About

You were going to read anyway, right? Read with us.

The Bout of Books Readathon was created by Amanda Shofner on a complete whim in August 2011*. People seemed to enjoy it, so Amanda decided to do it again and turn it into a regular occurrence.

Here’s what you should know about us:
  • Bout of Books is a week long readathon, run from midnight Monday through midnight Sunday in whatever time zone you are in. (Time zones are tough to coordinate, yo.)
  • It’s low pressure, meaning you’re only asked to read. We discourage competition between readers.
  • How much time you want, and can commit, to read, Tweet, Instagram, or otherwise network with fellow readathoners is left up to you. Any challenges and giveaways we host are optional.
  • Networking with fellow readers is actively encouraged, though never required.
  • Use social media to post updates throughout the readathon. Our main presence is on Discord. We also maintain an active presence on Instagram, where we use the #BoutOfBooks hashtag.
Next Read-a-Thon
Bout of Books 40 - 5/13/2024--5/19/2024

Upcoming Read-a-Thons
Bout of Books 41 - 8/19/2024--8/25/2024
Bout of Books 42 - 1/6/2025--1/12/2025
Bout of Books 43 - 5/12/2025--5/18/2025

Previous Read-a-Thons
Bout of Books 39 - 1/1/2024--1/7/2024 (36 participants)
Bout of Books 38 - 8/21/2023--8/27/2023 (43 participants)
Bout of Books 37 - 5/8/2023--5/14/2023 (51 participants)
Bout of Books 36 - 1/2/2023--1/8/2023 (58 participants)
Bout of Books 35 - 8/15/2022--8/21/2022 (77 participants)
Bout of Books 34 - 5/9/2022--5/15/2022 (76 participants)
Bout of Books 33 - 1/3/2022--1/9/2022 (102 participants)
Bout of Books 32 - 8/16/2021--8/22/2021 (99 participants)
Bout of Books 31 - 5/10/2021--5/16/2021 (109 participants)
Bout of Books 30 - 1/4/2021--1/10/2021 (130 participants)
Bout of Books 29 - 8/17/2020 -- 8/23/2020 (138 participants)
Bout of Books 28 - 5/11/2020 -- 5/17/2020 (160 participants)
Bout of Books 27.5 (Safe at Home Edition) - 4/6/2020--4/12/2020
Bout of Books 27 - 1/6/2020 -- 1/12/2020 (154 participants)
Bout of Books 26 - 8/19/2019 -- 8/25/2019 (183 participants)
Bout of Books 25 - 5/13/2019 -- 5/19/2019 (206 participants)
Bout of Books 24 - 1/7/2019 -- 1/13/2019 (240 participants)
Bout of Books 23 - 8/20/2018 -- 8/26/2018 (282 participants)
Bout of Books 22 - 5/14/2018 -- 5/20/2018 (328 participants)
Bout of Books 21 - 1/8/2018 -- 1/14/2018 (306 participants)
Bout of Books 20 - 8/21/2017 -- 8/27/2017 (335 participants)
Bout of Books 19 - 5/8/2017 -- 5/14/2017 (349 participants)
Bout of Books 18 - 1/2/2017 -- 1/8/2017 (345 participants)
Bout of Books 17 - 8/22/2016 -- 8/28/2016 (498 participants)
Bout of Books 16 - 5/9/2016 -- 5/15/2016 (441 participants)
Bout of Books 15 - 1/4/2016 -- 1/10/2016 (434 participants)
Bout of Books 14 - 8/17/2015 -- 8/23/2015 (534 participants)
Bout of Books 13 - 5/11/2015 -- 5/17/2015 (843 participants)
Bout of Books 12 - 1/5/2015 -- 1/11/2015 (736 participants)
Bout of Books 11 - 8/18/2014 -- 8/24/2014 (940 participants)
Bout of Books 10 - 5/12/2014 -- 5/18/2014 (1,215 participants)
Bout of Books 9.0 - 1/6/2014 -- 1/12/2014 (749 participants)
Bout of Books 8.0 -  8/19/2013 -- 8/25/2013 (515 participants)
Bout of Books 7.0 - 5/13/2013 -- 5/19/2013 (507 participants)
Bout of Books 6.0 - 1/7/2013 -- 1/13/2013 (228 participants)
Bout of Books 5.0 - 8/13/2012 -- 8/19/2012 (245 participants)
Bout of Books 4.0 - 5/14/2012 -- 5/20/2012 (229 participants)
Bout of Books 3.0 - 1/9/2012 -- 1/15/2012 (94 participants)
Bout of Books 2.0 - 10/24/2011 -- 10/30/2011 (149 participants)
Bout of Books 1.0 - 8/22/2011 -- 8/28/2011 (144 participants)

*always be careful what you tweet!

The Bout of Books team consists of Amanda Shofner & Kelly Rubidoux Apple. *No, guys, they are not the same person. Despite those persistent rumors and the way they talk to one another on the @boutofbooks Twitter handle. *