Read-a-Thon Update 5

Well I think I have to call it a night.  I’m starting to get a headache and given the rash of migraines I’ve been getting lately I should hit the sac!  I must say I’ve enjoyed my time reading all day today.  And I may say that as the day progressed the reading got better.

The last while I read the first act of Ben Jonson’s play Bartholomew Fair.  I’ve been wanting to read this for while since it’s the first time a classical theatre company is performing this play in North America.  As you know I work for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and they’ll be doing this show this season.  It’s the show I’m most looking forward to seeing this year.  I hope you get a chance to come to Stratford and see it!

For those of you still hittin’ the books all the best.  Keep reading!

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Read-a-Thon Update 4

Alright, I’m still a little tired but I got the second book completed.  La’s Orchestra Saves the World was a thousand times better than The Man Who Forgot How to Read.  It’s not your typical Alexander McCall Smith novel, it’s heavier reading than the other stuff I’ve read by him.  

I hope everyone else is keeping up.  Im sure people are starting to get tired, I know I am.  I think I just need to get up and walk about a bit.  And incase you’re wondering I did go to DQ and I had a Strawberry Banana Blizzard.  And it was fantastic!!

Keep up the reading everyone!

Read-a-Thon Update 3

Alright, what hour is this?  15 I think.  I’m starting to crash.  What I really need is a second wind so I can get back into the reading thing.  Things are going very slow right now.  We’ll see how far I can go tonight.

Thank you everyone for sending the comments.  It’s appreciated.

Everyone keep up the reading!

Read-a-Thon Mid-event Survey

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?

2. How many books have you read so far?

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

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

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

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

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

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

9. Are you getting tired yet?

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

 

1. I’m currently taking a break from La’s Orchestra Saves the World as it’s heavier reading then anything else I’ve read by Alexander McCall Smith.  Rather than reading part of another book I’m going to a short story from A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami.
2. At this point I’ve read one and half books.  I would have had much more read if work didn’t get in the way this morning.  Ugh those were 4 very long hours.
3. I’m looking forward to finishing La’s Orchestra and getting more of Fool by Christopher Moore read.
4. The only thing I would have had to change would be my work schedule.  But given that I’m going to having several doctors appointments in the months to come (I’ve got a sinus infection that’s not going away and it’s causing some terrible migraines) I didn’t think it would be wise to take another day off work.
5. I had to migrate to another part of the house for a bit because my roommates decided to watch TV where I sitting and reading.  Aside from that no interruptions.  But I’m thinking I want to hit Dairy Queen up for a blizzard before I dive back into reading for the second half.
6. I generally have a short attention span (I’ve taken several ADD/ADHD tests online and they all tell me I should talk to a doctor about it) so I’m surprised that I’ve been focused the whole time.  Makes for more reading being completed.
7. This is my first time doing the Read-a-Thon and it seems to be great so far.  I’m not sure what would be better for next time. 
8. I think next time I’m find several collections of short stories.  I think this will give a great sense of accomplishment, which should in turn give more motivation.  And I don’t usually read short stories so it would be a different take on the whole project all together.
9. NO!!!!!!
10. I think I just picked some really great books which help to motivate.  Not really what else could be done.  It’s just difficult to give suggestions as a first timer.  I don’t know what’s normal and what isn’t.  

Before I go I must say I’m enjoying the comments that have been left here.  They are great motivation!  Thanks everyone!  

 

Keep Reading!

Read-a-Thon Update 1

So far so good!  Today started rather slowly, I couldn’t get much reading done at work (well, at least not as much as I wanted to) because it ended up being a busier day than expected.  But I got about 50 pages of La’s Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith read.  Once I got home I picked up and finished The Man Who Forgot How to Read.  

I’m enjoyed McCall Smith’s novel, I brought it home so I could get more of it read today from home.  It’s a great book and it’s a stand alone unlike many of his other books.  And just reading about La and the village she’s moved to has me craving a trip to England.  I’ve never been but have always wanted to go.  

My take on Howard Engel’s The Man Who Forgot How to Read, on the other hand, couldn’t be more opposite.  I found the book to be too repetitive.  And given that I haven’t read any of Engel’s novels his story couldn’t be less interesting.  Don’t get me wrong, I feel bad for the guy for having a stroke but the story of his recovering isn’t very interesting.  

I’ll talk about these two books more in later reviews but I just wanted to touch base on what I’ve been reading.  I’m looking forward to more of La’s Orchestra Saves the World and getting more of Christopher Moore’s Fool read.