Hours 17-24 and Final Wrap-up
Update 11:00pm
I'm halfway through my next book, but needed to take a break and move about a bit.
Total pages: ~14450
Total books read: 6 finished, 2 in progress
Total time read: 14.25 hours
Total mini-challenges and memes: 7 or 8 - I've lost track!
Time to splash some cold water in my face and finish book 7...
Update 1:30am
Definitely into the home stretch. My eyes started to blur, so I went for a walk and got a couple of energy drinks (one for right now and potentially one to get me going tomorrow afternoon again).
Total pages: 1700
Total books read: 7 finished, 1 in progress
Total time read: 16.25 hours
Total mini-challenges and memes: I'm going with 8 - I'll figure out the correct number tomorrow!
I've tried to avoid reading books that I've already read (though I realized a couple of pages into the Findley that I'd read it before, but didn't want to stop); however, now I think I'll pick out something in the 300-350 page range that I've read and loved, so that if my brain isn't entirely firing on all cylinders, I won't miss anything vital.
Final update: 5:00am
Total pages: 2,022
Total books read: 8.5 (though two were really short)
1) Dust by Martha Grimes
2) Johan Padan and the Discovery of America by Dario Fo
3) The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service
4) Therese and Pierrette and the Little Hanging Angel by Michel Tremblay
5) You Went Away by Timothy Findley
6) Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill
7) The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
8) The Daily Show and Philosophy, edited by Jason Holt
and half of The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay
Total time read: approximately 19 hours (1 hour for micro-naps, walks and food preparation; 2 hours watching Wallandar, which at least has literary origins; 2 hours blogging and doing mini-challenges)
Number of mini-challenges/memes: 10
And now it's time to sleep...
Final Meme
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Probably hour 22 - the last hour and half wasn't that bad in terms of reading, but the hour before that I struggled to keep my vision from blurring.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
"The Last Light of the Sun" kept me going through the last couple of hours, which was pretty amazing. Any book that has comfortable characters and moves fairly quickly plot-wise is helpful towards the end, I think.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I can't think of anything off-hand.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I thought it was marvelous - no improvements needed.
5. How many books did you read?
Eight and a half.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
See above
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I think probably The Other Side of the Bridge, since I didn't have any expectations or pre-conceived notions about it.
8. Which did you enjoy least?
Maybe The Daily Show and Philosophy. It was very interesting, but I thought it would be funnier when I put it in my pile of books to read...
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
N/A - though I very much appreciated my cheerleaders, who were wonderfully supportive.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Almost 100%, though I don't know if I'll be lucky enough to have it land on a day when I have absolutely no commitments. I'll read again, but I think I'd dedicate at least an hour to cheerlead (probably hour 22 - for the encouragement and for the extra stimulation).