Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon discussion
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Rosalind's Readathon
Welcome to your first Dewey's Rosalind. I hope you enjoy it and happy reading. I never make the 24 hours, but love spending time with nothing but reading to do...
Jennifer wrote: "Welcome to your first Dewey's Rosalind. I hope you enjoy it and happy reading. I never make the 24 hours, but love spending time with nothing but reading to do..."Same . Welcome Rosalind : )
Well I thoroughly enjoyed this readathon. It was great to read other people's progress and responses to the hourly questions and to feel part of a reading community. I will definitely join again.Stats
*12 hours reading/ listening, 2.5 hours of breaks, 9.5 hours sleeping.
*Read 83 pages of The Heights completing it.
*Listened to one hour 50 minutes of Loveless and am very close the end now. I'd meant to finish this earlier in the week and move on to Mrs Death Misses Death for the challenge but was delayed.
*Read 297 e-book pages of A Curious Beginning which is nearly 60%. A random choice on the day but a good one.
*Read 102 pages of Lumberjanes, Vol. 10: Parents' Day which was the entire book.
Observations
I'd planned to switch between books more but found I'm generally content to keep reading the same thing and am not particularly worried about completion, just progress.
It was relaxing to begin the challenge with a book I'd already started though, and on starting a new one I rejected a possibility after a couple of pages as it just didn't feel right. Perhaps it just depends on choices that are mood appropriate and not too challenging.
I also noticed that I'm really not a multi-tasker and though drinking while reading is OK I found it difficult to snack so needed to take breaks to eat. I can prep for this more effectively next time. Luckily the challenge started after my partner fed me a tasty cooked breakfast which kept me going for a good while. This may turn into a tradition.
Now I'm going to read through everyone's blogs and, no doubt, add lots to my TBR. I'm so glad I joined in.
Great to hear that you enjoyed the readathon, Rosalind!
Rosalind wrote: "Well I thoroughly enjoyed this readathon. It was great to read other people's progress and responses to the hourly questions and to feel part of a reading community. I will definitely join again...."
Great Job! Looks like you killed it!
Sounds like an awesome readathon, Rosalind! See you back in August hopefully!Ps: I saw your post about participating in film challenges. Sounds like fun! Which ones are those and where can I find them?
Sorry for the delay in responding Susy. I take part in film challenges mainly via Letterboxd.com I can't share links but my username is soirore and you can browse through my current challenges in my profile.My absolute favourite film challenge though is March Around the World. It takes place in March each year with the aim to watch films from 30 different countries in 31 days. Many people continue to complete after the deadline unofficially too.
October is Hooptober - a selection of horror films with the precise criteria changing each year.
November is #Noirvember. The criteria for this is just to watch loads of film noir, I am going to read some noir fiction too this year.
There are tons more challenges on Letterboxd including a monthly scavenger hunt, which I've never completed but sometimes enjoy compiling a list for, a season challenge, various genre and regional challenges etc.
Hope you find a film challenge you enjoy. You will certainly see me in August for my second Dewey :)
Inter-Readathon ChallengesGo to your local library, bookstore, freecycle book source, thriftstore that sells books, etc. Pick a book at random and check it out/buy it/adopt it. Read it.
I randomly picked The Guest Cat from Martlet's Hospice charity shop. Then realised it has a green spine so added it to the rainbow challenge too.
Make a 6-book rainbow (stack up books with a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple spine).
✔ Red - Agnes Grey Also fulfills Read a book originally published before 1950.
✔ Orange - Bunny. Also fulfills Get book recommendations from someone on social media 1 of 3
✔ Yellow - Heartstopper: Volume Four
✔ Green - The Guest Cat
✔ Blue - The Couple at No. 9
✔ Purple - Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir
Read a book that was selected for a book club or group.
✔ Not my bookgroup (as I'm not a member of any) but several groups read The Man Who Died Twice so I did too.
Spring pre-readathon challenges, playing inter-challenge
Read short stories by authors whose names begin with each letter of the alphabet.
✔ C Filet-O-Fish, K-Ming Chang
✔ J Parties, Tove Jansson
✔ T How to Pronounce Knife, Souvankham Thammavongsa
Thank you Rosalind!! I’m on Letterboxd myself but had no idea there were challenges!My username is SalsaSusy there.
Found your challenges on your page but where do you find them?
very gradually. Usually when someone I follow mentions in their review that they saw a film as part of a challenge or seeing the lists they create for them. Letterboxd also profile challenge creators sometimes in the Journal. Sometimes within comments on challenges people also mention other challenges they're doing or "I don't have time for this because I'm doing the animation challenge this year" etc. That's how each year I end up doing more.I believe Letterboxd is working on having a challenge section or feature to make it easier though. Lise who runs March Around the World is in consultation with them on how this would work, as are others, so hopefully it will get easier to search for and join challenges in the future.
