Wow! Its been another successful read-a-thon.  I may have missed the first few hours but the near 20 hours that I participated in should count for something.  And it was tons of fun!

The end has arrived, so here we go!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  Hours 22 and 23 since I started crashing
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Wow, any graphic novel is a great pick me up, especially if you're reading longer or denser books. Nordic Noir is really popular right now.  Jo Nesbo is a wonderful writer and really engaging.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Maybe more cheerleading in the later hours
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I liked a lot of the later mini challenges.  Some were really fun
5. How many books did you read? 5
6. What were the names of the books you read? Carpathia, 30 Days of Night, 30 Days of Night: Darkest Days, 30 Days of Night #2.5, and Haunted Greenville
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Carpathia
8. Which did you enjoy least? Hmm, maybe 30 Days of Night.  I did like it, but I thought the sequel was better.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Probably still a reader, but I'd definitely do it in October if I'm available

While I'm on a quick break since I just finished the last graphic novel, this seems pretty fun. 

Rules:
1.  A noun from page one of the text you are reading.
2.  An adjective to describe the cover of your book.
3.  Your name or the name of a character.
4.  A verb found on page 23 of your book (or the nearest page with text on it).
5.  A noun from the title or the "About the Author" section of the book.
6.  A verb ending in -ing from approximately page 76 (or the nearest page with text on it).
7. and 8.  Two adjectives from the opening paragraph of a chapter or article from anywhere in the text.
9.  Another verb found at the bottom of page 100 (or the nearest page with text on it).
10.  The longest time period it has ever taken you to read a book.

Don't look ahead to see the text you'll be using these words in until you're ready to let the hilariousness unfold.

This ____(1)____ is ____(2)____!  ____(3)____  has never ____(4)____ so much.
The ____(5)____ I'm currently ____(6)____ is ____(7)____ and ____(8)____.
When this is over, I will ____(9)____ for ____(10)____.

So you get:

This year is gray! _Quin_ has never _appeared_ so much.
The Carpathia_ I'm currently _sweating is _elaborate_ and _white_.
When this is over, I will mutter for eight months_.

Want a song that gets you pumped up?  I'm more of a rock fan so this definitely does and its a blast to sing to: 



Its a new song called Mz. Hyde by Halestorm.  Give it a try!

Its currently 6 am here which means I have about 2 hours left!  It seemed like a good time to take a bit of a break since my cat was insistent that she be fed!  And, it does wonders to move to another room to read.

So, how am I faring?  My snack of Nutella and Crackers gave me a bit of extra pep.  My Norwegian companion bowed out, which I totally understand considering she stayed up over 24 hours not only to work but to join me as well! What an awesome friend!  And even my furry companion has jumped ship, considering food is a better prospect.  While my companions have left, I still have the will to read.  So I read.

I switched it up and decided to read a few graphic novels to feel accomplished.  So here is what I've read so far:

Finished:

Haunted Greenville by Jason Profit (128 pages)
30 Days of Night by Steve Niles (260 Pages)
30 Days of Night: Dark Days (260 Pages)
30 Days of Night: Annual 2004 (50 Pages)

Still Reading:
Carpathia by Matt Forbeck

My goal is to finish Carpathia by the end of the Read-a-Thon.

So this challenge is basically to take of picture of "Me and My Book"

Here it is:


That is myself with headphones and my book.  Ok...It's a Nook Color.  The outside is my cover with tons of author signatures.  And I'm reading Carpathia by Matt Forbeck on it.

But wait, there's more!



Yes...that is my background.  And yes its Doctor Who and the Tardis. Geekily Awesome right?  I know.

So just for fun, here is my little reading companion who asked for cuddles!  She likes to dictate my reading schedule and she's the boss you know.

Well, its hour 18, or 13 if I want to get technical since I started a bit late.

So far I've read one book, Haunted Greenville, and I'm over halfway done with the next, Carpathia, which is a fictional horror story that occurs during the rescue of survivors from the Titanic.  All in all almost 500 pages read, which isn't a ton.

But through it all, I've had companions.  One of which, LiaveEkeli is participating from Norway.  Of course, our reading has probably gone a bit slower because we discuss our reads among other things, but still, its fun reading with a friend on a different continent.  The magic of the internet.

My other companion(s) are of the animal variety.  Rock joined me briefly.  Rock is a 20 year old cockatiel that's yellow and white.  However, since it was getting late and quite dreary out, he became cranky and retired to his cage for sleep. 

My furry companion, Citabria (Sit-ah-bree-uh   She's named after an aerobatic plane) has been with me all day.  She's quite pleased as long as we take snack breaks for treats and as long as she can curl up beside me on the bed.  And of course, she wants to be cuddled and loved on in between naps!



Here she is, approving of my tote full of books.

Such a supportive kitty!

Yay, lets get this Read-a-Thon on the road! I admit, I was supposed to start at 8am, 5 hours ago, but I overslept.  And then I experienced technological issues.  But here I am with a bag full of books, a silly cat, and a great friend joining in from Norway.  So shall we get started?

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
South Carolina, USA

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I'm not sure.  There's so many.  I'm having a hard time deciding what to even read first!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Popcorn.  You know that's going to happen

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Its always such a process to choose between books to read.  I want to suddenly read them all at once!

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?
Interact a bit more!


Since its such a chore to decide what books to read, I decided to put the contenders in a bag, which happens to be my fav tote!



As you see, I have several books listed and even bought a few brand new bookmarks!

The books (for those interested):

Nook Color:
I have two ebooks to choose from:
Carpathia  by Matt Forbeck
The Deep Zone by James Tabor

And everything else:
Nemi for a bit of lightness
The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo
Tale of the Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

And Alternates:
The Haunted by Bentley Little
Sun Storm by Asa Larsson

We Can't Forget Graphic Novels:
30 Days of Night (the entire collection)

So what else do I have?




I have  Citabria, who is one curious little kitty and a great companion!

Time to start reading, even if it is a bit late!

I'm pretty much finished reading but I really loved this challenge!  The Get Up Off That Thing challenge was a perfect way to finish!  You simply get up and dance to three songs.  I pretty much just put my music on shuffle and I managed to rock out to three great songs.

1. Mercenary by Panic! At the Disco.  It's off the soundtrack to Arkham Asylum and for anyone who knows me, they could tell you how much of a rabid Batman fan I am.  So it was a fun way to start.

2. Whadya Want From Me by Adam Lambert.  You can dance to it but I was more or less just singing.

3. Bad Romance covered by Halestorm.  Its a great rock version of the song and fun to rock out to.

And an extra bonus:  Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin.  Just like this read-a-thon did.  Yep. I'm that cheesy.

It's been an interesting day.  My reading was interrupted by a friend that recently moved to town.  However, while I was over at his place I did manage to read several AOPA magazines!  After returning home I took a bit of a nap and my reading has a second wind!  So far I've read several short stories, magazines, and a good bit of my book.  Lets get these last few hours done as I cuddle with my cat, Citabria!

Oh, and Clemson won their game and remains undefeated. Woot!