Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Update Three

Well it's midnight so that seems as good a time as any to start a new post!

Hours Ten and Eleven- 10pm to 12pm

I've been reading:  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Pages read since my last update: 100

Pages read altogether:  573
Hours spent reading: 8.5
Books finished: 2.5

It actually took me a while to choose this book... that's what I get for not setting aside a pile of potential books! In the end, it was one I've been meaning to read for a while and it's a short accessible book, so here we are :)

I'm getting a little tired, but not tired enough to go to sleep yet. I'm roughly halfway through The Ocean at the End of the Lane, so maybe I'll finish this and then go to bed.

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - I'm roughly halfway through, I think.

 
2. How many books have you read so far?

Well, I finished off a book I'd already started (which is the .5 of my 'Books finished' tally) and then a further two, so far. That's:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

Dead Poet's Society by N.H. Kleinbaum

respectively 

 
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I'm not, really. I didn't plan ahead, although I really should have. Besides, I won't have much time to read during the second half - it will be bedtime for me shortly and then I have Life Stuff to do in the morning. I might get an hour or two in, but not much.

 
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Actually, no. I didn't mention the read-a-thon to my family, but they're all preoccupied with their own activities today anyway. I spent twelve hours on trains yesterday so I think they assumed I was tired and wanted to be left alone!

 
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? 

I say this every time, but it surprises me how much time I usually waste by faffing on the Internet or similar. I've read 3.5 books this afternoon without really trying. I know that's not feasible for every day but I could clearly make more time in the day.

Hour Twelve- 12pm to 1am

I've been reading:  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Pages read since my last update: 78

Pages read altogether:  651
Hours spent reading: 9.5
Books finished: 3.5

Another book finished! I'm seriously thrilled with my progress today. I know I've only read short, accessible books (aside from Tenant of Wildfell Hall) but I still feel like I've paid proper attention to all of them, no skimming or rushing.

I have to admit to not loving The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It was... fine and quite interesting, but I feel slightly unnerved by it and I can't put my finger on why. 

Anyway, it's 1am and I'm off to bed. I might have a few hours of reading in the morning, but we'll see. Night everyone! 

Hour Twentyone- 1am to 10am

I've been reading:  The inside of my own eyelids

Pages read since my last update: 0

Pages read altogether:  651
Hours spent reading: 9.5
Books finished: 3.5

Morning!

So I'm glad I went to sleep when I did. I feel asleep within 30 minutes or so of turning out the light, which is rare for me, which means I must have been super-tired. I woke up five minutes or so ago so I'm going to start my next book, The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain, and read it in bed for an hour or so. 

Best of the Best Challenge

I've read some great books this year so this is going to be tough, but the three categories I've chosen are:

Best Book of My Reading Year: We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

This book completely blew me away. I didn't know anything about it when I started reading, but it's like nothing I've ever read before. It's dark and twisted, and unbelievable.

Best Non-Fiction Book of My Reading Year: HHhH by Laurent Binet 

This is a really original look at the two Czech and Sovakian parachutists who attempted to execute Reinhard Heydrich in the Second World War. It's interesting because the author talks about his experiences of writing the book, whilst telling you the 'story.'

Best Historical Fiction Book of My reading Year: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I didn't have high expectations for this book, but it turned out to be amazing and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's the retelling of the fall of Troy, but from the perspective of Achilles and his 'cousin,' Patroclus. I actually cried on a train while reading it :/

Hour Twentytwo- 10am to 11am

I've been reading:  The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain

Pages read since my last update: 60

Pages read altogether:  711
Hours spent reading: 10.5
Books finished: 3.5

I'm back into the reading swing! I've gone for another of my older TBR books, The President's Hat, and I've been able to read pretty much constantly for the past hour.

I wish I'd set my alarm earlier so I had more reading time, but at least I'll be fully rested for my drive to Sheffield later. I'm actually going to take half an hour to go get showered etc. now but I'll get another 30 minutes of reading time in before the next update. 

Hour Twentythree- 11am to 12pm

I've been reading:  The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain

Pages read since my last update: 56

Pages read altogether:  767
Hours spent reading: 11
Books finished: 3.5

Only an hour left! I can't believe how quickly this read-a-thon has gone. I know I spent nine hours of it asleep, but even so. 

 

I'm really enjoying The President's Hat - it's light and charming, but also seems to have been translated quite well, which is always a blessing.

 

I'll do the End of Event meme in an hour's time. In the meantime, I'm going to get dressed and then sit down and read solidly for the final hour! See you at the end!