COVID-19 Quarantine + Cabin Fever = 12 Hour Reading Marathon
5 Minute Read
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Why am I doing this?
COVID-19. That’s it. That’s why.
Na just kidding. But it was a serious factor.
Here’s the real reason why:
Spending all day watching TV hungover, or working/revising for ridiculously long hours is a pretty standard affair in most people’s lives. Yet when you say you want to do the same thing buried in a book, you’ll likely be met with some raised eyebrows. Reading can be a challenge in itself, so extending it into a “marathon” may seem slightly insane. But I wanted to test myself and find out whether it really was such a challenge or if it could be done with the same zest as one tackles a Netflix binge.
I’ve been interested in doing a reading marathon for a while now but it’s something I kept putting off. There was always some sports game, some event, or some reason I came up with not to do it. And then the Coronavirus came and the world had to go and shut itself down.
Yeap. If there was ever going to be a time to do it, this was it.
Rules
Fairly simple really, not sure I have to expand on this but these were the guidelines I followed on the day:
- No phone, laptop, or TV
- Breaks are allowed for bathroom and for tea/coffee
- Keep reading whilst eating (pausing whilst cooking is okay)
- No sleeping
- No procrastinating
Tactics
The hardest part of this challenge was always going to be keeping myself concentrated. I rarely read for longer than an hour before taking some kind of break, even if it’s just checking my phone or making a cup of tea. In fact, I very rarely read for more than a few hours in an entire day. The mission then was to keep myself concentrated enough to keep reading but distracted enough by that reading not to think about procrastinating. Make sense? Of course not. But you get the point. Keep concentrated.
In any case, that was the sticking point. My method of overcoming this was twofold. Firstly I would select a wide range of books to switch between so if I hit a plateau I could easily change it up. And secondly, I planned to move about a lot. The more I altered my position the less likely I would be to get bored. Unfortunately, the size of my flat is a limiting factor in this scheme. And the fact that I pretty much have to stay inside and avoid the outdoors restricted this further. But ultimately the space available to me still includes: sofa, bedroom, kitchen, and luckily a small balcony.
Books I’m going to read:
- As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
- Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepard
- Any one of the hundreds of books in my hacked Kindle library (I bought the Kindle when they were already on there – don’t shoot the messenger)
What Went Down?
I’m still learning how to vlog and there’s definitely room for improvement 😅. What I thought would be an interesting series of videos of me documenting the day came out as a little… dry. Or dull… okay it was dull. I’m aware of that. Also, I dislike looking at my face. I like the writing, but the vlogging needs work. But that’s alright, I’m still learning, and Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Timeline
These are my short and snappy notes from the day. I’ve decided to put them in unedited and as is for authenticity, and because it saves me time. And that’s the waaayyy the news gooess.
8:00 – challenge begins. Pint of tea. Stack of books. Cookies.
9:00 – one hour of uninterrupted reading.
10:00 – standard. Getting hungry = eggs + coffee.
11:00 – breakfast -> eggs and coffee. Beautiful blue day. p82.
12:00 – more coffee. Stopped reading As I Lay Dying. Onto Unnatural Causes.
13:00 – 42 pages. Sky went clouded then overcast. Slight headache.
14:00 – read outside. Cold and a bit uncomfortable. Instant noodle lunch. Misery.
15:00 – 100 pages. Book is amazing. GF brought me a coke and some popcorn.
16:00 – Lying in bed now. Unnatural causes is riveting.
17:00 – Made tea. Still in bed. In the groove. 164 pages.
18:00 – Unnatural Causes: don’t want to put it down. 200 pages. Begrudgingly switching to AILD.
19:00 – Final hour. Eyes burning. Push on. Sam never gave up*.
20:00 – Eaasy. What’s next?
*This was an obscure but valid reference to Lord of the Rings.
Was it worth it?
- Total pages read = 380
- Completed half of Unnatural Causes
- Completed two thirds of As I lay Dying
- Lots of tea and a set of shrivelled eyes
I have to say, I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed doing this challenge. I only felt tired and fatigued on a couple of occasions. Overall my attention span held remarkably well and I think a large part of that was to do with my choice of books. I would have struggled a lot more if I was reading a book I couldn’t engage with.
I’m sure I’ll try this again and maybe go for a 15-hour reading marathon. I’ve seen some people do a 24-hour session but I’m highly doubtful that’s legit. Maybe it’s possible with a lot of coffee… or Pro Plus… or cocaine. But let’s be honest, if you find yourself guzzling a polar bear’s arm to complete a reading challenge you’re not Stephen King, you’re insane.
Last words
The reviews for these books (amongst others) will go up on my Goodreads account if you want to know how they were!
I will also be posting them in my monthly book review which I send out on the first of every month. You can check out my previous reviews here.
Thanks for checking this post out, hopefully, you enjoyed it! Now have a go yourself, let’s be honest… the quarantine is going to last a while, you’ve got time 😄
Happy reading 📚
Loved watching the video! Also “Lots of tea and a set of shrivelled eyes” just had me in stitches 🙂