#ThanksgivingReadathon Wrap-Up

November 27, 2017

 

I can’t believe Thanksgiving has already flown by. This means the first official #ThanksgivingReadathon has sadly come to a close. It was an amazing 5 days of reading and sharing the books we were reading. #ThanksgivingReadathon was a beautiful blur of thankfulness I needed in my life. I am thankful to everyone who participated so readily!

We had over 20 people take part in the readathon!! I cannot believe it. After last year where 3 of us read together, this feels amazing. I loved following along on social media with #ThanksgivingReadathon — it was amazing reading the sign-up posts and Tweets, plus all the photos! Thanksgiving meals, cozy reading corners, and beautifully framed book covers dominated my social media feeds. Check out the list of participants at the bottom of this post to see for yourselves!


Jackie B’s #ThanksgivingReadathon Successes

My own Thanksgiving Readathon participation was more successful than I imagined it was going to be. I didn’t have as much time to read paper or eBooks as I predicted. I spent a lot of time with my family. But, David and I listened to a book during our 16-hour round-trip car ride to my parents, and I listened to books whenever I walked the dog or exercised. I spent a surprising amount of time listening to audiobooks! Looking back on this– I’m actually surprised I spent that much time invested in my books. That’s the sign of a successful readathon, for sure.

 

The Maze Runner by James Dashner 

Total Listening Time: 4 hours, 18 minutes (~180 pages)
Why read? I was in the middle of it when the readathon started.
Final Verdict: 2 stars

 

The Hidden Face by S.C. Flynn

Total pages read: 350 pages
Why read? Read and review posted for release day on Nov. 25th! This means I read an ARC!!! Check out my review here.
Final Verdict: 2 stars

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Total listening time: 13 hours 39 minutes (400 pages)
Why read? It was the audiobook for our road trip from Madison, WI to Columbus, OH – both directions.
Final Verdict: 6 stars. It’s brilliant.
Oh, and David thinks it’s masterful too. I nailed it picking this book for our trip. 

 

Legend by Marie Lu

Total listening time: 6 hours 10 minutes (~265 pages)
Why read? This wasn’t on my TBR, but it came up from the library when I needed a new audiobook!
Final Verdict: To be determined– I still have 15% left in the book!

 

Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery

Total pages read: 56 pages
Why read? For the #AnneReadAlong2017, of course! But, I’m a bit of a slacker and I’m still behind on these books. Oops!
Final Verdict: To be determined — but I love the Meredith children. And Walter. Because duh.

#ThanksgivingReadathon Overall Stats:

Total Pages: 1,251 pages
Total Audiobook Time: 24 hours 7 minutes
Overall Read Time: 29 hours 22 minutes
Total Books Completed: 3 books completed
Overall Spines Cracked: 5 texts explored

I’d say my readathon was a success!


Having the readathon forced me to take time for myself and reading. This readathon was really important for my mental health over a crazy set of days. Check out my #ThanksgivingReadathon Goals and TBR post to learn more about my Thanksgiving holiday traditions. That said, I’m so glad this has now become one of them!! I cannot wait to expand this readathon in 2018. Are you ready, Ottavia? 😉

Speaking of, I want to give a HUGE thank you to my readathon partner, Ottavia. She did a ton of the heavy lifting when it came to our graphic design and organizational effort. We couldn’t have done this without you. She is the driving force behind our adorable Winter Reading Giveaway, too!


 

You have until Tuesday, November 28th at midnight Central Time to enter! If you’re planning a wrap-up post, make certain to paste your link for an extra entry!

Spread the news! Share the love! I cannot wait to see who wins this amazing set of swag. Like I told Ottavia, I am a bit jealous I can’t enter. 


A Moment of Thankfulness

There are so many things I’m thankful for, but I don’t think about them often enough. Over the last week, I’ve had many opportunities to reflect on all the amazing things in my life. In particular, I want to mention the people I am thankful for. Here is just a brief, certainly not all-encompassing, list:

I am thankful for David: My partner in crime, you keep me sane, happy, loved, and from totally burning the candle at both ends.

I am thankful for Soulmate: You know who you are. You know why you matter. You three complete me.

I am thankful for my blogger friends: There are so many of you who are the real reason I love blogging. Your positivity and encouragement, as well as controversial conversation topics, get me out of bed each day. Don’t stop. I need that.

I am thankful for my immediate family: Without my parents and little brother, I’d be lost. They provide so much support even from 9 hours away by car. I know I can call them anytime and they will be there.

I am thankful for my extended family: These are the weird and wacky people who ensure I always have fun. There are no somber times with these folks. Only joy.


