Hour Zero: Welcome to the #24in48 Readathon – January 2017 Edition

It’s here! It’s time!

Welcome to the January 2017 edition of #24in48! Right now, it’s midnight ET on the official readathon clock, but we’re kicking things off with a bang. If you’re just now discovering the ‘thon or have been unsure of your weekend plans, you can still sign up and do so throughout the weekend.

A few notes as we get started:

If you’re planning on reading a full 24 hours (or even just trying to get close), make sure you track your time. You can do this a number of ways but the preferred method is with a stopwatch on your phone or computer or the new Bookout app for iOS devices (per a helpful readathoner). If you finish 24 hours of reading, you’ll be eligible to win one of three prize packs, including one just for non-US participants.
There is ZERO pressure to read for a full 24 hours. Seriously, guys. This is the fifth year I’ve been doing this thing, and I say every time, this is supposed to be fun and low pressure. The goal is to set aside some serious time to read with other like-minded readers.
Take a break, get some sleep, eat well. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
Make sure that your sign-up entry is correct (including email and social media/blog URL). If you’re not active on that social platform during the ‘thon, you won’t be able to win any of the amazing prizes we’re giving away. By URL I mean, don’t just type “Twitter” or “Facebook.” I need to be able to find you, so list your username or the URL of your feed (i.e. http://twitter.com/24in48readathon). If you need to update your entry, you can do so by going through the link you received in your confirmation email. If you didn’t get an email and need to update your entry, email me ASAP at 24in48readathonofficial@gmail.com.
If your name is announced as either a door prize winner or a challenge winner, go over to the Prize page and fill out the form. If you don’t check in there, you’ll miss your shot to win.
Follow the conversation (which honestly is my favorite part of the ‘thon) on social media. I’ll be posting from @24in48readathon on Twitter, on the official Facebook page, and @24in48 on Instagram and Litsy. You can – and should – use the official hashtag #24in48 everywhere as well.

I’ll be posting here every three hours with challenges and door prize giveaways, so check in early and often.

Let’s start off with an intro survey so we can all get to know each other. Post your answers (or a link to your answers) in a comment below:

Where in the world are you reading from this weekend?
Have you done the 24in48 readathon before?
Where did you hear about the readathon, if it is your first?
What book are you most excited about reading this weekend?
Tell us something about yourself.
Remind us where to find you online this weekend.

Three people who complete the survey will win their choice of prize. You have until the midway point, Hour 24 at midnight ET tonight, to enter.

Happy reading, ‘thoners!

The Countdown is On!

We’re less than 12 hours away from the official start of #24in48 and you guys are just killing it already. More than 1,000 readers have signed up, we’ve got a whole butt load of prizes to give away, and demonstrating that books and reading are powerful. Today is….not a good day in the US, but I’m using today and this weekend as a reminder that we can support and encourage each other in all things and only by banding together do we get things done.

Whether you’re using the readathon to ignore the badness in the world or as an excuse to catch up on your social justice reading, the community is here for you. Find and follow your fellow readathon-ers on Instagram, Litsy (@24in48), Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, and Goodreads with the hashtag #24in48. You’ll find me (I linked to the official handles) as active as I possibly can be (with breaks for sleeping, of course), but I encourage you to find each other all weekend (especially those of you in other countries when most Americans are sleeping and you need the encouragement most).

Some of you are squeezing your reading around Saturday’s marches in Washington and across the country and I applaud you all. I also wanted to highlight a few other ways you can make a difference. Check out some readathon books from your local library (these institutions will need our support more than ever), donate to arts and literacy organizations in your area, and think about participating in #diverseathon, which overlaps with 24in48 and starts on Sunday. I’ll personally be dedicating my Sunday (if not my whole ‘thon) with #ownvoices books and books by marginalized people.

So that’s it, until midnight tonight. Don’t forget to check in here during the readathon. I’ll be posting updates every three hours, which will include prize announcements, challenges, and really fantastic gifs. Gather ye snacks and TBR stacks and let’s get ready to read.

We’re on Facebook!

Just a quick post to let you know that you can now find 24in48 on Facebook with our own dedicated page, for those of you using that as your primary social platform this weekend. Like our page to keep up with the convo and join other readers this week to discuss your readathon plans and updates throughout the weekend.

Happy readathon planning, friends

7 Books to Read During #24in48 if You Can’t Go to the Women’s March

A version of this post originally ran on BookRiot.com.

