Cover to Cover Challenge discussion
2011 Archive
>
May Read-a-thon summaries
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
Books in Progress before RAT started
Play of Passion - started at 50% - 160 pages
Ella Enchanted - started at pg 54 - 186 pages
Juno's Daughters: A Novel - started at pg 151 - 177 pages
Winter Garden - started at pg 125 - 269 pages
Hard Bitten - started at pg 237 - 113 pages
I Call Death Dad - started at 34% - 130 pages
Books started and finished during RAT
Save Me - 384 pages
Shifting Sands - 340 pages
Addicted - 443 pages (mini-challenge 1 and 7)
Books started and not finished
The Reader - 41% - 88 pages (mini challenge - 2)
Chronicle in Stone: A Novel - 81 pages (mini-challenge 6)
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel - 54 pages
Chasing the Night - 65 pages (mini-challenge 3)
Audiobook
Washington: A Life - listened to 8 hours on transit to and from work - approximately 175 pages
Total Pages Read: 2665
My main goal was to finish the books I had started, especially "The Lost Saint" which had been half read for 2 months or so, it was a disappointment, but I am glad I finished it.So I finished the 3 I was reading, read 2 completely and am currently in the middle of 2 more, which I started this week.
My most productive days were clearly the weekend since I had far more time to read and yesterday/last night because I saw the end of the marathon ahead of me and wanted to get some more chapters done and because I was a lil sleepless.
Though I feel like I used a lot of my time reading, more than I usually do, I don't feel like I did a week long marathon justice with the number of pages I read. I was however very lucky to have had mostly really great books in this time. Across the Universe and Fahrenheit 451 were really great, and the others good enough to keep me hooked. The Lost Saint was a bit of work, but once I felt like making progress I kept going and was finished in one and a half day.
I only took part in the week long event, not the 24 hour marathon and I didn't take part in the challenges, although I really loved the names and the ideas you came up with.
This was my first marathon on Goodreads and I really enjoyed it. :-)
Pages read Day 1: 325
Pages read Day 2: 215
Pages read Day 3: 162
Pages read Day 4: 119
Pages read Day 5: 135
Pages read Day 6: 187
Pages read Day 7: 219
Pages read altogether: 1362
Books read: 4,5
(I count allpartly read books as 1/2 which is pretty accurate actually in my case :-) )
Book List:
1. Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451 (done, read about 50 % in the marathon)
2. Beth Revis - Across the Universe (done, as well 50 % in the marathon)
3. Birgit Rabisch - Duplik Jonas 7 (done, 100 % in the marathon)
4. Maria V. Snyder - Inside Out (done, 100 % in the marathon)
5. Ann Aguierre - Enclave (still reading, around 50 % now)
6. Bree Despain - The Lost Saint (done, 50 % in the marathon)
7. Maria V. Snyder - Outside In (still reading, around 65 % now)
@Dee--Hope you don't mind me using your format?Books in progress before RAT
Hate List - started at page 53 - 353 pages
Books started and finished during RAT
Beastly - 300 pages
Wither - 358 pages
Less than I expected/was hoping to finish, but that's okay. I will prob have a RAT just for me soon; might even make it a blog then. *idea spark!* :)
Other info
Best reading days: Tues and Fri
Longest reading stretch: 4 hours
Total reading time: 26 hours 8 min
Total pages read: 1 011
Well, not that good a week for me. I think these week-long read-a-thons actually slow me down as I do better when I only have a 24-hour window to work with. My reads for this week: 1. The House of Tomorrow (304 pgs)
2. Dark Delicacies: Original Tales of Terror and the Macabre by the World's Greatest Horror Writers (339 pgs.)
3. Yeah, I Said It (256 pgs.)
4. The Night Watch (526 pgs.)
5. Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need (195 pgs.)
6. The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (256 pgs)
7. The Girl in the Green Raincoat (176 pgs)
So, my final totals are:
7 books finished
2,052 pages read.
I guess the only challenge I got throught was the chunkster. I didn't really keep track of my reading as it was a little here and a little there. My best day was yesterday as I got through three of the seven books read.
Thanks for all of your work Aths and see you next time!!
Dee wrote: "fine by me"Thanks :). Not as fascinating as yours, but more organized. You did some great reading!