Finally, a HUGE thank you to everyone who joined us! If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out their blogs and sign-up posts below.

These amazing people blew their goals out of the water and made my Thanksgiving week absolutely incredible. I can’t wait to get to know all these people better over the next year.

As wrap-up posts are published, links will also be included here.

Dani @ Perspective Of A Writer
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Megan @ Hungry Bookworm
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Jessie @ Dwell In Possibility
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Kelly @ Kelly Kristensen Editing

Mark @ Maphead’s Book Blog
Sign-Up Post

Elizabeth @ Mountain Of Books
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Molly @ Molly’s Madness
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Helen @ Helen’s Book Blog
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Katie @ Doing Dewey
Sign-Up Post

Sarah @ Reviews & Readathons
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Edward Dunar

Katharine Dunar

Rachelle @ Fortified By Books
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Carole @ Stitches & Tea

Kathy @ Books And Munches
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Lisa @ Hopewell’s Library Of Life
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Sasha @ Pathologically Literate
Sign-Up Post

Juliana @ Wild Places
Sign-Up Post

Sarah Bussing

Theresa @ The Calico Books
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post

Elizabeth @ Satisdiction
Sign-Up Post     Wrap-Up Post


Plans for Next Year

As I mentioned above, I cannot wait to make the #ThanksgivingReadathon a regular part of my Thanksgiving traditions. I feel like Ottavia and I are great partners in crime. We both want this to be a low-key readathon, but we also have some grand ideas. Here are a few of mine:

  • Better marketing! We knew we were going to do this readathon all year, but we didn’t get to announce it until early November. Oops! Put it on the calendars now kids: November 21-25 2018!
  • Put together a series of daily challenges for social media — photos or text, but some way to keep the conversation going throughout the readathon.
  • Better utilize social media in general, actually. I’d love to do like Dewey and provide some warm-up post suggestions, discussion conversations, mini-challenges, etc…
  • Get our link-ups together! We struggle with the technology. But I’ve got a year to figure this one out, right?
  • Put together a series of posts relating to the readathon. As part of the promotion, help people understand tips for readathon success, talk about different types of readathons, provide top 5 lists, etc.

Ottavia put together an amazing list of what she thinks we should do differently for next year. Check her list out at the bottom of her Wrap-Up post. As you can see, we have some similar ideas– great minds think alike, yeah?

 

This was an amazing week. I’m sad it’s over, but I’ve made some wonderful new blogger friends. I cannot wait for this time next year! Thank you to everyone who made it so wonderful. I am thankful for you.


What do you think?

  • Did you participate in the #ThanksgivingReadathon ? Share your wrap-up post and/or any of your favorite moments below!
  • What did you read over the last week?
  • What are you thankful for this year?
  • Do you have any suggestions for how we can improve the readathon for 2018? Share below!

44 Comments

  • Sarah @ Reviews and Readathons November 27, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    This was so fun!! Thank you so much for hosting! Here’s my wrap-up post: https://reviewsreadathons.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/thanksgiving-readathon-wrap-up/

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 6:12 pm

      Yay! Thank you for participating, Sarah! It’s so much fun to have people to interact with. And you crushed your goals, too! I’m super impressed.

  • Greg Hill November 27, 2017 at 8:22 pm

    Looks like a pretty awesome readathon! And several of these are books I have thought about reading, like Maze Runner and Legend. Great job!

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Thanks, Greg! It was a ton of fun to host as well as participate in. I really needed the excuse to get away from some hectic family time here and there. What a great mental break.

  • Elizabeth November 27, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    This readathon was a big success for you!! I can’t believe how much you read! I just bought The Night Circus at Goodwill the other day and can’t wait to read it. I’ve heard nothing but good things. Thanks for hosting the readathon!

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 3:43 pm

      Thank you so much, Elizabeth! I am a bit surprised at how much I read, too. It mostly has to do with the magic of audiobooks. Dog walks and an 18-hour round-trip drive all filled with audiobooks really did the trick there!

      I’m so glad you got a copy of The Night Circus! I cannot wait to hear what you think about this book. It’s definitely one of my all-time favorites. Is the book in good condition? I feel like Goodwill books can be hit-or-miss on that front.

      Thank you for PARTICIPATING in the readathon! It’s more fun with more people. 😀

      • Elizabeth November 30, 2017 at 6:04 pm

        It actually is in pretty good condition! It’s a paperback so the corner in the front cover is bent but that’s the only flaw.

  • John Smith November 27, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    “The Night Circus” looks like it would be a fun audiobook! I’m glad to hear it’s brilliant!

