Coming Soon: Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon

What You Should Know

Who

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon is, AFAIK, the longest running event in the book blogging community. It’s named for its founder Dewey, who blogged at The Other Side of the Leaf. She hosted the first Read-a-thon back in 2007. Dewey passed away in 2008. From 2013 to April 2020, Andi @ Estella’s Revenge and Heather @ Capricious Reader hosted the Read-a-thon. Now it’s in the hands of Kate @ Kate’s Book Nook and Gabby @ Gabs About Books. Hosted biannually in April and October, over 1,500 readers signed up for the April 2020 edition.

What

The name is on the tin – pick up a book or seven and spend a blissful 24 hours reading… Well, of course, you don’t need to read for 24 hours straight. If you can commit to even an hour of reading, then go ahead and sign up. IMO, you’ve had a successful Read-a-thon if you read more than you normally would on a Saturday/Sunday. One of my favourite aspects of the Read-a-thon is that there’s always someone else around to cheer you on or to offer reading camaraderie, no matter what time you jump in.

Where

You can participate in the Read-a-thon online community wherever you post about books (i.e. Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, blog, etc.). Register here to link up where you’ll participate. When it comes to the day of the event, you can participate wherever you find a space to read for a few minutes! Be sure to follow the Read-a-thon’s socials:

When

8:00AM EST Saturday 24 October to 8:00AM EST Sunday 25 October

Why

To celebrate the joy of reading and the community that’s built up around the activity! That’s the why, in my opinion 😊

Your Role

All you need to do is sign up and read on the 24th. But if you are so inclined, there are lots of ways to be more involved. There will be posts throughout the day on the Read-a-thon blog, mini-challenges, Twitter parties, sprints, and three surveys to complete throughout the event. You can socialize with other participants and cheer each other on. Or you can stick with hours of pure, joyful reading.

Kate and Gabby have organized a number of posts leading up to the Read-a-thon that first timers may find useful, like this one about building your reading stack. If you’re planning to go all in and read for more than, say, five hours, I recommend planning your snacks/meals and potential TBR ahead of time. (And letting everyone you live with know what your plans are. 😉) If you’re curious how I’ve participated over the years, you can check out the posts in my readathon tag. (I participated casually in April 2020 via Twitter.) I’m also happy to answer any questions. I tend to swing back and forth between how much time I spend on reading vs socializing.

My Role

I have participated in the Read-at-thon seven times since April 2013. In fact, my second post as a book blogger was for the April 2014 Read-a-thon. The October edition in particular appeals to me because the the atmosphere is perfect for cozying up inside with a book (and catching up on your reading goals before the end of year…).

This time around, I will be helping out in two ways. I’ll be hosting the Twitter party from 3:00 to 4:00PM EST. I’ll also be hosting a mini challenge (time TBD).

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I wanted to highlight Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon this month because I think I have many new followers who aren’t familiar with this event. Have you participated in the past? Will you be participating this year? Even if you only have an hour to spare, I’ll cheer you on! 🎉