I interrupt this self-imposed blog hiatus to announce a really cool reading challenge, and your chance to spread some good cheer while burning through your TBR list!
WHAT: The Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon
THE CHALLENGE: Read for 24 hours. Straight. Too intimidating? That’s okay – just read as much as you can!
WHEN: This Saturday, April 26. (It officially kicks off 8:00 am EST / 5:00 am PST. See what that means for your time zone here: http://24hourreadathon.com/start-times/)
WHERE: Encouraging blog posts and challenges will be featured throughout the day at http://24hourreadathon.com. You’re also encouraged to post your progress on your own blog, Facebook, or Twitter accounts.
This will be my third time participating in the readathon, though it’s been a few years since the last time I did it. I’m not sure I’ll hit all 24-hours (okay, I’m relatively certain that I won’t…), but I’m going to give it a shot all the same!
And this year, I’ve been inspired by Felicia at The Geeky Blogger to add in a new twist.
This Saturday, I’ll not only be crossing some books off my teetering TBR stack. I’ll also be Reading for Charity.
Specifically, I’ll be donating to Reach Out and Read: “Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization of medical providers who promote early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.”
How does Reading for Charity work? Check out Felicia’s blog post for the full details, and to see how she breaks down her charitable giving/reading goals.
My personal donation goals are:
– $20.00 for each book I read
– $2.00 for every hour I miss
– $1.00 for every comment left on my Saturday readathon blog post (not to be confused with this blog post)
On top of that, I thought – what can I do to encourage other people to join in the Readathon and also Read for Charity? Which gave me this idea:
I will personally match the donation amounts that other read-a-thonners donate, AND include an additional donation for every Lunar Chronicles book or short story that is read during the day!
So, okay. That all sounds super complicated, but I think it’s going to work out pretty well.
Want to participate? Here’s how!
Step 1. Sign up to be a reader here: http://24hourreadathon.com/2014/03/31/april-2014-reader-sign-ups/
Step 2: Choose your charity. Don’t have a favorite charity? Check out http://www.charitynavigator.org/ to find one that fits your philanthropic spirit. Or you’re welcome to join me in supporting Reach Out and Read.
Step 3: Assign dollar amounts to your specific goals. You can assign any amount that you’d like, for any achievement you like! Blog comments, challenges completed, audiobooks listened to… it’s up to you! See Felicia’s suggested breakdowns here.
Step 4: Wake up early on Saturday morning, start yourself a pot of coffee, and read your little heart out! Don’t forget to follow http://24hourreadathon.com to be a part of the readathon community throughout the day.
I will also blog about my progress sporadically on Saturday. Feel free to stop by and leave a comment and link to your own blogs so that we can all cheer each other on!
Step 5: At the end of the readathon, tally up your success, and make your donation to your charity of choice.
Step 6: Leave a comment ON THIS BLOG POST with your grand total. And feel free to brag about your readathon successes and let us know what books you conquered during the event!
Please leave your comment by Monday at 9:00 a.m. PST.
Bonus: If you read a Lunar Chronicles novel or short story (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Glitches, The Queen’s Army, or The Little Android) during the readathon, list them in your blog comment as well! I will donate an additional $5.00 per novel and $2.00 per short story for each one read during the event.
On Monday, I’ll tally up all the donation amounts and match your totals in an additional donation to Reach Out and Read.
Now I’m off to prioritize my book stack…