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 3:02 pm

      It was a really fun audiobook. Jim Dale is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, so I was extraordinarily excited for this re-read! If you are interested in a slow burn sort of novel, character relationships, or enjoy the magical realism genre, you should pick this up. It’s one of my top 5 favorite novels.

  • Molly November 27, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    I really loved this. Thank you for creating and hosting this, it’s such a great idea! You did so well with your goals, much better than I did 😉 I can’t wait to do it again next year!

    Here’s my wrap-up: https://mollysmadnessblog.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/thanksgiving-readathon-wrap-up/

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 6:21 pm

      YAY! Thank you so much, Molly! This was a ton of fun and I can’t wait to do it again next year, too. I also can’t wait to get to know you better going forward. I’ll be a bit quiet with comments over the next month (holidays and all), but I expect to start regularly following you soon. 😀

      Part of the reason I was so successful is that I had more planning time than most, right? It also helped that I knew I’d be trapped for 18 hours in a car. Audiobook magic.

  • Dani @ Perspective of a Writer November 28, 2017 at 1:32 am

    It was fun Jackie! Sorry I totally blanked posting to social media 🙁 I did get my wrap up done! https://perspectiveofawriter.wordpress.com/2017/11/28/thanksgivingreadathon-wrap-up/

    <3 Looks like you had THE BEST week of audiobook heaven!! SOOOO many hours…

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 6:23 pm

      Haha. That’s okay! It was a busy week for many people. And you’re the sort of person who schedules their posts a billion years in advance. Don’t fret about it. 😉 I’m just super glad you joined us! Thank you for participating!!!

      It was a GREAT week for audiobooks. I’m super glad I had a chance to really dig into them. Making the best of 18 hours in the car, right?

      • Dani @ Perspective of a Writer December 1, 2017 at 3:03 am

        It was fun trying to read a bunch ♥️ and I do LOVE making a plan! Too true, you did so good with those audiobooks… and I kind of wish I had a dog so I had a reason to listen too!

        • Jackie B December 5, 2017 at 12:32 pm

          Haha. The dog is definitely helping with the audiobooks. However, I can tell when I’m being a good doggy mommy and when I’m not based on how much audiobook I’m listening to each week. Last week I walked him for 2 hours less than usual. Oops! XD

  • Grab the Lapels November 28, 2017 at 6:31 am

    I might have participated if I had known about it earlier so I could get up to initial post and set some goals. I did finish The Blue Castle, part of the November group read led by Consumed by Ink #ReadingValancy

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 6:30 pm

      Yup, that’s totally a lesson that Ottavia and I learned. We need to market this a bit better and get the world out sooner than the beginning of November. O_o That said, I’m still surprised at how many people participated! It was sooo much fun.

      How did I miss a The Blue Castle readalong!? That’s totally my cup of tea. I cannot wait to check out your review.

      • Grab the Lapels November 30, 2017 at 8:37 pm

        I can’t remember when Naomi mentioned it, but I knew The Blue Castle was a book I wanted to read with her because she’s so knowledgeable about LM Montgomery.

        • Jackie B December 1, 2017 at 8:15 am

          Exactly! She and Sarah Emsley have been great resources for me as I’ve been going through the #AnneReadAlong2017. Each time I question something or feel confused as to Montgomery’s decisions they are right there showing me a side I never saw before.

          • Grab the Lapels December 1, 2017 at 9:52 am

            I hadn’t heard of Emsley until yesterday, so I’ve just started talking with her.

  • Theresa @ TheCalicoBooks November 28, 2017 at 9:40 am

    This was such a fun readathon! I am already looking forward to participating next year!!

    It looks like you did such an amazing job on this year’s readathon, too. Congratulations on getting so much reading in!

    • Jackie B December 4, 2017 at 7:54 am

      Thank you so much, Theresa! Looking back, I’m not sure how I did it, honestly. It was a lot of fun to host, too. I’m so glad you enjoyed participating!

  • Annemieke November 28, 2017 at 12:51 pm

    Sounds like you got some good reading done. I’m curious to see what you will think of Legend when you finish it. 🙂

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 6:24 pm

      Thanks, Annemieke! It was easy with audiobooks and 18 hours in a car. Thankfully, David agreed with my choice of books.

      I am at 80% with Legend right now– I’m definitely intrigued. The audiobook has two narrators, which I appreciate. That makes for a fun listening experience.

  • Helen Murdoch November 28, 2017 at 7:04 pm

    I have got to read the Night Circus! I would definitely do the readathon again! Thank you

    • Jackie B December 4, 2017 at 8:16 am

      I’m so glad that The Night Circus is on your To Read list! It’s definitely one of my all-time favorite novels.

