I finished reading:

"Dodsworth" written by Sinclair Lewis.  380 Pages.

31st book of the year.  11279 pages at an average of 364 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The English Assassin" written by Daniel Silva.  383 pages.

The 30th book of the year.  10899 pages at an average of 363 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Nana" written by Emile Zola.  410 pages.

I like Zola, but, this one was not my favourite.   Very slow and predictable.

29th book of the year.  10516 pages at an average of 363 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Finding Moon" written by Tony Hillerman.  319 Pages.

The 28th book of the year.  10106 pages at an average of 361 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The New Cold War Moscow v. Pekin" written by Edward Crankshaw.  164 pages.

The 27th book of 2012.  9787 pages at an average of 362 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Constant Gardener" written by John Le Carre.  560 Pages.

Much better than I thought I would be.

26th book of the year.   9623 pages at an average of 370 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Return of the Native" written by Thomas Hardy.  413 pages.

The 25th book of the year.  9063 pages at an average of 363 pages per book.

-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The Last one, Hour 18.  
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  Thrillers.   Trying to read a classic, no matter how good, or how much I enjoy it towards the end is tough.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  I keep doing them so must be doing some well :)
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  
5. How many books did you read? Finished two and got to page 171 of Hardys "Return of the Native".
6. What were the names of the books you read? The Rhinemann Exchange and 1st to Die
7. Which book did you enjoy most? 1st to Die
8. Which did you enjoy least?  None
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Very Likely.   Reader.

The Final Stats:

Pages Read:  1038

Time Read: 10 Hours 3 Minutes

Books Finished: 2

-Richard

End of read-a-thon Hour 18
Pages Read this Hour: 54
Total Pages Read: 1027
Time Read this Hour: 33 Mins
Total Time Read:  9 Hours 53 Mins
Books Finished: 2


I think that's it.   My eyes have gone so it's time for bed!!!   Another good day, especially considering how stressful the last couple of weeks have been.   I may sneak in a few extra pages, but, that will be it.   Goodnight and back at it in October.

-Richard

End of Read-A-Thon Hour 17

Pages Read this Hour:  18
Total Pages Read: 973
Time Read This Hour: 10 Minutes
Total Time Read:  9 Hours 20 Minutes
Books Finished:2 


Running out of steam.  Going to try another hour and go from there.

-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon Hour 16

Pages read this hour: 36
Total pages read: 955
Time read this hour: 37 mins.
Total time read: 9 Hours 10 Mins
Books Finished: 2


-Richard

End of Read-A-Thon Hour 15

Pages Read This Hour: 37
Total Pages Read: 919
Time Read this Hour: 30 Mins
Total Time Read: 8 Hours 33 Minutes
Books Finished: 2


-Richard

End of Read-A-Thon Hours 13 and 14.

Pages Read These Hours:  152

Total Pages Read: 882

Time Read These Hours:  52 mins

Total Time Read: 8 Hours 3 Minutes

Books Finished: 2

My new book is "Return of the Native" written by Thomas Hardy.  413 Pages.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"1st To Die" written by James Patterson.  462 pages.

24th book of 2012.  8650 pages at an average of 360 per book.

-Richard

Read-A-Thon Halfway Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?  Going Strong
2) What have you finished reading?  The Rhinemann Exchange by Robert Ludlum
3) What is your favorite read so far?  1st To Die, by James Patterson
4) What about your favorite snacks? Cadbury's Creme Eggs
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!  No, too busy reading


-Richard

End of Read-A-Thon Hour 12.  Half Way.

Pages Read this Hour: 134
Total Pages: 730
Time Read this Hour: 54 Minutes
Total Time Read: 7 Hours 11 Minutes.
Books Finished: 1


-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon Hour 11

Pages Read this Hour: 117
Total Pages Read: 596
Time Read this Hour: 43 Minutes
Total Time Read: Six Hours 17 Minutes
Books Finished: 1


-Richard

End of read-a-thon hour 10

Pages Read this Hour: 103
Total Pages Read:  479
Time Read this Hour: 46 minutes
Total Time Read: 5 hours 34 minutes
Books Finished: 1


My new book is one Jenn wanted me to read, so, is a departure from my normal way of reading (in the order I get them).   It is 1st To Die written by James Patterson.   It is 462 pages.

