Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Part 2 (Hours 11-18)

The first post was getting a little long, so I decided to break it up. This is Part 2 of my post for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. Part I covered hours zero through ten. We're picking it up here for hour 11 (4pm-5pm MST). As a reminder, if you're looking for my A to Z Challenge post for "W"...you'll find it down a little lower.

Hour 11:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Blackbird by Melanie Schulz (currently on page 97 of 295).

 Snacks Eaten This Hour: Jelly Bellies and mixed nuts.
Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Refilled the water bottle.
Minutes Read This Hour: 35.5
Total Time Read: 4 hours 12 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 37

Total Pages Read: 267

Total Books Finished: 1
How I'm Feeling: Chugging Along

Hour 12:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Blackbird by Melanie Schulz (currently on page 130 of 295).
Snacks Eaten This Hour: None.
Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Nothing.
Minutes Read This Hour: 37
Total Time Read: 4 hours 49 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 33

Total Pages Read: 300

Total Books Finished: 1
How I'm Feeling: Mildly Frustrated (by my book)

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?

Blackbird by Melanie Schulz

2. How many books have you read so far?

One.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?

I'm actually really enjoying this one right now. Equally excited for the next one on my list, Acts of Contrition by Jennifer Handford.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

I had to finish two projects earlier in the week that I originally planned on doing today. One was writing a blog post, the other was completing the project for my "Y" post of the A to Z Challenge.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

I have pets that needed attending to and a grounded 11-year-old that needed monitoring. I fed the pets early on and have put the kiddo in charge of them since then. The kid has been given specific instructions by my husband to help out so I can stay focused and we both created a list of chores for him to get done. He's currently weeding the back yard.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon so far?

Time is going by much quicker than I expected. I wish it was moving a little bit slower.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-Thon next year?

I always like a little extra heads up time. I checked my blog posts last night, but didn't see the zero hour post. I lost quite a bit of time this morning while I was getting my initial blog post ready. 

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

As long as my schedule permits, I will be here next year. I'm having a great time. So far, the only thing I'd change is to have my zero hour post ready before everything started. I might also get up just a little bit earlier since I missed a couple of the early hours.

9. Are you getting tired yet?

I did hit a mid-afternoon slump a couple of hours ago where I contemplated a nap, but I powered through. Now I'm doing just fine.

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'm using the spreadsheet provided over at the read-a-thon website to help me keep track of my stats. I'm also using the stopwatch feature on my iPhone to keep track of my reading time. I'm updating my stats at the top of each hour, doing a little stretching, and then jumping back in after 15-20 minutes. The breaks are good, but sometimes I'll admit that I don't want to put the book down for them.

Hour 13:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Blackbird by Melanie Schulz (currently on page 170 of 295).
Snacks Eaten This Hour: None.
Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Nothing.
Minutes Read This Hour: 43
Total Time Read: 5 hours 32 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 40

Total Pages Read: 340

Total Books Finished: 1
How I'm Feeling: On Edge. Something big is about to happen...

Hour 14:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Blackbird by Melanie Schulz (currently on page 191 of 295).
Snacks Eaten This Hour: Dinner! Ham hock soup and garlic bread made by the hubby. Pepsi to drink and keep me caffeinated and awake.
Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Pictures of project "Y" for the A to Z Challenge. My name in titles mini-challenge.
Minutes Read This Hour: 23.5
Total Time Read: 5 hours 55 1/2 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 21

Total Pages Read: 361

Total Books Finished: 1
How I'm Feeling: Getting sucked in.

Mini-Challenge: My Name in Titles

Hour 15:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Blackbird by Melanie Schulz (currently on page 235 of 295).
Snacks Eaten This Hour: Snacks from the snack bowl provided by the hubs.

Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Absolutely nothing.
Minutes Read This Hour: 50
Total Time Read: 6 hours 45 1/2 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 44

Total Pages Read: 405

Total Books Finished: 1
How I'm Feeling: Antsy/My Mind is Racing

Hour 16:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Acts of Contrition by Jennifer Handford (currently on page 1 of 341).

Snacks Eaten This Hour: Nothing. Totally engrossed in my book.
Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Bathroom break, change into pajamas, brought in the dogs.
Minutes Read This Hour: 48
Total Time Read: 7 hours 33 1/2 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 60

Total Pages Read: 465

Total Books Finished: 2
How I'm Feeling: Relief/Confusion/Frustration.

Hour 17:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Acts of Contrition by Jennifer Handford (currently on page 57 of 341).
Snacks Eaten This Hour: A few small pieces out of the candy bowl.
Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Just a lot of feverish reading.
Minutes Read This Hour: 44.5
Total Time Read: 8 hours 18 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 57

Total Pages Read: 522

Total Books Finished: 2
How I'm Feeling: Can't get enough of this book.

Hour 18:

Current Stats 
Currently Reading: Acts of Contrition by Jennifer Handford (currently on page 83 of 341).
Snacks Eaten This Hour: Nope. Already all sugared up.
Other Things Accomplished This Hour: Spent way too much time trying to find a book for the mini-challenge. Failed miserably.
Minutes Read This Hour: 21.5
Total Time Read: 8 hours 39 1/2 minutes
Pages Read This Hour: 26

Total Pages Read: 548

Total Books Finished: 2
How I'm Feeling: Seriously...this book is really good.