The next ReadaThing: August?

Hi all! I say it's about time to have another ReadaThing! Instead of a genre theme, how about reading in public?

This would mean that in addition to having the free time to read, you'd also have to get out of the house*. Can we find enough people who would want to? *Although, you just have to go out on your porch -- I figure "public" means anywhere someone could see you. Uncurtained windows work too.

By any chance did you take your knitting out in public in June? :-D

Oooh. Let's hope the sun shines on my balcony on whichever Sunday we pick!

depends on which Sunday and how hot it is ;-)

I sit out on the front porch to read all the time. Also on the bus, at the doctor's office, waiting in line at the grocery store, walking to and from my tai chi class... I'll read anywhere there's enough light to see by :)

so long as it's not the weekend of the 14th, i'm in!

Hehe! When I first saw this thread, I thought you meant we had to read out loud in public! :) After considering it, I thought that might be fun. Ha!

*frowns*

There are too many mosquitoes in my yard. Maybe if my husband builds me a screened-in porch? :)

ETA: If you do this during my vacation, I'll just read at the beach. Yeah!!

Given my schedule I'll be reading in public at somestage every Sunday in August. Probably on a train.

>2 staffordcastle: I wanted to, but I was busy cuddling a newborn instead. Plus, it was HOT in June, so I was cuddling a sweaty newborn. No time for knitting.

>9 sonyagreen: Well, maybe next year!

Definitely next year.

Suggestion:

A few people have nixed August 15th....

So, let's go with August 22nd.

It's just over 5 weeks from now.

It's 2 weeks before the Labor Day Holiday Weekend (US) so not really inside the "end of summer" rush.

I don't know about school/college start dates or non-US holidays, but.....

How is that date for everyone??

Pretty good for me! It's the weekend before August bank holiday here in the UK, and a few weeks before schools & universities go back after summer here, as far as I know.

The 22nd we'll be coming back from a week at a Colorado Dude Ranch. I'm sure I'll be reading in the car accompanied by my daughter and grandson. Does that constitute public?

>14 Citizenjoyce: if you wave the book at folks as you pass them on the highway :)

Sure! I will read to people lounging at the pool (&/or the lifeguards!) Am I right to assume each reader can choose the book to be read?

You don't have to read aloud, to participate in the Read In Public ReadaThing.

I'm officially calling August 22 the date. We'll start at midnight Eastern daylight time.

Here's the big announcement: since we're reading in public, I figured you may want to wear a LibraryThing teeshirt (definitely not a requirement, of course). I'm going to have a teeshirt sale, during the first week of August. Teeshirts will be $9. That way, if anyone wants to proselytize wear one, they can.

Edited to add: oh, and the announcement will help promote the readathon! I'll blog about it and put it in the newsletter.

>16 Esta1923: Esta, you can read whatever you like!

#17: Sonya, I was considering a little table sign when I was reading:
Participating in ReadaThing
Please do not interrupt until 3PM

Now, I'm considering making a bookcover with the LT logo &/or RaT logo on it. In that manner, I am keeping my book title/subject a little private AND I'm promoting LT and RaT!!

That's a great idea! LibraryThing needs to make book covers.

Uh, I totally dropped the ball on the RaT logo. All the ideas are there, it's just going to take some dedicated time to put it together. It's on my to do list!

can you send me the LT logo (with motto) in jpg or other non adobe format & I'll make something up printable on regular printer paper?

Do we want a ReadaThing motto?

"all readers, all the time?"

> 21

Would the logos images here be any good?

http://www.librarything.com/press/

Skittles, the logos are available for download here:

http://www.librarything.com/press/

ETA: *high five with sqdancer*

THANK YOU!!

I knew that they were somewhere, but I couldn't find them!!

THANK YOU!!!

Any requests?

My plans are to make them, then convert them to pdf format, then send them to Sonya for ok'ing/approval.

*high fives back*

Great minds think alike ;)

>18 staffordcastle: OOOH! I thought it was a read outdoors ALOUD.

>26 Esta1923: I wouldn't stop anyone from doing that! Perhaps we could do a readaloud ReadaThing some day. I see people all over the world, reading in public, like a flash-mob.

You're sitting peacefully on a bus, when all of a sudden you hear "Twas brillig in the slithy toves"...

That would take some gumption, of course. Then again, reading aloud to yourself is a different experience than reading silently, and some books are better for hearing.

OR! Man, the ideas just start flowing --- we could do an altruistic readathon, where we all go find someone to read to, like at a nursing home.

