I decided to start the Readathon with the book I was looking forward to the most–Carry On. And also some delicious pumpkin spice coffee in my Strand Bookstore mug, to keep to the Readathon theme. So far I’m really loving this bookish holiday. It has a really nice sense of community to it: I love looking at the Goodreads thread to see what other people are reading, and at everyone’s picture updates on Instagram, and at all the fun blog posts. And dedicating an entire day to books just has this wonderfully relaxing, warm feeling.

Also, I’m loving my first book choice. Rainbow Rowell has this very cozy writing style; everything feels intimate and relatable, even when it’s about magic and monsters. Simon Snow is the Chosen One, like Harry Potter–but unlike Harry, he’s very self-aware and open to admitting his flaws and shortcomings. His Hermione-esque best friend, Penelope, is a wonderful character, and I’m glad to see that there’s no Ron substitute in the story (I was never a fan of Ron. Sorry.). So far the book is about growing up, and things not turning out the way that they’re supposed to, and I like that. It’s funny but also touching. It’s also strange because I’ve been making comparisons to both Harry Potter and The Magicians while reading it, but Carry On still manages to stand really well on its own. It’s a book that’s an adaptation of the fanfiction of a fictional book based on a different book within a fictional book, but it still feels fresh and creative and new.

I really love the Readathon so far. I’m thinking I need to make this a tradition.

Hope everyone else is enjoying the Readathon as much as I am!