Tagged: Reading
The Mad Reviewer Reading Challenge
Yes, it is very narcissistic to name a reading challenge after myself, but frankly all the good names were taken and I’m not one to plagiarize. So what’s my challenge for myself and for anyone who wants to participate? Well, here it is:
The Mad Reviewer Reading Challenge is to read and review (either on Goodreads, Amazon or your own blog) 104 books in one year starting January 1, 2013 and ending December 31, 2013.
Yes, this is an insane amount of books and I know that not many people may be able to achieve it. That’s why there are different levels you can strive for:
1. Mad Reviewer: 104 books in one year. (2 books a week all year.)
2. Crazy Reviewer: 52 books in one year. (1 book a week all year.)
3. Slightly Sane Reviewer: 26 books in one year. (1 book every fortnight all year.)
4. Sane Reviewer: 12 books in one year. (1 book every month all year.)
Got that? So, of course, there are some rules to go along with it:
1. Self-published, independently published and traditionally published books are all completely acceptable. You can even read them on an e-reader.
2. No audiobooks. The point is to read books, not have someone reading to you.
3. I don’t have a sign-up form like many reading challenges, but if you have a blog you can copy and paste the code below into a text widget:
Goal: 104 books read and reviewed<br>
Current: 0<br>
<div style=”height:15px;background:#A9D0F5;border:solid;”>
<div style=”background:#3366FF;color:white;width:0;”><b>0</b>
</div>
</div>
(A huge thanks goes to Stacking Pennies for the initial format of the progress bar.)
This is the one I used, but you can of course modify it to fit your goal. Don’t have a blog? Don’t worry. Just keep track of all the books you read somewhere and comment on my year-end post on December 31. I’m trusting you guys to stay honest, but if I need to I’ll check out whether you actually posted reviews.
4. Everyone who achieves their goal will be entered into a draw for a grand prize, provided by me. What that prize is I’m not sure yet, but it will obviously be book related. If you have any suggestions for a possible prize, please let me know!
5. You can review your books on any site. Your own blog, Goodreads, someone else’s blog, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. The point is just to review the books you read!
So who wants to sign up? Just post your intentions in the comments below and what level you want to aim for. Personally, I’m going to go for ‘Mad Reviewer’ because I really should earn my name.
It would also be great if you could publicize this in any way possible because I want as many people in my draw as possible. Obviously being Freshly Pressed would be too much to hope for, but I can still dream, can’t I?
Three Great Reasons to Read as a Teenager
I remember when I was a teenager how so many of my friends thought it was strange that I always had a book somewhere close at hand. All of them told me things like “I really never learned how to like reading,” or “Reading is so boring.” I’ll be honest, I never understood why they had such thoughts. To me reading has always been one of the best ways a person can spend their time. So, today I bring you three great reasons why every teenager should read regularly.
#1: Reading is the Perfect Escape
Being a teenager is hard sometimes. Everybody knows that, and sometimes you just need to get away from everyone else in your life and escape into another reality for a few hours. I did this regularly in my younger years and it always helped so much. Escaping into a fantasy world, some epic action, or a wistful romance story can be just the change of pace you need after some of the stress of being a teenager.
#2: Reading Will Improve Your Life
No doubt about it, reading and reading often will improve your life at some point. It’s a proven fact that people who read regularly can grasp new concepts more easily, can explain themselves more clearly, and can communicate with others more effectively. Reading often develops in you an innate skill that can’t really be explained, but it’s there, I promise. I’m positive that some of the opportunities I’ve had in life can be traced back to the fact that I love to read and have done better at certain activities because of it.
#3: Reading is the Easiest Fun You Will Ever Have
Now, more than ever, a young adult or teenager can find thousands of great stories to devour with their minds. Young adult fiction was not nearly as prevalent in my teenage days as it is now. Grabbing a book from the library is quick, easy, and best of all, free. Who can argue with fun that comes at no cost? I certainly can’t.
Books can take you places you’ve never been, put ideas in your mind that you’ve never dreamed of thinking before, and bring about changes in your life both large and small. So, take a moment, grab that book you got for your last birthday or during last Christmas you haven’t opened yet and give it a try. I bet you’ll find you like it more than you might think.