TSS: Preparing for the Read-athon!

The weather has finally turned to Spring here in Kansas and it is (supposed to be) a lovely Easter Sunday morning!  The sun is shining, the temperature is in the high 60s, the day is filled with hope and thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to having a leisurely dinner with the family.   I hope that you too are enjoying the rejuvenation of this Easter day!

I simply cannot tell you how excited I am for this 24 hour read-athon!  This will be my third time to participate, and I think I am looking forward to this one most.  My first read-athon was last spring and I truly had no idea what to expect.  I learned that 24 hours does not necessarily translate to "I can read several books in a weekend" --- it just means that I can read several pages in a weekend.  I also realized that I hadn't adequately planned for meals (for myself or other members of the family) and that ate up (pardon the pun) a rather large chunk of my reading time.

Last fall I was a bit more realistic with my reading goals, and I communicated better with the fam (I know that I cannot stay up for a full 24 hours, so my plan for all three events has been to read for about 8 hours on Saturday and another 4 hours on Sunday for a total of 12 hours over the course of the weekend).  I selected fewer books and even included some YA titles that are no less enjoyable, although sometimes a bit less complicated.  I had a difficult time, however, coordinating the number of hours I would read vs twitter vs post on my blog.  Consequently, I still did not accomplish all that I had hoped, but had another great time.

Now I figure "third time's a charm" --- my family is well aware of my weekend plans; I will definitely have meals and snacks ready to go; I will try to post 3 times on Saturday (a start post - a middle post - and an ending post) and a summary post on Sunday; I will not try to follow all the tweets, but rather pop in and out as I need a break.  I would like to be more purposeful in my reading, that is, try to read books that I will enjoy (eg - not for teaching or summer school), but that will also fulfill a challenge obligation (I did not complete nearly as many challenges as I had hoped last year, so I want to try to do better in 2010).  While I do not have a complete list ready to post, I will tell you which books I am considering:

• Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton (for the Mystery Read Cafe challenge - author's last name begins with "B")
• The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (for the Once Upon a Time challenge that I have yet to sign up for because I am afraid I will not have a chance to read a book in time)
• Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (also for the Mystery Read Cafe challenge - the first in a series)
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (for the Our Mutual Read challenge)  Some students in my English 1 class selected this as a book to read in literature circles.  OH MY - did this create quite the uproar with some conservative parents.  I want to read the book myself to see why it received such negative attention.
• Why My Third Husband will be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline.  This will not fulfill any challenges, but it looks like a light, hysterical, fun read that will be a welcomed diversion when my eyes become bleary.
• The Flaneur by Edmund White.  Again, this will not fulfill a reading challenge that I know of, but it is a short book with the subtitle "A Stroll through the Paradoxes of Paris." and it came highly recommended by CB (see his review here).

I hope to finish Shutter Island prior to the weekend, as I have been nursing it for far too long.  This book will go towards CB James' Read the Book See the Movie challenge (or in my case....See the Movie, Read the Book challenge).  I almost feel as though I will have to see the movie again in order to do the review justice (it is my understanding that the major difference in the movie is the "last line" -- but I have now forgotten what the last line was).

This is my potential list for now --- emphasis on the word "potential"  I know myself well enough to know that if I want to have a great time and fully enjoy this coming weekend, I must be open to reading whatever strikes my fancy at that particular time.

How many of you will be able to participate?  Do you have a list of books already prepared to read?