#Readathon - October 2017: Closing survey

I've probably read more in the last 24 hours than in all of October put together (that's how messed up my reading mojo is right now). Having not really had the time or even motivation to read, it was very good to be able to really take time away from everything else and just indulge.

Closing survey:
1) Which hour was most daunting for you?
Hour 13 (which is between 2 and 3am here), because I had to fight falling asleep while reading.

2) Tell us ALLLL the books you read.
Fortune Favors the Wicked - Theresa Romain
Passion Favors the Bold - Theresa Romain
It Had to Be You - Jill Shalvis
Giant Days, vol 1 - John Allison, Lissa Treiman and Whitney Cogar
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, vol 1: BFF - Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare and Natascha Bustos
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, vol 1: Squirrel Power - Ryan North and Erica Henderson
A third of The Rebel Heir - Elizabeth Michels

3) Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners?
Pretty much all of them, really, with the possible exception of The Rebel Heir, which was not really grabbing me (hence the switch to comic books). The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl was especially delightful.

4)What's a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile?
I really don't have any suggestions on how to improve an already excellently run event. I think all he hosts and mini-challenge givers are so creative and manage so well already. I'm sure it will keep being awesome, no matter what.

5) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in helping to organize and prep?
Well, by the April 2018 Read-a-thon I will have a baby to take care of, so I honestly don't know how much reading I'll get done. I'm going to try to participate, however (having once done it with mainly audio books due to a concussion) and even if I can't do much in the baby's first year, there will be other future Read-a-thons. Don't think I'll be much good at organizing it, though, sorry.

Pages read in the last hour: 99
Pages read total: 1628
Hours read total: 11 and a third (I love my Excel spreadsheet that works that out)
Books completed: 6 and a third - see list above
Snacks consumed: Feta-and- courgette burgers with aioli and sriracha for lunch, some paprika flavoured crisps, a lot of Coke, two snowball, home made pizza, quite a bit of water
Mini-challenges completed: Opening meme, Book and Beverage challenge, #Readmorewomen, Bookish Crossword puzzle, 10 years in 10 books, Decades of Reading challenge, Closing survey

#Readathon October 2016 - End of Event Survey

This is posted a bit later than planned, as I had to actually complete some of the work I postponed to get my indulgent reading on. I'm so glad I allowed myself the time to read, as for the next week, I'll be lucky if I get much spare time set aside to read for pleasure.

Here is the traditional end of event survey:
1) Which hour was most daunting for you?
Probably hour 21 (10am to 11am here in Oslo), when I'd just woken up and had to struggle to get back into reading.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I didn't read them myself this year, because I've already read both books twice, but I can highly recommend Act Like It by Lucy Parker and The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. They are pretty much romantic comedies in book form, and very entertaining.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
No, not really. It's already a pretty well-oiled machine.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year's Read-a-thon?
I focused more on actually reading and spent less time being distracted online. Instead of updating my blog all the time, I just sank back into reading after updating my spreadsheet to work out how much I'd read.

5. How many books did you read?
Three and two thirds

6. What were the names of the books you read?
The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You by Lily Anderson
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Rock Wedding by Nalini Singh
Two thirds of Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison

7. Which book did you enjoy the most?
The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You by Lily Anderson. It's a really fun and creative modern YA retelling of Shakespeare's romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing, where the quarrelling protagonists are both super geeky teenagers at a private school for genius kids. It was so well done, and apart from one Doctor Who reference that felt like a sudden record scratch and brought me completely out of my happy reading reverie, because it was just so objectively WRONG, I had a very fun time reading the book.

8. Which book did you enjoy least?
Rock Wedding by Nalini Singh. The fourth and final book in her Rock Kiss series is one that others will probably be fine with, but I really should have read a couple of summaries before starting it. As I recently went through my second round of unsuccessful infertility treatment, reading about someone who is so crazy fertile she can apparently get knocked up both from one night of unprotected sex, and later while she is on the pill(!) just felt a bit like it was pouring lemon juice in my already stinging paper cut. It was nice to see all the various couples tie the knot (so many rock star weddings, you guys), but the book was not what I needed right now. Only stubbornness made me finish it.

9. How likely are you to participate in Read-a-thon again? What role will you be taking next time?
There is not a shadow of a doubt that I will be taking part in the next Read-a-thon - I managed to do it last year even when I was concussed and had to do it mainly with audio books. I will, as always, be a reader.

