It’s been just over a week since we wrapped up the July 24in48 readathon, and we’re still all heart-eyes emoji over the incredible weekend you guys took part in and helped to make wonderful.

We topped out with just over 1,900 readers, making this our most successful readathon to date (and summer ‘thons are notoriously less popular). We also started tracking the books you guys read during the readathon; you logged 2,476 books and 1,887 unique titles. Readers came from literally all over the world: we had participants from 6 continents (and now my goal is to find a reader in Antarctica to participate), with nearly 78% in North America. And nearly 44% of you were first-timers!

We got (almost) nothing but positive feedback on our push for diversity and we thank you for supporting this effort. Of the books you logged, 30% were by authors of color and more than 60% were by women. We still have work to do though; for more than 60% of logged books, participants noted that they weren’t sure about the author’s race, sexuality, neurodiversity, or disability status.

That’s all to say thanks for making this most recent readathon a resounding success.

Now for the best part! Announcing our SEVEN prize pack winners. (Here’s one more stat: 227 readers sent in proof that they’d completed a full 24 hours of reading!)

Prize Pack #1

Miriam W.

Prize Pack #2

Kelly Brady

Prize Pack #3

Erin Feinstein

Prize Pack #4

Emily Blaeser

Prize Pack #5

Devin (@devinfeyded)

International Prize Packs

Samuelle Boyer
Melanie Taddeo

Winners, expect an email from us shortly! Congrats and great job everyone, whether you finished a full 24 hours or just two and we’ll see you all back here in January.

YOU GUYS! You did it! We’ve hit the end of another fantastic 24in48 readathon. I don’t know about you but we are thoroughly exhausted and full of books. Everyone gather round for a big ole group hug. Yes, even you in the back!

Okay, fine. I respect personal boundaries. But I request the highest of fives instead:

But before we can wrap this up, we’ve got a few last pieces of business to take care of. Starting with the winners for the Hour 42 Bookends challenge:

Christina Hickey

Brittany Radomski

Amanda Salas

Meg L @megabooks

Tori Markwalder

Melissa Daunt

Shaina Wyche

Cassia Lima

Cherry (@_forevermint)

Stephanie Dawson

Angela Boersma

Carol Ellison

Bree Dumont

If you won here, go to the Prize Page and pick out your top three choices. Don’t forget to go check previous posts to see if you won a door prize or challenge task!

Don’t forget to go add all the books you read during readathon to our tracker (and go check out Goodreads to see what your fellow readathon-ers were flipping through this weekend).

Next, mark your calendars. The next round of readathon will be held on…

January 26-27, 2019

Now we’d love to know how the readathon worked for you. We added a few new elements this time, including asking you to let us know what books you read and where you’re reading from, and we’d love to know what went well and what didn’t. Your feedback helps us produce an event that’s as enjoyable for everyone as possible.

Lastly, if you managed to read a full 24 hours, you’re eligible to win a prize pack, courtesy of some of our fantastic donors. Fill out the form below to provide proof of your full 24 hours read BEFORE midnight ET on Tuesday, July 24th. We’ll announce the winners of those packs next week.

Once again, we are so thrilled you were able to join us this weekend and we hope you had an amazing couple of days full of great books, yummy snacks, and few interruptions. We’ll see you back here in January!

Honestly, I’m going to let the good ol’ Doctor do the talking here…

We have just THREE hours left in this round of 24in48, and we’re all here cheering each and every one of you in to the finish line. We can’t wait to hear all about the books you read, the new connections you made, the books you’ve added to your TBRs… we’re overflowing with bookish love, and ready to ride out these last few hours in STYLE.*

But first, more door prize winners!

Alison Huston

Andi @ Estella’s Revenge

MarthaBookDragon

Candi Colby

TheBooktarian

Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Renee Smith

Julianne @ Outlandish Lit

And don’t forget there’s still time to enter the last challenge of the weekend, Hour 42: Your Actual Bookends, which will be open until Hour 48 of this thing!

*Ok, let’s face it, “STYLE” for your co-hosts right now = pajamas, pillow forts, and stacks of books. And proud of it.

Reminder: This 24in48, we’re trying something new to get a geographic snapshot of all participants and log every book read over the weekend! Let us know where you’re reading from here, and track your books as you finish them here!

I’ve got some happy, sad, and generally-feelingsy news to share.

We’re at hour 42, which means you’ve done the damn thing almost all the way through, AND that we’ve reached our last challenge for this edition of 24in48.

I’M HAVING COMPLICATED FEELINGS, OK? Mostly, though, I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you joined us. I’m eternally grateful for this event, my cohosts, and every single one of you readers the world over.

Whether you’re cramming through those last few hours to hit your goal, finish that book, or just generally see this thing through to the end, we know you’re here to celebrate the winners of our Hour 30 challenge before we dive into the last challenge.