Ah, that explains it. Thank you so much!
Not sure of my exact plans for the reverse readathon this month but it might include reading some of the following:Bloom
Coraline
The House Across the Lake
I Kissed Shara Wheeler
Main goal is to spend more time reading than in the April readathon.
Coraline is a fun book. Hope you have fun! The Reverse read-a-thon is my favorite hours wise :)
I started listening to it last night; read by Neil Gaiman and has cool music. The hours work well in the UK so am optimistic.
Rosalind wrote: "I started listening to it last night; read by Neil Gaiman and has cool music. The hours work well in the UK so am optimistic."Yes, I did it with audio as well and highly recommend in that format. The music and effects are great.
Rosalind wrote: "Not sure of my exact plans for the reverse readathon this month but it might include reading some of the following:Bloom
Coraline
[book:The House Across the Lake|58909..."
Nice! The House Across the Lake is a book on my overall TBR. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of it. :-)
Coraline is one of my all time favorites that my kids recommended to me. It's a perfect readathon book! Enjoy!
Had a wonderful time. Completed three books and got a good way into the fourth. Didn't read for as much time as in April which surprised me but am satisfied. Loved reading other people's blogs and comments in the challenges even if I'm too shy to comment back sometimes.Bloom read all 355 pages and completed 3*
This was a random library pick because of the cover. Very sweet romance, lots about loyalty to family and friends, nice baking scenes - made me want to bake some bread.
Coraline listened to remaining 2hrs and 15 minutes 3.5*
Saw the film at the cinema and enjoyed it but didn't consider reading until recently when I enjoyed a reread of a children's book. It's a shame I'm too old to have read it as a child as it would have delighted me in its scariness.
The House Across the Lake started and read 238 pages
Going well so far. Am enjoying the setting and atmosphere. Really need to wait for completion to comment on thrillers though. The copy I'm reading is a brand new hard-back and it seems odd they've skimped on quality; the paper is rather thin and there are print marks on a lot of the pages.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler read 70 pages and completed 3.5*
Delightful enemies to lovers story. Setting was fascinating as I'm unfamiliar with the US South or religious schooling. Enjoyed the friendships developed and students taking a stand. Heartwarming. Could have been a 4* had the writing been less clumsy. And I hated the question marks in the chosen typeface.
Mod
Rosalind wrote: "Had a wonderful time. Completed three books and got a good way into the fourth. Didn't read for as much time as in April which surprised me but am satisfied. Loved reading other people's blogs and ..."So happy to hear you had a wonderful time, Rosalind! Sounds like you had a very successful readathon indeed. Please don't by shy about commenting back; I love the reading aspect of the readathon of course but I love the socialising aspect of it just as much!!
Coraline: I've read the book but have yet to see the movie. Though probably the images won't be the same as those in my head while reading the book, which I can find very disappointing lol
The House Across the Lake: so sorry to hear they skimped on quality :(
Hope to see you in October!
Fall Pre-Readathon Reading Challenge✔ 1. A non-fiction book. How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing
✔ 2. A book with more than one poem in it. Revolting Rhymes
3. A play written by a woman. for all the women who thought they were Mad
4. Five books with autumn colored spines or covers.
The Animators (my copy is orange)
✔ The Dry (my copy is mainly orange and yellow)
Man at the Helm (my copy is the most autumnal book I own with browns, oranges, sagey greens etc.)
✔ Camp
TBC
✔ 5. A short story collection by an author who did not publish a full-length novel. Afterparties
6. A book by ... DNFed a John Grisham so will try another author on the list
7. A book by ... Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence
8. A book set on each continent:
North America The Bread the Devil Knead
✔ South America Hour of the Star
Europe The Summer Book
Africa Half of a Yellow Sun
Asia Black Water Sister
✔ Australia The Dry
Antarctica/Oceania The Whale Rider
9. A book about the future, published before 1960. Brave New World
✔ 10. A book from a series of more than three books. Moon Over Soho
Hi Rosalind, will you be participating in today's Dewey's as well?
I had planned to participate in today's readathon but I am feeling unwell so may not read/ engage as much as usual and may need easier reads than I had planned.
Hope you feel better soon Rosalind. Have a great readathon however you decide to participate.
Sorry to hear that! Hope you'll enjoy the updated plan nevertheless!
Rosalind wrote: "I had planned to participate in today's readathon but I am feeling unwell so may not read/ engage as much as usual and may need easier reads than I had planned."Oh no! Hope you succeeded in finding some relaxing reads for low key participation. And above all I hope that you're feeling better!
thanks all for your kind comments. I just couldn't concentrate on anything unfortunately so no readathon for me.
That’s too bad! Hope you can carve out some reading time soon.
