The 2nd Mystery Read-A-Thon

So, Marleen and I have been talking about a date for the second Mystery Read-A-Thon and it is...


August 8-9, 2009


So yes, it's two days, Saturday and Sunday, this time around as we feel that that way we all have a better chance at meeting the 12 hour goal - even though we might have a few plans like a birthday, work or other appointments.

The goal is to once again read msteries and thrillers for 12 hours. It is your decision whether you're going to fill part of those 12 hours with audio books or whether you're sticking to the paper kind altogether.

Otherwise, please check back here every now and then throughout the read-a-thon, as we'll have a few memes for you - more than for the first one!

Now, as I am not sure Mr. Linky is working or not, please just leave a message in the link section saying that you'll participate and maybe leave a link to your blog post.

If you have any questions, feel free to write us at dreamworldofabookaholic[AT]googlemail[DOT]com !

And the winners are...

We're finally back from the short break right after the read-a-thon was over. Admittedly, it was a bit exhausting (especially because I also tried to do MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge that same weekend - oops!).

So, random.org has chosen and the winners are...

Patti O

Nonna (Chèli)

Betty

Rhinoa

Wendy

Bookish Ruth

Christina

gautami tripathy

Congrats everyone!

It is first come, first serve! Have fun!
Please send us the name of the book and your address at dreamworldofabookaholic[AT]googlemail[DOT]com

Kathrin's mystery/thriller reading

So I am really late with answering the memes. When I was working at my computer it was to check for unapproved comments, but here you go:

When did you start reading this genre?
I think I started reading this genre in 1993 or 1994 - when I was about 9 years old. (No Nancy Drew here, I'm afraid, or else I would have started a lot earlier!)

What was your first experience with the genre? The ever popular Nancy Drew or Agatha Christe? Or someone completely different?
The first mystery I remember reading was one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries. I still have those books and am really sad that the publisher at one point stopped this particular series. The covers were so pretty! (Sorry, I couldn't even find a pic on the internet.)

How did you discover it?
By chance - Mom and I took regular trips to the book stores and one day I saw the pretty covers, read the back cover blurbs - and hooked I was!

Do you exclusively read mysteries and thrillers or do you mix it with other genres? If you switch genres, which other genres do you read?
I mix genres. I read mysteries and thrillers, but also classics, chick lit, romance and non-fiction. I like this as I usually have just the right thing to read for my mood (unless I can't concentrate ;-) ).

Marleen's second blog

Well, for some reason my trying to post a link to my personal blog didn't work, so here is my entry there as copied. For my comments on the books I've read you'll have to go to my own blog though:

My answers to Kathrin's questions about this Read-A-Thon:

Tell us more about your mystery/thriller reading habit
I'm not sure whether it is a habit or an addiction, but I tend to read mysteries and thrillers more than any other genre, although I do read most other genres as well. I usually read other genres when I need a little break from the murder and mayhem, and tend to return to the mysteries after only one visit to a more sedate genre.
When did you start reading this genre?
I'm not entirely sure but probably when I was about 8 years old.

What was your first experience with the genre? The ever popular Nancy Drew or Agatha Christie? Or someone completely different?
For me it all started with the mysteries written by Enid Blyton; The Famous Five and the Secret Seven and series like that. In my early teens I then switched to Agatha Christie, and after that there was really never a time when I didn't read mysteries.

How did you discover it?
Again, I'm not entirely sure, but I probably stumbled upon Enid Blyton's books in the library, which is where I made most of my reading discoveries.

Do you exclusively read mysteries and thrillers or do you mix it with other genres? If you switch genres, which other genres do you read?
Like I said before, I tend to read almost all genres available. However, most of my reading time is spend on mysteries and thrillers I will read almost anything with words in it, provided it comes with a good story, characters I can believe in and is well written.

So, if you haven't already posted about it, tell us how the read-a-thon went for you. Please leave a link to your post here in the comment section!

Did you finish a book?
I finished two books and read a total of about 600 pages. It really helped that both the books I read were so captivating that I would have found it next to impossible to put them down even if I hadn't taken part in this Read-A-Thon. But having the event as an excuse to just keep on reading did help enormously.

If so, what did you finish?
SEEKING THE DEAD by Kate Ellis
THE SCARECROW by Michael Connelly

How many pages did you read?
Oops, I keep on having to repeat myself; about 600 pages, give or take a few.

How did the reading go for you?
It had more interruptions than I would have liked, but it's just not possible to stop life altogether. I mean when a cousin shows up for a quick visit, you can't just ignore him. And although I did bring a book and read most of the time, I couldn't pull out of a family get-together where the others were playing cards either. On the other hand, I had managed to get all my normal Sunday chores out of the way on Friday and Saturday, so that probably balanced out with the interruptions.

Would you join in for another read-a-thon later this year?
Absolutely; it's great to have this as an excuse to spend the day reading without feeling guilty about not doing anything else. I wouldn't get away with it too often, but a few times a year would be acceptable to those around me and very enjoyable for me.

What else do you think about the read-a-thon?
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was afraid that "having" to read would take away part of the pleasure, but quite the opposite was the case. Telling people to leave me alone to read because I had committed to it was a great experience, especially because everybody just accepted it.

Kathrin's summary

Well, here it goes, the first Mystery Read-A-Thon is over. I managed to read 10 hours and 33 minutes, and I'm really glad. I did have problems concentrating for the past two weeks or so.

While I didn't finish a single book (yes, you can read for over 10 hours and still not finish a book!), I read parts of Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark and Margaret Grace's Malice In Miniature, though. Well, and I finished three mangas (Detective Conan Vol. 16-18. I have no clue how many pages I read, though...

