Bout of Books 5.0: summing it all up

Well, well, well. Another Bout of Books has come to an end. If one were to measure the Read-a-Thon solely on number of books completed or pages read, then this would certainly be at the top of the list. The first time I participated in a Bout of Books Read-a-Thon was in October 2011, for Bout of Books 2.0. I summarized that week saying, “All-in-all, I read 997 pages, finishing two books and getting more than 1/2 way through the third during the 7-day-long event.” I missed Bout of Books 3.0, but was right back into the fray for 4.0 in May of this year. During that week, I completed four books and part of a fifth; a total of 1203 pages.

My reading accomplishment for Bout of Books 5.0 was a grand total of 6 books completed and 1608 pages read. The only way I was able to read that much was that we were on holiday—a road trip from California to Texas—and I was able to read for long stretches as we drove half-way across the USA. I couldn't have planned it better!

But in addition to the amount of reading I was able to get done, there was even more going on for me this time. I was actively participating in the Twitter stream, easy enough via SMS text messaging on my cell phone. I also made it a point to visit 2 to 5 other blogs each night and leave comments. It's this social or “community” aspect which I find to be the very best part of this particular Read-a-Thon. And best of all, I sponsored a challenge on Day 1 of the Read-a-Thon.

It was a grand week and I was sad that it was all over. You can find my day-by-day summaries of the week just a little bit lower in this blog. I experimented with keeping all the updates in a single post, but next time I think I'll go back to daily posts. Best of all, I was totally successful in meeting the goals I had posted before the read-a-thon began. Bout of Books 5.0 was a total success!

Summary

Total number of books I read: 7
Total number of pages I read: 1608
Total number of books completed: 6

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich - completed 13 Aug
To Kill a Warlock by H P Mallory - completed 14 Aug
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear - completed 15 Aug
Timeless by Gail Carriger - completed 15 Aug
The Mezzo Wore Mink by Mark Schweizer - completed 17 Aug
Creation in Death by J D Robb - completed 18 Aug
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H P Mallory - read 12 pages