End of 2013 Panic Read-a-long

[Rusalka, Moderator]

So full of turkey, Chrissy pud, ham, seafood, shortbread and cranberries you can't seem to get off the couch?

Still a little addled (or ill) from the champers and eggnog?

Your alphabet is taunting you with a slight ticking noise in the background every time you look at the pile of books still to be read?

Or just got some awesome books for Christmas you can't wait to read?

Join us for a unofficial, slightly panicked read-a-long between the 29-31 December. There are no rules, no conditions, just if people are madly reading in order to relax or complete challenges in the last days of 2013, here is a little space to chat and cheer each other along.

Feel free to join in.

[Esther]

I just may have to.... The world seems to conspire to keep me and my z book apart.

[Janice, Moderator]

It sounds like it will be a fun time. :)

[Beth]

I am in!

[Alexandra]

Count me in!!!

[Sarah]

Sounds perfect! I've finished my challenge reads but as I am off work all those days I will definitely be reading - maybe a buddy read or books that I (hopefully) get for Christmas!

[Peggy]

Great idea! I'll be also reading quite a lot. Boyfriend has to work and I don't. I'll probably be reading The Wise Man's Fear for a buddy read starting on Friday, but I want to finish all 1000 pages before the end of the year :)

[Lynn]

I'm off work for 3 weeks over Xmas and New Year so a lot of reading will be done :)

[Lisa]

I will join in too! There are a couple of books that I want to read before the end of the year so that I am completely free to start The Luminaries buddy read on Jan 1st.

[Sarah]

I'm in =] I have one book left for The Time Travellers Challenge and I need to find a suitable book to fit in with The Middle Ages. Otherwise I just want to get a few more books in before the year is out.

[Casceil]

May I join too, please? I really enjoyed the December toppler. I am close to finishing my various current challenges, but this sounds like a great opportunity to read some of the pure fun fiction that has been piling up on a shelf while I read serious stuff.

[Lori Z]

Count me in. I still have to finish my Goodreads challenge and I'm 3 or 4 books behind schedule, so I'm pretty sure I'll be in panic mode, on December 29th.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Woohooo! Looks like we'll have a good little group of people!

I'm going to cheat and start 29th Aussie time. But that means if we read until the end of your 31st I can read a bit of my first chunkster. Well... depending what happens with new years ;)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sorry, AEDST (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time) if people want to start with me and want to look it up.

[Debra]

I can certainly spend all day of the 29th reading with you guys, then the evening of the 30th (after work), and prior to party plans on the 31st. Almeta and I just might hang out and read together the morning and afternoon of the 31st. Then we'll go do our party stuff together, as planned.

Will have to alert Almeta about this thread.

[Almeta]

I will definitely be reading until the last available minute, for my "almost finished challenges".

So it looks like a bunch of us will be reading together!

[Janice, Moderator]

I'll be reading off and on, so will pop in and out.

[Snoozie Suzie]

Well I've got small and so won't be going anywhere NYE but having the boy means I may not get much reading time in but will be roped in to playing games and puzzles. Ah well, lovely time with boy while he wants it eh?

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I'm not sure how my reading is going to go over these days if yesterday was an indication. We had our large Christmas party for all our old housemates and their partners on Saturday night. Far too much food, lots of wine, 30 degrees most of the time.
Sunday afternoon I snuggled down on the couch to knock over my V book. Woke up 2 hours later with the book on the floor, and a chicken who had wandered in and made a nest on my stomach and gone to sleep herself.
And I have two more Christmases to go!!

Hopefully you can pop in Suzie and at least report to us which picture books you have read! But you're right, lap it up while he's happy hanging out with Mum. But hopefully that won't ever change.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Poop poop! (to quote Mr Toad)
And us Aussie are off!!

I have 100pp on An Expert in Murder left. Lets go!!

[Lisa]

I have just been diagnosed with a chest and sinus infection so I now have the perfect excuse to stay at home for the next couple of days, dose up on my antibiotics and read :) I really need/want to finish The Ghost Hunters by NYE.

[Sarah]

I'm going to be finishing off The Hobbit and hopefully To Kill a Mockingbird which I started two Toppler's ago!

[[deleted user]]

Get well soon Lisa! Sounds like staying in with a good book is the only option!

I'm hoping to finish The Ocean at the End of the Lane and A Piano in the Pyrenees, both if which have been half-read for way too long.

[Nancy from NJ]

Lisa wrote: "I have just been diagnosed with a chest and sinus infection so I now have the perfect excuse to stay at home for the next couple of days, dose up on my antibiotics and read :) I really need/want to..."

Hope you feel better and better although not having to have an excuse to read isn't all that bad either.

[Snoozie Suzie]

I'm back in bed as I've got this nasty cold. The other half told me I sounded like a man when I spoke to him on the phone. So I will take the opportunity to have a read. The plus side of being ill.

[Snoozie Suzie]

Although it's still 28th here. Whoopsie.

[Lisa]

Snoozie Suzie wrote: "Although it's still 28th here. Whoopsie."

Get well soon Snoozie Suzie! I have actually lost my voice completely at the moment, I haven't been able to do more than a strained whisper for the past 2 days. Still, my family gets some peace and quiet I suppose ;)

[Pragya]

Get well soon, Suzie and Lisa.

