Dewey's Read-a-thon: Summary

I couldn't stay awake much past the time of my last post but got up early enough to do a little bit more reading. I managed another hour of reading with a new book, Feed by Mira Grant, about bloggers following a presidential campaign in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. It's quite interesting reading this after having just finished The Influencing Machine.

Here are my final totals:

Hours of reading: 7
Hours of audiobook listening: 1.5
Total pages read: 563
Books finished: 2
Other books started: 1
Mini-challenges done: 3 (Hour 1 end-of-event meme, Hour 11 Picture-it challenge, Hour 12 end-of-event meme)
Cheerleading hours: 3

Here are Kate's totals:
Hours of reading: 2
Total pages read: 200
Books finished: 0
Other books started: 1 (a re-read of Fear by Michael Grant)

Kate and I spent 13.5 hours participating (reading and cheerleading) in the read-a-thon, so as promised, we've donated $27 to Free the Children, Kate's favourite charity.

Now for the end-of-event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
   Hour 17. I really needed sleep at that point.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
   I tried a graphic non-fiction book this time, and it worked well.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
   I was a cheerleader again and really enjoyed it. I would love to see more people signing up as cheerleaders!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
   Everything ran very smoothly, as usual! Many thanks to the organizers.
5. How many books did you read?
   I finished two books and started a third. Kate read half of one book.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
   For me: No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay and The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone
   For Kate: Fear by Michael Grant
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
   I really enjoyed No Time for Goodbye.
8. Which did you enjoy least?
   I enjoyed everything I read!
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
   I kept a spreadsheet of all the blogs my team (Team Tiger) was covering and tried to visit each at least once. I would have loved to pay multiple visits to each blog, but there just wasn't enough time to cheer and read too.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
    Kate and I will definitely participate again. I will try to do even more cheerleading next time.

Thanks again to the organizers for another terrific event!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 16 Update

It's Hour 16 and my eyes are starting to glaze over. I've just finished reading The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone. This is a graphic non-fiction book describing and analyzing the media throughout history, with many examples taken from American politics. Graphic non-fiction in which the narrator is a cartoon character is not so unusual in children's books but is rather unexpected for this topic. It works surprisingly well, though, and I enjoyed the illustrations by Josh Neufeld.

I thought I'd be able to whip through a graphic book but this took longer than I expected, partly because there was a lot of text on most pages and partly because of the thought-provoking subject material. I don't think I'll be able to manage much more reading tonight. I'll visit a few blogs and then it's off to bed. I'm definitely not an all-night read-a-thoner, but I do hope to get up early enough to squeeze in another hour of reading before the event is over.

Paulina's progress:
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 495
Hours of reading: 6
Hours listening to an audiobook: 1.5
Hours of cheerleading: 3

Kate's progress:
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 200
Hours of reading: 2

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 12 Update

We're at the halfway point, and I've lost my partner in reading to her other social commitments. Before she had to abandon the read-a-thon, Kate read for another hour, which makes 2 for the day. It's not as good as her 7-hour total from last year, but better than no reading at all!

I considered doing Kirsten's Picture-It mini-challenge but figured that my reading spot was not exciting enough to photograph. Just as I was having this thought, my wonderful husband and older daughter Julia showed up at home with a lovely spring bouquet, with a card attached that said, "Congratulations on your read-a-thon." Even though they don't understand why I'd want to spend the entire day reading, they're quite indulgent about my read-a-thon activities. So now I have a reading spot worth photographing for the mini-challenge!

Since my last update, I finished Linwood Barclay's No Time for Goodbye, an excellent thriller that was very hard to put down. I also did some house chores while listening to the final 1.5 hours of an audiobook version of Jane Eyre. I'm having a hard time deciding which of my books to read next, but I think I'll go enjoy the excellent supper my husband had prepared before making my selection.

Paulina's progress:
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 339
Hours of reading: 4
Hours listening to an audiobook: 1.5
Hours of cheerleading: 2

Kate's progress:
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 200
Hours of reading: 2

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 6 Update

We're almost finished with Hour 6 of Dewey's Read-a-thon, and I'm halfway through my first book, Linwood Barclay's No Time for Goodbye. Despite this being a great page-turner (Barclay is great at creating suspense from the very first scene), I've only read 2 hours, partly because I'm having a great time visiting other participants' blogs. It's great to see readers from all over the world and I'm getting some good reading recommendations, not that I need any more books on my shelf!

Kate had a violin lesson this morning but managed to do one hour of reading. She has Michael Grant's Light, the final book in the Hunger series, on hold at the library.  In anticipation of its arrival, she is rereading the previous book in the series, Fear.

