Good morning, readathoners! It’s 6am on the east coast and chances are like, 50/50 that I’m still in bed right now. Because this is the readathon for people who like to sleep! So I’m sure I’ll be rolling out of bed soon enough, grabbing my coffee and settling in for Day 2. Is there anyone that stayed up all night reading? Or most of the night?

You might be thinking that Day 2 is the easy day, right? You’ve got a routine figured out, you’re settling into a rhythm, and Sunday will breeze by. I warn you now: Sunday is the secret killer of 24in48 ambitions. Naps come much more easily and the relative success of your reads on Day 1 can have unintended consequences for Day 2. Did you find that the books you read were bananas good? Sunday books could suffer by comparison. Find yourself in a slump where nothing really clicked? That slump could continue into Sunday.

I’m not trying to scare you, but be warned: Come into Sunday with a plan and an understanding of the pitfalls. Or don’t, and let the day play out as it will. Either way, enjoy yourself! the 24in48 is all about making time to read in big chunks, which you’ve done. Congrats! You win!

Stay tuned both here, and on Instagram and Litsy for more amazing giveaways and challenges all day. And you can still leave a comment with your survey answers on the Hour Zero post to win!

Happy Day Two reading, ‘thoners!

Hello, readathon-ers! How is everyone holding up as we hit the midpoint of 24in48? I’m so impressed with you guys. It’s been an incredible first day and I’ve been having so much fun watching the #24in48 tag on Twitter, Litsy and Instagram. I’m almost having too much fun talking to ‘thoners – I’m losing valuable reading time myself.

What’s been your favorite part of the readathon? The books? The internet chatter? The snacks? Let me know in the comments!

It’s late night on the east coast so I’m heading to bed soon myself, but don’t forget, you can still enter to win a $10 gift card to Amazon/other book retailer of your choice/Starbucks by leaving a comment on the opening post by the end of the readathon.

One of my favorite parts of readathon – and this has been true since the very beginning – is the community that builds online during this amazing weekend of reading. I’ve made some fantastic friends from 24in48 and I know so many of you have too.

I’ve also heard about many of you creating your own little weekend readathon communes where you ditch the kids or the partner and hunker down with friends – both in person and online – to make the most of 24in48. (Shout out to the foursome who got a hotel room to really escape the real world for readathon. You’re doing it right!)

I hope you’ve been enjoying the giveaways and challenges from our friends at Litsy. And don’t forget that it’s not too late to sign up and/or complete the Intro Survey for a chance to win.

Who are you reading with this weekend? My readathon buddy is failing at keeping me motivated – thank goodness he’s cute!

Brought you by As Good as Gone from Algonquin Books

Hey there! Kendra from Litsy here.

On the inside, I suspect all book nerds wish they could be prize-winning poets.  Now’s your chance!!

You see that book stack, probably sitting near you somewhere, the one you’ve been either avoiding totally or dutifully reading through since last night? That’s your muse.

Choose however many books you like and arrange them into bookish art–beautiful spine poetry.

Take a picture of your new creation, head over to Litsy, and share your genius with the world. Be sure to use the hashtags #SpinePoetry #24in48 so we can find you!

By posting a picture of your spine poetry on Litsy, you’ll be entered to win one of five copies of As Good as Gone by Larry Watson (US only).

We’ll choose the winners at 4PM. So what are you waiting for? Go get stacking!

It’s early A.M. here on the east coast and early in the readathon, but I’m awake and ready to read. I’m starting with something quick and easy, like Fangirl or a reread of the Saga series, so I can finish fast and feel productive first thing in the morning.

We’re just beginning so pace yourself friends, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, get your stack, and settle in for a comfy day of reeeeaaadinnnngggg!

What’s first up on your readathon stack?

Right now, it is 12:01am ET and I am, as always, asleep when this shindig starts. Because this is – after all – the readathon for people who like to sleep. Some of you are starting now. Some of you have already been reading for hours. And some of you are sleeping just like me.

