Read-a-thon ends and we all fall down!

Somehow this has been one of the shortest 24-hour stretches ever. Is it because I spent a good part of it wrapped up in a good book?

Actually, I didn't. I slept for 7 hours, chatted and cooked and ate and was distracted for probably about 5 hours (maybe more), and blogged for probably 2 hours altogether... that leaves only 10 hours of reading, and that's being generous. Hmmmm... I'm sure I could have done better than that.

Here is the end-of-event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The first hour was a challenge - I was frantically trying to finish assembling enchiladas to put in the oven, amidst a flurry of guests and with the sun shining brightly outside. I don't think I read a single page in the first hour...

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I started out with Beloved by Toni Morrison and found it a fantastic and gripping read. You don't want to rush through that one, though. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is wonderful, inventive, easy to read and full of fun and creepy adventures. I'd definitely recommend it!

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No, it was great.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The hourly updates were clear, easy to read, and full of useful links and fun challenges... I checked in almost every hour.

5. How many books did you read? Three, or maybe more like two and a half.

6. What were the names of the books you read? Beloved by Toni Morrison, Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

7. Which book did you enjoy most? Beloved, because it was incredible and Morrison is such a masterful storyteller.

8. Which did you enjoy least? Embroideries was disappointing.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Yes, I think I would participate again as a reader but I might take a couple hours 'off' to visit other people's blogs, which I didn't do this time.

Thanks to all the organisers and prizegivers and cheerleaders and everyone! You all deserve a good night's sleep now!

Oh. My total pages read was approx. 468 but that's not necessarily accurate because Embroideries didn't have page numbers and I can't remember what page I started on in Beloved. You see how bad I am at keeping track of anything. Anyway, I suppose I can try to 'out-read' myself next time around!