Summer readathon season is upon us, and we’re kicking it off with #24in48 this weekend. It’s pretty straightforward: Read for 24 hours of a 48 hour weekend.
I was travelling during the last round of #24in48 a few months ago, and while I read for 24 hours, I didn’t really get to engage in readathon mode (books, social media, beverages, snacks, etc ). I haven’t effectively done a reading marathon since, so I’m celebrating the departure of my reading slump by hunkering down with my books and snacks for some good old fashioned reading marathon time.
In the interest of getting to some books I’ve been meaning to read for a while now, here’s my stack:
If this is your first time here, or your first time participating in a readathon, I recommend checking out the FAQs page for tips, start times, and such. Oh, and sign-up. Definitely sign up.
You’ll most probably find me all over social media for this – Instagram, Twitter, Litsy. Cheering is a huge part of the weekend- so don’t hesitate to find readers on the hashtag and drop motivating words, memes, or GIFs.
July 21-22. Midnight on Saturday to midnight on Sunday. Join us. Happy reading!
It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme currently hosted by The Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week, and add to that ever-growing TBR stack.
Hi friends,
Wow, it’s been a week. I’ve not been this busy in a long time, and I’m definitely still getting super exhausted from days that are productive and busy but not even close to what used to be my threshold for busy in the past. Apparently my post-op body is still getting there, and I keep reminding myself that I am still only almost 6 months post-op major neuro surgery and recovery is slow, and it’s going to be a while before I can go back to that kind of workload.
Tl; dr I was too tired/did not make time to post anything on here since last Monday.
Onto happier things; we’re just coming off of 24in48, and as per usual, it was a spectacular weekend. 1850 participants from all over the world, say whaaaaaaaaat? Absolutely stellar show from Rachel, Kerry, and Kristen, all of whom I adore dearly. Kudos on orchestrating a phenomenal and fun experience for everybody that took part. Remember, whether you read one book or 10, one hour or 24, you were a champ for carving out time in your busy, busy life to take part and peek into the giant, global bookish blanket fort that is a readathon, and you are allowed to feel good about that.
I paced myself this time around; I managed to read for 24 hours, but didn’t read as much as I usually do. Through the week I only managed to finish Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann ( I’ll have a review coming out soon, that book affected me in unexpected ways). During readathon I read: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (absolutely stunning verse novel), Illegal Contact and Down By Contact, both by Santino Hassell (both on audio, which was an interesting experience, both super hot, and both roping in serious social issues and feels amidst the fluff. Also oh my god Noah), Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor (satisfying end to the trilogy), Giant Days Volume 5 and Volume 6( I love these girls so much) by John Allison (Author), Max Sarin (Illustrator), Liz Fleming(Inker), Whitney Cogar (Colorist), and Jim Campbell (Letterer), and Winter by Ali Smith (my first time reading her work, her writing is absolutely gorgeous, this was unexpected and beautiful). I also got halfway through Trainwreck by Sady Doyle on audio.
I am currently visiting some extended family but will be back home tomorrow afternoon. I don’t know if it’s my anxiety or the fact that my routine has been disrupted several times in the past couple of months with extended family times, but I just want to go back home asap so that I can get back to my walks and PT and cleaner eating habits and sleep in my own bed. It is possible I’ve become even more of an introvert in the last six months.
On the reading roster for this week:
It’s very ambitious, I know, but this comprises of books I’m halfway through, books that need to go back to the library in two days, and ARCs that are already past their pub date. I do have a seven hour train journey tomorrow so I’m hoping to get a substantial amount of reading done on it. I am determined to get my Netgalley review percentage up to at least 80 in the first quarter of the year, so definitely making sure my currently reading pile includes a galley or two at all times.
That’s all from me, folks. Hope you have a glorious Monday and stellar week.
If you participated in #24in48, link me to your posts, updates, Litsy/Instagram handles, or just share what you read, in the comments below. Or feel free to share what you’re looking forward to reading next. Or, ya know, non-bookish life updates. Talk to me!
It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme currently hosted byThe Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week, and add to that ever-growing TBR stack.
Hey there!
So it’s already Tuesday here, but I’m doing an It’s Monday post anyway because I really want to keep up with them and well, it’s Monday somewhere. Wow, this past week flew by. We’re moving (again!) in a couple of months, and this time to what is going to be my parents’ permanent residence. Same city, just an apartment. So I’ve been going with them to mediate wallpaper choices, curtain matches, you get the idea. It’s fun for the first five minutes but it’s mostly exhausting. But, moving will mean I get to bust out all my books from storage and put them in some beautiful bookshelves, so I’ve got something to look forward to in the new crib. I also got to have an intentionally lazy Sunday after a weirdly hectic week, and it was absolutely glorious, to say the least. We all need those once in a while.
