Well, there goes my first readathon. On the one hand, I didn’t read much, but on the other hand, I did well pacing myself. It was more of a read-a-5k than a read-a-thon for me.
Books:
I read sixty pages of Mary Beard’s SPQR and one hundred twenty-one pages of Into the Go-Slow by Bridgett M. Davis. I didn’t finish any books. *sigh*
Food:
I ate grapefruit, mango, macaroons, kale chips, kale salad, a grain-free muffin, rice crackers, Caribbean Beans and Greens (Moosewood recipe. My spouse and kids opted for collards and beans instead of pizza. It was a weird day), berries, vegan banana “ice cream,” falafel, oranges, and leftover stir-fried veggies.
Other:
Two walks, one podcast, ten minutes of the movie The Martian (before my son’s emotional breakdown made it clear that what my spouse thought was a “family movie” isn’t a movie for our family, at least not right now).
I did no reading past 10:23pm. Sleep and exercise are worth more to me than reading right now, which was a bit of a surprise. I just can’t sit still like I used to be able to.
My responses to the End-of-Event Survey:
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
All of them, I guess, since I constantly felt like I ought to be reading more. Or none of them, since I did so little actual reading. I’m not sure how to look at this.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
Not based on my reading this year. I think the Hunger Games series would be a good choice for a readathon. Next time I might try to have a series lined up.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next season?
I don’t feel confident in offering suggestions, but there are a few things I could do differently.
I need to figure out how to subscribe to the mini-challenge posts. I enjoyed reading them, but I missed a lot of them since I was trying to keep away from the computer so I could read. (Update: I figured this out: they’re in my reader. So, I know how to subscribe, I just have tofigure out how to remember to click my reader.)
Having a specific plan for social engagement probably would have been helpful for me. I suspect I would have felt more engaged if I were on Twitter. But then, I always think I might feel more engaged if I were on Twitter but back when I had a Twitter account, I just felt overwhelmed and confused. So, maybe I’m not looking to engage at all.
Next season, I really need to get some audiobooks. I love taking walks, and it would be nice to be able to keep “reading” while I’m walking for 45 minutes or an hour. And I would love to get the rest of my family involved. It would be so much easier to read, I think, if the whole house were reading.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Dunno. Hearing about it on book blogs I already follow, maybe. For me personally, setting aside a stack of books was helpful (until my spouse kept moving the stack), and having snacks at hand was nice. I suspect I put more effort into the snacks than I did the reading.
5. How many books did you read?
I didn’t complete any, but I read from two.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
SPQR by Mary Beard and Into the Go-Slow by Bridgett M. Davis
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I enjoyed them both equally, but fiction is almost always faster reading for me.
8. Which did you enjoy least?
See question 7.
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I think I’m pretty likely to participate next time, if the stars align and it falls on a free-ish weekend. If I do participate, I’m pretty sure I’ll just be a Reader again. Based on this readathon, my binge-reading skills could use some brushing-up.
Phew. So, there we are. Now to finish up those macaroons.
Imperfect Happiness 