On Saturday, January 21st, hundreds of thousands (hopefully) of women (and men) will descend on Washington, DC to proclaim that women’s rights are human rights. While the march is not an outright protest against Donald Trump, who will have been inaugurated as the country’s 45th president the day before, Cecile Richards, president of official march partner Planned Parenthood noted, “we will send a strong message to the incoming administration that millions of people across this country are prepared to fight attacks on reproductive health care, abortion services, and access to Planned Parenthood, as they intersect with the rights of young people, people of color, immigrants, and people of all faiths, backgrounds, and incomes.”

If you’re like me and live a prohibitive distance from DC, you can either find a local march to participate in or spend the day (since you’re already readathon-ing) reading march-adjacent books. While many people are bypassing the readathon next Saturday in favor of attending either the Women’s March or a local march, many more of you are unable to travel to DC or to your local capital to participate.

Here’s a reading list for your March day:

hope-in-the-dark-solnit-cover Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

Originally published in 2004 (now available with a new forward), Solnit’s essay collection can seem a bit outdated – she was writing in the midst of a Bush presidency – but it’s general premise is a good one: that the radical and transformative acts we take as activists don’t always have victories that are immediate or measurable, but this doesn’t mean we should give up fighting. This is particularly valuable advice as our rights are threatened, and sometimes the only thing we can do is donate $5 or call our congressmen.

freedom-is-a-constant Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis

Davis’ essays, speeches, and criticisms are newly collected in this compendium and focus on fighting an oppressive and violent state. From the publisher: “Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism for today’s struggles, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement. She highlights connections and analyzes today’s struggles against state terror, from Ferguson to Palestine.” As this new era under a Trump administration dawns, Davis’ words are more necessary than ever.

Bitch Planet: Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro (artist)

I will never stop pushing people to read Bitch Planet as a specific response to a Trump presidency and its threats to human rights. It’s a modern day version of The Handmaid’s Tale, but closer and more intersectional than ever. Go read it, get angry, fight the patriarchy. Be non-compliant.

what-we-do-now-trumps-america-cover What We Do Now: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump’s America edited by Denis Johnson and Valerie Merians

Hitting shelves just before the inauguration, this diverse collection includes essays from NAACP president Cornell Brooks to Gloria Steinem to Senator Elizabeth Warren to founder and executive director of National Center for Transgender Equality Mara Keisling to George Saunders. Less an academic exercise, these short essays include measurable, definitive advice for fighting the injustices that are sure to come in Trump’s America. As the back cover proclaims, “If you make yourself a sheep, the wolves will eat you.” (Benjamin Franklin)

march-trilogy-cover March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
A three-volume graphic novel that explores the origin of marching en masse under the brutal tyranny of the 1960s and the importance of these marches to the civil rights movement. Vital and powerful, these graphic novels are a necessary history lesson in understanding American activism and civil disobedience. While the Women’s March (and other inauguration protests) will likely be much less violent than those of the civil rights movement as portrayed in March, the graphic novels should be required reading for anyone engaged in fighting injustice from their government. Bonus: now that Trump has lashed out at John Lewis, this book is all the more necessary and relevant.

we-should-all-be-feminists-by-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This slim 50-page book was adapted from Adichie’s TED Talk of the same name and is a powerful defining text of modern day feminism and the importance of inclusion and intersectionality in that definition. When someone questions the idea that women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights, just hand them this book.

feminist-utopia-project The Feminist Utopia Project: Fifty-Seven Visions of a Wildly Better Future edited by Alexandra Brodsky and Rachel Kauder Nalebuff

When the organizers shout, What do we want? these are a few choice answers from a variety of diverse and cutting edge voices. While Women’s March participants and organizers are concerned about stopping the backslide of progress that’s currently overtaking our political systems, this anthology envisions a world that’s feminist as fuck and challenges us to demand a radically better future.

Will you be reading any of these, or any other social justice books, during readathon?

Prize Announcements + How to Participate in #24in48

We’re just over a week out from the start of #24in48 (have you been following the countdown on Instagram and Litsy?) and I’ve been hard at work gathering prizes for you lovely readers. I’m so excited to announce the first round of prizes. A second round about prize packs for readers who read a full 24 hours will be coming tomorrow!

