Good morning everyone!

I just woke up and though I'm still waiting for my coffee pot to finish brewing, I'm going to visit everyone who's awake and cheer you guys on. My plan was to wake up at 4 this morning and start back reading, but my body rejected that idea. Since we have three hours left, I also plan on getting some reading in. My coffee's ready!!

What hour is this? update

Books read: 2

Pages read: 27

Pages total: 389

Prizes won: 0, so far.

I am finally becoming tired. It's almost 11p.m. Pacific. The house is so still and quiet. I would love to take advantage of this time but I rather sleep. I have Black Eyed Peas playing in my ear at a very loud volume so I can stay awake for a couple of minutes more. This challenge has been so great with so many people cheering each other on and leaving comments. Goodnight!

Congrats, Sean!

Hour 13 update

Books read: 2
Pages read: 30
Total pages read: 368
Mini-challenges: 5?

I'm surprised that I've managed to read 30 pages this hour though I'm hosting my poetry mini-challenge. Not bad. I hope to read at least 100 pages in the next hour. Theodosia and the Serpent of Chaos is going pretty well. I'm also listening to music and drinking Dr. Pepper to stay awake for a little while longer. I'm going to sleep at 11p.m. then wake up around 4a.m. to finish reading.

Read-a-thon Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? Theodosia and the Serpent of Chaos by R. L. LaFevers. It's a young adult novel, that's pretty interesting already.

2. How many books have you read so far? So far I've completed two, is midway through one, and just started Theodosia.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? The memoir, Comfort by Ann Hood, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? There's no way to free up my Saturdays with Saturdays being the busiest day of the week for both the love of my life and my mom, but I made sure that the kids had plenty of snacks and things to do.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I constantly have interruptions with so many kids here, but it's not a problem. I don't feel any pressure at all with this challenge.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? There are so many people cheering you on and there's no pressure to have a certain amount of pages or books read.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? None. This year's Read-a-thon has been pretty fun.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Nothing

9. Are you getting tired yet? A little but that's what coffee's for.

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? Just relax and have fun. If you need to take a break, take one.

Hour 11 update

Books read: 2

Pages read: 36

Total pages: 338

Prizes won: 0 *sigh*

Mini-challenges: still 4

Currently reading: Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers

Thank God, the kids will be going to sleep soon. I feel like putting on another cup of coffee.

Update

Books read: 2
Pages read: 104
Total pages read: 320
Mini-challenges: 4

I have no idea what hour this is. Hour 8, right? Time is speeding by and I'm reading, playing with the kids, relaxing, listening to music . . . I even managed to squeeze in a nap. Right now I'm reading Lynda Barry's graphic novel/memoir 100 Demons about her tragic, yet funny childhood.

Update, Hour 6

So far:

Books read - 2

Total pages read - 214

Mini-challenge completed: 4

It feels so crazy to me that we've been doing the Read-a-thon for seven hours now. It doesn't feel that way. Though next year I will have a laptop so I can sit outside, read, and cheer.

I just finished reading Ann Patchett's What Now? It's an extension of the graduation speech she spoke at Sarah Lawrence a while back. I really liked. It reminds me of Anna Quindlen's A Short Guide to a Happy Life. My favorite quote from the book is:

"What now is not just a panic-stricken question tossed out into a dark unknown. What now can also be our joy. It is a declaration of possibility, of promise, of chance. It acknowledges that our future is open, that we may do more than anyone expected of us, that at every point in our development we are still striving to grow. There's a time in our lives when we all crave the answers. It seems terrifying not to know what's coming next. But there is another time, a better time, when we see our lives as a series of choices, and What now represents our excitement and our future, the very vitality of life. It's up to you to choose a life that will keep expanding. It takes discipline to remain curious . . . "

Hour 3 Update

Books read:1
Pages read total: 117

I finished Eclipse finally 20 minutes ago. It isn't as good as Twilight, but it is better than New Moon.

Next up is: What Now? by Ann Patchett

Hour 2

Books read: 0
Pages read 43
Mini-challenge completed: now 2

I'm still reading Eclipse and printing out coloring pages for the kids. They're being pretty good, coloring, watching SpongeBob and torturing each other. What more can a girl ask for? Later I'm going to take them to the park and read there. I'm getting a little ticked off that Bella cries so much.

Readathon, Hour 1

Books Read: 0

Pages Read: 37

Mini-Challenges Completed: 1

Right now I'm near the end of Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. I have been running all around the house. I have coloring pages printed for the kids and with five here, I'm settling disputes between them. I have less than 100 pages to go before I finish this book and I plan to in the next hour.