Ok, so apparently my relaxed approach to the read-a-thon was a bit too relaxed.  Decided to take a nap at 8 pm for a little while. Didn’t wake up til 7 am this morning!  With my son’s field trip to Jamestown on Thursday and wine night on Friday, I was just so exhausted.  Oh well…I’m not too down about it. I still had a great time!

Progress so far:

• Currently reading:The Mark by Jen Nadol
• Books finished: Veracity by Laura Bynum & Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain
• Pages read: 125
• Running total of pages read:
• Amount of time spent reading: 740
• Running total of time spent reading: Your guess is as good as mine!
• Mini-challenges completed: 0
• Other participants I’ve visited: 80
• Snacks: Cinnamon rolls for breakfast

24-Hour Readathon: Post Game Wrap Up is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

We’re getting pretty close to halfway through the readathon!  I have to say, my relaxed outlook on the entire thing has made the experience much more enjoyable!  After each book read, I take an hour break to watch tv, spend time with my boys, refuel, etc.  I don’t feel the pressure to keep reading non-stop.  Taking breaks are good!

Progress so far:

• Currently reading: The Mark by Jen Nadol
• Books finished: 2 (Veracity by Laura Bynum & Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain)
• Total Pages read: 615
• Amount of time spent reading: 6 hours (give or take!)
• Mini-challenges completed: 0
• Other participants I’ve visited: 60
• Snacks: Half a donut (breakfast), grapes, pretzel rods, grilled cheese for lunch. Jellybeans for afternoon snack.  Hamburger for dinner.

Ok! Back to reading!  I won’t be posting again til the end of the readathon, so check back to see my final totals!

24-Hour Readathon: Half Time Report is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Good morning!!  I’m excited to start the read-a-thon!  Ok, so I probably shouldn’t have gone to wine night at a friends house the night before the read-a-thon.  We didn’t get home until after 2 am.  Nevertheless, I have my coffee in here and I’m ready to start reading!

I’m starting off with Laura Bynum’s Veracity.  I’m actually already about 50 pages in.  Normally, I kick-off the read-a-thon with a new book, but I can’t put this one down!

Good luck to all the readers!  I’ll be stopping by some of your blogs when I put on my cheerleading hat! Check back in twelve hours when I do my half-time post!

24-Hour Readathon: The Kick Off! is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Tomorrow at 8 am I’ll be joining over 300 other readers for Dewey’s 24 Hour read-a-thon! The read-a-thon by far is one of my favorite blogger events. When else can you dedicate 24 hours to reading, but also connect with a bunch of other great readers? You still have time to sign up if you are interested! 

I have my snacks all lined up!  A few sweets (I didn’t survive the last two read-a-thons without my freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies!) as well as some nutritious snacks as well.

This year, I decided not to plan my reading selections in advance.  I think I’m going to go with the flow and pick up books from my bookshelf randomly. 

Another new thing I’m doing this year-cheerleading! I’m head cheerleader for Team Keats, and we’ll be cheering for all readers A-C.  Check out my awesome squad:

If you join us for the read-a-thon, there is still time to sign up to be a cheerleader! I can tell you from experience that cheerleaders are an extremely necessary part of the read-a-thon!  It’s their job to encourage readers and give them a jolt of energy when required!

Rather than posting every hour or so, I’ll only be doing three posts: the kick-off-post, a half-time post, and a wrap-up post.  I don’t want to overwhelm my followers with too many updates! Instead, I will be installing a widget on my blog linked to my twitter feed so you’ll be able to check my progress that way. Be sure to check back in tomorrow to see how I’m doing!

Participating in the read-a-thon tomorrow? What sort of books (and snacks!) do you have lined up?

Gearing Up for Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon! is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Title of book(s) read since last update: Currently reading Ruined by Paula Morris
  

• Thoughts on current read: Love the New Orleans setting!
  

• Number of books read since you started: 4.5

• Pages read since last update: 79 (four year old woke up at 6 AM!)

• Running total of pages read since you started: 1627 pages

• Amount of time spent reading since last update: 46 minutes (see note above about son’s wake-up time!)
  

• Running total of time spent reading since you started: 18 hrs.

• Location: Husband’s recliner

Snack Intake: none

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

It was definitely around 2 AM. I had already taken one nap yet I was still so tired my eyes couldn’t focus.  So, I went to sleep until 6 am!

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

I definitely enjoyed reading Life As We Knew It.  It was a pretty dark read, but still kept my interest.  I also enjoyed reading the Sookie books.  They were pretty easy reads that didn’t require too much concentration.

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

I guess this year cheerleaders were assigned blogs to cheer for? I understand the point, but it just seemed a little odd for people who have never visited my blog to cheer for me.  Granted, I do know some of my cheerleaders, and they were all amazing.  Just saying….

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

Twitter! I think it was even more effective this time around!  I liked being able to log on and see a bunch of cheerleaders and other readers offering their support!

5. How many books did you read?

Four and a half.

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

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Ruined by Paula Morris

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I actually enjoyed all of these. I probably enjoyed Ruined the most because it’s set in New Orleans (a city I’ve always been drawn to).

8. Which did you enjoy least?

There were a few books I tried to read during the readathon that didn’t grab my attention. I don’t think this was a fault of the book, just not the right book at the time.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

Not a cheerleader.

