Saturday 25 April 2015

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon (EN)

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2:00 PM (CET) - Ready, steady, go! - Kicking off the Read-a-thon reading Broken Wings by Kahlil Gibran. Probably I'll be silent for a while, immersed. Unless I couldn't wait to share my impressions till I'm done ;)

2:50 PM (CET) - Page 21 of Kahlil Gibran's Broken Wings. Starting to drink my bubble tea :)

2:58 PM (CET) - "...beauty has its own heavenly language, loftier than the voices of tongues and lips." (Kahlil Gibran - Broken Wings)

3:08 PM (CET) - Intro Meme still going? Great! Time to answer some questions:

Intro Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I'm reading from Slovak Republic and I'm in its capital city Bratislava, where I live and work.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I've been most looking forward to Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran which I am currently reading. But I'm looking forward to The Pearl by John Steinbeck as well.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
My favourite Bubble Tea from Bubbleology - white peach and lichee (my favourite flavours :). And I'm looking forward to taste macaroons for the first time :)

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Ah... don't you have some easier question? I am bookworm. (Apparently. This answer wasn't very helpful, was it?) Talented writer (some say), creative soul, foreign language and travelling passionate.

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?
This is my very first read-a-thon. I'm glad to have an excuse to spend some 24 hours only me and my books ;)

Aaaaah! English keyboard on my personal laptop makes me mad!

6:15 - 6:50 PM (CET) - small reading break - my dad visiting.

7:24 PM (CET) - I've finished Broken Wings by Lebanese-American artist, poet and writer Khalil Gibran. Well. In order to understand the depth of this book, you should have at least some notion of Arabic literature and the writing style of some Arabic writers - grand, poetic, dreamy. Maybe, what most of people would not expect from an Arabic writer (man) is a praise of woman's inner and outer beauty and dignity, as well as accusation of inherited laws preventing pure love to grow, smashing happiness of two young people into pieces. But this is exactly what the book is about. I am certainly going to reread this book sometime and write a separate, more comprehensive review.


9:15 PM (CET) - time for late diner and reading break. And when I say "reading break" I mean "READING break" with my Slovak "reading break book" by one of the leading Slovak poets and lyric writers Kamil Peteraj, with illustrations by Martin Augustín.


We often mistake puddles for lakes,
Humming for breath,
Accidents for messages, unsaid for kept quiet,
Angelic rite
For diabolic comedy.

(Kamil Peteraj - passage from poem Melancholies. Translated by Daša Drapáková)

10:32 PM (CET) - I can't eat and read at the same time. However, I still try to. But I always forget I have to eat. OK, finally, I'm done with my reading break and... What should I pick now? I want something terrific. I suppose that The Pearl by John Steinbeck will fulfil this criteria. Adding also two treats for these gradually late night hours ;)


1:38 AM (CET) - I didn't plan to read all night but I'm still up reading The Pearl (I didn't expect the introduction to be so long but I wanted to read it as well, to have better notion about the book I am going to read), however not sure how long will I take. Well, actually, the book keeps me up somehow. Moreover, I am pretty slow reader but this is the way I like it.

2:00 AM (CET) - I am a fully fledged blogging newcomer! It seems like I've overlooked that I have some comments here! And maybe I wouldn't find out if I hadn't accidentally logged myself out. I think that refreshing my blogger account would do. Oh, sorry guys! I ran through your comments and you are fantastic! You just woke me up from my almost slumber.


3:00 AM (CET) -  completing the...

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?
The Pearl by John Steinbeck

2. How many books have you read so far?

Only 1, some 38 pages of another and now I'm through The Pearl.

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

The one I'm reading now. But I think that Pride and Prejudice as a graphic novel by Marvel would be great.

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

No, just my dad came to visit. I am having time for myself and my books ;)

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
The time goes so fast and besides reading there is always something to do. Blogging takes time as well.

4:30 AM - 7:30 AM (CET) - Zz Zz Zz Zz
Well, yes... it came to me this morning, while slowly waking up instinctively before my alarm clock went off that reading usually helps me with 2 contradictory things: to get asleep tenderly at night (I can't get to sleep no matter how tired I am without reading at least one page) and to wake up and start to think properly in the morning (a thing was recently supported by a book compiled of a series of columns about physical principles published in one of our Slovak social weekly papers). So guess which magical effect of reading worked at 4:30 AM? ;) Yeap.
My book companions waiting patiently for me to wake up and continue the Read-a-thon :)


8:00 AM (CET) - There is something for me! :) Shelfie Mini-Challenge:
So these are my current Shelfies (my bookshelf's too tall to fit into one photo ;) so I made a collage of two.


10:48 AM (CET) - reading on The Pearl - beautiful classic novella. Reminds me of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea as well as some classic works of Slovak authors.

