Festive Read-A-Thon 2017! (Dec 18 - 31)

[Daisy]

Hey all. Do you have any books you really want to get to before the end of the year? I'm guessing most of us do. And what better time to squeeze in some reading than when we're all kicking back during the holiday season? OK, yeah, I know the end of the year might not in reality be the most relaxing period of time, but hey, that just means we can give ourselves a break from the chaos by reading.

I thought it might be a little too much to start the read-a-thon on Christmas Day and end it on New Year's Eve, so I've decided to make this read-a-thon two weeks long. It will run from the very first minute of Monday 18th December to the last minute of Sunday 31st December (and of 2017!) - in whatever time zone you live in.

Remember that completing the challenges and just participation in general is completely optional. Feel free to interpret the read-a-thon in any way you want - the point is simply to motivate you to read and to open up a discussion for us all to chat about our reading lives. I really hope you'll join us and tell us what you're reading below. :)

15th Dec Update: The challenges have now been picked! In the spirit of festive togetherness I decided to make the challenges collaborative for this Read-A-Thon. So thanks to those of you who put forward suggestions! Since they were all so cool and creative, I didn't want to cut them down. Instead, I'm going to post them all up here and we can just pick which ones we fancy trying to complete (if any). You can choose to count one books for multiple categories, or only do one per challenge - it's up to you! Do let us know if you manage to complete them all - I will be very impressed!

♫ ~ The Twelve Challenges of the Festive Read-A-Thon ~ ☃

❄ 1. a book containing Hannukah, Christmas, Yule, New Year, the Winter Solstice or any other winter festival
❄ 2. a book you aimed to read this year
❄ 3. the last book in a series you are reading
❄ 4. a book someone you are seeing over the holiday period has read
❄ 5. a book by a male author
❄ 6. a book with snow on/in (on the cover, in the title, or in the story - or in any other way related to snow!)
❄ 7. a book that was published in 2017
❄ 8. a book with a sequel releasing in 2018
❄ 9. a book someone you know on Goodreads (a friend, someone you're following, a member of a group you're in etc.) is reading
❄ 10. a book with red, green or gold on the cover
❄ 11. read an entire book while wearing a santa hat (or other festive item of clothing of your choice!)
❄ 12. a book that fills you with joy

Thanks guys, I hope you enjoy the read-a-thon and have a holiday period full of joy (and reading)!

[[deleted user]]

Here are some suggestions I have for challenges
-the last book in a series you are reading, complete the series
-a book by a male author
-a book someone on GR is reading

[Daisy]

Thank you, Janessa! I love those first two. I'm confused by your last one though. 'Someone on Goodreads' feels kind of vague. Does that mean a friend on Goodreads?

[[deleted user]]

Yes a friend, or if you happen upon a book in the currently reading threads of some groups. if that makes sense.

[Daisy]

Ah, OK, I get it now.

[Sophie]

This sounds like a lot of fun. I particuarly love your challenge 'a book someone you are seeing over the holiday period has read' Daisy!

Here are my challenge ideas:
-a book with a sequel releasing in 2018
-a book containing or in some way related to snow (could be the cover, title or in the story somewhere)
-a book containing Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule, New Years or any other winter festival.

[Daisy]

Thanks, Sophie! Your ideas are fantastic! We could add the Winter Solstice to the winter festival challenge - I know that's a big thing in many of Rick Riordan's books, so that's a possibility for completing that one.

I have a feeling it's going to be tough narrowing it down to a certain number of challenges (I was thinking either seven or ten). Hmm, or actually, we could just put all the challenges suggested at the top and everyone can just try and complete whichever ones they want to. What do you guys think of that idea?

[Sophie]

Thank you Daisy! I think just put all the challenges at the top. Not that we need anymore but I did have another idea for a challenge, read a book that fills you with joy.

[Daisy]

Love that challenge idea! I will put them all at the top now then we can all decide which books we are planning to read over the weekend. The Read-A-Thon starts on Monday! I can't believe how quickly this has come around.

[[deleted user]]

I know it's only the first day, but how is everyone coming along with their books?

