A Little Bit of Dorkiness

Quick notes from Kim Ukura, a book blogger and self-proclaimed dork who blogs at Sophisticated Dorkiness.

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 7: End of Event Meme, 8:30 a.m. (The End)

Which hour was most daunting for you?

I went to be during Hour 18, which was tough. I wanted to keep reading, but I was also exhausted!

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I don't think any of the three books I finished -- Hunting Season by Mirta Ojito, Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCraken -- would really count. I liked them, but I'm weird.

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

Nope. This was awesome.

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I liked the prize form, and I think the cheering went well.

How many books did you read?

Finished three, read parts of two others.

What were the names of the books you read?

Hunting Season by Mirta Ojito (finished), Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett (finished), An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCraken (finished), The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham (in progress), Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (in progress)

Which book did you enjoy most?

I was digging Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but then I fell asleep.

Which did you enjoy least?

None.

If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

N/A

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I'd love too. I hope I can try to cheer more, although just focusing on reading was also fun.

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 6: Getting Sleepy, 11 p.m. (Hour 17)

Pages Read: 671

Books Read: Hunting Season by Mirta Ojito (finished), Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett (finished), An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCraken (finished), The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham (in progress)

Time Spent Reading: 462 minutes (7.7 hours)

Time Spent Listening: 64 minutes

Snacks Consumed: Pizza, chocolate frosting, chocolate covered raspberries

I am… feeling pretty tired now!

Other Stuff: Apparently this has been the Readathon of sad books. Hunting Season involved "immigration and murder in an all-American town," Truth & Beauty was about a friend who died, and An Exact Replica... was about a stillborn baby. I can't decide if I should double down on the sad with my next book or try something cheerier. Whatever I pick, I probably won't read for very long before I have to call it quits for the evening. 

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 5: Mid-Event Survey, 6:15 p.m. (Hour 12)

1. What are you reading right now?

Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett

2. How many books have you read so far?

Finished one, two in progress

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

Mr. Penumbra's 34-Hour Bookstore by Robin Solan

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

Not really. I've neglected the boyfriend a little bit, but nothing special

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

I took a break from about Hour 3 to Hour 6 to go to the gym, eat lunch, and shower, so I feel like I'm still recovering from that. 

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

Nothing, really. I've been having a lot of fun!

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

Nope, it seems incredibly well-organized this year. 

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

I'd pick a shorter first book. I thought Hunting Season would go quickly, but it felt like it took awhile. 

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Not really, but if I do I have some caffeinated beverages waiting!

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've been collecting all of my updates on Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram on Storify, which I think has been working really well. 

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 4: One Book Down, 4:55 p.m. (Hour 10)

Pages Read: 302

Books Read: Hunting Season by Mirta Ojito (finished), The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham (in progress), Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett (in progress)

Time Spent Reading: 246 minutes (about four hours)

Time Spent Listening: 58 minutes

Snacks Consumed: Cadbury Creme Egg, mini donuts, lots of tea

I am… finished with my first book and settling into my second!

Other Stuff: A little extra caffeine in the form of English Breakfast Tea was very helpful. The boyfriend just got back from Taco Bell with some chips and guacamole, which I am psyched about too. 

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 3: Starting the Afternoon, 1:15 p.m. (Hour 7)

Pages Read: 117

Books Read: Hunting Season by Mirta Ojito, The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Time Spent Reading: 103 minutes

Time Spent Listening: 58 minutes

Snacks Consumed: Lunch! Scrambled eggs, pickles and green olives, Rolos (yeah, that sounds gross now that I've typed it out)

I am… back from the gym, fed, cleaned up and ready to start reading again!

Other Stuff: I got a little bit of audio book listening done at the gym, during lunch, and while I checked in and did some cheering. I'm hoping to finish Hunting Season in a couple of hours this afternoon.  

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 2: Breakfast, 8:45 a.m. (Hour 2)

Pages Read: 64

Books Read: Hunting Season by Mirta Ojito

Time Spent Reading: 53 minutes

Time Spent Listening: -- 

Snacks Consumed: Chobani Greek yogurt, banana, black tea

I am… feeling good so far! 

