Dewey's Read-a-thon 2015-2

Noon (T - 2 hrs) Mum and my sisters will arrive in about an hour, so I figured it was time to get this progress report started. As per usual, I'll keep all my updates in one post in order not to spam you more than necessary :)

I've gotten my pre-readathon workout sorted, and will go get dinner started as soon as I finish writing this post (gotta love my crock-pot!) so everything is ready by the time the others arrive. I've even picked out all the books, and as usual the table is groaning:

I usually get somewhere between 4-6 books read, but like having a selection to choose from rather than decide on all my reading in advance, so I'm still making up my mind which book to pick first, but I've just received a new ARC from one of my favourite authors (Audrey Faye), so I'm thinking that may feature high on my list.

See you on the flip side!

Semi-hourly progress
T-10 minutes: People have arrived, and the table is groaning even more than before! Candy, fruit, chips and BOOKS!!! We've mostly chosen our first books, and are ready to start!

Pre-Readathon Survey
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Copenhagen, Denmark.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Maria: "Auggie & Me" by R.J. Palacio. The companion novel to "Wonder" which I was just given as a birthday present and absolutely can't wait to read.
Mum: "Don't Hex With Tex" - the fourth book in a series Mum really enjoys.
Mixi: Don't know if I'll get through more than "Enchanted Inc."
Rebekka: Oh I don't know!!! Too many to choose between! Artemis Fowl perhaps?
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Maria: Rebekka made some awesome cakes (Napoleons hatte to my fellow Danes).
Mixi: Napoleons Hatte!
Mum: YES!
Rebekka: Yes, me too.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
It's become a family tradition to do the read-a-thon together. As Rebekka stated last year, it's become a tradition we need a really good reason to break! This is our third time reading together in some capacity.
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?
Maria: This is my 10th - I've much got it down. But I do love reading with my family instead of alone.
Rebekka: Nothing different. This seems to work :)
Mixi: Actually being here from the start, as I only halfway participated last time.
Mum: Sit closer to the goodies? Although perhaps it's just as well...


Hour 2: "Auggie and Me" is turning out to be a superquick read - I'm halfway already, and loving it. It totally lives up to my expectations :) Mixi and I convinced Rebekka she should pick "Wonder" as her first book, so I hope she'll like it as much as we do.

This hour's challenge is Cover Escape - pick a cover you'd like to disappear into. Genre, plot etc. doesn't matter, this is purely judging a book by its cover.

Well, I know I'm outing myself here, but this is my choice:
.
At this time of year, a nice, warm, sunny beach sounds like just the thing to me!


Hour 3: Still reading "Auggie and Me", but I only have 70 pages to go, so should finish within half an hour or so. It's three short stories from people in the Wonder-universe, so not as much about Auggie as about his friends. I'm really enjoying it :) The difficult thing will be to make up my mind what to read next!
The others are still reading their first books as well. Mum keeps laughing on a regular basis, so I'm glad I've started reading that series as well - sounds like it's a good one.


Hour 4: Finished A&M half an hour ago - loved it! Awesome first book for the readathon :) I picked up "The Ocean at the end of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman as my second book, but just wasn't feeling it at all, so after a mere 10 pages, I decided it wasn't readathon material and put it aside. I've never been a Neil Gaiman fan, but was told this was "Neil Gaiman for people who don't like Neil Gaiman", so was hoping I'd like it. I still may - just not right now.

Instead I picked up "Destiny's Song" by Audrey Faye, which is the ARC I mentioned earlier. I'm only 23 pages into it so far, but it seems intriguing. Definitely shades of "Crystal Singer" by Anne McCaffrey.

Mixi hogged A&M almost as soon as I finished it. She's read and loved "Wonder" as well, so wanted to read more... obviously don't blame her, considering I was exactly the same.


Hour 5: "Destiny's Song" is completely different from all of Audrey Faye​'s other books, but I'm loving it! Not quite half way yet, so it doesn't look like I'll finish before dinner.

The challenge for this hour is the "Ugly Cover Challenge" - pick the book with the ugliest cover ever, and explain why one should look past the cover and read it anyway.

