The Reading Rush 2019: A Week in Review

       If you’ve been following my social media this past week, you might’ve noticed I’ve been reading and posting like crazy! That’s because I’ve been participating in The Reading Rush, a week-long read-a-thon across YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter! I’ve been participating in it since 2014, long before I started this blog. Every year I look forward to connecting with book lovers all across the world as we try to read as many books as we can in one week. I thought it would be fun to sum up my week of reading for people who participated this year and those who are thinking about joining in on the fun next year!

​Badges Earned:

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My Initial TBR

       Animal Farm
              by George Orwell
       Fahrenheit 451
              by Ray Bradbury
       Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee
              by Jeff Zentner
       ​Simon Grey and the March of a Hundred Ghosts
              by Charles Kowalski
       Rules of the Game
              by James Frey
       Wicked Saints
              by Emily A. Duncan
       The Gilded Wolves
          ​    by Roshani Chokshi

What I Actually Read

​Book #1: Rules of the Game, by James Frey

       My first goal of The Reading Rush was to finish off the Endgame trilogy. I spent the day glued to this book and stayed up a little later in bed to finish it off. I didn’t love the ending, but I knew there was no way it would end the way I wanted it to end. If you haven’t read this trilogy, I highly recommend you give it a shot!

My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Badges Earned:

Book #2: Animal Farm by George Orwell

​       Ariel Bissett, one of the BookTubers who runs The Reading Rush, loves George Orwell, so I knew this book would be an excellent pick for the Non-Human Main Character badge. I didn’t know a whole lot about it when I started to read it, but I ended up really enjoying it. I’ve never felt sure about my knowledge of socialism, and this book was a great insight into how politics works as well as the dangers of it. If you haven’t read it in school, you should definitely give it a read!

My Rating: ★★★★☆
Badges Earned:

Book #3: Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

​       I haven’t read a light contemporary for a while, so I was anxious to pick this one up. It ended up being one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. I loved the focus on Delia and Josie’s friendship throughout the book, which is unique among contemporary young adult stories. Most books like this are centered around a romantic relationship, and I like that Jeff Zentner decided to mix it up. This book also struck a chord with me because I just finished my senior year of high school, just like Delia and Josie. 

My Rating: ★★★★★
Badges Earned:

Book #4: Simon Grey and the March of a Hundred Ghosts
​by Charles Kowalski

​       This book was one I was very excited to pick up because it is the first physical ARC I’ve ever received to review! By this point in the read-a-thon, I was definitely in need of quick read. Unfortunately, I was reading this book at work and kept getting distracted. (Don’t worry, I read at work responsibly.) When I got to the end, the characters and mythology in this book were all muddy in my brain. I finished it out but decided if I wanted to write an honest review, I needed to give it another shot.

My Rating: TBD
Badges Earned:

Book #5: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

       Another short classic I’ve been meaning to read for a while, and it was a good one, too. This book was supposed to be the one I watched the movie adaptation for, but I ended up picking up extra hours at work and couldn’t squeeze a movie into my schedule. I can’t wait to watch it sometime soon, though! Fahrenheit 451 is a staple for all book lovers, and I think people of all ages can get something out of this story.

My Rating: ★★★★☆
Badges Earned:

Book #6: Simon Grey and the March of a Hundred Ghosts
​by Charles Kowalski

       The reread was a success! A little more focus and a little less distraction made all the difference in the world. I won’t go into detail about this book in this summary since I am posting a full review for it on Thursday when it is released. However, if you enjoy the Percy Jackson series and are on the hunt for another type of mythology to dive into, this is a book you need to check out!

My Rating: ★★★★★
Badges Earned:

Book #7: You Are Here by Dawn Lanuza

       My reading came down to the wire (as per usual), and I was pretty worn out at this point, so I picked up this poetry collection I bought on a whim. It had a unique feel to it, and I liked how short and effective the poems were throughout the book. If you enjoy love poems as much as I do, you should check this collection out. It deserves more hype!

My Rating: ★★★★★
Badges Earned:

Instagram Challenge Entries

Other Social Media

       Two more ways participants could connect with each other this year were through the Twitter Sprints and Read-Ins. On Twitter, there is a schedule for when readers can go online throughout the week and tweet with a host and other participants about the book they are reading. The host sends out challenges during the sprint session, too! It’s a great way to get motivated during a hectic week of reading. This year, there was a new type of sprint that occurred during the read-a-thon. Read-in were hosted in real life across the world, and there were two on The Reading Rush Instagram page where readers could congregate and meet new bookish friends! I loved participating in both of these during the week, and I am hoping I can help host or go to a read-in next year!

Badges Earned:

Final Stats

7

Books

1630

Pages

12

Badges

       This year's read-a-thon was terrific! I got to read a bunch of great books while connecting with readers across all platforms. Be sure to check out The Reading Rush across social media and on their website so you can join the fun next year!

Until next time,
Ashton

⬂↘⬊ Discuss ⬋↙⬃
Have you ever participated in a read-a-thon?
What read-a-thon should I be on the lookout for next?