THE LOG BOOK: The November 2011 ReadaThing Record of.....

OK, there's a thread for what you PLAN to do, but this thread is for what you will do, where, how, with whom or what....

**What book or books are you reading?
**Where are you reading? (specific or vague is fine) Posting a picture of where you will be/are reading is encouraged
**How long did you read or could you read?
**Doing anything else? food, music, listening to someone snore, watching the sun rise or set...

More Important Stuff:
**Is it a GOOD BOOK? Tell us what you thought of it...

**Did it meet or exceed your expectations? **Do you recommend it? **Was it a fast read or a thoughtful read? **Did it make you laugh or cry or "be afraid, be very afraid"? **Was it boring? **Would you read it again? **Are you going to throw it off a cliff into the sea?

We aren't expecting a full review of the book, although, that's fine... just give us a flavor of the book.. tempt us into reading it or warn us to keep clear!

and have some fun with your reading! There's going to be a good group of us reading along with you... sorta... and we'll be really quiet, except for the tapping of the keyboards as people check in.

The signup page is here: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/ReadathonNovember2011

You don't have to sign up for a time... the No Timeline Readers is further down that page.

Thank you!!

Less than two hours to go and I'm getting ready....



That's the chair where I will be doing most of my reading....

That is one of my laptops where I'll be posting my notes....

That is one of the books I will be reading, Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon...

and, on the chair, in his orange & white glory, is His Royal Highness... surveying his domain.... and claiming his chair...

Hopefully, I can find some wine to go with this evening's entertainment... or a cup of herbal tea... hopefully, I can get to sit in that chair...

This ReadaThing lasts 100 hours!!

How many hours are you reading?

I plan to read any time I am not: working, driving or sleeping.

I am trying to finish as many of my 11 in 11 Challenge categories as I can. Below is my list of books so far –

Belshazzar’s Daughter by Barbara Nadel
Moving Targets and Other Tales of Valdemar
Songmaster by Orson Scott Card
Sorcery & Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Language and Thought by Noam Chomsky
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain
Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P Murphy

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Here's my reading zone, with computer and one cat (not the one that likes to stretch out on the sofa arm, though!).



I sort of accidentally picked up Wonderstruck this morning, and since I'm only (already) half-way through (and have to do other stuff for the next hour), I suspect that's what I'll be reading first. As I mentioned in the other thread, though, I've got quite a few books in process and more (oh, so many more...) in Mount TBR, so I may be switching around. Wonderstruck goes fast, though.

I'll be reading whenever I get a chance. I want to start when the Readathing starts...we'll see what else happens. Hmmm...maybe during the next hour I'll also be making ginger cookies. I owe my parents a batch, but doubling is easy...

Arggh. No picture. Fiddle fiddle - hmmm, view source (skittles' pic worked!). Ah, wrong URL - I had the Junk Drawer page, not the real image location.

15 minutes to go... I'll get ready to start and post about it here tomorrow.

Happy reading everyone!

I am going to be reading The Kite Runner and The Book Whisperer. I am going to read in the room that I rent probably between bed and chair. I am going to read as much as I can as I have a break from work. When not reading I am going to be participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time.

Tah Daaah! 12:07 here in Auckland, and I'm at work - but it's sunny and I need lunch, so I am indulging in a half hour outside with a book and a sandwich, and so the readaThing begins! The sandwich id chicken and the book is Kerry Greenwood's "Cooking the Books", latest in the Corinna Chapman series, light, clever and perfect pick-up and put-down reading. Tonight it will be "Our Life in Gardens" by landscape gardenerss Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd. Ahhh..

#6: Melanie, I'm jealous/envious of both your books!!

#7: Kitty, your lunch sounds good & I'll check out your book later... let me know if the series is a good one... although, if you are continuing to read a series, it must be...

#3: Bruce (or the evil twin)... I hope you get lots of time to read & get through as many of your books as possible!

#4: Hope your book is good, but your couch looks comfy!! Especially with the kitties!!

I've gotten a few chapters read... had to move to a different room because the television is in that room... but His Royal Highness followed with me & is sharing the couch while I read & post!!

and I got some wine & some plain nacho chips to nibble.

Happy Reading, Everyone!!

I don't know how to do the picture thing so will just do the reading/drinking/posting of things.
I am smack in the middle of Pride and Prejudice so I will finish that one (hopefully this evening; am loving it) and then move along to my 100 hour reading book: Sir Richard Burton's Arabian Nights: The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night.
I will be reading mainly on/in my bed and occasionally in my rocking chair with coffee, tea, toast and some meals I have prepared in advance. Most likely Abby Labby or Miss Hungry (temp name of our new kitten) will be keeping me company throughout the days and hubby snoozing next to me during the nights.
Good reads all! Should be a lot of fun.
~belva

P.S. Are we checking in at scheduled times or just whenever a good break-away in the book hits?

Finished Wonderstruck - yeah, that's good. I first saw it in Early Reviewers, and just got it from the library. It's enormous, but in fact has no more text than a normal book - it's the pages of drawings that make it about 2.5" thick. A great story, too - two stories that intertwine. A deaf girl - basically all of her story is told in pictures only - and a boy who becomes deaf - he gets mostly words. Then when the two meet, the story is told in both, intertwined. I was crying a bit at the ending - happy ending, sort of. And now I want to see the Panorama. The American Museum of Natural History looks very much like the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian, where I've spent many hours - fun, but only minor uniques. The Panorama sounds unlike anything I've seen before. Maybe I'll get to New York some time...

Half an hour reading - 1615 to 1645, Pacific time. Gotta do chores, then I'll come back and read....more in The Inheritance and Other Stories.

skittles, is it better to make a new post each time or update our original? I didn't see the question discussed, and now I'm faced with it...Well, I made a new post. If you think it would be better to update, I'll delete it and copy this stuff to the first post.

#10: Make a new post rather than editing an existing one.... people will read new posts & not look back at previous ones...

and I'm avoiding chores... gotta read some more!!!

#9: Check in when you get a break, or when you are done.... I'm popping in & out.... at least until bedtime...

I just realized what day and time it was and that it's already started! I'm not sure what I'll be reading to start off with. I'm reading 4 books now, so it should probably be one of those, but starting something new and shiny is very very tempting. Hmmmm.

ETA: I had my carpeting cleaned today so my living/dining room (where I spend most of my time) is in complete disarray - I'll post a "reading place" picture tomorrow when things are off of cardboard and put back where they belong. And, I just realized that I didn't list the books that I'm currently reading! They are

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
The Compass of Pleasure by David Linden
Summer by Edith Wharton
The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts

The only book I'd really like to finish is Summer, and since it's fairly short it should be do-able. I'll be reading for a good chunk of the weekend, with small "time-outs" for work, book club, Sunday Night Girls Night, and any errands that need doing. Otherwise, I should be with a book in hand!

Well, I'm in bed & about to go to sleep.

I finished Retribution. It was a quicker read than I expected. It had some really good parts, but I didn't like it as much as some of the others in this series.

Well, I am taking a break from my writing for NaNoWriMo. I started that 3 days behind as I just discovered it, but 1.5 hours later I have 2,000 words so reading break. I am going to start with The Book Whisperer. Even though I have already started The Kite Runner I am in the mood to gather new ideas to use at school to get students interested in reading.

Only read 1/2 hour. I really love The Book Whisperer so far. The problem is I can't concentrate as the dog next door is still continuing to bark almost nonstop for over 14 hours now. Hopefully he won't bark during the whole ReadaThing so that I miss out.

Finished Belshazzar's Daughter which means my that I have finished another of my 11 in 11 categories - mysteries!

Slept, and now it is off to work. Noam Chomsky's Language and Thought is the first book of the day. This will finish another category.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Have read close to 3 hours. Finished Pride and Prejudice by Austen & begun Arabian Nights but just barely.
We got involved in Prime Suspect, the original, on Public Television tonight so that put me behind. Noshed on hubby's fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans & rolls. Nummy supper.
I will probably read most of the morrow excepting for during my Foreign Films class time.
See y'all then.
G'nite

I ended up not reading much last night... :(
I'm reading Small Memories by José Saramago but I'm reading it in portuguese.