Even though I’ve been running this readathon for five years (!!!), I’m still tweaking it each round to make it work best for you, the readathoners. Even as it grows, I want to make sure that it’s the same low-pressure and fun ‘thon that it’s always been. I still want to give people who are more active and engaged online the chance to win prizes, but I also want to give people who are just reading at home the chance to win some stuff too.

So to that end, I’m introducing door prizes in addition to challenge prizes. I’ll be increasing my post frequency – every three hours instead of six – in order to give away all these amazing prizes and I’ll be running challenges throughout the weekend here on the blog as well as on social media channels, but you’ll be able to win a prize just for being a readathoner.

If you’re signed up to read, you are automatically entered to win a prize. Just show up and participate over the course of the readathon weekend at the URL/username you signed up with (you can edit your entry via the confirmation email you received when you signed up if you need to adjust or add this URL). Winners will be randomly chosen and announced during every three-hour post on 24in48.com.

If your name is announced, check the 24in48.com/prizes page to see what’s still available and fill out the form on that page with your top three prize choices. You’ll get a confirmation email with the prize you’ve won by the end of the readathon. If you are based in the US, please choose from the US Only section first, in order to allow any International participants to claim a prize.

Now for the important part! The prizes! (This list may be updated as more are added.)

US Only

Algonquin

Our Short History by Lauren Grodstein (galley, release date: 03-21-2017)
The Last Days of Café Leila by Donia Bijan (galley, release date: 04-18-2017)
The Leavers by Lisa Ko (galley, release date: 05-02-2017)
Just Fly Away by Andrew McCarthy (galley, release date: 03-28-2017)
Be True to Me by Adele Griffin (galley, release date: 06-13-2017)
Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen

Book Riot

Books Beanie
Jorge Luis Borges Paradise Tote Bag
Read Harder Mug

Dutton

All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai (signed galley!, release date: 02-07-2017)
All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai (signed galley!, release date: 02-07-2017)
Right Behind You by Lisa Gardner (galley, release date: 01-31-2017)
Say Nothing by Brad Parks (galley, release date: 03-07-2017)
Home by Harlan Coben (finished copy, release date: 02-28-2017)
Relentless Spirit by Missy Franklin (finished copy)

Graywolf

Citizen by Claudia Rankine
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
Look by Solmaz Sharif
Whereas by Layli Long Soldier (release date: 03-07-17)

Hachette Audio

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple (audiobook CD)
Indestructible by John R. Bruning (audiobook CD)
Mischling by Affinity Konar (audiobook CD)

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (galley, release date: 05/02/2017)
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (galley, release date: 05/02/2017)
A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume (galley, release date: 04/18/2017)
A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume (galley, release date: 04/18/2017)
Sympathy by Olivia Sudjic (galley, release date: 04/04/2017)
Sympathy by Olivia Sudjic (galley, release date: 04/04/2017)
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall (finished copy)
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall (finished copy)
Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnick (galley, release date: 03/28/2017)
Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnick (galley, release date: 03/28/2017)
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saénz (galley, release date: 03/07/2017)
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saénz (galley, release date: 03/07/2017)

Little Brown

Startup by Doree Shafrir (galley, release date: 04-25-2017)
Startup by Doree Shafrir (galley, release date: 04-25-2017)
Startup by Doree Shafrir (galley, release date: 04-25-2017)
Startup by Doree Shafrir (galley, release date: 04-25-2017)
Startup by Doree Shafrir (galley, release date: 04-25-2017)

Less by Andrew Sean Greer (galley, release date: 07-18-2017)
The One Hundred Nights of Hero: A Graphic Novel by Isabel Greenberg (finished copy)
The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer (finished copy)

OwlCrate

One January 2017 Classic Remix OwlCrate Box

Penguin Random House Audio

Flying Lessons & Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh, read by Ellen Oh, Kwame Alexander, Meg Medina and Various (Listening Library) (audiobook CD)
As Red as Blood by Salla Simukka, read by Ann Marie Lee (Listening Library) (audiobook CD)
Swing Time by Zadie Smith, read by Pippa Bennett-Warner (audiobook CD)

Riverhead

The Awkward Age by Francesca Segal (galley, release date: 05-16-2017)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (galley, release date: 03-07-17)
The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor (galley, release date: 06-13-2017)

Viking

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett (galley, release date: 02-28-2017)
The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall (galley, release date: 03-14-2017)
The Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor (galley, release date: 06-06-2017)