Total books read: Three and two thirds
Total pages read: 1086 pages
Total time spent reading (according to my spreadsheet): nearly 11 hours

#Readathon October 2015: End of event

Another Read-a-thon completed, this one somewhat hampered by the fact that reading actual books, either in paper or e-book form, or spending too much time on a screen gives me a raging headache. Concussions suck, people. Thankfully, over the last few months, I've not really been buying a lot of audio books, instead hoarding my credits like nuggets of gold. That's come in handy now. I'm also more than halfway through the hooded scarf I'm knitting, because I need something to do with my hands when I'm listening.

End of event survey?

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?
Probably hour 6, when it became very clear that my head was having none of this reading business, and it became obvious that it was going to have to be an audio book sort of a Read-a-thon

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged next year?
Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Nimona - Noelle Stevenson
Rat Queens, vol 1: Sass and Sorcery - Kurtis J. Wiebe & Roc Upchurch

3) What worked well and what could be improved?
I think it was all good. I liked the various mini-challenges and the activity on Twitter. I don't really see what could be better than what we've got already.

4) How many books did you read?
I completed five books, but two of them I was already most of the way through by the time Read-a-thon started.

5) What were the names of the books you read?
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, audio book narrated by Euan Morton
Joyland by Stephen King
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, audio book narrated by Rebecca Lowman and Maxwell Caulfield
Rat Queens, vol 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe & Roc Upchurch

6) Which book did you enjoy most?
Possibly Rat Queens, volume 1 of the books I wasn't actually re-reading/listening to in audio book form. It was delightfully violent, foul-mouthed, action-packed and funny.

7) Which book did you enjoy least?
 There wasn't any book I didn't enjoy, I would rate all the books four stars or higher, but if I had to put one last, it would be Joyland by Stephen King, which I mainly read to fulfill a reading challenge.

8) How likely are you to participate in Read-a-thon again?
I will absolutely be doing Read-a-thon again in April, as long as my schedule allows it. Hopefully, I won't have a head injury that causes me pain while I read.

Pages read in total: 981
Hours read in total: approximately 11,5
Books completed: 5 (see above) 

#Readathon Spring 2015: End of event

Another year is over, and while I totally cracked and had to sleep for mearly seven hours there in the middle and my book total and page total is lower than it has been...possibly ever, I did at least get to spend a lot of the last 24 hours luxuriating in books, which is never a bad thing.

Here, as is traditional, is the end of event meme:
1) Which hour was the most daunting for you?
Hour thirteen, between 2 and 3 am, when I was fighting my tiredness and decided I had to go to bed.

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I can recommend pretty much any contemporary romance by Laura Florand, and I suspect the graphic novels I had lined up would have been good too. I've heard so many good things about them - Captain Marvel: Higher, Further, Faster, Ms. Marvel: No Normal and Rat Queens: Sass and Sorcery.

I never have any suggestions for how this thing can be improved, so I'll skip that question.

4) What do you think worked really well in this year's Read-a-thon?
My cheerleaders, who tweeted me, were very nice and supportive. I liked beeing cheered on Twitter.

5) How many books did you read?
I ended up with a grand total of 2.

6) What were the names of the books you read?
All for You by Laura Florand
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

7) Which book did you enjoy most?
All for You

8) Which book did you enjoy least?
I only read the two, and I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy both a whole lot. But The Royal We was longer and dragged a bit in the middle, for the mopey broken-up bits, so if someone forced me to choose between two very good books, I'd have to pick The Royal We as the one I enjoyed a bit less.

9) As always, my only advice for the cheerleaders is to keep up the good work

10) I will absolutely be Read-a-thoning again in October, and hope I'm more rested and able to go the distance as a Reader then.

Approximate minutes spent reading: 705
Total pages read: 744

#Readathon October 2014: Finishing up

1) Which hour was the most daunting for you?
Hour 14, where I had to keep battling not to fall asleep. Hours 3-7, when I hardly got any reading done because of family dinner.

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged next year?
Jackaby by William Ritter
Locke & Key: Head Games by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve Read-a-thon for next year?
No, I think it all went excellently.