First, general housekeeping. Most of you might be aware of this already, but for those who don’t-we are officially retiring Social Justice Book Club. Kerry was super nice to take me on as co-host in 2017, but it ended up being a tumultuous year for both of us on a lot of fronts, and we decided it was time to close this chapter. I will continue to be reading books that tackle social justice themes, as will Kerry, so feel free to chat about them with us all across social media. Like Kerry said, if there’s interest, we definitely did enough research to put out a couple of book lists on some of those topics.
Onto happier news, it’s time for my first readathon of the year!24in48is back this weekend, and boy I’m looking forward to a glorious bookish bubble. You know the gist- 24 hours of reading over a 48-hour weekend, with snacks and sleep and conversation. Now I will be traveling this weekend so I’m not making a proper TBR, just going with the flow, and I’m keeping to the official start and end times per usual. There’s also tons of prizes for both US and International readers, so go ahead,sign-up!
Keeping it down to three so that I can get some reviews out ( I’d really like my Netgalley review percentage to come up to that 80% as soon as possible), and hunker down for a weekend of intense reading.
That’s all I’ve got, folks (and with less than two hours to spare before Monday ends in PST, ha!). Don’t forget to sign-up for 24in48. Whether you read for 2 hours or 24, half a book or 7, it’s just feels good to be one with your people for a weekend. I’ll be posting updates on Litsy and Instagram for sure (@theshrinkette on both of those).
If you’re participating, let me know in the comments section, and link me to your sign-up posts, TBRs, Litsy and IG handles, etc. Also, what are you reading this week?
Heyo, it’s that time of the summer again, #24in48 is back!
I think I’ve been pretty vocal about my love for all things readathon before, and I stand by them all. Squaring away some quality reading time with a bunch of other bookworms all over the globe is just as amazing as it sounds. I can’t get enough of it. As most of you know I’m currently laid up in bed, so this readathon couldn’t come at a better time for me. Not only does it keep me occupied the whole weekend, but a whole lot of other people will be pretty much doing what I’m doing, and we’ll all be revelling in the joy, which I’m really looking forward to.
In case you’re new around here or to the bookish internet in general, 24in48 is a fun weekend readathon organized by Rachel Manwill. The “aim” is to read for 24 hours over the course of a 48 hour weekend. I say aim, but really, it’s about chalking away some time for yourself to read, a break from the humdrum and chaos that is life and such. It’s also a great time to stuff your face with snacks and beverages, discover readers from all around the world, squee about books and bookishness, and have a grand time. Super low key, super chill. If you haven’t signed up yet or are looking for more information, you can check out the official site.
Here’s my stack of reading material for the weekend. Plenty more than I’ll actually get through, but I like having more options than not:
Anyone notice a theme here?
I’m pretty much most active on my Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (jananivaidya), and Litsy (@theshrinkette) during readathon time, because those are quick and easy places to update my progress and what I’m doing throughout the weekend. This time, just to make things easier, any readathon updates I make will be within this post itself, including a wrap-up at the end.
That’s all I have for now. Sign up if you haven’t already, and drop me a line to let me know if you’re participating so that I can keep an eye out for your social media posts. Cheers!
Day 1:
Typically I try and get in about 15 hours of reading on the first day, when I’m super pumped and motivated by the challenge. This time around, I had a couple of commitments, and an unexpected visit from a friend, so I was able to read for about only 10 hours. Luckily for me, I started the challenge at the official readathon start time, which gives me till about Monday morning 9.30 a.m. to get in my 24 hours. Here’s my reading stats so far:
It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme currently hosted by The Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week, and add to that ever-growing TBR stack.
Hey friends! I hope everyone had a great time participating in #24in48. I managed to read a fair bit, mostly YA, and it was fun participating on Litsy for the first time! ICYMI, #DiverseAThonstarted yesterday, and will go on till the 29th. Here’s what I plan to read this week for it:
Not much else on my end, hope everyone else is doing well. As always, I’d love to know what you’re reading!
I have several issues with the lack of diversity in the world of Harry Potter, especially with the kind of crap JKR has been putting us through this year. But I think you’ve known me long enough to know I can’t resist a readathon, especially one that is focused on promoting diverse books. I’ve been mulling over my reading goals for 2017, and it only seems fitting to kick it off with a readathon highlighting diverse books, organized by an awesome blogger. The details are right here, and I’m excited to be repping team Slytherin!
