Have you ever heard of a readathon? I hadn’t up until this past week and was totally intrigued by the event. Within a specific duration, you dedicate as much time as possible to reading with little interruption. The most talked about is Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon which occurs twice a year. It just so happens that the first 2016 event is taking place tomorrow, April 23.  As an avid reader I figured this type of “marathon” was right up my alley and just had to sign up to be part of it!

Just like a traditional marathon there are sprints, people who cheer you on, and prizes to be won. Don’t let the 24 hour bit scare you, no one is reprimanding you for taking some time to rest. During breaks, participants are encouraged to check-in and give status updates. Aside from marking books off your to-read list, I think the most exciting part of this event is the community. I signed up on Wednesday night and I’ve already felt inspired by such positive and uplifting people.

Since this is my first readathon, I’m not sure what preparation needs to be done. The only thing I’ve prepared is a pile of to be read (TBR) books so when 8:00 AM EST rolls around, I’m not searching for my first book. I strategically gathered different genres of books; one thriller, romance, motivational, and memoir. Two out of these four books are much shorter than the others which I hope will break up the day a bit. Without further ado, here are the four books in my TBR pile for the April 2016 readathon.

The Quickie by James Patterson
Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery
The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Abrom

All of these books have been collecting dust on my shelves for well over a year, along with many others. If I surprisingly finish all of these books with time to spare, I do have another potential TBR pile to choose from as well. I honestly have no idea what to expect so we’ll see what happens and how sleepy I get! I plan to post status updates throughout the day both on Twitter and Goodreads. If you’re a fellow readathon-er let’s meet up over on those platforms!

UPDATE 4/24 – The readathon turned out to be a great success! All together, I read on and off for 9.75 hours and still managed to get a normal night’s sleep. I read a total of 3 books which amounted to 746 pages. I really enjoyed this entire experience and hope to take part in the next even in October!

Have you ever participated in a readathon? If so, share your experience in the comments!