The Readathon is coming!
This Saturday, October 18 is Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon, one of my favorite book nerd days of the year. While I love the spring Readathon, I think the fall Readathon is my favorite — fall always feels like the right time to cuddle in and spend the day with books.
I’ll have a post up here on Saturday where I’ll do regular updates and collect my updates from other social media, primarily my Twitter feed (@kimthedork) and Instagram (kimthedork). Last spring I used Storify, which I thought went pretty well.
My Book Pile
My original plan was to only grab books that were shorter than 250 pages. From past Readathons, I’ve learned that’s an ideal length for books that I can get lost in but still finish in a reasonable number of hours. But… then I decided that there were a couple of books I really wanted to read that are longer than that… so artificial constraints be damned. I have a good day, I’ll be able to get through three regular books and three comics, but I’m not putting any pressure on myself either way.
Anyway, enough blabbering! Here’s what’s on my list:
- The Last Girlfriend on Earth by Simon Rich (213 pages) — I’ve never done short stories during a Readathon, but I’ve heard so many great things about Rich I threw this on the pile.
- Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (195 pages) — Pretty much everyone who writes for Book Riot has been raving about this book, the first in a creepy, sci-fi-ish trilogy. I trust those guys… and I love the cover!
- Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (293 pages) — Yeah, I know this one is longer than 250 pages. But it’s YA with big font, so I think it’ll be a satisfying, late afternoon book.
- Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? by Timothy Verstynen and Bradley Voytek (272 pages) — Zombies! Nonfiction! What could be better?
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (352 pages) — I’ve been wanting to read this one forever, and a readathon seems like the perfect time to pick it up.
- An Age of License by Lucy Knisley (189 pages) — When I found out Lucy Knisley had a new illustrated travel memoir out, I knew I had to have it. This is going to be a great Readathon book.
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (232 pages) — More comics! This is one of those important, well-loved graphic memoirs that I am excited to read.
- The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew (176 pages) — I grabbed this one at the library — I think it’ll be a fun, late-night read.
My Other Plans
In addition to getting my book pile put together, I need to do some chores around the house and get to the grocery store for some snacks. It’s easier for me to spend all day reading if I know the kitchen is clean and my laundry is done and there’s not a ton of clutter in my reading space. And of course I need some healthy and not-so-healthy snacks to keep me fortified.
Oh man, I am so excited. I can’t wait until Saturday!
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The Last Girlfriend on Earth is great! Have fun!
I am in on this as well. I am so excited as it is my first no commitment weekend in a long time. 🙂 You can listen to audio while you clean. Just saying 😉
The Last Girlfriend on Earth is a great read-a-thon pick! It’s really fun and a super fast read.
Hooray for the readathon 😀 I think the fall readathon is my favorite of the two as well. I’ll be able to get a crockpot of chili going and cuddle up under my blankies.
I hope you have a great one! I know for sure that you’ll enjoy Fun Home. I recently read, and adored, it.
Squee, so excited, too! Especially since I will be reading with a buddy for the first time ever. I’ll check in with you Saturday!
I’m trying short stories during the read-a-thon for the first time, too. Cannot wait for Saturday! Happy reading!
Yay Last Girlfriend on Earth! I’m just finishing up his second collection now and it’s just as wonderful.
Station Eleven! Looks so amazing! If I were doing readathon that’s what I’d start with!
I’m planning to do a lot of cleaning tomorrow, so I’ll have minimal distractions on Saturday. I have a yoga class mid-morning on Saturday, but otherwise I have the whole day clear. Yay!
I like the idea of Storify for updates. I hadn’t thought about that!
So very jealous. My lack of babysitters due to vacations is really limiting my availability for the readathon.
It doesn’t seem like I’m ever able to do the readathon in the fall, but I will try to put in some extra hours just in solidarity! Knisley is so cute and easy to read (just got Relish from the library a couple of days ago) and Fun Home is another excellent quick read. And Station Eleven! Agh! SO DAMNED GOOD! You will definitely get the creeps from that one with all the Ebola crap going on.
Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep sounds fun! I’m so excited for the readathon. I’m not making a stack. I have a comic picked out, some Poe, and maybe Sold by Patricia McCormick. Trying to keep it light and flexible!
Rah, Rah, Sis-Boom-Ba! Sorry, excited. Doing a bit of early cheering. You have a stunning stack, Kim! Have a great day tomorrow! #TeamKing