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Every year I look forward to The Reading Rush Read-a-thon (formerly called the Booktube-a-thon) that was created by Ariel Bissett back in 2013 that brings the online book community together in a fun, new way. The read-a-thon is a week devoted to reading as much as you can whilst following 7 prompts to help you choose your TBR along with reading sprints and challenges throughout the week which can lead to some fun prizes and opening the door to some truly creative people.
Earlier this year, they hosted a mini version and called it the #StayHomeReadingRush which I participated in (check out my TBR post here) but I have definitely been looking forward to the main event.
The focus of this week is simply to read. It can be in ANY format you choose just so long as you READ. Inevitably, every year people question the hosts endlessly over the validity of their TBRs and every year the hosts shout from the rooftops that if it is considered reading then it counts. This means physical books, eBooks, audio books, manga, comics, poetry, etc. One of the things I really enjoy about building my TBR is following the prompts but also seeing how I can double- and sometimes even triple-up on one title (this means choosing a book that will fit more than one criteria).
The 2020 Reading Rush will be taking place from July 20th - 26th!
To learn more about the Reading Rush, the prompts and challenges, along with making your own profile, be sure to head on over to thereadingrush.com. Also! If you want to find me on there, my Username is TheEnchantedLibrary (shocking, I know haha).
But without further ado, let’s take a look at what I will be reading this year!
1. Read a book with a cover that matches the colour of your birthstone.
So I was born in September which means I needed to find a book that has sapphire (deep blue. Think… The Heart of the Ocean from Titanic) somehow integrated into the cover. Apparently there is also a second birthstone for my month which is called chrysolite(aka peridot) which is kind of a bright, light green. I had a book in mind instantly which would fit 2 prompts but, alas, it has yet to be available at my bookstore so I had to use a backup that will only fit this one prompt: Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey which is the follow up story to Waiting for Tom Hanks which came out last year. The background seems to have a hint of teal to it, but I’m choosing to look at the bluest of blue spots.
2. Read a book that starts with the word “The”.
Ok, this was a hard one. I have been trying to read all of the books on my physical TBR this year and buying less so I was shocked at how few books I own that start with “The”. I feel like SO MANY books start with “The” but apparently I own only 1 which surprisingly works out for two prompts! The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett is a young adult read that I picked up last year and sounds like an adventure story (which I love) so I am excited to finally get to it.
3. Read a book that inspired a movie you’ve already seen.
Yet another tough one. It is very rare indeed for me to watch a movie or tv show without having read the source material first so I had to dig for this one. I watched the movie for this one on a whim for the first time a while ago and honestly never thought to read the book but it popped up on Netflix recently as a very timely reminder. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks is another book that will cover two prompts.
4. Read the first book you touch.
This is one of the random prompts that add a bit of fun to the book selection process and could be taken in a range of ways. Just so that I don’t over think it, I will select Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey because it was the first book I grabbed off my shelf when I went to write this post.
5. Read a book completely outside of your house.
I don’t think I have a choice yet for this one because it’ll be dependent whichever book I pick up on a day off where there’s nice weather but I will keep you posted over on my Instagram (@The.Enchanted.Library).
6. Read a book in a genre that you’ve always wanted to read more of.
So this prompt was actually worded a bit differently which I made my TBR and used to be “Read a book from a genre that scares you or you don’t read often”. I think I am still going to go by that original wording because I am doubling up with this prompt to also fit for Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. I rarely read straight up contemporary because I’m not super keen on reading about day-to-day life stuff. It isn’t a genre I read often but it also is not a genre I particularly WANT to read more of… so that’s why I’m using the original wording.
7. Read a book that takes place on a different continent than where you live.
Time to double up again! I am using The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett for this one as well because it sounds like most of it takes place in Istanbul which is definitely not where I live so this works perfectly.
Well, there you have it! My TBR for this years’ Reading Rush.
Are you going to be participating next week? If so, what will you be reading and will you be participating in the daily challenges?