[Daisy]

I've decided not to make a to-read list or a concrete plan for this read-a-thon, and instead just update as I go so there's no pressure and I can just read what I feel like reading. So, first up I'm reading . I read 100 pages of it yesterday, and I'm hoping to keep that up today and tommorrow, and then I can finish it in three days (as it's just over 300 pages long). So far it's very dark and disturbing - not the most uplifting festive read by any means - and I'm rather confused because almost everything that happened in the last book in the series has gone out of my head, buuuut apart from that, I'm liking it! How about you, Janessa (and everyone else!)?

[[deleted user]]

Read:


It covers challenges 1, 5, 10, and 12.

[Sophie]

I've read 40% of . I love this series and Libba Bray so much but I'm torn on whether this book 'fills me with joy'. It's seriously spooky but so well written and I love the characters. I guess it creeps me out but also fills me with joy, if that's a thing haha. It counts for challenges 2, 7 and 12.

[Daisy]

That's so good you guys. Keep the momentum up! I finished my first book last night. It took me one more day than planned but I still think four days to read a three-hundred page book is not bad going at all. As I mentioned above I was a little confused reading it because I couldn't remember much from the previous books. However I still enjoyed it, am working on my review right now. It completes challenges 3 and 7.

Should probably also mention that when I was writing up the challenges at the top, I realised we were just short of 12. I thought that would be a fitting number for this read-a-thon so I added challenge number 11 - should be a fun one I think!

[Sophie]

It's approaching the end of day 6 of the read-a-thon for me and I finished my first book today.

was amazing. This series is continuing to blow my mind. Diverse, spooky and romantic. The atmosphere of this series is incredible and the characters... so gooood. Libba Bray manages to create complex and individual people who are messed up and beautiful, flawed and fighting. She continues to delve deep into human nature and history. She doesn't shy away from the dark side of life and in doing so opens up discussions on so many things. I seriously loved it!

I also started on Wednesday and am currently on page 97 of about 190. It will count for challenges 5 and 10.

[[deleted user]]

Read:


Covers challenges 5 and 10

[[deleted user]]

Read:


Covers challenges 5 and 12

[Daisy]

So glad you enjoyed Before the Devil Breaks Me, Sophie! Love your mini-review there. ;) Janessa, what did you think of Romeo and Juliet? I'm guessing you liked it since you said it filled you with joy. :D It's one of my faves.

I finished my second book, , yesterday. I loved the characters, thought it had some great messages and was quick and easy to read. It's my sister's favourite book, so it covers challenge 4, as well as 1 (contains Christmas) and 12. I might count it for 2 too since I aimed to read a Malorie Blackman book this year.

Next up I've already got two books on the go. I'm almost done with because it's sooo easy to get through, and I'm two acts (of five) into . Completely geeking out over it so far... I'm in love!

[[deleted user]]

Finished reading

It covers challenges 5 and 10.

[Sophie]

I finished which covers challenges 5 and 10. I found that one interesting and enjoyable. Also read which was horrifying. an important story though. It counts for challenges 1 and 6, there is snow on the cover and in the story and there are a couple of Christmas'.

[Daisy]

It's the last day of the year, guys! But more importantly, of the read-a-thon! I have one more book I still have to finish so am probably going to spending the countdown to 2018 reading that, haha.

I finished a few days ago - such a blast! It counts for challenges 4, 5 and 12.

Also this morning finished . So glad I read this for the readathon. Not only is it basically my dream book, but it was easy to read because it's so different to everything else I picked. It counts for challenges 2, 5, 6, 7 and 12. I was quite proud of myself for finding a book with snow IN it - as I remembered in the movie there is a lightsaber battle in the snow!

My last book is going to be . It's really short and I'm already loving it even though I'm not that far through. Hoping to finish it tonight, wearing my santa hat all the way!

[[deleted user]]

was my final book for the year. Now I'm reading will finished in January.

[Sophie]

In the end I read 3 books, about 1,120 pages and completed 7 of the challenges. How did you lot do? This read-a-thon was a lot of fun for me and helped to keep me motivated to read during a busy time I might not have done otherwise. A great way to end 2017!

Read:

[Daisy]

Congrats, dudes! I'm so glad you enjoyed the read-a-thon, Sophie, I agree the holidays are always pretty hectic so I think without this read-a-thon I wouldn't have done much reading at all. Buuut in the end I did manage to read 5 books, and completed every challenge except 8 and 9:



I had a great time with all of these books and am really happy I was able to get to them all. There will definitely be more read-a-thons on the way in 2018 if anyone is interested in participating in one - definitely keep your eyes peeled. ;)