Lena's Read-a-Thon Home (July 2025)

[Lena]

Getting ready for the upcoming read-a-thon in just a few weeks! Can hardly wait!

[Kate]

Welcome! Glad to have you!!!!

[Lena]

Read-a-thon is now just 1 week away and I am starting to get way too excited. lol! I'm as bad as my kid waiting for Christmas!

[Karen B.]

Lena, I was just thinking something similar. I was thinking how all of this is building such excitement for the day. That's one thing I love about this Readathon - getting so psyched up.

[Kate]

Me too!!!!!!!! So excited!

[Lena]

My TBR pile for the October 2016 read-a-thon. I am such a mood reader I need a LOT of different options to choose from. I know I likely won't even start most of these during the event, but I wanted several options to select from to avoid wandering through my shelves during the event (my only requirement was to have about a similar amount of library books and ones I own). This post is to "remind me" of my intentions as I update throughout the event, etc.

[Lena]

First time checking in since the read-a-thon began: So far I have read 176 pages although I haven't completed any books. I have read for a total of 3 hours and 7 minutes so far.

Right now I am reading and

[Lena]

Intro Survey

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Amarillo, Texas

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
So many of them, but I think I am most looking forward to Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I got some citrus cranberry muffins from the bakery!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I am an avid reader and try to read daily, but with an active young family sometimes that means only a few pages before I fall asleep. An entire day spent reading has become a luxury for me.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? I am trying to do more blocks of time of "solid" reading and spending less time online. I really enjoy the online community aspect of the read-a-thon so I don't want to cut it out entirely, but last time I spent more time online than reading and I want that to be a bit more eschewed the other way this time (more reading and less online time)

[Karen B.]

cheering you on Lena, you go girl!

[Lena]

2nd Progress Report: I have now read a total of 5 hours and 18 minutes and a total of 291 pages. During my last "block" of reading I was able to complete Serafina and the Black Cloak and spent some time reading more of Serafina and the Black Cloak. During my next block of time I need to find a book with shorter chapters as my energy level is sinking and I find myself starting to nod off. Need to energize myself some!

[Karen B.]

zapping you with energy Lena

[Robin (Saturndoo)]

Go Reader Go!!!! Hope you are enjoying all of your books.

Keep reading and have fun :)

[Lena]

Here we are at the 18 hour mark and I have only finished 1 book, BUT I have made great progress in both The Good, the Bad, and the Furry: Life with the World's Most Melancholy Cat and Small Great Things.

I have read for a total of 10 hours and 6 minutes so far and a total of 483 pages.

I have not slept/napped at all so we shall see if I can make it these last few hours. Also because the family is going to sleep the house is too quite...I like it quite to read without distractions, but it also may cause me to fall asleep. We shall see.

[Colona Public Library]

Wow! That's a ton of time dedicated to reading! Congrats! ~Ashley

[Lena]

Well almost 3:30 a.m. here and I've been up since shortly before 7:00 a.m. I am starting to feel the "burn", but with less than 4 hours to go I am hoping to make it to the finish line.

So far I've read a total of 12 hours and 1 min and 569 pages.

[Karen B.]

You can do it Lena.

[Lena]

Well I did it. I stayed awake the entire 24 hours! During that time I actually read for 15 hours and 12 minutes. I only completed 1 book, but started and made considerable progress in 2 others. In total I read 890 pages. Overall I am pretty pleased with my accomplishments!

[Lena]

End of Event Survey

Which hour was most daunting for you?
the 22nd hour (around 4 a.m. for me)

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I am really enjoying Small Great Things. It is a bit chunky, but I have read 350 pages of it during this read-a-thon and I am sitting her considering whether or not I can actually stay awake long enough to finish it now.

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season? I just love it pretty much the way it is. I don't blog, but still feel part of the fun because I am active on the Good Reads and FB Group.

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The large variety of social media ways a person can participate makes it easy for everyone to be included.

How many books did you read? Sadly I only finished one but started and have almost finished 2 others.

