Today, Saturday, Jan. 27, and Sunday, Jan. 28, I am joining the 24 in 48 Readathon (click on button at right to be taken to the site to learn more about the event). Yesterday, I told you about my preparation, “The Pregame,” for this weekend’s event; today and Sunday, I’ll tell you about the event itself, “The Game,” with updates over the two days; and on Monday, I’ll give you my reflections on the weekend, “The Postgame.”

The Game

Saturday

10:06 a.m.: First book done after a couple of missteps:

1. I try The Big Book of The Continental Op by Dashiell Hammett, but the print is too small. The print is small in the one I finally did pick, Life on Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith, but at least it is short. I also learn by reading the blurbs on the back of the book why the book is on the new shelf. The book was republished in honor of Smith being named the Poet Laureate of the United States last year.
2. After starting to read, only three minutes in, I smell at poop. Our older cat, Seamus, occasionally poops on the floor and he did so this morning. I go clean it up.

The book, though, was very good: no poop.

10:35 a.m.: I begin on my second book, which I already had started reading before the readathon: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien.

12:45 p.m. or thereabouts: I stop the stopwatch app on my phone at 2 hours and 15 minutes and six-tenths of a second. I am on my way to Isengard. I am not sure when I will get there as my neighbor Mike has invited me over to his “ManCave” for a little bit. I will try to extricate myself as politely as I can, probably within an hour. I think it is more than safe to say I will not be keeping to my original schedule and it is highly doubtful that I will be making 24 hours of reading within the allotted 48 hours, but I still hope to get some good reading in.

4:45 p.m.: I’m home after watching movie Baby Driver with Mike, and next will be having dinner with Kim. So yeah, about that game plan yesterday…er, not gonna happen, but plan to do some more reading tonight after Kim goes to work. And there is always tomorrow.

6:45 p.m.:  I pick up where I left off and read The Two Towers for a little bit. I am now with Frodo and Sam…and soon to be Gollum. When I stop the stopwatch, it reads 3 hours and 45 minutes. I reset my goal for 6 hours a day and 12 hours for the entire event.

8:25 p.m.: I take a nap.

A little after 10 p.m.: I continue reading another book I already had started before the readathon, The Last Kashmiri Rose, the first in a series about Detective Joe Sandilands, by Barbara Cleverly. I also enjoy sea salt caramel gelato and am joined by Seamus on my lap as I sit in the recliner, which has been my place for today’s reading and will be again tomorrow.

Sunday

12:56 a.m.: I finish The Last Kashmiri Rose, which while not great was good enough for me to finish and want to pick up the next in the series sometime. After I am done, I try to look around for another book on The Free Library of Philadelphia Overdrive website, but the site seems to be down. Maybe they are doing maintenance, I will try tomorrow.

10:15 a.m. or thereabouts: I decide to switch it up and listen to an audiobook, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson as narrated by DeGrasse Tyson himself. I enjoy the book until I fall asleep in the recliner and go take a nap about 11:15 a.m.

2 p.m.: I get up and plan on reading but then remember that I was supposed to call my college roommate to wish him a happy belated birthday (his birthday was Friday). I end up talking to him for about two hours.

4 p.m.: I think that my readathon is over as I really don’t want to go back to listening to DeGrasse Tyson on astrophysics tonight or continuing with The Two Towers, I think I’d rather watch something on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

So here is how long I read for:

I’ll give you my full report in tomorrow’s post: “#24in48: The Postgame,” including how many books I read, which was my favorite, etc.