Weigh In - 590

I've lost over 80 pounds and I'm feeling good. I've been walking to the mail box every day. It was a suggestion from the book The Spark by the creator of the SparkPeople website. I'm panting and wheezing by the time I get back to the house, but I'm doing it!

I haven't been journaling my food but I also am not binge eating or over-eating. Only once in the last couple of weeks have I gotten overly full. I'm eating three proportionate meals and two small snacks. Also, I'm eating at least one fresh produce per day. I'm trying very hard to not make this a huge production. Small, consistent changes are going to be the rule here.

I also just read Women Food and God by Geneen Roth and realize I need to be more present in my body. Oddly enough, her suggestions of making sure you eat food you enjoy is spreading to other parts of my life. I was force-feeding myself the audio book Emma by Jane Austen because I "should" read it. But it really is gag-awful. So I'm not punishing myself anymore by forcing myself to read (listen to) it.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Wrap-up

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
My last, 9pm to 10pm

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
My Antonia by Willa Cather was wonderful.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
None.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I liked the challenges more. They didn't take too much time. Especially liked the title scramble.

5. How many books did you read?
5

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Juniper by Monica Furlong
A Murderous Yarn by Monica Ferris
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
My Antonia by Willa Cather

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson. The heroine was near unlikeable.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
None.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely. Reader. Hopefully next time be able to donate an Amazon gift card.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 14

I'm done. Time for bed!

Title of book(s) read since last update: Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson
Number of books read since you started: 5
Pages read since last update: 173
Running total of pages read since you started: 1,021
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 57 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 559 minutes

Average pages per hour: 109.5

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 13

Title of book(s) read since last update: Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson
Number of books read since you started: 4
Pages read since last update: 128
Running total of pages read since you started: 848
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 502 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: 1

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Book Scramble

1.yfferil enal - Firefly lane

2.aste fo eend - East of Eden

3. retwa orf pntshleea - Water for Elephants

4.ot lkli a ckomgnrbdii - To Kill a Mockingbird

5. het gtaer ysbtag - The Great Gatsby

6. yrhra tetrpo dna eth lyhdtea wollsah - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

7. ht e rat fo nrgcai ni eht nair - The Art of Racing in the Rain

8.eth mite reslveart efwi - The Time Traveler's Wife

9. eht rlig ithw eht gnodar ooattt - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

10.ydira fo a mypiw idk - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

11.a kwrlnei ni emit - A Wrinkle in Time

12. het rpoal sxprese - The Polar Express

13.vole dewlak ni - Love Walked In

14.reehw eth dwli hingts rea - Where the Wild Things Are

15.eht ginnhsi - The Shining

16.dnohogigt oonm - Goodnight Moon

17. vwtienrie hwti a pvmarie - Interview with a Vampire

18. eht cretse file fo eesb - The Secret Life of Bees

19. eht raesch - The Search

20. het pelh - The Help

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 12

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Number of books read since you started: 3
Pages read since last update: 140
Running total of pages read since you started: 720
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 60 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 442 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Mid-event

1. What are you reading right now?
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

2. How many books have you read so far?
3 completed

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson, if I get to it.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
No.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
A few. Just did what I needed to do and went back to reading.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How little I'm reading. Only about 30 minutes of an hour.

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

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Not sure how to read more. Life just gets in the way.

9. Are you getting tired yet?
A little.

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?
Not that hasn't already been said.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 11

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Number of books read since you started: 3
Pages read since last update: 96
Running total of pages read since you started: 676
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 49 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 431 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 10

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Number of books read since you started: 3
Pages read since last update: 78
Running total of pages read since you started: 580
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 48 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 382 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 9

Title of book(s) read since last update: My Antonia by Willa Cather
Number of books read since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 49
Running total of pages read since you started: 502
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 334 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 8

Title of book(s) read since last update: My Antonia by Willa Cather (really enjoying this a lot)
Number of books read since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 72
Running total of pages read since you started: 525
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 50 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 354 minutes
Book challenges won: 1 - Show Me the Books

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 7

Title of book(s) read since last update: My Antonia by Willa Cather
Number of books read since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 38
Running total of pages read since you started: 453
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 35 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 304 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Name That Book

Guess the title of the book from the pictures.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 6

Title of book(s) read since last update: My Antonia by Willa Cather
Number of books read since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 35
Running total of pages read since you started: 415
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 269 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: 1

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Picture of the Pile

Here's a picture of Mount TBR. The pile on the left is for the Read-a-thon. The pile on the right is for the next day. Ha!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 5

Title of book(s) read since last update: A Murderous Yarn by Monica Ferris
Number of books read since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 107
Running total of pages read since you started: 380
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 67 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 239 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 4

Title of book(s) read since last update: A Murderous Yarn by Monica Ferris
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 66
Running total of pages read since you started: 273
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 40 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 172 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 3

Title of book(s) read since last update: A Murderous Yarn by Monica Ferris
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 70
Running total of pages read since you started: 207
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 40 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 132 minutes

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 2

Title of book(s) read since last update: Juniper by Monica Furlong
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 61
Running total of pages read since you started: 137
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 30 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 92 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: 2

Hour 1 Meme

Where are you reading from today?
Suburb of Minneapolis, couch with canine reading companion in my lap

3 facts about me
I read 200+ books a year, currently going to online school for an Associates in Accounting, married 20 years

How many books do you have in your pile for the next 24 hours?
Twelve:

Juniper by Monica Furlong
A Murderous Yarn by Monica Ferris
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson
Rattlesnake Crossing by J. A. Jance
Rebellious Desire by Julie Garwood
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Shakepeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris
Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich
True Seeker by C. E. Murphy
Mister Monday by Garth Nix

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
No, no need to stress myself out. This is my fourth read-a-thon and I've learned to just take it easy.


If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Start with an easy book. Keep some easy books aside for the last couple of hours as well. If you are going for a high number of books stick with easy genres like mysteries and YA and stay away from nonfiction and most classics; they slow you down. Don't try to compete, just enjoy yourself.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Hour 1

Current title: Juniper by Monica Furlong
Pages read since last update: 137
Running total of pages read since you started: 137
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 62 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 62 minutes