Read-a-Thon Hour Twenty-Four

Currently reading: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman 

Pages read this hour: I'm reading this on my Kindle (no page numbers) so I've read 56% total (8% this hour because I read 48% in the last four hours).

Total pages read: 777 (according to Amazon, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is 272 pages and I read just over half of it, so I divided that number in half to get this number)

Snacks consumed: None.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

 

End of Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Probably around 12:00 am or 1:00 am - that was when my boyfriend went to bed and I started to realized how tired I was.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum, Samson and Denial by Bob Ford
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No, I thought everything was great.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I thought the posts on the Read-a-thon site were great - they made me laugh and inspired me to keep going when I became really tired and just wanted to go to bed.
5. How many books did you read? 3 1/2
6. What were the names of the books you read? The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey, Candy Girl by Diablo Cody, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and half of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Candy Girl by Diablo Cody
8. Which did you enjoy least? Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Not applicable.
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 - I had so much fun! Next time I would definitely be a reader again.

I'm a bit sad the Read-a-Thon is over, but I'm sure I'll participate in the next one. I'm off to bed now. Good night!

Read-a-Thon Hour Twenty-Three

Currently reading: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman 

Thoughts so far: As I read more of this book, I realize that I don't agree with any of Klosterman's opinions and find his essays (mostly) unfunny and dull. If I had started this book earlier on I probably would've abandoned it in favour of another book on my list, but I thought it would be pointless to start another book so close to the end.

Pages read this hour: I'm reading this on my Kindle (no page numbers) so I've read 48% total (16% this hour because I read 32% in the last four hours).

Total pages read: 635...and however many pages 48% of this book happens to be.

Snacks consumed: None.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Read-a-Thon Hour Twenty-Two

Currently reading: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman 

Thoughts so far: I spoke too soon about this book being hilarious. So far I've only found two essays relate-able - the others are on subjects I know nothing about (like The Real World and Billy Joel) so I've found them far less amusing. I'm really struggling to stay awake at this point...but there's just two more hours to go!

Pages read this hour: I'm reading this on my Kindle (no page numbers) so I've read 32% total (11% this hour because I read 21% in the last three hours).

Total pages read: 635...and however many pages 32% of this book happens to be.

Snacks consumed: Just fed the cats again, nothing for me though.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Read-a-Thon Hour Twenty-One

Currently reading: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman  

Pages read this hour: I'm reading this on my Kindle (no page numbers) so I've read 21% total (9% this hour because I read 12% in the two hours).

Total pages read: 635...and however many pages 21% of this book happens to be.

Snacks consumed: None

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Read-a-Thon Hour Twenty

Currently reading: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman  

 

Thoughts so far: Just finished Klosterman's essay on The Sims and laughed so hard I cried!  Definitely relate-able to any Simmer. Hope the rest of the book is just as funny because then I'll actually have a chance of staying awake.

Pages read this hour: I'm reading this on my Kindle (no page numbers) so I've read 12% (so 10% this hour because I read 2% in the last hour).

Total pages read: 635...and however many pages 10% of this book happens to be.

Snacks consumed: Just finished the last sip of iced tea in my glass that's been sitting there for the past couple of hours.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Read-a-Thon Hour Nineteen

Currently reading: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman 

Pages read this hour: I finished the last 30% of Fight Club and read 2% of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs.

Total pages read: 635

Snacks consumed: None.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Thoughts: It took me awhile to get into it, but after that I really enjoyed Fight Club...it was entertaining enough to keep me from falling asleep.

Read-a-Thon Hour Eighteen

Currently reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

Pages read this hour: 84%

Total pages read: 411...plus however many pages of Fight Club

Snacks consumed: More homemade iced tea and spinach dip.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

 

Random thought: It's funny, right now in Fight Club, the narrator is trying to stay awake too...too bad I don't have any pep pills.

Read-a-Thon Hour Seventeen

Currently reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

Pages read this hour: 69%

Total pages read: 411...plus however many pages of Fight Club

Snacks consumed: None.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

 

Random thought: I'm soooo tired. Everyone around me is asleep - the two cats and my boyfriend - and I just want to curl up beside them and go to sleep. Maybe I should have another coffee....

Read-a-Thon Hour Sixteen

Currently reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

Pages read this hour: 57%

Total pages read: 411...plus however many pages of Fight Club

Snacks consumed: One Green Mountain Hazelnut coffee (with lots of French Vanilla International Delight) for me and one can of Friskies cat food for the cats.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Read-a-Thon Hour Fifteen

Currently reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

Pages read this hour: 46%

Total pages read: 411...plus however many pages of Fight Club

Snacks consumed: Nothing...thinking of making myself a coffee now though.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Read-a-Thon Hour Fourteen

Currently reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

Pages read this hour: 33%

Total pages read: 411...plus however many pages of Fight Club

Snacks consumed: Nothing...too full from all the snacks I ate earlier

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Read-a-Thon Hour Thirteen

Currently reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

Pages read this hour: 25%

Total pages read: 411...plus however many pages of Fight Club

Snacks consumed: Stew made by my boyfriend and Pillsbury Biscuits (I didn't eat that much of it because I was full from all the junk I ate earlier so I'll save the rest for later).

