Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Wrap Up

Well...I didn't make it back to my book after hour 18. I originally decided on a bit of a nap, but after a few rough hours with the dog and just admitting that my week had been long and hard, I settled in for the long haul and caught up on a few hours of sleep instead. I'm a bit sad that I missed the fun of the last section of reading, but I think it was a good choice. I'm going to go ahead and just extend my own personal read-a-thon to some of my hours today. 

I am pretty happy with the reading that I got done though. This year has been really busy since I've gone back to school and, as a result, reading for fun has kind of gotten the shaft. It was nice to sit down with a few hundred virtual friends and spend time in a good book. I need to allow myself to decompress like that more often.

My push this time wasn't for stats, but to enjoy myself. I'm calling that a success. I did keep track of my numbers just for fun, so here's where I wound up...

Minutes Read Since Last Update: 0 minutes

Total Time Spent Reading : 8 hours and 20 minutes

Pages Read Since Last Update : 0 minutes

Total Pages Read : 436 pages

Books Completed Since Last Update : 0

Total Books Finished : 1


Currently Reading :

End of Even Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting to you?

Apparently it was #18, since I completely crapped out after that. Overall, my read-a-thon experience this time around was my best yet. I made it 100% stress free by not setting goals and that made everything all the more enjoyable.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged for next year?

I need to scope around and look at other people's lists for ideas for myself! I have a few favorite authors that generally work well for me, but I didn't use any of them this time around. Gayle Forman is always a good go to. I need to know what happens with her characters so I don't like to put her books down.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

I don't. I think this one was the best Dewey's yet. Everyone was so happy and involved. It was great.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year's Read-a-thon?

The mini-challenges were fantastic! There were a lot of new, fresh ideas. I didn't participate in everything, but the ones I did I had a good time with. There were a couple of others that seemed like fun, but I didn't want to take my nose out of my book to do them.

5. How many books did you read?

1 1/2. Not a lot, but still pretty happy that I at least finished one book.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Lord of the Flies by William Golding (about 3/4 done)

7. What book did you enjoy the most?

It's not really a fair comparison, but I liked Yes Please the best because it didn't take a lot of effort to read. It was laid back and entertaining, a perfect read-a-thon read.

8. Which did you enjoy the least?

Well...by default that was Lord of the Flies (which I keep trying to type as Lord of the Rings...nope...wrong book lady). It's not a bad book (actually reminds me of an extra crazy Hook if you compare the two sets of "lost boys"), but it wasn't a good choice for reading when I was pooped. I drifted off a couple of times.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year's Cheerleaders?

I was not a cheerleader, but I will say that overall the cheerleading this time was amazing. There were a lot of good interactions and I felt like I really got more than my share of visiting. So THANK YOU guys!

My only tidbit of advice for next time is...please read the posts before you comment. I had a couple of cheerleaders who left comments for me which, while well intended, made it obvious that they really didn't have any interaction with what I had to say in my posts and made it feel worse than it would have if they hadn't visited at all. These were the exceptions to the rule though, so I really do appreciate everyone who stopped by. I know it's tough to balance your read-a-thon with visiting a bunch of other readers.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

Absolutely. I'll be using the same tactics as this time...it works well for me. I participate here and there on Twitter, which I really like from the fact that it adds a little more to the social experience. 

October is a busy month for me, so I hope the next Dewey's lands in a good spot. But regardless, I will be reading and participating for at least part of the day. This is one of those things I look forward to for the whole year.

BIG thanks to Andi and Heather for coordinating this event. You two do an amazing job. I can't imagine the amount of hours you put in to get this all ready. THANK YOU!!!