Friday, January 13, 2012

Randomness: Novels In-Verse Reading Challenge Sign-Ups

As you can see I've been on a spree of joining reading challenges.  I've been looking all over the place trying to find a novels-in-verse  challenge but haven't been able to find one. So I decided why not start my own?



RULES:
This challenge runs from January 13th - December 31st, 2012.

All books must be started on/after January 1st. Once you choose your level you can't change it.

You can read any in verse YA or MG novels it doesn’t matter when they were published but YOU MUST READ THEM IN 2012. Also, feel free to re-read ones you’ve already read AS LONG AS YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY REVIEWED IT.

You must post all your reviews on your blog or Goodreads.


LEVELS:
Haiku- 1-4 books
Limerick- 5-8 books
Sonnet- 9-12 books (This is the level I've chosen.)

BOOK IDEAS:
Spreadsheet
Goodreads MG List
Goodreads YA List

HOW TO SIGN UP (Sign Ups will be open until December 1st)
To join the reading fun just create a sign-up post that includes a link to this post, the level you've signed up for, and the button above. If you want you can even create a list of the books your hoping to read as part of the challenge. You can create a list of books beforehand or start a blank list and fill them in as you read. It's that easy. Then come back here and link up! Please link to the post directly and not just your blog. 

At the end of each month I will have a wrap up post where everyone can link up the reviews they wrote that month. I'm going to try and do some giveaways in which case each of your reviews will count as an entry. Due to lack of cash, I won't be able to do a giveaway each month but I'll try my best to do as many as possible!

SEND ME YOUR QUESTIONS:
I'm also going to try and do an author interview each month so that we can get to know some of these awesome authors. Just leave your questions in the comments and I'll pick a few questions for each author. (There are no guarantees that your question will be answered! Or that the authors will even agree to an interview.)

These are the authors I'm planning on contacting first:

  • Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Identical, Impulse, Tricks, Glass, Fallout, & Burned)
  • Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Under the Mesquite)
  • Holly Thompson (Orchards)
  • Kelly Bingham (Shark Girl)
  • Stasia Ward Kehoe (Audition)
  • Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (Reaching for Sun & 42 Miles)
  • Lisa Ann Sandell (Song of the Sparrow & The Weight of the Sky)
  • Lorie Ann Grover (Loose Threads & Hold Me Tight)
  • Samantha Schultz (You Are Not Here & I Don't Want To Be Crazy)
  • Sonya Sones (What My Mother Doesn't Know, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know, One of      Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big   Sister Went Crazy)








28 comments:

  1. May I tweet about this challenge? As a verse novelist, I'd love more people to try them. I think some people are afraid of them, but once they try them, they often they find they enjoy them. Thanks for doing this!

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  2. Hi Lisa!
    Of course you may tweet about the challenge. That would be fantastic! I think your right, I've tried to convince some of my friends to read them but for some reason they won't. If they'd just give them a try they would love them as much as I do.

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  3. Hi Amanda, this is so interesting. I haven't come across such a challenge. I'll most probably take up the Limerick level. :)

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  4. Hey Claudine!

    If you want to join the challenge officially all you have to do is make a post on your blog with the reading challenge button and saying which level you chose. Then come back here and add it to the linky list. This way you'll be eligible to enter the challenge giveaways =)

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  5. Hi Amanda, I didn't know about this reading challenge until now - will definitely sign up - we just had a novel-in-verse theme over at Gathering Books this November/December - and I have done an interview with Holly Thompson as well - In fact, I would also be featuring Margarita Engle in my site March of this year (have you read any of her works yet) - let me just work out the details of putting a blogpost and I shall 'officially' sign up in a few days' time.

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  6. Hey Myra!, I'm so excited your gonna join the challenge.! Yay! I went over to Gathering Books and read your interview with Holly Thompson. It was very good! I haven't read Orchards yet but it's sitting on my coffee table waiting. I have not heard about any of Margarita Engle's books before. I'll definitely be checking those out. Thanks so much!

