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Spring 2015 Readathon: Books and Best Laid Plans

This week has been… long. That makes me even more excited that this Saturday is Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon, one of the best book nerd days of the entire year. The weather this week has been kind of gross and Saturday doesn’t look much better — perfect for reading.

Like usual, I’ll have a post up here on Saturday where I’ll collect my updates from the day, primarily my Twitter feed (@kimthedork) and Instagram (kimthedork), using Storify. But enough with the formalities, on to the good stuff.

spring 2015 readathon pile

I’ve been adding and taking books off my Readathon pile for the last two or three weeks, but I think this is pretty settled. I usually try for a good mix of fiction and nonfiction, nothing more than about 250 or 300 pages, along with some comics to finish out the evening.

The two books I’m most excited about are Euphoria by Lily King and Zone One by Colson Whitehead. I’ve been looking forward to both of them forever! I’ve also heard great things about Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey, a memoir about a woman with extreme sensitivity to light. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan is a mix of short stories and essays, and Citizen by Claudia Rankin is a slim volume of prose/poetry that may or may not be a good Readathon pick. And The Translator by Daoud Hari is another memoir. I just noticed there’s no straight nonfiction on this pile… that’s an issue I may need to remedy.

Finally, the comics: Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1Ms. Marvel: Generation WhyAlex + Ada Vol. 1 and The Wicked + The Divine: The Faust Act. I’ve been looking forward to all of them for awhile now. I also have a couple of audio book options — Missoula by Jon Krakauer and The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.

My Best Laid Plans

I have a few chores to do around the house and I need to go grocery shopping to get snacks and dinner. Some of my favorite Readathon treats are cheddar rice cakes, lots of fresh fruit, and Totino’s Pizza Rolls for dinner. We’ve got a whole drawer of tea and a few other drink options… so set there.

I’m hoping that I can finish four books during the Readathon as well as one or two volumes of comics. That’s a little ambitious — in the fall I finished three books and half of a comic memoir — but it’s good to dream big when it comes to a nerdy day of reading.

Other than that, my best advice to fellow readers is to have fun and make an effort to interact with the other participants. Tweet out links to your updates and make sure to visit other readers and cheer them on. If you want people to visit you, you have to make an effort to go find them. That’s the only way an event with more than 1,300 readers and around 100 official cheerleaders will work. </rant>

See all of you readers on Saturday!

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Trisha April 23, 2015, 7:29 am

    I hope I get to participate. I definitely won’t make it 24 hours..you know, kids and all. But I’m thinking I can pawn them off on grandma for at least 6 hours during the day. 🙂

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:30 pm

      I don’t have kids and I still never make it 24 hours! I think my best is 19 and then I just am exhausted. I hope you get some time to read tomorrow!

  • BermudaOnion(Kathy) April 23, 2015, 8:00 am

    I hope you have a blast!

  • Kerry M April 23, 2015, 9:58 am

    Great stack. And great advice on going out and finding other bloggers as well… I can’t believe there are only 100 cheerleaders for 1300+ readers! It’s going to be a whirlwind (of the best variety).

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:32 pm

      I know, it’s crazy. I hate seeing people complain about the cheerleaders or feeling lonely… if you go out and make an effort to interact with people, they’ll interact with you.

  • Heather @ Capricious Reader April 23, 2015, 2:54 pm

    Ms. Marvel! Great choice! So is Alex + Ada. They all look great. Have a great readathon and thanks for all your help!

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:33 pm

      I’m excited to have some good comics options this year — last year they were all kind of serious which wasn’t great late at night.

  • Leah @ Books Speak Volumes April 23, 2015, 7:29 pm

    Looks like a great book stack! I probably should have picked up some fruit to snack on… but I’m terrible.

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:34 pm

      I grabbed some raspberries and grapes today — good additions to the cheese plate I’m planning for lunch 🙂

  • tanya (52 books or bust) April 24, 2015, 5:03 am

    Euphoria is the best book ever. I practically read it in one sitting. Great choice for readathon!

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:34 pm

      I’ve heard that from a bunch of people. I’m planning to save it for early afternoon when I’m feeling a little slumpy — should be perfect.

  • Andrea (aka rokinrev) April 24, 2015, 8:04 am

    If someone is looking for fantasy, may I suggest “Serephina” and “Shadow Scale”. For fans of Umberto Echo? The Fifth Gospel.

    Me: I hope to make a dent in my NetGalley pile….

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:35 pm

      Good luck with your NetGalley pile! Good plan.

  • Michelle April 24, 2015, 9:21 am

    That’s a great list! I hope you have a great Saturday and meet all of your goals. Have fun!

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:35 pm

      Thanks! I’m super excited.

  • Sarah's Book Shelves April 24, 2015, 11:26 am

    I’m having serious Readathon FOMO! I’ve been intrigued by Girl in the Dark and have it on my TBR..hope you get to it on Saturday!

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:36 pm

      I’m hoping to get that one read. The writing looks great and it’s a perfect Readathon length.

  • Amy Brandon April 24, 2015, 3:05 pm

    There is no way I can do anything for 24 hours, and there is no way I can skip sleep, but I’m definitely planning to read all day tomorrow as a way of having my own minireadathon! I feel so left out 🙁

    • Kim Ukura April 24, 2015, 7:36 pm

      Oh no, you’re not left out! You don’t have to read the whole 24 hours — I’m definitely not going to be able to. Just join as best you can and have fun with other readers who are participating 🙂

  • Masanobu April 25, 2015, 4:55 pm

    Hi there Kim! See you are having a blast readathoning 🙂

    Your picks are great, your snacks are hunger-inducing (I want to taste those chocolate chip cookies… yumm) and you are reading at a great pace. What more can one ask for?

    Have lots of fun today. We’ll be cheering on you from #TeamSherlock 🙂

    • Kim Ukura April 26, 2015, 4:09 pm

      Thank you for stopping by!

  • Christine @ BookishlyB April 26, 2015, 2:16 pm

    What is it about those damn pizza rolls that are just so good? No matter how healthy I try to be, every once in awhile those totally hit the spot.

    • Kim Ukura April 26, 2015, 4:10 pm

      They are sooo good. It’s my traditional Readathon dinner.