Saturday, January 28, 2017

Thoughts From Last Weekend's Readathon

Last weekend, I participated in the most recent 24in48 Readathon which was a lot of fun. I messed up keeping track of my time the second day, but I think I read around 4-5 hours. Add that to 6 hours on the first day and I do believe this was the most I've ever read for a weekend readathon. So, I've been thinking some things over since then and wanted to share a few thoughts on the experience and reading in general.

1. Timing/tracking my reading is not for me. I don't mind doing it for a special event like this, but I thought maybe I'd want to start using the Bookout app more regularly after trying it out for the Readathon. But, no, I absolutely do not want to start doing that. It works for some people and that's great, but I don't like have a timer running while I read. I don't like stopping and starting that timer on my phone if I get sidetracked or need to take a few minutes break. And I'm on my phone more than enough as it is. I really don't need to also be going on and off my phone while I'm reading, even if it is just to tap a button. Also, I already know I am not a fast reader. I don't need digital proof of it, nor do I feel the need to "improve" my speed -- so I really don't see any sense in tracking my reading this way. Keeping track of what I read on Goodreads is more than enough data and tracking for me.

2. I miss reading in longer stretches. Usually my more sustained reading happens on audiobook these days because I "allow" myself to read for longer amounts of time if I am also doing something else like walking or housework (laundry, dishes, cooking, etc). I don't often just sit and read a print book for significant lengths of time anymore. I try to read a bit at night before bed and I try to sneak a little in here and there, but with a kid, a house, and working from home, there is always other stuff to do. I don't intend to start neglecting my responsibilities, but I do think with better time management, I could find some more reading time during the week. Far too often, when I do have a chance to take a break, I waste it on my phone or computer. If I am more intentional about my break times, I definitely could make it a habit to pick up a book instead -- like I used to when I had a more conventional job. I also have realized I don't take advantage of weekend nap times to read for longer stretches as often as I could -- that was really lovely and I'd love to do it more often on those quieter days.

3. If I spent less time planning, researching, browsing, etc., I would have more time to actually read! I very often read a blog post or article and then go down a Goodreads/library catalog rabbit hole of looking up titles, adding them to my virtual shelves, and/or requesting them. That's all well and good, but it takes away from reading time. And if I keep replenishing my library stack at the rate I have been lately, it's not going to help me read what I have at home. (Not to mention that I've also spent far too much time browsing Book Outlet and, ahem, seem to want to really challenge myself for Read the Books You Buy this year, especially considering it is still only January!) I wrote about this in my 2017 bookish plans post and I must admit I have not yet made any improvements in this area. Habits are hard to break, so I'm acknowledging it here as something I would like to work on more. Over the readathon weekend, I steered clear from the book browsing/research and it definitely made a difference.

4. I love the feeling of pulling an unread book off our shelves and sitting down to read it. Whether it is a picture book or a novel, I got those books for a reason. It's far too easy to favor the library books because they have a due date, but I shouldn't forget our own shelves. This is another thing I've been working on for 2017, but the readathon weekend reinforced the idea for me. I finished two middle grade books and most of a picture book treasury from our collection last weekend and it was wonderful. Library books are great, but they don't have to take priority simply because there have to be returned -- they can be borrowed again!

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Now we are almost one month into the New Year, I can already see areas I am doing well on in terms of my plans/goals for the year and areas I definitely am struggling in. This readathon just sort of helped clarify those areas for me. How is your reading going so far this year?

8 comments:

  1. You did great!!!

    I never heard of the timer for reading thing before.... hmmmm. Perhaps I should use that for when I have to read a lot for school. Grad school is making it hard for me to find time to read for fun.

    I also fall down the library catalog/goodreads tbr pile hole. Seriously. Sometimes I swear I spend more time trying to find a book than reading sometimes. Picking out a book can take me an hour or more! Gah!

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    1. Well, for some readathons like 24in48, I know people time themselves to see how much of the 24 hours they manage to read. And people do it for Bout of Books and others too I'm sure, though maybe it's more common to just check a clock and jot it down rather than use a timer -- I don't really know!

      And I don't know if it is a typical thing for some readers to time themselves on a regular basis, but this Bookout App that some people seem to love tracks your reading and basically does so with a timer! It generates infographics, tracks goals, shows you stats, and you can earn achievements. So it's not just a timer...but a timer is really at the core of it! Maybe I'm weird, but it kinda stresses me out. LOL

      I hope you manage to find some time for fun reading while in grad school, though I'm sure it's not easy! And with any luck, maybe some of the books for school will be interesting enough to not *always* feel like homework? Good luck! :)

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  2. It did amazing during the weekend readathon, and it seems like you've also picked up on some little things along the way.

    I'm actually going to be experimenting with keeping a reading log next week, because currently I feel like I'm really not reading as much as I used to, but would like to. See if a log helps me at all... You never know, I may realise I'm reading way more than I thought. I totally see why you wouldn't want to keep track of reading long term in that way... It could take away from the experience.

    I hope you're able to find ways in which you can longer stretches of reading time in - that is also my favourite way to read too.

    I hope February treats you well! Happy reading!

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    1. I have no idea why I wrote 'It did amazing'... *You did amazing! I'm having one those days where my brain is everywhere but where it should be!

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  3. I miss reading in longer stretches too! Right now, I'm letting myself get distracted by computer games and I'm also struggling a bit to balance reading and blogging.

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    1. Balance is key! It's not always easy though :)

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  4. #4 - so much yes! I'm constantly looking at my own shelves and thinking, "Oh, I really want to read that book!" - but I have no time because my library books are due. I've really got to work on this!

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    1. Since I'm responding to this almost a month later, it seems like you have been working on it and doing quite well! We can do it :)

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I'd love to hear what you think :)