Cover to Cover Challenge discussion
Read-a-thon
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May 2014 Read-A-Thon
My goals for the readathon:1. Finish Les Miserables and David Copperfield.
2. Finish a book on my 12+4 (The Big Over Easy).
3. Finish at least 2 library books.
4. Any other reading that catches my interest.
These goals are very ambitious, but I think they are doable as long as I don't get any additional projects added to my "to-do" list next week. I was only projected at 42 hours when I left on Friday, but that could change.
Anne wrote: "My goals for the readathon:1. Finish Les Miserables and David Copperfield.
2. Finish a book on my 12+4 (The Big Over Easy).
3. Finish at least 2 library books.
4. Any other reading that catches my..."
I really loved Les Mis. It's great to finish a 1200-page book and feel your time was well-spent!
Good luck with your goals!
My goals are to finish the two I have in progress:Island of the Blue Dolphins (audio - I usually listen to a book while walking the dog)
Unusual Uses for Olive Oil
and hopefully also read:
Flowers for Algernon
Lord Edgware Dies
The Thirteenth Tale
My main goal is to read at least 1000 pages.
My goal is to finish three books I have started:1. Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
3. Unravel by Calia Read
Ann A wrote: "I really loved Les Mis. It's great to finish a 1200-page book and feel your time was well-spent!Good luck with your goals!"
Thanks, you too :)
I am really enjoying Les Miserables, and I can't wait to find out how it ends. I think I have about 500 pages left.
Mod
Ann, it looks like you have some excellent books selected for the week. I love that you listen to books while you walk the dog! I listen at the gym and if I walk or jog in the neighborhood.
Karin, I just found Neil Gaiman last year on GoodReads. Isn't he great?
Mod
1. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
2. March by Geraldine Brooks
Others added later
My goals for the read-a-thon are to:1. Finish Insurgent by Veronica Roth - Done
2. Finish No Future for You by Joss Whedon - Done
3. Get some reading done in The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Day 1 -
Insurgent by Veronica Roth - 39 pages
No Future for You by Joss Whedon - 48 pages
The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins - 43 pages
Daily Pages Read: 130
Day 2 -
Insurgent by Veronica Roth - 40 pages - Finished
No Future for You by Joss Whedon - 52 pages - Finished
Daily Pages Read: 92
Total Pages Read: 222
Day 3 -
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - 19 pages
Daily Pages Read: 19
Total Pages Read - 241
Day 4 -
Better Days by Joss Whedon - 80 Pages - Finished
Daily Pages Read - 80
Total Pages Read - 321
Day 5 -
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - 21 pages
Pages read today - 21
Total Pages Read - 342
Day 6 -
The Next Best Thing - 8 pages
Pages read today - 8
Total pages read - 352
Reading Goals:Start The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth
Start Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
Day 1
Fault in our Stars - 90 pages Finished
Tender at the Bone - 44 pages
Total: 134 pages
Day 2
Tender at the Bone - 15 pages
Total: 15 pages
Day 3
Tender at the Bone - 61 pages
Total: 61 pages
Day 4
Tender at the Bone - 23 pages Finished
Into the Darkest Corner - 23 pages
Total: 46 pages
Total: 256 pages
Reading Goals:Continue -
Eighth Grade Bites (pg. 18 of 182)
Hunting Ground (21m 20s of 8h 25m)
Start -
Between the Lines
Storm Front
Day 1
Friends with Boys - 68 pages
Storm Front - 41 minutes (26 pages)
Total: 94 pages
Day 2
Friends with Boys - 38 pages
Total: 38 pages
Day 3
Friends with Boys - 78 pages Finished
Total: 78 pages
Total: 210 pages
Mod
@Stephanie, I loved every minute I was reading The Fault in Our Stars. I hope you enjoy it, too. Ruth Reichl is such a great author, and Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table is a wonderful book. Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise is one of my favorites, too. Happy reading!
@Heather, I hope your books are really great! It looks like you have already put a significant dent in them. All the best reading luck to you!
@Connie Nope, this is my first Gillian Flynn book. I'm 100 pages in and really hooked!
Day 1 Update:In progress:
1. David Copperfield- 185 pages (listened 2.5 hours, read rest)
2. The Big Over Easy- 3 pages
New:
1.
Finished:
1.
Total pages: 188
My TBR includes: "Fangirl" by R. Rowell, "Attachments" by R. Rowell, "Lucid" by R. Bass and A. Stoltz, "False Princess" by E. O'Neal, "Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac" by G. Zevin, and "Don't Die My Love" by L. McDaniel. So far I've read "Attachments" and am now reading "Fangirl" :)
Mod
Jenn, you are really in for a roller coaster ride! Tighten your seatbelt and have fun with this Flynn book! I bet you will want to read another one.
