Read A Thon: Starting Line and Updates

I will update this post throughout the Read A Thon!

I have been hopping around cheering so I am a little late with my starting line post - but here it is:

1)Where are you reading from today? Sunny (finally) NYC.  I will mostly be on my couch but I do plan to get a pedicure so some of the day I will be reading from a comfy spa chair!

2)Three random facts about me…  I have lived in NY my entire life except when I  was in college in Virginia (go Tribe!);  I have been skydiving once and loved it but don't see the need to do it again;  I NEED coffee


3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 7.5 - I will never finish them all but like to have some variety to select from

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)? First and foremost to stay awake - I am hosting starting at midnight so I am in for the long haul!  Second, I am raising money for the Colon Cancer Alliance by donating .10 cents per page read and .10 cents per comment left on my RAT posts (so get commenting!).  The lovely Kay from My Random Acts of Reading graciously offered to also donate .05 cents for every page I read.  So, my goal is to read lots so that we can support a great cause!

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Have fun, take breaks, MOVE


Where In The World Mini-Challenge

Hosted by I Heart Monster, Where in the World Mini-challenge asks you to go to the Where in the World google map and put a marker on where you are reading from (done - NYC) and select a participant from somewhere you would like to visit or have visited and stop by to leave a comment.  I chose The Crooked Bookshelf who is reading from India because I was fascinated by the country when I visited last year.  She did her intro meme all in images - stop by and check it out!

Last part of mini-challenge - Did 5 jumping jacks (I Heart Monster - my trainer will thank you!)

Hour 10 Update

ok -  how did we get to hour 10 already?  I will be taking about a 5 hour break to head to Hotel Griffou for a belated bday dinner with friends - I plan to finish the meal with an espresso (or 2) since I am on-duty hosting at midnight EDT.

Here are my stats so far:
Hours Cheering 6
Hours Reading: 2
Pages Read: 275
Books Finished: 0 (note to self - pick smaller books next year!)

BookClub Recommendations Challenge:

I stopped by Sheila at Book Journey and offered two book club suggestions - both are books I read last year and liked  - and they would spur conversation for sure:


Hour 20 Update
After a 5 hour break for dinner with friends (and drinks - perhaps not my best idea considering this is an all-nighter event!), I came home to discover my wifi was out just as I was about to take over hosting duties.  But Vasilly stepped in and kept things going until I could get back online.  Hosting was fun but a little manic - watching twitter, email, blog and trying to draft the next hourly post had me a little schizophrenic in the beginning.  Nonetheless, I had fun!

With all these goings-on, my reading has suffered by I have these last 4 hours to catch up!  Will post more soon . . .