Paulina's progress:
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 172
Hours of reading: 2
Hours of cheerleading: 1

Kate's progress:
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 100
Hours of reading: 1

Dewey's Read-a-thon: the Starting Line

The read-a-thon has started! Here is Kate's and my pile of books, along with our favourite Penguin mugs. We're also hoping that Julia, my older daughter and Kate's sister, will join us for part of the day. Here are our answers to the Hour 1 Introductory Questionnaire.

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
   We're in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, and it's a bright sunny day here today!
2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
   I'm looking forward to No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay. Kate's still undecided about what she's going to read.
3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?
   Our favourite junk food for read-a-thons: salt-and-vinegar chips and Orangina. I've also stocked up on lots of fruits and vegetables to snack on.
4. Tell us a little something about yourself!
   Kate spends almost all of her spare time playing music or singing. I'm a software developer and avid knitter.
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?
   Kate and I have been doing this read-a-thon for several years now. I hope to do some more cheerleading today.

It's time for Dewey's Read-a-thon again, on Saturday, April 26! Kate and I will attempt to read for as many hours as we can in the 24-hour period starting 8am EDT, and we'll donate a toonie to Free the Children for every hour that either of us reads. I'm especially excited because I've managed to convince my sister-in-law Jill to join the fun.

Our last attempt in October went well, with each of us reading 7 hours. I hope to do more this year (including an hour or two of cheerleading again), and I've kept my Saturday mostly free. Unfortunately, Kate has a number of commitments that day but will try to participate for at least an hour or two.

So what to read? From experience, I've learned to stay away from any long or heavy books for read-a-thons. Here are some candidates from my shelves that I'm considering, and I'll choose two or three of them for Saturday.

• Feed by Mira Grant -- a post-apocalyptic zombie novel.
• No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay -- Barclay is good for read-a-thons because I can't seem to put his books down once I pick them up.
• The Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed -- fantasy novel nominated for this year's Hugo best-novel award.
• Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonders by Lawrence Weschler -- a book about The Museum of Jurassic Technology and museums in general.
• Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry -- next book in the highly acclaimed The Giver series.
• The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak -- historical fiction about Catherine the Great, and on this year's OLA Evergreen list.
• The Circle by Sara B. Elfgren and Mats Strandberg -- Swedish YA horror/supernatural novel.
• Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt -- mystery set in Northern Ontario, first in the Detective Cardinal series.
• Twilight is not Good for Maidens by Lou Allin -- another Canadian mystery, an ARC I just received today.

Please consider joining Kate and me for this year's read-a-thon! You can sign up as a reader and/or as a cheerleader. Cheerleading involves visiting other readers' blogs and leaving encouraging comments. It's a great way to discover new book blogs and get book recommendations.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Summary

Another successful Dewey's Read-a-thon event is over! Kate read some of Cassandra Clare's City of Ashes late last night and early this morning, and I managed to finish Jan Costin Wagner's Ice Moon.

Here are Kate's final totals:
Hours of reading: 7
Total pages read: 565
Books finished: 1
Other books started: 1

My totals:
Hours of reading: 7
Total pages read: 593
Books finished: 2
Other books started: 0
Mini-challenges done: 1
Cheerleading hours: 3

Kate and I spent 17 hours participating (reading and cheerleading) in the read-a-thon, so as promised, we've donated $34 to Free the Children.

Now for the end-of-event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
   I started feeling very sleepy around Hour 16. Kate was eager to read more, though.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
   I love mysteries, and Kate had a hard time putting City of Bones down.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
   It would be great to encourage more people to do cheerleading, as there are so many participants and so few cheerleaders. Maybe if it were advertised that cheerleaders get special prizes too, more people would sign up.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
   Everything went smoothly, as usual.
5. How many books did you read?
   I finished two. Kate finished one and started a second.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
   For me: Redshirts by John Scalzi and Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner. For Kate: City of Bones and City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
   We liked them all!
8. Which did you enjoy least?
   We liked them all!
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
   Cheerleading doesn't have to happen just on the day of the event. You can visit the blogs and provide encouragement (including encouragement to participate in the next event) before and after the actual read-a-thon date.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
    Kate and I will both participate again, and I hope to do even more cheerleading then.

Many thanks to the organizers for another excellent event!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #2

Kate finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and then had to turn to her homework. She was so engrossed in the book that there was no way I could get her to do her homework before she finished it. She is hoping to read a little bit of the next book, City of Ashes, before it's time to turn the lights out.

