48 Hour Reading Challenge – Wrap Up Post

I completed this challenge, stopping 30 minutes shy of the actual end time. I didn’t do nearly as well as I thought I would…but I learned a few things about myself and my reading. First the stats:

• Total hours spent reading: 15
• Total number of pages read: 741
• Total number of books completed: 2

My unofficial goals for this challenge were to read a minimum of 3 books along with a couple of short stories and essays; and to spend at least 20 hours reading.

What I learned:

1. Reading for 20 hours over 2 days is HARD to do! I found my mind wandering and it was hard to concentrate.
2. Serious fiction is even harder to read all in one sitting. I liked Bridge of Sighs, but it was a slow read for me and I wanted to take my time with it. Takeover, on the other hand, was fast paced and easy to blow through. I managed to get through 1/2 of The Wednesday Sisters which falls somewhere between serious and fun reading.
3. I don’t read as fast as I thought I did. I used to think I was a pretty fast reader, but I came to realize that I am more of a persistent reader – someone who can read 8 books a month because I read for short, focused periods each day…not someone who races through the pages in a few hours all at once.
4. I didn’t enjoy this challenge as much as I thought I would! I missed doing other things I enjoy – like puttering around my house, blogging or surfing the Internet, thumbing through magazines, sitting lazily on my porch talking with my husband, etc… What this means is that although I love reading, I love other things too!
5. I need to mix up my reading and make sure it is light stuff for the 24 hour Read-A-Thon coming up at the end of the month.

Thanks Mother Reader for hosting this one!