Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon - Hourly Updates, April 2018 edition

Hour 19
TatyanaEvgOneginSamokishSudkovskRishar1899
The good news - I finished The Castle!

The bad news...I wasn't expecting it to be such a struggle.  Can you believe, I was ready to give up on it, with just 10% or less left?  It was pretty terrible.

However, The Castle was on my to-finish backlog since freshman or sophomore year in college, so I am very excited to have read it all the way through, even if it was painful.

Anyways, after that, I found myself looking around for something "lighter" to read.  Only I could choose Eugene Onegin as "lighter" fare.  But I love this story - you might remember my Eugene Onegin Read-Along from a few years back.  Roger Clarke's translation is new to me, and it's already proving to be interesting.

This might be my last blog check-in for the night... I may post some more on Instagram later, though, depending how long I can keep my eyes open.  Thanks to all who've stopped by and offered encouragement - it's been fun!

Hour 13

After a scrumptious lunch (Teriyaki!), I took a short nap to offset the effects of getting up earlier and having to work today.  I also read some more of The Castle... as I mentioned on my Instagram, it's kind of a "meh" read.  I'll be happy to get to the end of it.  

I have about 17% left and fully intend to finish The Castle before the end of this Readathon, but I'm taking a break now and looking at picking up either The Island of Dr. Moreau (yes, unplanned) or CEO, China.

Hope it's going well for everyone else still - hang in there!  :)

Hour 10
BurgHohenzollern1900

Due to an emergency at work, I lost about 4 hours of reading time while working from home...

On the bright side, I had already done a decent bit of reading, with both The Kill and The Castle.
  • I am getting major creepy vibes from The Kill (so many creepers in this story), but also enjoying the history lesson as I learn about the Second Empire, of which I knew basically nothing before this book.
  • The Castle is also starting to get more interesting with the side-plot of Amalia standing up to Klamm (also a creeper). 
    I'm going to back to The Castle now - I think I have a good chance of actually finishing it!

    Hour 3

    Joining in already 2 hours into the event... hey, that's better than last year.  :)

    I'll be updating this post throughout the event, so stay tuned...


    Opening Meme
    1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
    At home in the PNW, listening to the rain fall lightly on the roof.  <3

    2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
    Pretty much all of them!  Ok, ok, that's not the answer you were looking for... if I had to pick one, then it's CEO, China, because I've missed reading it, while trying to finish The Castle.

    3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
    I made some Peach Green Tea Lemonade yesterday, the first of the season!

    4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
    I wrote about the time I first got a library card - well, I still have that library card.  The plastic coating is starting to flake off and it looks incredibly sad, but I refuse to part with it.

    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?
    Today I'm going "all in" (or at least, my version of it)...I have the entire day set aside for reading, woke up 2 hours earlier, and intend to stay up later.  More importantly, I plan to switch books frequently if I'm not having fun.  :)

    Comments

    Emma said…
    I also got something of a late start this morning! You can totally do this! I hope you enjoy your books and the Readathon <3 (Plus rain is the perfect reading weather. As someone who also calls the PNW home, no one can convince me otherwise!)
    April 28, 2018 at 7:43 AM
    Marian H said…
    Thanks for stopping by, Emma! :) Happy Readathon!
    April 28, 2018 at 2:03 PM
    Anonymous said…
    Woohoo! You made it to hour 13; that is great job! I am sorry you lost some time earlier in the day, but you seem to be making it up! The Kill is a bit creepy in a weird way, but I still really liked it! Teriyaki?!? Ok, Now I know what I want for Lunch!!!
    April 28, 2018 at 9:52 PM
    Marian H said…
    Thanks, Cirtnecce - glad to see you back!! It's now about 10pm where I live, so I'm going to see how late I can stay up. =)
    April 28, 2018 at 9:58 PM
    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    The Art of Loving - A Ramble on Chapters 1–2.1

    Image
    This month, Cleo is hosting a readalong of The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm and On Friendship by Cicero. It's a sequel to the Four Loves Readalong - which feels recent but was actually back in June(!!).  Fromm and C. S. Lewis were contemporaries (and Lewis's book was published just four years later), so it adds interest to see how their perspectives correspond or differ.  I'm also looking forward to Cicero, as I haven't read many ancient classics. You can find the full schedule on Cleo's post.  I felt the need to break down my check-ins a little more, so this one will cover the first 1 1/3 chapters. Chapter 1, "Is Love an Art?" Fromm opens with his short but pithy thesis - that love is not just a flurry of feelings, but an actual scientific art, like music or medicine, which must be learned and practiced. He posits three interrelated societal problems.  First, culture is overly focused on the state of "being loved," particul
    Read more

    Septober, Octember, Nowonder...

    Image
    WHERE did October go??  Two weeks since my last post, can't believe it. Book-wise... I did finish The Art of Loving and need to write up my final post this weekend.  For a short book it was quite a journey, and thought-provoking - I'm grateful Cleo hosted it as a readalong! Also in non-fiction land, I read Permanent Record , Edward Snowden's new autobiographical memoir.  I knew very little about him previously, and it actually blew me away.  It might be because I'm a millennial: I saw bits and pieces of my own life experience in his, and it was kind of surreal reading it in book form.  Of course it focuses on his path from dutiful employee to whistleblower, which was fascinating from a psychological and technological perspective.  Definitely recommended. The one classic I read was Macbeth .  To be honest, I found it massively underwhelming, which is probably just me.  I may try to share some thoughts about it. I am still reading Moby-Dick for Brona '
    Read more

    Autumn Plans

    Image
    It feels as if my reading has been slipping by the wayside, but that's not really been the case.  Most of the books I've read this summer just haven't blown me away, so it's been a bit of a disappointment. Reading status update on a few of the better ones: Tesla biography - I do like this book, a beautiful balance of academic and popular science.  It's very Educational, so it's taking me a while to get through it. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Reading this for the 3rd or 4th time.  It is my favorite thing to read when I really want an escape.   Nostromo - Still chugging along, now in part 2.  New characters, new goings on.  I'm surprised actually at there being new characters; not sure where Conrad is taking it. Moby-Dick - Still participating in the read-along, but very much behind schedule. Brave New World - Started strong, then realized I needed a break from dystopian.  Will continue shortly. Psalms - Finished them!  Now re-reading Prov
    Read more