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

I’ll definitely participate again! And I’d like to continue to be a reader

Readathon: Update & Wrap-Up Meme is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Progress Report:

• Title of book(s) read since last update: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

• Thoughts on current read: Just finished Life as We Knew it.  Very heartbreaking and haunting tale.  I feel guilty snacking on cookies and pizza rolls after reading the struggle this family endured.

• Number of books read since you started: 1 books

• Pages read since last update: 337

• Running total of pages read since you started: 337 pages

• Amount of time spent reading since last update: 200 minutes

• Running total of time spent reading since you started: 200 minutes

• Location: Reading Chair

• Snack Intake:
  
• Breakfast: blueberry cake donut
• Snack: cinnamon roll
• Lunch: Pizza rolls

I’ll be back in four hours!  You may have noticed I installed a twitter widget off to the left.  I am updating every hour on twitter and you can now see my updates without leaving my blog!

Thanks to all the cheerleaders for your outstanding support!

Readathon: Update #1: Hour 4 is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

I’m so excited!  It’s finally here!  The activity I’ve look forward to the most!

I’ve been busy preparing!  I have my initial stack of books:

And I was busy baking last night:

Cinnamon rolls are in the oven and should be ready right at start time.

So I don’t inundate my readers with posts, I will only be doing blog posts every three to four hours.  I will update hourly on twitter, so feel free to follow me (@jennsbookshelf).

Just as a reminder, I will be reading for two charities, so please wish me luck!  Ok, I’ll be back in a few hours!!

It’s Time for the 24 Hour Readathon!! is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

For this round of the read-a-thon, I couldn’t decide which charity to read for.  So, I’m picking two: First Book and Reading is Fundamental.  Following is some information about each of these charities.

Mission: First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books.

Inspiration: Kyle Zimmer, a corporate lawyer by day, tutored children at an inner-city soup kitchen by night. She discovered that the children she tutored had no books to read. That year, Kyle left her day job, and she and two friends founded First Book to provide new books and resources to the children who needed them the most. They delivered 12,000 books to local communities in the Washington DC area the first year.

Motivation: Kyle discovered that fully 80% of preschool and after-school programs serving low-income populations have no age-appropriate books for the children they serve. Millions of children spend thousands of hours every week in programs and schools that are starving for resources necessary to improve educational quality.

Empowerment: By providing new books to children in preschools and after-school programs, mentoring and tutoring programs, shelters and day care centers and beyond, First Book provides resources to empower teachers and administrators. With access to high-quality books, educational materials and more, these caring leaders can better teach, plan curriculum and impart a love of learning, elevating the quality of the programs and opportunities available to children in need.

Achievement: Now, nearly 20 years later, First Book has delivered more than 65 million books to programs serving children in need across the United States and Canada. Learn more about the honors and awards received by First Book.

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. prepares and motivates children to read by delivering free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them most.

Founded in 1966, RIF is the oldest and largest children’s and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. 

All RIF programs combine three essential elements to foster children’s literacy: reading motivation, family and community involvement, and the excitement of choosing free books to keep.

RIF’s accomplishments are due in part to the generous support of the U.S. Department of Education, corporations, foundations, community organizations, and thousands of individuals.

Do you see why it was impossible for me to choose between these two charities!? 

For each book I read, I will donate $5 to each of these charities. While I’m not openly soliciting people to pledge me, if you would like to, please send me an email (jennsbookshelfATgmailDOTcom) or post a comment below.

Read-a-thon Update: Charities I’m Reading For! is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

The 24 Hour Read-a-thon is a little over a week away and I’m ecstatic! I participated in April and had an absolutely wonderful time!

I learned a great deal during the last read-a-thon. Here are just a few of them:

• Choose your books carefully! Don’t choose a book with an overly heavy topic.  I picked a pretty heavy book last year.  It was very powerful, yet I couldn’t really get into the books that followed. It stuck with me and definitely hindered my “performance.”
• Don’t attempt to write reviews of all the books you’ve read.  Your brain will go into a state of hibernation shortly after the completion of the read-a-thon.  You will be unable to forumulate a review that makes any sort of sense.

So, without further ado, my planned reads for the Read-a-thon!

I have a good mixture of YA and Middle Grade Fiction.  To switch things up a bit, I will be adding a few of the Sookie Stackhouse books in between.  And I’m pretty certain I will add at least one or two spooky horror books to the pile!

So, will you be participating in the read-a-thon!? If so, what are you reading?

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon! is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

I crashed right at 8 am and didn’t get a chance to complete this meme in the last hour. But I’ve napped for a few hours and I’m feeling a little rejuvenated!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? It was definitely the 18th hr. I needed to get some semblance of sleep. I have two kids and have to be at least a bit presentable today. I ultimately went to sleep at 3 am and awoke at 5:30 am.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? My books were high interest..I think it helped that they were YA. My recommendation, though-Don’t read books longer than 250 pages or so. Mine were around 300-350 each and sometimes I felt I was never going to finish them!

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

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Cheerleaders and Twitter! It was a nice and easy way to keep in contact with others participating. Well, until Beth got kicked off for “over-tweeting!” She was our head cheerleader!

5. How many books did you read? 4 1/2
6. What were the names of the books you read? Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity, Marked, and Speak.

7. Which book did you enjoy most? I enjoyed all of them, but probably Marked the most.

8. Which did you enjoy least? I enjoyed them all.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? 100%! I’ll be there! The only thing that would prevent me would be a conflict with the date, so I suggest perhaps doing a survey or something similar. I’ll definitely participate as a reader again.

Read-a-thon–Hour 24 Meme is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.