Welcome to all the readers – old and new! And a BUNCH of you are brand new to the readathon. I’m so thrilled to have you and I hope you have a fantastically bookish weekend. 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 reminders:

• If you think you might really read 24 hours (and really, there’s no pressure at all to do so), make sure you track your hours. I use the stopwatch function on the clock app on my phone, and hit start and stop as I pause for other things. It might actually matter this round of readathon if you finish a full 24 hours!
• Even though the “rules” say that the goal is to read for 24 out of 48 hours, it’s just a number to shoot for. The real goal of this weekend is to set aside some serious quality time to do nothing but read with a bunch of other people doing the exact same thing. Your time reading still counts even if you don’t hit 24 hours.’
• Take a break, get some sleep, eat well. This is a marathon, not a sprint. And it’s supposed to be low pressure. Don’t kill yourself.
• That being said, try to start with a rough schedule so that you don’t overextend yourself on Sunday night, if you are shooting for that 24 hour mark. Give yourself more time to read on Saturday than you think you’re going to need, because you undoubtedly won’t have as much as you think.

Follow the conversation (which honestly is my favorite part of the ‘thon) on social media. I’ll be posting from @24in48readathon on Twitter, and @24in48 on Instagram and Litsy. You can – and should – use the official hashtag #24in48 everywhere as well. I’ll be posting updates here as well, with a few guest stars, to help me out. Lastly, if you have an iOS device, make sure you download the Litsy app and follow @Litsy for fun giveaways and challenges. They’re bringing the thunder all weekend, and I’m thrilled to welcome them as a readathon partner.

Let’s start off with an intro survey so we can all get to know each other. Post in a comment below or tag the readathon on Twitter, Insta or Litsy with your answers (if you just hashtag, I won’t necessarily see it):

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

I’ll choose one random winner who completes the survey at the end of the readathon who will receive a $10 gift card from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or any other book retailer of your choice, or Starbucks.

(Don’t forget to go check out Litsy right this instant too! They’re also running a giveaway with Graywolf Press.)

Okay. I think those are all the important details. Happy reading, ‘thoners. Have a flippin’ fantastic weekend!

Okay, a week and one day. But still! We’re so close!

If you’re still on the fence about signing up – because 24 hours still seems like too many hours or because you’ve got a thing that weekend already – let me just reassure you that this is a low-pressure readathon. Do that thing you’ve got planned, sleep in, run errands. Generally enjoy your weekend, but integrate the readathon in however you can. Some ‘thoners will set a timer and diligently track their minutes and hours reading (which is awesome), but lots more will use the readathon to carve out significant amounts of weekend time to just read even if they don’t come close to hitting 24 hours. You do you. Read as much as you feasibly can and just enjoy the dedicated reading time. So go sign up. Do it now!

That being said, there’s been a lot going on over on the social channels for 24in48, including a countdown to the readathon on both Instagram and Litsy. If you haven’t checked out the FAQ page, I highly recommend giving it a quick glance.

If you’re curious about how to keep up with the readathon before, during and after next weekend, I’ll be posting updates here all weekend and in the lead up to readathon next week. On social, the official hashtag is #24in48 (though a lot of people also use #24in48readathon, I will only be using the official tag on the social handles).

We’ll be all over Twitter (@24in48readathon), Instagram (@24in48), and Litsy (@24in48).

And speaking of the social channels, I’m super excited to announce that 24in48 has officially partnered with Litsy, the Goodreads-meets-Instagram app that is changing how we talk about books on our phones. Litsy is planning some really amazing activities during the readathon weekend, including giveaways, challenges, and other fun stuff. If you have an iOS device, download the app now and give both us @24in48 and Litsy @litsy a follow. (And if you’re at all thinking about tracking your hours read with a stopwatch, there may or may not be a benefit to reading for a full 24 hours.)

If you’re not on Litsy, don’t fret. I’ll still be hosting giveaways and challenges here as usual.

Okay, I think that covers a few basics. I’ll be back next week with more countdown fun and to see what everyone’s reading! Questions? Send me an email or drop me a note on Twitter. I can’t wait, you guys. It’s gonna be an amazing weekend!