Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon end of event

Which hour was most daunting for you?
     Hour 16.  I ended up taking a 4 hour nap about an hour later.

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
     Myth Conceptions by Robert Asprin is a quick fun fantasy novel that works well for readathon reading.

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

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

How many books did you read?
     5

What were the names of the books you read?

     Marvel's The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week, A Call to Duty, Marvel's Iron Man 3 The Movie Prelude, Myth Conceptions and Marvel's the Avengers: Black Widow Strikes.

Which book did you enjoy most?
     A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn

Which did you enjoy least?
     Myth Conceptions by Robert Asprin.  It was a good book and I enjoyed it but it is rather silly so I enjoyed it the least.

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


Closing thoughts:  I always enjoy the read-a-thon and this was no exception but it is the hardest one I've done.  Things at home were still hugely confused because our water pump on our well had been out for 2 days so instead of preparing for the read-a-thon I was dealing with the plumber and living without running water.  My brother and his SO were here because they wash their clothes here on Thursdays but we had no water on Thursday.  I only had a couple of graphic novels to read so had to find books and there was nothing cooked to eat.  On the whole being prepared and minimizing interruptions makes for a better readathon.  However, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.  Hopefully the next one will go a little more smoothly!!

Hour 24 of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon

In the past 12 hours I've read 2 books and took a 4 hour nap.

The 2 books I read were Marvel's Iron Man 3 The Movie Prelude by Will Pilgrim and Christos Gage and Myth Conceptions by Robert Asprin.  Both were very enjoyable books especially for the end of a readathon when you're tired.  Of course Marvel's Iron Man 3 The Movie Prelude is a graphic novel and it does add a bit to the story making it quite interesting.

Myth Conceptions is an older fantasy novel (1980) written very tongue-in-cheek and is quite short.  This is a time when a lot of paperback books really were made to fit in a pocket and were less likely to have 500+ pages.  The story isn't serious and borders on the ridiculous but given the author and the title one wouldn't expect anything else.

Now I'm off to finish out the rest of the read-a-thon with another graphic novel.

Hour Eleven of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon

It's hour eleven and I've finished both Marvel's The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week by Christopher Yost and Eric Pearson and A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn.  Both were excellent books perfect for a readathon.  I especially enjoyed the character of Travis Long in A Call to Duty and how crazy he made everyone.  A strictly by-the-rules guy whose constantly thinking outside the box.  The contradiction would be crazy making for anyone around him.  It was also excellent military scifi with the normal give and take between the military and political that you get in a novel by David Weber.  Timothy Zahn did a beyond excellent job with this and made it a truly wonderful read.  So when's the next book coming out?

Meanwhile it's off to find more to read for the 2nd half of this readathon.  The only problem with finishing a book is finding a new one!

Hour eight of Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon

Took me a while to settle on a book this morning.  I started by listening to Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding.  This is a really good book that I've read before but this morning the subject matter seemed dark to me so I gave up on that and looked for something else finally settling on A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn.  I'm a huge, long time fan of the Honor Harrington novel's and this takes place in the same universe though a much earlier era.  

This choice worked out well as I was able to get the Kindle book for $9.99 which is high for what I normally pay for an e-book (to be fair I usually borrow them from the Library which is more in line with my current budget) but was then able to get the audiobook for $1.99 so I can switch back and forth and be able to continue "reading" while doing something else when necessary.  Don't remember when I was able to get an audiobook this cheap for a recent book from a major publisher.  Half way through this is quite good though I think a chocolate break and a graphic novel might be in order now.  Maybe a nap too. 

Fall 2014 Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon opening questionaire

Graphic novel I'm most looking forward to!

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

Williamsport, PA USA

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?


I have graphic novels from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (those that go along with the movies) to read but still haven't chosen the actual books I want to read today.  It will be fun choosing as I go along.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

The one that I finally get made.  


4) Tell us a little something about yourself!


This is, I believe, my fourth read-a-thon.   I made sure a month in advance to have work off yesterday so I could be both prepared and relaxed.  I planned to make snacks since I'm eating low carb and maybe find some books.  Then the well pump broke and we spent the day without running water and waiting for the plumber and I'm not relaxed and nothing got made.  Life really is what happens when you're busy making other plans!!!  Now I plan to make snacks today while listening to audio books.


5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? 

Nothing much except listen to more audiobooks. (See above question) 

 

End of Read-a-thon questionaire and final totals

End of Event Questionaire:

1.  Which hour was most daunting for you?

 The last 2.  Didn't want to take another nap but was so tired.  Now I'm really wide awake.  Go figure.