Stephanie Wang

Amy Slusher

Barbara Wood

Shannon Keller

Jesse Presgraves

Christy Broderick

Sara Plourde

Bethany (@bibliosbinge)

Steph Auteri

Jess7 (thegreeneyedreader)

Sarah @ Reviews and Readathons

Colleen Burns

Steff Pasciuti

You know the drill! If you won, get thee to the prize page to stake your claim!

AND NOW: THE LAST CHALLENGE. This time around, we want to see the first book on your shelves, and the last book on your shelves.

I’m always intrigued by the way readers choose to organize their shelves, if at all. Overall, I break things down by Fiction and NonFiction. Within that, I separate hardcover and paperback, and then alphabetize by author.

 

Now, tell me how you organize. Cry about how you’ll never find the beginning of your stacks of books and will ultimately be buried under the weight of them because you can’t stop buying more. You know. You do you.

If you’re posting a photo of your entry on social media, don’t forget to use the official hashtag #24in48 so other readers can find you, and tag us so we can see! We’ll post the winners of this challenge in six hours (Hour 48, the very end of 24in48), so make sure you check back after you entered to see if you won! 

Reminder: This 24in48, we’re trying something new to get a geographic snapshot of all participants and log every book read over the weekend! Let us know where you’re reading from here, and track your books as you finish them here!

 

We have nine hours left to go in this amazing weekend of readerly love, and I’m here to make sure you keep on keeping on! I (Kerry) for one tend to get a little run down round about this time every readathon, but that’s ok! Some snacks, a quick walk break, a new book — it’s all about finding new ways to keep energized. What are you all reading right now? What’s keeping you going? Share your tips and advice, and be sure to keep tagging your posts with the #24in48 hashtag so we keep seeing them!

Ok, on to our next round of door prize winners (and don’t forget to check the past posts to see if you’ve won!)…

Sarah Says Read
laura j
Alicia @askiddo
Julie E @HufflepuffGirl90
Memory
Taaya
Brandi Thomas
Kaleena

It’s not too late to enter the Hour 36: Childhood Reads challenge, either. What are you waiting for?

Reminder: This 24in48, we’re trying something new to get a geographic snapshot of all participants and log every book read over the weekend! Let us know where you’re reading from here, and track your books as you finish them here!

Sweet, sweet midday on day two of 24in48. If you’re following the official timeclock, it’s noon (EST) on day two, and it’s the time when you need the most motivation.

We’re 3/4 of the way through this thing, and it’s time to caffeinate, nap, hydrate, take a walk, splash some cold water on your face—whatever  you need to keep going.

Before we get to our (!!!) second-to-last challenge of this iteration of 24in48, here are the winners of the Hour 30 challenge:

Samuelle B.

Raghad Mahmoud

Tamara Cotzias

Sasha Speck

Sharon Traucki

Debbie Grillo

Ashley Gutierrez

Meg @beebearbanana

Karen Gill

Andrea Campos

Melanie Belson

Laura Newsholme

Courtnee Jackson

Head on over to the prize page to stake your claim! And now, it’s time to walk down memory lane.

 

What’s the oldest children’s book you have, or a book you’ve held onto since your childhood? Share it with us!

Every reader I’ve met has strong childhood memories of devouring every book they could get their hands on, but there are some that stick out among the sea of books. I’ve got a battered copy of The Westing Game on my shelf that I’ll never be able to part with, in addition to a well-loved-cover-falling-off copy of Little Women that belonged to my mother before me.

If you’re posting a photo of your entry on social media, don’t forget to use the official hashtag #24in48 so other readers can find you, and tag us so we can see! We’ll post the winners of this challenge in six hours (Hour 42), so make sure you check back after you entered to see if you won! 

Reminder: This 24in48, we’re trying something new to get a geographic snapshot of all participants and log every book read over the weekend! Let us know where you’re reading from here, and track your books as you finish them here!

Those of you who know me on social media (or in real life!) know that I (Kerry) run a lot. One of the tricks I learned to keep myself going on distance runs is the power of a simple, positive mantra. Most commonly, it is: You are doing a great job. Simple, right? But powerful. So I’m here to remind you of it now:

You are doing a great job!

Carving out time to read all weekend is no easy task for many of us; it means setting aside any number of other things to prioritize, as much as possible, books, reading, and the reading community. And that is incredible, whether you read for one hour or all twenty four here.

So three cheers for that, each and every one of you. We’ve got 15 hours left to go in this thing, and I know you’re all crushing it.

Don’t forget to enter the Hour 30 Under-the-Radar challenge! And before you go, another set of door prize winners…

LORI J EYRE
Brenda @Brenda_FPacheco
Susy
Ericka Seidemann
Kristin MB
Amy Massengill
Leah Lobley
Ashleigh Siddle

(If you’ve won a prize here or on another post, hop over to the Prize Page to claim your goodies!)

