MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge is Approaching
May 28, 2008
Are YOU ready for MotherReader's third annual 48 Hour Book Challenge? It's coming up! The chosen weekend is June 6-8. Here's the gist (from MotherReader herself):
"Read and blog for any 48-hour period within the Friday-to-Monday-morning window. Start no sooner than 7:00 a.m. on Friday the sixth and end no later than 7:00 a.m. Monday...But the 48 hours do need to be in a row."
Why would you want to read and blog as much as possible over a designated 48-hour period? Well, for those of us who want to do something like that every weekend, this provides an excuse to do so, and company, so that it's not such a lonely pursuit. Plus there are prizes! But what it really boils down to is this: if you participate in the 48 Hour Book Challenge, you'll be able to prioritize reading and blogging about books over a two-day period. And you'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish if you really set your mind to it. You don't have to get carried away, of course. Showering and sleeping and things are certainly allowed.
I wasn't able to participate last year, but this year I am ready. I haven't been reading nearly as much as usual lately - still catching up after my move, and trips, and guest and all sorts of things. I think that the 48 Hour Book Challenge will be just the thing to get me back on track.
My current top 10 list of candidate books is:
- Running Out of Time - Margaret Peterson Haddix
- The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry
- Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love - Patricia Martin
- Cicada Summer - Andrea Beaty
- Suddenly Supernatural: School Spirit - Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
- Confessions of a Serial Kisser - Wendelin Van Draanen
- Neptune's Children - Bonnie Dobkin
- Steel Trapp - Ridley Pearson
- Saffy's Angel - Hilary McKay
- 100 Cupboards - N. D. Wilson
Why did I pick these books? Well, they're already on my shelf, so they are easy to come by. They're all books that I've been wanting to read, and that seem fun (spooky or scary in some cases, but still fun). And they're all medium length, mostly middle grade titles (they're supposed to be for fifth grade and above). If I'm going to spend so much time reading and blogging, I don't want to get too bogged down on any one book (though you can read long books - I think that there will be prizes concerning pages read and time spent, not just books completed). Of course my list is subject to change, should I happen to read some of the books ahead of time, or should something irresistible show up in the mail.
My plan is to set up skeleton blog posts ahead of time for each of the books that I'm thinking of reading, so that I don't have to waste time pulling in the cover shots, etc., during the challenge. (And I don't think this is cheating, since I won't count it as time spent). I'm going to start as early as my work will allow on Friday. My plan is also to convince a certain better half that Saturday, June 7th, would be an excellent day for him to spend golfing. It's also fitting for me to be participating in a reading challenge on June 7th because that was my Grandmother Robinson's birthday, and she loved books, especially children's books. Kind of a nice tribute, really.
Anyway, if you want more information about the 48 Hour Book Challenge, stay tuned to MotherReader.