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

If you don't mind children's books, Nurk by Ursula Vernon was truly wonderful!!

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

Nope.  Liked it just as it was.

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

Everything!

5.  How many books did you read? 

4 but I kind of cheated and finished the 4th about 45 minutes late. 

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

Killer by Jonathan Kellerman, Nurk by Ursula Vernon, Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek and The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie.

 7.  Which book did you enjoy most?

Nurk

 8.  Which did you enjoy least?

Forgotten Bookmarks but only because the print was too small for tired eyes.  The book itself was great!!

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

I'll be at the next one if at all possible probably as a reader.

 

2nd Half Read-a-thon April 2014

Hour 20

Somewhere in here I finished Forgotten Bookmarks which was wonderful but a bit hard to read with my tired eyes because of small print.  I think I prefer the blog if only because I can increase the font size. 

 I also took a couple hour nap, started Killer by Jonathan Kellerman and paused to read a bit of relaxing fan fiction which has been my reading of choice since I've been depressed lately  (Fan fiction works when my brain isn't up to following books because it is based on something I'm already familar with so doesn't require quite as much brain power for imagination)

So far I've read 3 books and 760 pages.


Hour 12

 Ended up reading Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew by Ursula Vernon which I found at Elisa's Leopards and Dragons blog ( I couldn't resist visiting a fellow Elisa participating in the read-a-thon)  It is a children's book and surprisingly humorous.  Kind of reminded me of the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer in that it would be a wonderful book for children and is surprisingly amusing for adults.  I read it as an e-book but according to Amazon.com it has 144 pages so that brings my totals to 2 books and 574 pages.


Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?

Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek



2. How many books have you read so far?

Two


3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Haven't decided yet.



4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Made sure everyone knew what was going on.


5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Not really.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

Found a children's book to read by looking at someone's blog.  Didn't expect to find a different book than the ones I had already picked out but thanks to e-books I was able to read it today.  


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

Nope



8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Nothing that I can think of right now.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Was since I got up way too early but I took a nap.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

Nothing I can think of.

Read-a-thon April 2014

Hour 8

Somewhere toward the end of hour 8 and I've just finished The Sound of Broken Glass.  It was an enjoyable mystery and I didn't guess who-dun-it until close to the end.  First book to be finished in a couple of months so I'm truly happy for that.  I'm also very thankful for this read-a-thon for inspiring me to read and the fact that if I tell my family I want to be left alone for a while they completely ingnore it but if I tell them that it's read-a-thon weekend they will guard my time even more than I will and let me read.  Thank you Dewey's Read-a-thon and all who make it a success!!! 

For now I've read 1 book and 430 pages.  

Hour 4

 
So far I've started 2 books  Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek and The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie.

Both  are quite good.  I currently plan to inter-space chapters of Forgotten Bookmarks in between other reading since it isn't very reading intensive and serves as a good break for the mind.



So let's see, that's 109 Pages of The Sound of Broken Glass and 29 pages of Forgotten Bookmarks for a total of  138 pages.  Not the fastest reading in the world  but it is progress.



Hour 1

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

Williamsport, PA USA

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek.  Lots of pictures and not as much reading but I adore the blog and so am looking forward to the book


3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Splurged a bit on macadamia nuts for a salty snack and pecan pie for a sweet one so am looking forward to both of those.


4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Been a bit depressed lately so this is the first time I plan to read a whole book in about 2 months.  Hopefully it will get me in the mood to read more.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I plan on relaxing and going with the flow with no real goals for myself this time.

Death in Reel Time by Brynn Bonner

This review is from an uncorrected proof for a book to be published March 11, 2014.  I will add a picture when I can find one.


When genealogists Sophreena McClure and Esme Sabatier begin working on the genealogy of their friend Olivia Clement they knew that would be looking into the mystery of her father's disappearance in the 1940s.  What comes as a surprise is that they are soon also trying to help solve the murder of Olivia's son-in-law. The even bigger surprise is that the two mysteries, some 60+ years apart, have so very much in common

Jabril by D. B. Reynolds

Jabril is the second book in the Vampires in America series by D. B. Reynolds and I strongly recommend that this book be bought at the same time as the first especially if your primary focus is the romance portion of the story.

