Happy first day of Fall, everyone! With the start of fall comes the start of Fall Into Reading 2007. Click the graphic above to read the general guidelines and find out more about the idea behind the challenge. And if you’re ready to jump in, go ahead and add your name and post to the Mr. Linky below. I can’t wait to see all your lists!

As a quick refresher, the purpose of this challenge is for us to establish some goals for our reading this Fall and then work toward them. Whether you have a pile of books that you’ve been intending to read but just haven’t yet, or you need a gentle prod to finish some books that you started but then abandoned, or you would just like a little accountability as you work through your reading stack, this is the place for you. Whether you’re reading for fun, reading to learn, reading to be inspired, or reading to your kids, you are welcome here! The “rules” are flexible, so please make them work for you.

And don’t forget – there’s a prize at stake. One participant, chosen at random, will receive a $10 gift certificate from Amazon.com – to support your love of reading, of course! To be eligible for this prize, you’ll have to post a list (on your blog) of the books you’d like to read this Fall (the cut-off for posting your list and adding your link here is this Wednesday, September 26th, at midnight) and then post your results at the end of the challenge (the challenge ends December 21st). That’s it!

[Note: Although there are cut-offs in order to be in the drawing for the prize, there is no cutoff for joining in the challenge. So spread the word, and sign up whenever you're ready!]

[Another Note: I'll also be giving away one book from Bethany House every week throughout the fall. Check back Thursdays to be part of the giveaways!]

I’ve put a Mr. Linky below. Please enter your name and the link to your specific reading challenge post. People will want to stop by to see what you’re reading, and posting a link directly to your list will make it much easier for them to do so. (If you’re not sure how to do this, just email me; I’d be glad to help!)

Also, in your reading challenge post, please include a link back to this post so that others can check out all the participants. Want to include the graphic in your post or sidebar? Feel free to grab it and use it!

Let’s hit those books!

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

I always use these reading challenges as an opportunity to “force” myself to get through some non-fiction. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy non-fiction. I just have trouble actually finishing non-fiction. Challenges give me just the motivation and accountability I need. And so, For Fall Into Reading 2007, I’ll be trying to get through reading and finishing the following non-fiction books:

When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg. I’m about 1/4 of the way through this. It’s good, but I need to keep going until the end.

The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey. This book has been on our bookshelf for almost two years, and yet I have not so much as cracked open the cover. It’s been highly recommended to me, and I’m looking forward to it.

The Little Red Book of Wisdom by Mark DeMoss. I thoroughly enjoy books with little vignettes, lessons, essays, etc. and this book falls into that category. I received it from a friend and I think I’ll really enjoy the nuggets of wisdom and encouragement that it contains.

The Parent You Want to Be by Les & Leslie Parrott. Though this book isn’t officially out yet, I was able to snag an advance copy through a Zondervan giveaway. Since I’m a parenting-book addict, it looks perfect for me.

A Dash of Style by Noah Lukeman. Confession: I am a geek. A nerd. Whatever you want to call it. But yes, I am planning to read an entire book about punctuation. So there. (Oh and tomorrow, September 24th, is National Punctuation Day. So really, I think I’m being very trendy by reading this book.)

The House that Cleans Itself by Mindy Starns Clark. Sigh. I won’t kid myself into thinking that my house will actually clean itself after I read this book. But I’m always game for tips and tricks that will make housecleaning less tortuous miserable time-consuming, and this book claims to do just that. I’ve enjoyed Clark’s Million Dollar Mystery series and was glad to see that she struggles with keeping a clean house, just like I do.

And now for the fun stuff: fiction. I breeze right through fiction, reading one book after another, all the time. There’s always a fiction book on my nightstand, and I read it every night before falling asleep. When it comes to reading challenges and fiction, I usually like to mix it up a bit. Instead of being in an all-culinary-mysteries-all-the-time rut, I’ll use a challenge to add in something literary, something classic, something different. This time around, I’m mixing a little of my old stand-by genres with some books that may be a little unusual for me.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It’s true, I’ve never read this classic. But I will this fall!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. An award-winning young adult book that I’ve heard good things about. I’m really looking forward to this one.

Finder’s Fee by Alton Gansky. I tend to dip in and out of Christian fiction these days. This will be a “dip in,” with an author who’s new to me.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult. I’ve read (and enjoyed) two or three Jodi Picoult books, but not this one. It’s been recommended to me by a few friends, so it made the list.

Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson. Yes, a light culinary mystery. I can’t help it; I had to include at least one!

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. One of those “modern literary fiction” books that I’ve avoided. While I appreciate books that make me think, I don’t like to come away from a book being horridly depressed or feeling like there was lots of flowery language, but no plot. And that has happened to me more than once with books labeled “literary.” However, I’ve been assured that this one will suck me in and pull me along, so I’m going to give it a shot.

Don’t forget to visit the main Fall Into Reading 2007 post to visit everyone else’s lists. Happy fall reading!