Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon (April 2016): Update Post

Hello everyone! It's that time of year again; Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon is starting now! If you follow me on twitter (@blog_gal) you know that I'm super excited about this read-a-thon, as always. 

Before the readathon, I have read 

Mostly, I will be putting my updates on Twitter, but occasionally, I will come back here for a Mini Challenge and also update my reading status.

Are you joining in on the readathon fun? What does your TBR look like?


Opening Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
The wonderful state of Georgia in the good 'ol United States

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Probably finishing up Rachelle Dekker's The Calling

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I don't have any planned, but I always love my lunch/dinner at work: Salad and Soup from Olive Garden.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I am a Christian who loves blogging about books that are appropriate for all ages (no sex or foul language). Also, I am a forensic biologist :)

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 have never readathon-ed on a day I work, much less a day where I work at least 10 hours since its a double. I will be juggling work and reading today.

Mini Challenges

Mid-Event Survey

Closing Survey

Reading Progress and Book Thoughts
Hour 1 8 AM-8:59 AM

27 pages of The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker

Hour 2 9 AM- 9:59 AM

82 pages of Fruits Basket (vol. 1, manga)

Hour 3 10 AM- 10:59 AM

Finished Fruits Basket (vol. 1)- 205 pages read this hour

Hour 4-14 11 AM-10 PM
~~Getting Read for Work, Commute, and Working~~
Plan: listen to audiobook while getting ready for work, commuting, and during lunch break

Hour 15 10 PM-10:59 PM

Hour 16 11 PM- 11:59 PM

Hours 17-22 12 AM-5:59AM
~~Sleep~~

Hour 23 6 AM-6:59 AM

Hour 24 7 AM-7:59 AM

Overall Progress

• 247/434 pages of The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker (27 pages during RAT)

• 205/205 pages of Fruits Basket (vol. 1)

• 70/435 minutes (approx. 49/309 pages) of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Audiobook- 0 minutes (0 pages) during RAT

Total pages for RAT: 231
Total books completed during RAT: 1

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: TBR and Plans

Button made by: http://www.truebookaddict.com/

Here it comes again! Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon is THIS SATURDAY! Have you signed up yet? If not, you can sign up for the readathon here.

Today, I am going to talk about my reading goals for this readathon and show you my TBR grab pile. My reading goals are pretty light as compared to previous Dewey's readathons. I am going to be working from 12 (noon) EST to around 9 or 10 PM EST, so I am not sure how many hours of reading I will be able to get in. I hope to read before I go to work, during my lunch break, after I get off work for a few hours, and maybe I'll even wake up early and read before church since the readathon ends at 8 AM on Sunday for me. I am hoping to read at least 5 hours on Saturday/Sunday morning. 

I will be cheering fellow readers on Twitter using the hashtag (#readathon). I plan on tweeting throughout the readathon (when I am not at work) and updating my progress there. I do plan on having a progress post here on my blog, but I will not be able to update that as frequently. Additionally, I will be doing some of the hourly mini-challenges and you can find those updates on my blog and on twitter as well.

Since I won't be able to read much, my TBR is also a little light. I want to continue reading Rachelle Dekker's latest book, The Calling, a christian dystopian novel. Honestly, this book is so good that I may have finished it before Saturday, but we will see. I  also plan on starting the audiobook of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone this week and continue listening to it during the readathon. Most likely, this will be the book that I listen to when I have my lunch break at work. Lastly, I may start reading No One to Trust by Lynette Eason. This is a christian fiction novel mystery novel.

If you are signed up for the read-a-thon, what are your goals and what are you reading?  I would love to hear about your read-a-thon progress during and after the read-a-thon! Comment below or tweet me at @blog_gal.

Children's Book Review Tuesdays: Do Not Open The Box

Title: Do Not Open the Box

Author: Timothy Young

Illustrated by: Timothy Young

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Why I Read This Book: I received this ebook from the Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review.

About the Book (from Edelweiss):  

Benny spots a big cardboard box with a note taped to it saying, "Do Not Open." His imagination runs wild, and it's almost too much for a curious boy to bear. He thinks about all of the things, good and bad, that could be inside that box. A birthday robot? A wolverine? An entrance to another world? What should he do? This endearingly illustrated tale of a classic childhood dilemma has a surprise ending and offers a peek into a young boy's mind as he weighs tantalizing possibilities against the risks of breaking the rules.

Review

Do Not Open the Box is a cute, imaginative story about the mysteries of what could be in a box labeled "Do Not Open". The illustrations are great! The story is intriguing, although somewhat bland. I think it would be a great bed-time story and could be really interactive with your children ("what do you think could be in the box?").

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 0-6 years

Overall Rating: 4/5