Sunday 5 January 2014

The Classics Club Readathon


It is already 2 pm in Austria and after a busy morning I'm ready to start The Second Annual Classics Club Readathon! I am more than excited and thankfully I've got the living room all to myself, I love reading next to the Christmas tree. Supplied with chocolate, Christmas cookie leftovers and plenty of coffee I feel properly prepared for reading through the night.

The books I've chosen are Siddharta by Hermann Hesse because I am trying to overcome my unpatriotic dislike of German literature, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie because I need a break from growing up and finally The Great Gatsby because I am apparently the only person on earth to not have read it yet.

I'll probably start with Peter Pan which I hope to finish today. Updates will be added to this post every few hours.
For now, good luck to everyone participating and happy reading!

First Update - 8.30 pm
I have finished Peter Pan and it was quite different from what I expected. Not bad, but very surreal, especially in the beginning which rather dragged. For a children's book I found it pretty grown up though, and it took me longer than expected.
Now I'll have dinner and make a minimum of civil conversation with my family before curling up with The Great Gatsby.

Second Update - Midnight
I am halfway through Gatsby and very captivated by it so far, although I'm starting to feel a little melancholy. All the loneliness of the Jazz Age's party people seems to be creeping into my room... 
Surprisingly I'm not tired at all yet, but I suppose the morning hours are going to be tough.


Third Update - 4.30 am
I've just finished The Great Gatsby and right now I'm almost overwhelmed with feelings and ideas. I know for sure that this is one of the books I'll be reading many more times throughout my life, hoping to uncover all its meanings.

I'll sleep a little now - not so much because I'm tired but because I simply cannot imagine reading another book right after this! But if I can get out of bed I'd like to read Siddharta in the morning before the readathon ends. It's only 100 pages long and I've got time until 2 pm so it should be manageable.
Good luck to everyone who is reading through the night!

Fourth Update - 11 am
I slept for six hours and had weird dreams of people dancing in dresses from the Twenties, thanks Gatsby!
However, I am wide awake now and ready to tackle the last 3 hours of the readathon with my duty read, Siddharta.

Fifth and Final Update - 2 pm
That's it! 24 hours are over and I have to say they passed really quickly. I am not quite finished with Siddharta because I found it too complex and philosophical to read it in my exhausted state, but I am still very happy with all the progress I've made during the readathon.
I've read around 500 pages, which is gigantic considering my slow-motion reading pace! Sometime later today or tomorrow I'll write a wrap-up post, but I need a little rest and time to sort my thoughts first.

8 comments:

  1. Good luck, and enjoy reading in your cosy spot by the Christmas tree :)

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  2. Have fun! I love the books you chose. Oh, I'd rather enjoy a break from growing up myself.

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    1. I changed my mind. If Peter Pan teaches you one thing, than that not growing up is even more heartbreaking than doing so!

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  3. I've not read Peter Pan, but I really should, as I'm sure it's quite different from the story I know from movies. I hope you have fun reading Gatsby and for the rest of the readathon!

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    1. It is! surprisingly dark for a children's book!
      Thank you :)

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  4. I'm getting tired, but want to read more of The Moonstone!

    Have fun :)

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    1. Oh, you're making me want to read Wilkie Collins again!

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