Prepping for Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon

Posted 16 October 2015 in events, Uncategorized /0 Comments

Read-a-thon this Saturday! This will be my fifth time participating. I feel like it snuck up on me :O I’m making last minute preparations, but I think this could be my most successful Read-a-thon yet. I’m happy to be back at home to participate (I did the previous two in Japan).

Here is my potential reading list. I know it’s an impossible list – I like to have options! Of course, no rule says I have to only read what’s here, but I do want to get some of my ‘required’ reading done.

  • The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J.R.R. Tolkien
    • A new edition was released while I was in Japan. I haven’t read this collection before and I think it will make good Read-a-thon fodder. 
  • Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson 
    • I’m counting on this one to grip my interest and make for an easy breezy read! I’ve been hemming and hawing over whether to buy it (I’m fourth in line at the library), but I finally decided to splurge so I can have it for the Read-a-thon. 
  • “Shouldn’t You Be in School?” by Lemony Snicket
    • Started this yesterday. Won’t be finished before the Read-a-thon.
  • The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe
    • A RIP Challenge pick. Also a short story that will probably be good when heading into the wee hours of the night!
  • Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow by Kathy Towell 
    • Another RIP challenge choice. I’ve had this book for ages, dunno if I’ll get into it, but I’ll keep it an option.
  • The Fall by Bethany Griffin
    • I didn’t think to put this on the RIP Challenge list, even though I referenced how it’s been on my TBR for ages and I wanted to read the original first! First in line at the library, not sure it’ll come in on time.
  • The Way of the 88 Temples by Robert Sibley
    • My life now is so disconnected from the year I spent in Japan. It’s too easy to forget! I always wanted to learn more about the pilgrimage I did. Now that I’m home I can get some hard-to-find books like this one from the university!
  • 79 pgs of The Bird’s Nest by Shirley Jackson
    • My final RIP Challenge pick. One of the few physical books I bought in Japan, I kept saving it for too long!
  • Chap. 6, 9 and 10 of How to Teach Grammar by Scott Thornby
    • I’ve become the sort of person who reads grammar texts for fun. Oh boy. These chapters are the only ones I didn’t have to read for the course I was taking.
  • 210 pgs of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
    • Hectic travel year means I haven’t started rereading this yet!!  I wanted to read FotR this month so ideally I’ll read the amount I should already have read…….
  •  Urban Tribes: Native Americans in the City edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Nary Beth Leatherdale
    • I’ve had an ARC of this for awhile but I haven’t gotten around to it because it seems I can only read it on my PC. Not a great Read-a-thon option but publication date is coming up so I want to get through some of it.

This year I will have no distractions – no homework, no work work, and no practices! I’d like to maximize reading time and minimize social networking time, though I will be cheer-leading once again. (Please consider cheering! It’s super easy, fun and doesn’t have to take up a lot of time.) It’s the first time in over a year that I’ll get to relax and read in my cozy home, so I want to take advantage of this time as much as possible. Here are some things I want to take into consideration:

  • Take a bath – I’ve never done this during a Read-a-thon and I’m wondering why not!
  • Read for 12 hours – Last October I read for over 10 hours, by far the most I’ve read during a Read-a-thon. Let’s see if I can surpass that!
  • Check social media only once an hour maximum – I’m going to try not too get too sucked into Twitter and challenges
  • Use a Pomodoro timer to remember to get up and move about
  • Keep track only of time spent reading + pages read (as opposed to filling out a more detailed spreadsheet I’ve used in the past)
  • Munch on healthy snacks  – crackers, cheese, apples, carrots, granola, yogurt, etc. I think I can also squeeze in one creme egg 😉 (I’ve got eight left from the spring…I’m very good at rationing!)

I haven’t really planned meals yet…I do know I’m going to take a break to make a Thai soup for dinner. Otherwise, now that I’ve done this post, I’m feeling well-prepared for Saturday! Do you have any tips for a comfortable day of reading? Sign up here to participate in this October’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon,


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