Dewey's readathon, October 2013, Part I

Hour 9 begins (7 AM)
Breakfast has been scarfed, I have a pot of tea (Mellow Cream Oolong, for the curious) and I'm just about to get started on reading the stories. Not quite sure how I'm going to manage this, since I can't actually say much about what I'm reading. However, I can say that I am reading the stories alphabetically by title and am just about to finish off the Ps.

Hour 10 begins (8 AM)
I've managed 3.5 stories so far and am almost finished with my first (small) pot of tea. At the end of the story I'm reading, I'll be done with the R and on to S. The house is still quiet, my family still in bed. Outside it looks like a lovely day, though there's quite a bit of altocumulus covering the sky.

Hour 11 begins (9 AM)
The family are up and awake now, though the dogs are still sleepy and not yet clamouring for a walk. I'm through 6.5 stories, now making my way through S. I'm starting to feel a bit tired. I may stop for some tea in another half an hour. I've been making sure to drink plenty of water and have a jug keeping me company at my desk.

Hour 12 begins (10 AM)
The rest of the family is out for a walk by the lake, so the house is quiet again. Outside, the clouds have cleared up. I might need to go and have a wander around the garden soon. I'm now making my way through T--easily the letter with the most titles. I think I only have one more story that doesn't start its title with T. I've made it through 10 stories and my eyes are beginning to get tired. I think I'll take a break for some tea and finally get out of my pyjamas.

Hour 13 begins (11 AM)
A bit slower going this last hour. The dogs had rolled in something while down at the lake, so I helped out with bathing them. I've now read 12 stories, which is about the halfway point. This gives me hope that I may indeed get through them all today.

Dewey's readathon, October 2013, Part II

Hour 15 begins (1 PM)
I skipped most of Hour 14 to have lunch and watch an episode of Person of Interest. I'm feeling much better for the break and am looking forward to diving back into it. I have about 8.5 stories left to read. I think I should be able to get through them before bed time.

Hour 16 begins (2 PM)
I have made quicker progress than expected and now have only 4 stories left to read. I should easily make it through these today, which means I shall have to decide on a decent book to read once I'm done. Not another collection of short stories, though--I'll have had enough of those for one day.

Hour 17 begins (3 PM)
I've made it through all the short stories and have moved onto books. Most of the books I'd picked out for the readathon are all short story collections, so I have ditched them in favour of reading The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. This is one of the books that The Witcher computer games are based off. I thought an epic adventure would make a nice change of pace. I had thought that I might read out in the hammock, but the wind has come up and the sky is grey. I expect we may get a brief shower or two.

Hour 18 begins (4 PM)
Hilariously, I discover that The Last Wish is actually a series of short stories. Having the same protagonist is helping, however. I'm also enjoying the fight sequences and will have to have a closer look at them later. I wrote some of my own fight sequences recently for Children of the Crown Wars and felt incredibly rusty. I'm feeling pretty tired at the moment and am contemplating making some green tea.

Hour 19 begins (5 PM)
The green tea has helped and I am feeling a little more awake. I'll likely stop for dinner in an hour. I continue to enjoy The Last Wish and am amused to find it contains a kind of retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Today feels like it has flown past.

Hour 20 begins (6 PM)
Dinner is still cooking, but will be ready shortly. I'll probably take a break while eating and watch another episode of Person of Interest. There are some similarities between the protagonist in the show and the protagonist in the book I'm reading. I'm also amused to discover that I've gone from a retelling of Beauty and the Beast into a retelling of Snow White. I'm sensing a theme.

Dewey's readathon, October 2013, Part III

Hour 22 begins (8 PM)
As expected, I took a break for most of hour 20 and got back to it for hour 21. I'm taking a brief break at the moment to make some chai, which I hope will carry me through to the end. I'm feeling rather tired but have been enjoying my reading. I'm about halfway through The Last Wish and am not likely to finish it off tonight. However, it should be quick work to wrap it up in the next day or two.

Hour 23 begins (9 PM)
The chai was super tasty and has carried me through a bit longer. I plan to read for another hour and then call it a night. I'm enjoying the structure of this book--lots of little tales framed by a larger one. It has been an effective way of recounting the protagonist's history.

Hour 24 begins (10 PM)
I'm calling it a night. I made great progress today--far, far better than I expected. I have about a quarter of The Last Wish left and will easily be able to finish it off tomorrow. Participating in the readathon has been a delight, once more. I look forward to doing it again in April.