Post-event survey questions

Dewey's 24-hour read-a-thon ended at noon today, my time. I slept for the next six hours, and I'm sure it will take days to get my sleeping back on track. But for now, I'm feeling great and surprisingly rested. Thanks, Dewey, these answers are for you!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Since I posted hourly reports, I looked back over those and noticed I got sleepy about halfway through ... and couldn't think clearly near the end of the 24 hours. By that I mean I couldn't figure out, for example, how many hours and minutes were in 445 minutes. "Let's see, 445 divided by 60 equals..." Not even paper and pencil could help me do it, and I actually love numbers!

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Yes! I discovered Abigail Thomas a week ago and have completed THREE of her books since then. Pick something short and very readable like these:

Thinking About Memoir ~ is for writers.
Safekeeping ~ is a memoir of her life.
A Three Dog Life ~ recounts her life after her husband was hit by a car. (It's the one I read for the Read-a-Thon.)

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

If you could tell us at the START of the event which hours would NOT have mini-challenges, if would save the time it takes to come read EVERYTHING you have posted in the last hour. That slowed me down.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

Dewey and her helpers! Thanks to everyone who pitched in with spreadsheets, cheerleading, and pulling it all together!

5. How many books did you read?

I completed THREE, though I admit one was a children's book with pictures on half of the 32 pages. I read a couple of others, but only long enough to discovered they were too DENSE for a day when I wouldn't be able to concentrate deeply.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

in full:

A Three Dog Life ~ by Abigail Thomas (182 pages)
Forgive Me ~ by Amanda Eyre Ward (237 pages)
Rules Are Rules ~ by Julie Scandora (32 pages)

in part:

Big Woods ("The Bear") ~ by William Faulkner (15 pages)
Memories, Dreams, Reflections ~ by Carl Jung (12 pages)

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

Abigail Thomas's A Three Dog Life

8. Which did you enjoy least?

William Faulkner's Big Woods

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

I was a cheerleader last time, and I say, "Plan ahead!" Use Dewey's lists so you'll spread out your visits rather than visiting the same ones over and over and maybe missing some readers.

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, and as a READER again. It was SO much easier than being a cheerleader! Sending many THANKS to all you devoted cheerleaders!

Bonnie's summary:
Next time, I'll probably skip most of the mini-challenges, which took up too much of my reading time. I DID enjoy some of them immensely, however:

The Hour 16 mini-challenge was to write a limerick or haiku about one of the books you’ve read during the read-a-thon. Mine related to Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward. (Be gentle, folks, and remember ... I wrote it around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. after being in a marathon read for 15-16 hours ... with 8+ hours to go!)

children kill a son
his mother can't forgive it
other mother's grief

The Hour 15 mini-challenge was to research the setting of your novel. Forgive Me was set in Cape Town, South Africa, and I found wonderful photos:

Forgive Me is set in Cape Town, South Africa, during the time of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee meetings. Here are five interesting facts about South Africa:

(1) Cape Town is home to Table Mountain. The highest point on Table Mountain is 1,086 metres (3,563 feet) above sea level. This photo (click photo to enlarge it) fits in a post, but see my latest header of Bonnie's Books (above) to see the town from atop the mountain.

(2) Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa; it was the largest city in South Africa until the growth of Johannesburg.

(3) According to the South African National Census of 2001, the population of Cape Town is 2,893,251 people.

(4) Wikipedia had this photo of Bo-Kaap, an area of Cape Town where the characters happen to be as I've been reading the last few pages.

(5) Read what Absolute Vanilla, a South African, wrote this month about the violence and lack of logic in her country.

The Hour 20 mini-challenge is one you can do right now. Jessi's challenge was for us to name as many authors as you can from her YouTube video. Email me your answers, and I'll try to compile a complete list. I sent Jesse names of 17 of the 38 authors.