666 Challenge

I am not sure where this challenge originated in, but I found it on BookCrossing 666 Challenge.

Here are the rules:

You aim to read 6 books which are set in OR are written by an author from 6 different countries in each of the 6 continents within 2017.  You cannot count books of the same country twice and you cannot count one book for more than one country.

This sounds fun, and as I enjoy reading books from different parts of the world, this challenge is manageable, nudging me a slightly beyond my comfort zone.

AFRICA:

KENYA – Facing the Lion by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton
ALGERIA – The Attack by Yasmina Khadra (story set in Israel but author from Algeria)

EUROPE:

ITALY – Silk by Alessandro Baricco
U.K. – Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
GREECE – The Summer of My Greek Taverna by Tom Stone
FRANCE -White Horses Over France by Robin Hanbury-Tenison
SWITZERLAND – Blue Pills by Frederik Peeters
SWEDEN – The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

ASIA:

INDIA – The Empire of Tea by Alan MacFarlane & Iris MacFarlane
ISRAEL – Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
JAPAN – With the Light by Keiko Tobe
NEPAL – Peak by Roland Smith
CHINA – From Point to Point by Xu Bing
VIETNAM – Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh

NORTH AMERICA (INCL. CENTRAL AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN):

USA – Still Alice by Lisa Genova
CANADA – Paddle to the Arctic by Don Starkell
MEXICO –  The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

PACIFICA (INCL. ANTARCTICA):

SOUTH AMERICA:

VENEZUELA – Indulgence: One Man’s Selfless Search for the Best Chocolate in the World by Paul Richardson

Book Riot’s 2017 Read Harder Challenge

1. Read a book about sports – Gothic Sports vol 1-2
2. Read a debut novel – The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
3. Read a book about books.
4. Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author.
5. Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative.
6. Read an all-ages comic.
7. Read a book published between 1900 and 1950 – Bread Givers
8. Read a travel memoir – Paddle to the Arctic
9. Read a book you’ve read before – Something Rotten
10. Read a book that is set within 100 miles of your location – How Sweet It Is!
11. Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location – The Summer of My Greek Taverna
12. Read a fantasy novel – City of Lost Souls
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology.
14. Read a book about war – All the Light We Cannot See
15. Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country.
17. Read a classic by an author of color.
18. Read a superhero comic with a female lead.
19. Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel
21. Read a book published by a micropress – Hot Donut Salad
22. Read a collection of stories by a woman.
23. Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love.
24. Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color.

Reading the list, it feels like whoever makes the list are a bit obsessed with the color of the skin and sexual orientation.  I personally read all types of books, and being non-white I read plenty of non-white books anyway, but I don’t like the list is putting emphasis on the skin color of the author, when a well written book is a well written book.

Book Riot Reading Challenge

I totally had fun with Book Riot’s challenge in 2015.  There are plenty of reading challenges out there, but this one just seemed perfect, the right amount of books, and a mix of some that I read all the time and some that stretches me slightly beyond my comfort zone.

The list for 2016:
Read a horror book – Slade House
Read a nonfiction book about science – Modified: GMOs and the Threat to Our Food, Our Land, Our Future
Read a collection of essays – Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls
Read a book out loud to someone else –
Read a middle grade novel – Endymion Spring
Read a biography (not memoir or autobiography) – A Thousand Miles of Dreams
Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel – Rut
Read a book originally published in the decade you were born – 2001: A Space Odyssey
Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award – The boy in the suitcase 
Read a book over 500 pages long – City of Glass
Read a book under 100 pages – The Sleeper and the Spindle
Read a book by or about a person that identifies as transgender – Stuck in the Middle with You
Read a book that is set in the Middle East – I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (Yemen)
Read a book that is by an author from Southeast Asia – The Bondmaid (Singapore)
Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900 – Cloud of Sparrows
Read the first book in a series by a person of color – With the Light
Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years –
Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie. Debate which is better –
Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes – I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced
Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction) – A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants
Read a book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction) – Blood Diamonds
Read a food memoir – Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen
Read a play – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness – The Atlantis Complex

And, for record, my 2015 list:

1. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25 – A Fine and Private Place
2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65 – The Tent
3. A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people): Fantasy Gone Wrong
4. A book published by an indie press – Aaron’s Crossing
5.A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ: Shanghai Tango
6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own – Lego: A Love Story
7. A book that takes place in Asia: The Painter from Shanghai
8. A book by an author from Africa: The Almond
9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.) – Morning Girl
10. A microhistory – Tilt
11. A YA novel – The Hunger Game
12. A sci-fi novel – Shades of Grey
13. A romance novel – The Inheritance
14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade – The Inheritance of Loss
15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.) – Godmother
16. An audiobook – The Painted Girls
17. A collection of poetry – Voices from WahKon-Tah
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you: The Chaperone
19. A book that was originally published in another language – The Character of Rain
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind – The Color of Earth
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over) – Bite Me If You Can
22. A book published before 1850 – Ourika
23. A book published this year – Vitamania
24. A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”) – Doing What Matters

Dewey 24 Hour Read-a-thon ~~ October 17 2015

Time: 8:00 am
I did it!! Another year of Raed-a-thon! Can’t believe it’s over already and I have to wait another six month… sob…

It was kind of slow reading for a while, I finished The Inheritance and started on Just My Type, even though I know I won’t be able to finish the book. Glad I did, it was an interesting read.

This year I’ve read a lot of manga, which was a nice boost to my page count.

Time: 2:40 am
I finished vol 7 and 8 of Peach Girl in an hour, wanted to start on something new but my eyes couldn’t read a straight line. You all know how it’s like. So I took a quick nap, and now hopefully am ready for a thin quick book, The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott. Written in 1849 when she was 19, this book nicely fills two spots for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge (written before 1850 and written by someone under 25.)

Time: 11:30 pm
I had a break for dinner, and by this time finished vol 6 of Peach Girl. Will continue on to vol 7 and 8 (I hope it ends at 8) and then get back to reading another book with more words.

Time: 7:50 pm
Progressing nicely – since I had a late start I’m still going strong.
Snacked a little on a Earl Grey Moonlight Tea chocolate bar from Adagio Teas. It is milk chocolate with some tea leaves and black sea salt in it. Quite delicious.

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?
A manga series called Peach Girl.
2. How many books have you read so far?
4.5
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Not sure if I’ll get to it but I have a book about type face: Not My Type. I know, an odd choice but I’m excited about it as I like fonts.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Oh yes… getting groceries, meals, doing laundry. It’s life. Would love it if my hubby offers to do it all…
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
No big surprise, but it’s turning into a manga-a-thon for me! It feels real good to the ego to breeze through the volumes.

Time: 5:20 pm
Okay, I finished Sour Sweet. I thought I was really slow, but doing the math it was about a page a minute, so not too shabby.

Mini-challeng: Book Scavenger Hunt
From Sour Sweet by Timothy Mo
1. Something hard: The coffin the grandpa makes in his backyard
2. Something fast: the way Lily drives her car
3. Something sweet: the sweet cake the family enjoyed at new year
4. Something high: the aspiration Lily has for her son
5. Something funny: instead of getting a driver license, Lily stuffed some money into her card holder. Which worked as a bribe when she was stopped by a cop.

Time: 2:07 pm
So, finally… Ate breakfast, unpacked luggage, bought grocery, ate lunch. Now seriously starting my Read-a-thon in earnest. Will try to finish Sour Sweet, which I have been slogging through for a while. I must admit I suck at breaking up bad relationships… lucky for me I haven’t met many awful guys, but I have a hard time giving up a book even if I’m not enjoying it. Anyway, am hoping that I can just fast-read through it today.

Time: 10:56 am

Had breakfast.  That would be dinner in Hong Kong time zone.  Unpack my bag.  Good news: my beers from Hong Kong arrived safely.  I didn’t doubt they would but nonetheless it’s glad to open the suitcase and not see broken glasses and beer smelling clothes.  Bad news: American Airlines broke my luggage. They reduced their overhead bin size so much they hardly have space for everybody to fit their carry ons, so they made me check in mine.  Grrrrrgh!!

Ok, my goal for this read-a-thon: I hope I get to read some manga, and one or two mico-history books, as I have both bookboxes coming to my doorstep soon, and need to read up to have some AVLs for trading.

