48 Hour Wrap Up + 24 Hour info

Alright, I'm insane and didn't sleep all weekend. And when I woke up on Monday at 12:00 (I didn't have to work until 1, and I had gone to bed at 9 on Sunday) I still felt like I had been run over by a MACK truck. Apparently flying to Iowa and back last weekend, a few days of Code Red air days and no sleep = sinus and ear infection. So I didn't go to work yesterday which is very, very poor form. BAD JENNIE. Also, there is definitely a point of diminishing returns. I probably could have read the same amount if I had slept because the lack of sleep was messing with my reading speed and comprehension.

But it was fun.

Anyway, today I'm adding pictures and things to my 48 hour posts, I'm also going to be posting some things on my spoiler blog because I have a lot of opinions on where Princess Diaries left off.

ALSO! The 24 Hour Read-a-thon is coming up in 2 weeks.

This one is a little different--

1. Everyone reads for the same 24 hours (1:59 11:59 Saturday afternoon to 1:59 11:59* Sunday afternoon if you're on the East Coast like me.)
2. You can read anything you want.
3. Instead of fame and glory, this one's for charity (Reading is Fundamental.)

SO! I'm asking for sponsors to help me for this. There are a few ways to sponsor me.

You can just donate a lump sum. Or, you can donate based on how I do.

I will personally be donating $.03 for every book, hour and page I read. Based on this past weekend, I'm expecting that to be around $60-$70.

I've already received some sponsors, so including my own donation, I will be raising $.08 for every page I read, $.06 for every book, and $.06 for every hour.

If you would like to help me raise money for this worthy cause, please email me at kidsilkhaze (at) yahoo (dot) com.

**Edited to correct times. I can't read a time zone map.

Anyway, some further thoughts on books. I think I forgot to mention that Pure Dead... talks about poop. A lot. Mainly dragon poop. And baby poop. And how Yetis like to eat poop. This can either be a turn off or a selling point, depending on your audience.

Also, it was obviously written by a mother. There is a lot in here for adults poking fun at childhood foibles that kids won't get. But, for kids, there's poop. Lots and lots of poop. And talking crocodiles.

Also, the character of Ffup was interesting. I'm still not keen on how her personality totally changed when she found out she was a girl. I also think her as a teenage mother was odd, because she was very much a teenager and not ready for a child, even if she was 600 years old.

All in all, it was just very, very British. British children's books are always much more adult than American children's books are.

UPDATE:

Also, I wanted to add how much I love Mia's dorkiness. She talks in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings similes. And she rights Battlestar Galactica fanfic. And is an expert on Lifetime movies, much like my friend Sarah.

22 hours, 15 minutes

Hours read/blogging: 17 hours

Number of books read: 6

Number of pages read: 1538

WARNING: I am reviewing series books. While this review contains no spoilers for this book, it probably contains spoilers for previous volumes in this series. It’s the nature of the beast.

Pure Dead Frozen Debi Glori

And it all comes to a head as Baci gives birth, S'tan gives up on Isagoth, and Don Lucifer is determined to finish off his half-brother once and for all. Which means all forces of good and evil are converging on StergaSchloss at the same time. In a blizzard. Plus, there are literally wolves at the door. And in the kitchen.

With the exception of the first 50ish pages, the entire book read like one big climax, which was a bit draining, really. I did, however, enjoy the comic relief of Isagoth trying to deal with the stolen human baby. Also, why did Ffup's gestation take SO MUCH LONGER in these last 2 books than her 1st one did in book 3 (was it 3?)

Time for a new series!

Hour 18

Hours read/blogging: 12 hours, 45 minutes

Number of books read: 5

Number of pages read: 1,227

WARNING: I am reviewing series books. While this review contains no spoilers for this book, it probably contains spoilers for previous volumes in this series. It’s the nature of the beast.

Pure Dead Batty Debi Glori

Well, the body count of the last few books has tipped off the big wigs down in Glasgow, so they've come and arrested Luciano as a serial murderer. Mrs. McLachlan is still missing, but mysterious clues keep turning up to give the family hope. (She's trapped in a place-out-of-time with Isagoth, slowly forgetting what she left behind.) Meanwhile, Damp is learning how to fly. Also, S'Tan has gotten unbelievably fat and little good, as the removal of the Chromostone from Earth means he can no longer use to it amp his power, so he's losing his evil touch and turning to food for comfort.

