Once again, it's time for Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon. 

   

As always, the read-a-thon for me starts at 2 pm on Saturday, and ends at 2 pm on Sunday.

      

And this will be my 12th time participating.

 

 

 

I've been thinking about what I'll read, and what I'll eat, and if I should set any goals, and I kept changing my mind, but at this last second (while I'm writing this post), I decided to just read as much as I can, and whatever I decide at the moment, and my only set goal is to read at least 6 hours! 

As for what I'll be reading, I have quite a lot shorter books (both on my kindle & on my bookshelf) I might read, as well as longer ones, and I might even re-read a favorite one, so lots to choose from, but I didn't make a list of possible reads!

 

So, that's it! I'll update this post with my progress & probably some challenges I'll do!

 

  

 

I hope everyone will have a great time, so HAPPY READING!!!!! 

 

 

Introductory Meme:

  

 

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

- As always, from my home in Skopje, Macedonia (that's in Europe).

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

- To be honest, I don't have one, but I'm looking forward to re-reading something by Neil Gaiman (my most fav author), as well as reading something spooky (I'm in a mood for that right now).

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

- My homemade delicious ice cream. Usually, for the fall edition of this read-a-thon, I can't buy one (they don't sell it here anymore when the weather gets cold), but I've found that it's the perfect thing to wake me up in the night when I start to get sleepy, so this time, I made it myself ;)

 
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

- I just turned 29 last Monday (can't believe I'm 29), I adore caramel sauce (caramel ice cream & vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce, yum [see #3 lol] & I've been blogging since 2009, though this year I've been procrastinating, so I'm hoping to get back to it any day now (maybe this read-a-thon will be the push I need)!

 
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, last time I made a list of books to read for the read-a-thon, and I didn't track the time I've spent reading, and I had no goals, and this time, I don't have a set list of books to read for the read-a-thon, I decided to count the time spent reading, and my one & only set goal is to read at least 6 hours!

 

  

     

Cover Escape Mini Challenge:

  

The moment I read what the challenge is, I knew I had to find a book with a beach cover, and a beach under moonlight, yes, please! I'd love to escape there :)
  

Mid-Event Survey:

 

1. What are you reading right now?

- Dead Boy by Laurel Gale.

 
2. How many books have you read so far?

- 5 books.

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

- The Brigadier's Runaway Bride by Erica Ridley.

 

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

- Yes, I had. I just did what I had to do, and as fast as I can, so I can go back to reading.

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

- I really like the different challenges. They seem especially fun.    

   
 

 Recommendation Train:

  

 

To a reader that loved Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I recommended A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Also, I listed one of my Gaiman reads as my fav, too.

 

  

4 Seasons 4 Books Mini Challenge:

   

Update #1: 

At first, the read-a-thon didn't go as planned (there were some interruptions), but even after all that, I'm actually quite happy with everything that I read. Ok, they're all childrens books, but it was more than I expected. So far I read:

 

The Neil Gaiman books were all re-reads, and I loved them all over again. I also started a couple of other 2 books: Dead Boy by Laurel Gale (40% read - I'm returning to it right away) & Seaside by Wylde Scott (20% read). So far, the time I've spent reading is 3 h 11 min!

  

   

Update #2:

 

  

I finished reading Dead Boy, and this book actually turned out amazing & unexpected, and I loved it! I also started reading The Brigadier's Runaway Bride, but now it's time to get some sleep. It's almost 7 am here, and I need some rest, at least a few hours, and then I'm planning to read again. Time I've spent reading since my previous update is 2 h 41 min, and that makes a total of 5 h 52 min, so I'm pretty much done with my only goal.

 
 

Wrap Up:

I'm late with the wrap up, but it was a great read-a-thon for me! I reached my goal (read for about six and a half hours), read the 6 books mentioned aboth, as well as read 20% from Seaside & 80% from The Brigadier's Runaway Bride, so they both together make another book ;) And did plenty of challenges as well, and of course, I'll participate again :)

 

It's time for Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon.
   

As always, the read-a-thon for me starts at 2 pm on Saturday, and ends at 2 pm on Sunday.

   

And this will be my 11th time participating.

   

 

I haven't quite decided what I'll read this time. I'll just choose on a whim ;) 

 

But, I have a nice mix of novellas, graphic novels, collections of stories, as well as full-length novels & shorter novels, and then there are the already started books I might pick up, even those I'd like to reread, as well as those I've already started rereading. So, it all depends on my mood...

  

Also, no goals this time, and I decided not to count the time or the pages, I'll just try to relax & read as much as I can in the 24 hours, and most of all, to have fun & enjoy reading!

       

HAPPY READING EVERYONE!!!

