And on the 11th day of January, they snacked...and also they read.

It’s time for the first mini-readathon of 2014,* hosted by the lovely Tika (aka Snowflake, if you’re in the know and want her to kick you in the shin).

I don’t have a great track record with readathons, mini or otherwise, and I think it’s because I set my sights too high. So the theme of this mini-readathon is “Strive for Mediocrity—Except in the Realm of Snacks, Where We Maintain Very High Standards Indeed.”

INDEED.

My primary goal is to make some serious headway in The Goldfinch, which, after several months of waiting, I received through the library hold system and will be called upon to return unto the library hold system when the calendar strikes January 17. The circle of life.

“Mini” justification: While the book itself is anything but miniature, goldfinches are pretty small, as birds go. And the story opens with a boy, and a boy is just a pocket-sized man.

Yes I know.

To break up the monotony of reading only one book for 8 hours, and in keeping with my quasi-New Year’s resolution to read more comics, I will be . . . reading some comics.

I’ve got Y: The Last Man (Book 3—One Small Step), Batman: Year One, and something called A God Somewhere, which is a 2011 Vertigo comic billed as a “superhero tragedy” (SOLD). I also have a stash of comics that I’ve bought over the years and never read, waiting in the wings. But this is enough to be getting on with (and everyone knows that once you buy a book you never read it).

"Mini" justification: They are COMICS.

As for snacks, I haven’t had a chance to acquire any yet. BUT THERE WILL BE SNACKS. Petite ones.

*I’m actually writing this on Thursday night so I can schedule it to post at start time Saturday morning, because I have no Internet at home (Still. I KNOW.) and I plan to spend most of the readathon in my pajamas, which I could probably get away with at the local coffee hole in Hipster Town, USA, if not for this modicum of pride I’ve managed to cling to thus far.

READATHON: Miniature Edition

On any given day, nothing in the WORLD sounds better to me than barricading myself in a room with snacks and piles of books. That episode of The Twilight Zone where Burgess Meredith is alone with All The Books? I WANT TO BE HIM.

Yes...we're choosing to ignore the rest of the episode. Correct.

But 24 hours is a long time to commit to anything . . . even if that anything is reading and eating. So Tika proposed a brilliant solution: MINI-READATHON. Eight (or so) delicious hours of reading books and eating foodstuffs that fit the "mini" theme.

I just arrived at my parents' house in Florida last night and didn't have time to shop for mini-snacks, so I'll have to raid the pantry here and see what I can see. I will keep you all posted on my snack-related discoveries, but since you're on pins and needles about it, I can tell you that I'm currently eating some leftover Chinese takeout (miniature corn!). Also, I spotted a bag of marshmallows, and those are going in my mouth later.

Oh yeah . . . and the other part that I guess is kind of important is the books? I packed several in my suitcase and carried at least five onto the plane in my purse, because you never know when you'll need to participate in a readathon (GOOD THING I was prepared). I have no idea how many of the books that I have on-hand fit the "mini" theme, but I will find some convoluted way of justifying whatever I'm in the mood to read. So don't you worry about THAT.

To start off . . .

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

How it fits the theme: Children are miniature humans.

Maus, Vol. I

How it fits the theme: Mice are miniature animals.

The Sparrow

How it fits the theme: The scientists of the Society of Jesus have a miniature understanding of interacting with alien civilizations (i.e., THEY ARE WELL-INTENTIONED BUT IGNORANT AND RUIN EVERYTHING)

See how that works? Easy-squeezy.

Also, I kind of have to get some editing done today, which I GUESS counts as reading but is not what Burgess Meredith had in mind, I'm SURE. Anyway, I might diverge occasionally into the realm of congressional procedure . . . which I think we can all agree still fits the "mini" theme. So we're covered either way.

ALSO, I'll be reading in my parents' "reading room," which, coincidentally, rarely gets read in.

Christmas is alive and well in here.

UPDATE 1 . . . 2PM EST

The scene around noon: Me, happily sipping an overflowing cup of coffee while enthusiastically reading The Sparrow.

The same scene almost 2 hours later: Me, waking up holding a mug of cold coffee, having read a whopping 11 pages in The Sparrow.

JABBA THE PUG IS JUDGING YOU
(she wasn't really judging me,
because she was too busy sleeping on my face)

Is this jet lag? Am I just super lazy? Either way, more snacks are in order.

And I think it's time to switch to something a little lighter than The Sparrow. Harry Potter, HERE I COME.

UPDATE 2 . . . 3:30PM EST

Since we last talked, I acquired snacks and went on to enjoy moderate success in the Reading Department.

I have consumed mini-bagel chips and liiiiittle pretzel sticks, both submerged in a healthy amount of hummus, obviously. I have also eaten half a bag of marshmallows engineered in a flat rectangular shape so as to be more easily squished between pieces of chocolate and graham cracker.

SCIENCE.

I also started HP and the Sorcerer's Stone, and hoooooly wizards it's awesome. I don't think I'll be interested in reading anything else for the rest of the day.

I'm expecting a visitor any minute now, but the second half of my mini-readathon will resume soon I hope. *hits PAUSE button*

UPDATE THE LAST . . . 2AM

Oh man . . . I FAIL at readathoning, mini or otherwise. I fell asleep for the first couple of hours and then I missed almost the entire second half. But I PROMISE I have a good excuse, and it involved my sister-in-law and also my best friend, both of whom I haven't seen since last March. So YES, I really did want to hide inside and read all day, but Important Things came up. All that to say, my readathoning buddies are some of the best people I know and Tika is the awesomest for hosting and I am loving Harry Potter. AND LET'S DO THIS AGAIN SOON. Like tomorrow.