Brendan and I have agonized (if it's possible to do that in three minutes) over this summer's rules and challenges. For those of you who don't have total recall over last summer's challenge, Kerry is a super fast reader whose page turning is only impeded by the occasional need to sleep and raising three kids. Brendan absorbs and savors every single word on the page, which is fitting for his career as an actor and wordsmith...but makes him an unlikely reading contest winner. In reviewing the book tally of the 2010 Challenge, in which Kerry read three times as much as Brendan, we decided to tweak the 2011 rules:
1. The Summer 2011 Reading Adventure begins on Saturday, June 18 (in keeping with the schedule of our hometown library) and ends on Labor Day, Monday, September 5.
2. Kerry can only include books that she begins on or after June 18. Brendan can record anything.
3. Any adult book can be considered, provided it has an ISBN.
4. Any young adult book can be considered, provided it is over 300 pages.
5. Any genre of writing counts! We are not reading snobs.
6. Each contestant enters his/her reading log through this blog and is responsible for updating the count total and submitting a post.
7. Each contestant will suggest one title (that s/he previously has read) that the other contestant must read.
8. The contestants will agree to reading one title in common.
9. Each contestant must read at least one non-fiction title.
10. Keeping with the circa 1982 requirements of our hometown library's summer reading program, each contestant must create an artistic rendering of a favorite scene from one of the logged books.
This final rule is probably our most exciting change to this summer's challenge, and one that will keep all our readers in great suspense until the final hours of the adventure. (Yes, I'm totally serious.)
11. Each book will be awarded points based on a sliding scale.
- Reading and posting about a book = 1 point
- 400 or more pages = 1 point
- Nominee or recipient of a major literary award (Booker; National Book Award; Nobel; PEN/Faulkner; Pulitzer) = 1 point
12. The Summer 2011 Reading Adventure will be celebrated in the fall with, of course, an ice cream party.
I'm adding an amendment to Rule 11, the point for reading a book over 400 pages, to stipulate that the number of pages is based on the hardcover version (thought of this while loading up the Kindle in anticipation of this week's road trip). This will also prevent me from stacking points with mass market paperbacks that are always 600+ pages.
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