Mod
My Final Numbers: Finished:
Something Borrowed - 220 pgs read for the readathon
Safehaven - 340 pgs
Finding Grace: A Novel - 378 pages
Second Sight - 6.8 hours for the readathon
A Discovery of Witches - 100 pages
The Defiant Lady - 252 pages
Total books completed: 6
Total hours listened: 6.8
Total pages read: 1290
I am very happy with my results. I would like to finish 3 more books by the end of the month and since I have no plans for this weekend, I may just be able to pull it off. Thanks for another great read a thon and I can't wait for the next one.
1. The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun 5/23/11 - 6 Hours2. Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle 5/25/11 - 371 Pages
3. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning 5/27/11 - 8 hours
4. Sleeping with Fear (Fear, #3) by Kay Hooper - 5/27/11 384 pages
5.Capture the Rainbow by Iris Johansen 5/28/11 - 5 Hours
Total Hours: 19
Total Pages: 755
Best Reading Day: 5/27/11
Total Books Read: 5
Mini-challenges:
#3 Library Capture the Rainbow
#5 The Cat Who Saw Stars
# 7 Sleeping with Fear (Fear, #3)
Four challenges finished, and 3 great books read! Yay. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Treason at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (these books are so much fun)
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
My summary:Entire books read in RAT:
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, 276 pages, Challenge #4-Newberry
Special Topics in Calamity Physics, 514 pages, Challenges #1 and #7-Not-quite-a-chunkster and random TBR pick
The Crying Tree, 353 pages, Challenge #3-Field Trip
Books started earlier, but finished in RAT:
Island Beneath the Sea, 337 pages in RAT, Challenge #6-Translation
The Innocent, 172 pages in RAT
Still reading:
The Eden Express, 36 pages in RAT
The Count of Monte Cristo, 22 pages in RAT
Total pages read: 1710
I was very happy to complete 5 of the Challenges. My best reading day was Day 1, the 24-hour Read-a-Thon. Luckily, hubby was out of town this week so I got to devote more time to reading than would normally be possible!
It was fun reading everyone's updates, and I look forward to seeing you all here again in 3 months!
I didn't do so well with the challenges, but at least they helped me organize by TBR pile! Lots of reading, much of it books I had started prior to the Readathon and some review books.Read-a-Thon Wrapup:
Challenge Books
1. Not-quite-a-chunkster:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - First 311 pages
6. Armchair traveler:
Night by Elie Wiesel - COMPLETE - 120 pages
7. Random Fortune:
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - first 299 pages
Additional Book List:
My Antonia by Willa Cather - last 162 pages
Children and Fire: A Novel by Ursula Hegi - last 234 pages
Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a Cutter by The Hippie - last 191 pages
The King's Mistress by Emma Campion - 464 pages
The Tender Mercy of Roses by Anna Michaels - 320 pages
The Summoner by Layton Green - 237 pages
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey - last 359 pages
Books read (counting partial books as 1/2) - 7
Total pages: 2697
I loved this Read-a-thon, and I really love the challenges. They make me read things I normally would not pick up at that moment, and which turn out to be really great books for the most part. Please keep them coming!My progress: I am satisfied with my progress for the week, even though I didn't finish a lot of books. What I liked was that I was challenged to start some that I will be finishing this week, and they are ones I would not have picked up yet.
#1 Chunkster: Started Behemoth by Westerfeld. Read 105p. (out of 485) It is a sequel to Leviathan, and very good.
#2 Ping: Aths/Athira challenged me to read a graphic novel called Blankets, by Craig Thompson - a challenge I definitely needed, because I don't read many graphic novels. I had to order it, and it isn't here yet, so I will read it as soon as I get it. (And my public library will benefit, because I promised to donate it to them after I am done since they are trying to build their graphic novel collection - they are thrilled!) Thanks, Aths.
#3.Field Trip: I went to our public library and they had a display of my favorite genre - mysteries - so I checked out one called The Secret's In the Sauce by Shepherd and Everson. I've read 58p. so far and it is very good.
#4.Newbery winner: I read Kira-Kira by Kadohata, and absolutely loved it. Thanks to whoever chose this as a challenge! (244p.)
