#Readathon -- Final Hours, Final Stats, Final Thoughts

October 23, 2016

#Readathon -- Final Hours, Final Stats, Final Thoughts

Over 16 of the 24 hours, I actually managed to read 6 books total, just over 1000 pages, so they were all very short compared to my normal fair. What surprised me about this was that only one was fluff (the Ms. Marvel graphic novel). I had definitely not thought I would be reaching for the substantive, but I'm glad I did. I read some books that I had long been wanting to read, and I got a great deal out of them. Also, my #spinepoetry won one of the Litsy prizes they gave away as a part of the readathon, so that was fun!

Here are my last two books, shared mostly through Litsy pictures, so you can also get a taste of what is fun about Litsy.

A little note here. This book is about one woman, and her three husbands. They are each very different. The book is a testament to black lives at that time (early 1900s), but it is also an amazing commentary on life and marriage in general. It really does pack a punch, which is how I ended up finishing it in the end, because I was all of a sudden WIDE awake. It's long been on many lists and many good intentions. Such good intentions that I've actually read other Zora Neale Hurston works, just not this one. (Those were similar but didn't compare with the heart of this story). I continually tried but found it incredibly difficult to stick with, so it took something like a readathon to push me. What a great thing! This is on the canon of American reads for a reason. If you recently loved Underground Railroad, you simply must read this. Or just read this first.

So I thought I was done with just 3 hours to go, but I couldn't stop my mind, so I turned on The Book Of Job, as a one hour audio book. It was everything I thought I would be. Yes, it is a direct translation from Hebrew of the book of Job by a master translator.

Here is my review.

The Book of Job by Stephen Mitchell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the last little book I sneaked in at my end of the #readathon until I crashed around 4ish am. I'm a huge fan of the translations by Stephen Mitchell of the Iliad and the Odyssey, so I started looking to see what else he translated. I found this. The audio is only an hour long, and this just seemed the perfect way to end my participation in the 24 hour reading event, and stop my mind whirling, and send me to sleep. Beautiful verse rendition in iambic pentameter. Encounter this ancient text when you think your world may be crashing down around you. Listen to it all in one sitting. Go into a cocoon, and listen, and arise a changed person. I've never noticed before how many roots of Christ's teachings are encompassed within this text. I've never noticed before how the three friends resemble the fates. I've never noticed before how whiny Job really was, how truly at the end of the rope he is. He's had it! I've never noticed before the power of the metaphors and similes evoked in God's answer to the accusations. This puts the prosperity doctrine right where it belongs.

Whether you have any kind of faith or not, these words will speak to you, and comfort you. Highly recommend.

View all my reviews

So, I am very glad I did this. I never would have if I had not suddenly found myself alone over the weekend with no one to answer to. I think the hardest hours for me were the switch to the second book, and then of course the tiredness in the middle of the night. But I approached this without expectation since I hadn't planned it out, and told myself I would quit reading whenever I wanted to quit. The best thing about it was the ability to totally immerse myself in deep thought without much of the social media interruption. (Participants were encouraged to take short social media shout out breaks). I needed to get away from the madness so it was a real blessing. Plus, some true prayers were answered, and that was worth it, in and of itself.

Maybe next time, will some of you join me? Or, lets just do more #spinepoetry!