This is my second Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon; I also participated in April’s event (Dewey’s Read-a-Thon Wrap Up). I will be adding to this post all day to update my progress.

This is the first time I will be an official cheerleader! The cheerleading squads are named after cereals, being led by our Cheerios, Trish and Erin. As a member of Team Cocoa Puffs, I’ll be cheering people whose names begin with A and B. Since my name begins with J and I’m also reading, I expect to be visited by Team Froot Loops (welcome!).  For some reason, all of these cereal names make me giggle.

I did nothing to get ready for this — no photos or lists of books, no special foods, no designated spot to read. With the help of my friend Kathy, I did manage a couple of posts this week about the love of reading that seemed especially appropriate for the lead-in to Dewey’s Read-a-Thon:

• A Reading Tale — Guest Post
• Louisiana Public Library

As I explained on Wednesday, today is A Busy Saturday, so I will slip away for the Symposium on Diversity this afternoon. Otherwise, I should be around and reading and updating.

My first book selection is Never Been a Time by Harper Barnes, a book about the 1917 race riot in East St. Louis. That’s pretty serious stuff for a read-a-thon, of course, but I need to make a serious dent on this if I want to finish before our Diversity Book Club meets on Thursday to discuss it. I’m sure I’ll switch to something lighter later in the day.

First update

Minutes read: 65
Pages read: 29
Minutes spent cheering: 15

This seems like a good time to answer the introductory questions:

1)Where are you reading from today? Kirkwood, Missouri, a lovely inner suburb of St. Louis

2)Three random facts about me… I have a garden that is still producing chard, green tomatoes, and herbs. I grew up in the small town of Louisiana, Missouri (see above link to a piece about our library). My favorite color is purple.

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I never got around to making a pile. Oops! But there are lots of books lying around here (as usual).

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? My only goal is to get at least halfway through the book for my book club meeting on Thursday!

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? This is only my second time, so I don’t feel all that much of a veteran. Last time, I got a kick out of Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, so I guess my advice is to have a good readable nonfiction book in the mix.

Second Update

Minutes read: 60. Total minutes: 125
Pages read: 42. Total pages: 71
Minutes spent cheering: 15. Total cheering minutes: 30

I also participated in my first mini-challenge, highlighting my post about the Diversity Book Club: First BAND post: Favorite Nonfiction for the Share a Book Mini-Challenge.

This will be my last update for a few hours. I’ll slip in some reading, but I need to eat an early lunch, change into grown-up clothes, and go to the Symposium.

Third Update

Minutes read: 40. Total minutes: 165
Pages read: 20. Total pages: 91
Minutes spent cheering: 0. Total cheering minutes: 30

I’m back from the Diversity Symposium, a powerful event. And, I think we may have talked a few more people into joining our book club. It helps when we say, “We don’t care if you read the book! Come for the great discussion!”

Time to change back in to play clothes and see what is going on at the Dewey’s Read-a-Thon site and the #readathon hashtag on Twitter. I’m also going to switch to a lighter book, Never Been a Time by Harper Barnes is fascinating, but its tough to read about that time in this country.

Fourth Update

Minutes read: 60. Total minutes: 225
Pages read: 70. Total pages: 161
Minutes spent cheering: 20. Total cheering minutes: 50

Half-way through! Here are my answers to Hour 13: The Mid-Event Survey.

1. What are you reading right now? Ghouls Gone Wild by Victoria Laurie
2. How many books have you read so far? Part of two
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Finishing (maybe) this one
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Oh, that would have been a good idea
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? With a smile.
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I’m surprised how little time I actually end up reading in a day devoted to reading. Of course, my answers to questions 4 and 5 might explain that!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. I’m having fun!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? I’d go ahead and sign up for all day as a cheerleader since I didn’t wait for my assigned and I’m quite glad that I got started early. As it is, it will be difficult to visit everyone on the list. Go Team Cocoa Puffs!
9. Are you getting tired yet? A little, yes.
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? Find the lightest book in the pile when you need a boost!

Fifth Update

Hour 15 — the hour I signed up to cheer, so that’s all I’m going to do! For inspiration, here’s my favorite cheer that I got today:

Because “symposiuming” is the best word ever!

Sixth Update

Minutes read: 0. Total minutes: 225
Pages read: 0. Total pages: 161
Minutes spent cheering: 90. Total cheering minutes: 140

I cheered all of the A and B names that seemed to be participating (go Team Cocoa Puffs! and, hey, while we’re cheering, how ’bout them Cards?). Now, I’m off to read in my favorite place — the bathtub. I’ll check back in once more before bed.

Seventh Update

Minutes read: 50. Total minutes: 275
Pages read: 62. Total pages: 223
Minutes spent cheering: 0. Total cheering minutes: 140

Unless I can’t sleep (hello, menopause), this is the last of my Read-a-Thon. If I’m awake in the night, I’ll spend that time cheering rather than reading. In either case, I’ll do a separate wrap-up post in the morning. Happy reading to those of you who are still in the game!