Total Pages read so far: 2160

Sour Sweet pgs 100-279
Hats (160 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 1 (180 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 2 (168 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 3 (176 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 4 (176 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 5 (179 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 6 (176 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 7 (174 pgs)
Peach Gril Vol. 8 (170 pgs)
The Inheritance (188 pgs)
Just My Type (1-232 pgs)

Total Time spent reading so far: 13 hr

Mini-challenges I’ve entered:
Mid-Event Survey
Book Scavenger Hunt
Accio Cinnamon Rolls
4 Seasons 4 Books

Who am I?
Blanket Fort

 

Books I have finished:

(Not finished)

Other Readers I have visited:

@shaunesay
@MelissaVerasR
@gee_elsi
@Beczenbooks
@estellasrevenge
@LittleBookOwl
Deb @ ReadWriteTell
Chris

Dewey Read-a-thon October 17, 2015 Opening Meme

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

I’m in Miami, Florida

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

Hmm… I don’t know yet… just woke up, ha hah.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Tim Tam!!  Always!  The Unofficial snack of BookCrossing

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Love to read, love to eat, likes wine and beer.  Enjoy travelling, love a good massage.

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?

Well, this is most certainly different from my previous read-a-thons!!  Usually I have everything all set up days before and am up and ready for the event!

This year – well, I didn’t even think I would be able to participate.  I was in Asia the past few weeks, and was scheduled to fly back to the U.S. on Friday afternoon.  So I most naturally think that I would be up on the airplane the most of the read-a-thon.  I may do some reading on my own but not able to participate socially.  Until my husband pointed me to the miracle called time difference.  The same wondrous thing that allows Fogg to win his wager in Around the World in 80 Days.

So, I arrived home in time, but it wasn’t till 1am Saturday morning that we got home. Good thing was I was so tired I slept through the night without jet lag, but I barely woke up now.  Will have some breakfast and get started.

I will attempt to read some today, but also need to unpack, do laundry, get grocery, etc. all the boring things one have to go through after a good time away.  But going from not able to participate to being able to, it’s a lovely thing.

Dewey Read-a-thon April 25, 2015

Time: 5:40 pm

So, finally got home from work, ate a quick late lunch (by mistake, grab the wrong container from my fridge… so didn’t have a proper lunch at work) and started reading. With my late start at Hour 9, I am happy to report that I finished my first book.  Actually, it’s half a book, I think I started on it during another read-a-thon and then didn’t finish.  I guess you can say it’s not a page-turner, but I’m the commited type who tend to stay in a relationship till the end, unless it’s really hopeless.  I was looking on my shelf for my TBR books for RAT, and saw this and figure it’s about time to end the affair.

Time: 9:02 pm

Took a quick nap at 7pm for half an hour, then woke up and helped hubby prepare dinner.  He was nice enough to do the cooking and washing, while I offered some token help, like mincing the garlic and laying the forks out on the table.

Time: 9:54 pm

Finished Brewing Up a Business, written by Sam Calagione, the head of Dogfish Head.  It’s a shame that I was reading about beer but I couldn’t drink any!  Sadly, experience taught me that I would get too giddy and sleepy to continue reading much.  This book was autographed by the author when he came to Funky Buddha Brewery a few weeks ago.

Time: 12:10 am

Finished The Tent.  A easy, beautiful and enjoyable read. Not really sleepy yet but as I goes to work at 6am not sure if I can do much more.  Maybe something short or a manga.

TIme: 1:38 am (hour 18)

Another book done! I picked Earth and Ashes up at a Booklegger shelf, thinking that this thin book is perfect for read-a-thon.  Snack: Tim Tam!

Time: 3:42 am (hour 20)

As it’s late it’s perfect time to pick up from manga!!  A marshmallowy high school romance. First love, first kiss. Ah, beautiful youth! Now time for bed as I have to be leaving for work at 6am.

While I did not read as much as I’d want, I had a great time this read-a-thon.  I have joined a few mini challenges, and have great fun joining the chat on Twitter, “meeting” other readers from different cities and countries: Denmark, Dominican Republic…

Total Pages read so far: 955

Tone Deaf in Bangkok:  pg 73-155
Brewing up a Business: pg 168-269
The Tent by Margaret Atwood pg 1-155
Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi pg 1-54
We Were There vol 1-3 by Yuki Obata pg 186, 186, 186

Total Time spent reading so far: 9 hr

Other Readers I have visited:

@shaunesay
@Atrixareads
@DNWilliams2 www.giz-blog.dk
Alysha @lilpocketbooks
@xenia.ej
@MelissaVerasR

Mini-challenges I’ve entered:

In 100 Years… 

Which contemporary books will become classic in a 100 years? It’s a fun mini-challenge, and wish there is some way I could really know what books will still be around and read by students in a 100 years. After some quick consideration, my votes are: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Bookish Brews

It’s funny I am reading a book about Dogfish Head Brewery, and up pop this challenge. While a bottle of beer would be my “choice of beverage”, sadly, experience taught me that I don’t read too well under influence. So the next best thing is the butter beer. Found it at Whole Foods a few years back and it simply screams Harry Potter without infringing any copyright.

