It’s time: Dewey’s 24-hour read-a-thon starts now! I already know I won’t be reading for all 24 hours…I have a prior commitment for a few hours this evening, plus I’m on allergy meds that are knocking me out, so I’ll definitely be needing some sleep tonight! But I still plan to read as much as I can, and I’ll be updating my progress in this post throughout the day. Looking forward to checking out other people’s progress as well!

So, without further ado, the intro meme!

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Arlington, VA
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I don’t really have a stack this year…but I’m hoping to make some more headway in Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour, which I started a while ago but had to set aside because it was taking so long to read! Don’t get me wrong, I like it a lot — it’s just giant and time-consuming.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Again, I don’t really have specific snacks, although there are some cut-up veggies in the fridge. I am really underprepared for this read-a-thon!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I have a baby grand piano in my one-bedroom apartment.
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? The main difference this year is that I’m not able to set aside the whole day! So I think I’m going to approach this read-a-thon in a much less structured way than usual. I won’t be counting the pages I read or logging my reading time down to the minute…I’m just going to try to read a lot and have fun!

10:47 a.m. — So I’ve been reading for about an hour and a half, and I finished my first book of the read-a-thon! It was Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins, a very quick read (although I did start it yesterday) with a great feel-good romance. I also did this mini-challenge in which you get to put jigsaw puzzles together! And now I think it’s time for a break…I need to shower, put on clothes that aren’t pajamas, eat something, and perhaps take a quick walk. Hope everyone is still going strong!

12:52 p.m. — Time for one of my favorite challenges of the read-a-thon, Book Puzzles! Try to guess what book I’m thinking of, based on the following pictures (short words like articles and prepositions have been left out). Winner gets bragging rights!

2:46 p.m. — More challenges, anyone? Here are some of the best books of my reading year:

• Best sci-fi: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. If you still mourn the loss of “Firefly,” you should definitely track down this book! I haven’t gotten to the sequels (YET), but I hear they’re just as good!
• Best romance: Unsticky by Sarra Manning. This may be British chick lit, but it’s no Bridget Jones’s Diary. This book is about a romance, but it’s not afraid to explore the darker, grittier side of relationships.
• Best children’s book: The Giver by Lois Lowry. HOW did I miss this book as a child?! If you like dystopian literature, you have to check it out!
• Best debut author: B.J. Novak. I just finished his first book, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, which came out in February. The stories are mostly hilarious, but a lot of them have a sharp bite to them as well. I had high expectations because of his experience with “The Office,” but I was still very impressed.

And here is my six-word celebration of Dewey’s read-a-thon: No distractions, no guilt, just reading!

3:04 p.m. — OK, I had to do one more challenge because it was just too much fun to resist! The bookish brew I have created is: The Pitcher of Dorian Earl Gray. It’s very easy to make — simply brew the tea, let it cool to room temperature, then pour it over ice and serve. Mix the room-temperature beverage with a syrup composed of sugar and water, if you’re craving something a little more sinfully decadent. But above all, make sure you take a photo of the pitcher before serving the tea. The picture will look less and less appealing with time, but you’ll ensure that your beverage will taste fresh and delicious forever!

9:01 p.m. — I haven’t been able to update in a while (stupid prior commitments!), but rest assured, I haven’t given up just yet! I’m still plugging away at The Sunne in Splendour, which continues to be fascinating but time-consuming. And what edition of The Sunne in Splendour am I actually reading? Apparently it is the 15th printing (as indicated by the lowest number in the series of numbers at the bottom of the page). Who knew?

And here’s my name in book titles:

• C – Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (a must-read if you like Regency romances!)
• H – Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (love all her books)
• R – Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (such a lovely, bittersweet novel)
• I – Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
• S – Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (oh, Austen, how I love thee)
• T – Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (still one of my favorites, although I love Much Ado the most)
• I – Impossible Things by Connie Willis (recommended for sci-fi fans, although some of the stories are better than others)
• N – Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (deliciously creepy and creative)
• A – Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (my favorite in the Anne of Green Gables series)

11:05 p.m. — Still reading The Sunne in Splendour. I was hoping that I’d be able to finish it during this read-a-thon, but that is definitely not going to happen, since I plan to be asleep in an hour or two at most! But it looks like the plot has finally moved into its endgame, so it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

12:06 a.m. — All right, I’m too tired to stay awake, so I’m officially calling it. Good night, and good luck to all of you who are still reading!

