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Monday, June 24, 2013

Semi-Charmed Summer 2013 Book Challenge

Photo via Ongering on Flickr

The Semi-Charmed Book Challenge is back for summer 2013! The challenge will follow the same rules as the winter 2013 challenge, and it will run from July 1 to September 30. See below for the full list of rules and categories, and thanks to all my readers who submitted category ideas!

Rules:
  • The challenge will run from July 1, 2013, to September 30, 2013. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on July 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on September 30 will count.
  • No re-reads (unless specifically stated)! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.
  • Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements.
  • A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
  • The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will win a featured/guest post on Semi-Charmed Kind of Life. Good luck!

The Challenge:
5 points: Freebie! Read any book you'd like, as long as it follows the above rules. :)
5:  Read a book that is less than 150 pages long. (Yes, this is an exception to the general rules! You're welcome haha.)
10: Read a book with a color in the title. Submitted by Erinn of it's the journey on Twitter.
10: Read a book that is not the first in its series. (And yes, it must be in a series.)
15: Read a book it seems everyone but you has read! Submitted by Brighton of Dear Brighton on Twitter.
15: Read a banned book. (For consistency's sake, the book must be found on one of these lists. See the links in the first paragraph for book lists.)
20: Read a book written by a celebrity. This can be a memoir or a fiction book published by someone who was already famous by another means (e.g. James Franco). Submitted by Brighton of Dear Brighton on Twitter.
20: Read a non-fiction book that is not a memoir. It can be pure non-fiction or narrative non-fiction. Submitted by Blair's Head Band on Twitter.
20: Read a book that takes place in a state you have never been in. If you have been to all 50 states, choose a book that takes place in a country you have never been in. Also do the latter option if you are not American.
25: Read a book that is at least 400 pages long.
25: Read a book with a main character who shares your first name. If you have an uncommon name and really can't find a book, let me know and we can come up with an alternative. :) Submitted by Erinn of it's the journey on Twitter.**
30: Read a book written by an author who was born in or died in your birth year.****
**Edited to add: I've decided to amend this category to allow nicknames of your first name and alternate spellings of your first name. I recognize this category is difficult and I don't want anyone to give up looking! :)
****This category was also amended after the original posting when I discovered too many participants were unable to find an author born in their birth year. This website will help you find authors who were born in or died in a specific year.

How to keep track: I’ll post a check-in on the first day of every month, on which you can comment with your progress. I will also include the scoreboard from the previous month on each check-in post. The first check-in post will be Thursday, August 1. I will also host a link-up on Monday, July 1, if anyone wants to share their preliminary reading list for the challenge (see an example post from one of my previous challenges here).

Thanks so much for participating! I can't wait to see what everyone decides to read. Please feel free to link up below with your blog, Goodreads profile, or whatever else you're using to keep track of this challenge! You can also visit the links below to see what other people are reading for the different categories, and remember to use the hashtag #SCSBC13 when tweeting about the book challenge! I will also have a button available with my preliminary list on July 1 if you want to spread the word with your readers. :)

Good luck! 

24 comments:

  1. Yay! I remember I found your blog when you were doing the winter challenge and I was sad I was too late to participate! I'm looking forward to it.

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  2. Oh man, Megan! An author born in 1990...that's gonna be a tricky one! Looking forward to it :)

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  3. I have absolutely nothing planned other than reading this summer so I can actually participate - yay!

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  4. Totally doing it this year! So excited!!

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  5. I'm so excited about this challenge! I'm having a problem with one of the categories, though. I was born in 1989 and I can't find an author who was born that year. Do you happen to know of any for that year?

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  6. What a great idea! This will be so much fun!

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  7. Ahh this is fabulous!!! I just finished the first three books on my summer reading list but I'll begin keeping track today with my new (fourth) book!!! Also, I LOVE the little shout out :)

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  8. I'm excited. I found your blog after you did the last challenge, so I'm excited to participate!!!

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  9. I'm excited. I found your blog after you did the last challenge, so I'm excited to participate!!!

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  10. Thanks for hosting again! I hope I do better this year. =O)

    As common as my name is, I have scoured the web and cannot find one book with a character named Michelle. Anybody know of any? If all else fails, Michelle is the female version of Michael. Would that work, Megan?

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  11. Any suggestions on how to locate a book whose main character matches our first name? Like Michelle, I can't find anything either.

    My daughter also wants to participate, and her name is Nikaya. What substitute should she use?

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  12. Yay! Thanks so much for hosting again, Megan!

    About the book with my name: How can I even find a book that contains a character with the name, Darlene? I am not even aware of when, but how can I even go about searching for one? Is there a website that has character names by search?

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  13. I am so ready to join. I just have no idea how to find books with the things I need. These seem hard. I might have to pair up with my librarian and see if she can help me.

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  14. Megan:

    I just found your challenge and would love to join in (I'm addicted to challenges that way and yours sounds awesome!). One question--I've already read two books in July. If they fit a category, may I use them?

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  15. Also...I'm not finding any "Beverlys" or "Bevs" as characters. People often think I'm saying "Beth" when I say Bev...will "Beth" work? [I've got a Beth character!]

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  16. Also...I'm have trouble finding books with either Beverly or Bev in them. People often think I'm saying "Beth" when I say my name is Bev...would that work? [I hope so--I have a book with a Beth in it! :-) ]

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  17. I'm going to add my link. Let me know if books read and "Beth" will work. I'm off to start reading! :-)

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  18. Darlene, do you like mysteries? Peter deJonge has a series about a detective named Darlene O'Hara. If you like the first one, you can read the second one for another part of the challenge too. ; )

    There's also a book called I Need You Now by Beth Wiseman.

    Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan has a character named Infinite Darlene. Not exactly a main character, but as a transexual football star/homecoming queen, she certainly is memorable!

    Just some thoughts. Good luck finding something you'll enjoy! :)

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  19. lovely I am joining to the Turkish version ... Thanks for the idea...

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  20. So excited, sister! Starting (finally) today!!

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  21. Your reading challenge seems so fun! I normally don't do these, but I may have to follow along on this one :)

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  22. How did you find a book with your name?

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  24. Jillian, Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein has a main character named Gillian. (I assume either spelling could work?)

    There's a YA series called Nightworld by L.J. Smith that has a main character named Gillian. I haven't read them, but based on what I know, I'd compare them to the Sookie Stackhouse books.

    Alice Hoffman's book Practical Magic also has a character named Gillian.

    I couldn't find any Jillians, just Gillians. Would you go with Jill? My sister is named Gillian, and she HATES Gill, so I totally understand if that doesn't work.

    Hope this helps - good luck!

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I love hearing your thoughts! Please make sure your email address is linked to your profile, or that you include your email address/blog url in the comment so I can respond. :) Also, I've had to turn off anonymous comments due to spam problems. Sorry about that!