Sadly books and beer don't mix for me but butter beer is my official #readathon drink. #bookishbrews http://t.co/4PbHDk2rvT—
Crystal S. P. (@CrystalSP) April 26, 2015

Six Words Story

Tired eyes conquering Mt TBR… not #DeweySixWordStory #readathon

— Crystal S. P. (@CrystalSP) April 26, 2015

Books I have finished:

Getting Ready for Dewey’s Read-a-thon April 25, 2015

Yay!  Another read-a-thon!  I read on the website that this is the 8th year of Dewey’s Read-a-thon, and it will be my 9th. Not bad, huh?

I have to work both Sat and Sun morning this weekend, so that would cut into my reading time, but I plan to try my best!  STAY AWAY FROM MY PHONE, for example.  I had plans to go out for dinner, but when my friend texted me to cancel, boy, I’ve never been happier!  A whole evening of reading!

I’ll likely start my Read-a-thon listening to an audio book as I drive to work.

Also plan to finish the book I’ve been reading,

Afterwards, will likely start on:

For any cheerleader and fellow Read-a-thon-ers, thank you so much for stopping by to cheer me on! Just want to let you know that I really appreciate that. It makes reading less lonely. (Probably that’s why I love BookCrossing so much.) Happy Reading to you all!! 

Dewey’s Read-a-thon Oct 18, 2014 Wrap Up

That’s it, my 8th Dewey’s Read-a-thon!!

Well, this year I totally missed the RAT in April as I was travelling, and for October’s, I was out and about most of the day, so I really did minimal reading – a little bit of audiobook while driving, a hurried few pages here and there, except for (really proud of myself) a solid two hours when I woke up at 4am to read two hours before heading to work!

I have to admit, with some shame, that my smart phone has seriously taken time off my reading.  However, reading last year’s notes, I realized that I’ve actually read more books this year than last year.  I guess my longer commute helps made a difference.

Knowing that I have little time to read, I’ve picked some really slim books, and as a result I managed to finish quite a few books!!  More than some other RATs, I’d say…

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Well, considered I didn’t read much, it wasn’t daunting, except that I have to say I am really proud of myself for waking up at 4 am to read for 2 hours before heading to work!

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

Manga/graphic novels are great for in between longer reads. Young adult paranormal fantasies are great too.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Funny, last year I complained about not receiving any cheering, and this year I got several visits!  I used twitter more this year as I was on the road mostly, and I guess it helps, easily for both me and the cheerleaders to fire off a short exchange?

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

5. How many books did you read?
I’ve read 5, plus a manga and an audio book I didn’t finish.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
At Her Majesty’s Request
What?
The Last Brother
The Snow Geese
Sumo
Angel
The Ghost Map

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Happy to say I enjoyed all the books and didn’t think any was a waste of my time.  The Snow Geese is my favorite.

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Can’t pick one – I like them all so even to pick one and say I like it least feels like a betrayal.

9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Most definitely. And hopefully I’d have more reading time so I can join the cheerleading as well. Overdue for some pay it forward!

Total Pages read: 726
At Her Majesty’s Request – 140
What? – 84
The Last Brother – 164
The Snow Geese – 58
Sumo – 106
Angel – 74
The Ghost Map – 100

Total Time spent reading:

About 4 hrs

Other Readers I have visited:

Books I have munched on:

Books I have finished:

Mini Challenges I participated in:
Sadly, none. Hopefully next time as I do love them.

Dewey Read-a-thon Opening Meme

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

I’m in Miami, Florida

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

Hmm… I would say it’s my manga.  If I get to it.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Tim Tam!!  Always!  The Unofficial snack of BookCrossing

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Love to read, love to eat, likes wine and beer.  Enjoy travelling, love a good massage,

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 didn’t do April’s but have done a few read-a-thon before.  One thing I do different today? Umm, not read as much… because luckily, or sadly, I won a free ticket to a food & wine fest and that’s just too good to pass up!! Will try to read while in car, etc, and I have stacked up a few very thin book so at least I can claim to finish a book or two.

