Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The ARC Reading Challenge




My pile of ARCs/review copies is teetering dangerously, so this seems like an obvious challenge for me to join. Thanks to Teddy Rose for hosting this challenge and giving me extra incentive to get to my pile of ARCs - definitely a smart idea for a challenge! =)

Here are the (abbreviated) rules:

1. Make a list of all of the ARC's that you currently have and/or are on their way to you.

2. If you have:
1-3 ARC's then pick at least one to read and review for this challenge.
4-6 ARC's then pick at least two to read and review for this challenge.
7-9 ARC's then pick at least three to read and review for this challenge.
10 or more Arc's then pick at least 4 to read and review for this challenge.

Okay, first up we have the list of shame - all the ARCs/review copies that have piled up because I am a free bookaholic with big aspirations:

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan
The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
Homegirl by Judith Matloff
Franklin and Lucy by Joseph E. Persico
Far World Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin
The White Mary by Kira Salak
The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein
Heavier Than Air by Nona Caspers
In the Country of Brooklyn by Peter Golenbock

Okay, so that's...11. That means I've got to pick four for the challenge. I definitely hope to fit way more in, but I'll give priority to these four:

The Wednesday Sisters
Homegirl
Franklin and Lucy
Far World Water Keep

7 comments:

  1. Welcome to the challenge Megan! You have a great list and I am looking forward to reading your reviews.

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  2. I'm really excited for this challenge, too - it's EXACTLY what I need! I'm going to be reading J. Scott Savage's book for this challenge, too. It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on it.

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  3. I've heard that "The Lace Reader" and "The Wednesday Sisters" are both very good. I also read "Songs for the Missing" and enjoyed it a lot. "The White Mary" and "Farworld" are both on my list, although I've bumped "Farworld" down since I don't have to post about it until early August. Good luck with the challenge! It's really motivated me!

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  4. List of shame! Haha I like that. I thought of leaving out some on my list because I was so embarrassed about how long it was. :-)

    It looks like we have a few of the same books on our list. I have Painter from Shanghai to read too, although my copy isn't an ARC.

    Good luck with the challenge!

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  5. Teddy - thanks for hosting - it's definitely a challenge I can use. Looking forward to being a part of it!

    Susan, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on J. Scott Savage's book too!

    k, I don't have to have my review of Farworld up until August myself, but I know it's going to sneak up on me, so I'm trying to get it in early and be prepared. Glad to hear that I've got some good reads to look forward to!

    LF, I'm pretty ashamed of my list of shame, too (yet still not ashamed enough to turn down good looking free books). But I put it all there even including copies I've received for review that aren't necessarily ARCs. I figured that was the spirit of the thing, and that I might as well plan to read at least four books from it regardless of whether or not I actually have enough ARCs to warrant it according the challenge rules. I fear that this list of shame is going to get worse before it gets better, so it sure can't hurt... =/

    Good luck to all of you participants in the challenge! =D

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  6. Wow, how did you get so many? I think I only had four total and I only have one left to go.

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  7. N, I've been unusually lucky with the Early Reviewer program at librarything.com. Occasionally, I'll get one from Harper Collins First Look (http://www.harpercollins.com/firstlook), too. I've grabbed a few from ads in Shelf Awareness and Publisher's Weekly Daily e-mail newsletters. Joined a blog tour. Had a pair of e-mails very nicely offering review copies as long as I review them here as well as a pair from a press release company whose radar I must have got on somehow which only rarely features books I would even dream of reviewing. There's probably other places I'm forgetting. As my blogging has gone on, I've been continually surprised at how many folks are happy to throw free books in my direction in exchange for my yammering about them here. So - I guess if you're hungering for more - I'd definitely recommend checking out some of those places, but beware, it's a slippery slope. ;-)

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