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey
Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

I'm getting a bit sleepy.

2) What have you finished reading?

The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey and Candy Girl by Diablo Cody.

3) What is your favorite read so far?

 Candy Girl

4) What about your favorite snacks?

 Spinach dip...OMG so good!

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

Wall-to-Wall Books, Fictionista and Recreational Reading...I've been mostly reading books instead of blogs, but I have clicked on a few links. I'll probably come back to the Read-a-Thon site later to discover more book blogs.

Read-a-Thon Hour Twelve

Currently reading: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 

Pages read this hour: I'm reading this on my Kindle and it doesn't have page numbers...I've read 12%...I could probably figure out how many pages that is from how long I know Fight Club is but I'm far too lazy - I mean I'm too busy reading....

Total pages read: 411...plus however many pages of Fight Club

Snacks consumed: More Sweet Marie Bars and homemade iced tea and spinach dip...can't...stop...eating...it.

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Read-a-Thon Hour Eleven

Currently reading: Nothing yet, I just finished Candy Girl, but I plan on starting Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk next.

Pages read this hour: 77

Total pages read: 411

Snacks consumed: Another Sweet Marie Bar

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody 

 

Thoughts: I enjoyed this book a lot more than the last one I read. This memoir of Diablo Cody's year working as a stripper was funny and entertaining. My only complaint is the occasional appearance of the "Cody-speak" she's known for. At times I would read a word or phrase and wonder what the hell she was talking about.

Minichallenges completed:  E-book Survey at Noumena12 Book Blog

Read-a-Thon Hour Ten

Currently reading: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Pages read this hour: 21

Total pages read: 334

Snacks consumed: One Sweet Marie Bar

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Minichallenges completed:  E-book Survey at Noumena12 Book Blog - This challenge is open until Hour 14 and you could win a $25 book gift certificate.

Read-a-Thon Hour Nine

Currently reading: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Pages read this hour: 50

Total pages read: 313

Snacks consumed: None

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Read-a-Thon Hour Eight

Currently reading: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Pages read this hour: 37

Total pages read: 263

Snacks consumed: One can of Friskies cat food (for the cats, not me)

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Read-a-Thon Hour Seven

Currently reading: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody

Pages read this hour: 21

Total pages read: 226

Snacks consumed: More iced tea and spinach dip

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Read-a-Thon Hour Six

Currently reading: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody - I've wanted to read this book since I saw the movie Juno (which was written by Diablo Cody).

Pages read this hour: 44

Total pages read: 205

Snacks consumed: One glass of iced tea

Books finished: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Thoughts: The Torn Skirt doesn't have much of a plot. It's basically about a good girl who goes bad, but it's not as interesting as that sounds - she just hangs around "bad" girls but doesn't really participate in any of the "bad" things they do, she is simply a witness. I found this book pretty boring. I hope Candy Girl is better.

Read-a-Thon Hour Five

Currently reading: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Pages read this hour: 44

Total pages read: 180

Snacks consumed: Hot Dog Lunchable and chocolate milk

Read-a-Thon Hour Four

Currently reading: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Pages read this hour: 36 (I took a bath and although I read in the tub, I still had to take time out to wash and brush my hair.)

Total pages read: 136

Snacks consumed: None

Read-a-Thon Hour Three

Currently reading: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Pages read this hour: 38

Total pages read: 100

Snacks consumed: One glass of iced tea

Read-a-Thon Hour Two

Currently reading: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Pages read this hour: 32

Total pages read: 62

Snacks consumed: None

Read-a-Thon Hour One

Currently reading: The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey

Pages read this hour: 30 (boyfriend woke up and is currently preventing me from reading...hopefully can read more when he goes to work)

Total pages read: 30

Snacks consumed: One glass of iced tea (I had to try it) and a bit of spinach dip and pumpernickel (had to test out that too)

Read-a-Thon Introductory Questionnaire

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

Oakville, Ontario

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

Fight Club

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Spinach dip

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I have two cats: Betty and Timmy.

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 looking forward to catching up on my 2012 goal of reading 50 books (hopefully - I'm about six books behind).