 Opening Meme:

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

- As always, from my home in Skopje, Macedonia.

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

- Coffee Gives Me Superpowers by Ryoko Iwata.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

- The delicious mini cakes I made especially for this read-a-thon (and barely managed to stop myself from eating them all).

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

- I'm a coffee addict, Neil Gaiman is my #1 fav author, and Forever for me is the best TV show at the moment!

 
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've participated the last time of course (I haven't missed one in years), and the one thing I'm doing different this time is that I don't have a list of reads as always, but I'm choosing what to read on a whim, with the exception of the coffee book I mentioned above ;) 

 

 Seasons in Four Covers

 
   

I'm sorry for the low quality of the pic, but I still think you can see the seasons. Spring is obvious, the green cover with the green grass reminds me of spring. For summer, I chose the cover on the beach & the ocean, it reminded me of warm summer night. For autumn, obviously the cover with the girl with the umbrella in the rain. And for winter, the cover with the snowcapped mountains.

   

Treasure Hunt

  

  
The goal was to find covers with 3 items: a tree, snow & a weapon, and I found them all ;)

Book Spine Poetry

    

"The darkest touch,

soulless, torn,

forbidden.   

Warm bodies,

a thousand bones,

shattered souls,

forsaken,

forgiven."

  

    

In 100 years...

  

...I think that these books will be classics:

1. The Harry Potter series – because it’s one of the most amazing & well thought out fantasy series

2. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – maybe I’m biased, because I love this book, but I think it will be one of the sci-fi classics

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – you know why, if you’ve read it ;)

Bonus: pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman. I couldn’t choose one by him, so yeah… I’m pretty sure most of his books will be classics, because they’re brilliant!
  

Update #1:

So far, I participated in 5 of the challenges, and I read:

I also started & I'm still reading:

Now, it's after midnight here, and it's time for a short break and another coffee fix...

Update #2:

It's morning, and I'm trying to wake up. I'm actually drinking my 2nd cup of coffee. I stayed up until 6 a.m., but in the end, I decided to get some sleep, but at least there are still some 3+ hours before the read-a-thon is over. 

Since my last update, I did one more challenge Get Fit and Read, and I also read a graphic novel & a novella:

Now, I'm finishing with Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales by Terry Pratchett, with only 2 more tales to go. After that, no idea what I'll read next...

End of Event Meme:

 

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

- Hours 19-20, mostly because it was tough to wake myself up, so I'm in condition to read.

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

- Coffee Gives Me Superpowers by Ryoko Iwata & Terry Pratchett's Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales.

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

- Nope.

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

- The cheerleaders. Never before have I been as cheered as this time, they did amazing job!

 
5. How many books did you read?

- 7 and a half.

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

- Texting Under the Influence by Cara Lockwood, Coffee Gives Me Superpowers by Ryoko Iwata, The Frog in the Tree by Paul Waters, Doctor Who: The Anti-Hero by Stella Duffy, Edward Scissorhands Volume 1: Parts Unknown by Kate Leth, Working With Heat by Anne Calhoun, Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales by Terry Pratchett, and half of Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

- Definitely Coffee Gives Me Superpowers.

 
8. Which did you enjoy least?

- I enjoyed them all, but if I had to choose, then Edward Scissorhands.

 
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

- I wasn't, but they were amazing this year :)

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

- Of course I'll participate again, definitely as a reader, and maybe as a cheerleader, too.

 

  

  

Final Update:

  

Since my last update, I participated in the Share a Song challenge, and the End of Event Meme, and I finished Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales, and started Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis, and read a half of it.

  
 
Mini challenges done: 8
 
 
Books read: 7 + 1/2
 

The Tackle Your TBR Read-a-Thon is hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings.

For more detailed info about this read-a-thon & to sign up, visit the post HERE.

On Twitter we (readathon-ers) will use #TackleTBR.

My Goals:

- to read 3 full-length books

- to finish 1 previously started book

- to participate in at least 1 challenge

 

I'll just list the books below as I read them, but my first read is Burning Dawn by Gena Showalter.

My Reading List:

1. Burning Dawn by Gena Showalter

2. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

3. The Little Android (A Lunar Chronicles short story) by Marissa Meyer

4. Aces Wild by Amanda Carlson (novella)

5. The Asylum for Fairy Tale Creatures by Sebastian Gregory (novella)
6. Cress by Marissa Meyer
7. Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky by Marissa Meyer (short story)
8. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner  

Update #1:

So far, I read 2 full-length novels, and I loved them both:

 

  

...and I also read one prequel short story & one novella:

 

 

...and I participated in the Random Page Challenge.

