Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon - The Spring 2011 Edition

I've been on the fence about joining in this spring with the Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon, knowing that I wasn't going to have a full 24 hours to read. Then The Big Guy's snoring woke me up just as if he were an alarm clock set especially for the event and my decision was made. When I just went and signed up, I was the 450th person to do so! I love thinking that there are 450 of us, world-wide, all enjoying this together! The kickoff post asked us to tell you a few things, most of which I'll cover below but asked that I tell you three random things about myself. Let's give this a shot: 1) those bananas in the picture? I will not be eating them for breakfast; I don't really care for bananas 2) my sister and I should really not be allowed to go out in public together; we are ridiculously loud and laugh entirely too much 3) I hate the very expensive pillow my husband bought me for Christmas but don't tell him; I haven't been able to get my pillows "right" for months and he was trying to help.

I'm kicking off the event with a little coffee (actually, a lot of coffee) and breakfast while I finish up Timothy Schaffert's The Little Coffins Of Hope. Then it's on to Meg Wolitzer's The Uncoupling, which I'll be reviewing this week. After that The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent, which my book club is reading for this month. We are all so excited to be Skyping with Ms. Kent! If, by some bizarre chance, I find myself getting in much more reading time than I had planned, or being able to stay awake all night, I'll finish the read-a-thon with Valerie Lakin's Separate Kingdoms, which I'll be reviewing for TLC Book Tours later this month.

I'm just going to be adding to this post throughout the read-a-thon so as to not clog up any one's reader or email. I'll be checking in with my fellow readers periodically, but for now, let's get reading!

Update 1: Three hours in and I've finished The Little Coffins of Hope and I'm 45 pages in The Uncoupling. Pages read: 108. I am definitely not a morning person.After about an hour of reading I get drowsy. I've had to take a break and get moving to wake myself up. Fortunately for Mini-Me, that means the haircut he's been needing.

Update 2: 18 hours in and I need another break to try to stay awake. Took a very long break early and went to dinner and a concert with book club friends and their husbands. Greek food and folk music. I have now finished The Uncoupling and have started The Heretic's Daughter. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to stay awake. How do so many of you make it the full 24 hours and remember anything that you read in the last few hours?

Wrap Up: Not long after my last update, I succumbed to the weight of my eyelids and went to bed. It was beginning to feel too much like work and I never want to have the feeling that reading is making me miserable. I did get 50 pages into The Heretic's Daughter and I'm enjoying it very much. Wish I would have had more time to read today!

Total Pages Read: 434