Today, I’m participating in the Classic Club’s second annual Classics Readathon.  I plan to return to this post throughout the next 24-hours and make updates (as I feel like it), and also to update it at the end of the 24-hours, which would be 8am Sunday morning, for me.  I’ll give a note on my progress, take a look at how many total pages I read, where I stand in each my books, etc.  Very exciting!

Here’s our kick-off prompt and my responses:

1. Name and Blog:  I’m Adam of Roof Beam Reader!
2. Snacks and Beverages of Choice: Uh, see above. Mostly chocolate.
3. Where are you reading from today? Chicago, Illinois, USA!
4. What are your goals for the Readathon?:  I hope to make a good dent in the three chunkster books I’m reading this month. I doubt I’ll finish any of them, but I want to get at least 100 pages of each knocked out. If I do that, maybe I’ll try to plow through one short book, just to knock something off my list early in the year.
5. What book(s) are you planning on reading?:  Ulysses by James Joyce; Walt Whitman’s America by David S. Reynolds; and The Complete Poems by Walt Whitman.  Each of these is 600-900 pages, so, yeah, I won’t finish them, but I think I can definitely make some good progress.
6. Are you excited?: Uhm, yeah!  I’m going to post a readathon journal entry on my blog sometime today with my starting point for each book, and then some updates throughout the day, as well as a final page count/ending point for each book – that way I can accurately track just how much reading I did, how far I got with each book, etc.  I’m just going to update that one post throughout the day, though, so that my readers don’t get spammed all day long with multiple posts.  Good luck to you all!

Update 1: 8:30pm local time (Central US). 

Although I have taken quite a few breaks, today, to exercise, shower, eat, and run out for some errands (we are expecting 10+ inches of snow and temperatures nearly 20 degrees below zero in the next few days), I think I’m making some good strides.

I’ve read 150 pages of Ulysses, putting me 50 pages beyond my goal mark for that book, and leaving me with just 3 episodes left to complete the entire book!  Thrilled about that.  Also, I read 100 pages of Leaves of Grass, hitting my goal with that one, too.  So, I just need to try to read 100 pages of Walt Whitman’s America and I will have successfully achieved what I set out to do with this readathon.  Hope I don’t fall asleep or give up!  My eyes are pretty tired (and my brain is rather mushy after 150 pages of Ulysses, let’s be honest).

Update 2: Midnight

I only managed to get through one chapter of Walt Whitman’s America.  Distracted by too many other things! But I did a lot of reading today, especially with Ulysses, so I’m good with that.  Here’s my favorite excerpt from today’s reading:

From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,
Gently,but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.
I inhale great draughts of space,
The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine.

I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness.

All seems beautiful to me,
I can repeat over to men and women You have done such good to me I would do the same to you,
I will recruit for myself and you as I go,
I will scatter myself among men and women as I go,
I will toss a new gladness and roughness among them,
Whoever denies me it shall not trouble me,
Whoever accepts me he or she shall be blessed and shall bless me.

Book 1: Walt Whitman’s America by David S. Reynolds

Starting Page: 81 of 704

Ending Page: 111

Total Pages Read: 30

Book 2: The Complete Poems by Walt Whitman

Starting Page: 125 of 912

Ending Page: 245 of 912

Total Pages Read: 120

Book 3: Ulysses by James Joyce

Starting Page: 350 of 657

Ending Page: 501 of 657

Total Pages Read: 151

So, even though I didn’t read 100 pages from each of my books, I still read 301 total pages – which, I think, is a success! Yay!