Olympic Readathon Results

While London was hosting the 30^th Olympiad, Random House of Canada hosted the Olympic Readathon! I participated because I’m a champion reader. Or I thought I was. Here are my numbers at the finish line.

1. Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul—complete: 115 pages
2. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce—complete: 296 pages
3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas—complete: 406 pages
4. Tar Baby by Toni Morrison—read 110 out of 306 pages
5. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente—read 131 out of 247 pages

Total: 1058 out of 1200 pages

 So close! I think I tripped over two major hurdles on my race for victory.

1.  I did not have designated reading time. I simply read when there was nothing else for me to do.  With an extra fifteen minutes of reading per day (instead of fooling around on Twitter and Tumblr), I’m sure I would have met my goal.
2. I didn’t skip over the duds as quickly as I should have. I have a really hard time letting go of books I don’t like. I keep waiting for them to get better. My earliest memory of this was when I forced myself to finish The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett as a child. By the end I not only hated the book but also resented having wasted so much time on it! Lesson learned (I hope).

Overall this was a really fun challenge! Do you participate in Readathons? What are your keys to success?

POC Media Week 3: July 30 – Aug 5

I was working most of this week and had very little time to enjoy life. My entertainment was split nearly fifty-fifty. I wonder what I’ll do when the Olympics are over. My hours of entertainment will probably decrease overall. Ideally I want to maintain an even ratio by consuming more diverse media, not by cutting out other media. Once again, suggestions are appreciated.

Paper Droids:
Pass. Formerly known as 404. Awesome geek girl magazine. (approx. 30mins)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce:
Fail. I loved this book and I’ll be writing a review soon. However I don’t think a single one of the many characters Harold meets during his pilgrimage across present-day England was a person of color. (approx. 10 hrs)

Olympics:
Pass. Yay Gabby Douglas! Yay Usain Bolt! Yay Oscar Pristorius! Love love love the dedication of these athletes. (approx. 5 hrs)

Pretty Little Liars:
Pass. I’m getting pretty tired of it though. I don’t like being in perpetual suspense. At this point only the cute outfits make me keep watching. (approx. 1hr)

Tar Baby by Toni Morrison:
Pass. The prose in this book is amazing. I guess that’s why Ms. Morrison is a Nobel Laureate. Funny story though: I found this book in the way back of the bookstore on the tiny sliver of a wall reserved for “black writers.” Not impressed with you, Chapters.

POC Media Week 2: July 23 – July 29

I did much better this week. Sixteen hours of entertainment had diverse people/characters while seven hours did not. This supports my guess that the books I read and movies I watch are critical. The Olympics helped too.

I have a long queue of books but TV/movie suggestions are appreciated!

Kevin Hart videos:
Pass. For obvious reasons. (approx. 30 mins)

ClutchMagazine:
Pass. The content of this online magazine targets urban African-American women. (approx. 30 mins)

That’s So Raven:
Pass. I loved this Disney channel show as a child!  Raven and her family are goofy and loving, and the show doesn't turn race into an "issue." (approx. 30 mins)

Who is Sugar:
Pass. Sugar is a super fabulous YouTuber. Her vlog covers everything from fashion, hair, and beauty. Her cat Tiny co-hosts. (approx. 10 mins)

Pretty Little Liars:
Pass. Same as last week. (approx. 2 hrs)

Continuum:
Pass. A classmate suggested I watch this show. I’m not feeling it after the first three episodes (I’m not the biggest sci-fi fan; take those elements away and the show is kina meh.) but there is a fair bit of diversity in the cast. I expected more Asians though since the show takes place in Vancouver. (approx. 3 hrs)

Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul:
Pass. This book highlights characters from a slum in Port of Spain, Trinidad. (approx. 2 hrs)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce:
Fail. This is the story of one man and that man is white.  (approx. 4 hrs)

Olympics:
Pass. The house party section of the Opening Ceremony was full of win. June’s hair? *swoon* I love it. And of course the Parade of Nations was a gorgeous sample of the peoples of the world. I love the Olympics. :) (approx. 6 hrs)

The Fellowship of the Ring (movie):
Fail. There are no people of color in Middle-Earth. At all. Stop looking for them. No existen. (approx. 3 hrs)

A Time to Kill:
Pass. Movie set in Mississippi about a white lawyer defending a black man. Random fact: I saw a clip of this movie years ago and thought it was To Kill a Mockingbird. (approx. 2 hrs)

Random House of Canada’s Olympic Readathon

The London Olympics start tomorrow! In solidarity with our great athletes, I’m going for the gold in Random House of Canada’s Olympic Readathon.

Between July 27 and August 12, I aim to read 1200 pages. That’s roughly four books but I picked out six novels from my to-be-read pile to be safe:

1.   Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul—222 pages (currently on pg. 107)
2. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce—296 pages
3. Tar Baby by Toni Morrison—306 pages 
4. The Beauty of the Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibbs—294 pages
5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley—231 pages
6. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón—531 pages (currently on pg. 134)

To make sure I reach my goal I will:

1. Read at least 75 pages each day. This is a marathon not a sprint so I plan to set my pace from day one and stick to it.  
2. Move on if a book loses my interest. I always try to muddle through books I don’t like. Not this time. It’s a race to the finish! I can’t waste my time on duds!

Be sure to follow my progress on Twitter: @leonicka #OlympicReadathon