We are taking a break from Top 5 Wednesday today to discuss a very important topic: Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon !!!!! Readathon has become one of my favorite days of the year and I look forward to it with almost as much anticipation as I do Christmas. AND readathon happens twice a year so that's a plus! I know there are several different readathons out there but the only one I participate in is Dewey's. It happens twice year in April and October and this will be my third time participating. The goal of Dewey's is to read as much as you can in 24 hours. This is going to look different for everybody. For me, I am single and have no kids so I can commit my entire day to reading. If you have kids maybe it means spending more time than average reading to or with them. If you work weekends maybe it means committing a solid three or four hours to reading. Just read more than you normally would and have fun. It's also become a big online party for booklovers around the world who spend time not only reading, but cheering on others and in general, sharing the experience. Introvert party!!! Today I'm going to give you just a few tips for how to prepare for a readathon and things to think about in advance.
1) Book selection: Plan ahead! I come up with a stack of around 20 books to choose from. I know I will not read that many but I also know that I do not want to spend an hour staring at my shelves in the middle of the readathon so I give myself a limited number of choices. Planning ahead gives you time to get books from the library, download them to your Kindle, or even place an Amazon order or make a trip to the bookstore if needed. (We'll be talking more about the specifics of book selection on Friday.)
2) Do chores ahead of time! If I'm going to spend a Saturday reading I want to make sure my space is reasonably clean. I don't want to be distracted thinking about how I need to vacuum, the pile of paperwork sitting on my desk, or the laundry. Take a little extra time throughout the week before to accomplish those things that need to be done so you can have a guilt free weekend. (Or you can rent a hotel room somewhere and let someone else do the cleaning.)
3) Food! Food is a critical (and fun) part of readathon. Plan for at least one solid meal, don't just snack all day. The options here are as various as the books we will be reading. Make something the day before that you can reheat, put something in the crock pot in the morning, have materials on hand to make quick sandwiches or wraps or burritos. Have healthy snacking options, fruit and vegetables, cheese and crackers, trail mix of some sort. Have drink options as well. I like hot chocolate for mornings and evenings and peach ice tea during the day. Most definitely have some treats throughout the day. I recommend dark chocolate, it has the added side benefit of supposedly helping you stay awake.
4) Be comfortable! I live in the northwest so for me it's all about cuddling up and (hopefully) watching it storm outside. Comfy clothes (aka pajamas), blankets, and candles all make the day more cozy. Have multiple reading locations as well: different chairs, couches, I even like to lay on my stomach in bed although I don't recommend that once you start to get tired.
5) Lastly, don't feel guilty about giving in to tiredness. I have tried twice to make it through all 24 hours without sleeping. The first time I gave up at about hour 20. The second time I technically stayed awake for the full 24 hours but the last 4 I was in zombie mode and I'm pretty sure I just sat on the couch and didn't actually read anything. This time I am planning to sleep for four hours or so in the middle. My start time is 5am (which I love because I am a morning person), so the plan is to sleep from roughly 10-2. That way I'll still get to be here for the end of the readathon.
That's all the advice I have for today. On Friday I'll talk more about selecting books as well as letting you know what I'll be reading. Next Monday will be a readathon wrap up post. I will not be blogging during the readathon but I will be updating my facebook page, ElizabethAnne Reads, so be sure to follow me there if you want to know what I'm reading/eating/etc. Have a great week and as always, Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment