Readathons are quite popular around the blogosphere and booktube so I thought I’d post some information about them for our readers who might be interested in participating in one. Personally, I don’t like taking part in readathons simply because I have a tendency to read so much during one (cuz I take them way too seriously) that I get sick of reading and then don’t read at all for the next two weeks. But I can understand why other people enjoy them. Readathons are about more than just reading; they are also about interacting with other readers, making friends with people who like the sames books you do, and just, in general, having a lot of fun.
There are a few really popular readathons who have large numbers of people participating. They include:
For an extended list of readathons with links and other information, consult Little Book Owl’s information page. She has an exhaustive list of all the readathons that exist.
I believe that all readathons have certain challenges that need to be completed in order to finish a readathon successfully. This can be anything from reading a certain number of pages to reading certain genres of novels. Some readathons are more laid back than others like Read Your Book Shelf Readathon where you have to finish a certain number of books from your bookshelf while others can be quite astringent and demanding. So before you commit to a readathon, be sure to read up on the challenges and see they are something you’ll have fun completing. Failing a readathon is probably not the nicest feeling.
I think that’s about it for this post though I probably have missed some pertinent information. Let me know if you’ve ever participated in a readathon or if you’re planning to any time soon.
The Book Wars 
Oooh! Let’s do one sometime! *excited hand flapping* Like a manageable number! (For me! You’ll be good to finish 24 in 48, I’m sure!)
Yeah, I tend to overdo it. I think readathons are good for people who don’t read as much as we do. But I’ll be happy to cheer you on from the sidelines.
How interesting, i’ve not heard about readathons before but they sound like good fun, you should organise one :)!
Ehh, that would be too much work. There are already so many out there. :D
I don’t know, there’s something about these that doesn’t quite sit right with me, but I can’t put my finger on it. Some weekends I’ll read for anywhere between 6-10 hours and then blog about what I’ve read later, but devoting an entire 24 hour period sounds like jeopardizing health and risking burn-out for blog-clicks.
Now, what WOULD be cool would be having library sponsored read-a-thons, where there would be all-day story-telling. I’d totally volunteer to be part of a marathon reading of Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser short stories.
My local library did a fundraising read-a-thon a few years ago. Participants got friends/family/neighbors to sponsor their reading for a few weeks – a dollar a book, five dollars a book, whatever they wanted – and at the end all the money was donated to the library and participants got a t-shirt. It was a lot of fun!
That’s a pretty cool idea.
I think readathons are probably more fun for people because of the socializing aspect of it. Twitter chats etc. During banned book week, our faculty used to put on an event where banned books were read out loud nonstop for a certain period of time say 8 hours or so. It was pretty cool, people signed up for reading shifts and all.
Thanks for the info! I always hear about readathons, but never knew how to take part :)
No problem. :)
I like Cirsova’s idea. There could even be an all night lock in with chips and salsa/snacks and readings for teens and/or adults. That would be AWESOME! I would volunteer to read a loud AND teach mini-courses on genres, choosing books, even on creative writing.
I’ve participated in a readathon but it does sound pretty cool, thanks for the info!
Maybe it’s something you could suggest to your local library? A way to fundraise?
Yeahhh, the only readathon I do (as we’ve discussed) is Bout of Books, and that’s mostly because it’s the most laid back thing around. No goals, no limits, no nothing. You CAN do the extra challenges/games and try to win prizes, but it’s not mandatory. The only thing you have to do with BoB is sign up. And the Twitter chats are basically the best thing ever to ever happen. (*waves Bout of Books flag*).
But yeah, readathons in general don’t do much for me since I also read so much regularly. Trying to read MORE is just exhausting.
I agree. Plus, I reckon you’d have the same problem I did-reading too much. I swear I read about 15 books in around four days the last time I tried a readathon and then I just didn’t care. Haha.
Is it sad that I’d never heard of a read-a-thon before this post? Probably because I read so much I’ve never needed one. Still, it’s nice to know they’re out there.
Yeah, I reckon they’re good for people who don’t get to read as much or are not able to read as much. For people who read every day, readathons don’t make much sense.