@ Hi, Wayne! So glad to hear from you! I feel confident you will reach your goal-easily. : )
Best of luck with your reading! Keep us updated on how it is going for you.
@ Kit Foxy, you are on fire! (as usual) : ) Loving your TBR list! I can't wait to see what you do this week!
My goals for this read-a-thon are:1. Finish "Son" by Lois Lowry
2. Read 70 pages in "Don Quixote"
3. (Read a total of 600 pages overall for the week)
I will post my day 1 stats in a bit.
Happy reading everyone!!
Day 1:Read "Son": 48 pages
A slow day for reading! That's all I got done.
Day 1 ReportUnusual Uses for Olive Oil - 122 pgs, Finished
Island of the Blue Dolphins - 28 pgs
Running total: 150 pages
Excited for this, hoping to do better than the last read a thon.My goal is to read 2 books. Reading has been a challenge with the Stanley Cup playoffs going on, hoping to get my momentum back!
Day 1 update - Friends with Boys - 68 pages
Storm Front - 41 minutes (26 pages)
Total: 94 pages
Mod
Read "Son": 48 pages
A slow day for reading! That's all I got done."
Joy,some days are like that. RL just gets in the way of reading time. Today was not a great reading day for me either, but I am hoping tomorrow will be great! [for both of us! : )]
It looks like everyone is making good progress. Some of you have even finished books! We will see how tomorrow shakes out!
@Connie I absolutely loved Fault in our Stars also! This is my first Ruth Reichl but definitely will be reading more, I already have Garlic and Sapphires to get to next. Day 1 -
Fault in our Stars - 90 pages Finished
Tender at the Bone - 44 pages
Total: 134 pages
Thank you, Connie!!! Darn life and it's constant interruptions! Lol... Anyone want to take my active three year old for the week so I can read? Anyone? Anyone? Lol
Day 1 update - Insurgent by Veronica Roth - 39 pages
No Future for You by Joss Whedon - 48 pages
The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins - 43 pages
Total Pages Read: 130
Just have to comment that Garlic and Sapphires is one of my all time favorite books. It's amazing.
Mod
I'm working on Barefoot Season and Singapore Noir (review copy of short stories)
On the iPod I'm listening to The Darkest Craving - one of the books nominated for best romance audio for the Annual Audies
Day 2:"Son"- 110 pages
FINISHED!
Daily total: 110 pages
Overall total: 158 pages
Well, I finished one thing on my goals list... To finish "Son".
Day 2 ReportIsland of the Blue Dolphins - 54 pgs
Flowers for Algernon - 23 pgs
Day 2 total: 77 pgs
Running total: 227 pages
Not a stellar reading day yesterday. Must go work hard now so I'll have more time for reading later!!
ETA: It looks like you all are reading some great books this week. I've read several of them and there isn't one I didn't like!
Mod
Day 1 -
Fault in our Star..."
@Stephanie, I am so delighted that you have found some winners! Isn't is wonderful when you find the perfect books? Sounds like you are all set for perfect reading for a while. I have just ordered Ruth Reichl's new book Delicious!. It is her first novel.
@ Oh, Joy, your reading time is precious indeed with an active toddler on board. Nap time is never long enough! : )
It sounds like everyone is so BUSY with limited time for reading. We are just doing the best we can to scrape a few minutes in for a chapter here and there. Remember slow and steady wins the race! haha!
I have been reading The Luminaries, and although I am loving the book, it is a slow go. I got into the book right off, but I just haven't had much time to read because someone keeps popping up with some immediate need. I think I need a beach reading vacation--aaah bliss!
My reading totals were okay this weekend, but I'm not sure how good they will be the rest of the week. One of my pets has suddenly become ill, and the prognosis is not good. I am not sure that I'll be able to focus very well. Also, I had to take some time off from work today because of the vet visits, so I may have to work some long days the rest of the week.Day 2 Update:
In progress:
1. David Copperfield- 335 pages (listened 4.25 hours, read rest)
2. The Big Over Easy- 7 pages
New:
1.
Finished:
1.
Total pages: 342
Mod
I had a very slow first two days, but hope to pick it up this evening and throughout the rest of the week:Day 1: The Cuckoo's Calling - 114p.
Day 2: The Cuckoo's Calling - 112p.
Total pages so far: 226
Dee wrote: "Anne - I'm sorry to hear about your pet :( I just got back from the vet with my old man (12yo dog) - and it sucks"Thank you, Dee. It has been a very long day of waiting, and the vet was not able to give me much hope. She isn't old, but unfortunately there may be some sort of genetic problem. I had adopted Pandora and her sister from the Humane Society about 2 years ago. They were part of an abandoned litter of guinea pigs. It turns out both girls were pregnant (very likely a product of incest), and they had 3 babies between them. Two of the "babies" have since died (her niece in February and her son 2 weeks ago). It is unusual for guinea pigs this young to become ill, but these three all suffered from previously undiagnosed malformations of their jaws plus potential heart/kidney issues. They were thriving at first, then suddenly it caught up with them. The two others (her sister and nephew) still seem healthy, but there's no guarantee they won't have the same issues. At this point, finishing David Copperfield (only 180 pages left) and The Big Over Easy seem doable, but Les Miserables and some of the other reading may be out of reach. We'll see.