International

$15 worth of Book Depository books via Jen Shoots Weddings
$15 worth of Book Depository books via Jen Shoots Weddings
$15 worth of Book Depository books via Jen Shoots Weddings

$15 worth of Book Depository books via Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon
$15 worth of Book Depository books via Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon

$15 worth of Book Depository books via Sue Dodd
$15 worth of Book Depository books via Sue Dodd

€20 worth of Book Depository to any reader NOT in one of these countries via Anonymous (for readers without access to Amazon):

United States
United Kingdom and Ireland
France
Canada
Germany
Italy
Spain
Netherlands
Australia
Brazil
Japan
China
India
Mexico

Thanks to our prize sponsors!

Tracking Your Hours + Prize Pack Announcement!

We’re a week away from the start of the ‘thon and, during the last readathon, I suggested that you keep track of your hours because it might be worth your while. While many of you did just that, and got a pair of Out of Print socks as a reward, I realized after the fact that my instructions about tracking and the requirements for doing so were unclear and many of you lost out on the option to win a prize.

While I won’t be doing another “everyone gets a prize” a la Oprah, if you finish the full 24 hours, you will be entered to win one of three fantastic prize packs (there’s even one for international readers). More about those in a minute, but first the rules.

In order to be eligible for one of these prize packs, you must:

Sign up officially using your name, a valid email, and a URL/username for the platforms you’ll be updating during the ‘thon. (If you need to edit your response to include an actual link or username, you can do so by following the confirmation link you received when you signed up.)
Be active on those platforms during the readathon.
Use some method of tracking your time. This can include your phone’s stopwatch function or a digital stopwatch (preferred) or a written time tracker, but your 24 hours must be clearly recorded. (If you need a digital stopwatch, Google “stopwatch.”)
In the post that goes up at the end of the readathon, you’ll be able to submit your info and proof of 24 hours of reading. You’ll also be asked to note whether you’re US-based or international.
You’ll have 48 hours after the end of the readathon to submit this proof, after which the form will be closed.

Obviously, your proof is on the honor system and, while I’m thrilled to be able to offer these prize packages, please don’t abuse it.

Now for the fun part!

Prize Pack #1:

$50 gift card to the Book Riot Store, courtesy of Book Riot
“Read or Die” T-Shirt, courtesy of Book Riot
Dick: a card game based on the novel by Herman Melville

prize-pack-1

Prize Pack #2:

$50 gift card to Litographs.com, courtesy of Litographs
A tote from Graywolf Press
Bards Dispense Profanity: a party game based on the works of William Shakespeare

prize-pack-2-1

International Prize Pack

$50 worth of books from Book Depository, courtesy of Jen Shoots Weddings
Your choice of one Penguin item (see link for options) from The Literary Gift Company

international-prize-pack

Questions? Leave a comment or send me an email at 24in48readathonofficial@gmail.com!

24in48 Winter 2017 Readathon Sign-ups are Open!

We are 22 days from the start of the next 24in48 readathon! With the holidays, I postponed this sign-up post but I just can’t wait anymore. Mark your calendars for January 21 and 22, 2017, ready your book stacks, and prep your reading nests (yes, you do need that extra blanket).

If you’re new to 24in48, this is the basic gist: beginning at 12:01am on Saturday morning and running through 11:59pm on Sunday night, participants read for 24 hours out of that 48 hour period. You can split that up however you’d like: 20 hours on Saturday, four hours on Sunday; 12 hours each day; six four-hour sessions with four hour breaks in between, whatever you’d like.

And that’s it. The format never changes but it’s always an adventure.

Have more questions? There’s an FAQ page for that.

Ready to join? Fill out the form below and feel free to list any and all of the places you’ll be hanging out online during the ‘thon. The participant list has it’s own separate home this time. If your entry doesn’t immediately pop in to the spreadsheet, give it a few minutes to populate.

And you can follow the readathon in all the normal places. We’re on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy (@24in48) and you can use the official hashtag #24in48 everywhere to keep up with your fellow readathon-ers.

Who’s ready?

Hour 48: The End! + Wrap-Up, Prizes, and More!!

You guys are absolute heroes! We made it to the end, and as always, I’m humbled and proud and freakin’ exhausted. And despite the late night, we’ve got some important business AKA PRIZES to take care of first.

