This is one of my favorite weekends of the year–Spring Readathon! I’ve got a stack of books that I hope to finish today and tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have work-work to do, but I should still get some serious reading-work done too.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (already started)
• Look at Me by Jennifer Egan (already started)
• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
• Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
• The New Republic by Lionel Shriver
• Habana Libre by Tim Wendel

I’ll be updating this post as I read, so tune in throughout the weekend to follow my progress! And leave a comment below with a link to your blog or social network updates if you’re participating, too.

1:30 pm, Saturday

I’m about 2/3 of the way through Wild. It’s going well so far, although I’ve heard it falters and loses some speed around where I am. But Strayed is a talented, confident writer.

A bird just flew up to my window and peered in, flicking his head back and forth nervously. Kizmet ignored him.

8:17 pm, Saturday

I’m still trucking–or should I say trekking?–through Wild. The end is in sight; I’m pretty sure I’ll finish it tonight after dinner.

I was interrupted earlier by a flash of white outside the front window. A beautiful pale dog stood at my front door, only skittering away when Tinker barked at him. I went into a neighbor’s yard, where the dog was trying to squeeze back through the hole in the fence he must have escaped from. I was able to get a leash on him, and I took him over to the house with the broken fence. The woman, who was pet-sitting for her neighbor, hadn’t realized he had escaped, and was very grateful that we brought him back.

Good deed for the day: done! Now back to reading.

3:05 pm, Sunday

I finished Wild! Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, Melody. I thought you were a reader, and here you are slacking off on Readathon, the most hallowed reading holiday of the year. All you’ve done is finish a book you’d already started before this weekend!”

You’re right, dear reader, in that my literary eyes are always too big for my overcommitted stomach, and I have not finished nearly as many books as I’d hoped. But I have not been sitting idly by! Oh, no, I’ve been very busy. “Busy how?” you ask skeptically. I’m glad you asked.

A Partial List of Things I Did While Reading Wild

• Ate half a box of salt water taffy
• Took Tinker on two long walks in the woods
• Contemplated backpacking the Appalachian Trail
• Added The Dream of a Common Language to my wish list
• Added A Walk in the Woods to my wish list
• Found A Walk in the Woods already on my bookshelf
• Mowed half the lawn
• Wondered why the Astapori wouldn’t just steal all of Dany’s dragons, instead of trading their entire army for one
• Pledged to journal more, or at least blog more
• Sat on my couch a lot
• Decided to memorize more poetry, just in case I find myself alone in the woods for three months
• Added The Ten Thousand Things to my wish list
• Weeded half the garden
• Pondered why I leave things half-done
• Vowed to finish what I start
• Finished the box of salt water taffy