Also, I'd like to post a picture of where most of my reading will take place, but I don't know how. Can anyone explain to me how to do it?

I'm just finishing off some home chores so the weekend is clear and then I am going to make a cup of tea - evening blend - and hunker down in my lounge room and continue The Court of the Air - which has pleasantly surprised me so far. It has such mixed reviews, I wasn't sure I would like it. I am enjoying it very much, but not that far in...
I want to pass it along to a dear friend when I have finished, so this ReadaThing is such a good excuse to concentrate on nothing else.

I may also read some of The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear which is exclusively about the possibilities of nonsense; but it is such a heavy tome, it stays home and I dip in and out periodically. It is one of those books that allows that. It is fabulous!

Happy reading everyone!

Have to make hot chocolate before I can begin reading, but the weekend plans are:

-Theories of International Politics and Zombies
-Bloodlines
-The Cajuns: Americanization of a People
-The Gift of Fire
-Maybe an Edgar Allen Poe tale (from his Complete Works)
-assorted assigned readings from classes, one of which is an Iranian play titled 'The Honeymoon'

Off to the kitchen...

I'm reading Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz, I've enjoyed what I've read so far. I also have a collection of fairytale retellingas that I'm dipping into at present, My mother she killed me, my father he ate me. And Bruce Chatwin's The Songlines is also on the go.

18> First, you need to upload the picture somewhere - into your profile Junk Drawer will work, or Flikr or Picasa or whatever, it needs to be online. Then get the picture URL - the direct link, not the URL to the page it shows up on (frequently, the easy way to do that is to right-click on the full-size picture and (something like, depending on your browser) Copy Image Location. Then type <img src="Picture URL" {optional: height=200 or so, hspace=5 or so}> and it will show up. Use Preview to make sure you got it right. Look here for more info about HTML in Talk and other places on LT.

Didn't manage to read any more - well, 15 minutes of Why Shoot A Butler? while eating dinner. More tomorrow, I hope, though I've got to do a lot of book-shuffling (someone wants to take all my mismatched shelves, so I need to get the books off them and onto the nice matched shelves that have spent the last six months in a stack near the bookcases...).

Thanks jjmcgaffey! Although I'm getting better, I still suck at HTML...

Working my slooooooow way through Reamde. This is not a function of that book, but of me. Firstly, I'm NaNoWriMo-ing and secondly, idiot me, being in a good deal of pain yesterday, took a second Celebrex pill 12 hours early and then couldn't see straight for about 6 hours. No pain though! Still, I hate that feeling... and hated worse not being able to do very much.

Better today though, and definitely lesson learned!

I began my Readathing with The Last Werewolf on my way home from work, waiting for the second train of my journey.



I had planned on reading for three hours, but this story had me well and truly hooked and after five hours I can tell you that The Last Werewolf is FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC! Fast, funny, biting (pardon the unintentional), wry, brains galore, I'll be posting a proper review tomorrow, right now I need to get some sleep. On the reading agenda for tomorrow, The Idea of Perfection.

Finally making progress on The Kite Runner as the dog who barked almost 24 hours nonstop has finally quit. Now about half way through. Going to read a little more before bed, but going to call it an early night as almost no sleep last night.

We've had a weather change the last few days, one of those warm day to cold day to warm day changes we get a lot of here in south central USA and I woke with a headache this morning. Instead of starting the novel I planned to jump into for an hour before work I decided instead to sit with my tea and read an hour of poetry and chose Second April, a collection by Edna St. Vincent Millay that has been on my TBR shelf a long time. Now I'm at work, feeling great and anxious to get home to the novel!

I read during my lunch hour at work. I finished the book Bitter Melon. It was a very interesting read about a child growing up in America with a mother who still has traditional Chinese values. Frances ends up in a speech class and finds her own way. Very informative about the Chinese culture.

HI everyone!! Great to see so many people posting their pictures and seeing all the different books being read. I did a little bit of reading last night in between rearranging my furniture and watching television. I read for about an hour before going to bed last night.

I read Certain Prey by John Sandford. I hope to finish the book tonight during my evening of reading. I will post a picture tonight of my reading locations. I took some pictures when I went home at lunch but didn't have time to load them onto the computer. I hope to start reading again at 5:30 or 6:00 pm (eastern time).

Happy Reading Everyone!!

Monica

Am 30 pages into my tome: The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. 2 hours of sleep last night; up with a wickedly evil tummy so was not reading. Going to bed after this post.
I did not realize what an 'adult' book' this actually is. No children's stories here.
Be back later. Enjoy your books.

Im reading in my bed from nine to ten but i won't be able to post. if my mother caught me up at nine to ten on the computer i could get in major trouble.
i will be reading the second book from the children of the red king series.

Hi everybody!
Europe 7.40 pm, I just finished work and can finally join you with the reading. I'll start with The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy. It's the second book of 'The L.A. Quartet'. The Black Daliah I've already read last year. I love this serie. Ellroy is a master in describing L.A.'s life during the '40 and '50.

So for the next four hours I'll be reading, probably with a great pot of tea and some cookies next to the couch.

I listened to 3 CDs of an audiobook of Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind. I hadn't read The Rape of Nanking so didn't know anything about Iris Chang but the words ambition and extraordinary in the subtitle fit her to a t. That this shy, introspective book worm could end up confronting governments and winning debates with politicians was pretty extraordinary as was the fact that she could spend years immersing herself in the horrors of denied atrocities. Now I'm on to my scheduled 2 hours of reading with two books about village life: The Country of Pointed Firs about Maine and Scenes from Village Life about Israel.

Everyone has such good books!!!

When I get home this evening, I will be doing more reading.... not sure what yet, but there's some good stuff in my TBR pile. I know I've got to finish Anatomy of the Castle and Totally Vegetarian but it is more scanning the second for recipes & other ideas.

I also have some fiction reads, including Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, but I'll probably be seduced by a couple of Stephanie Laurens books I have to read yet.... decisions, decisions.....

Hi, all

I finished Mary Boleyn: The True Story of King Henry VIII's Favourite Mistress at lunch today (hmm, touchstone says no results, must be new to the system). I have another bio of her up next, as soon as I finish The Red Pyramid.

Oops, I forgot this started last night. I've been reading two books, Partitions by Amit Majmudar and Half Life by Roopa Farooki. I'll finish one of them tonight, the other most likely tomorrow afternoon.

I have 15 minutes before my required time starts. I am going to post pictures of my reading areas. I hope this works.

This is where I plan to read starting off. A little messy until I am ready.


I may decide to read over here later or tomorrow.


Now here is my puppy, Samantha, who will be joining me while I read. I love her so much.


Now I am going to get my things and turn on the fireplace and start reading for one hour. I will be reading Certain Prey by John Sandford

Finding some very interesting books to check out. Oh my TBR pile will be growing again.

>#32:
Ameise1; Hi. I just ordered this series. Typically I do not read books of this nature. I am much more into author bios, all of the Bloomsbury related material & authors, Viragos, & more of the Victorian type novels & classics. I read very few contemporary books. But I have been noting all of the chatter on the 'L.A. Quartet' series and thought they sounded really good for this type of book and I need a change occasionally. I hope I enjoy the series as much as you seem to be.
Happy reading,
~belva

I've finished The Country of Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett and have tearfully left Dunnet Landing where the constant interest and intercourse ... linked the far island and these scattered farms into a golden chain of love and dependence. Now I'm off to Amos Oz's Israeli village, which I'm sure will be interesting but not half as pleasant a place to visit.

#38 Good choice to order this series I can strongly recommend them.

I have to change my reading place and will be reading now in bed (it's close to Midnight). So far, the reading is a great pleasure. On my legs our cat Stich sound asleep and on the other couch my husband gently snoring.

As I have expected the book is fabulous. Three plots in one story. Two of them are linked whereas the third one isn't showing yet a connection to the other two. Ellroy is as usually discribing pictorially all the scenes. I feel like a part of it, can smell all fragrances, hear people talking and can make out the sounds of the Jazz Clubs.

