I'll explain.
I get so excited when I hear about a readathon that's coming up, and I love reading everyone's TBRs and how much they're planning to get done in the time frame. I see people that are planning to read as many as 10 books in just a few days and I think, "wow, I could really do this."
I start planning what books I myself would read and how I'd stay up until the early hours of the morning, just to get as much reading done as possible. I get so enthusiastic about participating, and all the blog posts I could do related to the readathon.
Then, I look at the dates.
And I start to think - could I really get more reading done than usual during this period of time? Would it be a substantial enough amount to attribute to the readathon?
Of course the answer is usually no. I've never found a readathon with a time that suits me. But then again, it's not like I go looking for them. I just see them around. Maybe a short readathon would suit me - I've noticed 24 hour ones before, though they've always been on inconvenient days such as exam days or times where I'm out of the house for most of the day.
Another trouble that I face is themed readathons. In theory, they sound awesome, but for someone that relies heavily on their library, they're not practical. I can't ensure that I will have, for example, 5 fairytale retellings available to me during that time.
This all makes me feel like a sad and useless bookworm. Lately, though, I've decided that there might be a good side to not participating in readathons.
I have a more hobbies than just reading, and reading for a straight week without doing anything else would make me neglect those hobbies. Granted, these hobbies aren't exactly productive (fore example, watching TV and playing video games), but they're still things that I enjoy doing.
Also, I wonder if I would be able to read for a week without getting bored. And perhaps being forced to read for this amount of time, over any other hobby, would make me resent reading. Sure, it's unlikely, but it's possible, right?!
Despite all this, I'm open to new reading experiences, and I feel like participating in a readathon is a big hole that I need to fill!
I'd like to end this post with a few questions for you:
1. Have you ever participated in a readathon?
2. Do you think readathons would help you get more reading done?
3. Do you prefer readathons that have a specific theme?
4. Are there any readathons coming up that I should know about? (I would especially love to know if there are any you know of from the 4th to the 12th of July)
TIMES I SAID READATHON IN THIS POST: 14
Oh hey, you're not an useless bookworm by far. In theory I love read-a-thons but when it comes to doing them I'm not motivated enough to even sign up. I participated in three so far, two of them were themed (Fairy-Tale Fortnight and Contemporary Conversations). Unfortunately they were right after each other so while I read many contemporaries for the latter, I had no patience left in me when Fairytale Fortnight started. It sucked that I was only able to read three books and review one of them in the given time period. Next time, I'll be ready with quite a few reviews for these events, I saw others do that and I think it worked awesome because they didn't have to worry about writing reviews, they could concentrate on reading. To answer your third question yes, I do. I don't see the point of the other type of read-a-thons, meanwhile themed ones are always a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteLove your post. :)
Haha I'm happy that you think so. That must have been difficult, I can't imagine doing two readathons in a row! Pre-preparing reviews sounds like an amazing idea, it would save a lot of time.
DeleteThat's a good point - what is the point of other types of readathons? They're kind of just like normal life - reading as much as possible.
I'm glad you liked it Veronika! :)
I love readathons, though I've only participated in Goodreads ones. But readathons are things that I know not everyone can get into. I'm he kind of person that LOVES challenges. They often help me decide on what to read and to give me motivation. So, readathons are like that for me. I have a never-ending pile of books to read and reading a whole bunch of books back-to-back help me conquer it.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you would love readathons, since you like challenging yourself!
DeleteThat's a good way of looking at it :)
Readathons stress me out!! I know they're supposed to motivate, but they give me unnecessary anxiety. I always set unattainable goals and get peeved when I don't reach them. xD I'd like to keep reading the calming and relaxing activity it has been for me for a few years now. Adding extra pressure/motivation might not help... Nice post!
ReplyDeleteRachel @ A Perfection Called Books
Sounds like there are no readathons for you either! I hadn't really considered the stressful side of them until your comment - another thing for me to consider! Although I tend to under-aim rather than over-aim with most things so that I don't get disappointed, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad for me.
DeleteThanks for stopping by Rachel :)
I've participated in two readathons since I started blogging, but I think I like them better in theory. In my head, I'm going to get all of this reading done and it'll be GREAT. But then the week ends up being busy, and I stress because I'm not reading "enough."
ReplyDeleteSo while I still might participate once and awhile, I'm not ruling out readathons altogether, I just typically won't do them. They can be fun, but they're not really for me.
And I also agree about themed readathons - I won't do them. I'm a mood reader and they never end up happening when I'm in the mood to read that certain theme or genre!
I can understand that. Putting pressure on yourself and then not being able to live up to it would be sad.
DeleteHaha I hope one day the perfect themed readathon happens at the right time for you!