The readathon is over! I kept reading after it was over, so I got some extra hours in (plus the approximately 1 hour that I started early. I just had so much fun reading with the precious boy right with me that I couldn't stop. Granted, I didn't read big books or anything, but mostly mangas, but it still counts.
Still reading: Annabel Pitcher: Ketchup Clouds; Ashley Elston: The Rules for Breaking
Books finished: Christian Strzoda: Sie sehen aber gar nicht gut aus (a German memoir-type novel in which a paramedic talks about his job); Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan / Case Closed Vol. 35; Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan / Case Closed Vol. 36; Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan / Case Closed Vol. 37
Pages read: 398 pages
Running total of pages read: 958 pages
Amount of time spent reading: 5 hours
Running total of time spent reading: 13.5 hours
Snacks: a sun flower seed roll with Nutella and peanut butter; pork loins with garlic bread; chocolate; another sun flower seed roll with Nutella and peanut butter
The End of Event Meme
1.Which hour was most daunting for you?
Oh, I'm not sure really. Maybe the hour this afternoon when I had to go to bed with the precious boy because he wouldn't sleep on his own?
2.Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Anything short is always a good idea! (See my mangas ;) )
3.Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I love it the way it is. I would like to thank everyone for their great work!
4.What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I enjoyed it all.
5.How many books did you read?
I finished 4 books and started 2 more.
6.What were the names of the books you read?
See above.
7.Which book did you enjoy most?
They were all really, really good!
8.Which did you enjoy least?
None, I managed to only pick great books, apparently.
9.If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I wasn't.
10.How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Very likely! I would most likely be a reader again.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Update #5 - The End!
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Update #4
We are now in hour 21 of the current readathon. I did sleep last night, because with a baby, you cherish every minute of sleep you can get. Especially because he is still breastfeeding and wakes up a couple times each night.
Currently reading: Annabel Pitcher: Ketchup Clouds; Ashley Elston: The Rules for Breaking; Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan / Case Closed Vol. 36
Books finished: Christian Strzoda: Sie sehen aber gar nicht gut aus (a German memoir-type novel in which a paramedic talks about his job); Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan / Case Closed Vol. 35
Pages read: 100 pages
Running total of pages read: 560 pages
Amount of time spent reading: 1.5 hours
Running total of time spent reading: 7.5 hours
Snacks: a sun flower seed roll with Nutella and peanut butter; pork loins with garlic bread; chocolate; another sun flower seed roll with Nutella and peanut butter
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Update #3
We are now in hour 10 of the current readathon. I spent quite some time talking to my significant other and we had dinner, so I didn't read that much.
Currently reading: Annabel Pitcher: Ketchup Clouds; Ashley Elston: The Rules for Breaking
Books finished: Christian Strzoda: Sie sehen aber gar nicht gut aus (a German memoir-type novel in which a paramedic talks about his job); Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan Vol. 35
Pages read: 40 pages
Running total of pages read: 460 pages
Amount of time spent reading: 1 hours
Running total of time spent reading: 6 hours
Snacks: a sun flower seed roll with Nutella and peanut butter; pork loins with garlic bread; chocolate
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon - Update #2
We are now in hour 5 of the current readathon. So far it's still going well, but I feel a headache coming. I guess I neglected drinking these past few hours. Also, the little boy is back, but he is still playing with his Grandma.
Currently reading: Annabel Pitcher: Ketchup Clouds
Books finished: Christian Strzoda: Sie sehen aber gar nicht gut aus (a German memoir-type novel in which a paramedic talks about his job); Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan Vol. 35
Pages read: 222 pages
Running total of pages read: 420 pages
Amount of time spent reading: 2 hours
Running total of time spent reading: 5 hours
Snacks: a sun flower seed roll with Nutella and peanut butter
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon Update #1
We are now in hour 3 of the current readathon. So far it's going good. I finished my first book, an audio book while cleaning up a bit (very much necessary!).
Currently reading: Gosho Aoyama: Detective Conan Vol. 35
Books finished: Christian Strzoda: Sie sehen aber gar nicht gut aus (a German memoir-type novel in which a paramedic talks about his job)
Pages read: 200 pages
Running total of pages read: 200 pages
Amount of time spent reading: 3 hours (I started early)
Running total of time spent reading: 3 hours
Snacks: none yet
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon - Intro Meme
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I'm in Germany.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Ashley Elston's The Rules for Breaking because I absolutely loved her first book in that series (?), The Rules for Disappearing.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I don't have any snacks here really, but there are some tortellini with brokkoli & carrots in a cheese sauce I might eat some time during the readathon.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Oh, I just turned 30 (and am not feeling old! ;) ). My significant other is currently away and I miss him dearly. The little one is currently out and about with his Grandma, getting some rhubarb for a cake Grandma wants to bake. And I'm listening to an audio book while cleaning up.
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?
I missed out last time because our precious boy was merely 2 or 3 months old and I didn't think I'd get much reading done anyway. This time, I just want to see how I can best get some real reading done with the previous boy.
Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon
I completely forgot to post about this. Yikes! But life has been busy, so that's my excuse. I am once again participating in Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, and I believe it's my first time with a baby? The little boy is now almost 9 months (3 more days!) and I hope he agrees with my plans to some degree.
I only have a short list of books, but my goal is participation only anyway.
Are you participating? What are your plans? Feel free to leave a link! I am so unorganized this time around, it's embarrassing. For previous readathons, I had baked muffins & bought snacks. Not this time...
Sunday, April 06, 2014
[Review] Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous by Kathryn Williams
Kathryn Williams
Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous
[contemporary YA]
240 pages
Henry Holt and Company, NY
You can buy it here:
Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous (hardcover)
Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous (Amazon eBook)
FTC: I bought this book with my own money.
Summary: (from the cover flap)
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family's Italian-Greek Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to persuade her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant - could chopping onions in her family's super-traditional restaurant have prepared her to compete against young chefs from all over the country? On the other hand, she'd get to spend the summer in Napa, California, and the prize includes a full scholarship to an elite culinary school and even national fame.
Once she's on the set, Sophie finds herself surrounded by drama - including a burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French student. Sophie must figure out how to survive the heat and still stay true to herself. In this fresh and hearty novel, food, friendship, and romance take center stage.
My thoughts:
This is one delicious novel that makes you drool while reading! Not only the recipes that are a nice addition to any food-related book, but also the various dishes prepared by the teen chefs on the fictional show. Just thinking about the book makes me feel hungry again, and it has been worse while I was reading it (luckily, I could easily whip up a microwave cookie or a microwave brownie while reading to keep at least the sweet tooth filled).
The characters were not all new, but nonetheless very loveable. In general, some of the contestants may have been a bit naive, when it came to the ins and outs of reality TV, which was a bit tedious from time to time, but all in all, the story and their interactions were so cute, it is pretty much negligible.
The romance for me was mostly that of food, though there was a tiny love triangle that was resolved without much emphasis on what was going on. To some readers, this may be bothersome, as the resolution seemed to come out of nowhere. Despite that, both boys played their role in the life of our main character, Sophie, and their importance to the plot was obvious, so it can be forgiven.
If you like food, cute young adult novels and some drama, I recommend you pick up a copy of Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous. And maybe try one (or all!) of the recipes. I know I will!
Rating:
3.5/5