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  7. Hi Amanda, I just wanted to update you that I have already announced my intention to sign up for your challenge (I placed it in the linky above). This January, we were able to review three novels-in-verse:

    1. The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle - http://wp.me/pDlzr-2KW
    2. Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes - http://wp.me/pDlzr-2CR
    3. Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas - http://wp.me/pDlzr-2DN

    We're aiming to review 10 books this year. :)

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  8. Hi Amanda,
    I learned about your challenge from GatheringBooks. I'm signing up to read the highest number, 12, but know that I will read more than that. My post will go up on Friday, so will add the link then. Thanks for this great idea!

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  9. Hi Miss K,
    I'm so excited to hear that you will be joining the challenge!! =) I look forward to your post!

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    Replies
    1. All set! I am going to tell a few bloggers I follow about it as well!

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    2. Oh that would be awesome! Thank you!

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  10. Here are a few more authors you might want to add: Margaret Wild (Jinx), Eireann Corrigan (Splinter and You Remind Me of You), Carol Lynch Williams (Glimpse), Ann E. Burg (All the Broken Pieces).

    I may sign up for this challenge later.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by! Most of these are already on the spreadsheet but I'll be sure to add Eireann Corrigan. I hope you decided to join the challenge! =)

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  11. I love this idea! My own novel, Home of the Brave, is another you could add to the list. And The One and Only Ivan, which I recently published, was just reviewed by A Fuse #8 at School Library Journal: http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/03/07/review-of-the-day-the-one-and-only-ivan-by-katherine-applegate/

    Have fun!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Katherine,
      Thanks for stopping by my blog! I went in and added your books to the list. Let me know if you would be interested in doing an author interview as part of the challenge!

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    2. I loved "Home of the Brave". It was one of the first novels in verse I read and I was so touched by Kek's story.

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  12. Hi Amanda, do you have a linky where we can put an update of our posts for the reading challenge? Will be posting one by end of this month about Margarita Engle's The Wild Book. :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Myra,
      Looking forward to your review!

      The March link up is here: http://bornbookish.blogspot.com/2012/02/randomness-link-up-your-march-reviews.html

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  13. Hooray! Finally added my challenge post to the Linky! I found out about this post from Miss K and I'm excited to read more NIVs :) Especially considering the fact that National Poetry Month is just a week away!

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    Replies
    1. Yay! I'm so glad you joined! Heading over to your post now =)

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  14. Pretty sure I've already attained Sonnet level for this year. Are you doing this next year too? I hope so!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by Gabrielle! I am definitely planning on doing the challenge again next year!! =)

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  15. I just found your Reading Challenge, thanks to Gabrielle Prendergast responding to one of my tweets! Wow, love this cyber world! I have authored two verse novels, one YA and one MG, both of which I am in the submission to agents phase (have one interested, we'll see!). I want to join this challenge! SO, let me see..I post on my blog that I am participating and at what level and include this link to this page? Is that right? And then I post my reviews in my blog and come here to add the link to your linky. I hope I figured that out right? Sorry, but I am new to blogging, etc., and feel like I'm "Spinning through the Universe," to borrow the name of a favorite Helen Frost's MG verse novel!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sandra, I'm so happy that you discovered my challenge! Fingers crossed that you hear back from the agent! =) Let me know down the road if they get published, I would be more than happy to read them!
      You figured it out perfectly, just make sure to link your sign up post to the list above. Thanks for joining the challenge and I hope you enjoy it!! I'm going to have to read "Spinning Through the Universe," so far I've only read, "Hidden" by Helen Frost.

      Welcome to the blogging world by the way =) Let me know if you have any other questions.

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  16. I just discovered verse novels this year, and just found out about this challenge! I wish I had done both of these things earlier!

    Will you be hosting this again for 2013? I'd love to participate. :)

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    Replies
    1. I will definitely be hosting this again in 2013 and would love to have you join in!! =)
      Check back in January for the challenge sign ups!

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    2. Great!

      New follower, btw. ;)

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