Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-A-Thon October 2017

It’s that time of year again, Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-A-Thon ! This event is a special one and I like to participate each year at least once if I can. I’ve taken part since 2008 waaay back when I started book blogging and discovered the amazing book blogging community.

I usually read one to two books in the 24 hour time frame. I wish I saved those old read-a-thon posts and comments. It would be interesting to revisit some of those. This is year 10 for the read-a-thon and it’s wonderful to see it continue in Dewey’s memory. She was one of the first bloggers to comment on my blog all those years ago when I started book blogging and didn’t think anyone would read my blog let alone take time to comment . That was back before Instagram and Twitter were such a big part of the book blogging community. It’s hard to remember a time before Instagram and Twitter right? I’m dating myself but when I began my first book blog in 2006, it was all about the printed book, sites like Net Galley didn’t exist and all the books I received for review were in print. Let me go get my cane and rocking chair…j/k. But it is nice to see an event like this continue on and stay so popular all these years later and see it grow through social media.

This year I am reading Strange Weather: Four Short Novels and The Duchess Deal.

This Kristen Wiig gif represents is how excited I am.

Hour 0 opening meme:
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? NJ
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Both. The Joe Hill will be first so I can sink my teeth into the short novellas. Then I love Tessa Dare‘s fun and sassy romances, so hopefully I can get to that book this evening.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Hmmmm. I don’t know. I do have chocolate turtles for later.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I’m a mom, a wife, I love to read, I love to crochet, and I have two dogs.
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? It’s fun every year an I like the hourly activities and challenges.

Have fun everyone 🙂 I’ll be updating this post with challenges, updates etc. as I read.

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Hour 4: Set the scene:

Whether you are inside or outside, lounging in an armchair or curled up in blanket on the floor, I hope your reading spot is the perfect spot for you. So tell me about it! Where are you reading from? And what’s your ideal reading set up?

I’ve been reading most of the morning and my favorite reading spot is in bed. Otis is usually snuggled up with me while I read, crochet or watch tv. I’m still reading Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill which is really excellent so far.

On a different note, does anyone listen to music while reading? I sometimes do but lately I found an app called Relax Melodies and it’s great. I listen to nature sounds while reading and also before going to bed. You can set up your own, my favorites are “campfire crackling” mixed with “river water” and “thunder”. It’s very soothing to listen to and it’s on continuous loop.

“The sky to the west was a bright burning gold, darkening to a deep red along the horizon-a hideous shade, the color of the human heart.” -p.62, Strange Weather, Joe Hill

I took a break around lunch time and went for fries, with zero guilt. It’s gorgeous out. I’ll be sitting out in my yard in a few to read some more and enjoy the warm weather.

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Hour 9: Book Nerdery

Do you have a favorite fictional author? Any fictional fiction or non-fiction you wish you were able to read?

Paul Sheldon from Stephen King’s Misery is a good one. He wrote the Misery Chastain novels and meets his biggest fan Annie Wilkes. I’d definitely read his books. Also, S. Morgenstern, the fictional author of The Princess Bride. And I can’t leave out Gilderoy Lockhart, from the Harry Potter series. Mrs. Weasley’s reaction at his book signing is hilarious too. What are your favorite fictional authors?

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Hour 12: Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now? I’ve been reading  Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill since this morning, on page 239 of 438 now.
2. How many books have you read so far? Still on my first one.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I’m going to finish up my current read and  probably call it a day. I might start dipping into the second book, but I’ll see how I feel later and how late it gets. After a certain hour I can’t focus on reading if I’m too sleepy. I think 438 pages in one day is a great reading accomplishment for myself. That’ll be the most I’ve read in a 24 hour period.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I started off strong this morning, and now that’s it’s 9pm, I’m winding down. I had the usual weekend stuff to do, some housework, cooking etc. but have been focused on reading. I ended up taking an afternoon drive with my daughter and enjoyed the nice weather. The second novella in my book slowed my pace a little because I started to lose interest at one point but it picked up again so that was good.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nothing, it’s alot of fun 🙂 I’ve had fun Tweeting too.

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Closing Survey!
1. Which hour was most daunting for you? At midnight I was struggling to keep my eyes open.
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! 366 pages of Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill. I finished it up today, it’s very good.
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? I would recommend Strange Weather. Next time around I’m going to read small paperbacks during the read-a-thon instead, I think two shorter books would work well.
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile? It is always fun reading and seeing the buzz surrounding the event online. I was a little disappointed not to see “Book Spine Poetry” as one of the challenges this time.  I always have fun with that one.
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? I’d definitely participate again and again. It’s tradition. Thanks to the read-a-thon hosts and coordinators!

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