The Readathon is over! I had an amazing time while I was Readathoning, even though work got in the way a lot more than I had wanted it to 😦

The good: I felt so relaxed settling down to read and focusing on a few short books that I’ve been eyeing for awhile now. I alternated reading with exploring different blogs and checking out gorgeous Instagram posts, and it was the perfect combination. I also treated myself to some Thai food and hot chocolate (not at the same time). I posted a lot on Instagram and managed to put up a few progress updates on this blog as well. It’s hard to describe how peaceful the Readathon made me feel; it gives me a solid excuse to totally abandon the rest of the world for books for a little while.

The bad: I had to work the morning of the Readathon, which I knew about (and attempted to escape from) ahead of time, and I was also on call all weekend. What I didn’t expect was to field several calls during the day and to get called back into work around midnight, which took up a good two hours of reading time and totally threw me off my game. I was going strong with a great book when I got the call, and when I got back home I was too distracted to fully commit to Readathoning the way I had been doing earlier. I was also really exhausted because I only got about 2 hours of sleep before. I was having a harder time focusing on books than I anticipated because I was so sleepy and read a lot less than I thought I would. So although the Readathon in general was awesome, it was bad timing for me this year.

Here’s my post-Readathon survey!

Which hour was most daunting for you?

1:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. I ended up getting called into work late last night, and when I got back I had totally lost my reading focus–I was in the middle of A History of Glitter and Blood when I left and had trouble getting back into the zone when I got back. I ended up needing to switch to my audiobook.

Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

I think faster-paced, absorbing books are best for the Readathon. Short books work well too. Here are some that I didn’t use for the Readathon but wish that I had:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire, Nimona by Noelle Stevenson, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, anything by Ilona Andrews, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, The Rook by Daniel O’Malley, Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg (this would be literally perfect, maybe I’ll reread it for next Readathon! It’s a short read and hilarious)

Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season?

No! I thought it was fantastic. Everyone was so engaged with reading and talking books.

What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

All of it?

How many books did you read?

I finished 3 short books/graphic novels, read a decent chunk of a YA novel, and listened to about 3 hours of my audiobook.

What were the names of the books you read?

Finished:

Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

Through the Woods by Emily Caroll

Fables, Volume 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

Read part of:

A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz

Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson

Which book did you enjoy most?

I loved Kindred Spirits–it was a perfect Readathon read. Quick, very cute, and nerdy in a great way. I also am getting really drawn into the world of A History of Glitter and Blood. It’s YA but definitely skews older–it deals heavily with teen prostitution and dismemberment is another key theme. It’s a very dark story about fairies told in an atypical way.

Which did you enjoy least?

Fables. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work that well for me. I love anything fairytale-related, but it just didn’t feel original enough to me. I’m not in love with detective-type formats in general; it’s just not my genre.

How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I’m already getting excited for the next Readathon on October 22nd!!! For next time, I’m planning on taking off work for sure instead of trying to switch shifts so that I don’t run into the issues I had this time around. I might try to incorporate a spooky/horror theme for the season.

So, another awesome Readathon ends! Now I’m getting pumped for Bout of Books, a week-long reading challenge that lasts from May 9-15. If you’re in the middle of a Readathon hangover, you might want to check it out (http://boutofbooks.blogspot.com/).

 

How did everyone else’s Readathons go? I can’t wait to check out all of your blog posts!