24 in 48 Wrapup

This past weekend's 24 in 48 Readathon, was a pretty resounding success for me!  First, I read for more than 24 hours out of the 48!!  This is the first time, in my (brief) history of readathon participation, that I've ever accomplished this goal!

It wasn't easy, but it was SO MUCH FUN!!!!  The absolute best part is the sense of community that you share with all the other Readathon readers around the world, encouraging each other and sharing your own progress.  Seeing other readers' enthusiastic posts on Instagram and Litsy were really motivating, and also served as a welcome distraction when I needed to look away from my books for a few minutes.

Although I read longer than I expected, I didn't read as much as I thought I would.  In my previous post, I showed my TBR pile that was, admittedly, a bit ambitious, but I really thought I'd complete more books during the 24 hours.  As it stands, I read 4.75 books out of the selected 9 books.  Technically, over 50% completion, which is acceptable, but not great.  Here are the books that I finished, and the one book that I didn't complete before I finished the 24 hour mark.  They will all be appearing in my January reading roundup:

The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt

A wife of 30 years is forced to call her whole existence into question after her husband declares that he wants "a pause" in their marriage.  She rents a house near her elderly mother, and begins a summer of self-discovery and exploration.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

Part study of a complicated young woman, part ghost story, part psychological thriller, this book is quite engrossing, until about halfway through when it makes a sharp detour into another realm and things get weird.

Other Stories and Other Stories by Ali Smith

In her typical stream-of-consciousness style, Ali Smith explores the depths of the everydayness of life.  But with a touch of the bizarre or a smidgen of magical realism thrown in.

The Closed Door and Other Stories by Dorothy Whipple

Dorothy Whipple is the mistress of creating completely engaging stories out of events that would seem humdrum and uninteresting.  This collection is no different.  Strained family relations, infidelities, misunderstandings, misogyny, and many other relevant topics are highlighted in this incredible work.

Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh

I've only made it three-quarters of the way through this collection of short stories, and I'm really enjoying just how weird they are.  Every story is so completely different in terms of time, location, characters, and plot, and in ever case the world feels so real and just slightly bizarre.







Next up on my readathon radar is the Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon, taking place on April 29, 2017.  Based on this Readathon experience, I hope to be able to read for the full 24 hours.  I also may change up my reading strategy and TBR a bit.  Consuming all of these short stories and shorter novels, one right after another, made it challenging to keep my focus and to keep the stories straight in my mind.  I also found myself craving a more deep and fully realized world, which you can really only achieve in a longer work.  Therefore, although I do love my short stories, I might be willing to forgo a larger TBR of smaller books in order to have a more well-rounded and engrossing reading experience.  But we'll see.  Sometimes, in the heat of the Readathon moment, the satisfaction of completing a large quantity of books becomes more important.  

Did you participate in the 24 in 48 Readathon?  If so, what was your experience?  And are you considering the Dewey's Readathon as well?




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