other room, the washing machine
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Read a Thon Book Review
When an asteroid hits the moon, it knocks its orbit closer to the Earth. The increased gravitational pull causes tides to be massive tidal waves. Within the hour, Cape Cod, Staten Island, Rhode Island and Hawaii are just... gone. Earthquakes. Long dormant volcanoes and not dormant volcanoes start erupting and don't stop, sending the planet into thermal winter.
Miranda and her family are in a Howell, Pennsylvania, living almost in the country. They keep water longer, as they have a well. They have a wood stove, so when the gas and heating oil run out, they still can cook and get some warmth.
But the food dwindles and epidemic sweep through town and life will never return to normal.
Overall, a gripping book that I loved. I had a few questions about it (the premise alone is a little whack and at one point Miranda asks why the army didn't blow up the moon when they had the chance and I wonder why they didn't blow up the moon once it got too close) but I did really like it. Miranda doesn't always cope well. She annoyed me sometimes. I wasn't sure I'm ok with how religion was portrayed (the preacher got fat while his congregation starved and demanded repentance instead of offering comfort). I like how we didn't find out what happened to a lot of people.
A good read.
Book Provided by... my local library!
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
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