Readathon - Kick-Off and Updates

It's almost 8 am on the East Coast and time to start the Readathon! I will be doing the first hour "on the road" with my audiobook because Prince needs his walk and we usually do a long one on weekends. After that I will be back on the couch ready to crack open my book.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
NYC

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Probably Family Life - since seeing the author speak 2 weeks ago, I have been dying to get into this one

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
My food choices are still pretty limited post surgery so I think the junk food snacks are out :( But maybe I will try a new smoothie mixture

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I adopted my little pup, Prince, the night before the last readathon and he will be by my side throughout these 24 hours.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?
Definitely more movement.  I have my Fitbit on and plan to hit at least 10K steps today!

Hour 6 Update
Prince and I started off the day with a nice, long walk and I listened to my audiobook for about 90 minutes.  We picked up fuel for the readathon in the form of coffee and fresh raspberries from the farmer's market.

I started strong by finishing a book I was almost done with - On the Rocks by Erin Duffy and now I am about 50 pages into Delicious! by Ruth Reichl.  Although it is making me hungry, I am thoroughly enjoying it! 

Stats:
pages read: 65
minutes listened: 90
books finished: 1
steps walked: 4826
$$ raised for ASPCA ($.10/page or minutes read + $.25 for every comment) = $15.75

Best of Your Reading Year Challenge:
The year is young but at this point, my choices are: 
Best Book of your Reading Year: Glitter and Glue (links to mt review) by Kelly Corrigan (a great Mother's Day pick too) 
Best Non-Fiction of your Reading Year: Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink - gripping and reads like a thriller
Best Setting of your Reading Year: Newport, RI beaches from On the Rocks by Erin Duffy - brings back memories of summer beach houses and welcome warmth after our long winter.

Mid Event Meme
1. What are you reading right now?
Still working on Delicious! and Americanah (audio)
2. How many books have you read so far?
Finished one, two in progress (see above)
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I may not start a new book in the 2nd half - it depends on how long I stay up!
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Fortunately, I had a pretty free day
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I really haven't had many interruptions and have been able to pace myself well
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How much reading I am getting done - usually I am easily distracted and find it hard to settle down to read during the event
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nothing yet! 
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Nothing to change right now - my formula is working well this year
9. Are you getting tired yet?
I had a brief nap this afternoon so feeling pretty good! 
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?
Others have probably already discovered this, but I have found working in some walking throughout the day has really made a difference in my energy! 

Hope you are having a great readathon! 

I will update this post throughout the day with my progress.  You can also follow me on Twitter (@booksnyc) and Instagram