Now on to a little bit of reading before I have to go to volunteer at the library!

Getting Ready for Dewey’s Read-a-thon October 18, 2014

Just a sleep away from the read-a-thon!!

I missed April’s as I was travelling in Thailand on that day. True, I could read some books, but I figure it would be a terrible waste of a trip that could be once-in-a-lifetime.

For October, I requested my day off work way ahead. However, it looks like there’s some conspiracy from the Universe to keep me from my books (other than inventing the smart phone, that is…) I won a pair of tickets to an event. It’s called Seeds Food & Wine Festival, supposedly the first vegan food & wine festival in the country. I admit I’m not a vegan, though mostly vegetarian, but it does sound like a fun event, and with the ticket costing $40, it seems a waste to pass it up.

Then my friend organized a meetup on Sat night at one of my favorite restaurants, Gyu-kaku, a Japanese BBQ place, where you grill your food at the table. (Yes, I admit, I’m NOT vegetarian)

So, I will try my best to read as much as I can. But in all honesty it won’t be a lot. I have to work Sunday at 7am so it’s not even like I can stay up at night to play catch up. I will probably tweet my progress (@crystalsp) as I’ll be out most of the day.

For any cheerleader and fellow Read-a-thon-ers, thank you so much for stopping by! Happy Reading to you all!!

Dewey’s Read-a-thon Oct 2013 Wrap Up

So, another Dewey went by, again with some tinge of regret that I didn’t read more, but also some pride as I have not been reading much at all the last few months as work was just too busy. I normally clock 10 books a month but this year I’ve read only 80 plus so far. As I have included some graphic novels and a novella, the number of books read this time tops previous read-a-thons.

I finished reading The Bookshop by Penelope Lively with around 20 min to go. I would have called it quits but the book ended on such a sad note with the closing of a bookshop, and I just couldn’t end a read-a-thon on such a sad note, so I decided to pick up another book, a short 100-pager with large print and wide spacing.

Quite pride of myself for brewing a perfect cup of Earl Grey this morning. I like a good cup of tea, but not usually very mindful of brewing one, so often ended up too astringent a cup by steeping the leaves too long. But I managed a nice cup this morning.

Meanwhile, it does sound like I take a perverse joy in this but my hubby asked me to wake him at 6 this morning to go paddling this morning but is still snuggled up. And I should be joining him after I finish the wrap up meme.

As I haven’t done the beginning or midway challenge (as I wasn’t reading at that time), here at least is my wrap up:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Well, the hour around 3am I suppose. At the junction I could take a nap or just plod on the finish line.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
The Maximum Ride series is great, so is the Immortal Instruments, and a good manga series.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Well, not sure why, but I didn’t get any visit from the cheering squad? I get some personal friends visiting, but usually I get at least a few visits. Not that I feel offended, but I did enjoy the comments the cheerleaders left, it does make a difference, you know.

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

5. How many books did you read?
I’ve read 9, but really finished copy-to-copy, or mostly, 6.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Books That Changed The World
Something Rotten
Beethoven’s Hair
Necromancer: A Novella
Pluto Vol 1-3
The Bookshop
a cool moonlight

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I’d say Something Rotten, from the Thursday Next series. But I’ve only listened to 1.5 CD of that, so not counting it, I’d say Beethoven’s Hair.

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Necromancer. I actually didn’t realize the first half is an extract from the full-length book, which explains why the pace isn’t as brisk as I expected. I enjoyed the novella, but the extract, the writing I dislike so much I almost gave up. Not likely to make me want to read the full version.

9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Hopefully I can be off work and free to spend the whole day reading. I’d love to be cheering again.

Total Pages read: 1028
Books That Changed The World: pg 162-203 (42)
Something Rotten: approx 50 (50)
Beethoven’s Hair: 76-273 (198)
Necromancer: A Novella 1-36 (36)
Pluto Vol 1: 163-198 (36)
Pluto Vol 2: 1-206 (206)
Pluto Vol 3: 1-201 (202)
The Bookshop: 1-123 (124)
a cool moonlight: 1-133 (134)

Total Time spent reading: 8.25 hr
8:30 am – 9:00 am Something Rotten
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Something Rotten (audio CD while driving)
2:30 am – 6:00 pm Beethoven’s Hair
7:30 pm – 8:15 pm Necromancer (on my cellphone while hubby’s driving)
12:30am – 2:30 am Pluto Vol 1-3
5:30 am – 8:00 am The Bookshop, a cool moonlight

Other Readers I have visited:

shaunesay
noumena

Books I have munched on:

Books I have finished:

Mini Challenges I participated in:
None. As I didn’t really get much reading time I don’t want to be sidetracked. Normally, I do enjoy the mini challenges to keep things exciting.