We had 1165 readers join in from all over the world. Considering that back in January when we did this last, there were just about 460 readers, I’m so stoked about the response this time around.

It has to be said that this explosion is due in no small part to the amazing crew at Litsy, especially Kendra and Liberty for hosting giveaways, challenges and Twitter takeovers all weekend. Litsy was on fire all weekend (in fact, you guys crashed the app a couple times because of the traffic). So many of you won amazing prizes, thanks to our sponsors, Algonquin, Graywolf Press, Coffeehouse Press, and HMH. But the prize winning isn’t over!

As soon as they’ve crunched the numbers, Litsy will be announcing five grand prizes over on the app, brought to you by Novel Tees and Out of Print. They’ll be giving out awards for:

“Jay Gatsby Popularity” Award (Most Followers Gained)
“MLR: Most Litfluential Reader” Award (Most Litfluence Gained)
“Charles Bingley Congeniality” Award (Ms./Mr. Congeniality award)
“Most Enthusiastic Readathoner” Award (Most Comments Made)
“Eager Reader” Award (Greatest TBR Stack Growth)

Thank you to NovelTeas – who create delicious tea flavors based on classic novels – for sponsoring these awards. Also, look how gorgeous the tins are!

Stay tuned for those winners to be announced here and on Litsy, early this week.

Also, thanks to Out of Print, everyone – EVERYONE – who finished a full 24 hours of reading is getting a pair of awesome bookish socks. In order to get your pair, leave a comment with a photo or a link to a photo (on social media or a blog etc.) showing proof of your full 24 hours read. If you don’t have social media on which to post a picture or are unable to comment with a picture, leave a comment letting me know and then email me at 24in48readathonofficial@gmail.com with your photo.**You must get your entries to me NO LATER than 12pm ET, tomorrow (Monday, July 25)** (Be cool, people. No cheating.)

Next, the winner of the $10 giftcard from our Intro Survey – or should I say winners! I know I said there would be just one, but we had so many entries from all over the bookternet that I couldn’t help but give out more than one. So I’m giving away THREE $10 giftcards to Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, or your book retailer of choice (or Starbucks. Because caffeine.). The winners of those prizes are:

Nephele (@NepheleTempest)

Kirsten (@snakes6atx)

Lisa (@flyfarther79)

Congrats to all of you, and I’ll be emailing you soon.

Finally, to make sure I continue to run this readathon in a way that works well for everyone, especially as it gets bigger and bigger, I’d love it if you could fill out the closing survey in the comments:

How many books did you read? Pages? (If you didn’t keep track, tell me that too!)
How many hours did you read?
What do you think worked well in this readathon?
What do you think could be done to improve the readathon for next time?
Will you participate in a future 24in48 readathon?

Okay! I think that’s all the wrapping up I need to do…Oh wait, you thought I forgot! Obviously I need to announce the dates for the next readathon, don’t I?? The next 24in48 will be held on:

January 21-22, 2017

Can’t wait to see you all then! Now I’m going to go do this:

Hour 42: Honest Book Titles – Litsy Giveaway

Brought to you by Good as Gone from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Hello, lovely readers, it’s Liberty from Litsy. HOLY CATS! We are coming up on the final stretch of the readathon. Congratulations, you’ve come so far!

And to celebrate reading and readers, we have another giveaway! This one is inspired by the blog “Better Book Titles.” If you’ve never seen it, it’s where people rename books with “better” titles. For instance:

And:

So funny and clever – just like the readathon participants. So for our next giveaway, we want to see your “honest” titles!

To enter, head over to Litsy, and share a picture of a book you think could use a new title, and caption it with what you think it REALLY should have been named.

Be sure to use the hashtags #HonestBookTitle and #24in48 so we can find you!

By posting a picture of your honest book title on Litsy, you’ll be entered to win one of five copies of Good as Gone by Amy Gentry.

We’ll choose the winners at 9PM EST. Now, let’s see some honesty!

I’ll wait here.

Hour 36: Move Your Body

With 12 hours left to go, now is the time when you start to get tingly toes or an achy back from sitting in one place for too long. And the sleepies are a real serious thing on Sunday afternoon of readathon.

So grab an audiobook and get your body moving. Go for a walk, a bike ride (though please don’t ride in traffic with earbuds in your ears), hit the gym, play with your kids or dog, or even go through this simple sun salutation to get the blood flowing.