Aentee has given us eight awesome prompts, and I’ve picked one book each in order to rack up some sweet house points:
I haven’t read a lot of books repping ace characters, and it is totally for lack of trying. I’m making more of an effort and have found quite a few titles, so I’m reading one that has been recommended to me the most from all corners of the interwebz.
It’s safe to say that I’ve discovered plenty of gaps in my reading, so many that I’m not actually sure I’ll get to all of them in my life, but I’ll be damned if I don’t keep trying. So for this category, I’ve picked this highly acclaimed title which hits both titles by Non-US/European authors and features lesbian characters.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for months; I only bought it because the premise sounded interesting. A quick scroll through Goodreads indicated that this is highly acclaimed, so I’m using this readathon as an excuse to crack this beauty open.
You guys, my body is so ready for this movie. I can’t explain what it means to see women of colour nerds on screen. It is going to be glorious, and you bet your bottom dollar I need to read the book before I go see it on screen.
I keep picking this book up and I’m never in the right mood to read it, but I’m thinking having a print copy will help me this time. I know it’s a slow burn and there’s a ton of world building, but I have mad respect for the author and I’d really like to finally be hooked along with the rest of you.
It’s really simple, my library hold finally came through, and I need to read it because the holds list is a mile long. Also, I’ve heard so many good things and I’m having serious FOMO. THAT COVER IS EVERYTHING. *heart eyes for days*
This book has been recommended to me by bothNazandBina, whichmade it the perfect pick for this prompt. I’m knee deep in my need for intersectional feminist works, so this automatically made the list for that as well.
Right, those are my picks. Looking for more options? Allow me to direct you to Naz’s blog, where he gives us more than 60 awesome options for the readathon prompts. Excited to see everyone’s picks, and looking forward to start off the year reading fantastically inclusive books!
It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme currently hosted by The Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week, and add to that ever-growing TBR stack.
Holy hellcats we’re now in the middle of September! U.N.B.E.L.I.E.V.A.B.L.E. Someone please tell me which black hole is sucking in all our time because I do not get it.
Following the shit show with Certain White Author on Twitter, followed by Certain Racist Trash video on Youtube, a group of booktubers got together to create a weeklong readathon focused on diversity in publishing and celebrating own voices. Needless to say, I am stoked. Especially after the last book I read by a white dude with the whole teacher-seduced-by-student narrative that turned out to be based on his own life and experiences with a former student. Gah, men. Anyway, I’m here for this celebration and happy to dive into the glory of some great books by own voices.
On the roster:
Ooh, also, there’s no sign-ups on anything, so feel free to join in using the hashtag #diverseathon. There’s also a bunch of twitter chats that will be happening over the course of the week, scheduled as follows:
Also, I might be getting on a plane in a few hours, if the airline issues me a boarding pass- there’s some weird regulations with visas and such (as is my life), to visit some relatives with my parents for a few (Not-so-secretly hoping they don’t let me board because that means four days alone at home with all of the books).
Meanwhile, I’m finally on Litsy! IT’S SO MUCH FUN YOU GUYS I LOVE IT SO MUCH. If you’re on there, I’m @theshrinkette on there. YAY BOOKS!
Guys. GUYS. We did it. WE FUCKING DID IT. 24 GODDAMN hours later, I AM STILL AWAKE. Woo! A quick data rundown:
Books completed:
Margaret The First by Danielle Dutton
The Sorrow Proper by Lindsey Drager
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi
Study Hall Of Justice (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #1) by Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen (illustrations)
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Ramona The Pest by Beverly Cleary
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (on audio)
Currently reading:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman (on audio, about 75% done)
The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami (literally only one chapter in though)
The Bad-Ass Librarians Of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer (on audio)
Reading time: 21:05:39
Page count: approx. 2035
Guys, this readathon has been a fabulous experience. Definitely had stamina issues, whined about being tired, and listened to audiobooks for the better part of the last 8 hours, but I don’t regret staying up for 24 hours at all (actually, I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I’ve been book delirious since midnight). The mini-challenges were great, even though I didn’t participate in all of them, I did win one (it was one of the earlier ones, I just didn’t notice until 4 a.m.). They were so creative!
Props to all of the hosts: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, the Readathon website, and all of the mini-challenges. Fantastic way to harness the bookish community.
Cheerleaders: You guys did good. GIFs on POINT. Ridiculously impressive. Team Penguin, you guys were trailblazers!
That’s all I’ve got, mostly because I am ready to go the fuck to bed. Hope everyone enjoyed this edition of Readathon! See y’all in October, mark your calendars! As for now, goodnight!