My pick is "Seeing Me Naked" by Liza Palmer. The published cover isn't too bad, but the cover of the ebook as well as of the ARC that I was sent? Oh my... I actually found myself NOT wanting to read that in public.



However, it is one of the most delightful chick-lits I've read in a long time, as it combines the usual romance which the intriguing insights into the life of a pastry chef. I LOVE books that take place in the kitchens of restaurants, bakeries etc., so this book was a true gem.... once I got past the cover, that is :)


Hour 7: I'm back! After an hour long break for dinner, talking and a Bailey for dessert. Yum :) I still have 30 pages to go of "Destiny's Song" and am absolutely loving it! It's probably the best (most polished anyway) think she's written under that pseudonym :-)

The challenge for this hour is one of my favourite - Top Ten Things About Dewey's Read-a-thon!
In no specific order...
1. Uninterrupted reading time
2. Guilt-free snacking
3. Company while reading - taking a solitary act and making it social.
4. "Hygge" - the wonderful Danish word that is untranslatable but can be googled ;)
5. 'Permission' to turn down other invitations for reading.
6. Reading books I had never thought of. (Rebekka)
7. Reading for a longer period of time than I had ever thought of. (Mixi)
8. A new family tradition.
9. A twice-a-year event to look forward to.
10. Having somebody to discuss books with and get book recommendations from.


Hour 9: Finished "Destiny's Song" shortly after 9pm. Such a good book! I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series. I wasn't really feeling any of the other books I'd been considering, so picked up "Veronika Decides to Die" which Rebekka had brought along. Can't really make up my mind what I think about it yet - probably too early to say.

Mum and Rebekka have finished their books as well, so Rebekka has picked up "The Giver" and Mum's reading "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?". I believe Mixi has fallen asleep... the perils of silence and reading when one has a small child who doesn't sleep through the night ;)


Hour 10: 11pm, and all my partners in crime have left. On the other hand, Lars has just returned home, so I'm not completely alone :) I'm still reading "Veronika Decides to Die" - have another 75 pages to go I think. Still can't figure out what I think of it, but then I had much the same reaction when I read "The Alchemist", so perhaps it's just the way Paulo Coelho's books are.


Hour 11: Finished "Veronika..." 2 minutes ago. Rebekka did say the end would make or break it for me, and I think she's right. I don't yet know exactly what I think of it, but I'm glad I've read it.

It's almost midnight now though, and I'm beginning to feel the struggle ;) I'll have to pick something really good for my next book, or I'll have to admit defeat and head off to bed soon.


Hour 12: I had a text conversation with Rebekka shortly after my last update, and she told me she was powering through to finish her book, so I figured I'd attempt to stay awake with her. Taking the later hour into consideration (I'm such a party animal :-P ) I decided to pick up "Cancer Vixen" which I'd bought earlier this week specifically for the readathon. I'm just over half-way through and can't put it down! So while I may head off and finish it in bed, I'll definitely finish it before I throw in the towel for tonight.

And - as per usual in hour 12 - the mid-event survey
1. What are you reading right now? "Cancer Vixen" - a graphic memoir.
2. How many books have you read so far? I've finished 3.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? No clue... I haven't decided past my current book.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? No, just those of my own making, dinner and seeing my family off.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Not much any longer. It's exactly as I expect it to be, and I love it!


Hour 24: Yet another readathon is over. It's been a good one, with some amazing books read. None that I'd rate below 3 stars, and three 4.5-5 star books! Awesome! I sat up reading until 2am finishing "Cancer Vixen" (so good!) then slept for 7 hours and was back at reading shortly after 9am. Didn't feel like booting up my computer before now though, which explains the lack of updates from me. I'm currently reading "Stray" by Andrea K. Höst, and enjoying it a lot, but unfortunately I'm only about 75% through. Should finish it later today though, and then I can get started on all my reviews! I've had a terrific time, and as always, turning it into a family tradition has just made it so much more awesome!

Currently Reading: "Stray"
Books Read: "Auggie and Me" - R.J. Palacio (380), "Destiny's Song" by Audrey Faye (223), "Veronika Decides to Die" - Paulo Coelho (210), "Cancer Vixen" by Marisa Acocella Marchetto (224)
Pages Read: 1234