Richard

I finished reading:

"The Rhinemann Exchange" written by Robert Ludlum.  446 Pages.

The 23rd book of the year.  8188 pages at an average of 356 pages per book.

-Richard

End of read-a-thon Hour 9

Pages Read This Hour:  53
Total Pages Read:  376
Tine Read This Hour:  36 Minutes
Total Time Read:  4 Hours 48 Minutes.
Books Finished: 0

-Richard

End of read-a-thon Hour 8

Pages Read Last Hours:  110
Total Pages Read:  323
Time Read Last Hours:  1 hour 8 minutes
Total Time Read:  4 hours 12 minutes
Books Finished: 0


-Richard

End of Read-A-Thon Hour 4

Pages Read Last Hour -82

Total Pages Read - 213

Time Read Last Hour - 51 Minutes

Total Time Read -  3 hours 4 Minutes

Books Finished - 0

Going out to meet my mother-in-law for lunch, probably be gone for a couple of  hours.

-Richard

End of Read-A-Thon Hour 3

Pages Read Last Hour - 59

Total Pages Read - 131

Time Read Last Hour - 50 Minutes

Total Time Read -  2 hours 13 Minutes

Books Finished - 0

-Richard

End of Read-A-Thon Hour 2

Pages Read Last Hour - 34

Total Pages Read - 72

Time Read Last Hour - 31 Minutes

Total Time Read -  1 hour 13 Minutes

Books Finished - 0

-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon Hour 1

Pages read last hour - 38
Total pages read - 38
Time read last hour - 42 minutes
Total time read - 42 minutes
Books finished - 0


-Richard

Read-a-Thon Introductory Questionnaire

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?  The Woodlands, TX
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I don't have a stack, just read the books in the order I get them without looking ahead so I can't say
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Going out for Cici's Pizza for dinner
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! English, now living in TX via lots of difference places.  Sports freak and this evening will be worrying about how the San Jose Earthquakes are doing against Salt Lake.  Will I be able to read during the game?
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?  Ninth one.   Essentially doing the same usual.  Just looking forward to days escape from "life"


-Richard

7am and start of the read-a-thon.

I am starting on the book I am reading, The Rhinemann exchange by Robert Ludlum.  Currently I am page 41 out of 446.

-Richard

Tomorrow is the next Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon.   It's been a tough, tough, few weeks so it will be nice to have a days escapism.

This will be the ninth one we have done.   The average for the previous ones are:

Average time read:  11 hours 23 minutes
Average number of Books Finished : 3 1/2
Average number of pages read: 997

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Steppenwolf" written by Hermann Hesse.  248 pages.

Weird!!

22nd book of the year.  7742 pages at an average of 352 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Monsoon" written by Wilbur Smith.  822 pages.

21st book of the year.  7494 pages at an average of 362 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Hitler's Elite" written by Louis L. Snyder.  277 pages.

20th book of the year.  6772 pages at an average of 339 pages per day.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Tobacco Road" written by Erskine Caldwell.  159 pages.

A weird book.  I only picked it up because I thought it was about North Carolina.  Turned out it was set in Georgia.

19th book of the year.  6495 pages at an average of 342 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Aaron's Rod" written by D.H. Lawrence 347 pages.

The 18th book of the year.  6336 pages at an average of 352 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Honor Among Thieves" written by Jeffrey Archer.   464 pages.

17th book of the year.  5989 pages at an average of 352 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Ivanhoe" written by Sir Walter Scott.  497 pages.

Not my favourite book by one of my favourite authors.

16th book of the year.  5525 pages at an average of 345 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Talent Masters - Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers" written by Bill Conaty and Ram Charan.  302 Pages.

This was a book I head to read as part of a work assignment.   It was better than I thought it would be.  There was even a chapter on my company, Agilent.

The fifteenth book of 2012.  5028 pages at an average of 335 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Vodka" written by Boris Starling.  638 Pages.