What were the names of the books you read? Finished Serafina and the Black Cloak, Started, but didn't finish (yet) Small Great Things and The Good, the Bad, and the Furry: Life with the World's Most Melancholy Cat

Which book did you enjoy most? Small Great Things

Which did you enjoy least? I enjoyed them all!

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I will likely participate in the next one depending on the actual date and other life commitments. Again, I will probably just participate as a reader and cheer on a few online friends throughout the event.

[Daisey]

Congrats on making it through all 24 hours awake!!

[Sulan]

15 hours of reading? Okay that's impressive lol

[Lena]

Sulan wrote: "15 hours of reading? Okay that's impressive lol"

I was really shocked at just how much time I apparently "waste" just puttering around the house, etc. My intent was to read as much of the 24 hours as physically possible, but if I put the book down then I stopped the clock so I would have an accurate idea of how much time was actually spent reading. I didn't leave the house for any "out of the house errands or chores" so those 9 hours of non-reading were just doing things like "deciding on a snack", checking in online, etc.

[Karen B.]

Lena, congratulations on a job well done!

[Lena]

I want to go ahead and keep my original thread as its nice to see my old "RAT history) and I plan to participate again this RAT as much as I can.

[Karen B.]

Looking forward to seeing what you read.

[Colona Public Library]

Happy reading! ~Ashley

[Lena]

Even though I ended up not participating in April, I would like to use this as my current spot for the October, 2017 read-a-thon if possible! Thanks

[Lena]

Possible TBR List(s) for October, 2017 RAT

These are what I will be choosing from although I MIGHT even stray to other stacks I have around the house. Who knows where my mood may lead me. lol

Currently Reading & Want to Finish:


Possible "New" Reads:

[Ana]

Night Circus is such a wonderful and magical read. One of my favourites. How do you like The Thirteenth Tale so far? I'm intrigued but I don't know much about the book really.

Good luck with your reading!

[Ann A]

Some great books there to choose from! I loved The Night Circus, too - it's unique.

[Lena]

Ana wrote: "How do you like The Thirteenth Tale so far? I'm intrigued but I don't know much about the book really.

Good luck with your ..."

I'm only about 20 pages in. I am intrigued, but not sure what I will think overall. I hope to get more of it read today.

[Lena]

Well I did NOT sleep well at all. Kinda like a kid on Christmas Eve. Just checking in quickly before the official start! So excited!!!

[Lena]

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? The Texas Panhandle in the USA

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Probably The Night Circus because I've heard so many good things about it

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? My traditional Almond M & M's

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! Obviously, I love to read! Duh! But I also love to travel and I love to cook (I actually collect cookbooks)

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? I was unable to participate in April, but I participated in the 2 RATs before that. I think I need to work at limiting my distractions. As a busy momma my life is full of distractions so there's that. And I LOVE the online aspect of the RAT so I find myself playing around online a lot more during the RAT than I probably should be...so less distractions, more reading!

[Lena]

Progress Report: October 21, 2017 @ 10:44 a.m.

Total Time Read: 2 hours & 6 minutes
Total Pages Read: 108 Pages
Books Finished: None
Currently Reading: The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma

[Colona Public Library]

I have The Reading Promise on my shelf at home. How are you liking it so far? Happy Reading! ~Ashley

[Lena]

Colona Public Library wrote: "I have The Reading Promise on my shelf at home. How are you liking it so far? Happy Reading! ~Ashley"

I just finished it and actually really liked it! It was about so much more than just their reading streak!

[Lena]

Progress Report: October 21, 2017 @ 9:41 p.m.

Total Time Read: 5 hours & 3 minutes
Total Pages Read: 250 Pages
Books Finished: The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared
Currently Reading: Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On!: What Southern Mamas Tell Their Daughters that the Rest of Y'all Should Know Too & And Then There Were None

[Lena]

Well took about a 3 hour nap...now I am awake (2:00 a.m. here) and time to get back to reading to finish "strong". I haven't been online as much as I would have liked as one of my favorite things about the RAT is the online fun. And to be honest I haven't had as much time to read as I would have liked either. In November of last year (shortly after the October, 2017 RAT - the last one I participated in) the dynamic of my little family shifted some. So this RAT was learning how to work in that huge block of time just for me (for the RAT) with the new dynamic...it was a challenge. Anyways, off to check a few more things online and then to get a few more hours of reading done now that the house is quiet.

