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Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-A-Thon

October 12, 2013

I’m way behind at this point but won’t make excuses. I’m a first timer who heard about this from my blogging friend Shannon at River City Reading. The read-a-thon started at 5am PST but if you know me even remotely, you know I barely acknowledge 5am much less read at that hour. So now I’m up and going. I’m 100 pages into my first book Lexicon which I’ve wanted to read for some time but haven’t been able to manage it. I recommended it to my 14 year-old niece because it’s about the power of words and she’s a reading freak like me but it used the word f&%k on the first page so now I feel guilty. Unless , maybe, that’s not unusual in this day? Aunt guilt- the worst!

Here are my reading choices. I know a lot of people choose smaller books so they can read more but for my first time I’m going with books I’ve been wanting to read and they all just happen to be B-I-G. We’ll see how I do.



lexicon

From Goodreads: At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren’t taught history, geography, or mathematics–at least not in the usual ways. Instead, they are taught to persuade. Here the art of coercion has been raised to a science. Students harness the hidden power of language to manipulate the mind and learn to break down individuals by psychographic markers in order to take control of their thoughts. The very best will graduate as “poets”, adept wielders of language who belong to a nameless organization that is as influential as it is secretive.

goldfinch
Little, Brown and Company, October 2013

From Goodreads: It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don’t know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. 

 

compound fractures

I’m a big Stephen White fan and this is the last of his Alan Gregory books so there’s no way I can let it pass by without reading. If you’re looking for intelligent, psychological mystery thrillers, he’s your man.

 

Introductory Questionnaire

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

The cloudy and cool Portland, Oregon
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Probably The Goldfinch because so many readers I trust have raved about it.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I know it should be something healthy like hummus and raw veggies but it is likely to be Fritos and a Diet Coke. Don’t hate.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I’m a former librarian whose husband has just gotten a new job in Seattle so we’re moving from one grey and lovely city to an even bigger grey- and I’m fine with that. I’ve already checked out the Elliott Bay Book Company and am looking forward to meeting a whole new group of bookish people.

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 first and I’m looking forward to unadulterated joy of sitting and reading all day! However, I can already tell I’ll need to plan better next time.

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7 Comments
Filed Under: Feature, Reading Tagged: books, Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon, event

Comments

  1. Shannon @ River City Reading says

    October 12, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    I’m so glad you’re joining in! Lexicon is a fun one and it’s pretty quick to get through. Even though The Goldfinch is big, I found myself having such a hard time putting it down. I hope you love it!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      October 12, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      Boy, Lexicon just throws you in! I’m 50% through.

      Reply
  2. Michael says

    October 12, 2013 at 5:09 pm

    I’m on Infinite Kung-Fu – not really a serious read, but nicely entertaining. 🙂

    We’re all happily snacking and cheering and reading of course.

    A quote to keep you going:

    “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”
    ― Joyce Carol Oates

    #TeamFox (of all things cheering)

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    October 12, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    I hope that you’re still having a good time! It can definitely be daunting the first time around. Happy reading!

    Reply
  4. Michael says

    October 12, 2013 at 9:34 pm

    Still going strong? It’s hard to say here….it feels like we’re loosing steam.

    Tried to go out for a walk to wake up a bit. Hope that helps for a little.

    If you’re getting sleepy try a walk or take a shower if you can.

    I like Groucho sometimes. 🙂
    “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      October 12, 2013 at 10:21 pm

      I’m hanging in there. Of course, it’s only 10pm here and I just spent 30 minutes trying to get a youtube vid to work so that was unproductive. Still makes me laugh though. Hang in there!

      Reply
  5. Michael says

    October 13, 2013 at 6:56 am

    My last reply for the event. Congrats on all the reading you did! We didn’t really stay up for the whole thing as we wanted to, but some of us made it to about 3 in the morning.

    Hope to see you again next year! Happy reading. 🙂

    Reply

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