Since starting blogging, I’ve taken part in a lot of events that get the whole community together to celebrate books and each other. They’re always memorable and tonnes of fun. I thought I’d share my favourites with you all, and I would love to know what your favourites are as well, whether they’re readathons, monthly events, or something completely new!
I first took part in Dewey’s about six years ago. I wasn’t around to speak to Dewey herself, but I love that this readathon still happens twice a year in memory of her. The aim for this readathon is to read as much as you can in 24 hours. In the UK, the event starts at 1pm on the Saturday, which is perfect timing if you need to get everything prepped in the morning! I’ve never stayed up for the whole 24 hours, but I’ve managed to do about 18 hours of reading before. I’m going to try to manage 12 hours when it comes back around in October, which marks the tenth anniversary of the event!
This is another readathon that a lot of people in the community love. It is held three times a year, and lasts for an entire week. There are often lots of challenges and memes and giveaways, and the Twitter chats are always tonnes of fun. I missed the last one, unfortunately, but I’m eagerly awaiting January’s event!
3. Sci-Fi Month
Sci-Fi Month is hosted by my friend Rinn. As a massive sci-fi and fantasy reader, I always enjoy trawling through Rinn’s blog to get an idea of what to read. I love that she dedicates an entire month to sci-fi every year!
4. Love-a-thon
The Love-a-thon happens every February, and is an event focussed on spreading the blogger love. Alexa hosts it, and she often has a few co-hosts to help her out. It’s a really nice event, as it brings a lot of people together. It’s also a great way of meeting new people!
5. Secret Santa
There are a few different Secret Santa events in the run up to Christmas, but the only one I’ve taken part in is hosted by Jaime. She puts a lot of thought and effort into this event every year. Last time I took part, I was introduced to a couple of new bloggers who I didn’t know about before. It’s really excited to receive gifts from people you don’t know, especially when you know they’ll be bookish!
This year marks the third year of Gollanczfest. I’ve attended the event for two years running, although only for the first morning of each one because my schedule didn’t really line up. I love this event, as it’s a way to celebrate and promote alllll the science fiction and fantasy. It’s held in London, and there are author talks and signings, and a great gathering of people. There are also writing workshops, although I haven’t actually attended any of those. I’ve been too caught up in the reading part of it all! Last year, I got to meet Scott Lynch, who wrote one of my all time favourite fantasy books. Winning!
7. ARC August
ARC August is an annual event run by Octavia, Shelly, and Angie. This year was the fifth year that it was running, and I think I’ve participated in it every year since the start. I haven’t made a post for the past couple of years because of my busy schedule, but it’s such a fun event. The idea is that you use the summer to knock out all of the ARCs you accumulated over the past year(s). It’s a great way to help others stay focussed and to encourage them!
Rinn says
THANK YOU!! <3
I really need to take part in some of these other events. I really want to do the 24 hour readathon sometime, but I kind of have to plan for the days either side of it too (and buy all the snacks).
Rachael Turns Pages says
I love Dewey’s readathon. It is such a fun event. I have been participating in it since 2013.
Rachael Turns Pages says
I love Dewey’s readathon. I have been participating since 2013.
Kim @ Divergent Gryffindor says
Dewey and Bout of Books are definitely my favorite events because I love readathons! I’ve tried ARC August, but I couldn’t really keep to something that happens in a long amount of time. Great post!
Kim @ Divergent Gryffindor
Mel@thedailyprophecy says
I love Bout of Books (I recently found out that I have participated 8 times now) and Dewey’s Read-a-thon, especially now that we have sleep-overs with my book club. The last two times we didn’t read a lot (watched really bad movie adaptations), but this time around I’m planning to stay awake as long as possible. I’ve been co-host for the Love-a-thon two times in a row now and I love the event & what it stands for.