The Sunday Salon.comI’m so excited. Last fall was my first Readathon, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting my second ever since. Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon is just what it sounds like: readers around the world spend the same 24 hours (or as many of those hours as they want) immersed in books. People read on their own, listen to audiobooks, read with their kids…anything that involves books! There are also events happening throughout, coordinated on the main Readathon website. It’s ridiculously fun, and I can’t wait to do it again.

Another way to participate is to be a cheerleader for part of the event. I did this last year, and I had so much fun I’m doing it again this year! You’re assigned a block of participants, and then you spend a little time reading their updates and cheering them on. It’s nice to take a break from reading and see what everyone else is doing, plus as a reader it’s wonderful to get that bit of encouragement!

ReadathonYou don’t have to have a blog to participate. There’s a group on Facebook, or you can follow @readathon or the hashtag #readathon on Twitter. Or you can just read sometime during the specified hours and know that tons of other people around the world are doing it with you.

For the last Readathon, I gathered a pile of books mostly at random that I pulled from during the event. This year, I’m doing things a little differently. I’ll be using the Readathon to catch up on some of the ARCs and other reading commitments that have been hanging around! I’m really excited to devote a block of time to these books, as they all look interesting. I’m trying to stick to the faster, lighter, shorter, gripping reads from my list, just because I know they’ll go more quickly! Here’s what I’m including so far:

I also have a Reading Buddies book (The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen) and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, should I find myself feeling particularly scholarly and energetic! I’ll also have at least one audiobook, though I’m not sure which yet. Last time my husband and I took a walk in the evening, and I listened to my book. It was a nice break from reading inside.

I know there’s no way I’ll make it through even half of those books, but I do enjoy having a variety available. It’s much easier to grab from that pool and go than stand in front of my overstuffed shelves, deliberating and wasting precious reading minutes.

All that’s left for me to do is to tidy up my reading areas and stuff the cupboards with tasty snacks!

How about you? Are you participating in the Readathon? If so, what preparations do you undertake?

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13 Comments

  1. I’m so excited about Readathon this time!! On Wednesday Karen (from Books & Chocolate) & I will reveal plans for our weekend Girl’s Readathon Out! 😀

  2. I’ve been having bad luck with scheduling for the April readathon for like three years now. I do think I’ll be able to spend a solid ten hours participating, but then we have plans that night!

  3. I can’t wait for the read-a-thon! I’ve participated almost every time except once. It’s one of my favorite events of the year. Your stack looks great! I forgot about The Emerald Atlas. I have a copy of it, so I may add it to my read-a-thon stack. 🙂

  4. I am so sad that I am not going to be able to participate AGAIN this year. Every year around this time, the scrapbooking convention comes to Orlando, and every year, I go (though I am not as fond of scrapbooking as I used to be). Next year I am striking out and choosing the readathon instead!

  5. This will be my second read-a-thon as well, and I’m stoked to potentially plow through some of the books I have patiently waiting on my shelves. I’ve also made a few requests at the library to make sure I have some lighter reads. Can’t wait to see what everyone is up to on the day!

  6. Count me in!! I’m really excited but don’t know what the day will bring. I’m hoping to power through at least one or two YA novels–maybe the last books I finish for a long time!

    And I agree–big stack of books is a must. Don’t want to spend time scouring the shelves for alternatives!!

  7. Good luck with the read-a-thon! I have yet to participate as I always seem to have something going on. This year, my university is having their campus-wide day of service that I signed up for several months ago.

  8. I’m excited about the read-a-thon! I’m participating as a reader & cheerleader too. As for preparations, yesterday I pulled a bunch of short reads off my bookshelves and on Friday I’ll get my snacks ready.

  9. I LOVE the readathon! It seems that I can participate again, yay! I won’t be cheerleading this time, I don’t think I can do too much of the read-a-thon, so I’m sticking to as much reading as possible.

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