The end

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon came to end with me falling asleep before finishing my second book. Other responsibilities and my own lack of sleep got the best of me again this time.

1 read 260 pages, and that's a good deal more than I get to read in the average day. I'm anxious to finish Stardust as it's been a great read so far.

The readathon also reminds me how much I've neglected blogging. It has me thinking of changing the blog focus or creating a new blog to reflect my teacher interests.

Closing survey

Which hour was most daunting for you?

Most of them actually. I started off well but got interrupted by work and then just got lazy.

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

If you are scifi reader and a child of the '80s, I would definitely suggest Ernest Cline's Ready Player One or Armada. I am really enjoying Stardust, so some of Neil Gaiman's shorter works might work well for others, too.

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

No, I think it works just fine as it is.

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

I really liked the GoodReads forum. I've added some books to my to-read list from others' suggestions.

How many books did you read?

Two halves

Which book did you enjoy most?

It's really a tie so far.

Which book did you enjoy least?

See above.

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

I definitely will keep coming back as a reader.

Mid-event Survey

It never seems to fail that something comes up on readathon day. Today it was a welding job with the guys. I had  good time and got to make a new friend so it was all good.

Had some lunch and made it home to crack open the e-reader and promptly feel asleep within a few chapters.

Got back on track a few hours later and finished Armada by Ernest Cline. It's a great read for children of the '80s, as is his Ready Player One.

Here's my mid-event survey an hour-and-a-half late.

1. What are you reading right now?
I am just starting Neil Gaiman's Stardust that has been on my to-read list a long time.
2. How many books have you read so far?
I've only finished one so far.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Definitely Stardust.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
See above. It always seems to happen things come up but I think the main thing is I get more reading in than I usually have time to do.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
That it passes so quickly and it never goes as I plan.

Oops

I almost forgot it about Dewey's 24-hour Readathon, but there is plenty of time to get some reading done. So here is my halfway there survey answers.

1. What are you reading right now?

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee (Cadillac, Texas #1) by Carolyn Brown

2. How many books have you read so far?

None yet

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

I've got several in progress but I'd most like to finish William Shakespeare's Star Wars Trilogy by Ian Doescher

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

Other than forgetting to get started you mean?

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

None so far (see above)

And it's over

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?

Many of them were but late afternoon and after midnight were the worst.

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

If you like mysteries, I would suggest anything by Sara Paretsky or Sue Grafton. Don't overlooked self-published and free books. I got Elusive by Sara Rosett for free, and it was a great read. One of my favorite sci-fi series, Wool by Hugh Howey, was self-published  and low cost.

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

I think it was done very well. My only suggestion is for my self to read more and get extra sleep the night before.

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

I liked the mini-challenges.

5) How many books did you read?

I only read 2. Since I don't get to read much I still feel like I accomplished something.

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

Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout by Rick Rigsby and The Last Firewall by William Hertling

7) Which book did you enjoy most?

The Last Firewall

8) Which did you enjoy least?

I enjoyed them both. Maybe next year I will read enough to have a least enjoyable book.

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

Not applicable

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

I will definitely be a reader next time.

Mid-event survey

1. What are you reading right now?
The Last Firewall
2. How many books have you read so far?
1 1/2
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
The Litigators by John Grisham
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I've had a lot of self-imposed interruptions: cooking dinner, a nap, Facebook. I'm just taking my time and enjoying more reading than usually fits in my day.
5. What surprises you most about the read-a-thon, so far?
I thought I would have read more by this point.

Reading for 24 hours give or take

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
West Texas
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I have two books in progress I am looking forward to finishing: The Last Firewall by William Hertling and Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout by Rick Rigsby.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Iced tea and honeydew melon
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am a former journalist and a current educator. 
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?
This is my second read-a-thon but I didn't post last year. I am going to try to remedy that this year.

30 in 30

And it's ooooover (in my best Kitchen Stadium announcer voice). NaBloPoMo has come to an end once again. I learned a few things this time around:

1. I'm much better at photo blogging than word blogging.
2. I'm very good at procrastination.
3. I should write more so I won't be quite so rusty.
   

In the zone

In one of our rapid-fire text messaging sessions, Ken said stability is my comfort zone and that is why I stay put. I guess that's true in that I don' like change. But I find it odd since I rarely feel like things are stable. There is always some sort of chaos swirling around me and it seems like it has always been that way. Maybe it is time to take a leap of faith and see where I land.