Readathon Traditions

[Kate]

Tell us your readathon rituals and traditions. Do you have a special spot you like to read? Do you meal prep, if so what do you like to eat? How do you organize your TBR?
We are excited to hear what your traditions are. If this is your first readathon then let us know how you will prepare!

I don't really organize my TBR, to be honest. I need to know what is available from the library at the time and what I will have finished by the start of the readathon.

As a tradition, I always make this bean soup. It is delicious. And then I basically eat it throughout the day. I put it in the crock pot, either just before bed or first thing when I wake up for readathon. I was diagnosed with diabetes since the last readathon so a lot of my snacks this time around will have to be changed to healthier alternatives. But bean soup is still totally on.

I don't really have a special spot to read. I listen to audiobooks a lot because I am usually multitasking. I like to cross stitch while listening to audiobooks. I also listen while on the group or on blogs or twitter.

[amia]

i used to set tbr’s but i make really unrealistic goals and school started so now i just pick a random book for readathons

[Kate]

lemon-chan wrote: "i used to set tbr’s but i make really unrealistic goals and school started so now i just pick a random book for readathons"

I used to make TBRs as well and they would be like 50 books long... then I would do something ridiculous like read the first chapter in each book... lol. Not my best strategy.

[Cynda]

Thanks Kate for setting up this thread. Will help many.

Here's what's currently working for me:
* Having a fun reading list of up to double of what I will actually read.
* Having food prepped. A mix of good-for-me & bad-for-me foods is good
* Drinking weak slightly sweetened tea.
* Taking a break every 2 to 3 hours to exercise or to power snooze.
* Pre-selecting an audiobook for when I start to get tired.
* Review books later.
Enjoy your reading day!

[Kelley]

if possible, I like to spend my first hour at starbucks or another coffee shop. I sit with my latte and a pastry for breakfast and spend the hour reading.

[Lianne (The Towering Pile)]

Kelley wrote: "if possible, I like to spend my first hour at starbucks or another coffee shop. I sit with my latte and a pastry for breakfast and spend the hour reading."

That's smart! Good way to get up and at 'em. I usually spend my first hour in bed lol, and it's a challenge to stay awake! I live pretty close to a Tim Hortons now so maybe I'll try to pop over there for a bit in the morning to perk up.

[Kay]

Thanks for setting up this thread! I always try to have a set list of books ready - the more, the better. There's nothing worse than trying to pick out a book when you are tired and in a rush.

In terms of rituals - I always try to take part in challenges (I hosted one, way back in the day, and remembered being thrilled seeing people take part).

Recently, I've started keeping track of my hourly activity throughout the day these past readathons. I have never been able to stay up the full 24 hrs, but by tracking the hours I end up sleeping helps me keep them to the minimum!

[Lianne (The Towering Pile)]

After about a decade of doing this read-a-thon, my prep is like a well-oiled machine lol. In fact sometimes I have to try to shake things up a bit just to get more excited!

I always prepare a pile a few days in advance, which includes just a little bit more than I can finish (usually I have about a book leftover). Just so I don't run out. It always includes some R.L. Stine books and some Animorphs, and rarely has anything written for adults because those books take too long and bog me down.

I do blog posts every two hours through the whole event, sharing what book I'm reading, how many pages I read in those two hours (and total so far), and what I've been snacking on.

My snack game has sort of faltered in recent years. One constant is that I have an energy drink carefully timed for around hour 18 or so to get me through the final stretch. I am a hardcore, read for the full 24 hours, kinda read-a-thoner!