 

Melissa Wright's Challenge: List Top 5 Fav Books

This was tough to choose. I mean, it was easy for #1 most fav, as well as #2, but the rest, it was tough. I barely stopped myself from filling the list with all the Neil Gaiman books (I adore them all), and then there were those I didn't list, and now it's bugging me, but I had to choose only 3 more.

Anyway, the books on my top 5 favs list are:

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

2. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

4. The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

   

 

 

  Update #2:

So far, I participated in 5 more challenges, the 2 hosted by Laurie Larsen & Melissa Wright, and the 3 hosted by Tressa: Book Cover Opposites, Book Cover Challenge & Color Challenge. I also read one novella, one full-length novel & one short story:

   

    

Final Update:

And at last, I finished one of my previously started books:

  
...and that's a wrap. I managed to complete my #TackleTBR goals!

I came across this read-a-thon only a couple of days ago, and I knew I had to sign up! It sounds like so much fun, and who doesn't love a themed read-a-thon ;)

  

For more detailed info about this read-a-thon & to join, visit the sign up post HERE!

 

Also, this just might be the push I need to finally read some of those books that have been sitting on my shelf unread for years now, and lots of them are set in different countries & by authors from different countries. 

I haven't decided what exactly I'll read, but I have lots of choices because I'm from Macedonia, and I'll try to mix it up, and read books set in different countries & by authors from lots of different countries, though probably most of them will be from Europe, to be honest.

Goals:

~ to finish one previously started book

~ to read 2 full-length books

~ to participate in a mini challenge

   

 

Ok, so, I have 2 previosly started books that fit this read-a-thon: Untold by Cat Clarke (by UK author & set in UK) & The Final Murder by Anne Holt (set in Norway & by a Norwegian author), and I'd like to finish them both. And despite the fact that I have a lot of popular books that I'd like to read (like A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Shadow of the Wind, Mistress of Rome, etc.), the book that I think would be the most perfect for this read-a-thon is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It was recommended to me by my cousin, and I'll have to borrow it from her, and I know it's on the chunky side, but hopefully I'll like it & read it. And to be honest, the first book I'll probably read is Red Blooded by Amanda Carlson, and she's an American author, so it still counts ;) So, yes, I'm totally undecided, but then again, I am a moody reader, but I'll start with:

I'll just update this post with my progress! I'm also planning to tweet about it now & then ;)

Update #1:

Ok, so, I haven't been reading as much this first week as I wanted to read. I did finish one previously started book & read one more, though I actually finished them both today, on this 7th day. I have no idea what I'll read next. Whatever I'll be in a mood for when I'll choose my next read...

The books I read so far are:

  

...the previously started The Final Murder, that's set in Norway, with a few parts of the chapters through the book set in France & Sweden. Also, the author Anne Holt is from Norway.

I also read Red Blooded, which is set in the USA (when it wasn't in the Underworld), and it's by an American author, so it still fits for me ;)
 

 Update #2:

  

I have to admit that I totally strayed from my planned reading list for this read-a-thon, so instead I read whatever I got in the mood for. I read 2 more books, both by American authors, but one was set in England, and one short story & one novella, also by American authors, and the novella set in USA, Las Vegas to be precise.

I did start Marc Levy's The First Day, which is by French author, and so far has been set in Ethiopia, Chile, UK & France, but I haven't gotten far. I guess I'm not feeling it, but I'll continue reading it & hopefully will be better.
  

Book Scavenger Hunt Challenge:

I decided to do some, but only with pics from my shelf.

#1: My Books from Around the World: 1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan); 2. Blood Eagle by Craig Russell (set in Germany, author from Scotland, UK); 3. Oksa Pollock: The Last Hope by Anne Plichota & Cendrine Wolf (set in UK & France, authors from France); 4. Magpie Hall by Rachael King (New Zealand); 5. The Final Murder by Anne Holt (Norway); 6. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (set in an Arabian country, no idea which one exactly); 7. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (Australia); 8. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn (set in Italy); 9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Spain); 10. The Japanese Lover by Rani Manicka (Malaysia); 11. The Midnight Palace by Carlos Rioz Zafon (set in India); 12. Azazel a.k.a The Winter Quinn by Boris Akunin (Russia); 13. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (set in UK & USA, author from UK); 14. The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle (USA, but set in an Amish society); 15. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Sweden).  

#3: one of my favorite books from around the world - I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - Australia.

#6: fiction book from around the world I'd like to read - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Spain.

#7: foreign city in the title - Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn.

#9: book written by an author from another country than where I live - United Kingdom.

#10: Book set in a country I’d like to visit: The Alchemist's Key by Cristina Brambilla - set in Italy.