My Goals

The Bout of Books 9.0 read-a-thon starts this Monday, January 6, so it’s time to post my goals and progress! My main goal for the week will be to read at least 1500 pages, which will probably be about 4 books. I also hope to read at least a little bit every day and to participate in at least 3 mini-challenges. I will update this post every day with my progress and any mini-challenges I attempt.

Possible Books

It’s not an all-inclusive list, but here are some books I might read during this read-a-thon:

Updates

Monday, January 6

Pages read: 58
Books read from: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
Mini-challenges:

1. Bookish Comforts asked us to fill a basket at Book Depository with the books we’d buy if we could spend $100. Here’s my basket:

2. Cheap Thrills repeated her Mad Libs Challenge from the last read-a-thon! Go do it for yourself before reading my paragraph, below:

I just read the greatest book!

This guy Emma ends up in the middle of a polysyllabic conspiracy. Turns out her ancestors were pirates, and she might be the key to finding the scarlet crucible. It’s a mythic artifact that disappeared centuries ago, and now a shadowy group of detectives are looking for it. No one knows what uncovering it might do, but these guys are willing to bewitch for it.

I won’t say anything else. But believe me, if you like impossible stories with vagrants and peas, you have to read this one.

Books I used: (1) Emma by Jane Austen. (2) The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby. (3) The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. (4) Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik. (5) Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. (6) Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle. (7) Impossible Things by Connie Willis. (8) Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton. (9) Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn.

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Tuesday, January 7

Pages read: 89
Books read from: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
Mini-challenges:

3. Sarah Says Read asked about our reading tactics: “How do you fit in as much reading as possible during Bout of Books? How do you squeeze in those extra pages?” I snatch free moments to read whenever I can — usually on my commute to work (yay public transportation!) and during my lunch hour. I also try to make some time every night before bed.

4. The Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog challenged us to cast an audiobook version of our favorite book. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I chose Pride and Prejudice! I would cast Parminder Nagra as Elizabeth Bennet because I adored her spunky personality in “Bend It Like Beckham” and think she would make a strong, sassy Elizabeth. As for Mr. Darcy, I have to go with Benedict Cumberbatch — I mean, that VOICE! (Also, I’ve been binge-watching “Sherlock” recently in preparation for the Season 3 premiere, so I’m a little bit obsessed with him right now!)

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Wednesday, January 8

Pages read: 66
Books read from: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
Mini-challenges:

5. Doing Dewey asked us to introduce our favorite genre to the other BoB participants. Though I read in a variety of  genres, lately I’ve been very interested in books about World War II (which isn’t technically a genre, but bear with me!). Some of my favorite books in this category are:

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows — A charming epistolary novel that manages to be a “feel-good” story despite being set on the German-occupied island of Guernsey. This is honestly one of my all-time favorite books!

• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein — An emotionally wrenching story of friendship and courage, with two amazing female protagonists and a lot of historical background about women pilots during WWII. I sobbed through the last 60 or so pages, but it’s definitely worth reading!

• Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis — A meticulously researched WWII novel focusing on London during the Blitz. There’s also a time-travel element, for you science fiction fans! The story is very long and the pacing is quite slow, but that just gives the setting plenty of time to shine. 🙂

• Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre — A nonfiction book that reads like a novel. It’s about a real spy mission in which the Allies spread misinformation by planting false documents on a corpse dressed in a British uniform.

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Thursday, January 9

Pages read: 148
Books read from: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay (completed!)
Mini-challenges:

6. Writing My Own Fairy Tale asked us to set up a bookish “double date,” or two books you think should be read together. I think Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey and The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart make a great pairing. In both books, the main character is an impostor who is pretending to be someone else. But each book takes this premise in a totally different direction! I highly recommend both books, especially if you’re the kind of person who likes con movies or mysteries with lots of plot twists.

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Friday, January 10

Pages read: 116
Books read from: Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
Mini-challenges:

7. Never Too Fond of Books challenged us to create a story using the last word of every line of the last page we read. My words (from Dear Mr. Knightley, page 5) are: back, so, help, and, be, again, stand, hard, help, hope, for, honest, write, right, anonymity, and, paper, well, paper-based, Medill, letter, honest, Bennet’s, sincerely, Moore.

Bennet’s letter — paper-based hope —
Help stand, help be well
For honest Moore;
Paper anonymity, so honest and hard and right…
Write back again.

Sincerely,
Medill.

