Read-a-Thon: Poetry Month Style

The spring Readathon is nearly over. It'll be six months until I can cheer again (sob!). I'm packing up my pompoms and folding up my uniform for another day.

Although I spent some time on the blogs assigned to the Keats Cheerleading Squad, I really mostly hung out on Twitter. One of the best parts of Read-a-thon is getting to meet new bloggers.

This year, inspired by Dawn from She Is Too Fond of Books, I went crazy cheering in haiku. In honor of the readers and of poetry month, I present some of my silly creations:

Take twenty-four hours
And read and read all that day
Savor the moments
_____

Enjoy your book now.
Don’t forget to rest your eyes.
Look to next novel.
_____

Keep with the reading
You will go far on this day
Take time to enjoy
_____

What are you reading?
Quiet hours pass on by
Lovely Saturday
_____

Spring Readathon go
Great way to spend the minutes
Lost in your novel
_____

Is it dark or light?
Reading through all the hours
Be sure to have fun
_____

How do your eyes feel?
Scanning words on the pages
Close them to get rest.
_____

Around the world, yes!
International event
Everyone go read
_____

Reading takes a toll
Stand and stretch and eat
Settle back with book
_____

Are you still awake?
We are cheering you today
Hope you love your book
_____

Sun or rain or snow
Both sides of the equator
All are lost in books
_____

What's there to read?
Piles of books are everywhere
Can't chose the next one.
_____

And a couple of cheers:

Books, books
They're everywhere
How you read them
We don't care!
_____

Eyes are tired
Eyes are itching
Time to switch to audio edition

Good night to all the participants and great job to everyone: cheerleaders and readers alike.

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Read-a-Thon: Let's Get Ready to Read!!

Are you ready??? It's almost Read-a-Thon time. What the heck is the Read-a-Thon? It's an international book blogger community event in which bloggers set aside a single day to read and share their experience with others.

If you cannot schedule the entire day for reading, then read for whatever time you have or--like me--be a cheerleader. The Read-a-Thon doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing deal. Participate at whatever level you want. I plan to lend moral support throughout the day, cheering on the readers whenever I get the chance.

Last spring, I decided to be a cheerleader, and I had the absolute best time. If you've never cheered before, check out my Tales of a Cheerleader from April 2009. Cheering is so much fun and is an easy way to get involved.

I'm dusting off my pompoms and taking my uniform out of storage . . .

Rah, rah, bloggers
Turn that page!
You can do it
Just engage!

Hummm. I think I need to take some cheer-writing lessons from Softdrink . . .

For more information check out the Dewey's Read-a-Thon blog.

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Mini Break: Read.Read.Read-a-Thon

Attention readers: This post is for the participants of the Read.Read.Read-a-Thon. Click the link to learn more.

Welcome to your mini exercise break!

You've been reading for a few hours, and now it's time to move. You won't make it through the Read.Read.Read-a-Thon if you don't take a break. What do you mean you don't know what to do? Here are four ideas. Pick one (or come up with your own) and take a 3-minute break!

Leave a comment to tell me how you spent your mini-break (think of it as finger exercises!). If you need a longer break, write a blog post!


3 minutes of blindness

Yep, you read that right. Take off your glasses, shut your eyes, and take a deep breath. Open your eyes and try to focus on something in the distance. Close your eyes again. Repeat. Don't wear glasses? Do the exercise anyway!



3 minutes of fresh air

No matter the weather or season or time of day or night, walk out your door and visit your porch. Breath in some fresh air and remember that there is a world beyond your book. If you haven't showered yet, be sure to hide from the neighbors.



3 minutes of stretching

Raise your arms over head, arch your back, do side bends, rotate your shoulders, move your head from side to side -- or try to do the stretch shown here. If we haven't heard from you in a few hours, we'll know you're permanently stuck in a pretzel shape.



3 minutes of walking

Get up from the computer and walk! If the weather is nasty: walk around the house, go up and down the stairs, or hop on the treadmill. If possible, walk outside: circle your house or walk to the street and back. Hey, I didn't say walk to the kitchen and get a snack! That's a different break.


Good luck to all who are reading today! Hope you have a ton of fun.

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Read-a-Thon: Hour 24!!!!!

It is the end of another Read-a-Thon! Well done and good job for those who stayed up the whole time and especially those who read the entire 24 hours. Way to go!!!

There is a final Twenty-Fourth-Hour Meme and I'm going to participate!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Somewhere around hour 17, I closed my eyes for just a second -- and, well, next I knew, I had slept 5 hours!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? No, but I wish I hadn't started out with a novel that touched on heavier topics. I think light and fun is the way to go.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No -- it is super!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I liked the more organized cheering for the blogs. Great idea.