      I’m glad you enjoyed your participation in the readathon, Helen. It was so much fun interacting with you. I cannot wait for next year. 😀

  • Jessie @ Dwell in Possibility November 29, 2017 at 8:35 am

    Thanks for co-hosting this fun readathon Jackie! I look forward to participating again next year

    • Jackie B November 29, 2017 at 10:25 am

      Thanks for joining, Jessie! It was so much fun to interact with you. I’m glad you enjoyed your involvement. Any suggestions for next time?

      • Jessie @ Dwell in Possibility November 30, 2017 at 3:57 pm

        Same here Jackie! I think the readathon went really well and I appreciated how laid-back it was. I think your idea of incorporating some of the Dewey’s readathon methods (like mini-challenges, warm-ups, or even twitter sprints) could be great, and a link-up would be helpful too.

        • Jackie B December 5, 2017 at 11:15 am

          Thanks for the feedback, Jessie! I am all about a Link-up for the future. Honestly, Ottavia and I couldn’t figure out the technology. O_o It’s on my drafted 2018 goals list: Figure out the world of Linkups! There are so many things I’d love to learn which would help this out quite a bit. I’m super excited for what the 2018 version of the readathon might bring. 🙂

          Thanks for participating, Jessie! I look forward to getting to know you better in 2018. The holiday season puts me on a bit of a blog hopping hiatus, but I’ll be around next year. Happy holidays!

          • Jessie @ Dwell in Possibility December 5, 2017 at 6:49 pm

            Oh I completely understand re. the technology-I wouldn’t know how to do any of that either! Look forward to getting to know you too, and thanks again for hosting. Happy holidays Jackie!

            • Jackie B December 22, 2017 at 4:21 pm

              Happy Holidays, Jessie! Things are coming back online for me and blogging. Whew! Just in time for the new year. 😀

  • Laila@BigReadingLife November 29, 2017 at 10:56 am

    You guys did a great job hosting this, and although I didn’t participate, I am so glad you had so many sign-ups! And congrats on the reading you did.

    • Jackie B December 4, 2017 at 8:19 am

      Thank you, Laila! It was a lot of fun. I honestly didn’t expect so many people to participate with us, either. I had so much fun interacting with everyone on social media. Here’s hoping we can improve things even more for next year! 😀

  • Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf November 29, 2017 at 2:35 pm

    I am so impressed by all your readathon successes! Seriously you are amazing! I should listen to more e-books. I always enjoy the different perspective.

    And The Night Circus is amazing! So glad you loved it! One of my favorites. Can’t wait to hear more of your thoughts on it.

    Writing my wrap up post now 🙂

    • Jackie B November 30, 2017 at 6:19 pm

      Thank you, Jane! Audiobooks are so much fun for me. I love listening to them because they are very different experiences than reading. My favorite genre is to listen to memoirs read by the author. But, I have a few favorite narrators I listen to when I can. Jim Dale, who narrates The Night Circus and Harry Potter is a favorite for sure.

      Just be cautious– there are certainly some narrators who can ruin a great book. Be critical! Look for Audie award winners to start; you’ll find a groove you enjoy.

      Oh man I LOVE The Night Circus. This was a re-read for me, but I’ll be certainly writing a review for it soon. I feel like rereads provide so many amazing opportunities for learning from a well-loved book.

      Thank you for participating, Jane! It’s so much more fun with other people. 😀

      • Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf December 1, 2017 at 2:54 pm

        Very true that a good narrator makes all the difference. I love the idea of the author reading memoirs. That sounds like a neat experience.

        Jim Dale reads The Night Circus?! I love his audiobooks of Harry Potter. Might have to do an audiobook reread of my own in the new year 😉

        It’s been a while for me since I’ve read The Night Circus. Totally a fan of rereads as well. 🙂

        • Jackie B December 6, 2017 at 3:09 pm

          If you do get to it, let me know. I’m trying to get my review written but the book is so complex, I don’t know if I can do it honest justice. I’d love to hear what you think of reading the text versus hearing Jim Dale narrate. It’s a very different experience than Harry Potter!

  • Anna @MyBookishDream December 1, 2017 at 1:44 pm

    I’m so happy to see that you loved The Night Circus!! That book is simply beautiful and I adore all the characters. <3 I definitely need to reread it some time in the future!
    I'm also really glad to see that you had an amazing time during this read-a-thon! 🙂

    • Jackie B December 6, 2017 at 8:47 am

      Thank you, Anna! The Night Circus is certainly one of my all time favorite novels. I think the story is just perfectly crafted.

      I had a wonderful time during the readathon! Life is kicking my butt a bit now, so it’s good to know I had some solid reading time taken in before the holidays grabbed me. 😀

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