12:04 AM (CET) - The Pearl finished. Masterful classics, so short but with so many images, messages and allegories. Thought provoking story about worthlessness and even destructiveness of precious objects. But still, a thought came to my mind how sad it is that even the poorest people are victims of a destroying destiny and deceit brought to them in form of a thing that was supposed to be their salvation. Only because of human greediness, jealousy and slyness. There's something which connects The Pearl with my previous book I read for the Readathon, the Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran - here, wings of pure young love are broken by laws of the society. Two said novellas for my April 2015 Readathon. I think it's time to cheer up for the last one and half hour :)
A Small Note: The Penguin Clothbound Classics has fantastic bookish smell... :)

12:40 AM (CET) - picking my first and only graphic retelling of Pride and Prejudice.



End of Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
4:30 AM (CET) when I actually fell asleep for 3 hours.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I don't think there's something like this on my Read-a-thon's reading list (The Pearl by John Steinbeck is really beautiful but sad), well, it really depends on what genre do you prefer. I will have to consider my next Read-a-thon picks as well.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
This was my very first Read-a-thon and I was just looking around and I was really satisfied and amazed with all it's features.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Hourly updates and cheerleaders were fantastic!

5. How many books did you read?
2 whole books, 1/3 of a graphic novel and 38 pages of poetry.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Broken Wings, The Pearl, Pride and Prejudice (Marvel Illustrated) and Toto je moja reč (book in Slovak)

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Both Broken Wings and The Pearl were beautiful but very sad so I have mixed feelings a bit.

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?
If there is nothing which would prevent me from participating, then I am all up to it once again! :) I would be Reader for sure and I was also wondering about hosting an hourly challenge but we will see. Being a cheerleader may be great experience as well.



Thank you note:

In the end, I would like to thank the whole team around Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon for organising and administrating this great event! <3



23 comments:

  1. Your stack of books looks really enticing! Happy reading today!

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    1. Thank you :) I was very quick selection :)

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  2. Oh my gosh this is so cool! My husband's family has Slovak roots (I even learned a Slovak Christmas song, not that I have ANY idea how to spell any of the words!) I hope you have a super fantastic readathon. #TeamPopper will be cheering you on! And I will have "Tell the Shepherds" (in Slovak, of course) stuck in my head all day.

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    1. "Povedzte mi pastuškovia čo ste videli, že ste sa tak o polnoci všetci rozbehli..." tralala tralala. Is that the Christmas song you learned? Well, that part about "polnoc" = "midnight" seems to be apt for this late night hours ;) Thank you for cheering me up! :)

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  3. Oh I just LOVE bubble tea. I wish the weather was nicer, because it's perfect with sunny days. Happy Readathon. #TeamMrPopper

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    1. Thank you, CaroG :) I had my first bubble tea last summer and I can't live without since then.

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    2. They can be really addictive!

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    3. Yes, and this white peach with lichee really is. I tried it first time as 'possibly fine combination' and I don't want any other :)

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  4. Keep on reading! #TeamMrPopper

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  5. Peach tea sounds delicious! It's so much fun to see what everyone is snacking on and their books too, of course!

    Cheering you on from #TeamPopper!

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  6. Irene from Team Mr. Popper here. I hope you're enjoying the readathon so far. Please remember that it's all about having fun, so if you feel more like snacking than reading, then go ahead. This event is the perfect excuse for snacking!
    I'm sure you'll reach your goal. You can do this!

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    1. Yeap, snacking, great excuse ;) I really enjoy the readathon! I'm glad I decided to launch my blog during the readathon - great boost and experience! Thank you, Irene, for cheering me! :)

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  7. Here to cheer for you from Texas/USA. I used to work with someone from Czech Republic. Readers are everywhere! Enjoy your reading day! I love your nails!

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    1. Thank you, Kay, however, sad news: I used nail polish remover on Friday :( Yeap, our Czech neighbours :) Thank you for cheering me! :)

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  8. I only recently tried macaroons - how did you find them? I thought they were very tasty but also a little strange. Happy reading! I hope you're still enjoying your first readathon!

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    1. Yeap, strange, that's the right word ;) Maybe I awaited something more. I had lavender one and a mint one but I had to think of lavender in order to taste it there :) Yeap, I really enjoy it! :) Great adventure! And thank you for cheering me :) Happy reading to you too! :)

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  9. Grab a snack, dance a jig, it's Hour 17! You can do it! I know this hour gets difficult (for me, at least). Hope you're having a great time with your books! #TeamPopper

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    1. Thank you for cheering me, Elizabeth! Wish you happy reading too :) Seems like you held out better than me ;) Go on!

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  10. Your bookshelves look great. So many options, so little time :-)

    The readathon has been great so far. It is really quiet now. I can hear my cat snoring. We are in the homestretch. Don't forget to move around a bit. Best of luck in achieving your read-a-thon goals. Happy reading! #TeamMrPopper

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    1. Thank you so much for your support! :) Yes, quiet and even sunny Sunday morning here as well :)

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  11. I would like to say huge thanks to the whole #TeamMrPopper who's members were cheering me throughout my very first Readathon! It was so amazing to have so many book enthusiasts around. Thank you all so much for your cheering words! :) You've made my Readathon and also one of my first biggest experience with the blogging stuff few days after launch of my blog :)

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