I'm partway through Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner and hope to finish it before I fall asleep. I'm not getting as much reading done as I did in the last read-a-thon, but that's partly because I'm spending more time visiting other participants' blogs, which is just as enjoyable as reading!

Paulina's progress:
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 455
Hours of reading: 5.5

Kate's progress:
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 485
Hours of reading: 6

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #1

We're entering Hour 8 of Dewey's Read-a-thon, and I've finished my first book, John Scalzi's Redshirts. This is an interesting take on the Star Trek concept, with some unexpected twists. I greatly enjoyed Scalzi's Old Man's War trilogy and found this did not quite live up to my expectations but it was definitely an entertaining read.

Kate is more than halfway through City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. She had violin and voice lessons this morning so couldn't manage too many hours of reading, but apart from an hour or two of homework, she has the rest of the day free. Yes, I'm being a mean Mom and making her do her homework, even though I've been neglecting housework shamefully myself.

I've also been spending some time visiting the blogs of other participants. It's great that there are so many readers from different parts of the world.

Paulina's progress:
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 317
Hours of reading: 3.5

Kate's progress:
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 260
Hours of reading: 3

Dewey's Read-a-thon: The Starting Line

Kate and I have our stack of books in front of us and we're ready to go! Here are our answers to the Hour 1 Introductory Questionnaire.

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
   We're in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, and it's a lovely sunny but chilly day here today!
2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
   Kate has been dying to read Cassandra Clare's City of Bones for ages. I'm looking forward to Jan Costin Wagner's Ice Moon, but I might leave it for later in the day, when energy is getting lower.
3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?
   We have the traditional read-a-thon snack (Kate's favourite): salt-and-vinegar chips. I also have tortilla chips with a new burn-your-mouth-off green salsa I'd discovered, perfect for waking me up when I start getting drowsy late in the day.
4. Tell us a little something about yourself!
   Kate reads the daily comics in the newspaper every morning and plays lots of different musical instruments. I'm a software developer, and if I'm not reading in my spare time, I'm probably knitting.
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?
   Kate and I are read-a-thon veterans, but I'm not sure we'll do anything different today. We'll just read ... and read ... and read. Actually, I'll also be visiting other blogs and doing the cheerleading thing. That's one of my favourite parts of this event. 

Dewey's Read-a-thon

Kate and I will be participating once again in Dewey's Read-a-thon on Saturday, October 13. We'll attempt to read for as many hours as we can in the 24-hour period starting 8am EDT, and we'll donate a toonie to Free the Children for every hour that either of us reads.

In our last attempt, Kate managed only 5 hours as she was busy with rehearsals for part of the day, but she has managed to keep most of this Saturday free and has a stack of books waiting to be read, with Cassandra Clare's City of Bones at the very top of the pile.

I don't think I'll be able to match my 9 hours this time around, but I'll do my best. After a couple of hectic weeks, I'm looking forward to spending the day reading. I'm not sure what I'll be reading yet. It'll depend on my mood on Saturday morning, but I've got some candidates on the to-be-read list, including Redshirts by John Scalzi, Becoming Holmes by Shane Peacock, Ice Moon by Jan Costin Wagner and The Far Side of the Sky by Daniel Kalla.

Please consider joining us! You can sign up as a reader and/or as a cheerleader. Cheerleading involves visiting other readers' blogs and leaving encouraging comments. It's a great way to discover new book blogs and get book recommendations.

I Am Number Four

by Pittacus Lore (James Frey and Jobie Hughes)

This is a review for a book I read during the 48-Hour Book Challenge.

I Am Number Four is centered around John Smith, an alien from the planet Lorien. When the Mogadorians, another alien race, came and destroyed the Lorien race, only nine Lorien children managed to survive, along with nine guardian "Cêpan" to protect them. They were sent to Earth to one day come back and revive the deserted planet of Lorien. However, the Mogadorians continue trying to eliminate the Lorien race by killing the remaining eighteen Loriens on Earth. Luckily, when the Loriens left, a charm was placed upon the nine children which made it so that they could only be killed in order of their given numbers. In I Am Number Four, One, Two, and Three have all been killed. John Smith is Number Four and is being tracked by the Mogadorians.

This book was highly entertaining and its plot was very captivating. One complaint I had was that the authors tried to squeeze too much action and description into one battle scene which ended up overwhelming and confusing me. I also thought that the characters' personalities seemed typical and unoriginal. However, this was overall a very good book and I would definitely recommend it to any young adult who likes romance, science-fiction, and action.