What is it about? I think I’ll leave that open to the reader’s interpretation… 🙂

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Saturday, January 11

Pages read: 285
Books read from: Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay (completed!); Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout
Mini-challenges:

8. Midnight Book Girl asked us to “stage” a book by taking a picture of it in a setting or with items that represent the book. Here’s my picture:

The book, as you can see, is Dear Mr. Knightley. I’ve placed it with a DVD of the Gwyneth Paltrow version of “Emma” because the movie is mentioned in the book (and also because of the book’s title, obviously). There’s also a Jane Austen action figure because the main character, Samantha, loves Austen and frequently quotes from her novels. Finally, the purple thing you may not be able to identify is a graduation tassel, because Samantha is struggling to complete a grad school program in journalism.

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Sunday, January 12

Pages read: 299
Books read from: Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (completed!); Lexicon by Max Barry
Mini-challenges: none

Monday 8/19

Pages read today: 37

Books finished today: none

Mini-challenges:

1. Sarah Says Read wanted to know our bookish bucket lists. One book-related thing I’d love to do before I die is visit all of England’s Jane Austen landmarks, most notably Chawton House and the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. I’ve also been inspired to do a cross-country road trip, hopefully a couple summers from now, thanks to Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.

2. BookPairing asked about what we’re eating and drinking with our books during this read-a-thon. Sadly, I happen to have basically no alcohol at the moment, so I couldn’t post a cute wine-‘n’-books pic. But I did enjoy a tall glass of water and some pasta with butter and cheese while I read The Collaborator of Bethlehem!

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Tuesday 8/20

Pages read today: 168

Books finished today: Matt Beynon Rees, The Collaborator of Bethlehem. Next up is Devil’s Brood by Sharon Kay Penman.

Mini-challenges:

3. Music Plus Books suggested that we re-title the book we’re currently reading. Here’s my not-very-clever attempt…at least the cover was easy to edit!

(before)                                                     (after)

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Wednesday 8/21

Pages read today: 78

Books finished today: none

Mini-challenges:

4. Musings of a Bookshop Girl wanted to know about our TBR lists. It’s a two-parter, so see below:

Five books at the very top of my pile are: (1) Behold, Here’s Poison by Georgette Heyer, because I’m slowly making my way through her mysteries; (2) The Club of Angels by Luis Fernando Verissimo, because it sounds like a cool, dark mystery set in Brazil; (3) The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart, because I swore I’d read her Arthurian trilogy this year; (4) Million Dollar Baby by Amy Patricia Meade, because mysteries set in 1920s England are my kryptonite; and (5) The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne, because I love that he wrote something besides Winnie-the-Pooh!

As for the five books I’d buy immediately…I’m going to include books I can pre-order, because most of the ones I’m itching to read will be published within the next month or two! I’d pick: (1) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, because it’s Rainbow Rowell and she’s awesome; (2) Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire, because I can’t wait to see what Toby and Tybalt are up to; (3) Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, because Code Name Verity was so f***ing good; (4) Shadows by Robin McKinley, because I’ve loved her books forever; and (5) The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins, because her contemporary romances are so light and fun!

5. Such a Novel Idea challenged us to create book spine poetry! Here’s my entry:

The text of the poem is: “War for the oaks / the high crusade / retribution falls / the reckoning / green darkness / blackout.” It turned out a bit darker — and perhaps more environmentalist? — than I expected!

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Thursday 8/22

Pages read today: 105

Books finished today: none

Mini-challenges:

6. In Wonderland encouraged us to go on a bookish road trip by listing some places we’d like to travel along with books set in those locations. Here’s my road trip list, with complementary books:

1.) Ireland — Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
2.) Tuscany (a.k.a. anywhere in Italy!) — The Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato
3.) Scotland — The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
4.) Maine — Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins
5.) Nashville, Tennessee — Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

7. Paperback Daydreamer created an I Spy game and listed items that we had to find on the covers of books that we own. Sadly, I was not able to find snowflakes, a Christmas tree, sunglasses, or handcuffs! But here’s what I did find:

Flames — Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson
City skyline — Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
Moon — The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Sword — The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Wedding dress — Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
High heels — Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
Fog — The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 2 (Barnes & Noble edition)
Lightning — Spirit’s End by Rachel Aaron
Tattoo — Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Combat boots — Adorkable by Sarra Manning
Road — The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

I’d post pictures too, but that seems like overkill!

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Friday 8/23

Pages read today: 3 (ouch!)

