How is it possible that Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon is happening this Saturday already? It caught me off guard, but still, I’m thrilled. The Readathon is one of my favorite events of the year.
The Plan
In April, I did a few things I plan to repeat this time around:
- I have zero things scheduled for the day (other than reading, of course!). That means I’ll be reading or listening as much as I can, with a little socializing thrown in as needed.
- I most likely won’t be up and reading at 5am. Last time was my first Readathon from the west coast, where start time is…well, three hours earlier than the leisurely 8am it was when I lived on the opposite side of the country! Getting a full night’s rest means I’m more alert throughout the day, which (I discovered last time) is a good thing.
- I’ll use a single updates post that I’ll…uh…update (surprise!) throughout the event. That way no one gets bombarded by a million posts, and everything is together in one place. (Here’s last time’s updates post, if you’re curious.)
- I’m keeping my book list short. I used to collect a whole pile of books so I’d have options. Last time, though, I had just a handful I really wanted to make progress on. I’m doing that again — see below!
I know plenty of people get special snacks and such for the day, but I never quite manage to think that far in advance. I do know, however, that I’ll be doing most of my reading from my favorite spot on the couch. It’s about as perfect for reading as it could be. I have a couple of quilting projects going as well, so I’m sure I’ll do plenty of listening.
The Books
I always make sure I have at least one audiobook (for walks, cleaning, cooking, etc.) and a few print books of various difficulties pre-selected. Here are my selections for this round:
- Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar
- Delancey by Molly Wizenberg
- A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (on my TBR Pile Challenge list… #11 of 12!)
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, read by David Pittu
I may also read one of the ebooks I’ve been accumulating on my tablet. I don’t love digital reading, especially for long periods of time, but…we’ll see.
The more I look at these picks, the more excited I am to dig in. All four of these intrigue me!
What about you?
Will you be participating in this Readathon? What do your plans for the day look like?
Having audio so you can get other things done is brilliant.I wish I could participate, but a two-year-old doesn’t exactly get the concept.
I have a hold request in for the audiobook version of The Goldfinch, but I doubt it will arrive in time for the read-a-thon. I haven’t listen to anything read by David Pittu before so I can’t comment on that, but I hope you enjoy the narration and have a lovely read-a-thon.
I haven’t participated in awhile. Too many activities for my kids but I like your idea of one update post that you will update continuously. I did a few of the read a thons and found myself doing nothing but posting and cheering others on with hardly any books read and then there are the contests to consider, etc. It can be overwhelming. Good luck!! Have fun! I did enjoy the snacking part..
Trish422 Yeah, I would imagine not! Ah well…I don’t think the Readathon is going anywhere 🙂
theardentreader It just happened to be at the library when I went — I was a bit shocked it wasn’t already on hold or something. I’ve listened to the first few tracks, and I like Pittu’s narration so far. Which is good because it’s one long audiobook!
Ti Reed Oh, yes, I know that constant cycle of doing things that aren’t actually reading 🙂 Last time I hardly participated in the social side of things. I felt bad on one hand, but on the other, I got lots of reading time in. I think maybe it’ll depend on how I feel that day — whether I’m craving quiet reading time or fun with other bloggers. We’ll see!