5. How many books did you read? I finished 2, abandoned 1, and got almost all the way through another.

6. What were the names of the books you read? A Friend of the Family, A Sword of Fire and Ice (abandoned), Fables, The Darcys and the Binglieys

7. Which book did you enjoy most? Can't say because all three were totally different.

8. Which did you enjoy least? A Sword of Fire and Ice.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Just keep cheering!!!

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I am absolutely participating -- probably just cheering.

I love the Read-a-Thon; it's a fabulous event! I'm so glad I tried to be both a reader and a cheerleader because I learned that my real role is to be a full-time cheerleader. It was way too difficult to be both, and I didn't do a good job of either. In the spring I'm taking up my pompoms and sticking with being a full-time cheerleader. Who knows, maybe someone will ask me to be one of the lead cheerers!

Hip-hip-hurray to all the organizers!!!! Super, super job.

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Read-a-Thon: Hour 11

At 11 hours in, I've read 2.5 books and abandoned 1 book (it wasn't for me) and hosted a mini-challenge. I plan to read for about another hour or so and then I'm turning to cheerleading.

I'll write a wrap-up post tomorrow. Once I turn to cheering, I won't have much to update here. So look for me on Twitter or on your blog.

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Read-a-Thon: Start of Hour 7

Hour 7 Recap

I'm starting to feel a little weary, so I'm just getting ready to brew up a big pot of tea to keep me going.

I finished A Friend of the the Family by Lauren Grodstein (302 pp). A very good read. That is going to be the only heavy fiction I'm planning on today.

Book 2 was a graphic novel called Sword of Fire and Ice by John Mathews. I love King Arthur stories, but I just couldn't get past about page 20. The novel is not for me: Arthur with giant purple bug creatures? I think not.

So now I'm halfway through book 3, which is also a graphic novel: the first volume in the Fables series. So far I love it. It's funny and well drawn, and I like the general idea.

I hope you have entered to win my lace bookmark. It's a really, really easy meme, so be sure to read about the Eat to Read Mini-Challenge.

I'll probably read another 3 to 5 hours and then it will be cheering for the rest of the night. Glad I stocked up on snacks, tea, and coffee.

Good luck everyone!!!!

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Read-a-Thon: Eat to Read Mini-Challenge

Eat to Read Mini-Challenge

Okay all you Fall Read-a-Thon readers, how are you holding up?? You've been reading for 6 hours now, and I bet you're starting to look at your snack stash. I'm not talking meals at this hour. I'm talking about food that helps you keep reading along.

So this is what I want to know. What's in your snack pile? Healthy fruit, just-baked brownies? Hot tea, ice-cold cola? Are you craving crunchy? Chocolate? Savory? A gigantic bowl of popcorn? You tell me.

Want to know what you're playing for? Sure you do. It's a homemade lace bookmark. As you can see from the photos (click to enlarge) that I'm not quite done yet. I was almost halfway when I took the photos yesterday. I hope I made good progress last night! In any case, the bookmark will be finished in no time, and I will send it out by the end of October.

All you have to do to win the bookmark is tell me what you've been snacking on or what snacks or drinks you have in store for later. Creative is always good and may just win you an extra shot at the random draw for the bookmark. [The definition of creative is totally up to me.]

Write up a quick post, put up a photo -- whatever you're in the mood to do. Then come back here and leave a link with Mr. Linky. Be sure that your link leads to your specific Eat to Read Mini-Challenge post. I'll use random.org to pick the winner.

You have until 5:00 eastern time to get your post up; I won't count links that went up after that. This is open to cheerleaders and readers alike. What happens if you don't have a blog? Write a comment here. Then fill out Mr. Linky; for the link, use the URL to this post. Your Mr. Linky number is the number I'll use for random.org.

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Read-a-Thon: Hours 3-4

Fourth-Hour Meme!

Welcome back Read-a-Thoners! Hope you're still reading and cheering! This hour, Bart's Bookshelf asks us to make a sentence from book titles and then post a photo.

Anyway, I did a quick take on this meme, and doubt I have a winner, but I'm giving it a shot anyway. Here's the photo:



A friend of the family drawing in the dust in the courts of the sun. (Kind of a phrase rather than a sentence.)

I'm just about done with my first book and hope to be on book 2 in an hour.

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Read-a-Thon: Hour 1

First-Hour Meme!