The fourteenth book of the year.  4726 pages at an average of 338 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Elmer Gantry" written by Sinclair Lewis.  447 pages.

With the focus on religion and Christianity in the current Republican Primary this book is very timely.   Describing the hypocrisy of the Church and preachers.   How true is this in the world now?  How many folks go to Church and really understand and believe, or just go because they have to, or, it looks good?

The thirteenth book of the year.  4088 pages at an average of 314 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Camel Club" written by David Baldacci.  435 Pages.

The twelfth book of the year.  3641 pages at an average of  303 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Lost and Found" written by Carolyn Parkhurst.  289 pages.

Eleventh book of the year.  3206 pages at an average of 291 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Good Soldier Schweik" written by Jaroslav Hasek. 429 pages.

The tenth book of the year.  2917 pages at an average of 292 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"One for the Money" written by Janet Evanovich.  320 Pages.

Prep for the movie!!

The ninth book of the year.  2488 pages at an average of 276 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"James Herriot's Yorkshire" written by James Herriot.  293 pages.

A good trip down memory lane, The North Yorkshire Moors, The Yorkshire Dales, Harrogate, York, Whitby, Scarborough.   So many good memories!!

-Richard

I finished the:

"Narrow Corner" written by W. Somerset Maugham.  167 Pages.

The seventh book of the year.  1875 pages at an average of 268 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Fifth Column and Four Stories of the Spanish Civil War" written by Ernest Hemingway.  151 Pages.

Sixth book of the year.  1708 pages at an average of 285 pages.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Way to Dusty Death" written by Alistair MacLean.  254 pages.

Fifth book of the year.  1557 pages at an average of 311 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Assassin" written by Ted Bell.  558 Pages.
"Amerika" written by Franz Kafka.  300 Pages.
"Therese Requin" written by Emile Zola.  256 Pages.
"The Quiet American" written by Graham Greene.  189 Pages.

It's amazing how much reading you can do an a trip to and from California!!

These are the first four books of the year. 1303 pages at an average of  326 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Death of Ivan Ilyich" written by Leo Tolstoy.  134 Pages.

The 53rd (and final book) of 2011.  17,163 pages read at an average of 324 pages per book.

This compares to last year where I also read 53 books.  However, last year I read a lot more pages at 19,391 (avg 366 pages per).

The goal for 2012?  Exactly the same: 52 books.

Happy New Year!!

-Richard

"The Death of Ivan Ilyich" written by Leo Tolstoy.  134 Pages.

The 53rd (and final book) of 2011.  17,163 pages read at an average of 324 pages per book.

This compares to last year where I also read 53 books.  However, last year I read a lot more pages at 19,391 (avg 366 pages per).

The goal for 2012?  Exactly the same: 52 books.

Happy New Year!!

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Spy who came for Christmas"  written by David Morrell.  228 pages.

A good, light read.

52nd book of the year.  17,029 pages at an average of 227 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Death in the Afternoon" written by Ernest Hemingway.  263 pages.

This book is about bullfighting.  Normally I would come no where near to reading a book like this is cruelty to animal is something I abhor and am morally opposed to.  However, as one of my goals is too read all of Hemingway's books read it.  By the end I was glad when I got to the chapter on the matadors getting hurt after reading about the pain the horses and bulls went through!!

Fifty-first book of the year.  16,799 pages at an average of 329 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"In Dubious Battle" written by John Steinbeck.  313 Pages.

I think this is my favourite Steinbeck book I have written.  Also, very appropriate given the nature of strife, especially with Occupy Wall Street as this book is about striking apple pickers in the California Valley during the 30's depression.

"The Torrent of Spring" written by Ernest Hemmingway.  108 Pages.

Weird!!!

The 49th and 50th books of the year.  16,536 pages at an average of 331 per book.


-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Secret Ways" written by Alistair MacLean.  256 pages.

Book #48, 16115 pages at an average of 336 per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Rainbow Six" written by Tom Clancy.  897 Pages.

The 47th book of 2011.  15859 pages at an average of 337 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Mission to Moscow" written by Joseph E. Davies.  475 pages.