The second book in the series is The Power of Six and the third book The Rise of Nine will be coming out in August 2012.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Summary

The read-a-thon is over! After finishing A Noble Radiance last night, I was starting to falter and knew I needed a really compelling read to keep me going. So I picked up Kenneth Oppel's Skybreaker, the sequel to Airborn, and it was the perfect choice. I read for another 1.5 hours last night and half-an-hour this morning before the 8am deadline. Kate slept through the last 10 hours of the read-a-thon but is back at reading, with The Calling in her hands, even though the event is over.

Here are Kate's final totals:
Hours of reading: 5
Total pages read: 378
Books finished: 1
Other books started: 1

My totals:
Hours of reading: 9
Total pages read: 693
Books finished: 2
Other books started: 1
Mini-challenges done: 4
Cheerleading hours: 2

Kate and I spent 16 hours participating (reading and cheerleading) in the read-a-thon, so as promised, we've donated $32 to Free the Children.

Now for the end-of-event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
   The final hour. Normally, I'm an early riser but I had a hard time getting up this morning to do that last bit of reading I had planned.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
   Young adult books are always good for read-a-thons. The Hunger Games would keep you reading, if you've not read them already.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
   I've really enjoyed being a cheerleader, but it would be nice to encourage every reader to do a bit of cheerleading. I suspect most readers find it too daunting to commit to a set number of hours, so how about just suggesting that every reader pick 2 or 3 blogs to follow for the day? To keep the "team" feel, you can ask all readers in the Team Polonius list to choose their blogs from Team Falstaff, for example.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
   I enjoyed several of the mini-challenges, and many of the ones I didn't end up doing seemed fun and I liked seeing the participants' responses. The best challenges were the ones that were a little bit challenging but didn't take a lot of time to do (so that they didn't take away from reading/cheerleading time).
5. How many books did you read?
   For me: two finished and another started. For Kate: one finished and another started.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
   For me: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong and A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon. Also started Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel.
   For Kate: Scrivener's Moon by Philip Reeve. Also started The Calling by Kelley Armstrong.
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
   Can't decide -- we liked them all!
8. Which did you enjoy least?
   Can't decide -- we liked them all!
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
   I temporarily subscribed to all the blogs I was covering so I could immediately see the updated ones in Google Reader.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
    Yes, Kate and I will definitely participate again, and I will do some cheerleading again next time.

Thanks to the organizers for another extremely well-run event!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #3

We're in Hour 15 now. Kate has gone off to bed and I'm also starting to fade but will try to hold out for a little bit longer. I've just finished A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon (277 pages) and my total number of hours read is 7. Leon is a new author to me and I enjoyed this mystery novel featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti. I found the plot on the weak side but I did like the characters and setting. I loved touring Venice with my family a few years ago and it was great to revisit it in this novel.

Kate started The Calling by Kelley Armstrong and managed an hour before bedtime, bringing her total to 5 hours for the day.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #2

We're now in Hour 12. Kate had an intense afternoon of reading and put in 3 hours, to bring her total reading time to 4 hours. She finished Scrivener's Moon by Philip Reeve (263 pages), the third book in the Fever Crumb series. She says she did not enjoy it as much as the first two books, but it was a good read all the same, and she plans to review the series on this blog at a future time.

I put in another 2.5 hours to bring my total to 5.5, and I'm two-thirds of the way through A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon. If I weren't having so much fun visiting other participants' blogs, I'd probably get more reading done!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #1

We're entering Hour 7 now. I've read for a total of 3 hours and I've just finished my first book, The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (326 pages). This book is the second of her Darkness Rising series, and it felt very much like a second book of a trilogy: a lot of character development, some revelations but still lots of threads hanging. There was plenty of fast-paced action, though, so it was a perfect read-a-thon selection.

Kate had to attend a two-hour rehearsal with her strings school this morning, which was why I got first dibs at this book. While waiting for me to finish, she started on Scrivener's Moon by Philip Reeve. After an hour of reading, she decided she'd better put some time into her homework but promises to read more later in the afternoon.

I've also spent a little bit of time visiting other blogs. It's great to see how everyone else is progressing.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Introductory Post

Kate and I have our pile of books ready! While I highly doubt we'll get through all (or even most) of this pile, it's good to have a few to choose from. We've both been wanting to read The Calling, the second book in Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising series, but there is a huge waiting list at our local library. However, yesterday morning, I saw in the on-line catalogue that a single "no holds allowed" copy was just returned and I grabbed it!