Sonya,

You know what would really be fun? If we could double up by meeting another LT member (or more) in real life, then agreeing to read to each other for half an hour (or another designated time - say 15 minutes or 20 minutes) in a public place. At least it wouldn't make us look as if all LT members were having visual hallucinations and reading to no one in particular (or a floating invisible body). :)

I'm thinking of how much more fun Bookcrossing became to me after it evolved into a group of real people as opposed to just a book-related website. Now I know for sure that Tim and Abby are real, but what about everyone else? ;)

If we would ever do this, it would be good if we *finally* had some sort of good material with which to market LibraryThing. We also could have signs asking viewers not to interrupt us while reading, but rather to look at the marketing material. Unless there are GR spies here, GR doesn't do anything of this sort. I like innovation. :)

You're sitting peacefully on a bus, when all of a sudden you hear "Twas brillig in the slithy toves"...

I'm not sure I'd like to be the one on the bus doing the reading, but I'd sure love if someone else on the bus read that to me!

I like it! I mean, I like social interaction in general (I'm pretty sure I'm the LibraryThing Social Committee), and this would be really fun. The downside would be for those LTers in sparsely LT-populated areas. They'd have to recruit someone :)

We could also do the futureworld version of this, and Skype with another LTer to read aloud.

Alright, in the the spirit of adventure I'm in! I read in public all the time, but only while I'm waiting. Now...where to go for a pre-meditated public reading? I guess it will depend on what I'm reading.

If we're reading silently in public, shouldn't we have something to identify why we're doing this? Perhaps a tag or button that says "Shhh! I'm participating in the August 2010 LibraryThing 24-Hour ReadaThon"?

If someone designs one, we can just print it on Avery paper (I'm guessing) and stick the label on our LT tee shirts.

Another idea is to see in what cities people will be doing this. Perhaps a few people will really opt to read in the same public place. Of course, that would be optional for individuals. One never really knows how close we are until we actually figure this out. It's a very small world.

I've got "the LT paper bookcover" approved by Sonya, but I've just gotten back after being out all day & I'm at the wrong computer. I want to tweek something & check one or two more things with Sonya... There should be one available soon... at least by Sunday...

well, except if we read ebooks. how to make it work on a reader... hmmm...

heheheh when ever i do this (out of habit) , people looks at me seeing all funny or look over my shoulder o.0

>33 majkia:

well, except if we read ebooks. how to make it work on a reader... hmmm...

my friend used to read at the coffee shop she worked at and she didn't want customers to know what she was reading (sci-fi) so she taped wallpaper samples to her books. you could try something like that with your ereader!

sonya: "I'm going to have a teeshirt sale, during the first week of August. Teeshirts will be $9."

i really want an LT tshirt, but neither of those are my color at all. is it ever going to be possible to get a light gray one? or even just white?

>36 leahbird: Not anytime soon. I think we're stuck with the colors that look best on Abby and Tim.

You can always go the Cafe Press route for a shirt. The quality is usually inferior to the ones we get (it's been a while since I've ordered a shirt from Cafe Press), but many more shirt options. Also, of course, the LT thong.

Also, of course, the LT thong.

are you suggesting that i read in public in just a thong so that people will know to check out LT? *shock*

;)

I would think that would increase our membership in some demographic areas.

or severely destroy the likelihood of people EVER checking out this site... you know, depending on how i looked in a thong! ;)

I think this is great... I'm in. Maybe in the future we could read aloud to a classroom of elementary kids. There is a day of reading across America around Dr. Suess' birthday, but there are over 100 other school days... Teachers are almost always open to someone else "modeling" good reading behavior... you guys in the thong might be out tho... still LOL!

Eeeek...

This is so cool! I'm contacting my Borders book store and reserving a table so several of us can go read outloud in public. I posted about it on LiveJournal and got several responses so on August 22, you'll find us at Borders on 119th and Metcalf in Overland Park, KS! Come join us if you wanna....

Is this still on for this Sunday? I have not participated in a readathon yet, and I am not shy about reading (or knitting or spilling things) in public. The fun thing to do is read something that really draws people's interest.

Yes, it is.... see details, etc., here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/95015

If you want to sign up for a time, you can, but it isn't necessary... and you can do it afterward, too.

Here's the page with a time table...

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/ReadathonAugust2010

... just add yourself, if you want to, or just read!!

It is good to have you "join" us!! (metaphorically, that is.... or would it be virtual reality??)

Can't figure out the signing up but will read on sunny bench at noon, pacific coast time USA

For those of us who only noticed this after the readathing started, and couldn't read out in public...how often do the readathings take place? I liked the one back in April, but didn't see this until about 4 pm yesterday!

Right now, they seem to be about every three months.

The next one will probably be in November, so start checking in late October.

Thanks!