Good afternoon readers, read-a-thonners, and anyone else who might have dropped by accidentally! It's that time again - Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon starts at 1pm today (that's London time) and runs through until 1pm tomorrow (clue's in the name), and I'm going to be here and updating (hopefully) for as many of those hours as I can stay awake. All the info on signing up and start times for different time zones is on the website, along with the infectiously enthusiastic Dewey blog, so just click the link to find out more! As always, I've spent the last couple of days amassing a pile of potential reads - reasonably short books, with snappy chapters, an interesting premise and, most importantly for those 3am looking-through-a-fog moments, decent sized print - and a delicious heap of potential snacks. I AM READY.
I'm setting myself a tentative goal of 500 pages for the day, which seems to be roughly my limit in these 24-hour readathons. I'm also planning to 'read for charity' again, and match the donation to what I've read. Sooo, for the readathon in which I read Wesley, about a woman raising and living with an injured baby barn owl, I adopted a barn owl from The Barn Owl Trust at the end. This time around, if I read a Deric Longden book, I could pick a cat charity; if I read The Virgin Suicides, I could donate to MIND... you get the idea. I'm not working so I don't have a lot to give, but I've not spent too much this month and I really like the idea of making the readathon count, so I'M DOING IT ANYWAY.
Over the day I'll be updating here on the blog, starting a new post every four hours just to keep things tidy (maybe less if I fall asleep or something - but I'm hoping to cram plenty of updates, photos and challenges into each post!), and also over on Instagram. If you don't follow me already, my handle's @derbyshirelass87, and the readathon hashtag is... #readathon. Nice and easy to remember! If you're blog hopping, do feel free to leave your update links in the comments so I can return the visit at some point and cheer you on right back. :)
~ Kick-off ~
Good morning, afternoon, night, or whatever time it is where you are! It's 1pm here in England, I've just finished devouring a pile of toast and a cup of tea... so let's get cracking!
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
A sporadically sunny Derbyshire, smack bang in the middle of England. More specifically, in my bedroom, where I'll probably be alternating between my bed (comfy, lots of natural light) and my reading nook (because there should be less likelihood of me falling asleep for six hours there).
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Ummmmm. Well, I've picked out quite a hefty stack to choose from, because I know that if I finish a book at 3am it's important to have ALL THE CHOICES so I don't stall, but... maybe the Deric Longden book, A Play on Words? It's been ages since I read one of his, and just the first page made me snort when I flipped through it, which always bodes well!
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
I'm cooking a Goodfella's deep pan pepperoni 'n' pepper pizza later, which is always delicious. And I bought peanut M'n'Ms. And sometime tonight I'll probably have a giant bowl of Frosties and a YouTube break, because ALL THE SUGARY GOODNESS. Oooh, oooh, and I bought Rocky Road bites! All the snacks, basically. ALL OF THEM.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
I never know what to say for this bit. No wonder I'm so good at job interviews. Ummmm. My favourite ice cream is proper toffee fudge, with those little bits of soft toffee in it. I'm a total cat lady and will probably be joined by one or all of ours at some point today. One of my favourite movies is Psycho and it worries my mum that I frequently describe Norman Bates as 'sweet'. I love having houseplants and flowers in my room and have gotten quite good at not killing them. IS THAT ENOUGH THINGS?
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I didn't participate in the last readathon, I don't think, just because October's a bit of a squiffy time for me to be messing up my sleep (potential for SAD, existential despair, uncontrollable weeping etc). It's definitely not my first rodeo though, so I'm just going with my usual set-up - setting my phone alarm to go off every hour, switching to juice and water and lighter snacks overnight so I don't mess up my stomach too badly, taking part in a few challenges, stalking around Instagram, MAYBE EVEN READING A BIT OMG. Hopefully it'll go okay!
~ Hour 1 (2pm) ~
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
Pages read this hour: 27
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
Pages read this hour: 27
Pages read altogether: 27
Mini challenges completed: 2 (including the intro meme)
The menu: Nothing this hour!
In six words: A lively and oddly charming start.
Thoughts: I'd heard that this book was strangely warm and amusing, despite its bleak title, and so far I'm racing through it! It's about a family running a suicide shop - everything you need to end your life right! - and their despair at their youngest son, the disgustingly sweet and cheerful Alan. At the moment he's standing in a corner with sticking plaster over his mouth with a frown drawn on, so none of the customers can see that he's smiling underneath. It just wouldn't be good for business, would it?!
MINI CHALLENGE: Our Bookish Childhood
Hosted by Readage: Snapshots from a Reading Life
For this challenge we have to share five books (and the experiences of reading them) from childhood!
1. The moment I first learned to read silently, sitting on our big old green sofa with a copy of The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton.
2. Finally picking up Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, thinking it didn't sound like a book for me at all - then getting about four pages in and being hooked for life.
3. First reading That Moment in Anne of Green Gables and sobbing my socks off for the first time over a beloved character dying.
4. Cutting and pasting coloured circles in class to make our own versions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
5. Reading Matilda for the first time and desperately wishing I could go to Miss Honey's cottage for tea and bread and jam too!
~ Hour 2 (3pm) ~
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
Pages read since my last update: 30
Pages read altogether: 57
Mini challenges completed: 2 (including the intro meme)
The menu: Nothing again - I'm super thirsty though!
In six words: MY MUM KEEPS INTERRUPTING ME. GLEEFULLY.
Thoughts: I'm sailing through the book at a good clip - the print's pretty big, and the story is quirky and blackly humorous, which always goes down well! Now if only I could persuade my Mum that it isn't, in fact, hilarious to keep wandering in to look out the window and raid my snack stash every few minutes, I might really get going with this thing! :)
~ Hour 3 (4pm) ~
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
Pages read since my last update: 33
Pages read altogether: 90
Mini challenges completed: 2 (including the intro meme)
The menu: Mug of tea; Graze summer berry flapjack
In six words: This book is a wonderful surprise!
~ Hour 4 (5pm) ~
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
Pages read since my last update: 35
I've been reading: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé
Pages read since my last update: 35
Pages read altogether: 125
Mini challenges completed: 2 (including the intro meme)
The menu: Nothing this hour - I'm starving now though.
In six words: Broken out the eye drops already!
Thoughts: Well! I reckon I'll finish my book in the next hour, other stuff allowing. I have to say, I suddenly had the most tired and aching eyes in this hour, I ALMOST put my head down to nap for a few minutes, just to lose the burn. Then I remembered that I bought some eye drops recently, specifically for exactly this type of tired-eye burniness, and ALL WAS SAVED. I'm now absolutely starving, so I'm going to wander off and stick a pizza in the oven I think. Can't have a readathon without pizza!
I'll be starting a new post for the next four hours, so I'll see you there!
