Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Semi-Charmed Summer 2014 Book Challenge


Design via Kelsey

I cannot believe it's already April 15! I almost forgot to post the challenge list today—whoops! Luckily I had quite a few excited participants remind me it was time to get going. :) So, without further ado, let's get started! Please continue reading after the jump for the challenge rules and categories.

General rules:
  • The challenge will run from May 1, 2014, to August 31, 2014. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on May 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on August 31 will count.
  • Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements. Large-print books are also acceptable, as long as the regular-print version exceeds 200 pages in length.
  • A book can only be used for one category, and each category can only be completed once. If you want to switch the category of a book during a later check-in, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
  • Rereads can be used for a maximum of three books in the challenge. This rule is meant to encourage you to try new books while still allowing you to revisit books from your childhood or young adulthood that you might get more out of now. Please reread the entire book within the timeframe of the challenge in order to count it; no simply finishing old books or partial rereads (unless the category explicitly states otherwise, of course)!
  • 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 and be invited to contribute a category for the winter challenge. Good luck!

And now for the exciting part: The challenge categories!
5 points: Freebie! Read any book that is at least 200 pages long.
10 points: Read a book that was written before you were born.
10 points: Finish reading a book you couldn't finish the first time around. (You must have at least 150 pages left in the book to use it for this category.)
10 points: Read a book from the children’s section of the library or bookstore.
15 points: Read a book that is on The New York Times' Best Sellers List when you begin reading it.
15 points:
Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe.
15 points: Read a book another blogger has already read for the challenge. (Yes, you will have to wait until the first check-in to choose this book! So no one will be able to finish this challenge in only one month; sorry!)
20 points: Read a book with “son(s),” “daughter(s)” or “child(ren)” in the title. No other words will count—including kids, offspring, etc.—so please don’t ask. :)
20 points: Read a book that was/will be adapted to film in 2014. (Here are 16 ideas to get you started, but I know there are plenty more options.)
25 points: Read a book written by a blogger. (Submitted by Jessica of The Tangerine.)
25 points: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir.
30 points: Read a pair of books with antonyms in the titles.

How to keep track: I’ll publish a check-in post on the first day of each month, beginning June 1, on which you can comment with your progress. I will also include the scoreboard from the previous month on each check-in post. I will also host a link-up on Friday, April 25, if anyone wants to share their preliminary reading list for the challenge (see an example post from one of my previous challenges here). A preliminary post is not mandatory to join the challenge, but it's a good way to see what other people are planning to read and get some ideas for categories you might be stuck on. Also feel free to share the below button and/or the hashtag #SCSBC14 on your blog, Twitter, Instagram, etc., to get the word out! Be sure to mention me so I can see how you're doing (@semicharmedkol on Twitter or @mcstroup on Instagram).



Update: The fabulous new button above is courtesy of Kelsey at Keeping Up With Kelsey. Thanks for designing a fabulous new button for this year's challenge, Kelsey!

I'm excited! Please let me know if you have any questions, and I'll see you next Friday for the preliminary list link-up! :)

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