Dewey 2017: Mid-ish Check-in Point

I'm a little late on the mid-point check-in blog post, but close enough.

I've finished graphic novel #3, Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill.  It was sick and twisted and wasn't afraid to move the story slowly to build characters, heighten dread, etc.  And before that, I read about a third of Joyland.  So some progress has been happening. 

But that was about an hour ago. I've taken some time to play around on twitter to see how all the folks are holding up.  I'll jump back into the book and maybe pick-up another graphic novel before I get some sleep in.

Current snack:  kettle corn and ice water.
Current music:  Baroque music channel

Dewey 2017: Progress Update: Graphic Novels to the Rescue

I am making a little bit of progress thanks to graphic novels.  Finished Doctor Horrible and Other Horrible Stories and The Walking Dead: Here's Negan!  Both ok graphic novels but nothing super exciting. 

Also working on a book of poetry called The Wedding House and hope to get some done on my Stephen King book, Joyland.

Break snacks:  watermellon and Scow (hard apple cider).

Break's over.

Dewey 2017: Challenge: 10 Years in 10 Books

My book recommendations for 2007 to 2017...

2017  The Walking Dead: Here's Negan! by Robert Kirkman (The only 2017 book I've read so it wins by default.)
2016  We Stand on Guard by Brian K Vaughan
2015  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
2014  The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill
2013  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
2012  The Martian by Andy Weir.... a very close second is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2011  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
2010  Room by Emma Donoghue... a another close second is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
2009  Catching Fire  by Suzanne Collins
2008  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
2007  Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Dewey Post #6: Last Book Finished Under the Wire and Post-Op on the Whole Readathon Thing

First things first.... I finished my last book 30 minutes before the ring of the bell.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman was a perfect pick for a late night read.  Unfortunately, it didn't keep me up but I don't think Neil should be blamed for that.  It was subtle creepy and fun and I shouldn't have waited this long to read it.  If you love his work, you'll like this one.

I didn't get a super amount completed but getting three completed isn't all that bad.  I'm not sure if this got me caught up on the GoodReads challenge of 50 books before the end of the year but hopefully I'm not so far behind anymore.

It also looks like I didn't hit that much on my Plan of Attack post; I can go back and scratch 2 from that page.  It was the sleeping that did me in.  If only I had Dewey in my life 10+ years ago, I would have rocked it!

So the goal for next October, try to get some of those other books read & removed from the list so I don't have them yet again to pick from.  It makes for a stale list.

So, until next year, keep reading!

Dewey Post #5: Mini Challenge - Alphabet Soup - Incomplete - Fail

So I didn't finish this challenge and I don't have the heart to erase it.  I'll just keep it for the memories.  The goal was to find words that started with every letter in the alphabet.  I didn't know that Neil was so adverse to X & Z words.  haha!

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane
A architecture (4)
B bakery (9)
C china (3)
D  driveway (10)
E earth (5)
F fairy (4)
G grandmother (2)
H house (4)
I intelligent (10)
J jellies (9)
K kitten (10)
L lords (10)
M meadows (5)
N newspaper (9)
O ocean (1)
P polish (6)
Q queen (23)
R roads (3)
S shirt (3)
T trifles (9)
U upset (12)
V vinegar (26)
W woman (6)
X xylophone (100something)
Y yourself (21)
Z

I couldn't find anything with Z.  The closest was azaleas.

Dewey Post #4: Graphic Novel to the Rescue!

Just when I needed something light, graphic novel was here to help.  Saga, Vol 5 by Brian K Vaughn.  Great read, crazy story, even weirder characters, all about family and love.  If you are not into graphic novels but want to give them a try, I think Saga would be an excellent one to start with.  Not that many volumes to get caught up with and gets top marks for creativity.  If you liked Firefly, you'll like Saga; space opera at its finest.  

Up next:  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Dewey Day Post #3: First book finished!

It feels good finishing a book during the readathon.  The Illegal by Lawrence Hill.  Recent winner of the Canada Reads 2016 and all round good book.  Easy read and it gets to a point when you just will it to have a happy ending.

I did take a break this afternoon.  A couple loops around the block to get some fresh air and a boost of energy.  Only about 10 minutes but it was a good break.... think I'll break for some cereal next.

Up next:  Saga, vol 5 or The Walking Dead, vol 11.

Dewey Day Post #2: 12:00PM(AST) Break and Meme/Challenge Catch-Up

Woohoo! Three hours down, 19hrs to go.  :)  Making no promises on how it will go today but loving it so far.  Especially like taking these little mini-breaks to keep brain from tiring out.  I'm old, you know.  So this break is to catch up on challenges and watch The 100.

Hour 4 Mini-Challenge
Find the perfect road trip song for you and your traveling companion to rock out to as you burn through the miles, and tell us why it's such a great fit for this character.

