Reading Rambo

You guys. I have to go to a convention downtown dressed as a character from Jurassic Park  (HAVE TO) and so I am missing Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. AGAIN. I think I've done it mayyybe twice? Maybe. And even then it was like, "I'm staying at my parents' so there're gonna be a lot of other activities" or "I'm mainly using this as an excuse to eat tacos all day." Although I'd actually call Taco Day a resounding success, so, that one's fine. Taco Day should be Every Day But I want you all to post all the pictures, and say what you're eating (and I guess reading), for looking at those will bring me much happiness. I was thinking about it, and I think part of the reason I love readathons is also why I love conventions (and behold! they have conflicted!). Themed things are the balls. You get a theme and you're like "Okay. Okay. I know what I'm doing here." There is a specified framework, and AS LIFE IS CHAO...

Here we are. The 24 hour readathon and the first time I'm putting any actual effort into reading for more than appx six of those hours. It's started out with a total bang, of course, as my Central Standard start time was supposed to be 7 a.m. and I arose at 9:30, then made tacos. So hours 1-4 have consisted of me eating many tacos and reading part of The Goldfinch . Food that I am currently eating Books I am currently NOT reading, as Goldfinch is an eBook Those are bookmarks. I am terrible at reading. All right, day. Let's see how you go. UPDATE 2 Well. I guess now we're in hour eight, which for me is like...hour five? Anyway, I was getting sleepy from sitting on the couch in my pajamas, so I got dressed and took a walk to the Anti-Cruelty Society to look at kitties and puppies. The weather today is overcast but warm, which is my FAVORITE, so none of that No Going Outside shit. Of course, by going outside, I did have to deal with this: ahhh...

Yeah, it's 10:30. I was going to read about Minnesota, and then I said screw it and went to get on my computer. So, I spent this week saying (to myself) I wasn't going to be reading Sophie's Choice for the readathon, annnnd that's pretty much most of what I did. But I now only have 142 pages left, which is SO exciting. I'm discovering so many awesome authors through State by State . I never read essay collections, but since this was about Things That Make Us Different But Still Unified, I had to get it. Because I fall for that every time. Anyway, John Hodgman wrote about Massachusetts: Emerson said there is a "wise silence" inside all of us, and in it, a kind of divinity—an intuitive personal spirituality, that when we are attuned to it, makes all of reality an echo of our soul. Or something. No one really knew what he was talking about. In honor of Massachusetts, here're pictures from my pilgrimage there last year for my 25th birthday (I have plans...

    I don't know about you guys, but I am thoroughly enjoying this readathon.  Amanda , this was an excellent idea. May all baked goods be given unto you. I'm slowly wending my way through Sophie's Choice , but after all these weeks THE END, SHE IS IN SIGHT. I am so excited. But it's mixed emotions, because the writing is SO good, but it's also a billion pages with hugely long paragraphs and I'm like Styron, come ON, man, but he keeps doing it. I've read about some more states in State by State . Today seems to just be Sadness in Books Day, because there's Sophie talking about being beaten by her high-on-cocaine boyfriend and then recounting her time in Auschwitz (...yeah, that's pretty much the whole book), and then the essay on Louisiana is all "LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT KATRINA" and I was like "Nooooooooooo!" but it did anyway. By far, my favorite read today was Maine by Heidi Julavits. It has such wonderful sections as this:...

Don't be overwhelmed or intimidated by my high class standards Did I mention I don't drink a lot? And that sparkling grape juice is delicious? Although come to think of it, doing a drunk readathon would be kind of totally amazing. So. I've read almost nothing. BUT I just got back from my voice lesson, which required me to take a half hour train ride each way, and then I had to go "LA LA LAAAA" like Babe the Pig. Only BETTER. Yeah, suck it, Babe, I own you. I've read a tiny bit of Sophie's Choice , and State by State taught me that Kansas' state song is Home on the Range. Which was a surprisingly good Disney movie. Excuse me, I have to go eat everything and read more about the Holocaust.

I can't wake up on time for readathons. It's impossible. They always start at 7 or 8 a.m. and I always stay up too late refreshing tumblr over and over again, leaving me sleepy and irritated when my alarm goes off. "SCREW YOU, BOOKS!" I cry as I turn off said alarm and go back to sleep. BUT! I am posting because our intrepid leader, Amanda at Dead White Guys has a birthday today, which I just learned, which is why this looks the way it does. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WOMAN! (it's in Russian too because Tolstoy's there) I'm gonna go read Sophie's Choice and State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America, both of which are excellent but which have significantly different vibes, since one is essays about states and one is..y'know, about the Holocaust. Then I have a voice lesson in the suburbs BUT THEN I SHALL BE BACK AND SHALL UPDATE ON BOOKS AND FOOD. *flounces off*

Phew. Well. I went to bed around 1, which I had kind of sort of totally been expecting, BUT some amazing people stayed up and up and up (looking at you,  Laura ). The main thing I wanted to get out of this was a deeper sense of community among the book bloggers and that...sort of happened? Kind of? Mostly on twitter? Anyway, here's my very last posting on it for this year. I'm sure your Google Reader feeds have been slowly getting back to normal. I would like to point out that some people posted updates every hour, so REALLY this wasn't terrifically bad. Also that I love you all and shall provide you with snacks if we ever meet in person. There, that makes things better, right? Right. End of Event Meme 1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I mean, in terms of when I was actually participating, sadly enough, probably from 10-11 pm. I was really exhausted and falling asleep while reading about the congratulatory party for Pooh. 2. Could you list a few high-interest b...

