July Jumpstart Readathon & Challenges

We're super excited to have the blog up and running! And right in time for July's Jumpstart Readathon. Jumpstart RATs are there to do just that: jumpstart your reading for the month. They are at the beginning of every month, the 1st to the 7th. I'm going to try to have challenges up every month to add to the fun.

Here are the challenges I've come up with for July:

1. Read a book that starts with the letter J, or read a book with an author that has J as an initial.
2. Read a book that takes place during the summer.
3. Pick one book you read in 2012 that you really enjoyed. Take note of the author's initials; read a book that has those two letters in the title. (You may use subtitles.)


Remember, the challenges are not mandatory. They're just here to make your reading more fun; as time goes on, if the challenges prove to be successful I'll post more for one month so that you can have more of a variety.

Head over to the Challenges page to see what I'm planning to read! :D

Let's Break It Down

Now that you know what the blog is all about, let's "break down" some stuff just to make navigating a little easier:

The Sidebars
Left side - As you can see the left sidebar is dedicated to the blog -- followers, the contributors, and archives. I'm sure we'll add other things later.

Right side - The right sidebar will be completely dedicated to upcoming readathons that are taking place elsewhere in the book blog-o-sphere.

The Pages
Members - Go to this page to see a list of our current members on Goodreads as well as people who have signed up via the blog! There is also a form at the bottom of this page for those of you who don't have a Goodreads account (or just don't want to join another group on Goodreads) but want to join in on the fun!

Events - This page is simply a calendar which will have all of the readathons hosted in the group and anything else we come up with!

Challenges - Some of our readathons (specifically the Jumpstart readathons) will have challenges that members can complete. They will be posted here. They won't be too hard, but they won't always be simple.

GoodReads - This is a direct link back to the Goodreads group.

Tips - Go here to find tips on how to survive readathons, books that have been recommended to read during RATs, and books that people have loved reading during RATs. (Later we might combine the latter two if they end up being pretty much the same list.) There is a form at the bottom of this page for you to submit any tips or recommendations you may have.

Contact - Click here to find contact info for Amanda and I. We'll try to get back to you ASAP! (If you are a blogger that has an upcoming readathon you would like us to put in the sidebar, let us know!)

I'll admit it. I'm addicted....

....to readathons. To challenges period, actually. I'm all for a great challenge, especially one that makes me read more than I do on my own. I wanted a place to share my RAT (readathon) love, and so Goodreads found itself a new group. Amanda thought we should bring the excitement to the book-blogging world, and I'm excited to pass on our love for readathons. We're both excited to start meeting new people!

We've got upcoming readathons on the right, tips and recommended books for readathons, and some of our readathons will even have challenges! Our first readathon with the blog up and running will be from July 1st- July 7th. Feel free to jump in at any time!

We hope you'll come join us in all the fun! :D