I was planning to just have an All the Readathons Wrap Up post, but then I discovered that I was writing too much for Spookathon even though I for real failed at Spookathon. I completed three of the challenges though so it could have been worse!
Day 1: Success!
On day one I successfully completed Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia and I loved it so much, you guys. I used this book to fulfill the Spooky Word in the title. Everyone I had seen talk about this book was absolutely raving about it so I was going in with extremely high expectations so I felt like something was missing, specifically, I was really annoyed by Eliza’s parents and her relationship. I understand a reluctance to talk on Eliza’s part, because that was part of how her anxiety manifested (and honestly likely something in addition to anxiety), but I really didn’t feel like her parents were even trying. Toward the end of the book though, I realized suddenly that I was crying and that pretty much solidified the five star rating.
Basically, Eliza Mirk is a teenager who created the most well-known and well-loved online web comic, but maintains her anonymity. When this new boy starts going to her high school, events unfold so that she discovers that he loves her comic. Shenanigans ensue. Please do not read the Goodreads review because I think going into this knowing just that it’s about fandom and friendship and how online friendships can be just as important as in real life friendships is enough. I leave you with my favorite quote:
Day Two: Ummm… Well, that was fun.
So on Day Two, I had an interview that I hope went as well as it did in my head because I loved it. I completed The Raven King on my way home from Raleigh and still don’t know how I feel. I didn’t intend to have this book be a part of my Spookathon TBR, but you know, since this Readathon was questionable anyway, let’s count finishing this as fulfilling my spooky setting challenge! Then it seems like I accomplished something related to Spookathon.
Unfortunately, I still can’t tell you what I thought about the book because I just don’t know! I’m conflicted. Like, I think I really liked that ending, but also it was totally not what I was predicting at all. I think I need to re-read this series already, but I need The Raven King in a print copy, not an audiobook. Ahhh.
I started The Night Circus, but didn’t make it very far. By which I mean, I think I read 24 pages so not enough to form any kind of an opinion besides I love the way the pages feel in the paperback.
Day Three: I GOT A HOPE DIVIDED ON NETGALLEY!
Whoops, I forgot that I was doing a specific Readathon and… I got A Hope Divided from Netgalley! I’m not going to talk about it here (although I didn’t finish it in one sitting, I finished it on Day Four)–you’ll see my thoughts in my October Wrap Up, Part Two and my full review on November 28, 2017. But, spoiler alert, I LOVED IT.
Day Four: God bless Alyssa Cole.
Oh, and I guess I got to page 116 of The Night Circus, but I don’t seem to have had any strong feelings aside from intense dislike of both father figures in the book.
Also, apparently I drove somewhere because I listened to more of Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo on audiobook, which (spoiler alert) I decided to make my orange book at some point. I’m reading this as part of the Storytime with Squibbles book club hosted by Joce from Squibbles Reads. My thoughts at this point were: I’m having a lot of feelings about this book and the themes that keep coming up and I’m not sure how I should be feeling. I just know I’m glad that even though people still tie women’s worth to their ability and willingness to have children, it’s less prevalent and all-encompassing than it was for Yejide.
Day Five: Are you ever going to finish The Night Circus?
Well, I made it to page 309 of The Night Circus so that’s something, right? By this point, I was really enjoying the book, but my favorite character was and remains Bailey. For some reason, I feel like it shouldn’t have been? Also, I feel like we should have seen more romantic build up between… Well, I don’t want to spoil you. But you know when Harry x Ginny get together in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie and you’re like, um, what? Where did that come from? And you felt that way even though you knew it was coming? Yes, that’s how I felt when this couple was suddenly declaring their love for each other and I was over here like WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Day Six: Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon/I FINALLY FINISHED THE NIGHT CIRCUS
Well, y’all, I did it. I finished The Night Circus and I actually really enjoyed it. I kind of want to re-read it again already because I think there are so many things I could have gotten from it if I had tried harder. I wound up giving it a 4.5 star rating though because it really was such a well-written novel. Also, do not read the synopsis. It is very spoiler-y. Just know that this story is about a circus and a father who enters his daughter into a vague challenge that sounds extremely unsafe with an unknown competitor and no clear timeline.
Oh and this book fulfilled the childhood fear challenge.
I officially switched out my book with orange in it and tried to finish Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo on audiobook. Impressively, I managed to get through another three and a half hours of the book and passed the halfway point, which meant I could finally check the spoiler group for the first half of the book. I’m really struggling with my feelings on this book because the cultural differences are so vast, which means I keep wrestling with detangling my feelings and my cultural biases. Ultimately, I did not complete this book (yet), but you should expect a review up soon.
Day Seven: Hah, yeah, no.
Sunday was a disaster. I was so tired and needed to move a lot of my things elsewhere because the person I’ve been house sitting for and am now renting from needed to move her things out and yeah, long story short, I was (a) really tired because Dewey’s and (b) busy doing other things.
I did attempt to read Girl on the Train, but um, yeah, I made it eight pages in and just couldn’t do it because again, so tired.
So overall, I read 897 pages for Spookathon and listened to about six and a half hours of audiobooks, but I don’t really know how many pages that translates to. This Readathon was definitely not as successful as the 7 in 7 Readathon, but I like the community aspect and have loved the vlogs people have posted on YouTube.
I did semi-vlog my Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon Experience, but it’s of questionable quality so I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it. Hopefully I can include that in a Dewey’s post like this because I have a feeling that post would again be really long.
If you participated in Spookathon, how did you do?
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