I'm really looking forward to reading more.

Enjoy your reading

We're getting ready for our 8 pm EST reading hour over here. Got my book, my reading partner (my dog), and my favorite reading chair all ready to go.

What book or books are you reading? Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith

Where are you reading?



How long did you read or could you read? My plan is to read for an hour and then see where it goes. I might continue after the hour is up just depends on how interesting the books gets.

Doing anything else? food, music, listening to someone snore, watching the sun rise or set...
Reading with my mom and of course my silly puppy.

**Sorry the photo is so big..i tried everything i could think of to make it smaller.**

Language and Thought by Chomsky - done
An hour of reading, not too enjoyable, but another 11 in 11 Challange category done!

Now as a treat - Sorcery and Cecelia

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

I am going to finish or continue working on:
Haunting Legacy By Marvin Kalb
The Forty Years War By Len Colodny
The Bomb in the Basement By Michael Karpin
So Bright the Vision By Clifford Simak

Sounds like aside from a barking dog everyone got a good start to the ReadaThing! I love everyone's pictures so thank you to those who shared.

I hope there's enough sunlight left to read on the porch...

No Sunlight here! I've got to read inside.

I got about 30 minutes read of The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne. I'd forgotten that I had it, but it was in my TBR mountain when I went to look for a book to read. It's good & detailed. Now, I've got a chance to finish it!!

EDITED TO ADD: There's one time slot empty... any chance that someone could fill it?? 7am Sunday Eastern US Time. I really don't want to get up early.....

Why are all the good things happening in November?!? I really want to join, but my exams only end on 18th November ... Hmm.. I wonder if it's possible to read 100 hours in 12 days. I just got a copy of Slammerkin and I really want to read it for the ReadaThing :/

I just signed up for no timeline - today I finished reading The son of Neptune and started on Beka Cooper: Bloodhound.

Well, I slept well last night but feel like I am getting a cold from no sleep the night before. So, instead of starting on NaNoWriMo I am going to continue reading the kite runner. Dog next door is back to constant barking going to try to read with music and headphones. What timing for this dog to constantly bark.

I got another 2 hour's worth of reading into Scenes From Village Life, as expected, it is not as happy a place to be as a 19th century Maine village. Israelis and Palestinians, paranoia is the order of the day. I'm going to watch a DVD of Catch 22 then I'm back to Israel.

#46: The next ReadaThing is in February... hopefully that will be a better time for you.

#47: Was Son of Neptune good?

#48: You could also try something like a light rainstorm or waves or a forest sound effects recording. I used to have a link for a site that gave you that.... but in the move & computer updating, the link has disappeared like a small piece of paper on a large desk.

Good evening everyone!

This is my first time participating in this event (I signed up for the no timeline), I'm looking forward to seeing what other members are reading.

Today, I read Give Me Tomorrow by Patrick K. O'Donnell for about an hour. It's a pretty quick read so I will be finishing it tomorrow morning. After that, I'm not sure whether I should start Under the Dome by Stephen King, Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke, or Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. I guess I will see what mood I am in tomorrow.

**What book or books are you reading?
I'll be reading If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino and Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond first. Then I'll move on to others in my TBR pile.

**Where are you reading?
I'll be splitting my time between the sofa (the bloodstains are from Halloween, not all decorations are down yet)


And my side of the bed


**How long did you read or could you read?
I don't have a set time to read, but I'll be reading as much as I can this weekend.

**Doing anything else? food, music, listening to someone snore, watching the sun rise or set...
I'll probably be listening to music or trying to ignore the tv.

>50 skittles: Oh yeah, I was lucky I had work off today (they still have a power outage due to last week's major snowstorm) so I could finish it! It made me laugh a lot.

I am getting ready to start my hour. I'm currently reading A Wrinkle in Time and Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage. I think I'll be more comfy in my bed and a bit less noisy since the tv is blaring downstairs. I am so excited to be reading and start the weekend off with such a relaxing event.

Hope everyone is loving your reading! I'm happy to be participating with you all.
Howdy from Texas! :)

LOL!
Besides seeing all the wonderful books everyone is reading I cracked up at the number of you reading happily along to the "sounds of gentle snoring"!!!
Incessant barking dog noises... meh - not so much.

I have managed another hour of The Court of the Air and still enjoying it.
It is a beee-aa-ut-iful sunny day here today so I may need to go for a walk soon, and find an outside spot to read a bit more - get a coffee too! I will take a photo if I do.

More happy reading everyone!!!

It is a windy night with snow expected after midnight where I am. So, it is the perfect time to snuggle in bed and READ!!!! I just got the new Flavia de Luce novel in the mail: I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley. I don't have a picture to post right now, but imagine me under piles of quilts with two dogs snoring (not that cold after all if it is only a two dog night).

Late arrival here...

I'm starting off with some mindless stuff -- Talisman Ring, a novel by Georgette Heyer that I've never read -- but also have some 11 in 11 challenge books I would lurve to get finished before the year ends.

I don't have a set time to read as I have some work to do, some errands to run (cat food...) and other real life stuff, and it's all going to depend on how I feel, etc. I'll probably do the bulk of my reading on Sunday, but will spend the next few hours reading away before I sleep. It's almost midnight Friday night in NYC, and in about 30 hours, there will be a heck of a lot of noise here as they set up a watering station for the NYC marathon 2 doors away from my apartment. They haul out boom boxes and blast them so loud the windows rattle. This will be year #9...

After 4 hours of reading Sorcery & Cecilia is done. Past time for bed now!

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Welcome glendalea! I hope you have fun!

52 jillbone
Great Halloween decoration! Thank you for the explanation...I was a little scared for a moment. (Too many scary shows...)

54 missbrandysue
I'm so jealous you're reading A Wrinkle in Time! Is it a reread for you?

I am also enjoying all the weather reports! It's raining here and it hardly ever rains. I'm off to read with my favorite reading background noise!

I have gotten to read for a couple hours now. The Kite Runner is not what I expected. I got it from my book club (we do it different where each read a different book & then next time do a book talk and the books get passed around to those that want to read.) Anyway, when the person in my group did her book talk she told us about the horrible event and said a few other things. I was expected the book to be different. I thought the main character did not understand what was happening to the other character and only when he was an adult was it explained to him. He did know what was happening. I was upset that he was a coward, but I know that some people are. I was thinking that I usually read books where the characters are very brave even if they think they are a coward. I am to the point where another twist was just thrown at me and the main character. I wasn't prepared for what he would learn when he was an adult and went back. I am not done with the book yet, but I have my predictions, although, I could be wrong because I have been so far.

> #45 Skittles, that last gap is filled (it must be maddening after all your effort to see that one little blank space staring at you). I should be asleep in preparation for an early start to Monday, but I have a great mound of work that has followed me home for the weekend so I suspect I'll be up until all hours, and what better way to finish a long day than with some reading?

Today has been a beautiful sunshiny one where I am, but very windy so I did my morning's reading here



instead of outside. I was planning to get started on The Idea Of Perfection but I've been dipping into Fables by La Fontaine during the week so I ended up reading it through. I'll confess to buying the book for the illustrations, but the retellings of these classic fables are a real treat, written with a sharp eye and an arch sense of humour (you can almost hear the raised eyebrow). I'll start on The Idea Of Perfection tonight.

Just finished If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. I was wary at first, not really being a fan of existentialism, but I have to say I enjoyed this book. It's essentially a series of 10 first chapters to different books written in different styles framed by a story involving You, the Reader. I think it's a must read for booklovers on the nature of Reading.

I've just woken up (it's Saturday morning here) and I'm about to go back to bed with some tea and read Baba Yaga Laid an Egg and Goliath.

I finished Theories of International Politics and Zombies yesterday. I enjoyed it, but thought the author could have made it longer, with some real-world examples of how governments have responded (or failed to respond) to unusual/out of the norm natural disasters.

