Hey all, Sam here.
Well…it has been a while since I’ve been able to really do a proper write-up for Readathon participation…but I’m actually completely free right now and since David has to work during the readathon, I figured I might as well see if I can increase my lead on my reading goals for this year.
I have been participating in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon for practically the entire time that I’ve had this blog, so like 7 years or so. It takes place every April and October, although in recent years they’ve thrown in a summer session that is a reverse readathon. This time around, it will be held April 29th-30th, starting at 8am Eastern Time on the 29th and ending at 8am Eastern Time on the 30th.
What gets really fun for me is that this is the first time that I am not in the Easter Time zone for participation. I lived my life in Ohio until last summer when David and I moved to Iowa. And I think during last year’s October edition I wasn’t exactly participating, but I think I might have been on the East Coast for conventions. I don’t know, honestly. The second half of last year is mostly a blur of travel-convention-travel-convention, so I don’t know where I was when.
Anyway, the whole point of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon is to read as much as you can in one 24 Hour period. You don’t have to read the whole time. Most years where I’ve participated I’ve read 12-16 hours, and it has yielded pretty good results.
In a few days I’m going to have to go to the store and get myself some snacks and drinks, because I like to have food options while I’m reading. I also find that planning your meals and snacks and drinks ahead of time means that you waste less time during the event.
Be sure to follow my Twitter and Instagram (@SamRushingBooks) for updates during the readathon on April 29th. And the full recap will be detailed in the WIP Wednesday the following week.
I have a fairly hefty TBR, filled with manga, novellas, and novels. I’m hoping to get through a good number of reads during the readathon, and while I try to stick to TBRs as much as I can, I also realize that I’m mostly a mood reader and so I might decide to pick up something else when the readathon rolls around.
Yes, I do still have a rather large list of e-ARCs loaded up on my NOOK that I need to read for more NetGalley reviews, and so I should technically probably focus on those some more too…but look, I genuinely love reading physical copies of books. I love holding them in my hands and actually flipping pages. It’s so much nicer than staring at and swiping a screen. Plus, most e-readers I’ve had aren’t great for extended reading periods, and the batteries tend to die after like 4-6 hours of continuous use.
Manga
- I Got Caught Up in a Hero Summons But the Other World Was at Peace! Volume 1
- I Got Fired as a Court Wizard so Now I’m Moving to the Country to Become a Magic Teacher Volume 1
- The Dragon Knight’s Beloved Volume 1
- The Great Cleric Volume 1
Here is one of my favorite tips for participating in a 24 Hour Readathon…start with quick reads, because it will make you feel that you’re super successful in the early stages of the readathon. So, I usually try to read a few volumes of manga. These typically run around 150-200 pages or so in length, and I usually can finish one in about a half-hour. This means that by choosing 4 volumes, I can complete 4 books after only 2 hours of reading time…which makes me feel pretty good.
That is also why I’ve decided to put a few novellas on my TBR, because they also are typically around the 200 page mark, and I can usually read them in around a couple hours. Plus, I’ve collected quite a few that I just haven’t managed to get around to reading yet, and now feels like a pretty good time to read them.
Novellas
- The Border Keeper by Kerstin Hall
- Desdemona and the Deep by C.S.E. Cooney
- The Twice-Drowned Saint by C.S.E. Cooney
- Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker
- Spear by Nicola Griffith
- A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
- Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
- A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
I also like to choose at least a few full length novels that I hope to pick up at some point during the twenty-four hours of reading. Now, though I normally love reading a big epic fantasy adventure, one of these 500+ page behemoths, they aren’t exactly great readathon choices because they take a while to finish.
Now, granted, you can monitor yourself by total of books read or total of pages read, and both are totally valid options for judging your internal success for a readathon…although, honestly, even if you only read 5 pages, or even 1 page, congratulations, you have succeeded at the readathon. While I might document my pages read, I tend to focus more on my total number of books read. So, when it comes to novels, I try to focus more on shorter YA or romances.
And I think I’ve picked out some nice ones this time around.
Novels
- The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
- A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
- Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
- Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck
- What We Devour by Linsey Miller
- The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson
In total I have 18 books on my TBR. That is probably more than I can manage to read in one 24 hour period, but it gives me options. Of course, there’s always a chance I’ll deviate and pick up something else based on my mood. I guess we’ll just see what happens.
So…is anyone else participating in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon on April 29th? Let me know in the comments, and if you’ll be posting updates on any social media accounts, let me know that too. I like to browse the readathon hashtags during my reading breaks, and it would be nice to check up on my fellow readers.
Well, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
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