Rosalind wrote: "thanks all for your kind comments. I just couldn't concentrate on anything unfortunately so no readathon for me."Well, reading definitely isn’t a chore, so if your mind says no, then it’s time to give reading a break. Hope you feel better soon!
Reading Long Lap 1 - 1-7 April 2023This coincides with the first week of a fortnight's holiday so I should have plenty of time to get through a few books. This month I'm working on some of the longlisted titles for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction, plus I have some crime/ thriller challenges going on. I'm also part of the way through several books on loan from the library so would like to finish them up this week.
Read
Children of Paradise 4*
Started this in March but left half to finish on my birthday as it's quite short. The cover is just so gorgeous, it reminds me of soviet style design as well as some of the London Film Festivals. I'd expected it to be more cinephile nerdy but film references were quite shallow or tenuous. That doesn't remove from the enjoyment of it for what it is though. I was brought to mind of Paradise Rot which was also delighfully gross and seedy.
The Last 3.5*
Mostly very strong in atmosphere and dread but lost its way a couple of times. As others have mentioned the ending was a little too abrupt after the previous pacing.
The Writing Retreat 2*
The first half suggested interesting themes that weren't explored and it turned into a rather basic survival story which was a waste.
We Spread 3.5*
A little disappointed by this. The writing is beautiful and the atmosphere haunting but it didn't quite work for me. A lot of people seem to find the portrayal of age and losing one's mind to be powerful but I didn't find it effective beyond an obvious level.
Blankets 3.5*
Liked it a little more on re-read. Laughed out loud at the brothers' pee fight.
In progress
The Stranger She Knew
I'm a Fan
Very much enjoying these so far
Plans for 24 hour readathonUnlikely to finish anything but some I may continue reading/ start are:
Girls Against God
Weyward
Memphis
Death in Her Hands
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
Wash Day Diaries
Stumptown, vol. 4: The Case of a Cup of Joe
It’s good to have a stack to mood read from! Hope you’ll have a great readathon, Rosalind!
thanks Susy, I like a variety of options
You all are getting so much done during the relays, I've been impressedI haven't read any of your TBR list but looks like a good variety there
We're almost there! Best of luck and reading to you today!
Hope you're enjoying your readathon Rosalind!
April 2023 ReadathonHad a lovely time this readathon. Got to hour 23 and found that I just wanted silence as I'd read lots of thought-provoking stuff. Need to remember to incorporate this into reading time more rather than rush on to to the next book which I am prone to do.
Used an adapted version of the bingo board that user Elizabeth shared which encouraged a diversity of reading. Only read outside for five minutes as it was a little too cold out of the sun. But enjoyed reading a poem for the first time in years.
Total pages read: 426. Time listened to audiobooks: 2hours 10 minutes. Highpoint was Weyward which I completed and loved.
Books dipped into:
Great job with your reading this time. It looks like a fun and relaxing time you had!
Will you be joining the reverse readathon today/tomorrow Rosalind?
Mod
Hope to see you this reverse readathon.
thanks for the reminder folks - I have no idea how it's late July already.@Cynda Mildred Pierce is great isn't it - its closing line is one of my faves
Don't have any concrete plans for this readathon but it'd be nice to finish Marple: Twelve New Stories and to start The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. Because I had such a good time with April's variety I might trial a few first chapters too.
Glad you are joining in. Happy reading!
Rosalind wrote: "Summer 2023 Reverse ReadathonDon't have any concrete plans for this readathon but it'd be nice to finish Marple: Twelve New Stories and to start [book:The Mysterious Case of the A..."
Sounds good; happy readathon!
Summer 2023 Reverse ReadathonWas very sleepy so apologies for not participating in chats and so forth. Basically stayed in bed but managed to read The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels from start to finish. Didn't enjoy it as much as The Appeal and suspect that having read helped me anticipate some of the twists. But it was very compelling and thrilling so still 4*.
I listened to one or two of the stories in Marple and I have three left I think. It's averaging out at 2.5-3* but it's a very interesting project and has given me lots to think about regarding what aspects of Marple and her stories are quintessential, how fanfic works, and how context matters to how we receive stories.
Glad you got to enjoy your readathon; a 4 star read sounds very good!See you back in October hopefully!
Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon
Books mentioned in this topic
Harlem Shuffle (other topics)Severance (other topics)
Peak Peril (other topics)
The Changing Man (other topics)
The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple (other topics)
More...
April 2022
July 2022
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April 2022 will be my first readathon and it will start for me at 13:00 (BST). I won't be reading for the whole 24 hours but will do my best.
Some potential TBRs:
Mrs Death Misses Death (audiobook)
Lumberjanes, Vol. 10: Parents' Day
Agnes Grey
The Heights
The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer