Dewey Read-a-Thon

The 24-hour Dewey Read-a-Thon is back. On Saturday, April 23, I along with many others will spend an entire day reading. Okay, not really an entire day. One must make time for walks, snacks, and on occasion, talking to other people. Also it starts at 5 AM for my location and as much as I love reading I don't see myself waking up that early on a Saturday just to read.

What exactly is a read-a-thon? The official website describes it as a sort of reading challenge, one that you can participate in without leaving your house. In some ways it is an excuse to spend the day on my couch with a book. To be honest, that's not something I need a lot of encouragement to do. Yet at same time it is a very social event with people cheering and encouraging each other across multiple social media platforms.

There are different ways to approach a read-a-thon. One year I decided to focus on finishing one book. That was challenging in that although I was enjoying what I was reading it was difficult to stay focused on one thing for such a long period of time. Another time I used the read-a-thon to get through a bunch of comic books that had accumulated in my unread pile. That worked out really well. Lots of variety equaled no boredom. This year my plan is to read a bit from three to four different books: a nonfiction collection of essays on the ethics of cloning, a collection of Peanuts comics, and short stories from the Otherworld series. That way I shouldn't get burned out on any one thing.

   

So, 24 hours of reading, I can't wait! I love that people all over the country, perhaps even the world, will be reading together and celebrating the world of books.

Good luck to all those participating. Happy Reading!