Ok, it's almost 7 p.m., which technically means I should've been reading for 12 hours. Has that happened? Well, no. But I DID go for a walk with my mother, go to dinner with my brother, and am now going out for a second dinner (no, I'm not eating) with my dad and other brother. Because of course today is the day everyone decides to socialize. BUT. I HAVE FINISHED CATCHING FIRE , meaning my goal is done. Next up is Winnie the Pooh . Yeah, that's right. I've never read it, it's always on my readathon lists, I have a really nice copy of it, and I finally want to read it, damnit. For those actually still reading, I AM MEGA PROUD OF YOU and shall reflect this in comments posted in your blogs soon. For now, have this thing I stole off a readathon cheerleader's site, 'cause, y'know, it's a Doctor Who episode (series 2, episode Tooth and Claw — watch it):   And that is why I love that show. Lastly, I think we could all do with a Rick Astley dance ...

Is anyone surprised I woke up at 9 instead of 7? I think not. LET'S DO THIS. I think it's a good idea to edit posts and then do new ones every few hours, which is an idea I'm stealing from Ingrid at  The Blue Bookcase . Hour Supposed-to-Be 8.5 Yeah, sooo...I've been reading Catching Fire on and off, with kiiind of a lot of breaks as my various family members want to do things. But it's such a lovely fall day outside! And there were walks to be taken and leaves to be joyously kicked! Let's do the Music Bath challenge. 1. What song does the book I’m reading right now remind me of?  I don't have an unclichéd answer. The first thing that came to mind for The Hunger Games was 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor. 2. What song does my favorite book remind me of? Er...well, that's sort of cheating, because there's a musical version of Auntie Mame (cleverly entitled 'Mame'), but it's the song Open a New Window from that that I ...

I'm in Champaign, Illinois instead of my beloved, noisy, crowded and cold Chicago. I decided to update, and as I was just typing this, my little (15-year-old) brother looked over my shoulder and said "Reading Rambo? Rambo doesn't read. Or maybe he does. We never really knew." So true, little brother. In preparation for the readathon, I have endeavored to accomplish the things I assumed would slow me down tomorrow. Therefore, today I have: 1. Ordered pizza. 2. Watched many, many episodes of Doctor Who . 3. Had the How's Your Future Shaping Up discussion with my dad. I've been trying to read a bit, because I know I won't be able to READ ALL THE THINGS tomorrow, no matter how much I might want to. I knew someone would've made this I plan on going around and shouting encouraging things at those of you participating. And I feel like yelling at people like Red with "WHY ARE YOU SO LAME?" (love youuu) even if you all have perfectly good...

The 24 hour readathon is swiftly approaching, and I have started pondering how the day's going to go. I'm on Central Standard Time (i.e. The Best Time), so I'm technically supposed to start at 7. But I'll be visiting my parents. Judging by my knowledge of me -- which is fairly extensive -- and my family members -- which is extensive enough -- this is how I see the day going down: 9 a.m. - Awaken two hours late and immediately feel guilty for staying up late with my 15-year-old brother Brandon the night before, watching Doctor Who  and eating tacos. Despite said guilt, I will immediately search for my laptop that surely fell off my bed some time in the night,as I have the hideous habit of falling asleep with my laptop open on my bed. 9:30 a.m. - Finish checking social media sites and maybe pick up one of several books that have surely also fallen off my bed. I store a lot of things on my bed. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.  - Consider my half hour of reading good enough, give my...

I love my book blogging peoples. Why do ALL OF YOU live foreverly far away? Mostly in New England. And some in Actual England. I'm usually a very satisfied Midwest-dweller ('Midwesterner' is gross) but when someone posts something hilarious or makes their general loveliness as a person evident, I am saddened that I cannot gather them up and drag them to the Open Books warehouse sale this Saturday and then on to food. Instead I'm stuck with  Julie , who is indeed a book blogger, but we met through a Craigslist ad I posted about finding a roommate (we didn't room together, but found each other awesome anyway, so now we are friends), and is therefore not a book blogger friend. Alas. This is why we all need to go to BEA next year and room together and then ATTACK ALL THE FREE BOOKS. ALL OF THEM SHALL BE OURS. THERE IS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. Speaking of books (on my book blog too!),  Dewey's Read-a-Thon  is coming up. The timing's kind of perfect. I'm going to...

That's it. I missed the Read-a-thon last weekend, so I'm doing my own sad...alone...not actually 24 hour long...readathon. It's going to be more like "What happens when I DON'T sit in my apartment, eating hummus and watching tv on netflix instant?" I'm totally going to write updates which will be either utterly hilarious, or deathly boring. I haven't decided yet if I'm bringing my laptop, as I am bringing way, way more books than I will be reading, as I cannot handle limiting my options. Where are you reading from today? My apartment. It’s like 50 degrees and rainy out. Then I shall be moving to my parents' club in the afternoon, where I've gotten permission to sit in their kickass library, which has big comfy leather armchairs and a fireplace and is usually pretty uninhabited, as I guess Big Chicago Businessmen don't like to read. 3 facts about me …   1.   The giant ground sloth is my favorite animal. 2.   I eat hummus almost eve...