MS Readathon - Reuben Lovell

Reading Goals

Cross off a book that’s been on my to be read list for years

My Reading Progress

Books Read

12

Goal: 10

Pages Read

2,902

Nearly over

We are only a couple of days away from finishing the readathon. I reached my reading goal, and when I collect the cash donations I will have reached my donation goal. But I don't feel like its enough.

I could have been more proactive about requesting donations/sponsorships, I could have gotten more reading done. I could have tried to make a team.

But beyond that, just because the fund-raiser ends, does that mean we just stop? It shouldn't. I have a personal reason to want to help raise money and awareness for MS, and this is just one month out of 12 that I can spend to try and do more.

So just because the readathon is coming to an end, I plan to do more for the other 11 months, and to work harder next year too.

All Reading Counts

I feel like its obvious, but there is so much discourse about it. Magazines, comic books/graphic novels, all age level books, non fiction, fiction, poems, essays; they are all EQUALLY reading. Whatever you enjoy, whatever you can understand, all of it is reading, it all counts towards improved media literacy.

This is something I already know and have already understood to be true for a long time. Yet reading for the readathon has me trying to decide what I do and don't count towards a reading goal or per-book donations. I've been reading adult reading levels for half my life, so do I count the junior fiction book I'm about to start? I've been reading full novels for even longer, so do I count the graphic novel I just finished? Can I count them as long as I also disperse adult fiction throughout? Do I list a magazine if I read every page?

I've been thinking about it and set myself some rules. These rules make me feel more authentic in my records, but this is just for me. I think everyone can record what they feel suits them, and don't expect anyone to agree with my rules. I've decided that if it takes over an hour OR is over 100 pages, then I'll record it. It feels more like I have put effort and time towards my fund-raiser if I follow these rules.

But this doesn't mean I won't pick up a picture book and enjoy that, or flick through a magazine and read some articles. This doesn't make these any less reading than a 500 page novel. Because all reading is reading, all words are words, and as long as you're enjoying it, that's the important thing.