The first hour of the Read-a-Thon is coming to an end, and with it comes a meme:

1. Where are you reading from today? I'm starting out on the couch -- and may stay there! But it's very comfy on this rainy morning.

2. Three facts about me. Hummmm. I love to cook, I love to read, I love to walk.

3. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? Waaaaaaaaay too many!!!

4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? My only real goal is to stay awake the whole time, reading at first and then changing to cheering (go team Transcendentalists!!)

5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time? Relax and have fun! It's not a contest.

Good luck everyone!

I'm still on my first book: A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein.

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Read-a-Thon: Starting Post

Read-a-Thon: Starting Post

Yippee, yippee!!!! The fall Read-a-Thon has started! I'm so excited -- I have my new (and faster) Internet connection in place (long story, but there was a reason I was unexpectedly missing in action Thursday and Friday), my food is ready, my Book Buddy is here -- and I have a pile of books to read.

Last week I wrote about my Read-a-Thon Stack. It was kind of a 24-week stack instead of a 24-hour stack, but never mind that. Sad to say, I've added to the pile. Some of the books I already owned and some are new, but I have three text novels and three graphic novels to throw into the mix.

I am starting my Read-a-Thon with [drum roll, please!] A Friend of the Family, which is a novel that I didn't think would be for me. But I started looking through the first chapter, and I'm hooked. So I'm off and reading!

Good luck to everyone!!!! I hope to post an update every hour or two, but I'm not totally sure. I will definitely be on Twitter.

Print novels

Graphic novels

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Fall Read-a-Thon: What's a Gal to Read?

This time next week I'm going to be participating in Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon. In case you don't know, it's a day-long, worldwide event in which participants do nothing but read and blog and tweet about their reading. Some people opt to cheer the readers on, and some people do a bit of both.

Last time, I was a cheerleader; this time I want to read as well as cheer.


I thought I share my stacks of possible Read-a-thon books. I'll be lucky to get three books read, but here's what I'm going to pick from (click on photo to enlarge):



Left (top to bottom): The Magykal Papers is a wonderful supplement to the Septimus Heap middle-reader fantasy series that I found at the library. Laura Rider's Masterpiece is contemporary fiction. A Whole Nother Story is another middle reader book.The Devouring and Oathbreaker are young adult fantasy. Fables 1, Fables 2, and Blankets are all graphic novels. The Georges and the Jewels is a Jane Smiley book for middle readers. Elynia is a novel in lyric. Sword of Fire and Ice is graphic novel. Vampire Diaries and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre look fun. And Levianthan was irresistible.

Middle (top to bottom): Sadly, I haven't yet read Julie and Julia; Stitches is a graphic memoir. Liar, Invisible I, Deadly Little Secret, Five Minutes More, and Breathless are all young adult. The Chocolate Run is women's lit. The Tear Collector and The Devil's Kiss both sound spooky. The Warrior Heir is the first in a fantasy series.

Right side (top to bottom): The first two are young adult novels by different authors and different publishers: Demon Princess and Demon King. The Xibalba Murders is a mystery. Kitty and the Midnight Hour is an urban fantasy. I've been dying to read The Uglies, so this might be my chance. Valeria's Last Stand and Fallen are fantasies of sorts. The Texicans is a western; Century and Lady Macbeth's Daughter are more young adult. Winter in Thrush Green is a British novel; Ice Land is kind of historical fiction and fantasy (I think). And at the bottom is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I have some eBooks and audiobooks lined up as well!! If nothing else, I'll be able to find something to suit my mood.

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Fall Read-a-Thon: Start Getting Ready

Oh boy, we're just 20 days from the fall Read-a-Thon! What's a read-a-thon? Twice a year (spring and fall) book bloggers all over the world take one full day to do nothing but read and then blog and tweet about it. Sound like fun? It really is.

There are many ways to get involved, as you'll see on the Read-a-Thon blog. The first choice to make is whether you want to read or cheerlead or do both. Last spring I was a cheerleader, and I had a blast (read my story). In fact, I tied with Eva from A Striped Armchair for most enthusiastic cheerleader (read her story). This year, I am thinking of being a reader, or maybe I'll do both. Argh, decisions, decisions! Whatever you decide, sign up with Mr. Linky on the Read-a-Thon blog.

Now's also a good time to start gathering your books. Be sure to include some light, fun novels to read when you start to feel tired. And don't forget audiobooks--they are a great way to rest your eyes but still keep reading. Okay, you might be thinking that you couldn't possibly read for 24 hours straight. That's okay, there is no need. You can take a break, you can take a nap, you can even sleep for a few hours. Not everyone commits to the full day.

