Dewey's 24 Hour Readthon

The Dewey 24 Hour Readathon begins in Sydney, Australia at 10pm on Saturday 23rd April.

Most years, no matter how well I plan, something always crops up on the day of the #readathon to spoil my all day binge reading plans.

With only a few hours to go until start time, I'm feeling fairly confident that finally, this year - this #readathon, I will be able to devote the whole 24 hours to reading *big happy bookish sigh*

Although, when I say, 24 hrs, I really mean the part of 24 hrs that doesn't require about 7-8 hrs sleep! Yes, I am a wuss.

The time zone difference actually works really for me and the #readathon. I get to join in the start and feel a part of the whole vibe. I read for a couple of hours before falling asleep. Then when I wake up, feeling refreshed and eager, I jump back in to help those who might be flagging at the half way mark.

It also looks like the weather will help me out this weekend.

After a glorious long, warm, sunny autumn in Sydney, a cool change finally blew in last night, with blustery winds, driving rain and plummeting temperatures. The perfect weather for snuggling up with a good book or ten.

My companions for the #readathon will be the very fine folk on #TeamOwl led by our illustrious, studious and very owlish captain, Andi.

I will also be accompanied, personally, by the one and only Prince.

One of our local digital radio stations - Double J - is playing non-stop Prince all weekend.

I have been a huge Prince fan ever since my teens years when I first saw Purple Rain when it was released at the movies (now that ages me doesn't it?!)

I managed to see him live in concert once and for that I am eternally grateful, but, oh, how I wish there were still more Prince concerts to look forward to.

My other companions, of course, are the books.

I've gone for a selection of junior fiction and YA titles in the hope I might finish one of two of them during the #readathon. I also have several half-read books by my bed and a few poetry options for Poetry Appreciation Month.

So what will I be reading?

The Dubliners by James Joyce (short stories and my #CCSpin12 read) PART-READ 17 pgs
The Road to Ratenburg by Joy Cowley.
Monty & Me by Louisa Bennet
River of Ink by Helen Dennis READ - 359 pgs
Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff
The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard
A Tangled Web by L M Montgomery
Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager
Joan of Arc by Lili Wilkinson
Poems to Make Grown Women Cry edited by Anthony and Ben Holden
Poems to Make Grown Men Cry edited by Anthony and Ben Holden
Wild Lily by K M Peyton
Another Night in Mullet Town by Steven Herrick (verse novel in manuscript form) READ - 224 pgs
Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott (ordered during the Little Women readalong, but turned up too late.) Turns out this book has 7 of Alcott's stories in it. READ - Little Women - 50 pgs. Not sure if I will read the rest. The whole classic graphic novel experience was rather unsatisfying.
The After-room by Maile Meloy PART-READ 154 pgs

By my bed, half-read, I also have Australian Classics by Jane Gleeson-White (my starting page will be pg 280) FINISHED - 48 pgs
The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf (starting page 237)
and
Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson (starting page 134)
and
Wallpaper City Guide Havana (starting page 60)
and
If This Is A Woman by Sarah Helm (starting page 68) PART-READ 110 pgs

That should keep me out of mischief!

I will update page counts and answer any Dewey related questions as the day progresses and as the mood takes me. Updates will be in red.

Any fellow Aussie #readathon participants please say hello, so that we can support each other - tomorrow afternoon especially - when many of the US participants go to bed for a while and #readathon social media land goes quiet.

I am on twitter @bronasbooks and facebook and goodreads. Just look out for the purple dragonfly icon!

We are now going out for dinner with friends tonight (told you, something always happens!) so I'm going to post this now in case we're not back for the 10pm start.

UPDATE - Hour 14 - total pages read so far 322.
Hour 24 - Grand total of pages read this readathon - 962 pgs.

Happy Readathon and may Dewey look over our reading stacks with a smile on her face.