Stacking those Short Books

Hello everyone, it’s Kristen from @bookgoil on any socials you can find me on or over at The Book Monsters.

When it comes to building a TBR for the day of the readathon, I always try to mix in some shorter books so I feel like I’m making some movement on my reads. There’s nothing worse than feeling like the day has gone by and you feel your progress is lacking.

Personally, I prefer adding some graphic novels and manga to my mix of reads, but there are other options as well. I’m currently reading Witch Hat Atelier for manga and enjoying it. For graphic novels I always suggest Lumberjanes or Giant Days.

Novellas are a great way to add some short reads, maybe there’s some short stories in a favorite series you haven’t read yet that you can get free or cheap on your e-reader?

Short elementary and middle grade or even picture books with your littles (or for fun on your own) are also another option.

Whether you’re a planner or a pantser, make sure to have some short reads available at hand, they make a nice quick grab if you’re not feeling your current read or need a break from a longer book.

10+ Years of Dewey’s Experience

Hi everyone, it’s Kristen from The Book Monsters or @bookgoil on social media!

I’ve been participating in Dewey’s Readathon for so long I can’t even remember the years now. Each time is a new experience and I enjoy each one!

There’s years I have plans and get an hour or two in.

There’s years I overdo it and cohost/twitter party/host a mini challenge and barely read because I’m all over the place cheering everyone on.

There’s the years I make it to about 19-20 hours of reading – how did I do that?!?!?

To say the least, no readathon is the same as the other and things can go unplanned.

What have I learned over all this time, you ask?

1. Have fun, whatever that means to you. Do you feel like being social? Do it! Do you want to bury in books all day, do it!
2. Plan a decent menu and don’t overdo it. I find overcaffeinating/overeating does NOT help in the least. Keeping to a normal schedule, adding in walks and breaks helps you to keep going. Think about the night (if you are aiming to stay up) as a longer day, walk around your home, eat a real meal or a take a cat nap.
3. Audiobooks/graphic novels are your friends. I find that being able to move about and do things with audiobook and quick reads like graphic novels make you feel like you’re getting a lot read without doing a lot of page pushing.
4. Have a buddy. I have two furbabes that keep me company, they also make me walk. This can mean making a friend online you track with, I tend to drag my online buddies into readathons with me and we cheer each other on.
5. Clear your schedule, if you can, or work around it. Life gets in the way, it’s okay, just know that going into it you have so much time that you want to read with.
6. Put your device away if you’re reading. I try to check in every 3 hours when I’m really reading, not on the hour.
7. HAVE FUN… really. Just have fun. If you’re not enjoying a book, pick another from your stack. Download another from the library, run to your bookshelf and grab a new one. Be as social or not social as you want. I love all the check ins and challenges but they can really distract so pick and choose when you check into those if your focus is reading.

To end, here’s my cute pups, hopefully they’ll behave so I can read all day.