My other candidates include:

• A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon
• River of the Dead by Barbara Nadel
• Silence by Jan Costin Wagner
• Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
• English Country House Murders by Thomas Godfrey
• The Last Song by Eva Wiseman

Kate's other candidates include:

• Scrivener's Moon by Philip Reeve
• Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
• Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

Here are our answers to the Introductory Questionnaire from the Hour 1 post:

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
   We're at home today in Southwestern Ontario, Canada!
2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
   Kate and I will be fighting over our single copy of The Calling by Kelley Armstrong.
3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?
   Salt-and-vinegar chips, if Kate leaves some for me.
4. Tell us a little something about yourself!
   In my spare time, if I'm not reading, I'm probably knitting, and sometimes I'll do both at the same time. Kate, if she's not reading, is usually making music in one way or another. 
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?
   For once, I don't have other commitments scheduled for the day and can devote the entire day to reading. Kate, sadly, will have to do some homework, which she had managed to avoid successfully in previous read-a-thons. (Note: Her Mom is not the one insisting she do her homework today!)

Dewey's Read-a-thon

Kate and I will be participating in Dewey's Read-a-thon again on Saturday, April 21. We'll attempt to read for as many hours as we can in the 24-hour period starting 8am EDT, and we'll donate a toonie to Free the Children for every hour that either of us reads.

In our most recent attempt, Kate read for an incredible 9 hours while I managed only 7.5. This time around, Kate is deep into concert season so she'll be spending much of Saturday at rehearsals and catching up with homework. However, she did commit to at least two hours of reading, as long as I provide a good supply of salt-and-vinegar chips. I'm hoping to exceed last year's total.

I've learned from experience that short fast-paced reads work well for read-a-thons, so I have a pile of mystery and YA novels, many of them from my BookCrossing shelf, ready to go. Kate has a couple of Philip Reeve books set aside for the big day.

If you have nothing to do on Saturday, or if whatever you need to do is less appealing than spending the entire day reading, then please join us! You can sign up as a reader and/or as a cheerleader. Cheerleading involves visiting other readers' blogs and leaving encouraging comments. It's a great way to discover new book blogs and get book recommendations.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Final Post

I managed another hour of reading last night and half-hour this morning to get halfway through Dragon Turn. Kate read for two hours last night and another this morning. She finished Haunting Violet and started The Once and Future King by T. H. White.

Here are Kate's totals:
Hours of reading: 9
Total pages read: 656
Books finished: 2 (Home Truths by Jill Maclean and Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey)
Other books started: 1 (The Once and Future King by T. H. White)

My totals:
Hours of reading: 7.5
Total pages read: 475
Books finished: 1
Other books started: 1
Mini-challenges done: 3 (Hour 1 end-of-event meme, Hour 6 Top 5, Hour 12 end-of-event meme)
Cheerleading hours: 1.5

Kate and I spent 18 hours participating (reading and cheerleading) in the read-a-thon, so as promised, we've donated $36 to UNICEF.

Now for the end-of-event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
   Definitely the hour that coincided with my normal bedtime.
   
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
   Young adult books are always good for these events.
   
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
   I always wish I could have more time for visiting other people's blogs and still have time to read. I would love to extend the read-a-thon by a couple of hours so we could have an "intermission" or post-event period for blog visiting, to leave encouraging or congratulatory posts.
   
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
   I'm really happy the read-a-thon didn't land on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend this year, as we're usually busy with travelling or family activities on holiday weekends.
   
5. How many books did you read?
   For me: one finished and another started. For Kate: two finished and another started.
   
6. What were the names of the books you read?
   For me: The Guardian by Andrew Pyper and The Dragon Turn by Shane Peacock
   For Kate: Home Truths by Jill Maclean, Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey, and The Once and Future King by T. H. White.
   
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
   Can't decide -- we liked them all!
   
8. Which did you enjoy least?
   Can't decide -- we liked them all!
   
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
   I temporarily subscribed to all the blogs I was covering so I could immediately see the updated ones in Google Reader.
   
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
    Kate and I will definitely participate again. I will try to do more cheerleading next time.
    

Thanks to the organizers for another extremely well-run event!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #2

We are at the halfway point of the challenge. Since the last update, I've read 3 more hours and Kate has read 2.5, to make a total of 6 hours for each of us. I finished The Guardians by Andrew Pyper and have just started The Dragon Turn: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 5th Case by Shane Peacock. Kate is halfway through Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey, another book from the Red Maple list.

I've also spent some time on my cheerleading duties, checking out other readers' blogs and getting some good recommendations as a result. Because of a social commitment this evening, I'll be offline and away from my books for a while, but I hope to squeeze in a bit more reading before I go off to bed tonight.