Take a moment to read about mini-challenges in the Read-a-Thon FAQ. Then put on your thinking cap and come up with your very own mini-challenge to give the readers a break. Mini-challenges ask the readers to complete a short survey, answer a question, or visit a blog or website. This is a great way to participate if you don't think you can take the time to read or otherwise cheer.

What else can you do to get ready? Inform your family and friends that you are taking a whole day for yourself and you want as few distractions as possible. Better yet, get them involved; maybe your kids will commit to 2 hours of reading and then to writing a small blog post to summarize the experience. All of you who home school could take advantage of the Read-a-Thon and give the kids extra-credit or an hour off of school for every hour they read. Use your imagination to make the Read-a-Thon work for you.

Finally, have I mentioned prizes yet? Yes, there will be prizes. Check out the list from spring 2009 at the Read-a-Thon blog. Notice that many prizes are donated by people just like you. Look around your bookshelves and donate a book or two, consider making something (I'm making another handmade lace bookmark), or buy some cool book-related items or a gift card.

And just in case you didn't guess, I'm one of the people in charge of organizing the prizes, so I'm encouraging you to donate a prize. As soon as you figure out what you want to give, just email deweyreadathon (at) gmail (dot) com and your prize will be added to the list.

Don't be shy, don't miss out. You do not need to have a blog to be part of this event; just sign up and read! (Oh, and donate a prize!)

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Cheerleading Pays Off in Books

Remember this spring's Readathon? Well guess what? I tied for the prize of most enthusiastic cheerleader. My co-winner is Eva from A Striped Armchair.

Thanks so much for the recognition. It hardly seems like I deserve it because I had a blast. If you didn't read about my escapades as cheerleader, check out my Readathon wrap-up post.

I did, however, accept the honor because it came with a $20 gift card to Powell's! (I'm not crazy!) I've already spent my gift, and I thought it would be nice to let you know what I got. Here's what appeared on my doorstep today:

The first is another collection by Sam Shepard (see my review of Great Dream of Heaven). This one is more personal and includes photographs, poems, and stories. The other two are YA books that I've been meaning to read.

Thanks again to whoever chose me as a prize-winner for the Readathon. I had such a blast, and I'll think of the event when I read these books. In the fall, I'll be faced with the dilemma of reading or cheering, but either way, I'll be involved.

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Dewey's Read-a-Thon April 2009: Tales of a Cheerleader

The spring read-a-thon is over! I was able to cheer on the readers for much of the time. I was there at the beginning, I was there at the end! I took a bit of time out in the day to do some yardwork, but I was a faithful cheerleader.

In the evening (about 9:00 eastern time in the United States) I was kicked off Twitter for too many tweets in too short of a time. I think if you tweet more than 40 tweets in an hour they kick you off. Fortunately, I wasn't barred for life!

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see the "Free @BethFishReads" tweets. And I want one of those T-shirts! And it just so happened I had baked brownies to keep me going -- I was eating warm brownies, drinking coffee, and laughing at the tweets that were trying to spring me from Twitter jail!

I was able to resume my cheering and stayed online until about midnight. Then I intended to sleep about 2 hours. I never heard the alarm and woke up at 5:30 a.m. But no worries, I was back to cheering as readers crossed the finish line!

I had the best time cheering. I stayed on Twitter and didn't get a chance to read anyone's blogs (will do that over the next couple of days) -- so I watched and cheered as readers reported finished books, aching muscles, tired eyes, and more finished books.

I hope to join in the reading next fall, but I'm tempted to just play Twitter cheerleader again. I loved having the chance to be that chatty and to talk to lots of fun people I would have missed otherwise. This was a super way to meet new readers. We even recruited a few readers "off the street" when they tweeted, "What's this read-a-thon thing?"

At one point #readathon was trending so well we beat out Oprah and the NBA! Go readers! I also followed the top tweeps for the event -- I came in first even with my 5.5-hour sleep. Gosh I'm chatty!

You do not want to miss out next year. Whether you read for 4 hours or 24, whether you cheer on the blogs or on Twitter -- there is great fun to be had and you can do it in your own time frame and in your own way.

I am in total awe of all the readers: Each and everyone of you deserves a big round of applause!!!

I'll get back to normal blogging tomorrow.

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Dewey's Read-a-Thon April 2009

Today is the spring read-a-thon! If you have no clue what it is or how to participate, check out the event's blog, Dewey's Read-a-Thon.

I can't participate as a reader this time around (I hope to in the fall), but I plan to be a cheerleader for most of the event.

I hope everyone gets lots of reading done and has a terrific time!

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