Hope everyone is having an excellent start to the day!
I didn’t sleep very well last night, and woke up this morning from a very realistic dream of getting fired. Isn’t that fun? Anyway, THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE! Since I’m up, I figured I’d start off with the Hour Zero post:
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?Chicago, Illinois. 2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?Margaret The First by Danielle Dutton and What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi 3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Cheese and crackers, and the chocolate chip cookies. ALWAYS the cookies. 4) Tell us a little something about yourself! To make this quick, I’m cheating and just throwing my blog bio in here: Born in India, raised in the Middle East, currently in Chicago. Booknerd, Behavior Analyst, intersectional feminist, Whovian, recluse, and Scotch pundit. Pronouns she/her. Cantankerous. Fledgeling member of the bookternet. Always reading. 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? This is my first readathon, and I’m so excited that I’m worried I might not read from the excitement. I’m going to have to pace myself with the social media stuff for sure. The feeling of community and sense of belonging with the bookish internet, and being given the chance to interact with so many bookish people I admire via this readathon, is definitely a giant plus for me.
Okay friends, off to shower. Be back for bookish shenanigans in approximately 40 minutes, aaaaaaaaannnnd BREAK!
So, unless you don’t read books, or have been living under a rock, or do not know me in real life, everyone knows that Dewey’s readathon happens tomorrow. Over 1600 participants, isn’t that amazing? The idea of just bunch of people from all around the world dedicated the same chunk of time towards reading books and gushing about them on social media, is giving me all the feels:
This is my first time participating in the readathon (although if you follow me on social media I’ve only been gushing about it for a month now). I found the readathon when participating in 24in48readathon back in January, went wayyyy down the rabbit-hole of the origin story and the posts from the October event, predictably fell in love with the premise, and have had my calendar marked with this event. Since then, I have been interacting with Andi and Heather (our champion organizers) on and off on social media over the last couple of months, so I’ve been EVEN more excited about this (Here’s a well-known secret- if it’s about books, it doesn’t take me that long to get excited about it).
Andi was kind enough to allow me to host twitter parties at the beginning of this week, and it was a blast! We chatted about themes, TBRs, beverages, snacks, and ALL OF THE BOOKS! Got some great advice from readathon veterans, a few of which I’m putting in place.
Shaina, who is the coolest, and the wittiest, and the nerdism in Readathon is insidious… (hehe, see where I’m going with this. I’m not even a little sorry.)
Anyway, Shaina started the #thon4ham tag a few nights ago, and she’s come up with so many brilliant ones that I just had to Storify them (I had a few, but nowhere as good as the ones she came up with).
I curated my readathon stack- started out feeling completely overwhelmed by the GIANT pile of unread books in my room. So I decided to throw in some criteria for selection: books I owned that were written by women, so that anything I read tomorrow will count towards Read My Own Damn Books and the Read The Books You Buychallenges.
Look at how pretty they are 😍
I put this off for the last possible minute for two reasons: in order to stick to a written grocery list, and not to eat all of the snacks before Readathon even started. The checkout person at Mariano’s was definitely judging me (she was barely 18 and probably wondering why I’m not just buying booze on a Friday night).
Knowing me, this is what is going to keep me going after midnight anyway.
The Facebook Readathon page has been ON FIRE, and someone on there suggested that a group of us could meet up at some point in the day for silent-reading-time-in-the-proximity-of-local-redathoners. So there’s a few of us meeting up at Bru Chicago in Wicker park, between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (in case more people want to hang).
My social media strategy for tomorrow is going to be…err, I don’t know yet. I’m drafting two major blog posts tonight, for the 12-hour and 24-hour marks. Blogging is time-consuming, so I’m not going to kill myself trying to be super active here. I will tweet and instagram every 3-4 hours, participate in the mini-challenges on the readathon website at the same times, and occasionally Snapchat (you can find me at jananivaidya). This is sounding terribly complicated as I sit here typing this. As for cheering, I will be cheering on twitter only, because even though I really want to go on people’s blogs, my focus for this readathon is still going to be reading. I know there’s people like my friend RDB who will exclusively be cheering this time, so I don’t feel terribly guilty for not making the effort.
Okay, gotta run, got a bunch of chores to finish up tonight and get a good night’s sleep. If you’re not really doing anything tomorrow, go sign up for the readathon! You don’t have to read/stay awake/social media for 24 hours, you can have fun with it however you want.
Fellow ‘thoners, hope you have a BLAST tomorrow! Woo!
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