Eminem - Till I Collapse
For the character Keita from The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
Keita is a marathon runner, running from the authorities in his old country, from the man who sponsored his escape, from the authorities who want to deport him from his new country.  Running in marathons for prize money to help his family.  He is not in good shape but he keeps running, despite the pain.  This song isn't a strong energized type, just an insistent, just keep going song.

I have a third of the book left to complete but I want Keita to come out on top so bad by the end. Recommend this book to everyone!


Hour 3 Mini-Challenge

Make a five word story on the theme of books. 

Dewey's making me finish books.

(I have started and abandoned books that I mean to get back to.  Hopefully I'll get to finish one or two of those today.)

Hour 2 Mini-Challenge

TOP 5 BOOKISH CHILDHOOD MOMENTS with the PEOPLE and the BOOKS that made them so special!

1) Mom and My Golden Book Collection.  My mom was great at having the patience in reading to me every book I dragged to her.  She'd even keep reading aloud when my three year old attention span got distracted.  She says that my asking her to read those books improved her reading and helped her develop her own love of reading.

2) The Secret of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

I loved the book, I loved the movie.  It was even my hiding place when I needed to tuck notes/money/tickets away for safekeeping.

3) Charlotte's Web by EB White

Like the challenger said, no notes required.

4) The teen years.  This is when the love of reading really took off.  Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, Fear Street and Christopher Pike books, 

5) Carrie by Stephen King

My folks were great for buying books for me but I think they were getting tired of paying for books that only lasted about a day.  (Thinking back, hey really should have introduced me to the library.)  So it was an easy sell to convince them to sponsor thicker books that lasted me a little longer.  Carrie and Misery was my intro to adult books and my springboard to a lifelong love of the work of Stephen King.  

Go Dewey readers, go!

Dewey Day Post #1: Opening Meme

Opening Meme
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
NutriGrain bars or naan crisps with coffee.... perhaps a few gin & tonics later tonight.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Credit analyst by day; movie fan, computer geek, and reading fiend at night.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
Tried to participate last October but was on a plane, flying to India for work.  Not that same when you can't check in.  Plan to participate in meme's and cheer people on this year.

Dewey Attempt #2 Plan of Attack!

This post will be a work in progress....

Challenge Info
Book Title -- Starts with...
A - B - D - E - F - H - J - K - L - M - Q - R - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Author Last Name -- Starts with...
B - D - F - G - I - J - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Short Stories/Novellas

The Professor (At The Lake, #1) by Bentley, Bella
For One Last Kiss (A Grim Reaper Romance, #0.5) by Taylor, Calista
The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Giffin, Emily
An Etiquette Guide to the End Times: A Novella by Sepp, Maia
Try Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #1) by Cunning, Olivia
12 Years a Slave by Northup, Solomon
Ru by Thúy, Kim

Graphic Novels
Saga, Vol. 5 Completed!!

The Walking Dead, Vol 11

Short and Short-ish Novels

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman, Neil  Completed!!
Stop What You're Doing And Read This! by Haddon, Mark
BeSwitched by Snow, Molly
A Gift of Ghosts (Tassamara #1) by Wynde, Sarah
You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You: The Believer Book of Advice by Spitznagel, Eric
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Beah, Ishmael
A Child of a Crackhead by Speight, Shameek
Why Not Me? by Kaling, Mindy

Looks like my plan of attack isn't that much different from last year...

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon

That time of year again. Unfortunately, last year's attempt to participate was a wash due to a business trip. So here is attempt #2!

http://www.24hourreadathon.com/

Sign up now and join me for a day of reading anything and everything!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon - Reading Plan

This is by no means set in stone... But I figured it would be a good idea to have a list of potential books I might like to read during Read-a-Thon to reduce the amount of thinking required on game day.

Short Stories/Novellas

• The Professor (At The Lake, #1) by Bentley, Bella
• For One Last Kiss (A Grim Reaper Romance, #0.5) by Taylor, Calista
• The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Giffin, Emily
• An Etiquette Guide to the End Times: A Novella by Sepp, Maia
• Try Me (One Night with Sole Regret, #1) by Cunning, Olivia

Short and Short-ish Novels

• 12 Years a Slave by Northup, Solomon
• Ru by Thúy, Kim
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman, Neil
• Stop What You're Doing And Read This! by Haddon, Mark
• BeSwitched by Snow, Molly
• A Gift of Ghosts (Tassamara #1) by Wynde, Sarah
• You're a Horrible Person, But I Like You: The Believer Book of Advice by Spitznagel, Eric
• A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Beah, Ishmael
• A Child of a Crackhead by Speight, Shameek
• Why Not Me? by Kaling, Mindy

And a few books I need to read for different challenges or need to be returned to the library...

• Q
• X
• Authors...A, U, X, Y, Z

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

Just when you thought you had enough excuses to stay in pjamas all day....

The Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is scheduled for October 17th.  I'll actually be on a plane flying to India so I'm not sure if this is a good thing or very much a bad thing.  I will have a lot of in-flight hours to kill.

So if you'd like to participate, please visit the GoodReads group Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon.