Update #3

Took a break at 3pm to shower and go out grocery shopping; by the time I got home, there was only one hour left of the readathon and less than 30 pages left. Finished Awkward Thoughts just as the buzzer rang.  After the readathon was done, we did family game night (Munchkin). Tomorrow I will need to catch up on reviews.

Hope everyone participating reached their goals. My next readathon is BoB Cycle 26 (August 19th - 25th).

Closing Survey:

1. How would you assess your reading overall? 12 hours of reading done and that is my average; 2 books completed 

2. Did you have a strategy/did you stick with it? No, I was just going to finish up what I had already begun reading. This "non-strategy" thing worked.

3. What was your favorite snack? Seeded bagel with cream cheese lox mixture.

4. Want to volunteer? Nope.

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Update #2

I got all of five minutes of reading when I feel asleep. Woke up and started reading again at 8am, so it is now 7 hours of reading in the books. I'm at the 50% mark on Awkward Thoughts and probably get it done by the end of the readathon. 

I am waiting to roll my next turn for BL-opoly (which is looking like it would be my final book for this year's edition) until after the readathon is over. Thanks to MR and OB for another fun game. I will also write up and post day 3 of the pre-party prompt after the readathon. Trying to stay away from electronic distractions and actually get some reading done.

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Update #1

Just before 1am here and finished In Perfect Time and three loads of laundry. Pretty productive. Now I am going to make some tea, get a snack, and hunker down with The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell. 

Also had to block a spammer bot. 

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Got off to late start...kids and dog needed baths.

So opening survey, now (slightly) new and improved!

1)What fine part of the world are you reading from today? And what time is it where you are? Wichita, Kansas and almost 9pm

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin which will finish the Wings of the Nightingale trilogy

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? We had Mongolian Grill for dinner, so I am stuffed. Really don't want to think about food right now. Maybe in the wee hours of the morning I will eat a couple of Kind mini-bars. Drinking lots of ice cold water, will switch to black tea when I start getting sleepy.

4) Do you have a #reversereadathon plan of attack? Read for two hours, post updates at the 2 hour mark and try to stay awake.

5) Are you doing the readathon solo or with others? Doing the readathon with however on BL is doing it too. Introverts Unite! (In our own homes).

9pm

Currently Reading: In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin

Tonight is the Dewy 24hr Reverse Read-a-thon. I am participating to make up for my dismal 24in48 participation (I got maybe 2 hours done, but we were hosting my sister-in-law that weekend). I start at 7pm (all hail Central time zone, lol). For my birthday, we are going out for lunch and a trip to Barnes & Noble, then I am dropping off husband and the kids and going to Half-Price Books for more shopping. Hopefully, I will have a book haul to choose from for the read-a-thon

Books I hope to finish:

1. In Perfect Time (Wings of the Nightingale #3) by Sarah Sundin for BL-opoly

2. The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell

Books I hope to start:

3. Connections in Death (In Death #48) by JD Robb - I'm giving this one another try because OB really liked it and we share a lot of the same feelings with this series.

4. Another book for BL-opoly (roll the dice since I will be done with my 4th of July books)

The heatwave/drought is taking it's toll on me and my reading. It is really hard to concentrate on less than totally engrossing reads. I was also much more busy IRL than I thought I was going to be at the start of summer vacation and August looks more like the same. 

My participation in this summer's 24 in 48 was lacking, but I got a bunch of smaller stuff read and off/archived on my NOOK, so I am okay with participating very low-key. The trial run of a reverse Dewey was better. I finished off two books for July and started August reading, all in eight hours.

For COYER, I participated in the Christmas in July read-a-thon - I got 3 books done.

Read:

1. No One Would Listen: A Financial Thriller by Harry Markopolos - 2 stars

2. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell - 3.5 stars

3. Lethal Warriors: When the New Band of Brothers Came Home/Uncovering the Tragic Reality of PTSD by David Philipps - 3 stars

4. All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera - 5 stars

5. All She Wants for Christmas: A Regency Christmas Novella by Amy Rose Bennett - 3 stars

6. Twelfth Knight: A Christmastide Tale by Marisa Dillon - 2.5 stars

7. Bespoke: A Tiny Christmas Tale (Espoir Archives #1) by Amanda Dykes - 2 stars

8. At Your Request (Apart From the Crowd #0.5) by Jen Turano - 4 stars

9. One in a Million (Lucky Harbor #12) by Jill Shalvis - 3 stars

10. Mystic Park (Finding Home #4) by Regina Hart - 4 stars

11. Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Browne - 3 stars

12. Gaijian: American Prisoner of War by Matt Faulkner - 4 stars

13. The Hens: The Third Day (12 Days of Christmas Mail Order Brides #3) by Merry Farmer - 2.5 stars

Update #2

Got the last of July's reviews done and read 15% of The Johnstown Flood. 8 hours done. Signing off as I have laundry to do tonight, so reading will continue even though the read-a-thon will be over.

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Update #1

Finished Mystic Park and wrote 8 reviews/linked to COYER last night. Finished The Hens this morning and ran errands. Now reading The Johnstown Flood, which is on my list for August so I get a head start. 

Opening Survey:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

                     Brandon, Suffolk (East Anglia), UK
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

                     Finishing Mystic Park
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

                     Didn't plan food or drinks for this go around.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

                      I am back to reading fiction after my six week non-fiction binge. Second time this year it has happened.
5) This is our VERY first Reverse Readathon! How does it feel in your time zone?

                       Honestly, this was easier to do than starting at 1pm on a Saturday. Friday night to Saturday night gives me more wiggle room to get household chores done and still read.

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? 

                The Johnstown Flood
2. How many books have you read so far?

                   2, but both were started before the read-a-thon. Total of 5 hours and 50 minutes.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

                  Getting a head start on Flood to jumpstart August's reading.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

                   Pre-planned interruptions, so I made sure to bring a book with me.
5. What surprises you most about the Reverse Readathon so far?

                     How quickly the hours are going by.

30 days from today the boy child goes back to school. Countdown has begun. Daughter goes to Kindergarten after Labor Day.

It is still hot, humid, and now we are in a tornado watch. I give up. We got ten minutes of rain this morning and once the water hit the ground it came back up as steam. 

Doing the reverse Dewey, starting at 8pm London time (so about five hours ahead of the US) because if I wait for the "official" time, it will be 1am and I need to get up with kids in the morning. I am aiming to finish two books, Mystic Park (Finding Home #4) by Regina Hart and The Hens: The Third Day (12 Days of Christmas #3) by Merry Farmer. During my reading breaks I will be writing up a bunch of book reviews for COYER, so heads up on a wave of posts coming from me :D

Sunday I am spending the day with at the Sedgeford Historical Archaeology Site for another Cub Scout summer activity. 

Please keep Pennyslvannia (my people) and NorCal/Redding (my husband's people) in your thoughts.