RaT Updates

I've been poking around and still did not start to read... It's 15:00, Hour 2 is about to start. I guess I'll put up my thread, do the opening meme and then start reading..
Minis will be added on the post as I do them.


Opening Survey
I did the opening meme in goodreads status update for so long, I'm gonna do it again, even though I have all this space now.

Questions:
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

Answeres, goodreads style:
Doing Dewey's Read-a-thon! Hour0: 1-Split, Croatia; 2-The third one, just so I can be proud I read that many; 3-Banana frape, it is a standard beverage of my RaTs; 4-I'm a marine biologist with a twist; 5-Crackers and cheeeeeese, my new obsession..

It's time to start reading...
Even though I have 4 books that I am currently reading, I'm starting another one... Andrzej Sapkowski : Blood of Elves.
Wish me luck!


MINI: Title haiku

The books in my reading pile are mostly in Croatian. My haiku would look like this:

Zvjezdana prašina - Stardust (Neil Gaiman)
Električni snovi - Electric Dreams (Philip K. Dick)
Sjajne zeznute godine - Bliss Was It in Bohemia (Michal Viewegh) - literal translation from Croatian of this title is: Wonderful tricky years



MINI: Modern Classics

Which books, published in the 21st century will likely be classics 100 years from now?

 I don't know... I know some books I would love to see stand the test of time.

If I had to pick one, I would say, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August - C. North


MINI: Book and a snack

So, this happened, white chocolate mixed with milk chocolate with hazelnuts.


MINI: Seasons to read

Do you have special books that you re-read each season?

I do get inspired to read Halloween or Xmas themed books and might say I prefer some light reading during summer vacation. But other than that I did not notice a pattern in my reading habits.

Although, thanks to the Readers Imbibing Peril reading challenge I did find out people associated autumn with some spooky genres.


MINI: Monster Mash

What creatures would you like to read about going head-to-head and how do you think it would turn out?

Alien vs Shrike from Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. I also wonder, what would the offspring be like, if it ever came to that.


MINI: Halloween story swap

I would like you to think of a favorite character or story-world from a favorite book. Then, re-imagine that character or world as a classic Halloween figure or scenario (witch, zombie, vampire, werewolf/graveyard, haunted house, cornfield, etc.)

Peter Pan is a ghost. Wendy was actually in a coma while with him and waking up from it brought her back to London.


Mid-Event Survey:

Queastions:
1. What are you reading right now?
2. How many books have you read so far?
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

Answers:
1. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski, came back to it again after leaving it on the side for another.
2. Finished one I started before RaT, read one manga and am reading this one
3. It would be great if I could finis this one, but I don't see that happening
4. Yea. I created them, so dealing was not in the picture
5. The drop in number of hosts for mini challenges


Closing Survey:

Questions:
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read!
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners?
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you happy?
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep?

Answers:
1. The first one. I just kept doing something else and couldn't start reading and when I did start reading, couldn't concentrate and kept rereading same page.
2. I finished  last 66 pages of the book I started earlier, which is about 20% so I don't think it counts. I read a manga Fuan no Tane Vol2, and about a third of Blood of Elves. Let's just say I got distracted a LOT.. :D
3. I loved reading The Series of Unfortunate Events in the previous years. I would recommend that.
4. For the next RaT I want to build a fort out of cushions and blankets. But that doesn't really include you.... I would like to have a closing post just saying it is over, good job guys, right after the one for Hour 24. The way it is now it leaves me lacking closure. Wrap up with data and statistics can come days later and it will be ok.
5. As long something serious doesn't stop me, I will participate. I've been here since 2012, I'm not going anywhere :D And I am always willing to help.

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon has begun

So, 14:00 (2PM) has passed, the event has officially started.

Before starting to read I glanced on the mini challenges list. There are 11 this year. I guess people grew tired of them. I don't know why or how.

Anyway, one of the challenges is mine *proud moment* :D
It is hosted by NGO F&ST, a society dedicated to promoting fantasy, science fiction and tabletop games in a lovely city of Split, Croatia. It is a society I am a proud member of and it is an honor to organize a challenge on it's official web page. Check it out!

I will also be leading an hourly discussion in RaT's goodreads group. You can find all of the discussions here. I'll be on for Hour 2.

I planed to host another challenge on this blog, but I got the idea for F&ST challenge so late, despite thinking about it almost non-stop, and than I just didn't do the other one. But, baby steps, I'm just getting into this thing, next one will be better.

It is 14:30 already and I should better get on with the reading.

I'll talk to you soon...

㋡

Iluzija O. Istini

Hello world!

"Hello world!"

That is how web pages usually start, isn't it?

Well, hello to me and you, too.

This blog was opened so I can finally have a place for my updates taking part in mini challenges for Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon and maybe even host one. Or two. Or...

If you don't know what RaT is, check it right now and take part in an awesome reading experience you share with people from all over the world.

If I had to explain what it is, I would say: 

RaT is an event that lasts for 24 hours, where participants read. Simple as that.

Reading for full 24 hours is the main challenge, but not an obligation. Participation is open to all and can be modified to each participant's preference, it can be a solo adventure, a buddy read, a family event, charity event in a retirement home or home for children, communal event in a local library or anything else you think of. As long as you read.

And what you read is books. Again, simple. Novels, short stories, poetry, comics... you choose. And all you really NEED to do is report to the main page to sign up (Oct.2018) and fill out the list of books you finished when it ends.

I participated in it for years. My very first RaT was in October 2012. It was this small event with big potential and I fell in love with it. I stayed true to it all these years, even though some of the times it was difficult to combine it with other obligations I had. As a result I even read from few different countries. Once I even closed myself in a bedroom while being a guest on a birthday party.

But enough about how crazy I am and more about why I needed this space. I mean, the event spread on many platforms by now... and a blog is not the most social one. But it is the most spacious one.

The thing is.. reading is not all you can do in this event. There is so much content during those 24 hours, reading at times seems only as a glue that holds it all together.

Besides the interaction with the ever-awake community, there are hourly posts on the main page that keep you motivated and informed that there is someone, somewhere over there, just as nuts as you, doing the same thing you are. Those posts include three surveys that let you tell the community what are you looking forward to, how are you progressing and finally how you did. On goodreads there are many many many topics you can join in on. And I don't even know what is going on on tumbler or twitter..

I was, once, even part of a RaT-cheer-leading squad, but that was just not for me.. 

What is for me, though, what is the best part of it all, are mini challenges.

Mini challenges are little creative tasks, usually but not always related to reading, that give this event that something extra. They are fun, they are short, they break the routine, make you improvise, make you think and create... and they have prizes.

So, I love mini challenges.. I take every chance I can get to participate in one. Even brought some into a book club I am part of.

And then, last RaT happened. Only 13 challenges were created. I was so sad.... Then I realized I was part of the problem.

In all of my years of participation, I never hosted a mini challenge. I did try to help with the goodreads group and even tried cheer leading, but my main platform was goodreads, and hosting a challenge there was not an option. So i just didn't do it. I could not be bothered to open a blog just for minis. Until those minis went away.

So, now I'm stepping in. I know, I have always known, that a community is strongest when everyone chips in. I guess I needed a little reminder, but now I am there.

Will you join me?

...

Lastly, before I end this post, here are some numbers... one two three four forty-two... because, as much as this is an introduction to this blog it is an exercise in writing one too.

I hope my exercise didn't bore you.

㋡

Iluzija O. Istini