Event: Read-along of Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant

October 2011

After co-hosting read-alongs for both Blackout and All Clear this summer, Carrie (Books and Movies) and I decided to read another book together in October: Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant. I hope some of you will join us! Since this book is short, we’ve decided to post discussions only twice, once midway through the month and once at the end. If you decide to read the book, you can either join us for both discussions or drop in on the last one only, book-club style, for the final discussion.
The author, Joan Leegant, has also offered to participate in the read-along in the form of a guest post and author interview. Stay tuned for more details!
Here is the read-along schedule:
October 1 to 14 (post to go up on October 15): Chapters 1 to 11 (pages 3 to 126)
October 15 to 28 (post to go up on October 29): Chapters 12 to 43 (pages 126 to 253)
The page numbers I’ve provided are from the paperback edition, but since the hardcover book has the same number of pages, I presume the pagination is the same. (In any case, this book has numbered chapters, for once!)

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Event: Reading Buddies

Monthly in 2011

Reading Buddies has two parts. One way to participate in Reading Buddies is informally, to read a book together whenever we both have time. Maybe it’s a book we’ve had on our TBRs forever and need an extra push to read; maybe it’s a scary tome we’d like to read with someone else; maybe one of us is reading a book that looks really intriguing to the other one. You email me, or I’ll email you, and we’ll set something really informal up.

The second way to participate is to join me in reading any of the books that appeal to you from the list above. These are the titles readers requested most frequently, and I’ve turned them into laid back group reads. These are NOT formal readalongs! There are no scheduled check-ins and no official discussion questions. Read at your own speed. Post as often or seldom as you’d like. You don’t have to have a blog to participate; I’m happy to discuss via email. I do my best to keep track of who’s participating so we can all discuss, but you’re certainly not obligated to join in.
 



For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Challenge–Read your OWN Library

Monthly – perpetual

If you fit the profile of the average bibliophile, then you probably already own more books than you will read in a lifetime, without darkening the doors of another bookstore or library ever again.  The goal of this monthly challenge is to apply yourself to whatever amount of your backlog is realistic for you at one go

Rules:

• Read at least one book every month that you've owned for 6 months or more and have never read previously, then write us a post about it.  Please write at least a minimal review (no spoilers!), and any interesting anecdotes you have about how you came to own the book in the first place are always appreciated.
• The linky here will open at 12:00 a.m. (US Pacific) on the 5th day of every month, and will remain open until 12:00 a.m. on the 8th.  Simply add your text link TO THE RELEVANT POST ONLY to the linky list, place the Challenge badge on your site, and try and visit as many of the others' links as possible.  (Html code for the Challenge Badge can be found in the right sidebar.) Please leave comments wherever you visit--silent hovering depresses me.
• Choose from the three possibilities the level of backloggedness from which you suffer, and follow the guidelines accordingly.  Please indicate your level in each Library Challenge post.

Levels of Backlog:

1. Running Behind--You need to catch up on your reading a bit, and feel this challenge would be a good motivator to do so.  You are committing to read one book per month that fits the requirement, and nothing else.
2. Sinking Fast--You feel swamped and hemmed in by the books, which are beginning to take over your life by conquering most of the flat surfaces in your home.  You are ready to commit to not buying any more books each month--including e-books!--until AFTER you've read that month's challenge book.
3. Biblio Rehab--Every time someone in your family hears you mention a new book you've heard about, they hide your wallet and car keys, dead-bolt the front door, and put you on buy-or-borrow watch.  Admit to yourself that you MUST NOT set foot in a bookstore or library until AFTER you've finished a challenge book for the month.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

EVENT: Subtitle This Cover

Perpetual – Weekly Meme, Every Thursday

Subtitle This Cover is a new weekly event/meme here at Reading Romances where I ask YOU, dear reader, to subtitle a book cover! The best subtitles will be posted here next week and a poll will be created, the winner for the best subtitle will be featured on the following week’s post!If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment with your subtitle!

 
Rules:
• Create a post with your subtitle(s), as many as you want, for this week’s book cover.
• Feel free to use the event’s badge!
• Link to this post by using the inlinz bellow (the blue frog)! Please link to the post not the blog.
• You have the full week (till next Thursday) to participate.


For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

CHALLENGE: Library Challenge

January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012

General Rules
1) This challenge will run from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2011 – this means for a book to qualify for this challenge you will have to start it on or after 1/1/12 and finish it before 12/31/12.

2) Books read for this challenge my be used to meet the requirements of any other reading challenges you are participating in.

3) You must complete the main monthly challenge. All mini-challenges are optional.

4) You may join the challenge at any time during the year.

5) It’s okay to read a book you’ve read before. Just make sure you are reading it again in 2012.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

A Year In Picture Books: 2011 Challenge

January 1, 2011- December 31, 2011

I love picture books, and was collecting them long before I became an elementary librarian.  Sometimes it's the story, sometimes the illustrations, and a lot of the time it's the fun of reading them out loud to kids that makes picture books so enjoyable.  I thought it would be fun to create a reading challenge for this shorter, though just as entertaining, genre.  Picture books are a great way to share stories and the experience of reading with children.  If you're reading the books with kids, I encourage you to add their opinion of the books as well!


Challenge Details:

Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 - 31 Dec 2011

Select your level:
      Read 12 picture books
      Read 16 picture books
      Read 24 picture Books
     (You can always read more if you'd like!)

You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. If you do list your books in the beginning, you can always change them later on.  Books you choose can crossover into other challenges.

You can join anytime between now and December 1, 2011.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Event: Authors from A to Z

 

June 2011

The Proud Book Nerd is hosting an Authors from A to Z Event.

