Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon discussion
Personal Readathon Logs
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Mummy's hiding in the bathroom so she can read in peace
Oh, and I'm in the UK so by the time things actually kick off, I'll have been up for about 7.5hrs already. This could be a very short run thing!
Hi Sarah and welcome to Readathon! I just had to stop in and tell you how much I love what you've named your space here. Fingers crossed for you that no one can find the bathroom door key! :)
Thanks guys! Hubby's taking the younger kids to the park, so at least I'll get the first hour!
Sounds like my life plus 1 more. My husband took the kids out the house for now so we will see how this goes.
My plan of attack for today...
Disclaimer: all bar one are part-read, all bar one are part of my Popsugar Challenge list. I'm using today as a way to clear my decks a little!
Good luck Shannan and Sarah! My kids are older but it doesn’t necessarily mean easier :)
Shannan wrote: "Sounds like my life plus 1 more. My husband took the kids out the house for now so we will see how this goes."Snap! I hope you get a good while to yourself!
Susan wrote: "Good luck Shannan and Sarah! My kids are older but it doesn’t necessarily mean easier :)"Haha, thank you!
Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned", Lena Dunham
And the first book is done. This is one I started in 2016 and didn't touch last year at all because I discovered the Popsugar Challenge and it didn't fit any of the prompts! My feelings on it are mixed. On one hand I loved that someone was putting out there things that I have also thought/done/said. I think it's important that women are reflected honestly in society, and that means even the less than perfect bits. But then on the other hand Lena has lead a life I can't relate to, one of privilege and money and opportunities. And it isn't jealousy that stops me engaging with that, but something else...maybe just plain dislike. I don't know. I enjoyed it for what it was, laughed and nodded along with quite a lot of it, but I can see why other people really didn't like it.
Now, I've done some housework and Hubby is still out with the kids, so it's time to get back to it.
So I've snacked, hydrated and read some more!
Reading on a treadmill...
...now I have that going round in my head to the tune of Leaving on a Jet Plane
Currently tandem-reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Everyday Sexism.
Alright, it's 11.20pm here in my spot of the planet. The wee guy likes to start his day before 6am, so I'm going to take a book to bed and try to recharge! Hopefully tomorrow I'll finish off the three books currently on the go (Everyday Sexism, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and The Little Prince)...but that might be a tall order to meet by 1pm!
So Everyday Sexism is finished. What an important book. I was appalled and saddened by the accounts I read, but not at all surprised. Anyone who thinks we don't need equality or feminism really needs to read this book...but sadly they are the sort of people who never will. Still, it fills me with hope that there are voices out there like this, and that so many of us (men as well as women) have not given up.
Aaaand another one down - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. On the Bronte scale I'd say it's better than Wuthering Heights but not as good as Jane Eyre. I loved the strong female role, though I didn't agree with the choices she made regarding her husband in the later stages of the book. I just wish it hadn't been told from the male perspective. But it was a good book with some nice twists.
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?Probably the first, because I didn't actually do much reading as I was on here or Insta! I began to think I wasn't cut out for it all.
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read!
Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned" (finished)
Everyday Sexism (finished)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (finished)
The Little Prince (half-way)
Call Me by Your Name (continued)
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (started)
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners?
Definitely Everyday Sexism, it's such an important summary of why feminism is not obsolete. Also The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - you can't go wrong with a Bronte.
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile?
More mini challenges. Maybe theme hours?
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again?
Absolutely, I feel this was just a practice run for me!
Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep?
Yeah, I think that might be kinda cool!
Have fun! Dont let them find you!
I meant to start this thread back up last night, when we had a power cut. An actual power cut. They don't really happen here. I had to light candles and heat water for tea on the stove and everything.Anyway, we're in to hour three! I've been listening to an audio book version of Bad Feminist while doing housework. But I need a break from hearing about Scrabble tournaments (please tell me she moves on to another topic soon...? Though I did just laugh out loud at is there a q in motherfucker?). Time to pick up something different...
I've been taking part in the Insta challenges and will be charting my progress over there as well as here. Hit me up - @justcallmesadie :)
Catching up with the hourly posts!Hour 1 :: Where are you?
Physically, I'm in Scotland. Near Loch Lomond.
My books today are mainly taking me to the US. That wasn't intentional, as I much prefer to travel around my own country or to places very different from where I live. I've been to the US and all over the UK this year, but also lots of other destinations like Iran, Afghanistan, China, Australia, Ireland, even another planet and cyberspace (both called Oasis...).
I'm skipping Hour 2 :: Describe your life in 3 quotes or less...because I can barely remember plots of most books I've read, let alone quotes. And it would appear I missed the Hour 3 party.Hour 4 :: When you're counting your time during the readathon, do you count only the minutes you actually spend reading? or do you include the time you spend in the readathon social experience (answering discussion questions, cheering readers on, liking their bookstagrams...)?
Actually, I don't really count the time. I just try to see how much reading (and social stuff) I can fit in to the 24hrs, among life stuff. Probably it will only add up to about four hours of solid reading, but that's about three hours more than I usually get in the same time usually so I love the experience. Maybe when my kids are older it will increase...I'd love to have a whole day of reading with very little else going on!
Mod
I love it too though I should spend less time on social media and just keep it to reading with maybe 1 update half way and 1 at the end... But then again, the social part makes it a lot of fun. It's just that I end up reading way less than I had hoped.
