readathon

Hour 12 Check-In + Prize Time

The thing I love about this readathon is that jumping into the hashtag on Twitter, means that you find people who’ve been reading for 2 hours or 12 hours or 15 hours, just depending on their lives and their schedules. It’s never – in its history – been anything but laid back. Just a bunch of people getting together to read a bunch of books over a weekend.

So, with that in mind, thanks to the 190 191 192 of you who have signed up so far. Nothing makes #24in48 better than a whole lot of people doing it together. Good food during the ‘thon takes a close 2nd though. We’re officially 12 hours in, and pretty soon I’m going to take a break to make a Grilled Margherita Sandwich (I’m adding prosciutto to my version) which I’m super excited about.

Leave a comment with the meal or snack you’re most excited about the comments, and at midnight (12 hours from now) I’ll choose a winner, who will receive a prize pack of these books:

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott
Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera
Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry McMurtry
The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott

Let me have it. What are you most excited to eat this weekend?

Hour Six Check-In

This is a guest post from Kristen, who is covering early morning duty. 

Welcome to 6AM on a Saturday! The best thing about this first check-in is that there isn’t much math involved. I don’t have to take a significant amount of time to count how long it’s been, how many pages I’ve read, or how may bowls of snacks I’ve gone through because we are just getting started!

If you’re just waking up, Hi! Welcome! You get a gold star for being here! If you’re off to take a nap, don’t sleep for too long…and you also get a gold star for starting right at midnight and lasting this long (the Red Bull kept you going, didn’t it? The first one is always the best.).

Now seems like a good time, whatever your status, to take a break. Walk the dog, make a fresh pot of coffee, steep those tea bags, and take some deep breaths to get your brain juices flowing. We have SO much reading to do, friends! As you finish and start to settle back in with your next read, consider popping over to your social media / blog /vlog platform of choice and checking in! Search the hashtag and do some catching up, maybe give out a few comments and favorites to wake your fellow readers up before you dive back into your own pages. Remember to turn them quietly, though, so you don’t wake up everyone else around you. The rest of the world remains asleep (lame) while we valiant readers carry on.

Welcome to #24in48 – July 2015 Edition! It Begins!

Hello, you gorgeous readers out there in #24in48 land!

This is the official start of the readathon, as it is 12:00am ET on Saturday, July 11. Just a reminder that you can still sign up here and you can do so throughout the weekend.

Keep your eyes on this blog every six hours or so for an update, with possible prize packs available and check-ins to do. You should also follow the official Twitter handle at @24in48readathon and the official hashtag #24in48 where most of the convo is happening. I may even be doing a couple of sprints from that account, depending on how the weekend is going. You can also follow my personal Instagram account if you’re on IG this weekend.

Shoutout to both Kristen and Kerry who helped write some of the check in posts for the weekend (they’ll be marked appropriately), and who are both just generally the best moral support a readathon creator can have.

Those are the nitty gritty details. Have a great readathon weekend, everyone!! I have faith that you – YES, YOU – can hit your readathon goals. (Excuse to use Meryl gif.)

 

9 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your 24in48 Readathon

Because 24in48 is both longer than and shorter than a lot of ‘thons out there, it can feel a little daunting to plan your weekend, and to make sure you’re optimizing your reading time without getting overwhelmed or without feeling rushed at the very end.

So here are 9 tips to help you prep for and execute your best readathon:

  1. Decide on a loose schedule. You certainly don’t have to stick by it to the letter, but its helpful to structure your weekend in advance. If you have set plans already – like a child’s soccer game or brunch – figure out how many hours you’ll need to read each day to hit your goal. And don’t forget to account for breaks; I like to set an hourly goal – like reading for two hours – and then allowing myself a ten or 15 minute break for Twitter or stretching my legs, among other things.
  2. Fill your readathon TBR with short books. This is not the moment to start reading the 720-page monster, A Little Life. I’ve set aside probably 10-15 books that are no more than 300 pages, and most are well under that. I find that I’m much more productive during my ‘thon if I can get through a couple books in short order, even if I do decide to read from a doorstopper at some point during the weekend.
  3. Don’t be afraid to DNF. Even if you’re an avid opponent of DNFing (stands for “Did Not Finish) in your normal, non-readathoning life, you absolutely should embrace it during a ‘thon. Sometimes a book just isn’t working for you in that moment, and if you feel pressure to keep going with it, the wrong book will derail your entire ‘thon. You’re not DNFing forever – just for the weekend.
  4. Mix it up. Try a variety of genres or topics or plots during readathon; it’s the very best way to keep your interest high. I like to switch around between non-fiction – like memoirs or pop sociology – and fiction – like YA, literary, mystery, and sci-fi – to not get bored with what I’m reading.
  5. Formats are your friends. Because this readathon takes place over a full weekend, you are probably going to have to leave your couch at some point. This is where audiobooks are tremendously helpful. I love being able to get up, go for a walk or a run, or even just doing some yoga poses in my apartment while still putting a book in my head. (If you’ve never tried audiobooks before, check out this recent Book Riot post about ones we love). Similarly, switching between print and ebooks can save your eyes a bit of strain.
  6. Stock up. If you can, go shopping for and prepare food in advance. During the winter 24in48, I’m a big fan of throwing something in a slow cooker and letting it get yummy without me having to touch it. But for the summer, I’ll be prepping fresh stuff for easy access: cutting up cucumber and red pepper slices or making a big bowl of berries that I can snack out of. And if you do feel like you need to move around, a trip to the grocery store – audiobook in hand – is a good distraction for an hour or so.
  7. Sleep. This is not a sprint. This is a readathon for people who like to sleep, so take a nap if you want. Get a full night’s sleep on Friday, and wake up when you want on Saturday to get started. Getting plenty of sleep with allow you to power through when you’re pushing for your goals.
  8. Set goals. Yeah sure, reading for 24 hours is a goal, but setting personal goals is great for personal motivation. It could be something as simple as setting a page goal or a book goal, or to cross three books off your #ReadHarder Challenge, or to meet a monetary goal if you’re reading for charity. You can also simultaneously participate in the #Cramathon, which is a ‘thon also happening this weekend, which all about finishing short books.
  9. Keep a parachute handy. This is the “Emergency Exit” book, a book that will reset your reading system no matter what funk your previous read has put you in. That can mean an indulgent kind of book – like romance – or a well-loved reread or a book that you know you’re going to love because of the genre or author or topic or whatever. This is your parachute when nothing seems to be clicking.

Those are my suggestions for having a strong readathon. Any tips you’d add?

Announcing the New 24in48 HQ!

In the last several years, I’ve been trying out a few different hosting locations for the 24in48 readathon, and I think we’ve finally found a home! I hope a dedicated blog will allow everyone to contribute and participate fully, and that it will encourage even more readers to join in.

(What’s the 24in48 readathon, you ask? Check out the FAQ page for the basics.)

You can also find us on Twitter at @24in48readathon and the hashtag #24in48 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and any other social media you can think of.

And as if a new blog wasn’t enough, I’m happy to announce the next readathon weekend. Join me on July 11-12 for 48 hours of reading! Keep an eye here for a sign up form in the next day or so.

If you’ve joined us in the past – or even if you haven’t – spread the word about our new home, and mark your calendars for July.