Ok….so here’s a discovery, well not really a discovery, more of declaration of a well known fact – I am completely and obviously crazy!! Yes, I am aware that many of you always thought so, but I guess I am pointing out the obvious!!
After an extremely stressful week at work, where I got less than cumulative of 28 hours of sleep, I am happy that the weekend is finally here! I have a lot of things to do including cleaning the house and getting some shopping done, which HAS to be done because next week is Diwali, the big festival of the Indians! I have some reading and blogging planned as well, but nothing out of the usual. I am all set and I have a plan and schedule for the two days, that is until I decide to casually scroll through Twitter and stumble on some comments by Brona and bam! all plans are in disarray and there is a whole new plan in place!
What am I ranting about you ask? I am referring to the bi-annual Dewey’s Readathon, which kick starts on Oct 24th 2016 at 8:00 AM EST which translates to 17:30 Indian Standard Time and for which, I hang my head in shame as I say this, I have SIGNED UP! The idea of course is to read non-stop or with mini stops for 24 hours straight! You can find the details and whats and hows here.
Yes, I can hear the “naturallys”, but come on, how can I pass up a reading event???!!? I will hold of the cleaning till Monday and I will negotiate the shopping time, opting for online stuff if need be. But participate I shall, even if I do not make it to the participant list, on account of signing up a bit too late!
Anyhow, now that my ranting and self motivation and self exoneration is over, let us proceed to matters of greater significance like, what shall we read? There are loads of suggestions on the website and after scrolling through quite a bit, this is what I came up with – a mix of many things!!
- The Girl on the Train by Patricia Hawkes – am on page 62 as of today and shall attempt to finish via Readathon
- New York by Edward Rutherford – This one is a chunkster and I have only waded to page 183 so far so, only approximately 680 [pages to go; but its historical fiction and Rutherford does write extremely gripping plots, so I am kind of kicked about it
- Dombey and Sons by Charles Dickens – Yes, I am still struggling to finish this! Yes I know I am really dragging this out and yes! I do have every intention of finishing it!
- The Book of Snobs by William Makepeace Thackeray – This combines well with with my Victober event and breaks the monotony of serious reading. Thackeray’s take on on people who look down on those considered as “socially inferior” should be interesting. Page count 143 per Kindle Edition
- Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal – Just because I am curious and because I need to variety while reading. Page count 352 per Kindle Editio
- Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie – When the chips are down and interest flags, who but the brilliant Ms. Christie can keep us going! Look forward to keeping me going in this story of miscarriage of justice which I have for some reason never read before!Page count 286 per Kindle Edition
- Jerusalem – A Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore – It’s History, its Middle Eastern History and the first couple of pages are very very good! Page Count 628 of which I have read 94.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – You have to allow me one Austen to keep my spirits up towards the end when everything buzzes! I know the work by heart and I will glide through it when the going gets tough!
Now about the real time updates and such like, well I will update as I go along. I am not committing to an hour or two hours or any such frequency. More like when I need a break and when I want to wander around a bit! I will also try and be deligent and keep one and all updated on Twitter and Goodreads and make an honest effort to make the posts interesting and hopefully nail baiting!
That seems simple enough!! I should be well rested and bright eyes and bushy tailed come Monday, when another crippling work load comes crashing on my head!! In the meanwhile I hopeth, that I can convinceth Cleo and Brona to helpeth me through this task!! Guys – NEED HELP BADLY!!!!
Now that I have jumped, I will try and get some good sleep and ease in for the reading tomorrow so that come 17:30 IST, I really do set off!!
Mockingbirds, Looking Glasses & Prejudices... 
Yay! Soooo glad you found out in time. This is exactly how I discovered the readathon several years ago. Pure chance right at the last minute – it can be the best way to jump in!!
Just do it and have fun.
Read as much or as little as you can.
Join in the mini challenges as much or as little as you can.
No pressure.
I love this reading community and twice a year with readathon it’s all front and centre.
Delighted to have you on board too 🙂
Thanks a million for the tips Brona!! So glad to have you navigate me through the choppy waters!! And yes, I solemnly swear to have FUN! 😀
I will be your cheering section. I’d love to join you but I have a full day tomorrow of commitments that I can’t escape. Unless it rains all day in which case they’ll be cancelled …… hmmmmm ……. 🙂
Wow, your book list looks like mine would. Everything under the sun with no real target. Go girl! 😉
BTW, I kind of dragged through Dombey and Sons too. It was interesting but certainly not my favourite Dickens.
Best of luck and happy read-a-thon-ing!
Yay!! Thanks Cleo!! Need some help in the madness! I know you are keeping super busy so please do not worry at all! Besides I am reading enough for both of us! 😉 Now why does it not surprise me that my book list looks like what you may have compiled!LOL! I did not want to set any hard targets…this is supposed to be fun and not like read or die! Besides I am hoping that the variety would keep me going! Ok…Dombey and Sons is definitely not getting on my must read list. Its good but I am losing my patience with the hard hearted Dombey and yada yada! Thanks a ton of agreeing to be my cheering partner!! I need THAT!!!
Goodness – good luck with this! It sounds daunting but very satisfying!
Thank you Sandra!! I have read through the night many times, but 24 hrs is something else!! I hope I survive! LOL!
Best of luck….but you are reading at least three chunksters! I do like that word!
Hahahhhaaa….In the end Ian…I never made it to any of the chunksters!!