Zany – one who acts the buffoon to amuse others. I’m coming in with 10 people who make me laugh, lol. Z is hard y’all!
What about you? When you need a good laugh who do you turn to?
And with that this A-Z Challenge is in the books! Thanks for visiting.
My yearly mountain of owned and unread books started small, got completely out of hand and is slowly taking a turn for the better. Every year around this time I recreate my unread book stacks adding in new books. For many years I brought in more than I read and that became a problem. A big book problem.
Last year I read 74 book so if I kept that pace I could get all of these books read in less than 10 years. #goals
What about you? How many unread books do you have in your house?
Next Morning Wrap Up (noon)
Okay peeps, I made it until 5:15 am – 21.5 hours – reading and listening and building my Mt. TBR. I love read-a-thon time! It’s so much fun to indulge my bookish self for a day and push the limits of the this middle aged body. Here’s what I finished and what Mt. TBR looked like this year (another post on that later today).
1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hours 21-22 always seem to be the witching hour for me and I’m okay with that 🙂
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! I finished Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (only had 100 pages left), The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood, The Art of Friendship by Roger Horchow and Sally Horchow, Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (10 hour audio), Water Tales by Alice Hoffman, & Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time. Four of those were from my own shelves.
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? I liked Charlie St. Cloud and Water Tales, both were short and easy to read 🙂
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile? Well, I loved your new mini-challenge set up and next time I’d like to host one.
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? I always love to participate when our schedule allows. October is always tricky, but April usually works.
This will be my post for all things Read-a-Thon Today.
Update 2:15 am
I just finished Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time. It’s 20 years old, but it was okay.
Tine for another mini-challenge…Pen Pals, What fictional character would you like to have as a pen pal, and why?
I think having Louisa Clark from the Me Before You books would be a hoot.
Update 11:47 pm
I’ve finished my Mt. TBR and will do a separate post tomorrow, but I’ll let you in on a secret, I am very pleased.
I also finished The Art of Friendship by Roger Horchow and Sally Horchow and it was okay.
Time for another mini-challenge…Artful Covers, Find an artsy image that you think would make a great cover for your current read.
I’m listening to Devil in Spring about a very well to do English family. I think their yard could look like this. (I took this picture at Versailles, France).
Update 5:21 pm
I finished The Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood and am now anxious to see the movie.
Time for another mini-challenge…Tell Me a Story, tell me how you heard about Dewey’s Readathon and how many times you’ve participated.
I’m sure I learned about Dewey’s Readathon from another blogger, but I couldn’t say which one. At the time I was much more tuned into the blogging community and this event was everywhere 🙂 It sounded like a great challenge. This is my 9th year participating and I’ve actually read the whole 24 TWICE! I love hosting mini-challenges but didn’t get signed up this time around. If I read in April I always use the time to recreate my once a year book wall while I’m listening to audio books. I started working on it after my snack and here’s a sneak peek 🙂
See you in a few hours when I’m done! I’m listening to Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas on audio while I work.
Update 1:15 pm
Fixed lunch for my guys and am reading Charlie St. Cloud and the Art of Friendship. I participated in one mini-challenge…
Anthology of Interest – What topic would you love to see as the central theme of an anthology?
my answer was – I love to walk around old cemeteries and am reading Charlie St. Cloud right now, where Charlie works at a cemetery and can see some of the deceased for a time. An anthology about cemeteries would be cool.
Update 9:45am
I finished my first book, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. I only had 120 pages left so I’m glad to be done. I also cooked breakfast for my guys and gave Gage his spelling test (he got 12/15).
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Cleveland, Ohio area
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Probably Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Chocolate peanut butter pie 🙂
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I love all things books, obviously since I’m participating in a 24 hour read-a-thon 🙂 I’ll be married 20 years this fall and have a 7 year old son who will demand some of my time today.
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 not my first rodeo. I’ve lost track of how many I’ve participated in, but have made it the whole 24 only twice. I usually throw in the towel during hours 21 or 22 which I consider a win. I’ve got a varied selection of books ready to go and some super short ones too.