Today: Bloodlines

Hi folks!
Last night I was reading til 2am. Now (Europe: Noon), I'm back from shopping groceries on our local market and will be reading for the next 4 to 6 hours (The Big Nowhere). I hope nobody (family or friends) will interup me :-).

Enjoy your reading!

It's 6:23 am here in Minnesota and I am starting to read The Dauntless (the Lost Fleet Book 1)

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

It's 7:43 a.m. in Portland and I'm about to kick off my four-hour stint, which I've been looking forward to all week! (I'm also hoping to squeeze in some more time this afternoon, too).

Queued up I have the new collection of Sherlock Holmes-inspired stories, A Study in Sherlock, and Vincent Carretta's new biography, Phillis Wheatley: Biography of a Genius in Bondage. But we'll see where the mood takes me.

I'll probably be reading on the couch, with a cup of Earl Grey nearby. More later!

I did more reading today than I planned on the kite runner not quite done. Didn't do much else as getting a cold and didn't feel motivated to work on NaNoWriMo or online class.

I had good intentions for some serious reading, but it's been a busy week and I have lots of other things I have to do, so I started Crossed Wires by Rosy Thornton. It's lovely and undemanding and almost all the characters are nice. I could only manage an hour and a bit, but both dogs came and settled down with me (one on top and one under the duvet!) and we were all very comfortable. Why is it that a snoring husband is unbearable but a snoring dog soothing?

I have another "official" hour tomorrow morning to look forward to, but I'm sure I'll manage at least an hour tonight - as I did last night, but I kept dropping off. For next time I'm going to plan a reading day.

I read for about 2.5 hours last night, and I finished Partitions before falling asleep last night. It's one of those books that is simultaneaously horrendous (the events) and lovely (the writing), and it says much about the worst and best in humankind. I'll be settling into my comfy blue chair with a big mug of kahlua-flavored Sumatran decaf to read Half Life, which I hope to finish today. There may or may not be a kitten curled up between my knees on the footstool (they are so unpredictable!).

I read 4 hours last night, 3 of them in my comfy chair in the family room. There I read City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling (can't get Toughstone to work). I like it a lot so far. The fourth hour I read in bed and switched to my Kindle because it's so much easier to handle, and started A Fatal Grace, the 2nd in the Three Pines Mysteries. I didn't play music, I generally like for it to be quiet when I read. A few years ago Best Buy had a collection of CDs that were especially made as background music for reading. Wish I had bought those, can't find them anywhere now. This morning I read half an hour while I had my tea.

Now I'm off to have breakfast with my girlfriends, then going to a large church bazaar with my sister, then home to read!

Total Hours read so far: 5.5

It's about 10 o'clock now and I have finished The Dauntless (The Lost Fleet), three and 1/2 hours not too bad. Good book must get more.

Now off to do some Eid shopping for my daughter. Oh, no this means I will have to go to the book store. The sacrifices we make for our children! :-))

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

For my first half of the Read-a-Thing I read and finished an Enterprise Novel (probably the last one) by Michael A. Martin called To Brave The Storm.

This is my usual winter reading place, however I was reading at my job (I'm a preschool teacher, I signed up to read when the children are napping) for most of the time it took me to finish the book...

Seasonal Reading Spot - Winter ... Perfect for winter reading, there's the window for natural light and the lamp is within easy reach for rainy or snowy days, or on cold nights when curled up with a blanket and cup of hot cocoa. The shelf at the top keeps all our current books within easy reach and there's plenty of storage below for when I need to take a break and do cross stitching or pull the laptop out from the shelf to post a review.

So far I've done two hours on the 3rd and 4th, plus some reading in the middle of last night in order to finish the book, which took me just enough time between watching the Breeder's Cup and the latest (Druitt-less) episode of Sanctuary. I haven't signed up for as much reading time this read-a-thing because of the Breeder's Cup (horses are more important *gasp*) and because I have a deadline to reach for writing a short story for a contest in my horse racing magazine, the Thoroughbred Times. The story is called In the Genes and is nearly finished. Once that's done I'll be back to the read-a-thing.

More Important Stuff:
Michael A. Martin is an AWESOME writer when it comes to Enterprise. He's had at least one non-enterprise book that I thought wasn't put together very well, but I blame his attention being on To Brave The Storm for that. He loves Enterprise and has fixed a lot of the problems that they caused with the final episode being a hologram in an episode of TNG. He has taken great care to explain away why the bridge on Enterprise is so modern compared to that of TOS, etc. And his writing is just descriptive enough to really paint the picture without being overly annoying. He doesn't dwell on the past either. In order to understand what's going on you really need to start at the beginning of his series because he won't sit for pages and tell you what happened in pages and pages of "last time on Enterprise" kind of settings. I appreciate that because it makes me feel as if he's treating me like an intelligent reader. Some people go on and on and on about things that happened before that just aren't important.

I highly recommend this one, but you'd better start at the beginning of the series if you left Enterprise with the show. I have only two complaints about it:
1) It's not long enough.
2) It's the last one.
I can never put down the Enterprise books, they're written in such a way that you really want to know what happens on the next page. Someday I hope to reread the whole series again, maybe for one of these long read-a-things.

This series has a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. Glad I could share a bit of it with folks.... Just be prepared, it's written mostly for the Trip and T'Pol fans out there. Most everyone else kind of takes a back seat to Trip, since it was /his/ death that had to be explained away.

Well, my reading time last night was much more enjoyable than I had anticipated. Hubby had to leave for a few hours - he does have the tendency to want to talk to me when he is around! So, I am almost done with The Hungry Goblin by John Dickson Carr. My kitty joined me of course. She knows how to be quiet while I read!

This book is a murder mystery. Not one of my favorites by this author but interesting in that Wilkie Collins is there to help solve the mystery. Setting is 1860's London and there are some scenes at Madame Tussaud's wax museum. I did not know that when I went to the Madame Tussaud's in Victoria B.C. that it is just like the one in London with the Chamber of Horrors, etc. But, I was very young. It also gave me some perspective on how Englander's viewed the Civil War in the U.S.

I should be finishing this one up on another hour and moving on to Green Mansions

Perfect day here in Portland OR - dark and rainy so I can have a fire in the fireplace too. Kitty loves that and so do I.

After reading 6 hours with minor interruptions, it's now 6pm in Europe and I'm going to take a reading break for the next two hours. I'm looking forward to having dinner with my family.

I haven't finished The Big Nowhere. The three different plots had now met each other. I'm fascinated about the angles of L.A.' life in the '50.

73 mirrani
I love watching horse racing; I can't believe I forgot to record the Breeder's Cup! Good luck writing your story.

Back to reading! The current books is The World's Most Famous Math Problem. This book will finish my science/current events category for my 11 in 11 challenge.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

62 - jillbone, I've heard of If on a Winter's Night a Traveller before and decided it wasn't for me because of descriptions like experimental, magical realism, metafiction and postmodern. But now you've got me interested.

67 - jbd1, Laurie King's Russell and Holmes books are some of my favourites so I was wondering about picking this up. I don't normally like pastiches. Looking forward to your thoughts on the collection.

I got up at 6:45 am (9:45 am LT time) to get ready for an hour's reading. My OH works early on Saturdays and was already out of the house so I stayed in bed and read by lamplight with a glass of tangerine kiwi juice. Usually I read on the couch for these readathons with a pot of tea but it was so cozy in bed and I was too lazy to fiddle with making tea.

I read The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson. This is my first Stephenson read and I'm really enjoying it. I thought it was a cross between cyber and steam punk but it's not really either of these. The events take place about a hundred years in the future when nano technoloy is prevalent. The Primer is a very high tech interactive educational one of a kind book meant for the granddaughter of a lord in a social group that bases itself on the Victorians of the 1800s. But it is stolen by its creator for his daughter and in the process is stolen again and falls into the hands of a young underpriviledged girl. Stephenson has created a very interesting world.

I've got lots of running around to do today with the kids but I'm hoping to grab another hour's reading later and will be back for sure for my allotted time tomorrow morning for two hours of non-interupted reading. Bliss.

