Epic Reads, as part of catching up to the Olympics buzz, started a swell idea for the #ReadingDecathlon. I didn’t quite make it to ten books in ten days, but I learned a few things along the way.

Let’s start this post off with the list of books I anticipated to read:

1) The Emperor of the Eight Islands (Tale of Shikanoko, #1) by Lian Hearn
2) Autumn Princess, Dragon Child (Tale of Shikanoko, #2) by Lian Hearn
3) Lord of the Darkwood (Tale of Shikanoko, #3) by Lian Hearn
4) This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) by Victoria Schwab
5) Rook by Cameron Sharon
6) Sleeping Giants (Themis Files, #1) by Sylvain Neuvel
7) All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
8) Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi
9) Anno Dracula (Anno Dracula, #1) by Kim Newman
10) Super Sad True Love Story by  Gary Shteyngart

It’s a good mix of young adult, fantasy, science fiction, and even a contemporary fiction. While a lofty goal regardless, I got through six books (seven if you count that I finished Bird by Bird the day the project started). In my quest to almost complete my 2016 reading goal of 40 books, I speed-read through some fantastic works, but this  post is about the process, not the books themselves.

1. Time Management

It’s important to pick books that you can read within a 17-hour time period. I’ll admit that some of the books I chose were really long and even if I had the time, I’d get exhausted. For taking on such a reading project, consider the length of books and their enjoyabiliy. I don’t know about you, but for me, picking a book like War & Peace would be a terrible idea.

2. Context

I chose to pursue this reading extravaganza during my last two weeks between leaving work and moving to a new city. Also, not the best timing. I tried to catch as much reading time as I could. This type of endeavor works best for quiet summer weeks when you just want to unwind, not for when you’re pent up in stress.

3. Reading is Fun

There’s nothing more to add here. Forcing yourself to consume books voraciously helped me as a writer and a reader. I can read more efficiently and because of the variety I chose, I had a chance to explore different narrative styles. I can’t wait to share those insights at some point, because the current read is really interesting given my questionable attempts at multiple-POV stories.

What’ve you been reading lately? Let’s be Goodreads friends.