#5. Dare Me: Michelle dared me to read The Lacuna from the list I posted. It is so good, and I was hoping to finish it by today, but family and friends intervened and I did not. I have read 152p. so far. (out of 507)I am enjoying it very much, Michelle, because I love Mexican history and books about Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Thanks.
#6. World Traveler/Translation: I chose Captain Alatriste by Perez-Reverte because I love historical fiction set in Spain, especially in the 1600s. I have read 101p. so far (out of 284).
#7 Random: Michelle picked #102 from my at-home library shelves, which turned out to be a great read: Pawley's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank. (361p.) Loved it!
In addition to those, I also read:
1.Town in a Lobster Stew by Haywood (started pre-RAT) - finished last 265 pages
2. Cuba Libre - by Leonard - read 40p.
3. Once by Gleitzman - finished (great Holocaust novel set in Poland) - 163p.
4.You by Benoit - 15p.
5.Flash Burnout by Madigan - 20p.
6. Conspiracy 365: December by Lord - 70p.
7.Conspiracy 365: November - finished - 181 p.
Finished: 5 books
Started: 9 more books
TBR when it arrives: 1 "pinged" book
Total pages: 1,775
I had hoped to make it to 2,000, but life intervened with some birthday parties and unexpected visitors, and of course, work, so I am happy with my 1,775 pages. I will be finishing more of these in the next couple of days.
Thanks to everyone who posted. I love reading your comments and getting even more great suggestions for books to read. I wish we could do this more frequently, because I just love the interaction, and I love to hear from all of you Any chance we could keep the thread going to continue commenting on what we are reading, even post RAT?
I had hoped to get more reading done this week, but life threw in a few surprises so I did a my reading in bits and pieces. I also wanted to do challenges, but wasn't able to do that this time.Pages Read: 1,306
Books Read: 5-1/8
Completed:
You Know When the Men Are Gone 5*
A Fatal Grace 4*
Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's 5*
Thereby Hangs a Tail 4*
The Girl in the Green Raincoat 3*
and 1/8 of:
The Devil's Highway: A True Story
I only ended up doing one of the mini-challenges but overall I am happy with the outcome of the past week. My results are: 1. Three Nights of Sin 371 pgs
2. Compromised 350 pgs
3. When You Dare 448 pgs (Not-quite-a-chunkster)
4. Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun 310 pgs
5. Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs 282 pgs
6. Not Quite A Lady 350 pgs
Total pages read: 2111
Total # of books: 6
Well, Life didn't co-operate with my reading plans so I didn't do too well during this R-A-T. I finished 2 books and got about 2/3 done with a third... about average for me. Completed:
Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization 352 pages
The Modern Scholar: The Medieval World, Part II: Society, Economy, and Culture Audio, 7 hours 43 minutesIncomplete:
Across the Universe 270 pages (of 416) picked for the 'Not Quite a Chunkster' challengeOf course it would be the mini-challenge book that I didn't finish :/
Well, looks like it was a slow readathon for some of you, but I hope it was just the summer interfering. I've been in a slump too lately, but I think I'm out of it now. The next readathon and mini-challenges will be here within 3 months. Hopefully we'll have a better reading phase then!
Aths / Athira wrote: "Well, looks like it was a slow readathon for some of you, but I hope it was just the summer interfering. I've been in a slump too lately, but I think I'm out of it now. The next readathon and mini-..."Aths, Thank you so much for all of the work and great ideas that you put into this. I really appreciate being able to participate with you and with such a great group of readers. I hate to see it end each time, but eagerly anticipate the next one. Please keep the challenges coming also. They add an extra kick that I really enjoy. Thanks again!
I second that!
Nancy wrote: "I loved this Read-a-thon, and I really love the challenges. They make me read things I normally would not pick up at that moment, and which turn out to be really great books for the most part. Ple..."You're welcome and great job on the read-a-thon!
I really enjoyed the read-a-thon as well and got a lot done (relativlely ;-) ). I wouldn't mind a more frequent event actually.And yes, though I didn't take part in the challenges I loved the names and ideas and thinking about possible books for the cathegories. For me it would have been easier if they had been posted a bit earlier though.