Reminder: This 24in48, we’re trying something new to get a geographic snapshot of all participants and log every book read over the weekend! Let us know where you’re reading from here, and track your books as you finish them here!

 

*yawn* — *coffee pot noises* — *dogs grumbling as I move from the bed*

It’s 6am on day two, my favorite day of the ‘thon. For me, day two usually consists of extra coffee, cozy blankets, catching up on the hashtag, and some dedicated hunkering down to try and hit 24 hours.

This time around, Kerry & I are hunkering in a hotel together, while Rachel keeps on with her second-annual hunkering in a hotel in Dubai. The hotel edition of #24in48. Over the years, we’ve progressively retreated from everyone who isn’t ‘thonning on 24in48 weekend…and I’m not mad about it.

Wherever you are—hotel or not—and however much you’ve read, I’m happy you’re here. Reading for the sake of reading with a community of other readers across the world is the most important part of this weekend. You’ve dedicated your weekend to reading and connecting, and that’s a win all by itself.

To kick off our second day, it’s time for another challenge! We’re always excited about our challenges, but we’re particularly excited about this one.

We wanna know what your favorite, under-the-radar book.

You know what we mean. That book no one ever talks about that was one of the best reading experiences of your life. That book you think about when people ask what your favorite book is, and it’s too personal or too sad or too moving or too important to you to share. Alternatively, this prompt also covers that book that is under-the-radar that you wish more people knew about so you could finally have someone to obsess about it with. Whatever the situation, we want to know about this book (and what about it makes you love it so much, if you want to share).

In the spirit of you-show-me-yours-and-I’ll-show-you-mine, here’s an ‘ol Instagram post of my favorite under-the-radar read from the past few years:

If you’re posting a photo of your entry on social media, don’t forget to use the official hashtag #24in48 so other readers can find you, and tag us so we can see! We’ll post the winners of this challenge in six hours (Hour 36), so make sure you check back after you entered to see if you won!

Reminder: This 24in48, we’re trying something new to get a geographic snapshot of all participants and log every book read over the weekend! Let us know where you’re reading from here, and track your books as you finish them here!

On the official readathon clock, it’s 3am (so you can bet your bottom dollar that this post was pre-written and scheduled because yours truly (that’s Kerry, for those keeping track)) is fast asleep right now. But don’t worry, I didn’t head off to bed without first picking some door prize winners…

Ashley Manning-O’Dell

Wendy Mann (lassinthelibrary)

Charlene Cunningham

Alise Freidenfelde

Angélica Gates

Jen LaBruzza

Vanessa Santos

Liberty Hardy

For those on different time zones (or some really hardcore East-Coasters who are still awake at 3am), how are things going? Are you powering through? You’re past the halfway point and doing a great job! Don’t forget to stretch, move around, rest your eyes a bit. And if you’re stuck in your current read and just not digging it, we highly recommend setting it aside and trying something else! This marathon reading is no joke, and we want you to take care of yourselves and have a good time.
(Psssst, while you’re here, don’t forget to look back through the previous hour’s posts to see if you won a prize, and if you did, be sure to claim it at the Prize Page!)

Reminder: This 24in48, we’re trying something new to get a geographic snapshot of all participants and log every book read over the weekend! Let us know where you’re reading from here, and track your books as you finish them here!

Listen, I know I’ve been making the same Bon Jovi joke for years at Hour 24. But honestly, is there any better way to mark the halfway point in the ‘thon? I think not.

How’s everyone doing now that we’re halfway through this shindig? It’s midnight on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and you are probably trying to figure out how many hours you’ve got left to hit tomorrow or you’re feeling confident about your numbers from today and thinking you can take it easy Sunday. No matter where you are, just know that Kerry, Kristen, and I are really proud of you guys and you’ve absolutely killed Day One of readathon. 

We’ve got a few challenge winners to announce before we jump into another day packed with reading! First up, the Hour Zero Intro Survey winners:

Daria

Melissa Ormond

Hallie Fields

Sarah Yarbrough

Jessica Kern

Jessica R Pies

Maggie Dodge

Naomi wilson

Zara P.

Fabulous Book Fiend

Shekenah Keith

Mary Partain

Kimberly Sherman

Next up, our challenge winners from Hour 18’s What’s on Your Nightstand? challenge:

Daniela Filipa Pereira Rosas

Cynthia Desgagné

Jill  L

Caroline Ward-Nesbit

JACQUE STENGEL

Kelly Brady

Hallie Szott

Vi Figueroa

Inge van der Heijden

Jennifer Singh

Karin Shank

Erin Coughlin

Robyn West

If you won, go check out the prize page and make your picks. If you didn’t win here, don’t forget to go back to the posts from earlier today and check to see if you won a door prize or a challenge prize – you never know when your name might pop up!

Also just a reminder to let us know where you’re reading from here and to enter your books into the tracker as you finish them here.

Happy reading!