46th book of the year.  14962 pages at an average of 325 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"A History of Russian Literature from its Beginnings to 1900" written by D.S. Mirsky.  383 pages.

45th book of 2011.  14,487 pages at an average of 322 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading"

"The Eye of the Tiger" written by Wilbur Smith.  390 Pages.

44th book of the year.  14,104 pages at an average of 321 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"A Short History of the English - Speaking Peoples:  The Age of Revolution" written by Winston S. Churchill.  314 pages.

43rd book of the year.  13714 pages at an average of 319 pages per book.

-Richard

I didn't get up so did no more reading so here is  my end of event meme.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  All of them as I was not feeling well.  
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?   When the World came to Gander.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  No
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Everything.
5. How many books did you read?  Finished 2, 200 pages into another
6. What were the names of the books you read?  "The Other South", "When the World Came to Gander" and am in the middle of "The Age of Revolution".
7. Which book did you enjoy most? "When the World Came to Gander"
8. Which did you enjoy least? "The Age of Revolution"
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? n/a
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Definitely as a reader

-Richard

End of read-a-thon hour 16

Pages read this hour - 53
Total pages read - 635
Time read this hour - 46 minutes
Total time read - 8 hours 45 minutes
Books finished - 2


That's it.  This cold has beaten me.  Time to feed the cats and go to bed.  I am hoping to get hope at 6am to put in one more hour.  Good night y'all

-Richard

End of read-a-thon hours 13, 14 and 15

Pages read these hours - 72
Total pages read - 582
Time read these hours - 1 hour 13 minutes
Total time read - 7 hours 59 minutes.
Books finished - 2


-Richard

End of read-a-thon hour 12

Pages read this hour - 42
Total pages read - 510
Time read this hour - 47 minutes
Total time read - 6 hours 46 minutes
Books finished - 2

Off to dinner at Panera then to Starbucks to read...

-Richard

End of read-a-thon hour 11

Pages read this hour - 37
Total pages read - 468
Time read this hour - 39 minutes
Total time read - 5 hours 59 minutes
Books finished - 2


-Richard

End of read-a-thon hour 10

Took a nap!!

Pages read this hour - 7
Total pages read - 431
Time read this hour - 5 minutes
Total time read - 5 hours and 20 minutes.
Books finished - 2

-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon hour 9.

Pages read this hour - 17
Total pages read - 424
Time read this hour - 17 minutes
Total time read: 5 hours and 15 minutes
Books finished - 2


Back to my normal way of reading by starting the next book of my list in the order I get them:  "The Age of Revolution"  the third volume of Winston Churchill's "A History of the English - Speaking People".  It has 314 pages.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 In Gander, Newfoundland" written by Jim Defede.  344 pages.

A remarkable story showing that even in the darkest days goodness can prevail.

42nd book of 2011.  13,400 pages at an average of 319 pages per book.

-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon hours 7 and 8.

Pages read these hours - 133
Total pages read - 407
Time read these hours - 1 hour 5 minutes
Total time read - 4 hours 58 minutes
Books finished - 1


-Richard

End of read-a-thon Hour 6.

Pages read this hour - 79
Total pages read - 274
Time read this hour - 50 minutes
Total time read - 3 hours 53 minutes
Books finished - 1


Time for lunch, some Cici's Pizza where we can read.

-Richard

End of read-a-thon Hour 5.

Pages read this hour - 47
Total pages read - 195
Time read this hour - 32 minutes
Total time read - 3 hours 3 minutes
Books finished - 1


The new book is "The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland" written by Jim Defoe.  244 pages.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Other South - Southern Dissenters in the Nineteenth Century" written by Carl N. Degler.  371 Pages.

A powerful read.  It is so staggering that so much hate could actually have happened.  We talk about Nazi Germany or Stalin's Russia, but, to read things like this so close to home really makes one think.  Also, interestingly it highlights how the big political parties in the US have switched in as far as the voting demographics.   Having a "minority" President now seems incredible after reading this book, it's like coming coming out of a different world.   A definite sign of progress being good!!