I had forgotten about Read-A-Thing being this weekend! I got a good start last night, tho. Started my ER book, A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner and got 125 pages in...about a third of the way. I'm finding it very interesting and a quick and easy read. Time just flew by last night. I can't wait to pick it up again today, but have to finish work, first! :( Happy Reading Everyone!

Good afternoon all! I finished Certain Prey by John Sandford last night at around 11:30. I went to bed right after finishing the book. I still have to finish my review and then post it on here. I started reading my book club book A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. Not sure if I am liking it right now. Only one chapter in so far.

My daughter stopped by after her dentist appointment to see her puppy (the one in the picture I posted) and to give me a little Spanish quiz. She is studying to be a Spanish Teacher and will be going to Spain next year. She knows I love Spanish and took it years ago so she loves to see how little I know. Took her out to lunch and I am now home to get about 3 hours of reading in before having to go to see my niece/god-daughter play soccer.

I would love to finish the Anita Shreve book this weekend too so that I can concentrate on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which I have been reading since September.

Oh here is my reading spot now...



My dog and cat have taken over the sofa. I am sure my dog will cuddle once I sit down.

Happy Reading All!

Monica

Back to reading after a marvelous dinner. I'm still reading The Big Nowhere. Well, because my mother tongue isn't English I'm not so fast reading. Nevertheless, I enjoy it.

Well, today's weather has been beautiful in my area... so much so that I ended up doing some chores that were needed.

but I'm looking forward to reading this evening... and I will post my quote from page 100...

see this thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/126352

I'm glad that everyone is having a good time despite barking, snoring & tomorrow's marathon noise....

Since last night I've read for 4 and a half hours, finishing the last 232 pages of Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. I haven't seen the movie, but from the previews I got the feeling it was going to be a scary story. I would categorize it instead as a mystery, and a terrific mystery at that.
I read on the couch and, as seen in my photo, in bed with my 2 chihuahua mutts. At one point I read while watching the Breeder's Cup and drinking Pepsi.
I love checking in and seeing what everyone else is up to. Next I'm going to read Local Girls by Alice Hoffman, one of my favorite authors.

I spent the hour before I went to sleep reading in bed: Sea Glass by Maria V. Snyder. Actually I was reading it off and on all evening. I got it and the volumes before and after it from the library. I'm glad I didn't buy them. I'm mostly enjoying them, but really want to kick the heroine every once in a while. She keeps getting herself into bad situations, mostly by doing really stupid things or trusting the wrong people. Also the writing doesn't always flow very well.

My reading plan is 27 scheduled hours with some unlimited thrown in as well. I am having unplanned nanny day care thrown in on my second three hour sessions and so I will be making adjustments there as my young grandson, Kyle, is quite the distraction and more deserving of my attention than my books. But I will still keep to the number of hours.

Friday afternoon/evening I read out of my Arabian Nights for three hours. I think that everyone knows of the Shahrazad stories.
Later that evening I picked up A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen. I really enjoy her writing. The book is beautifully written and the language has a lyrical fluidity to it that made simply the reading of it a pleasure. I was able to finish that one within my time frame and moved on to the next.
The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry; another favorite author of mine. Reading Berry is like reading poetry. His writing is so colorful and true to the subject matter. A lovely book. I finished it this morning and moved on to the next to finish up my 3 hour A.M. slot.
The next book I chose is I Will Fight No More Forever: Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce War by Merrill D. Beal. This is a book that I pick up every few years and is definitely close to my heart. I never fail to shed tears whilst reading it. A wonderful book and very informative; well researched. I am about halfway through the book and am continuing on with it in this time slot.

I have been reading in my rocking chair with my decaf and new kitten. She is all black, has half a tail with 5 kinks in it and my grandson named her Ninja. I have also been reading in my bed curled up with Abby Labby (whose farts have been very rank today) and Ninja and nibbling on an orange.

I will try to do better with my logging in from here throughout the ReadaThing. I am loving reading everyone's posts about their reads and the wheres, whens, and whats and occasional whys. I also have quite a wish list going already.
Happy reading all,
~belva

It is almost 9:00 p.m. here in the U.S. Central Time Zone, an hour before my two-hour shift begins at 10:00 local time. I am settling in and preparing to start reading as soon as I finish writing this. I will be reading my Early Reviewer book for September, Philip Eade's biography of Prince Philip, which I am enjoying very much. For as long as I can remember, biography has been my favorite genre, and this one, at about 60% complete, is excellent. In case I finish it, The House at Riverton by Kate Morton is standing by.

Because of the late hour of my shift, I'm reading in bed, with a Coca-Cola at hand and Maggie, my beloved Shih Tzu, sleeping on her side of the bed. I also signed up for reading off the timeline and put in 45 minutes this morning at the hairdresser's. I also will read as much as possible tomorrow.

Now, to the books! Happy reading, everyone!

So far, so good! I got my two hours of reading and I'm tired & reading to fall asleep.... hope everyone is having a good time with their books.... my cat is on my feet as I fall asleep.... see everyone tomorrow!! well, tomorrow for me!!

and an extra hour of sleep!!!!!

I've been reading for a good part of the day and finished 2 small books: The Shiniest Jewel by Marian Henley, a graphic memoir of adoption, love and death - truly wonderful; and Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz which is a book of very poetic short stories and would be excellent for folk who like symbolic poetry but I found only semi satisfying. I also listened to a couple of CDs of both Finding Iris Chang and The Four Ms. Bradwells. All in all it's been a great reading day.

I signed up for the "no timeline" because I just wasn't sure how much I'd read, when I'd read, or even what I'd read. I read for maybe an hour last night (Friday) before bed; and spent much of today (Saturday) lying in bed reading (total bliss). It's nearly 11:00 PM Central time right now, and I expect to read for at least another hour yet tonight. And I've checked the LT thread several times today to see what others are posting and reading....lots of great stuff here!

Finished The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly which I'd started reading well before the ReadaThing started.

Now I'm alternating between Black Thunder, the latest in the Ella Clah series by Aimee & David Thurlo; Inheritance, the much anticipated final book of the series by Christopher Paolini; and finishing up Death Masks, #5 in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

And I still have at least 5 other books checked out from the library, should I happen to get through all of that before the weekend is over, lol.

Reading.....I just love it!

59, PPirate this is actually my first time reading A Wrinkle in Time. I can't believe it but I passed over it when I was a teen. It's so fun to go back and read books as an adult that awaken the imagination of the child left in all of us. I liked your comment on Shutter Island as I disregarded it because of the scary movie previews. Now it makes me rethink my decision!

I had a hard time reading for a full hour last night but I got in an hour. Then got another hour in tonight at the coffee shop until this horrible teen couple showed up and made a huge (loud) scene. It really ruined my experience as I was there to relax and read and they were making really inappropriate noises and commotions. So I returned home to put in some more time. Excited for the extra hour for daylight's saving time!

On a positive note I finally got a case for my new Nook Color but still can't choose that form of reading over my library books :p Was hoping the case would help me feel a bit more comfortable reading on an e-reader but I highly doubt it.

Hope everyone is enjoying their reading! All the book suggestions are nice to see.

I didn't read A Wrinkle in Time until 2009. I don't know when it was first published but when I did read it, I absolutely thought it was wonderful and still do. Need to get my grandkids to read it.
And the thing about reading books before seeing a movie of them (I don't even know if there ever was a movie made of this book) is that when you are reading the book you can see in your mind's eye what everything looks like to you. Of course, when you do see the movie, nothing is as it should be. ;-)
I wish that I had never watched the movies of Tolkien's trilogy. I was so bummed; especially with Bilbo Baggins and Gollum. They just were not right. And that's all I have to say about that.

For the read a thing I am trying to catch up on all of my member give away books that the authors have been kind enough to send me.Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons by vera nazarian,
Warleader - A Blood and Tears Short Story by Joshua P. Simon,The Dress by sophie nicholls,a little magic by Valerie Gillen are the ones I am reading this weekend.So far I have read half of all of them this weekend.As you can see I like a little bit of everything.I tend to read in bed on my laptop till the wee hours of the morning.I am enjoying all of these book alot and would recommend all of them to my fellow book lovers.I have read about 15 hours since the read a thon started as of saturday night. It helped I had the day off from work and I am loving every minute of it!Happy reading to all this weekend

Finished The Talisman Ring in my stint of reading last night; was delighted to have found another novel by childhood fave Georgette Heyer that I hadn't yet read. Nice and frothy.