[Lena]

Progress Report: October 22, 2017 @ 2:09 a.m.

Total Time Read: 6 hours & 13 minutes
Total Pages Read: 292 pages
Currently Reading: Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On!: What Southern Mamas Tell Their Daughters that the Rest of Y'all Should Know Too and And Then There Were None

[Colona Public Library]

Lena wrote: "Colona Public Library wrote: "I have The Reading Promise on my shelf at home. How are you liking it so far? Happy Reading! ~Ashley"

I just finished it and actually really liked it! It was about so..."

That is good to hear! Hope you continue to have a great readathon! ~Ashley

[Lena]

October 2017 RAT Wrap Up Report

Total Time Read: 9 hours & 13 Minutes
Total Pages Read 391 Pages
Books Finished The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared & And Then There Were None
Other Books Read From: The Night Circus, Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On!: What Southern Mamas Tell Their Daughters that the Rest of Y'all Should Know Too & The Wrong Mother

[Lena]

I will continue using my same thread for the next RAT. It is kinda need to look back over past posts and see my "progression" each time.

I have no idea what I will read just yet, but I am looking forward to the April RAT!

[Lena]

Here we go!!!! April 2018 RaT is about to start in less than 10 minutes! Yeah!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? The Texas panhandle

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Almond M&Ms (a RAT tradition for me)

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I am a mom to a wonderful 9 year old little girl who has not yet discovered her passion for reading...I however, will read anything and everything (including billboards and cereal boxes if nothing else is available)

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? I am hoping to make it the entire 24 hours with a tiny break for a Girl Scout event my daughter is attending today (I am the troop leader so I have to be there as well)

[Lena]

Well this RaT didn't turn out so successful me. I was distracted by life apparently. I only got minimal reading done AND I never once checked in online. Oh, well I look forward to doing better at the next one.

However, my stats for this RaT are as follows:

Total Time Read: 5 hours & 19 Minutes
Total Pages Read: 278 pages
Books Finished: This Pen for Hire by Laura Levine

[Lena]

I will continue to use the same thread for the October 2018 Read-a-Thon

[Lena]

Lena's October 2018 Read-a-Thon Book Pile

Instead of starting new books I will be attempting to finish some of the many books I have started and then put down for whatever reason (I currently have 31 books on my "currently reading" list, so I will be reading some of them)

[Elyse]

Lena wrote: "Lena's October 2018 Read-a-Thon Book Pile

Instead of starting new books I will be attempting to finish some of the many books I have started and then put down for whatever reason (I currently have..."

WHOA. That's a lot of currently reading books!! I think I've had 5 or 6 at the most. At least you have quite a variety! Good luck!

[Kate]

Lena that's a great idea. I can't believe you have so many on the go though!

[Abbey]

I love the idea of attacking the "currently reading" pile!

I've also started "A Prayer for Owen Meany" but then my book got sticky on a plane, and I've yet to clean it off to read it again. Your list reminded me of it again!

That history of board games book looks interesting too! You've got a fantastic list!

Any you are specifically looking forward to diving into again?

[Elyse]

Abbey wrote: "I love the idea of attacking the "currently reading" pile!

I've also started "A Prayer for Owen Meany" but then my book got sticky on a plane, and I've yet to clean it off to read it again. Your ..."

Owen Meany is on my "come back to" shelf. It's so slowwwww.

[Lena]

Abbey wrote: "Any you are specifically looking forward to diving into again?"

Probably The Thirteenth Tale would be the one I am most looking forward to picking up again after a long break. Also, I am currently reading A Spark of Light (this one is new and I haven't really "put it down") and I am looking forward to finishing it during the read-a-thon if I don't finish it before then.