The story of Cynthia "Cyn" Leighton and Raphael the vampire lord of the North American western territories continues.  However, with their relationship dead in the water, Cyn, a private investigator who frequently works with/for vampires takes a case offered by Jabril the lord of the southern United States territories.  She soon discovers that, while Raphael was sometimes ruthless but honorable, Jabril is everything that is loathsome and questions if finding the human girl who has runaway from his household for him is the right thing to do

Retreating to Raphael's territories with a young vampire in tow and determined to help the runaway though definitely not return her to Jabril, Cyn reluctantly finds her life becoming entwined in Raphael's household and with Raphael once again.

This book continues to be a romance between Cyn and Raphael and a good one at that but also has a strong urban fantasy plot.  The world building involving the vampires and their place in society continues apace and the story outside of the romance is well plotted and satisfying and should appeal to urban fantasy readers who don't necessarily enjoy romance novels.  As with the first book a warning for violence outside of the norm in romance novels must be tendered.

Raphael by D. B. Reynolds

Raphael by D. B. Reynolds is the first of two books comprising a romance novel between Raphael the vampire Lord of the Western Territories and Cynthia "Cyn" Leighton a private investigator in Malibu.  Raphael hires Cyn to find a female vampire who was kidnapped from his estate while he was not in residence.  Since she was kidnapped by humans, with the help of a vampire traitor, he reasons that a human has a better chance of dealing with the human side of the matter.  Not to give too much away, that doesn't go precisely as he planned.

Though this is very much a romance novel with sparks flying between the two main protagonists almost immediately it has strong undertones of a dark and rather violent urban fantasy.  Cyn does not come across like a typical romance heroine and you probably want to think more along the lines of Mercy Thompson than Harlequin.

Though the mystery of the kidnapping is rather predictable it isn't dissatisfying and the romance is rocky but well written.  However, for me, the best parts of the story are the urban fantasy elements which are well designed and have descent world building setting up the culture and political structure for later novels in the Vampires in America series.  Those starting this series should be warned that if you are looking for a vampire romance novel this one is very, very violent and the romance portion of the story isn't resolved until the next book in the series.

Ghost Walk by Heather Graham

This is my second book for the year and the second one by Heather Graham and if anything I enjoyed this even more than the first.

It is the story of Nikki DuMonde who gives ghosts tours in New Orleans and whose friend comes to her in the early morning hours at the same time she is being killed in another part of the city.  Though Nikki has had feelings about things in the past she has never seen ghosts before and now she is seeing them all the time.  She finds it very disconcerting and her best friend thinks she's losing it and more-or-less forces her to see a psychiatrist.

Enter Brent Blackhawk who is used to seeing ghosts and has been sent by his boss to solve the mystery of a dead FBI agent whom Nikki had had a chance encounter with.  After Brent becomes convinced that Nikki is the key to solving this mystery the two join forces and Brent helps Nikki with her unexpected and not very welcome gift.

Once again the mystery in this is very dissatisfying.  It is the backdrop of the story but doesn't read like a mystery novel and leaves me feeling as if I missed something.  The stories of both the people and ghosts however more than make up for this and some of the stories about the ghosts or told on the ghost tours are almost like short stories all their own and are quite fun to read.  The obvious romance is reasonably enjoyable as well.  For a light read this is a descent book as long as you are looking for more of a ghost story and less of a mystery novel.

The Dead Room by Heather Graham

Heather Graham seems to write paranormal romantic mysteries and The Dead Room is no exception though it comes with a bit of a unique twist at the end which won't be spoiled here.  I will say that it caught me totally by surprise.

The story is about Leslie MacIntyre an archeologist who works on sites in urban areas of the United States.  She has recently survived an explosion that killed her fiance and is just now returning to work in the same area where he was killed and she was injured.  Though always good at finding bones the explosion has left her with ability to see and talk to ghosts which proves to be quite helpful in her line of work though does make some of the finds a bit hard to explain.

Upon returning to the area she meets Joe, her fiance's cousin and near look-alike, who happens to be a private investigator searching for women who have gone missing in the area.  Gradually Joe and Leslie start to work together which makes Leslie's life much more complicated and more dangerous.


The mystery is interesting though not one of the best and as a mystery reader the way the story is presented left me feeling dissatisfied.  I have a preference for stories that leave me thinking that if I'd recognized and followed all the clues I could have solved the mystery but that doesn't work in this book.

The paranormal aspects were much, much better especially those not related to the overall mystery.  The ghosts are fascinating pieces of human interest who tell short stories of their lives and deaths.  This was the best part of the story and made me look forward to reading more of Ms. Graham's books.

The romantic aspect was there, though a bit unusual, and it fed nicely into the ending.

Overall not the best but certainly not the worst first read for 2014.