Moved on to Evening in the Palace of Reason by James Gaines, a TBR book that has been bugging me to read it all year. Am glad I did; it's the fascinating story of the lives & ultimate musical & cultural encounter of Bach and Frederick the Great. Very accessible; probably not for scholars, as Gaines sometimes stretches to make his points.

Started Arriving in Avignon by Daniel Robberechts, but it requires more concentration than I have late at night (it's 1 a.m. in New York, for the second time -- an extra hour of reading!) So I'll shift to the ARC of Taylor Stevens' new book, a followup to The Informationist.

Total reading time so far about 9 hours, scattered between bed, sofa & subway!

Rain, I am happy to hear you say you read Wrinkle in Time later in life. The magic of a book is accessible (sp?) at any age and I think I even appreciate the stories later in my life than I would have at an age in my teens.

I have yet to read any Tolkien books. I look forward to it one day but I know as I read them visions from the movies will be predominant so it will be difficult to overcome that. I feel really passionate about that same concept/error with the Chronicles of Narnia books/movies.

Good morning everybody! (Switzerland 9.25am)

#89 I hope you did enjoy the reading of The Brass Verdict. I loved it when I read it in 2008.

Well, yesterday evening I was reading till Midnight. Tis morning I intend to read during 2 hours.

Good morning everyone! (the Netherlands 10:19am)
It's my hour to read, and after finishing Congo by David van Reybrouck last night, I've just started on Sing you home by Jodi Picoult.

Didn't get much reading in today. Horrible cold so concentration is nothing and took foever to work on online class. No attempt at NaNoWriMo. So, still on the kite runner.

I was enjoying Crossed Wires so much that I stayed in bed until I finished it this morning. I knew how it was going to end, but I had to make sure...it was lovely, escapist reading, all the characters were so nice that you cared about what happened to them, and the ten-year-old twins were enchanting and I loved the elderly gay couple - their story was worth a book on its own, I thought. Right on 9am, the start of my reading time, dog 2 arrived and climbed into bed (no 1 dog was already in her usual place) and they clearly approved of my hour being stretched into three.

Before I went to sleep last night I also read the first story in Perfect Lives by Polly Samson - a new-to-me author who is the latest Virago Book Club choice. Thought thw story was pretty good, certainly enough to make me want to keep reading (just as well as I've got to write a review!). Shall read a bit on the train tomorrow and try to come back here to sign off as RaT finishes - I'll be in London by then.

Not much time to read yesterday, but I have finished Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan. Mystical and historical - I will want to re-read this. This weekend, as is usual, I am reading with Odette (the little cat) alongside.

Between a persistent headache and outdoor chores, I didn't read much yesterday, but I did get in about an hour of Half Life before falling asleep. I hope to finish it today.

During this lovely autumn day I got some hours of reading. I have finished The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy. It was enthralling till the end. Also I was speculating about the outcome the end has been a real surprise.

Now I'm going to read Empört Euch! by Stéphane Hessel (English Version Time for Outrage!)

Today is my designated childrens book research day where I read mostly children's books to keep up with my teaching practices.

So far read:
Seven Hungry Babies
I Know An Old Teacher
What Do Teachers Do
No More Monsters For Me!

About to head to the library for a few hours of my Sunday reading :)

I woke up early again to read this morning and stretched my two hours into three, taking advantage of daylight savings. I thought I would be the only one awake but my 7yo got up with me and spent 45 minutes reading from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. He loves poring over the illustrations and working out the meanings of various entries. We were cuddled on the couch together until he decided it was time to use the computer whilst his brother was still sleeping and not there to wrangle over computer usage with. A nice quiet productive morning overall.

I read another chunk of The Diamond Age and all the loose bits are starting to come together but it's still hard to see where Stephenson is going with it all. Still finding it a good read though. I thought I would want to break up my reading of it with some graphic novels I've been meaning to get to, but that didn't happen.

I love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series to stimulate love of reading in my younger students! What a nice morning you must have had with your son :) At least while it lasted... lol

I did my designated hour on Friday night and have been reading off and on over the weekend. I finished Amos Oz's Scenes from village life which I liked though is definitely not a book for everyone. I've listened to a couple more hours of Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, the narrator is really good, he also read Chasm City which I enjoyed. I've also continued with Bruce Chatwin's The Songlines.
My favourite read over the weekend was the picturebook, I want my hat back by Jon Klassen - do take a look.

Kerry
Auckland, New Zealand

I've just finished Empört Euch by Stéphane Hessel. I encourage his point of view to offer resistance for making changes.

I'm going to read The Black Madonna by Peter Millar. Because I've to work tomorrow, I won't be able to finish this book in the time being requested.

Happy reading to everyone

I can see that I am going to have to order the Diary of a Wimpy Kid for my little grandson. Yowza, did you realize that there are 11 books in that series showing on the book page? Whew!

I have currently read some 17 1/2 hours. Am going back and forth between The Arabian Nights and other books.
Late last night I finished reading I Will Fight No More Forever and turned to Midwives. I finished that one this morning and am now in the midst of The Red Tent; really good. No duds thus far.
I read in bed last night and this morning; slept in a bit as well; making the most of that extra hour, am yet on my first cup of decaf and now ready to settle back in with The Red Tent in my rocking chair or I may take it back to bed with me. From my ReadaThing stash, I am going to pour a tall glass of Southern Sweetened Tea, grab an apple and off I go.
Enjoy your reads........so many interesting and varied books and genres. Love this thread.
~belva

I read till about midnight or later last night and then read again this morning. I am more than half way done A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. It is interesting but some of the writing just gets boring. I hope to finish the book tonight.

Happy Reading All!

The NYC Marathon was v. disruptive this morning, so I've done little reading. Still, about to finish up Minotaur by Benjamin Tammuz, which was very "meh" for me. Then it's back to "The Innocent" by Taylor Stevens, an ARC of which is now half-read. (No touchstone...)

The downside of the extra hour of sleep are the early sunsets. Hate that it will be soon be getting dark at 4:30.

There shouldn't be 11 books for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I think some of those might be Do-It-Yourself journals but I'm pretty sure the 6th is coming out on the 15th of this month. We're having a huge Diary of a Wimpy Kid party in my classroom :)

Just an FYI, Rain :)

I haven't signed up for a slot today but have been reading on and off for most of the day. Mainly enjoying a reread of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes although I also finished off Goliath by Scott Westerfeld and read the beginning of American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

#110 Our clocks went back a couple of weeks ago and it still feels weird (and a little depressing) that it's getting dark so early.

I'm still working on The Black Hawk and enjoying it. I am reading it more slowly as there is a lot of detail to which I'm paying attention.

It is good!!!

>#109:
crazy4reading;
I don't know if you have read Shreve previously but A Change in Altitude, to my way of thinking (and I have read most all of Shreve's work, this is her very poorest output. I found it to be boring and the writing very poor for her.
If you've not read her before please give her another chance. I have enjoyed all the rest of her works.

>#114:
skittles;
I went to the book page to check out your book and found the cover to look like a 'bodice-ripper' or 'rape & pillage' book. So then I went to the reviews and it seems as if this romance story is so much more than a romance story & not at all what I assumed it to be. I may have to give it a try.

So many interesting titles being read in this ReadaThing. I hate the thought of having to wait until what? February for the next one. But by the same token, that gives me more time to plan better.
Thank you to all of those who are helping out with this one and to you, skittles, for setting it up. You are a ROCKSTAR!~!

104, 107 - Yes, the 6th book is only just being released, and I know of a couple activity books. The others look like combinations of the various books.

