Sunday 26 April 2015

#readathon wrap up

My first 24 hour readathon since 2012 was a total success! I read for about 18 hours on and off and about six hours solidly and finished four books plus half of another novel and a few essays. I also raised a grand total of £93.25 for Beanstalk which will go through my JustGiving page towards my goal for this year once it's been rounded up from various friends and relatives who dislike using the internet to donate! Here's my end of event survey:

1. Which hour was the most daunting for you? 

I think if I hadn't had a nap after hour 13 (1.30am ish) then the hours after that would have been awful. As it was I had a decent four hour nap and woke up raring to go - I finished Saga before I'd even made my first cup of tea!

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

Every Day was fantastic, I raced through it! Also I'd recommend graphic novels - Fairest and Saga both worked fantastically well for me and they're so short you feel like you've achieved loads in practically no time!

3. Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the Readathon for next year?

I have no idea how you could do it better than it was done, because there was a list provided and everything but I was personally fairly overwhelmed (mostly in a great way!) by the amount of people reading! I found it harder than previously to blog hop effectively so I mostly didn't, which was a shame, but maybe I'll just sign up to be a cheerleader next time too as lots of people have said that made it easier for them!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year's Readathon?

It was my first time using Instagram for it and I loved that because it was super easy to check out the hashtag and leave people quick likes and comments in the time when I was making more tea or having a walk around the house. Also as usual it was incredibly well run and very organised with loads of great mini challenges!

5. How many books did you read?

I finished four - two novels (one YA, one children's) and two graphic novels, plus I read half of The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler and about four essays. 

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

Every Day by David Levithan, The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo, Fairest: Wide Awake by Bill Willingham and Saga Volume 1 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples (all finished), and The Tin Can Tree by Anne Tyler and Crazy Salad by Nora Ephron. 

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I loved Every Day and Fairest but I think this has to be Saga, just like everyone told me I would. Unfortunately I have no idea when I'll be able to get hold of the second volume as my library don't stock it and I am obviously on a year long book buying ban *sobs*

8. Which did you enjoy least?

Probably The Wreck of the Zanzibar, which my mum has been telling me to read for years. It wasn't bad, it was fine, but he's written better. 

9. N/A

10. How likely are you to participate in the Readathon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

Oh so likely. Now that I've figured out it can be done with Rhys at work and two little ones to look after, it shall be done, every time! I'd be quite likely to sign up to read and cheer next time. 

So readathon was awesome and I can't wait for the next one! I'm so excited to have been able to raise more towards my fundraising goal as well and to have discovered some awesome new blogs! 

If you're already missing the readathon, fear not! I have a Re-Readathon (a week dedicated solely to rereads) coming up starting next Monday (May 4th) and you can sign up and find all the details at this post. Hope to see you all there!


10 comments:

  1. Saga! Woohoo! Maybe you can make a request for your library to purchase the next book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I should totally do that, thank you for reminding me that it's an option :-) It was so awesome, I really need to know what happens next!

      Delete
  2. Saga is an awesome book! I'm so glad that you enjoyed yourself during the read-a-thon. It's an amazing event. Now that you've read Every Day, are you going to read the next book in the series. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't even realise it had a next book but now that I do,YES! It sounds intriguing,thanks for alerting me to its existence!

      Delete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations on a successful read-a-thon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So glad to see you had a great read-a-thon experience :) I;m impressed by houw much you were able to read with two small ones afoot. I sent mine of to Grandma's ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like you had a brilliant readathon! It's amazing how much you raised. I'll definitely be joining in on the next one, it looks so much fun :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations Bex! I definitely agree that hopping around Instagram, posting and checking out the #readathon hashtag, was way easier than trying to blog hop or Twitter hop with so many readers taking part. I found a few new folks to chat to BEFORE the readathon started, but once it got going everything just went too quickly! That nap during the night definitely helped me the next morning too. :)

    ReplyDelete