Read-a-thon Hour 22

I’m up and I’m reading!!.
Feeling a bit lonely though… no cheering team this year it seems like. : (

Time: 5:30am

Currently Reading:

Reading Location:In living room, on sofa.

Total Pages read so far: 770
Books That Changed The World: pg 162-203 (42)
Something Rotten: approx 50 (50)
Beethoven’s Hair: 76-273 (198)
Necromancer: A Novella 1-36 (36)
Pluto Vol 1: 163-198 (36)
Pluto Vol 2: 1-206 (206)
Pluto Vol 1: 1-201 (202)

Total Time spent reading so far: 5.75 hr
8:30 am – 9:00 am Something Rotten
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Something Rotten (audio CD while driving)
2:30 am – 6:00 pm Beethoven’s Hair
7:30 pm – 8:15 pm Necromancer (on my cellphone while hubby’s driving)
12:30am – 2:30 am Pluto Vol 1-3

Other Readers I have visited:

shaunesay
noumena

Books I have munched on:

Books I have finished:

Mini Challenges I participated in:

Dewey Read-a-thon Hour 17

Gosh Hour 17 already!!

Just came back from a long dinner with some friends at an Uzbekistan restaurant (I know, it’s pretty exotic huh? The cuisine is kind of Russian + Middle Eastern + Northern Chinese. Super delicious!) I managed to finish Beethoven’s Hair before I went out. It was an amazing story, and the noble and heroic effort of the Danes to save the Jews during WWII is especially moving. I also managed to read a novella on my phone while we drive to the restaurant. Now I am home, I will do a little bit of reading, on a manga series Pluto that I’ve just began. Then go take a nap and try to wake up at 5am to do a last round of reading.

Time: 12:01am

Currently Reading:

Reading Location:In living room, on sofa.

Total Pages read so far: 326
Books That Changed The World: pg 162-203 (42)
Something Rotten: approx 50 (50)
Beethoven’s Hair: 76-273 (198)
Necromancer: A Novella 1-36 (36)

Total Time spent reading so far: 5.75 hr
8:30 am – 9:00am Something Rotten
1:00 pm – 2:00pm Something Rotten (audio CD while driving)
2:30 am – 6:00pm Beethoven’s Hair
7:30pm – 8:15pm Necromancer (on my cellphone while hubby’s driving)

Other Readers I have visited:

shaunesay
noumena

Books I have munched on:

Books I have finished:

Mini Challenges I participated in:

Dewey’s Read-a-thon October 12. 2013

So, as usual, hubby did NOT make it to his outrigger paddling this morning.  I just got back from my volunteering at the library. I won’t have done anything else to distract from my reading, but I figure, it’s the library, so it’s still reading related activity.

To catch up for lost time, I probably won’t be joining in the mini challenges as much. Will still try to visit some of my friends, or else why do a read-a-thon together?

I will be tweeting as well, so follow me @CrystalSP.

And here’s my virtual dog helping me select my books:

Time: 2:19pm

Currently Reading:

Reading Location:In living room, on sofa.

Total Pages read so far: 60
Books That Changed The World: 10
Something Rotten: approx 50

Total Time spent reading so far: 1.5 hr
8:30 am – 9:00am Something Rotten
1:00pm – 2:00pm Something Rotten (audio CD while driving)

Other Readers I have visited:

shaunesay
noumena

Books I have munched on:

Books I have finished:

Mini Challenges I participated in:

Dewey 24 Hour Read-a-thon Getting Ready!

This book blog practically only get updates at read-a-thon – shame on me!!

Life has been rather crazy the last few months, but has finally settled down somewhat.  I have a few books lined up for read-a-thon already.  A few ballycumbers I want to finish, an awesome manga series called Pluto, and several thin books just in case.  I won’t be able to read too much though, as I have to volunteer at the library in the morning, and going out with my friends at night.  On Sunday I have a full day which means I won’t be able to stay up all night.  My majority of reading will be done between Hour 5-10.