Other Stuff: Hunting Season is a little slow going -- it's narrative nonfiction, and the information dumping is taking a little bit of time to get through -- but still interesting. I'm taking a quick break for more tea, then jumping back into the book until about 10 when I need to leave for the gym. 

[kimthedork]

#readathon Someone decided to steal my spot on the couch while I was choosing a book. #catsofinstagram

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 1: Kick Off Meme, 7:00 a.m. (Hour 1)

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

West central Minnesota

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I'm really excited about Mr. Penumbra's 14-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Every year I get a Totino's Party Pizza for dinner. It is so bad, but also so, so good. 

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I work as the editor of a small, weekly newspaper. 

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'm going to try and collect all of my updates across social media using Storify, then sharing that collection on my blog. I'm hoping it goes smoothly!

[kimthedork]

There's a scene from Homer's The Odyssey that is arguably the original "life hack": the story of Odysseus lashing himself to his ship's mast to avoid the temptation of the Sirens' song. A whole body of research exists now that validates the story's underlying lesson, which is that our willpower is substantially more limited than we think it is—but that we can engineer circumstances that determine our behavior. I try to apply that concept—"lashing yourself to the mast"—whenever I can. Think about the binding structures you can build to force yourself to do the things you avoid.

How I Work: Jimmy Soni

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.

Roald Dahl  (via fuckinq)

Life fricking motto.

(via kyrafic)

[kimthedork]

Since Michael Rockefeller disappeared while hunting for art in the jungles of New Guinea, rumors have circulated about his death – potentially in a ceremonial act of cannibalism. In this real-life mystery, journalist Carl Hoffman connects with new generations of an ancient tribe to uncover the events that led to Rockefeller’s death. It’s an illuminating and nuanced look at what happens when cultures collide.

[epthot]

Presenting season 3 of TV’s Once Upon A Time.

[gra-zioso]

oh my life this is brilliant hahahha  Belle “Why am I Australian?” wtf hahaha so funny

[kimthedork]

I just caught up with the season and yep, that's pretty much it.

[kimthedork]

First names. After all we have broken bacon together. We can safely assume that we're familiar.

A rare moment of levity in "House of Cards"

[kimthedork]

Decide the outcomes you're committed to. Decide the next physical, visible actions required to move toward them. Place reminders of all of that where you know you'll look at the right time. Keep everything in your life and work that way—clear, current, and complete. Discover the strategic value of clear space. Get ready to make a mess.

"The Strategic Value of Clear Space" by David Allen

[kimthedork]

I do always love a good existential cat video.

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 7: End of the Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

I went to be at Hour 18 when I was getting tired. I wish I had been awake a little longer.  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I don't think either of the books I spent a lot of time with -- Frozen in Time or World War Z -- fit the bill. I liked both a lot, but they were slower reads. 

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

Nope. Awesome as always. 

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

For me personally, I think doing Tumblr updates worked well. Between that an Instagram, I think I was able to do updates quickly and have a good record of my readathon. I'm curious what others thought though -- how did you do your updates?

5. How many books did you read?

I read one, listened to part of one, and read part of another. 

What were the names of the books you read?

Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, and World War Z by Max Brooks (almost done).

6. Which book did you enjoy most?

Probably Frozen in Time. 

7. Which did you enjoy least?

I couldn't pick. I liked them all. 

8. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

N/A

9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

As long as the date works, 100 percent likely. I actually like the fall readathon better -- when it's just starting to get chilly out, I always feel like staying inside to read all day. 

[kimthedork]

#readathon Update 7: Sleep Time, 12:20 p.m. (Hour 18)

Pages Read: 599

Books Read: 2.75 -- I finished Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and am nearly done with World War Z by Max Brooks

Time Spent Reading: About 8 hours, 18 minutes

Time Spent Listening: 58 minutes

Snacks Consumed: Late at night is when the junk food came out... chocolate chip cookies, Gummi Savers, Cheddar Quakes, a nutty bar, strawberries and a Diet Mtn. Dew. Whew!

I am... tired!

Other Stuff: I was really trying to finish World War Z before I went to bed, but I'm starting to doze off in my chair and I have a least an hour of reading left... so that's not going to happen. I'm going to head to bed and read there until I fall asleep. 

Happy Readathon, everyone. It's been a fun time!