I learned via Katherine’s blog (The Writerly Reader) of a new to me challenge coming up this weekend. It’s called the 24in48 Readathon (see http://24in48.com). It’s kind of a less hard-core version of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon. In this one, participants are given 48 hours on the clock to get their 24 hours of reading done. Ah, SLEEP is possible! 🙂
My plan, though, is not necessarily to log 24 hours of reading, but to complete twenty-four selected short stories. AND, as host of the Annual Deal Me In short story reading challenge, I feel I should assign the stories to the 24 playing cards (drawing them one at a time to randomize my reading order) in a euchre deck. (Euchre is a very popular card game in the U.S. Midwest and Canada, but if you’re not familiar with the rules and are interested, look here)
I plan to write a few posts with very brief summaries of the stories and how I rate them. I think I will count my post-writing time toward my 24 hours too (although this may be bending the rules!) Maybe I’ll write one post for each “hand” of five cards that I deal and one for “the widow” (the remaining four “unused” cards in a hand of euchre)
Here are the stories I’ve chosen for #24in48
Spades – stories by Edgar Allan Poe
J – The Angel of the Odd
A – The Domain of Arnheim
K – The Imp of the Perverse
Q – Tale of the Ragged Mountains
10 – The Power of Words
9 -Ligeia
Clubs – Margaret Atwood (the remaining six stories I haven’t read from Stone Mattress)
J – Lupus Naturae
A – The Freeze-Dried Groom
K – I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth
Q – The dead Hand loves You
10 – Stone Mattress
9 – Torching the Dusties
Hearts – A miscellany of stories I want to read
J – The Beauties (Anton Chekhov)
A – the Enchanted Island (Washington Irving)
K – The Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts (Robert Louis Stevenson)
Q – Math Bending Unto Angels (Katherine Vaz)
10 – Micromegas (Voltaire)
9 – Free Radicals (Alice Munro)
Diamonds – Stories from The Weird compendium:
J – Casting the Runes (M.R. James)
A – The Tarn (Hugh Walpole)
K – The Brood (Ramsey Campbell)
Q – Blood Child (Octavia Butler)
10 – In the Hills, the Cities (Clive Barker)
9 – Family (Joyce Carol Oates)
What do you think of my plan and my story selections? I should mention as well that you are completely free to join me in this challenge. 🙂 Wish Me luck!