I grumphed when my then 9yo asked for the Wimpy Kid books last year as he was used to reading more challenging books, but I can see now he enjoys them as something light and easy between other books. And I'm thankful for them now as I watch my 7yo raid his big brother's shelves for interesting looking books. And my 7yo has realized I'll let him get away with going to bed a little later if he's reading a book - LOL!

Did it. Amazon.com will be shipping the entire series of the wimpy kid to me within a couple of weeks. The 6th one will be released on the 15th of this month. One grandkid's Christmas taken care of. Thank you for the rex!

I've read about 100 pages in Half Life today and will keep at it until bedtime. It's a rather strange book. I can't say more without giving away too much. There are three main characters: a dying poet, his son, and a young woman who was the son's soulmate/lover. She is rather irritating, but I'll give her a pass since she is bipolar and has been through some traumatic events. But she's one of those women who seems to think that her beauty entitles her to treat other people like crap and expect them to indulge her.

Finished World's Most Famous Math Problem, Egyptian Language and Bon Courage!. Time for bed!

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

It's my turn! I am reading in my living room in front of the with my sister (which is how I usually spend my nights anyway), while finishing up baking some savory monkey bread for my book study group tomorrow night!

The book I'm reading is Extraordinary by John Bevere. I'm just starting it, but I know it's going to be so good because I've already heard part of it! John Bevere spoke last week at my church, and he went through the first couple of chapters. The book is an in-depth look at what the Grace of God is really for, what it really does for the people who have faith in Him. As a Christian, I was blown away by what i hadn't even realized about this significance of this element of my faith, so I'm looking forward to discovering more!

ACK! The last three days have totally gotten away from me (courtesy of work), and therefore, shockingly little reading has been done. :( I've managed to start 3 more books (...like a hole in the head), Dear Fatty, Radioactive, and These Three Remain, and nothing has been done on any of my 4 other "current" reads. However, things are looking up! I recently got home from meeting 2 of my best friends of a cup of coffee and chat, and now all I have to do is sit here and read until I fall asleep.

I'll hopefully be back here again tonight for another update, otherwise I will see you all for my scheduled reading time at 7 am CST!

Have been laying on my bed since my last post finishing The Red Tent, a marvelous story of Dinah from the Bible. She was the one daughter of Jacob and the sister of his sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. It is a fascinating novel based on her Biblical persona. I loved it.
I had my tea with me and my new kitten, Ninja, & my Abby Labby, who farted & stunk us out of the bedroom! Blast, I hate when she does that!~~! Stenchy doggy. Do all Labs bouf?
So I am cooking dinner now and thinking of what to read next. I think I am hungry for some Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.
Back to the stove & dinner. Then on to the fresh book.

>@#121:
anotherjoy;
Your book Extraordinary: The Life You're Meant to Live by John Bevere sounds like a wonderful book and one that all Believers should read. For how are we saved? We are saved by 'grace'. Just what does that mean? Definitely on my rec list. Thank you Joy.
~belva

I've been reading off and on this evening. Finished Arriving in Avignon as well as Minotaur; now finishing up "the Innocent" by Taylor Stevens (a galley -- still no touchstone) before I head off to get some sleep. After that, I'll move on to some chick lit, with The Very Picture of You by Isabel Wolff, some non-fiction in the shape of Mr. Langshaw's Square Piano by Madeline Goold, and some more serious reading, Between Two Seas by Carmine Abate. May get one of them done by midnight tomorrow.

I've spent maybe 14 hours reading this weekend? So far, finished four books, although two of them were rather skinny (less than 200 pages.)

Good evening from western Washington, USA

I didn't get to read as much as I would have liked to this weekend due to various errands and commitments....Yesterday, I read Give Me Tomorrow for 3 hours and finished it. It is a true story of a Marine battalion during the Korean war. After reading such an intense, horrific, and depressing story, I decided to pick a lighter story for my next read. This morning I started Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, and I was able to read for about 2 hours. Have a nice evening!

Finally finished The Kite Runner it was ok. It was different than I expected. It wasn't my favorite but not horrible either. Need some more time to digest what I think of it. Was going to also read The Book Whisperer this weekend, but not sure if I still want to start that with everything else I have going on or do a different book when I read again.

update for sunday ..I just got home from work it is currently 1:25 am in windy and a bit chilly michigan.I am sitting in bed with my lap top getting ready to finish Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons by vera nazarian one of our wonderful authors on librarything so far im loving the book.
I finished a little magic by Valerie Gillen I loved her book it was a fun read.I gave it 4 stars if you like books about teenage witches,fairies,and with a cat with a little bit of an attitude.I think you would like it.I really enjoy reading everyones updates on here.It is really a nice thing skittles has put together for us.YAY skittles!

I signed up for no time-line and have done some reading over the weekend - mainly at bedtime and first thing in the morning. So far I finished The Crystal Cave; managed two chapters of Pagans and Christians and am half way through The Grass Dancer.

There will be more reading to come - I'd like to read another chapter of P&C and it seems likely that I could finish The Grass Dancer today.

Part of the weekend was spent in experimenting in getting pictures from my mobile onto flickr. I think I remember how I did it so I'll try and post pictures of my reading spots before the end of the readathing. Have to take them first:)

Well this looks darker than it actually is



and I have to share it


but I do most of my reading here



once again I get company

Three hours later I have read another 80 pages of The Arabian Nights and am 311 pages into Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The klan is coming, the klan is coming! Sipsey said, "Oh Lord, here dey is...I knowed it, I just knowed it." I hope to finish this one tomorrow.

It turned out not to be a very productive weekend for me, when it came to reading. On Saturday I spent the whole afternoon on a patchwork workshop and yesterday I was feeling a little "meh", so I didn't read as much as I had planned...

I did finish Small Memories by José Saramago. I'm not really a fan of memoirs but this one I enjoyed immensely! His writing and his simplicity made for a very interesting reading.

Now I'm reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

@ calm Your kitty looks like a younger version of mine. She is living with my parents while I am working overseas so I miss her. I actually have 3 and if I was back home all with be competing for my lap.

I am now readingdaughter of the forest . I have tried to start it a few times and just wasn't in the mood. I am getting into it now. The only part is that the book was passed to me in book club and the owner doesn't have the rest so if I like it, it may be a challenge here to find the others. I will read for awhile longer before bed.

Good morning from Wisconsin! I got about 100 pages read last night in Summer, and I'm coming up towards the end. I shouldn't have a problem finishing it this morning during my reading time, and then I think I'll finish up Radioactive in honor of Marie Curie's birthday today!

I finished Half Life before falling asleep last night. It was just OK. The situations shaping the plot were just too far-fetched, and it was hard to like the main character because she was so moody, self-centered, and often downright mean to those who loved her. But it was, as the cover blurb says, a book about a woman "finding herself," if you're into that sort of thing. As to the claim that it was similar to The Namesake and Slumdog Millionaire--no way!

Before falling asleep, I read a bit in The Orphan Master's Son. While it's good, it does seem to drag in parts.

#115. rainpebble,
This is my seconde book by Anita Shreve. I read Testimony about two years ago and enjoyed it. I do have to say the writing just isn't as good as the one I had previously read. The story is interesting at times. I hope to finish it this week.

After 5 hours of inventory at work yesterday, I came home tired and tense. I decided what I needed was to relax with my book and get in some more reading time! :) I read myself to sleep in about an hour, and when I woke up about 4 hrs later, read until I finished my ER book A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner. I must say this book was better than I expected it to be. The author's manner of presenting the story kept me interested and involved throughout. I'm not sure even what category I would put it in. It's a family history story with a little history of the civil war thrown in, plus a dash of family conflict and a smidgin of romance. I'll be looking for more by this author! I really enjoyed her writing. Now it's back to my other ER book, Zeina.

Good evening! (Switzerland close to 6pm)

After a busy day at work I intend to read this evening during four hours. I'm still reading The Black Madonna by Peter Millar.

Was at rehearsals all day both Saturday and Sunday, so didn't get to read as much as I would have liked. Got in a half-hour on Merry Hall before bed both days, and a few minutes this morning too.

