24-Hour Readathon: End of Event Report

Here we go! It’s the end of the 24-Hour Readathon, and I’m posting my report.

I actually joined the Readathon at the last minute this year, because I realized I couldn’t let the year go by without me joining at least one Readathon. I hadn’t counting on making it home in time for the event, and I did, so I hurriedly grabbed some books from the shelf, took a photo, booted up my lappy and joined the Readathon. And I’m so glad I did. The Readathon is a really fun event that fosters the community spirit across the globe, and I’m always happy to be part of it.

October 2010 marks my 3rd readathon, and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Here’s my end of event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

Hour 5 is always my Waterloo — I always fall asleep somewhere around Hour 5! It didn’t help that I spent the whole day standing in line for 9 hours, so I was exhausted by the time I started the Readathon. Argh. I really should do a Snooze-a-thon before the Read-a-thon. Plus, the whole Halloween thing — not such a good idea. Scary books call for under-the-covers reading, which definitely invites the risk of falling asleep.

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

Comics and manga, and lots of picture books. Top of mind: The Arrival by Shaun Tan, maybe the Fables comics, and Lane Smith books like The True Story of The Three Little Pigs. Oh, and any of the Michelle Lovric novelty books.

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

I really want to get my book club to read as a group, so we can keep each other awake and stuff ourselves silly.

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

The Readathoners are a real supportive bunch, and there’s a real sense of community that makes the Readathon so much fun.

5. How many books did you read?

This year I opted for thicker novels as opposed to short ones, so I read less books. I managed 6.5 out of my targeted 8. Not bad, as that’s a load off my reading list.

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

I started with The Spook’s Apprentice by Joseph Delaney last night for the first couple of hours then stopped in the middle of it because it got too scary and I kept my wits about by reading The Hair Scare by Jeffrey Fisher. Then because everyone at home went to bed, I didn’t want to read downstairs alone so I went up and turned on my nightlight so I could read it in bed. I fell asleep around 1 am.

I woke up at 9am, finished the rest of The Spook’s Apprentice, and then started on Kate Culhane, A Ghost Story by Michael Hague, followed by half of Num8ers by Rachel Ward. Then it was time for lunch, when guests started arriving for my cousin’s birthday!

I continued Num8ers after lunch, and you can see from the top photo that I was falling asleep (the photo is from my brother, hahaha!). Then I switched to another picture book, Faust by the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

I started reading Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman, but it was time to go to the Sunday Mass at my church, so I put it down.

I returned with reinforcements — a cup of vanilla latte from 7-11 but I knew I wasn’t going to finish Skeleton Creek; I’m only halfway through and I want to savor the scary parts. I set off to finish my last book: The Diary of Victor Frankenstein.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I enjoyed The Spook’s Apprentice most, as I confirmed the good reviews I’ve read about it. It’s the start of a series of books, and I plan on hunting down and reading the rest.

8. Which did you enjoy least?

The Diary of Victor Frankenstein, because it is a pictorial journal that’s very pretty and I suffered through reading the almost indecipherable script, only to find out there’s a typewritten transcript in the back section of the book. If I saw that earlier, I could have saved myself a lot of time!

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

I wasn’t a cheerleader, but I love the cheerleaders — they do raise flagging spirits!

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

I want to be a reader again next April, and to read for a full 24 hours! Hopefully with my book club.

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That’s it for this year’s Readathon. Cheers to all Readathoners and hugs to all cheerers! Congratulations to us all!

I think Dewey will be very happy to see how her annual tradition has become her legacy to the book blogging community :)