Read-a-thon meme and a few giveaways

Even though I won't be able to participate as a reader in the upcoming 24 hour Read-a-thon, I realized that I would be able to participate as a cheerleader, so I'm doing just that. Darcie, who is organizing the cheerleaders (and even made a Cheerleaders Blog), tagged me for this Read-a-Thon meme:

If I had 24 hours to read, be my goals would be… To read as much as I could, of course, but also to keep in mind that the read-a-thon is supposed to be fun, and thus not pressure myself to continue if I felt I had reached my limit. I think that if I were participating I would treat myself to a few books I really want to read but haven't yet for some reason or other. That would give me extra motivation to read, read and read!

This is what I am going to have to do to get 24 hours of reading… Well, what I'd do would be enlist someone in my family to attend to the needs of the cats and dogs for 24 hours. (This is usually my job - the cats in particular always come to me for attention. It could be because I spoil them more than anyone.) That would help to minimize distractions. Also, I'd make sure there was lots of coffee and snacks around.

If someone asked me for recommendations of “can’t put down” books for the read-a-thon, I would recommend:
As several others have mentioned, short books probably work better, because they give you a feeling of accomplishment. Here are a few that are both short and very, very gripping:

• Truckers, Diggers and Wings by Terry Pratchett (Together they form The Bromeliad trilogy which is available in a single volume, but also as separate books, all of which are less than 200 pages long. They are brilliant. And hilarious. I finished this trilogy earlier this week and it might very well be my favourite read of the year so far)
  
  
• Big Fish and The Watermelon King by Daniel Wallace
  
  
• I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman
  
  
• Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
  
  
• Black Maria, Dogsbody, Howl's Moving Castle or The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones
  
  
• Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland (I read it in a single sitting and I don't do that very often)
  
  
• The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
  
  
• Voice of Our Shadow by Jonathan Carroll
  
  
• Pretty much anything by Roald Dahl
  

If you participated in the October 2007 read-a-thon:
For you, what was your favorite part of the October read-a-thon and why?
How many hours/ books/ pages were you able to read in the Read-a-thon?
I didn't sign up either as a reader or as a cheerleader because I wasn't going to be home that day, but when I arrived in the evening I sort of became an unofficial cheerleader. As an observer, my favourite part was realizing how much fun everyone was having. There is something about seeing people celebrate their love of books in such an original way that is just beyond awesome. Also, even as an outside observer I could feel the huge sense of community the read-a-thon generated. Even I got to feel this kinship with other book bloggers, so I imagine that the participants felt it even more intensely. So if you participate, you're pretty much guaranted to meet some cool new people.

That's it. I hope you all consider participating, at least as cheerleaders. Keep in mind that as a cheerleader you won't be required to stay up for the whole 24 hours. All you have to do is find at least an hour here and there to go visit participants and leave them encouraging comments. You can also host a mini-challenge (check Darcie's blog for more details). Believe me, it will be fun.

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And now a bunch of giveaways! First, Valentina is celebrating one year of blogging by giving away a copy of whichever book you want among those she has reviewed to three lucky winners. To wish her a happy blogiversary and to be entered, leave her a comment here.

Secondly, Dewey is giving away a copy of We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin. To find out what you have to do to be entered, go here. One of the things is spread the word about the Graphics Novel Challenge, which is what I'm going to do just now. The challenge lasts for all of 2008, and even though it's already June you can still sign up. If you do so now, you'll only be required to read 3 books instead of 6.

When Dewey first announced the challenge, I wrote an overly enthusiastic post that includes some recommendations. Like Dewey, I love comics and graphic novels, and it always saddens me to see people dismiss them as irrelevant or frivolous. I also know that some people don't dismiss them or look down on them, but they think they are just not their thing.

But a common misconception about comics is that they are a genre. They are not - they're a medium. To speak of comics and graphic novels as a genre is the same as to speak of movies or TV series or whatever as a genre. As a medium, they encompass all sorts of things, from superhero stories to fantasy, horror, science fiction, non-fiction, memoir, coming of age stories, true crime, holocaust literature, world literature, you name it. So I can say for sure that there is a comic out there that each and every one of you would love. You just have to find it.

Also, they are quick reads. So even if you're overchallenged you could still join and be done with it in no time.

Finally, Strange Horizons, one of my favourite websites, is asking for donations. If you're not familiar with Strange Horizons, they are a weekly online magazine that publishes speculative fiction stories by established and emerging writers, book reviews, art, columns, etc. Their are staffed by volunteers but pay professional rates to their writers and artists, so they really need your support. You can help by either donating or by spreading the word about the Fund Drive. If you do so, you'll be entered to win a set of three Datlow/Windling fairy tale anthologies. How awesome is that?