I've been reading The Shadow of the Wind which I like very much, but I keep falling asleep. Maybe it's my sleeping dogs lulling me into their dreams on this chilly day.
>132 LauraBrook: Laura, I have Radioactive on hold at the library. What do you think of it?

Thanks a lot for sharing all your opinions and a small insight of your 'lifestyle' during this ReadaThing. For me it was a fantasic weekend. I've been reading all in all about 20 hours. It was a great experience and I'm really looking forward to doing again.

Now, it's time for me to go to bed.
I wish you all the best and happy reading.
Greetings from Switzerland

I'm a little late, but here's my reading corner (thanks jjmcgaffey!).
I'm hoping to do a little more of reading tonight...

I was able to read about 15 hours from Friday night though last night. I read 300 out of 400 pages of City of Dreams and half of a cozy mystery AND had a few minutes of earthquake here on the Arkansas/Oklahoma border, it wasn't until the next day that I realized what it was!

All together I read 7 and half hours this weekend, totaling 361 pages. I had a great time reading everyone's posts and chatting with some of you. The pictures are terrific! Looking forward to our next one.

I was able to get more reading done than I expected. I finished Spirit Dancers by C E Murphy, Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts,and The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. I'm about to read more in The Jasmine Moon Murder by Laura Childs to end off my reading weekend. I'm looking forward to the next ReadaThing because I was had other things to do this weekend and had to fit the reading in. Still lots of fun to have an excuse to read as much as possible!

PaperbackPirate: Thanks, I got it done, now it's off to be judged.

What a great ReadaThing. Thank you so much skittles and to all the others who cheerleaded and helped us along so well. I really appreciated the experience and the good times I shared with all of you over this 100 hour ReadaThing.
All in all I read approximately 33 1/2 hours.
I am well into Arabian Nights: The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night by Sir Richard Burton (still reading with other book breaks) and also read:
A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen,
The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry,
I Will Fight No More Forever by Merrill D Beal,
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian,
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant,
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fanny Flagg and finished up by getting 87 pages into Winterwood by an old favorite, Dorothy Eden before the end of the party. Remember Dorothy Eden ladies? She wrote lovely gothic romances. I am so enjoying this one. I haven't read her in ages.
Well, it's over; I loved it; I can't wait until February when we do it again.
Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful event skittles. You are a ROCKSTAR!~!~!
hugs all round,
belva

I finished one more book, a short play about Oscar Wilde, The Judas Kiss by David Hare. Interesting concept; not a very good play.

Had an awesome time sharing this weekend. Can't wait for the next one!

I'm still reading! Over half-way through Zeina now. Hoping to finish it tonight or tomorrow. It's been fun fitting in as much reading as possible this weekend!

I did finish both my books - and both, as it turned out, were great choices. Why were they on my TBR pile so long, I wonder? Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan and Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde by Thomas Wright.

Well, I'm very glad for the hundred hours...because all I need to have to be incredibly busy is for it to be a Readathing weekend! My total for the weekend is...ummm...maybe 3.5 hours? sheesh. I got half an hour the first day, then I had to take care of chores and then fell asleep - oh, I had another 15 minutes or so in there, reading while I ate dinner. Friday I was running around doing errands all day - I kept promising myself that I could sit down and read for a while, but it never materialized. I knew Saturday was going to be a dead loss - left the house at 7:30 for one event an hour's drive away, finished that at 5 pm and went to another one. Left that at 8:30 pm and got home at 10 pm, having to stop in a shopping center and take a 20-minute nap because my eyes were blurring. Got home and collapsed. Got up in time for church Sunday, went to my parents bringing a book and intending to read - but they'd gotten us tickets to a concert. It was very nice - a string quartet in a small but acoustically fantastic venue - and I got some knitting done, but no reading. Then several hours of a video phone call with my sisters, home, a snack (with reading - another 15 minutes) and collapsed into bed. I thought the Readathing was over then, but realized this morning that it was still going - but I had a four-hour job at a client site, then shopping. Got home, _sat_down_ and read for an hour and a half (and then another hour and a half, after the RaT was done...but I wanted to finish my book). So 2.5 hours within the RaT, and 4 hours total over 5 days - when I usually manage to read for a couple hours a day. I don't know whether to hope for the week-long RaT or dread it - if I stay this busy for a week at a time I think I'd collapse and die!

Finished Wonderstruck (as mentioned in my previous post).
Read (more of - still not finished) Her Majesty's Spymaster - the politics are getting annoying again. Well, I'm still learning stuff.
Finished (finally - been reading it for a week) Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer. Pretty good - actually, amazingly good. I _hate_ smartass detectives - the ones who tell you in the last pages "Well, of _course_ this was the solution. All you had to know to understand it is the political situation in Outer Kazakhistan in 1902!" This book is full of that kind of smartasses - Amberley and his Aunt Marion, in particular, but everyone knows things they aren't telling - but I still enjoyed it. I figured out Amberley's secret when he said he disliked Shirley; I forget when I figured out Shirley's secret, but it was pretty early. After Mark was gone, though. And of course we the readers have the clue that has Amberley totally stumped... Anyway. Good book. It reads as though there are more Amberley books, but I don't know that that's true - there are a lot of references to previous cases, but they might just be references (to explain the various police attitudes toward him).
And finished - after the RaT was over, because I couldn't stop - Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce. Love it. I had read one of the stories before - Huntress - though I didn't recognize it until Felix started talking about lionesses and I'd forgotten how it ended (in fact, I thought it was much darker than it really is). The rest were new to me and they're all great. Skysong's story, Nawat and Aly's children, the Ostrich, Proving Ground...yeah. They're all memorable, great glimpses into either the continuing lives of old friends or new beginnings - new characters I'm pleased to know (and would be delighted to know more of!). All - except Qiom, and he had Fadal - female protagonists, finding their places or stretching into their powers. Nice! And The Testing was fascinating for a different reason - is Tamora Pierce a Foreign Service brat, like me, or was it only her character? I can tell stories - well, not quite like X-ray's, but the reactions I get are similar... Anyway. Lots of fun - that's a library book, but it's now firmly on my wishlist.

94> I've read both Tolkien and the Narnia books many times before the movies came out. I saw the first movie of the Lord of the Rings and it was good but not excellent - the second one drove me nuts with some of the choices they made, and I haven't seen the third (probably won't). The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was an excellent movie - no, it wasn't like the book (a _lot_ of differences!), but I actually (for the first time in my life) liked the movie better. I reread the book right after I'd seen the movie - and the movie was deeper and had more motivation and information about the kids than the book did. It reads very fairy-tale-ish - they just do things, without any real consideration of what or why; the movie explained better. I haven't seen any of the others, though - I'm afraid they won't stand up to the first one.

Well I have been reading on and off most of the day. I am still working on Daughter of the Forest. I have not read at my normal pace so only got the Kite Runner done. Daughter of the Forest is pretty good. It is a fantasy book. There are 6 brothers and one sister who is the youngest. Their mother died giving birth to her and she was supposed to be a boy following the tradition. For many years the brothers pretty much raise themselves and her as their father is off taking care of the kingdom. Then when Sorcha is almost 13 her Dad comes home with this new woman that he plans to marry. Only one of the sons really likes her but the rest hate her. They can see that there is something not quite right about the relationship. And that is as far as I have gotten. Well, I have a few more hours before bed. I was going to work on NaNoWriMo, today but I got caught up in the book and I am so far behind I might just wait and try again next year when I have more time to prepare and hopefully the other obstacles won't be there. So, I think I will finish the day by reading.

P.S. I am really glad I discovered this last spring and joined in. I find this very enjoyable and glad I was able to participate again this time. I look forward to many more ReadaThings.

I didn't get as much reading done because the good weather here meant more outside chores that could be done... and needed to get done.

I did finish Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon and got a good portion of The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne read... hopefully, I can finish it this week.

I'm not happy that I didn't get more reading done, but sometimes "life happens" and reading takes a second place (which is really really bad!).

FYI: The Feedback thread is 'live' and everyone's opinion is needed.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/126468

Thanks!!

@skilttles: Febuary's a much better time! I'll join then(: thanks for telling me^_^