What a great idea. I have a mountain of books to read through. But sadly, I also have huge amount of work to do and no holidays. *sigh*

Will try to read and drop in though.

[Marnie]

Hope you feel better soon Lisa and Snoozie Suzie- being sick is no fun but it is a great excuse to read a whole bunch...I might feel a tingle in my throat- " cough cough."

[Janice, Moderator]

Start your engines. I'll be finishing Gone With a Handsomer Man and The Summoner.

I hope all you sickies feel better soon. I prescribe hot rum toddies all the way around.

[Pragya]

Oh, it's 1am on the 29th. Starting Crescent. Anyone read it yet?

[Theresa~OctoberLace]

It's only 2:25 pm on the 28th here in Texas. I plan to finish Allegiant and maybe One Day of Life today. I'll pick another book or two to read between the 29th and 31st.

[Dawn]

Ohhh, I think I just might join in here too. I'm doing my damnedest to read 200 books for the year and I need 5 more.
Needless to say I'm finding all the shortest books in my bookshelves. Which happen to be all the Agatha Christie books I got for Christmas!

[Sarah]

It's just gone 9pm in the UK, so 3 hours to wait =D I have a few books lined up. I really want to finish 'The Law of the Lycans' series so I have: The Keeping, Betrayed: Days of the Rogue and The Finding to read.

I don't think I'll be able to finish 'The Time Travellers Challenge' as the book I wanted: Company Of Liars hasn't turned up at the library =[

I'm also listening to [book:Moby-Dick|2389], I'm on on Chapter 16 and don't think I'll manage to finish it in the panic read along but I'd like to listen to more.

[Casceil]

I'm reading The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner. I'm starting a little early (it's still the 28th)but I have close to 400 pages to read, and I'm supposed to lead a discussion about it (in another thread) starting January 1st. I just got back from the bookstore, where a very generous Christmas gift card let me buy both The Goldfinchand The Luminaries, so I am set to begin the Chunkster challenge if I get Flamethrowers finished first.

[Almeta]

Dawn wrote: "Needless to say I'm finding all the shortest books in my bookshelves. Which happen to be all the Agatha Christie books I got for Christmas! ..."

My first thought was that five would be unlikely, but with Christie I think it is doable. You can do it!☺

[Esther]

I will start my last sprint tonight. I'm 25% done with my Z book. Go Esther Go.

[Lilisa]

I plan on starting Mother Daughter Me later in the afternoon tomorrow after some festivities. We'll see how far I get by the 31st as I'm tied up most of Monday and Tuesday. But it's not that long so if I sacrifice some sleep I might be able to pull it off.

[Dawn]

Almeta wrote: "My first thought was that five would be unlikely, but with Christie I think it is doable. You can do it!☺..."

As long as I don't get distracted by something other than reading.....I think I can do it.
I've finished A Caribbean Mystery today, so only 4 more to go! :)

[Dawn]

Lilisa wrote: " ....if I sacrifice some sleep I might be able to pull it off. "

I think this is a good plan. I might try it myself! :)

[Peggy]

It's the first 30 minutes of the 29th right now and I'm going to sleep! My plan is still to finish Wise Man's Fear before the end of the year. I'm not sure if I will manage though, as it took me 7 days to read the first 550 pages and I still have 450 to go. Perhaps I should change my goal to finish it before my holidays are over.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I got so excited with my starting time I went to bed to read and fell asleep for 10 hours. Hehe.

Hope all you sick guys are curled up warm with your books and hot toddies.

[Sarah]

It's 00:12 now. Yay! Time to start reading first book is

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I finished my X book with An Expert in Murder. Yay! Only two books to go.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Started my Y book Year of Wonders.

[Almeta]

Started Zone One by Colson Whitehead. This will be a leap of faith for me because I wasn't all that happy with acclaimed The Intuitionist.

The Zee noir mystery that I was going to read still has not arrived at the library; stuck with zombie plague recovery instead.

[Cherie]

It is 0 dark in the morning of the 29th finally, and I am here with you. Trying to finish the 2nd half of Zuleika Dobson for my last ABC book. I have been wasting time looking up too many references from the book. It is just chock full of names and Greek Gods, and places that keep distracting me from going on. I keep going back and forth between my library book and my ebook (it is easier to look up words and highlight things on my Nook).

You really should read this someday, Rusalka! You will laugh at Miss Dobson and the Duke and their crazy story and you probably already know more of the references and words than I do. (and if you want to know what the French translation on page 106 - it is in the Other language thread - thanks to Esther) - And I learned about George Sand and Chopin when I looked them up last night. Lots more reading left there. :)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sounds like a really interesting read Cherie! I'm adding it the list. Got to get my moneys worth out of those Classics subjects I took :P
Thanks!! :D

[Sandra]

I'm in too! Almost finished Paging the Dead and have God's Doodle lined up next : )

[Sarah]

I'm awake but my head is spinning at the moment (I haven't joined the sickies yet though - get well soon Lisa and Suzie!). I'm 50% into The Hobbit so I want to finish that if not today then tomorrow morning. Some interesting reads that everyone has. Good luck Cherie and Rusalka for finishing the alphabet!