 The 41st book of the year,  13,156 pages at an average of 321 pages per book.

-Richard

End of read-a-thon hour 4.

Pages read this hour - 56
Total pages read - 148
Time read last hour - 48 minutes
Total time read - 2 hours 31 minutes
Books finished - 0


-Richard

End of read-a-thon Hour 3

Pages read this hour - 37
Total pages read - 92
Time read last hour - 50 minutes
Total time read - 1 hour 43 minutes
Books finished - 0


-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon Hour 2

Pages read last hour - 15
Total pages read - 55
Time read last hour - 10 minutes
Total time read - 53 minutes
Books finished - 0

Struggling to get going today :(

-Richard

Read-a-thon Introduction:

1)Where are you reading from today?  Home in The Woodlands, Texas (Just north of Houston)
2)Three random facts about me… English, American and sports mad
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?  I do not have a pile...just read books in the order I get them
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)?  About 1000 pages
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?  Don't stress about goals, just enjoy and relax


-Richard

End of Read-a-Thon Hour 1


Pages read last hour - 40
Total pages read - 40
Time read last hour - 43 minutes
Total time read - 43 minutes
Books finished - 0


-Richard

7am and start of the 8th read-a-thon.  As usual I will be reading the books in the order I bought them with one exception.  The next book I start will be one that Jenn has just finished that I want to read.  My goal for the day is about a thousand pages, which is a bit less than usual because I am still recovering from a bad head cold....

I am starting of with the book I am currently reading:  "The Other South - Southern Dissenters in the Nineteenth Century".  I am at page 200 out of 371.

Enjoy y'all!!

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Communist Manifesto" written by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels.  258 Pages.

Actually it was only 40 pages with the rest of it an introduction and preface.   Interesting in light of the end of the cold war, and essentially the communist world.  They definitely had some good ideas, but, in my very laymans opinion it fails because it lacks soul.  It lacks faith and creativity, two major parts of mans make up.

40th book of the year.  12,785 pages at an average of 320 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Fathers and Sons" written by Ivan Turgenev.  295 pages.

One of my all time favourite books written by one of my favourite authors.

39th book of the year, 12527 pages at an average of 321 pages per book.

-Richard

October 22nd is time for the next Read-a-Thon.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Satan Bug", 223 pages and "Fear is the Key", 256 pages, both written by Alistair MacLean.

The 37th and 38th book of 2011.   12,232 pages at an average of 322 pages per book.

-Richard

I have decided to create a separate blog where I pull away from my original one.  That has essentially turned into me listing, and occasionally writing about the books I read.

I want to try and blog more on how to live and what it is like to live a Christian Life in the US, especially in terms of the current socio-political environment.    I am sure I will go of on many different tangents, but, hey, that's what I do!!!  


The URL is: http://richlsjenn1.blogspot.com/

-Richard

I finished reading:

"Floodgate" written by Alistair MacLean.  310 pages.

36th book of the year.  11753 pages at an average of 326 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Potsdam Bluff" written by Jack D. Hunter.  358 Pages.

The 35th book of the year.  11443 pages at an average of 327 pages per book.

-Richard

I finished reading:

"The Cross and the Switchblade" written by David Wilkerson.  174 Pages

It's been a long time since I read this book and I found it as inspiring now as I did over twenty years ago.  It has certainly made me think and reflect.  Do I have the same faith and passion that I had then?  Do I have the faith that allowed me to come to the US the first time in 1989, or, quit everything and move here in 1998?  I don't know the answer to that question.  Certainly something to think about and meditate on.

The 34th book of 2011.  11085 pages at an average of 326 pages.

-Richard

"The Mayor of Casterbridge" written by Thomas Hardy.  256 pages.
This is the first book by Hardy that I ever read.  I surprisingly really enjoyed it and will now be reading more.

The 33rd book of the year.  10911 pages at an average of 331 pages.

-Richard

"The Idiot" written by Fyodor Dostoevsky.  632 pages.

32nd book of 2011.  10655 pages at an average of  333 pages per book.

-Richard