Books finished today: none, obviously 🙂

Mini-challenges:

8. The Space Between created a bookish mad lib! My answer is below, but I don’t want to spoil the fun, so be sure to fill out your own answers before reading anyone else’s!

A. Place name/type: Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce
B. Favorite villain: Acheron Hades from The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
C. Adjective: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
D. Number: The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers
E. Noun: The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol
F. Hero you wouldn’t mind spending a lot of time with: Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
G. Dessert: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Help! I’m being held captive in Aberystwyth by Acheron Hades!
It is very disreputable here!
He is demanding 13 1/2 suitcases to set me free!
I have just discovered that Mr. Darcy was captured too!
On second thought, please send lemon cake, and don’t worry if you don’t hear from us for a while!

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Saturday 8/24

Pages read today: 31

Books finished today: none, and it looks like I won’t finish a second book this week after all…

Mini-challenges: none

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Sunday 8/25

Pages read today: 0

Books finished today: none

Mini-challenges: none

9:17 a.m. Welcome to my 24-hour read-a-thon post! This is where I’ll update my progress throughout the day. Alas, I’m off to a bad start because I overslept and wasn’t able to start at 8:00 a.m.! And now I have to go run some errands…but I will be reading later today, I promise! 🙂 In the meantime, here’s the Introductory Questionnaire:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? — Washington, D.C. metro area
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? — I don’t have an official “stack” — I tend to read whatever strikes my fancy — but I’m definitely excited about reading A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess!
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? — Yesterday I stocked up on caffeinated beverages, veggies and hummus, and chocolate-covered peanuts. But I’m still looking forward to my bag of Smartfood the most! 🙂
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! — I took piano lessons from 2nd grade all the way through college. As a result, I always keep my fingernails super-short; if they were too long, my teacher would make me cut them!
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 think this year I won’t keep strict track of how many hours/pages I read. I’ll just go with the flow, read as much as I can, and hopefully spend some more time visiting other people’s blogs!

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12:58 p.m. Well, I finally sat down and read for a little while, and I finished Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons. Now it’s time for some mini-challenges! First up is Book Spine Poetry, and here is my poem:

In case you can’t read it: “Three men in a boat / a midsummer tempest / something rising (light and swift) / the farthest shore / a beautiful blue death.” Not very grammatically correct, but there you go. 🙂

Then there’s Book Appetit, which asks readers to create a menu based on books they’ve read or are currently reading. My menu for A Natural History of Dragons would probably involve genteel 19th-century food such as cucumber sandwiches (with crusts cut off, of course) and tea. Soft harpsichord and string quartet music would play in the background; but because the heroine is a scientist and a bit of a rebel, I’d also sneak in some ’80s classics like “She Blinded Me with Science.” As for the book’s signature cocktail, all I know is that it would be called Dragon’s Breath, and it would definitely be tequila-based!

The Retitle a Book challenge is rather self-explanatory. 🙂 Based on this cover of A Natural History of Dragons…

…my new title would be something like A Sorcerer’s Guide to the Dismemberment of Magical Creatures. To me, it really looks like a Gray’s Anatomy for dragons!

And finally, here is my entry for the Book Puzzle challenge. Can you guess what book title these pictures represent?

The

of

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3:13 p.m. I’ve been slowly making my way through The Count of Monte Cristo for the past couple of months, so I’ve decided that every time I finish a book for this read-a-thon, I’ll read a few chapters of The Count. I’m really enjoying the book…it’s just intimidatingly large and heavy!

Anyway, here’s my response for the Best and Worst Covers challenge!

The one on the left is my favorite; I like the clean lines of the artwork and the drama of the red on the mostly gray cover. And the one on the right is the worst cover; can you say Photoshop amateur?

Next up, I’m starting A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess!

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6:32 p.m. About halfway through A Girl Like You and enjoying it immensely. I went outside to read for a bit, since it’s so lovely out. Fresh air = good and important. I’m also debating dinner right now…should I order pizza or stick with what I have in the house? (OK, I know the correct answer to that. But I’ll probably order the pizza anyway.)

Also, here is my entry for the Picture it! challenge:

It is my couch, where I’ve been reading for most of the day (with occasional detours to my bed, plus my one foray outside). The book is nestled into the left corner. You can also see a bit of my “The Importance of Being Earnest” movie poster in the top left corner. (Why yes, that is how I chose to decorate my living room. Why do you ask?)

