Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon Updates #readathon

This time I'm going to try something different. I won't do separate posts for each update. It becomes a pain in the butt and it clogs up you guys' Google Reader. And that's no fun.

Update #1:
Start time: 8am
Finish time: 12pm (with a 15 min break)
Hours read: 3.45 hours
# of books finished: 1/2 (I finished a book I had already started)
Book(s) read: The First Days by Rhiannon Frater
Book (s) started: Claimed by Rebecca Zanetti
# of pages read: 214
Challenges completed: 1
Blogs visited: 1 (promise to do better the next go around)

So far, it's been smooth sailing with the reading. I started off with a great book. The second book I started is getting off to a great start. Hopefully this trend will continue. TTFN!

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Update #2:
Start time: 1pm
Finish time: 4pm (interspersed with unplanned breaks)
Hours read: 3 hours
# of books finished: 1/2 (on page 166 of 330 pgs)
Still reading: Claimed by Rebecca Zanetti
# of pages read: 166
Challenges completed: 0
Blogs visited: 5 (woo hoo!!)

So I took a shower, got caught up in the Kardashian wedding special and helped my son with his homework. I was hoping to be done with book #2 by now. Now it is time to buckle down.

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Update #3:

Start time: 4pm
Finish time: 9pm (with a 1 hour dinner break)
Hours read: 4
Total # of books finished: 3 (The First Days, Claimed, Sapphire)
Currently reading: The Real Werewives of Vampire County
Total # of pages read: 626
Challenges completed: 1
Total # Blogs visited: 6

I think I've hit a wall. I am getting easily distracted by my television and I am sick of being in my bedroom. The current book I'm reading isn't holding my attention.  I think I may shut down my laptop for a while and move to the living room to read. Also, may put down my current book and move on to something else.

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Update #4:
I finished one more book and called it a night at 1am EST. My attention started to fade and I was getting sleeping as hell. I think I did pretty good. I read 4 books so my goal was met.

Full read-a-thon recap will post later today. Good night folks! It's been real!!

I'm baaack!!! (Did you guys notice that I was gone??)

Ok so I took an unscheduled hiatus from blogging and the internet in general for almost two weeks. I'm sure you guys noticed the lack of posting and that I wasn't hanging out on Twitter as much as I normally do. I have been in a serious reading funk for almost two weeks. I have started and not finished at least 7-8 books in that span of time. That's not good especially since the books I was attempting to read are really good books!  What was my problem? I have no idea. I think I was a little burnt out. Work has been really busy and I've been working late so by the time I'd get home, my brain was f-r-i-e-d. I couldn't focus on anything.

Finally, over the weekend, I finished two books and wrote two reviews. Woo hoo! I am so happy. I think I'm finally coming out of the FUNK and getting my MOJO back!

So sorry that I left you guys hanging. The funk came out of nowhere and it completely threw me for a loop.

Things should be back to normal starting today *fingers crossed*.

I'm baaaaack!!! :)

100 Followers Contest - Update

150 Followers Giveaway!!

 

Wow! Thanks for the overwhelming response. I now have 109 followers. Yay! Because I've already reached my milestone and there's still 19 days left to enter the giveaway, I'm adding 3 more books and another winner to the contest if I reach 150 followers. So I will be having 2 drawings.

 

The winner of the 1st drawing will win the Dreamcatcher Series by Lisa McMann: Wake, Fade and Gone

 

  

 The winner of the 2nd drawing will win the first 3 books of the Midnight Breed Series: Kiss of Midnight, Kiss of Crimson, and Midnight Awakening. I've read all 7 books and I absolutely LOVE this series!

 

 

Contest ends February 12th, 2010. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond.

Winner will be selected using random.org.

This contest is open to anywhere the Book Depository ships!

Click here to fill out entry form.


 

Fall Into Reading Challenge - Completed!

Whew! This is the first reading challenge I've actually completed. I'm very proud of myself. *pats self on the back* My reading list changed several times and there were books that I read that weren't on the list. This challenge was hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days.

Here's my original list:

 Books I need to finish:

•Black Hills by Nora Roberts
•The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
•Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (part of the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge)
•Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts

Books I've purchased but haven't read:
•Feminista by Erica Kennedy
•For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide...by Ntozake Shange (haven't finished)
•Master by Bridget Morrow
•Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (part of the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge)
•Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts
•Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts
•Push by Sapphire
•Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan (Oprah's Book Club Selection)

Here are the books I actually read:
Feminista by Erica Kennedy
Master by Bridget Morrow
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Push by Sapphire
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Black Hills by Nora Roberts
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
Bit the Jackpot by
Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky
Forever by Judy Blume

I had a great time with this challenge. It put a little dent in my TBR pile which continues to steadily grow. I hate that I didn't finish all the books I'd set out to read. But I also had the chance to read books by new authors. I was constantly changing my list of books to read.  I'm looking forward to Fall into Reading for 2010.

Fall into Reading Challenge - Update #2

There's only 20 days left until the Fall into Reading Challenge ends. Here's where I stand with my list of books.

Here's my updated list:
Books I need to Finish:
Black Hills (still reading!)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X (decided not to read; it was a re-read anyway)
Living Dead in Dallas
Morrigan's Cross (decided not to read)


Books I've purchased but haven't read (TBR pile):
Feminista
For Colored Girls...
Master
Club Dead
Valley of Silence (decided not to read)
Push
Say You're One of Them (decided not to read)
Good in Bed (currently reading)

Books I've finished that weren't originally on the list:
Remember Me?
Bit the Jackpot

There's 4 books that I need to finish by the deadline - December 20th. Can I do it? We shall see.

Fall into Reading Challenge - Update #2

It's been a month since I started the Fall into Reading Challenge. My reading has slowed down a little but I am determined to finish the books I listed by the December deadline.

Here's my updated list:
Books I need to Finish:
Black Hills
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Living Dead in Dallas
Morrigan's Cross

Books I've purchased but haven't read:
Feminista
For Colored Girls...
Master (currently reading)
Club Dead
Valley of Silence
Push (currently reading)
Say You're One of Them
Good in Bed