Dewey's Read-a-thon Updates

Hour 24 Update - End of Event Meme:

Which hour was most daunting for you?


The last hour before I went to sleep was incredibly hard. During the week, I'm usually in bed fairly early. I think I made it to almost 2 am before I called it quits. My eyes kept shutting!

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

For me, I learned that I really need to read fun books when I do something like this. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill was perfect for this.

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

I don't think so. This was my very first time participating and I really enjoyed it. Nothing needing changes really stands out to me.

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I really enjoyed doing the challenges. I definitely didn't participate in all of them but the ones that I did were a lot of fun and made for a great break.

How many books did you read?

I totally finished 3 books. I'm in the middle of another one. I also finished 1 audiobook and started another.

What were the names of the books you read?

I finished Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd, Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende, and Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. I'm in the middle of Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray. I finished listening to The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. I started listening to The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

Which book did you enjoy most?

I liked them all. As I mentioned before, Meant to Be was an especially good pick for a read-a-thon. It's a fairly short but fun read.

Which did you enjoy least?

I don't think any of them were bad books or even bad picks for the read-a-thon. It's just that Meant to Be was really engaging to me.



How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I had a blast and I would definitely like to participate again in the future!

Hour 23 Update:


Oh man, I did have to sleep a little bit last night. Guys, I just really do not function well without sleep. For the safety of myself and those around me, I had to do it even if it affected how much I was able to read. I'm now back for the last little bit of the read-a-thon. I'm back for the last hour! Woot! Let's go!

Hour 15 Challenge:

The Hour 15 challenge is to cast actors/actresses into the book that we're currently reading (another really fun challenge).

I'm still reading Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill and loving it!

My pick for the role of Julia Lichtenstein (a shy, bookish swimmer) would be: 

Emma Roberts!

I think she'd be a great pick for Julia. She's a great actress and I think that she could play the transition that Julia goes through in the book well!

Hour 12 Update: Mid-Event Survey:

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?


I'm doing pretty good. I did have to shut my eyes a little bit just because this is definitely a lot of reading. All in all, I'm still having a blast!

2) What have you finished reading?


I've finished Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd, Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende, and I finished listening to The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. I've surprised myself with how much I'm listening to audiobooks. I listened a lot while doing some gardening today. It was too beautiful to be inside reading all day!

3) What is your favorite read so far?

All of them have been really good. Roses Have Thorns' narrator was really interesting (she's a lady-in-waiting for Queen Elizabeth I). Isabel Allende is a perennial favorite (I actually get to see her speak this coming week)! I'm loving the Maze Runner series.

4) What about your favorite snacks?


I made these amazing cookies only using almond meal, pecans, maple syrup, and sea salt. It's a riff on this recipe here. I'm trying really hard to not eat as many processed foods so this fit the bill!

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

I have been so bad about visiting others but I've been pretty active on Twitter today!


Hour 9 Update:

Okay, I think I've learned my first lesson of my first read-a-thon. For the rest of the day, I will put up all of my updates in this post. I don't want to annoy people!!!

I did the Hour 9 challenge, which was to go through some various yoga poses. Oh boy, I have never done yoga before but it felt so good to stretch!

I have now finished Roses Have Thorns and Maya's Notebook. I also finished listening to The Scorch Trials. I started listening to Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief. I've been doing yard work and things around the house while listening to the audiobooks. I've started reading Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill.


Hour 6 Update:

I'm having so much fun with the read-a-thon so far. I've finished one book (Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd) and am in the middle of Maya's Notebook by the glorious Isabel Allende. I've also been listening to The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, which I was in the middle of this morning. I have about an hour more to go in the audiobook.

I just had a fantastic salad from Trader Joe's (arugula, goat cheese, dried cranberries, quinoa, sweet potato, and wheatberry). It was a delicious and filling lunch and I need that protein to keep me reading.

For hour 6, One Librarian's Book Reviews is asking us to put together a book puzzle. I have an easy one and a hard one.

First, the easy one:

And now the harder one:

minus Little Liars

Both books rank among my most favorite books.

What's your guess?