4. Forest of Knives, Madagascar
5. Fiji
7. Whitehaven Beach, Australia
8. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
9. Mendenhall Ice Caves, Alaska
10. Arashimaya Bamboo Forest, Japan
So, have you been to any of these places? I think I’m most intrigued by #6. Click on the links to see why I chose them 🙂
This is the weekend for Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon and I’ve made a small pile to choose from mostly from books already on my shelves. I can’t wait to start at 8 am on Saturday morning. Is anyone joining me?
1.Small Great Things by Picoult was our book club read this month and the discussion has come and gone but I still have 100 pages left.
2. Wonder by Palacio was supposed to be the first book I read this year, but I got to 80 pages and stalled out. I want to finish.
3.Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time by Smith has been on my shelves since I started keeping track in 2008!
4.Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Vreeland is short and my library had the playaway so I can take turns listening and reading.
5. Water Tales by Hoffman contains 2 novels with the total number of pages being less than 200 so it’s perfect for the read-a-thon.
6. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Choldenko is one I’ve been wanting to read for a while and I have the book and playaway.
7. Devil in Spring by Kleypas is the third in a series I’m reading and the audio will be great for when my eyes need a rest.
8. The Art of Friendship by Horchow looks like a great book to read bits throughout the day.
9. The Hanging Tree by Cash is just too short at 74 pages not to throw into the reading pile.
10. Charlie St. Cloud by Sherwood is by an author I like and I read the first few chapters yesterday and am anxious to continue!
I think I’ve got a fairly varied stack, but as always, will also be reconstructing my wall of unread books for the 11th time, so my choices could change as I touch all of those yummy books 🙂
I’m never a fan of the villain in movies, books, or real life, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not memorable. Here are some that have stuck with me in the movies I’ve seen.
Do you have one that stands out in memory?
I’m back with another highly subjective list! There are so many places we’ve been around the country, but also so many places we haven’t, and I can only choose places I’ve been so feel free to recommend future trips! The pics are mine 🙂
New York City. Jason and I had visited a few times before we lived in midtown Manhattan from May – October 2000. We go back as much as we can, next trip June. I love the energy.
Washington D.C. Jason and I met when we were both living in the DC area and lived there for 3 years (1995-1998). I’d move back in a heartbeat if the opportunity arose. So much history and so much to do.
San Francisco, California. I’ve been there twice, once in my 20’s and once in my 30’s and loved the coastal city both times. Beautiful and charming.
New Orleans, Louisiana. One visit in high school (1987) was all it took to appreciate the charm and culture shock of this city.
Boston, Massachusetts. We visited a few years ago and I fell in love with the history and vibe of the city.
Niagara Falls, New York. One of my favorite places is standing under the Bridal Falls on the US side of the Falls. After that I recommend heading across the border and spending the rest of your day on the Canadian side 🙂
Santa Monica, California. Or somewhere around there. I lived in West LA in the summer of 1994 and loved the access to so many of the beach communities.
Kelleys Island, Ohio. I love big cities, but we discovered a little 4 mile island on Lake Erie only an hour from Cleveland that enables us to disconnect and take a deep breath.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We’ve visited here a few times because it’s so close to home. Love the big city museums, the water, and the smaller city feel.What are your favorite US cities?
As an only kid who was able to stay home by myself at a young age, I have watched my fair share of TV. I don’t watch as much as I used to, but coming up with a top ten is going to be tough. I’m staring at the paper where I came up with possibilities and there are 26. Let’s see what makes the final list.
What are a few of your favorites?
Seven years of Gage posts and I’ve chosen ten of my favorites. From the highs of first being a mother, to health scares and diagnoses, to watching my boy blossom.
2. Sundays with Gage – Ventilators, ICU, Medical Mystery and a Miracle
3. Sundays with Gage – An Early Celebration 
4.
Sundays with Gage – A Day in the Life of My 3 Year-Old
5. 
Sundays with Gage – A New Era
6. Sundays with Gage – Autism One
7.
Sundays with Gage – Scopes, Stress & a Tip
8.
Sundays with Gage – Booklovers Advent Tree (we still do this every year)
9.
Sundays with Gage- A Mother/Son Reading Challenge (I love that we accomplished this together!)
Stacy's Books 