Readathon Ahoy!

It’s #readathon day!

I’m so excited for today’s readathon. Traveling in South America for a month was incredible, but I don’t read very well or much while on the road. It’s going to be lovely to devote an entire day to reading, snacking, and (the best part) chatting with other book lovers around the world as we all readathon together.

My book stack is assembled. There’s no way I’ll get to everything in this stack, but having a variety of options is key to a successful readathon. I have several graphic novels that I’m excited to read, a collection of poems, and some short novels & memoirs. I also have The Stranger on audiobook, and might take a walk in the afternoon and listen to part of it – it’s going to be 63 and sunny in Brooklyn tomorrow.

Here’s what’s on deck:

• Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
• The Truro Bear and Other Adventures by Mary Oliver
• The Stranger by Albert Camus
• Hold Still by Sally Mann
• You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt
• Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
• Are You My Mother by Alison Bechdel
• A Bintel Brief by Liana Finck
• Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast
• Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky (not pictured – eComic)

Graham is also participating in the readathon, his first one. He likely won’t read the whole day, but he has a copy of The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett that he’s looking forward to reading.

Also key to a successful readathon? Plenty of snacks! Here are the snacks I’ve stocked up on for the occasion:

We’re planning on ordering Chinese for dinner – I’m already excited for General Tso’s chicken, and pork dumplings. We haven’t gotten delivery from our favorite Chinese place since we’ve been home, so it will be a very welcome treat.

I’ll be updating this post with my progress throughout the day, and will be posting often on Twitter, as well as updating Instagram and Tumblr with photos and mini-challenges.

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UPDATE #1, 7:36am:

Opening Meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Brooklyn, NY
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” – I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time, and my reserve just came in at the library! Perfect timing.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I made tacos this week and have the leftover meat waiting – I’m going to make oven nachos with it, with plenty of sour cream!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I grew up in the midwest (Michigan) and in a few weeks I’ll hit the 9 year mark of living in NYC. Other than reading, I love to travel, cook/bake, ride my bike, and karaoke.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? I LOVE the #readathon convos on Twitter, but I need to limit how much time I’m spending there, or I wont get any reading done! I’m going to try closing the laptop for 30 minutes stretches in order to focus 100% on reading.

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UPDATE #2, 10:43am:

I’ve just finished my first book of the readathon! Flora & Ulysses by Kate Dicamillo. It was so very wonderful, I adored it. I read a library copy, but am going to have to pick up a copy to own forever. I’ve participated in one mini-challenge thus far – Classic Words of Wisdom hosted by A Literary Odyssey.

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UPDATE #3, 3:58pm: 

I’ve finished my second book of the day: Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? By Roz Chast. I’ve only done one more mini-challenge: Seasons in Four Covers host by Bart’s Bookshelf. (My entry is here.) Graham and I got Chinese food delivered for lunch, which was super tasty. It’s a beautiful day today so I took a walk to the library to pick up my hold, and listened to the audiobook of The Stranger along the way.

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UPDATE #4, 8:46pm:

I’m still here! Graham and I just feasted on nachos, and I’m about to put the ol’ nose to the grindstone and try to finish up book #4. (Book #3 was The Truro Bear and Other Adventures by Mary Oliver.) I’ve slowed down my reading pace significantly this afternoon – I’m now reading some pretty deep thoughts and don’t want to rush through. I NEVER make it the whole 24 hours, so I’m just going to keep going as long as I can, and then hope to catch the last hour in the morning (I’ve turned into a lark, and will be awake early.)

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt
2. How many books have you read so far? Finished 3, in the middle of #4, and listening to another on audiobook sporadically.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Just a few hours of quiet reading before I pass out. I’m still a bit jetlagged from traveling and likely won’t make it past 11pm. I usually wake up early though, so hoping to catch the last hour in the morning and cheer on those still reading. 
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Not many, actually! Have slowed my pace down a bit this afternoon, and am reading a more meditative book that requires a slower pace, but haven’t been interrupted.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I would say how much fun I’m having, but that’s not a surprise at all – the readathon is the best!

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UPDATE #5, 11:31pm:

Just finished book #4! Off to read in bed, so this will likely be my last update before I pass out. I’ll try to be up for the final hour in the morning to cheer those crossing the finish line!

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UPDATE #6, 8:04am – END OF THE READATHON:

It was a bit rough, but I got out of bed about 7:15am to finish the last bit of the Readathon. I didn’t think I’d have time to finish the book I was reading, but miraculously I did! I’ve also done two more mini-challenges: Bookish Brews & Blame it on the Bloggers.

End of Event Meme:

• Which hour was most daunting for you? The last one – I would have liked to keep sleeping. :)
• Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Flora & Ulysses – very quick read & a lovely bit of Magical Realism.
• Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Not for the event in general, but the next one I’d like to take a blanket to the park and do some reading outside.
• What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The Cheerleader’s game was on point! They were incredible.
• How many books did you read? 5
• What were the names of the books you read? Flora & Ulysses, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant, The Truro Bear and Other Adventures, You Learn by Living, Sex Criminals
• Which book did you enjoy most? Flora & Ulysses
• Which did you enjoy least? Sex Criminals. Not a bad graphic novel, but the rest of the books I read were fantastic.
• If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? n/a
• How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? 100%. I’d like to read again, and I think I’ll also sign up to be a cheerleader for the first time.