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

In about 15 minutes I will start participating in Dewey's Read-a-Thon. I will attempt to spend a full 24 hours reading...since I love sleep I don't know if I'll be able to do it, but I'm giving it my best shot. Here are the books I've chosen to read:

1. The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey 199 pages
2. Candy Girl by Diablo Cody 212 pages
3. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 224 pages (on Kindle)
4. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman 272 pages (on Kindle)
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 213 pages (on Kindle)
6. The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker 164 pages
7. Baxter by Jessica Hamilton 144 pages

...And the food I will be enjoying:

• S'mores Pop-tarts
• Sweet Marie Bars
• Spinach dip with pumpernickel bread
• Hot Dog Lunchable
• Homemade iced tea
• A variety of K-cups

Wish me luck!

The Lisa Simpson Book Club

A few days ago I stumbled across a really cool Tumblr blog called The Lisa Simpson Book Club. The title sums up what it's about. It features pictures of Lisa with books and a list of books and magazines she has read on the show. Anyone who loves books and Lisa Simpson must check it out.

Twist March 1999

  

Twist was a teen magazine that was popular - at least to me and my friends - when I was 11 and 12. I adored this magazine because it was fun. It actually had jokes. It wasn't all about serious teen issues (I'm looking at you Seventeen). But it wasn't completely frivolous and filled with pictures of hot guys (*cough*J-14*cough*), it had a good combination of both. There were stories about issues (see "my cybersex nightmare on the cover), pictures of hotties, love advice, fashion and stories just for fun (see palm reading cards below). Here are a few articles I found interesting when flipping through the March 1999 issue of Twist. Click to enlarge them. 

I used to be obsessed with things that could tell my future - magic 8 balls...cootie catchers...fortune cookies.... Eventually I stumbled upon palm reading. I can actually remember reading my own palm thanks to the knowledge I gleaned from these cards and a book I got from the library. I determined that I would have two children and only one - very long - relationship. I was disappointed because I had crushes on, like, 20 different guys at the time and I wanted to date more than one guy in my lifetime. If anyone is brave enough to follow these directions and read your own palm please comment and share what the future holds for you.

These are the aforementioned palm reading cards. I guess you can shove them in your pocket for a palm reading emergency.

Sorry for the big hole in the article, but you can still read most of it.

Highlights from this article:

• Selma Blair the next big thing on TV? ...Well that never happened. Sadly she never became the next big anything. Too bad, I loved her as the slutty spoiled brat in Cruel Intentions and as the chick who gets a dick stuck in her mouth in The Sweetest Thing. I honestly never even knew she was on television. 
• Alyson Hannigan's first crush was Elroy Jetson?
• Topher Grace doesn't like hanging out with people and is obsessed with Red Lobster.
• Laura Prepon is "a Jersey girl and proud of it." Really? Do you still stand behind your statement in 2012?
• Scott Baristow said that working with JTT on Wild America was "borderline too much fun." ...Like I needed anymore reasons to be depressed that I couldn't be on that set.
• Including Wendy Testaburger as one of the "underrated" TV stars in this article is just an example of why I loved Twist so much.

 

Pop Life was a regular feature in Twist. 

Highlights from this article:

• I forgot Brendan Fraser played George of the Jungle. Thanks for reminder.
• Usher vs. an usher = hilarious
• Speaking as a Backstreet Boys expert, I don't think the lyrics in the verses of "All I Have to Give" were supposed to rhyme, just the chorus was. 
• Jen caned to death by Gram when caught raiding the booze nude with two boys? I could totally see that happening. Ditto for Donna's death by brain cell evaporation. 
• The "Rent It" section of Pop Life makes me want to rent Better off Dead. Right. Now.

Pretty good suggestions on ways to get over disappointments in your life.

Teen Magazine Monday

So I've decided to add yet another feature to my blog. I think it will be bi-weekly or maybe monthly - I haven't really decided yet. Anyway, I've dubbed it Teen Magazine Monday. Each post will feature a different magazine from my pre-teen and teen years (which were around 1999-2004). I will scan a few articles from the magazine that I found interesting and post them along with my commentary.

The reason I'm doing this is because I love 90's nostalgia. I still have a huge collection of my teen magazines in a box in my room at my dad's house. I had subscriptions to YM and Fashion 18, plus I had several hand-me-down magazines from older cousins and I also bought a lot of magazines - J-14, M, Seventeen, Jump, Twist.... I hope you enjoy!

Clueless, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Daria are back on TV!

 

Breaking news! The other day I was scrolling through the guide trying to find something good in the crap that is daytime TV and I came across Daria on Much Music. Then I noticed that Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Clueless were on back-to-back later. So it turns out that on weekdays Much Music airs Daria at 3:00 pm, Sabrina the Teenage Witch at 5:00 pm and Clueless at 5:30 pm! Obviously I set up series recordings for each on my DVR immediately.

Oh, and Much Music also airs Malcolm in the Middle at 7:00 pm on weekdays, but I was less excited about it because my boyfriend recently downloaded it.