I’m a day behind, but I’ve decided to participate in the real-time reading of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Sure, I’ve read the book twice already, but it’s a great book; and great books always deserve multiple readings. 

So, lifted from Deborah Harkness’s Facebook page, here’s the schedule if you’re interested in reading along, too:

Five years ago, around 7 September 2008, I started writing what would turn out to be A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. As many of you know, the main action of the book takes place over forty days between September 21 and October 31. Diana Bishop’s first encounter with Ashmole 782, however, occurred on September 18. So if you’re wondering how to spend your time between now and Halloween, and waiting for news about book #3, why not re-read A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES as the action elapses? Some days have more than one chapter, and others have none at all, but it’s interesting to read it and have just as much time as Diana and Matthew did to absorb the enormous changes happening to them, and all around them. It may give you new insights .

Note: because the action of the book starts on a Friday, the days of the week will be wrong, even though the dates are right and you will end up, as they did, on Halloween.

September 18: chapter 1
September 21: chapters 2 and 3
September 22: chapters 4 and 5
September 23: chapter 6
September 24: chapter 7
September 25: chapter 8
September 26: chapter 9 and chapter 10 (which continue through September 29)
September 30: chapter 11
October 1: chapter 12
October 2: chapter 13
October 3: chapter 14
October 5: chapter 15 and chapter 16
October 6: chapter 17 and chapter 18
October 7: chapter 19 and chapter 20
October 8: chapter 21, chapter 22, and chapter 23
October 9: chapter 24 and chapter 25
October 10: chapter 26
October 11: chapter 27
October 12: chapter 28, chapter 29, chapter 30, and chapter 31
October 13: chapter 32 and chapter 33
October 14: chapter 34, chapter 35, and chapter 36
October 15: chapter 37 (which continues to October 19)
October 20: chapter 38 (which continue to October 21)
October 22: chapter 39 (which continues to October 28)
October 29: chapter 40
October 30: chapter 41
October 31: chapter 42
November 1: chapter 43

What’s also cool is that Deborah Harkness is posting on her Facebook page throughout the read-along. You can see photos and other bits and pieces there, as well as leave comments, ask questions, and get to know other ADOW fans!