How it works

• It starts on June 1. Basically, just share your favorite authors in alphabetical order (by last name). (For examples, see my posts for N, O, and Q.) One letter in one post each day, going through the alphabet. (Remember to skip Sundays.).  Authors are also participating and doing guest posts and interviews

What’s the point?

• Mostly to have fun. Also, to use this as an opportunity to acquaint others with some of my favorite authors.

Wanna play along?
For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

EVENT: Castle Macabre Blog Launch Event and Giveaway

September 1, 2011 – September 30, 2011

This is the official launch of Castle Macabre! All month long, there will be author guest posts, giveaways, book reviews, movie reviews and more.  I'm still looking for guest posts, etc. so if you're an author who would like to promote your book with a guest post/giveaway, get in touch.  Readers, if you are a total horror fan, I would love to have a guest post from you as well!

I'm getting the party started by announcing the launch giveaway!

I will be giving away to ONE winner the horror book of your choice, value up to $15, from Better World Books.  Since BWB ships free internationally, this will be an INTERNATIONAL giveaway! Here are the rules:

• You must leave a comment telling me which horror book you would like if you win (you can change your mind later though).
• Must be a GFC follower or subscriber (feedburner, RSS, email)--this will be verified
• You can earn extra entries by also following me at The True Book Addict, by tweeting and/or sharing on Facebook, and/or sharing in a blog post.  These are optional entries.
• Fill out the FORM below to enter (if you have problems with the form, please let me know)
• Giveaway will end on September 30, 2011 at 11:59pm CST.

That's not all! I'm going to add a SECOND and THIRD place winner! That's right.  I'm going to pick up some gently used horror books to give away to these winners.  These will be books I have either read or have heard great buzz about.  Each winner will win at least one book, possibly two...just depends on what I find! This portion of the giveaway is open to U.S. entrants only.

Please specify in the form if you are international or U.S. and also specify the prize for which you are entering.

Good luck to all and be sure to stop by for more horrific fun all month!

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

EVENT: Frightful Fall Read-a-Thon

October 3, 2011 – October 9, 2011

It's almost that time again...my next seasonal read-a-thon! I usually host these at my main blog, The True Book Addict, but, as promised to the participants of my summer read-a-thon, I am doing a spooky theme in honor of the scariest time of year--the Halloween season.  So I decided that hosting it here on my new horror blog would be quite appropriate.  Note:  I am looking for people to host mini-challenges and/or giveaways...authors and bloggers alike...so spread the word and get in touch with me if you would like to host or donate something (truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom).  Thanks!
Details

• Dates:  Monday, October 3 at 12:00am through Sunday, October 9 at 11:59pm (your time zone).
• To go along with the scary theme, this time I will have a requirement.  You must read at least ONE scary book during the read-a-thon.  If you are not a horror fan, then make it a thriller or a mystery, as long as the book has some kind of spooky premise to it.  Those of you who fulfill this requirement, and sign in at the starting line, will automatically be entered in the participant giveaway.
• Read as much or as little as you want.  You do not have to join in all week.  Start during the week or just do the weekend.  It's your decision.  Just be sure to sign in at the starting line when you start reading.
• I will be hosting a scary themed mini-challenge and hopefully we will have other mini-challenges and/ or giveaways (see note above).
• Our hashtag for Twitter will be #frightfall 

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

EVENT: Read Your Own Books Month

September 1, 2011 – September 30, 2011

Let us know you'll be reading your own books with us in September by leaving your link at the bottom of this post. (Just click the little blue button below my signature and you can leave a name and site link.)We'll also be pairing people up for a blogger bookswap that you can sign up for here until September 1. The Twitter hash tag is #SIRYOBM.

We'll be posting discussion topics with inlinkz four times a week during September so you can join in and share your two cents.

Mondays here at Wastepaper Prose.
Wednesdays at Teresa's Reading Corner.
Thursdays at Chick Loves Lit.
Fridays at Bookalicious.

 

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Add Your Reading Challenge/Event to the Site

Update

Hi everyone! We just wanted to post an update to let you all know what’s going on with the site. First off, I’d like to introduce you to the Admin Team:

Alisha from Black Nailed Reviews
Brianna from The Book Vixen
Carrie from West Virginia Red Reads
Jennifer C. from An Abundance of Books
Jennifer S. from Reading with Tequila
Kris from Not Enough Books
Melissa from Must Read Faster
Sherri from Urban Girl Reader

Here are some of the changes we’ve already made to the site:

• We’ve add a Search Box to make it a bit easier to find what you’re looking for (located in the sidebar)
• We’re now on Twitter and Facebook
• We’ve created an RSS feed so you can now subscribe by email (located in the sidebar)
• We’ve created a button for you to grab:

<a href="http://novelchallenges.blogspot.com/"><img alt="A Novel Challenge" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-R1zbA7JazuI/TmBGWFw4vyI/AAAAAAAADDM/PH_g1OujCYI/s288/Picnik%252520collage.jpg" width="90%/"></a>

• We are currently working on a drop-down navigation menu to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.

We have created a form for adding reading challenges and events to the site. A post with that form will be going up shortly.

 

That’s it for now. Let us know what you think of the new look and if you have any suggestions!

Whats In a Name Challenge 4

January 1 - December 31, 2011

Beth Fish Reads is hosting the very popular, Whats In a Name Challenge 4. Here's what she says:

Welcome to the fourth What's in a Name Challenge! This challenge was originated by a young blogger named Annie, who hosted it for two years. When she decided to give up on being the host, I took over the challenge. I credit this challenge with being one of the prime reasons for my becoming a blogger, so I am thrilled to be its new host.

Here's How It Works

Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why
2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception
3. A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee
4. A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife
5. A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely
6. A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know

• Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
• Books may overlap other challenges.
• Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
• Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
• You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
• You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

To Join, go to Whats In a Name Challenge 4.