Well, I’m back from a very distracting 4 hours. I’m pleased to report that Michigan State won the football game, and our team is looking fantastic. Now it’s time to refocus on reading! Looking forward to a cozy evening of read-a-thon-ing into the wee hours of the morning! I have a pumpkin scented candle lit for maximum fall coziness, and two books I’m excited to focus on in the coming hours (as always, subject to change). In about an hour I will run out to get some take-out mexican food to refuel!

Before getting back to reading, it’s time for the….
Mid-Event Survey!
1. What are you reading right now? Starting Woman Hollering Creek & other stories by Sandra Cisneros
2. How many books have you read so far? Just 2. Got very distracted by the Football game.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Getting back to focusing on the Read-a-thon. :)
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Nope, Saturdays are pretty free for me.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? The football game was the biggest interruption. I pretty much gave in and just watched MSU win. :)
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How amazing the cheerleaders are this year! Great job – it’s such an encouragement!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  I loved the callout of a few participants in the Hour 1 post – would be awesome to do that every hour.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? I would love to host a mini-challenge. Or maybe I’ll post a giveaway in conjunction with the event.
9. Are you getting tired yet? No, and I’m actually very jumpy from too much coffee.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?  I love the cheers from @fizzythoughts – the poems & chants are so fun!

I haven’t been super focused on reading so far – I’ve done a lot of mini-challenges, stopped to make food, and gone to the library. I finished book 2, and need to select a book 3 that will be easy to read during the breaks in the Michigan State vs. Michigan game. (Go STATE!)

For Hour 8′s mini-challenge, Brandi asked us to list our top 5 “Love to Hate” characters from literature. My list is:
Professor Lockhart from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice
Mary from Persuasion
Mrs. Rachel Lynde from Anne of Green Gables
Miss Havisham from Great Expectations

Hour 8 Update:
Title of book(s) read since last update: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
Number of books read since you started: 2
Pages read since last update: 159
Running total of pages read since you started: 196
Mini-challenges completed: 4
Other participants you’ve visited: 8
Prize you’ve won: 0

Hour 5′s mini-challenge – Show Me the Books – is hosted by Crystal at My Reading Room!

She’s asked us to post a photo of books – any books.

I decided to post a photo of the new books I’ve recently acquired that I can’t wait to read, but that are too long for the Read-a-thon. (I try to pick short books to read during the Read-a-thon, to keep my momentum going and not get bogged down by a huge book.) In other words, here are some books I’ll be starting after the #readathon. :)

Hour 4′s mini-challenge is hosted by Melissa at {Indie}pendent Books!

Melissa asked us to celebrate books by Independent Publishers by posting a photo of an Indie book.

My favorite Indie Publisher is Europa Editions:

Europa Editions is a New York-based publisher of literary fiction, high-end mystery and noir, children’s illustrated fiction, narrative non-fiction, and memoir. Approximately two-thirds of the titles on our list are works of literature in translation.

I decided to post a photo of all the Europa Editions that I own:

If you haven’t read a Europa Edition yet, I highly recommend it! What are your favorite Indie Publishers & Titles?

Hour 3! I finished Great House in Hour 2 (with only 2 minutes to spare). I just made myself some instant mashed potatoes and am ready to start my next book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris.

During the time I’m not reading (like while I’m making potatoes), I’m listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on audio book.

Title of book(s) read since last update: Great House by Nicole Krauss
Number of books read since you started: 1
Pages read since last update: 25
Running total of pages read since you started: 37
Mini-challenges completed: 3
Other participants you’ve visited: 7
Prize you’ve won: 0

I’m settled into a reading spot, have my mug of coffee, and am determined to finish Great House during hour 2, and start a new book!

Title of book(s) read since last update: 0
Number of books read since you started: 0
Pages read since last update: 12 – I’ve been distracted by other blogs and commenting :)
Running total of pages read since you started: 12
Mini-challenges completed: 2
Other participants you’ve visited: 6
Prize you’ve won: 0

I’m so excited to start my second read-a-thon!

I have a stack of 10 books by my desk that I’ll be choosing from today:
Great House by Nicole Krauss (finishing this one – less than 50 pages left)
Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Proust’s Overcoat by Lorenza Foschini
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel
Everything is Going to Be Great by Rachel Shukert
Translations by Brian Friel
The Lovers by Marguerite Duras
Half Empty by David Rakoff

I’ll start out my blog posting today with a meme from the Read-a-thon blog:

Where are you reading from today? Hoboken, New Jersey

3 facts about me … I love tacos, I love fall, and I’m an Michigan State University Alum rooting for the SPARTANS today.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 10. They are short, but I’m being ambitious. :)

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)? I would like to finish at least 5 books.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Coffee, Coffee Coffee!