Thanks a lot ladies! I'm looking at having the readathons a little more frequently as well. I'm also contemplating working a spin into this reading challenge next year by having a bunch of yearly challenges (not the A-Z or the read-the-colors kind, but the kind we usually work into the readathons) but that's still in the head.Nadine, it was entirely my bad that the challenges were posted late. My laptop battery stopped working the week before the readathon, and I ended up forgetting about the challenges in the confusion. But, for the next one, I've already started thinking, so they should be up with the sign-ups.
Ah, it was my first readathon and so I thought it was always this late, I didn't wanna complain as you really did a great job in general and especially in coming up with the themes. I DID let this generator pick a book from my pile and I will read it "soonish". (I have so many great books that wanna be read first.)So I am looking forward to the next time, it was really fun with you guys and I got a few ideas for new books :-).
:-)Well, this was only the second time we did challenges with readathons, so it's still in its infant/toddler stage. The first time, I got the brainwave only the day before the event. I almost considered passing it up then, but I was worried I will no longer feel excited about it, so it went up. The second time, my laptop had blues. For the third one, I am determined to start brainstorming challenges right away, so hopefully....
Well I finished Odd Hours started No permanent scars and read 302 pages of The Midnight Club you all must have less hectic lives then I do.
Aths / Athira wrote: "Thanks a lot ladies! I'm looking at having the readathons a little more frequently as well. I'm also contemplating working a spin into this reading challenge next year by having a bunch of yearly c..."I would LOVE to have the read-a-thons more frequently, because they are so enjoyable. I love the discussions we have on-line and the postings - I really enjoy seeing other readers' progress and getting ideas for more books to read (as if I need that...lol). The challenges kick-start my reading in directions that I need to go, but don't do on my own. In fact, the challenges have inspired me to think about adding something similar to a class I teach to adults in the summer on Young Adult literature. Thanks for the great ideas. And if we have the read-a-thons more often, I promise to be a willing participant every time, especially since for me it is about the reading "fellowship" as much as about setting "books-finished" goals.
Wow! I don't know what happened... not only was this the worst reading week ever, it's been my worst reading month... I only managed to get 5 books out of the entire month!
Here's my impressive stats for the read-a-thon:
Books Read:2
Pages Read:663
Book List
1. The Woods Are Dark (Richard Laymon)-215pgs
2. Savage (Richard Laymon)-448pgs
Here's my impressive stats for the read-a-thon:
Books Read:2
Pages Read:663
Book List
1. The Woods Are Dark (Richard Laymon)-215pgs
2. Savage (Richard Laymon)-448pgs
Mod
Nancy wrote: "I would LOVE to have the read-a-thons more frequently, because they are so enjoyable. I love the discussions we have on-line and the postings - I really enjoy seeing other readers' progress and getting ideas for more books to read (as if I need that...lol). The challenges kick-start my reading in directions that I need to go, but don't do on my own. In fact, the challenges have inspired me to think about adding something similar to a class I teach to adults in the summer on Young Adult literature. Thanks for the great ideas. And if we have the read-a-thons more often, I promise to be a willing participant every time, especially since for me it is about the reading "fellowship" as much as about setting "books-finished" goals. "I'm glad you've been able to use the challenges idea in your class, Nancy! I find challenges like that a lot more fun, especially since they help us find more about a book or a certain award.
As for making the readathons happen more often, that's something Lisa and I was discussing at the beginning of the year. Having it every month didn't always result in more "turn-up". Maybe that made it less fun and more routine? So we decided to spread it out over a year and have each one to be longer than just 24 hours. Since you guys would love to have it more often, we'll try to have it every other month rather than every 3 months.
Every other month would be great Aths. :) I love the read-a-thons. And I like the idea of a yearly challenge for next year. :) You guys do such a great job with this group.
Cover to Cover Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization (other topics)Across the Universe (other topics)
The Medieval World II Society, Economy, And Culture (other topics)
Compromised (other topics)
Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Iris Johansen (other topics)Kay Hooper (other topics)
Karen Marie Moning (other topics)
Lilian Jackson Braun (other topics)
Jayne Castle (other topics)
How has your reading week been? Did you get to read as much as you expected to? More? Less?
How many books did you get done? How do your stats look? And if you did the mini-challenges, which ones did you complete?
For a general outline:
- Number of books? Pages? Audiobooks? Hours listened?
- List of books
- Minichallenges
- Best reading day?