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9:30 p.m. Okay, I love this Cooking the Books challenge! You take a well-known book title and twist it so that it sounds like a cookbook, then write a brief synopsis. Here’s my effort:

The Bun Also Rises — If you’re feeling exhausted, like you’ve just been through a war, this cookbook is for you! Vent your frustration by learning to bake the perfect pastries, cakes, and loaves of bread. These light, buoyant delicacies are sure to lift your spirits! Traditional Spanish recipes are prominently featured.

I know it’s not polite to laugh at your own jokes, but seriously, that title makes me giggle so hard. In other news, I just finished A Girl Like You, which was a lovely, romantic, fun-filled read. Off to the next book!

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11:13 p.m. Today I am a very lucky girl — I’ve won TWO of the mini-challenges! I’m shocked but very thrilled and grateful!

Speaking of mini-challenges, here’s my entry for the Turn the Page challenge: “I would rather read than beg your hand to finish this set any day!” The bolded phrase is from page 32 of The Birth of Blue Satan by Patricia Wynn, which I’m about to start.

Starting to fade a bit…I am hoping to hold out until 2:00 a.m., but we’ll see how it goes!

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12:24 a.m. My Six Word Celebration: “Look forward to this every year!” It’s true, y’all — I put this on my calendar weeks in advance!

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1:32 a.m. Methinks this will be my last post of the night. I’ll probably continue to read for a little while longer, but I’m pretty sure I will be falling asleep soon! To those of you still reading, you are awesome! But for me, it’s definitely bedtime.

The 24-hour read-a-thon begins now!

I’ll be posting updates here throughout the day, so I apologize in advance for the eventual length of this post.

Hour 1 — Kicking off the read-a-thon with The Assassin’s Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke. Also, here’s the Intro Questionnaire:

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Washington, DC area
2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Probably Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys, since I loved The Scorpio Races so much!
3. Which snack are you most looking forward to? I actually didn’t buy snacks in advance…oops. I’ll definitely be hitting the grocery store today though!
4. Tell us a little something about yourself! I have bobbleheads of three (current or former) Supreme Court justices.
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’ve done the read-a-thon a few times in the past, and my focus has usually been solely on how much I can read. This time I’m going to take it a little easier, go to bed at a normal hour, and spend more time visiting people’s blogs.

Hour 4 — Not too much to update, sadly! I had to run some errands this morning, so I haven’t actually done much reading yet. I’m 67 pages into The Assassin’s Curse and liking it so far.

Hour 6 — Still not done with my first book yet, which does not bode well for my progress in this read-a-thon. On the other hand, I’ve been having fun doing some mini-challenges and visiting the other readers’ blogs.

Hour 7 — Finally finished The Assassin’s Curse! I quite liked it overall, although I hate books with cliffhanger endings, especially when there’s no previous indication that the book is part of a series. Oh well — on to The Westing Game  by Ellen Raskin, which I somehow never read as a child.

Hour 8 — The Westing Game is pretty fun! I have figured out something, but I don’t know how that something relates to the book as a whole. Mystery-solving is fun! 🙂

Hour 9 — How about a mini-challenge? The idea is to make a rebus spelling out the title of a book. Here’s mine:

I will post the answer in my wrap-up post tomorrow! Feel free to guess in the comments…winner gets bragging rights.

Hour 11 — I finished The Westing Game, which turned out to be pretty great! It was a lot deeper and more thought-provoking than I thought it would be. On to my next book, My One and Only by Kristan Higgins…and time for dinner, too!

Hour 13 — Time for the mid-event survey!

1. How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired? I’m actually fine for the time being, but ask again in 3 hours.
2. What have you finished reading? A whopping two books thus far, The Assassin’s Curse (Cassandra Rose Clarke) and The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin).
3. What is your favorite read so far? I guess The Westing Game, but I’m also quite enjoying my current read, My One and Only.
4. What about your favorite snacks? Mmm, Smartfood. (White cheddar cheese popcorn, and no lie, I think the cheese is laced with crack. Super addictive and delicious!)
5. Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love! I’ve been visiting several blogs, but I haven’t been keeping too much track because of all the read-a-thon goodness going on! Tomorrow I’ll sift through it all, and then I’m sure I’ll be following some new bookish blogs.

Hour 16 — I think this is my last hour, you guys. I’m starting to fade here. I did finish My One and Only, and now I’m starting Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys. One part of me is really excited, because I loved The Scorpio Races so much; but the other part of me is nervous, because how could anything else live up to it? Time will tell, I guess!