Well, it's going to be a showdown between Luciano and Lucifer, when all is said and done. These books are steadily less and less funny, and, as the universe is well-established, it loses it's zany factor, but I've formed an attachment to the characters and am looking forward to seeing what happens next!

11 Hours, 4 minutes

Hours read/blogging: 10 hours, 34 minutes

Number of books read: 4

Number of pages read: 934

WARNING: I am reviewing series books. While this review contains no spoilers for this book, it probably contains spoilers for previous volumes in this series. It’s the nature of the beast.

Pure Dead Trouble Debi Glori

S'Tan, head of Hades is not happy that the Chronostone is still missing. So when Isogoth, the head of Headean defense can trace it to StregaSchloss...

Everyone returns home from holiday to find Latch passed out on the floor, due to too much sulphur. And when the library has been gutted by fire and no one knows where the Alpha the Centaur is, Mrs. McLachen knows it's only a matter of time before she'll have to do serious battle to protect the Strega-Borgias.

No where near as funny as the earlier ones, as this is getting dark and more sequential.

Also, I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but I'm rather enjoying the illustrations, especially in this book-- it's fun to figure out what they're illustrations of as you read each chapter...

7 hours, 45 minutes

Hours read/blogging: 7 hours, 30 minutes (I dozed off for a minute there)

Number of books read: 3

Number of pages read: 655

WARNING: I am reviewing series books. While this review contains no spoilers for this book, it probably contains spoilers for previous volumes in this series. It’s the nature of the beast.

Pure Dead Brilliant Debi Glori

This one's a bit darker as we flash back and forth in time, with the Strega-Borgia ancestors making a deal with the devil that promises the soul of every first born son. As Titus is about to turn 13, his time is coming. Meanwhile, Baci has invited all of her witch classmates to stay for the week, including a demon in disguise who has come to collect what Titus owes. And, it seems that Damp is more powerful than anyone imagined. And Ffup is a horrible mother.

Darker and more complicated, but still good.

4 hours and 30 minutes

Hours read/blogging: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Number of books read: 2

Number of pages read: 393

WARNING: I am reviewing series books. While this review contains no spoilers for this book, it probably contains spoilers for previous volumes in this series. It’s the nature of the beast.

Pure Dead Wicked Debi Glori

StregaSchloss's roof is falling down. The whole family must relocate the a hotel in town while the roofers 'fix' the problem. Little does the Strega-Borgia family realize, they've hired con-men who are actually destroying the castle in an attempt to get the family to sell-out. Also, there are 500 pink, naked clones that are about 4 inches tall. And an army of old skool Highland warriors, who are also quite wee.

And it turns out that Ffup the dragon is actually a girl.

The mini-market demonstrated that the rogue apostrophe was alive and well in Auchenlocktermuchty, with banners offering FREE-RANGE TURKEY'S, FINE WINE'S and, oddly, FRESH ASPARAGU'S. (54-55)

My one problem is in Ffup discovering she's a she, because her entire character changes to a giggly girly stereotype.

2 hours and 5 Minutes

Hours read/blogging: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Number of books read: 1

Number of pages read: 182

Pure Dead Magic Debi Glori

High in the Scottish Highlands sits an Austrian castle with an Italian family. There's a boy obsessed with computer games, a girl, and a baby. Dad's just left and Mum's a wreck, so she hires a very no-nonsense nanny who makes good French Fries.

Of course, Dad's been kidnapped by his gangster half-brother and mum's back off to witch school and the nanny just happens to be a witch too.

And Pandora, the girl, accidentally shrunk Damp, the baby. And Titus, the boy, accidentally sent her off as part of an email attachment. Luckily, there's a spider who knows a thing or two about webs. Maybe then can all save Dad if a gung-weilding giant bunny doesn't kill them first.

Pretty silly, in a magic + high tech thriller + crazy sort of way. I'll be recommending this series quite often!

Off to read some more!