Mod
Dee, I hope your pet is rallying. I had to put my Yorkie to sleep a few years ago (17 years old) and haven't completely gotten over it yet. They do become so dear to us. I'll keep both of you in my thoughts.
Anne and Dee, so sorry to hear about your pets' health issues. And condolences, Connie - my previous canine child has been gone for 10 years (lived to age 15) and I still miss him! My current puppy is 10 and starting to have some problems - it is difficult.Off to read until I drop the book from exhaustion!
Day Two Update -Insurgent by Veronica Roth - 40 pages - Finished
I hit a slump midway through this book but came back to it and it really improved. The ending was awesome. Can't wait to read the last in the trilogy.
No Future for You by Joss Whedon - 52 pages - Finished
Lots of fun.
92 pages read today
222 pages read total.
Day 2Tender at the Bone - 15 pages
Total: 15 pages
Day 3
Tender at the Bone - 61 pages
Total: 61 pages
Overall Total: 210 pages
Day 2 Friends with Boys - 38 pages
Total: 38 pages
Overall: 132
Day 3-"Don Quixote"- 20 pages
Daily total: 20
Overall total: 178
Boy, I am totally sucking at this read a thon this week! I feel like I'm on reading burn out for some reason. Not the best week to feel like this, "Come on, Joy! Get it together!!" :(
Day 3 ReportIsland of the Blue Dolphins - 50 pgs, Finished
Flowers for Algernon - 96 pgs (Boy, is this book sad...)
Lord Edgware Dies - 19 pgs
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - 27 pgs (audiobook)
Day 3 total: 192 pgs
Running total: 419 pages
Day 3 - somewhat better progress but not yet to where I want it to be. Life just keeps interfering with my reading time - lol!Day 3:
Finished The Voronezh Affair - last 79p.
In progress:
The Cuckoo's Calling - 252 more pages (I LOVE this book!!) [My only problem is that it is a real-life Book Club book and it is the large-print edition, which I don't enjoy reading, even though I understand why some of the older ladies in my club need those editions.]
Total pages: 557p.
Mod
My goal is to read 2 books. Reading has been a challenge with the Stanley Cup playoffs going on, hoping to get my momentum back!"
Just keep reading! : )
Everyone is making such great progress! I am still reading The Luminaries, so I understand how some of you feel about not getting as much reading accomplished as you would like, but one page at a time...
I see those totals keep adding up!
As expected, Pandora passed away today. Thank you to those who sent your condolences. It hurts so much right now, but I know from experience that the pain does ease, even if it does take some time. I'm going to try to do some reading later because I know I need the distraction. Day 3 Update:
In progress:
1. David Copperfield- 368 pages (listened 5.25 hours, read rest)
2. The Big Over Easy- 7 pages
New:
1.
Finished:
1.
Total pages: 375
I plan on finishing the book Prodigy in the Legend series. Anyone have any tips on really understanding what you read because sometimes I read something and then like a week later my friend talks about the book with me and I totally forget things that happened. This has been happening to me lately and hopefully I can get some tips on how to fix this, thanks! :)
Anne wrote: "As expected, Pandora passed away today. Thank you to those who sent your condolences. It hurts so much right now, but I know from experience that the pain does ease, even if it does take some tim..."I'm very sorry to hear about your Pandora passing away. Wishing you all the best during this horrible time. <3
Day 3 Friends with Boys - 78 pages Finished
Total: 78 pages
Day Three UpdateGone Girl by Gillian Flynn - 19 pages
Daily Pages Read: 19
Total Pages Read - 241
Not much of a chance to read today. Hoping for some more tomorrow.
Anne, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of Pandora. It sounds like you did all you could to love her and give her a good life.
Day 4:"Hunter's Moon"- 124 p.
Daily Total: 124
Overall Total: 302
Cover to Cover Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Flowers for Algernon (other topics)Lord Edgware Dies (other topics)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (other topics)
The Thirteenth Tale (other topics)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Geraldine Brooks (other topics)Marilynne Robinson (other topics)
Geraldine Brooks (other topics)
Eleanor Catton (other topics)
Ruth Reichl (other topics)
More...
Please stop by and post your reading updates here throughout the week, and let us know if you find any books you truly love, or if you find some duds that we need to avoid. We want to know how your week is progressing, so don't be shy about sharing. Most importantly, have a happy, fun week reading with your friends!