Wishing you good luck Sarah & happy readathoning!
Thanks Susy!Well, we're in to hour 18 and I just realised I never even said what was in my readathon stack!
Audiobook - Bad Feminist
Memoir - Brave
Non-fic - Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff & How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House's Dirty Little Secrets
Novel - The Essex Serpent
Interesting and eclectic stack. I hope you are having a good read-a-thon.
How are you doing, Sarah? I'm assuming you're already back up again? Good luck with the last hours of the readathon!
"Mummy's hiding in the bathroom so she can read in peace" is a fantastic thread title, btw! :-)
Thanks guys :)I'm doing well, finished off two books so far (Brave and Decluttering...). Handing off kid duties to hubby for the last few hours and going to lose myself in some fiction!
Hope you're all doing well and turning those pages...nearly there.
A P R I L R E A D A T H O N
So looking forward to this! And hoping that I wont need to hide in the bathroom the whole time...
bingoRow 2
✔ Read for an hour straight (9-10pm, hour 9)
✔ Take a break and do some stretches
✔ Read a book with 3 words or less in the title (Answer Me)
✔ Participate in a mini challenge
✔ Read 200 pages
Row 5
Read a book with diversity
Post a book review (on GR, blog, etc)
Post a picture on Twitter/Instagram @Readathon
✔ Read a new to you book
✔ Read in 2 separate locations (three now - living room, bathroom, son's bedroom)
Diagonal top left down
✔ Participate in hourly discussions Goodreads
✔ Take a break & do some stretches
✔ Free space
✔ Read for a total of 5 hours
✔ Read in 2 separate locations
Hope you have a comfortable rug in the bathroom, just in case ;)
Ann A wrote: "Hope you have a comfortable rug in the bathroom, just in case ;)"Haha, yes! I might just fill the bath with cushions!
It's 9am here in Scotland, so me and my two youngest little grotbags are heading out to an RSPB reserve to hunt for dinosaur eggs this morning (as you do). Hubby is at work today, so I'm hoping to wear the critters out enough to get some reading time this afternoon before he's home!Books in my stash are:
Answer Me, by Susanna Tamaro
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, by Susannah Cahalan
Swan Song, by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott
Educated, by Tara Westover
Hoping to finish at least two...
Love the sound of hunting for dinosaur eggs - what fun! I'm organising an Easter event with a superhero theme so the kids will be hunting for superhero props like Wonder Woman's lasso. Hope you get some reading time this afternoon. I'm UK too so looking forward to the 1pm start time. :) Good luck.
Kate wrote: "Love the sound of hunting for dinosaur eggs - what fun! I'm organising an Easter event with a superhero theme so the kids will be hunting for superhero props like Wonder Woman's lasso. Hope you g..."
That sounds awesome! We managed to find all the eggs, but my boys are pros and this was quite an easy hunt!
Get to Know the Readathoner1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
West coast of Scotland, near Glasgow and Loch Lomond.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
I think it's a tie between Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness and Educated, because I've heard them talked about a lot in the past year.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I bought a bottle of nice white wine for later. Usually I'm a red drinker, but wanted something lighter
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I'm suffering quite badly with my mental health, and reading is definitely my refuge.
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?
This is my 3rd Dewey's, and I do have to work on feeling like I'm not doing enough (not enough pages/books, not enough hours spent on the challenge, not enough social media stuff, not enough connection with other readers) and just enjoy the chance to focus on my reading more than I would on a typical weekend.
Check-In #1 - Hours 1-4 (1pm-5pm)How's it gone so far?:
My plan to tire the boys out worked for a while. But I can't lie, my reading progress has been sporadic, half-hour snatches in between dishing out snacks (and then becoming the snack police), refereeing arguments over scooters and drawings, trying to prevent head injuries...the usual when the kids are confined to the house.
Total reading time: 1hr 50mins
Books read: 60 pages, to take me to halfway through Answer Me
Coffees/Wines: 1 coffee, 1 cream-filled yum yum (unplanned, eaten in desperation in the kitchen...)
So...I literally did hide in the bathroom. But someone found me, so I chucked him in the bath.
I hope you are making headway Sarah regardless of other's agendas!
Check-In #2 - Hours 5-8 (5pm-9pm)How's it gone so far?: Not as much reading in these hours as I'd hoped - cooking dinner and doing the bedtime thing with the kids took more time than I thought!
Total reading time: 1hr 40mins (3hr 30mins total)
Books read: 65 pages of Answer Me
Coffees/Wines/Food: 2 wines, harrissa chicken with roasted veg couscous, Dime Bar cake
Check-In #3 - Hours 9-12 (9pm-1am)How's it gone so far?: I didn't quite make it to 1am, but I had a nice few hours of reading on the sofa while hubs watched some crappy macho tv.
Total reading time: 3hrs (6hr 30mins total)
Books read: Finished Answer Me, 60 pages of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
Coffees/Wines/Food: 1 wine, Cadbury fudge
SLEEP - hours 13-20 (1am-8am)Overslept by an hour! Now, where's the coffee...
Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon
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And the kids might be an issue with that blissful idyll - reading for a whole day straight. A 10 month old bomb of cute, a 5 year old tasmanian devil and a teenager with a social life...do none of these boys understand that mum just wants to escape into her books and not be bothered?!
No, they don't. But I'm going to give it a shot anyway. Even if I only read one book that isn't from the kids' section of the library, I'll consider it a win. Fingers crossed!