Hi there,
This is Juli from ich lese once more.
Last hour we chatted about the weird spots we’ve spent our past readathons. This hour I thought we could talk about what inspires us each year, or even twice a year, to participate in this 24 hour readathon.
I wrote a post for Dewey’s readathon’s 10 year anniversary and I really think that sums it up nicely: reading often makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of simpler times when I was a child and books were my (often only) friends. But on top of this, and probably more importantly, I’m deeply inspired during every readathon on how people truly show up. We have some who can barely make time to pick up a book any other day but will do so for the readathon. We have some who make it a family affair, some who read for charity, some who break personal records, some who will read the entire 24 hours, and some whose main purpose is to cheer on the readers. This community is incredible. It gives people like me a home. And honestly, not just twice a year but really all 365 days. Both the Facebook and the Goodreads groups are super active throughout the year. After each readathon, I compile long lists of books to be added to my TBR based on what fellow readers suggest here and when I finally get to one of those books I am reminded of you guys. I personally have taken up reading for various charities in the past based on what I’ve seen people do during the readathons. I stay motivated throughout the 24 hours because I know that there are millions (let me believe this number is true) reading at the same time. I can feel the energy even though I am physically removed from everyone else. And thus, every readathon I show up for this! This community. This collective. This energy.
What motivates you? What inspires you to be here? Leave your reply or any memories you’d like to share in the comments.
Happy reading!
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Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon 
Let me start by saying I have a strong streak of sarcasm in my soul, and when I say the title of this hour’s post, “Why Do You Show Up?”, my mind immediately said, “I’m here for all the single guys.” Totally not true of course. I am here because I love reading and I love the idea of a reading holiday, twice a year, where I can do what I love, and chat with other people who love the same thing. I also try, every readathon, to convince my friends and family that even if they sit down for just 15 minutes with some sort of reading material on Readathon, that they are part of something huge. A group of like minded folks, all over the world, who recognize the importance of the written word, and know it should be celebrated.
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Paula, that’s hilarious …. I’d love to read a love story about two people meeting through a readathon!!!!!
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It motivates me that books don’t come into my house, basically. XDJust kidding (more or less), what inspires me is that books have always been there for me. And now, they are helping me a lot with this situation that we are experiencing.
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Feérica, I can relate to that!
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Love the challenge in general to stay up as late as I can, devoted to reading.
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VVB32, I am not a competitive person by any means, but I sure love to push myself during the readathon. Can I beat my page record? Can I stay up the whole 24 hours?
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I’ve written about this readathon many times over the past 10 years of participating, and every time I realize it’s about the community more than anything. I try to read a lot, but I get my energy from everyone’s online posts and shared conversation. As you said, it’s a special atmosphere and a delightful group.
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You speak the truth! 🙂
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This time I had trouble getting any readathon prep done, and I just wasn’t feeling it. But my youngest kid was so full of enthusiasm, even though we couldn’t go to the library and he would mostly have to reread old books. Between him and the Bingo board, I found my motivation. Fortunately!
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That is so awesome to hear. Unfortunately, I was completely exhausted and only completed one book 😦 Maybe I’ll get some reading time in this week to make up for it.
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I think it’s really amazing how many families make this a bonding affair!
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This time around I actually joined up wanting to connect and maybe find other reading enthusiasts with similar reading tastes. In my real life I don‘t really have that. Other readers, yes, but our reading tastes are very different and I have never managed to connect with them about books in a meaningful way. Reading SF and Fantasy is perceived as weird by many. No idea.
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