Dewey's Read-A-Thon Wrap-up

Books picked. Snacks prepped. Electronics charged. Everything I needed for twenty-four, solid hours of reading was in place. Off to bed. Rise and shine, the day has come! Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I check my phone. It's not yet 8 o'clock. Quickly, I open up to the day's current devotional. What! You got to be kidding me!? It's the 16th. The read-a-thon isn't today...it's next Saturday, the 23rd. Sucker-punch right to the gut. I knew the read-a-thon was on the 23rd, but somehow in my mind the 23rd equated to the 16th. Needless to say, I had to regroup and replan my day. It's going to be a long seven days, I think. 

Read-A-Thon Updates

Update #1--11:06 am

Hey reading pals! I just finished my first book of the day.

24-Hours of Non-Stop Reading

Guys and gals, the time has come. Read-A Thon is finally here! Woohoo! 

Although I wanted to throw all 1,480 books on my TBR list in my reading pile, I narrowed it down to fifteen, consisting of mostly middle grade and young adult novels. Just in case my eyes grow weary, there's an audiobook on standby. My goal is to complete three books and at least one chapter of the professional development book, Diagnosis and Improvement in Reading Instruction. 

Review: How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought by Lyn Fairchild Hawks

Lyn Fairchild Hawks. Self-Published, 2013. pp. 268.
Rating: Decent + 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙


Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse/Rape

Some months back, a couple of weeks after I'd finished this book, a student who was new to the youth group remarked that she always wears a jacket because she's constantly cold. I then asked if she was anemic and she said that it was her security blanket...that it protected her from many things. Being extremely thin, I wondered if she was self-conscious of her body or was she possibly hiding/shielding herself from somebody or somebodies; however, we were interrupted before I could question her further. Not only did this conversation call up images of Linus from Peanuts dragging his blue blanket—which could morph into various objects when needed, such as a lasso or shepherd's head covering—everywhere, but it also caused me to think of Wendy Redbird Dancing with Michael Jackson, greasy hair, and kohl eyeliner as her security blankets.

Dewey's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon

A night person I am not...never have been...not even a little bit. Growing up, my mother never had to fuss at me about going to bed on time. During my college years, dancing the night away at my favorite dance club kept me awake for sure, but that was the only thing. My personal best in pulling an all-nighter to finish a paper was 11:00 p.m. Sad, but true.