All in all, my reading was okay. Considering that during the last two weeks I couldn't concentrate at all, I am hoping this means I am back on track and out of the slump-like state... The only major disruptions I had to deal with were my cats who don't take being ignored easily and when my parents came home from a weekend trip (I hadn't seen Mom at all and Dad only for about 20 minutes before that).

I hope you all enjoyed the read-a-thon!

MYSTERY READ-A-THON ; A LOOK BACK

In my first post here, I just copied the text I had on my personal blog to this one. In this case I think I'll just post the link to my post here so that anyone who is interested can have a look at my answers to Kathrin's questions as well as my comments on the two books I managed to finish during the 12 hours of reading. Here it is:
http://meen-readingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/mystery-read-thon-ii.html
I'm not usually very good at posting links, so if it doesn't work, just let me know and I may yet copY the whole thing.

Kathrin's introduction meme

What books do you want to read during this read-a-thon?
I hadn't made any real plans for the read-a-thon. I have tons of mysteries on Mt. TBR, so I knew I would find something to read. The only book I brought from my place to my parents was Charlaine Harris' Dead Until Dark.

How many books do you hope to finish?
I had no expectations.

What (if any) breaks do you intend to take?
I knew I'd have to take a break to prepare lunch and another when my parents got back.

Do you generally read lots of mysteries and thrillers or are the one of the many genres you like?
Yes!

What are some of your favorite authors?
Lee Harris
Harlan Coben
Donna Leon
Victoria Laurie
Kathy Reichs
Jilliane Hoffman
and many, many more!

If you could make us all read one mystery or thriller for this read-a-thon, which one would it be and why?
Just one? What was I thinking when I asked this questions? But I have to comply. Lee Harris' Christine Bennett series is awesome, so if you haven't read that one yet, start with The Yom Kippur Murder!

Do you prefer series or stand alones?
I read both, but have a tendency to read series. Once I've taken a liking to a character or characters, though, I really enjoy visiting with them regularly!

sum-up for the read-a-thon

So, if you haven't already posted about it, tell us how the read-a-thon went for you. Please leave a link to your post here in the comment section!

Did you finish a book?

If so, what did you finish?

How many pages did you read?

How did the reading go for you?

Did you have any major disruptions?

Would you join in for another read-a-thon later this year?

What else do you think about the read-a-thon?

mystery/thriller reading

Tell us more about your mystery/thriller reading habit.

When did you start reading this genre?

What was your first experience with the genre? The ever popular Nancy Drew or Agatha Christe? Or someone completely different?

How did you discover it?

Do you exclusively read mysteries and thrillers or do you mix it with other genres? If you switch genres, which other genres do you read?

Please feel free to add your own questions!

Read-a-thon, Marleen's answers

Kathrin asked some interesting questions in her blog today, and since I'm one of the two organizers of this Read-A-Thon, I decided that I should probably be (one of the first) to answer them. And, I have to say, I found that harder than I thought I would. But, I did my best, and underneath here you can find my responses. If anyone would like to know anything else, just ask the question, and I'll try to answer it.

What books do you want to read during this read-a-thon?

I didn't actually decide on specific books during these 24 hours. Obviously they are going to be mysteries and thrillers, but I've got so many of them at home, both from the library and on my own shelves, that I will just pick them up as the mood strikes me. The way I usually pick my books, in fact.
I have decided on the first one though. It is SEEKING THE DEAD by Kate Ellis. This is the first book in a new series by her, featuring Joe Plantagenet.

How many books do you hope to finish?
That's very much going to depend on how big the books I end up picking are. I'd be disappointed though if I didn't finish at least 2. I would also be very surprised if I managed to read 4 or more.

What (if any) breaks do you intend to take?
Since I've decided to take 36 rather than 24 hours to squeeze my 12 reading hours into I'm going to have to take breaks for sleeping and eating. Tonight I have to show my face at a neighbours birthday party, although I don't intend to stay long. Tomorrow I hope to spend most of my time reading though. The only thing that will require a break from reading then is a good walk with the dog.

Do you generally read lots of mysteries and thrillers or are the one of the many genres you like?
I do like most genres of fiction, or rather there aren't many I actively dislike. However, I do seem to read more mysteries and thrillers than anything else.

What are some of your favorite authors?
Michael Connelly
Harlan Coben
Kate Ellis
J.D. Robb
Stephen Booth,
to name just a few. I know there must be a lot more, but these are the authors that jumped into my mind as I read the question.

If you could make us all read one mystery or thriller for this read-a-thon, which one would it be and why?
Now that is a really hard question, and I'm not sure I can answer it. For myself though, I brought THE SCARECROW by Michael Connelly home from the library yesterday and am really looking forward to reading that book.

Do you prefer series or stand alones?
In general I like both and don't really have a preference. But, with some authors I know I prefer the series over any stand-alones. This is especially true for Michael Connelly. I love all his books, but I'm always a bit disappointed when Harry Bosch doesn't feature in the book I happen to be reading.

Introduction meme

As the first members will probably be starting the Mystery Read-A-Thon around this time, here's the first post. For this, we have a short meme for you all to answer. Please take the questions to your blog and leave a link directly to the post in the comments here!

What books do you want to read during this read-a-thon?

How many books do you hope to finish?

What (if any) breaks do you intend to take?

Do you generally read lots of mysteries and thrillers or are the one of the many genres you like?

What are some of your favorite authors?

If you could make us all read one mystery or thriller for this read-a-thon, which one would it be and why?

Do you prefer series or stand alones?

memes

For the Read-A-Thon, we'll be having a couple memes for all of you. Just go ahead and take them for your blog whenever you're taking a break - and please leave a link to your blog post in the comment section, or, if you don't have a blog, leave the answers in the comment section.

And if you have an idea for a meme yourself, feel free to e-mail me (Kathrin) at dreamworldofabookaholic@googlemail.com !