4) What do you think went really well in this year's Read-a-thon?
From an arrangement point of view, I really like that there is now a Goodreads group. I didn't spend too much time in it WHILE I was reading, but am really looking forward to browsing it now that I'm done actually reading. For myself, I'm glad I got as much reading done as I did.

5) How many books did you read?
Five

6) What were the names of the books you read?
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
X Marks the Scot by Victoria Roberts
Jackaby by William Ritter
Codename: Knockout. The Devil You Say by Robert Rodi, Louis Small Jr., Mark Farmer and Amanda Conner
Locke & Key: Head Games by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

7) Which book did you enjoy most?
Jackaby by William Ritter

8) Which book did you enjoy least?
X Marks the Scot by Victoria Roberts. Let's just say I'm not going looking for more books by this author.

9) Do you have any advice for next year's Cheerleaders?
Keep up the good work. I want to thank all the lovely people who cheered me on through my blog or Twitter. It makes it so much more fun.

10) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Try to stop me from participating again. I will make very sure that I can take part in both the April and the October Read-a-thon in 2015. In 2015, my nephew's birthday will be on the Sunday, by which point I'll be done reading, so that will make it much easier.

Total amount of time spent reading: Exactly 10 hours (I love that spreadsheet). Hoping for more next year.
Total pages read: 1320 (Graphic novels for the win)

#Readathon 2013 Spring Edition: End of Event meme

Reading when event finished: Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede
Pages read during last hour: 82
Pages read in total: 967

End of Event meme:

1) Which hour was most daunting to you?

As I didn't do as much reading this year, I didn't really get as tired as I normally do. Every hour I got to spend reading was a luxury.

2) Could you list a few high interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen was excellent, but incredibly sad
Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede is an excellent fairy tale retelling, combining the traditional fairy tale with a historical account of Elizabethan England

3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve Read-a-thon next year?
No, I think it's all working well now. I really appreaciated the many Facebook updates prior to the event.

4) What do you think worked really well in this year's Read-a-thon?
The website updates were great, as always. I'm glad I managed to get as much reading done as I did, considering how much I had to get done.

5) How many books did you read?
Two half ones and two complete, so three in total. :)

6) What were the names of the books you read?
I read the second half of Maskeblomstfamilien (The Dandelion Family - my own translation, the book is not translated into English) by Lars Saabye Christensen
The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
The first half of Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede

7) Snow White and Rose Red, because Briar Rose, while amazing, is all about the Holocaust, so not exactly an easy and fun read.

8) Which did you enjoy the least?
Maskeblomstfamilien - it was required course work reading, and a deeply unpleasant book. I pretty much loathed it

9) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again?
I will absolutely be doing it again in October, as a Reader. I love these chances to really indulge in reading.

October Read-a-thon 2012: Hour eighteen

End of Event meme: 

1. Which hour was most daunting to you?

Without a doubt, hour fourteen, between 3 and 4 am, when I nearly nodded off three times. I did get a bit of a second wind, though, and keep going until 5 am, in the end.

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

I can highly recommend both The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

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

No, I think it's fine the way it is. Maybe someone could make sure the links to mini-challenges actually work, though. That'd be good

4. What do you think worked well in this year's Read-a-thon?

I'd picked a good selection of books, and because I kept checking the 24-hour Read-a-thon blog every hour, I kept myself motivated.

5. How many books did you read?

I managed to finish 4 books and one trade paperback of comics - so 5

6. What were the names of the books you read?

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Eternal Pleasure by Nina Bangs

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Batman: Time and the Batman by Grant Morrison and a bunch of artists

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

Probably A Wrinkle in Time, but The Raven Boys is a very close second.

8. Which did you enjoy least?

Time and the Batman, as it's really only a collection of linking stories from some Batman-comics I read ages ago, and some that I really want to get to

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

I will absolutely take part in the next Read-a-thon, which I'm assuming will be sometime in spring. I love these things, and am so glad I've now completed three of them! I will obviously be a Reader.

Summing up of my Read-a-thon:

Hours awake and actually reading: 18 (includes some time off for eating and bathroom breaks)

Pages read in the last hour: 172 (yay for comics!)

Pages read in total: 1329  

Books completed:

The Raven Boys 

Eternal Pleasure

A Wrinkle in Time

Fun Home

Batman: Time and the Batman

Mini-challenges completed: 3