I MADE IT!

It's eleven in the morning. I've gotten very little sleep. My dog insists on walks and attention (which is normally cute when there has been sleep.) Welcome to the day after Readathon. 

I just want to say that this readathon was one of my most fun, successful, social reading events I've participated in.  

So since my brain is mush and i cannot seem to find coffee in my house I will leave with a short end of event survey. I'll be back with many reviews and bookish thoughts soon! 

Which hour was most daunting for you?

I kind of gave in around hour 18. It was 2 am. Three Dark Queens was interesting but my eyers were no longer willing participants. However I put on the Sorcerers Stone audiobook to help me fall asleep and actually wound up actively listening for the majority of the night.

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

For me I LIVE for short story collections during readathon. I still only count them as one book but it's easier for me to feel motivated in the mid hours of the readathon when i can think "30 pages until the next story" instead of "200 pages until the best book."

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

I really liked the format this year. I thought it was just interactive enough, and the mini challenges were fun and I didn't feel so overwhelmed that I had to stop reading to participate in all of them. 

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

Like I said, I think this year flowed very well. I really like how active the twitter space was, it was a very nice social cushion when reading for hours on end got tough. 

How many books did you read?

4!

What were the names of the books you read?'

The Wangs vs the World by Jade Chang

Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by  JK Rowling

Which book did you enjoy most?

I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed We Have Always Lived in the Castle! I bought it last year to try and boost my end of the year book numbers with a quick, short read and couldn't get into it. This time around I was in love with the style and the story and it was just the right level of creepy for a chilly October night. 

Which did you enjoy least?

This is probably the first time in my life that I haven't completely been about Harry Potter. I was fully prepared to fall asleep but my brain was not on board. I'm glad I had the audiobook to listen to but I would have been equally happy being a well rested reader today. 

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

I wouldn't mind hosting a mini challenge or doing some co hosting for an hour or so next spring. I think it would be a fun way to break up the day. 

Hour 12 Update

Hello! I am still here and still reading! This is actually shaping up to being my most successful readathon yet.  Below is my mid event survey and I hope you're all having a blast reading your hearts out.

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?

After 2 normal sized books I needed something short and festive to keep me going. I'm almost halfway through We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and am loving this adulthood jaunt back into Shirley Jackson's macabre mind. 

2. How many books have you read so far?

2 - The Wangs vs the World, and Delicate Edible Birds. 

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

I'm debating between starting Roses and Rot, because All the Books recced it forever ago and Neil Gaiman gives it his word of approval, and Three Dark Crowns, because badass YA ladies would be a nice change of pace from Literary Fiction. 

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

My puppy has required a ton of attention today, but he is cute and normally sleeps on my feet while I read so I can't get too upset. Otherwise today has been very pleasant and interruption free!

A photo posted by Sarah (@sarahjoyce89) on Oct 22, 2016 at 6:56am PDT

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

October hasn't been the best month, and 2016 has been rough overall. I am actually suprised by how relaxing I've found today. It's not secret that I love reading, but I feel a million times lighter after taking a chunk out of my constantly growing TBR pile and having no other obligations. 

Ready, Set, Read!

It's 7:58 here in EST so that means, lots of sweatshirts coffee, and sleepy readathon excitement! Here's a quick intro before all the fun starts!


1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Michigan, where is it chilly. It doesn't look like reading outside will be an option today.


2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Right now i'm excited to finish The Wangs Vs the World, but I also went on a little book buying spree so everything is new and exciting. 

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Popcorn ft. SnoCaps.  Also maybe Chinese food later...

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Hi! I'm a Librarian who just finished their MLIS. I work at a museum in the Metro Detroit area and apparently don't get enough of books in my day job. Today I'm putting off netflix binging, Red Wings hockey, and long walks while listening to This American Life to cut down my TBR Pile.  You can also find me at @SarahJoyce on twitter and @SarahJoyce89 on insta for mini readathon updates and pictures of books and my dog. 

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?

I've participated about once a year for the last five years (YIKES!) and this will be the first time I am home alone and have no school responsibilities to get in my way. I'm looking forward to stress free reading and snacking with no pressure added.

Happy Reading!

Readathon Countdown

The semi annual Dewey Readathon is coming up and...drumroll please...

THIS TIME I CAN PARTICIPATE.

I don't have homework, an ill timed vacation, or any major work projects standing in my way.

I've slowly been buying up new books. 

I'm getting into the reading groove.

I'm still waiting on 3 more <3 font="">

I even started a snack list.

It looks a lot like my grocery list...

Okay it's mostly caramel apples covered in sprinkles and popcorn. I'm nothing if I'm not healthy.

Do any of you have any readathon tips? What about books you're excited to read?

Here I Am - Foer

I'm a loyal reader. The authors that have been there during pivotal points, hard times, hot summers, I come back to them. Foer has been a favorite of mine since high school. I named by dog after the boy in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

So a couple weeks ago I dove into Here I Am with no knowledge of plot. No reviews read. Just the fact that a perennial favorite was back on the new release shelf.

It turns out that Here I Am is the story of the deterioration of the Bloch family, and in conjunction - Israel.
I'd give a more full description but imagine marriage crumbling, online games, and general ennui... you'll get the picture.
All of this is not to say that Here I Am wasn't enjoyable. Foer is still a masterful writer, and in lesser hands I would not have wadded through 500+ pages of, for lack of a better term, "first world problems."
While most of the time each page was indulgent, and even reliant of Foer's ability to create deep emotions out of seemingly banal situations nerves were hit, and often.  Each musing on doorknobs or bar mitvah bands was matched by inner turmoil that was universally relatable.
Here I Am is definitely not a book to race through. It is best enjoyed in small bursts, which are at times necessary to tolerate the 40 year old temper tantrums that came up every other chapter.

Stick around for more coherent, less emotionally confused reviews.