Welcome to Spring Reading Thing 2011! Just in time, our weather appears to be turning. Sunshine! Warm weather! I have to admit, I won’t mind saying goodbye to winter for a while. I’m more than happy to welcome spring, and with it…Spring Reading Thing 2011!

I hope you’re ready to read! And whatever you’re reading for this challenge, I hope you enjoy each and every book!

Here’s a brief recap of how to be a part of Spring Reading Thing 2011:

• Make a list of books you want to read (or finish reading) this spring. Your list can be as long or as short as you’d like. (Also, feel free to modify your list during the challenge if it’s not working for you.)

• Write a blog post containing your list and submit it to this post using the Mr. Linky below.

• Get reading! The challenge goes from today, March 20th, through June 20th.

• Check out other participants’ lists and add to your own to-read-someday pile!

• Write a post about your challenge experience in June, telling us all about whether you reached your goals and how Spring Reading Thing went for you. But remember: this is a low-pressure challenge that should be fun. As long as you do some reading this spring (and enjoy it!), that’s good enough for me.

There’s a Mr. Linky at the end of this post. Please use it to link to your blog post containing your Spring Reading Thing list. Remember to link to your specific post, not just your general blog homepage. People will be stopping by for days (or weeks!) and when you link to your specific post, it will make it easier for everyone to find your reading list. Also, if you don’t mind, please link back here from your post so that your readers can come check out all the other participants.

Okay, it’s time to get started. Post your list, grab a mug of your favorite beverage, and check out all the other bloggers who love to read as much as you do!

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I will be giving away two prizes as part of Spring Reading Thing 2011:

1. A $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com
2. A $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com

To be eligible for these prizes, you must:

• Post your intitial Spring Reading Thing 2011 post (and enter it on the linky list on my blog) by midnight on March 24th.
• AND post a wrap-up post on your blog at the end of the challenge (and enter it on the linky list I’ll have up then) by midnight on June  24th.

That’s it. I’ll randomly draw the winners shortly after the end of the challenge.

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For more information about Spring Reading Thing 2011, check out these previous posts:

• The Basics
• Posting Guidelines

Note: There is NO limit to when people can sign up to participate in Spring Reading Thing 2011. You’re welcome to join in any time between now and June! The “deadlines” mentioned in the above prize section are only for prize eligibility.

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That should cover all the details. Link up below and let’s get reading!

Was your link deleted? Check the Posting Guidelines to make sure you followed the rules. If you think your link was deleted by mistake, feel free to contact me.

I am so looking forward to reading good books on a sunny patio this spring! And while I enjoyed having the winter off from reading challenges, I’m ready to dive back in to a little structure and accountability.

In addition to my list below, I’ll also be finishing the following two books this spring:

• Crazy Love by Francis Chan (Great book! We’re going through this one with our small group this year.)

• Unpacking Forgiveness by Chris Brauns (I’m going through this book with my friend, Jennifer.)

Now for my official list for Spring Reading Thing 2011:

Non-fiction

Practicing Affirmation by Sam Crabtree. Looking forward to this new book about encouraging others with our words.
The Organized Heart by Staci Eastin. “Most books on organization just add more rules to your life, whether it be another plan, another calendar, or another method. This book will show you a different, better way that is grounded in the grace of God. The Organized Heart focuses on four areas of common difficulty for women: Perfectionism, Busyness, Possessions, and Leisure.” I have a feeling this book is going to be convicting while it is helpful.
Regret Free Parenting by Catherine Hickem. It’s been a while since I read a parenting book from start to finish. I tend to dip in and out of them on a whim. With seven principles for intentional parenting, this new one looks like it has some good stuff.
Developing a Healthy Prayer Life by James and Joel Beeke. A topic on which I can always use more instruction and inspiration.
The Mind’s Eye by Oliver Sacks. This one caught my eye in the bookstore one day. “The Mind’s Eye tells the stories of people whose ability to navigate the world visually and to communicate with others is compromised.” I’ve heard the author interviewed on other subjects and have always found him to be interesting and insightful, and I’m looking forward to reading one of his books.

Fiction

Wonders Never Cease by Tim Downs. One of my favorite book series is the “Bug Man” novels by Tim Downs. This most recent novel from Downs has nothing to do with bugs, but I’m hoping to love it just the same.
The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley. After thoroughly enjoying The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, I’m eager to read another book by Bradley.
River Rising by Athol Dickson. This is one of those books that has been on my shelf for quite a while. I’ve wanted to read it, I’ve intended to read it…but I just haven’t read it. This spring, I will.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Yes, I’m one of the very few women who have never read this book. But several of my closest friends rank this among their favorite, favorite books. It’s about time I gave it a try.
The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter. A middle-grade novel that has received great reviews and intrigued me from the start. I want to read it before passing it on to my tween, C., for two reasons: 1) It sounds like a book I’ll enjoy; and 2) I like to try to ‘screen’ new authors before introducing my kids to them. Really looking forward to this one!

I’m apparently feeling rather balanced this spring: 10 books, evenly divided between fiction and non-fiction.

Don’t forget to visit the official launch post for Spring Reading Thing 2011 to check out all the other participants!

Planning to join Spring Reading Thing 2011? I hope so! And I hope you’ve started working on your list, because the challenge starts this coming Sunday! In the meantime, here are a few posting guidelines/rules. I’m not too picky, but there are a few things I need you to do.

1. Write your post before you sign up on the linky list that goes live on March 20th. I know that it can be tempting to try to get your name near the top of a reading challenge participant list, but please, please have your post written and published on your blog before you add your name to the linky list. If I click on your name/link and do not see your post and reading list, or if it takes me to a post that says, “I’m going to join the Spring Reading Thing, but I don’t have my list yet. But I’ll do it soon.” or something like that… I’m sorry, but I will have to delete your entry from the list. Not because I’m mean, but because it’s simply not fair to the other participants who have already prepared their lists and blog posts. Of course, once you have your post/list up, you are more than welcome to come back and submit your name again.

2. Use a permalink when you sign up. In other words, use the linky list to link directly to your Spring Reading Thing post, not just the main address (front page) of your blog. When you see the linky list here on March 20th, you’ll find a space marked “Your name” where you can type your name (or the name of your blog, or whatever you’d like) and a space under it for “Your URL,” or website address. In that space, you’ll need to put a “permalink” to your Spring Reading Thing post.

For example, instead of something like:

http://myniftyblog.com

You’d want something like this:

http://myniftyblog.com/2011/03/spring-reading-thing.html

I completely made those addresses up, but you get the idea. Blogging Basics 101 has an article on how to find the “permalink” to a particular post HERE.

Once again, your link will be deleted if it does not go to a specific post (the one with your reading list). And again, I’m not being picky about this to be mean, but rather as a courtesy to all involved. People will be checking out everyone’s lists throughout the spring challenge, and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to find your list. That means submitting a link to your specific post, rather than a general link to your blog.

If you have tried and tried, and read the post at Blogging Basics 101, and are still having trouble figuring out your permalink, please feel free to contact me (just click the “contact me” button under my header). I would be glad to help you and to get you signed up on the linky list with the correct link. Depending on the volume of email, it might take me a little while to get back to you, but I definitely will. I want you to be part of Spring Reading Thing 2011!

3. Keep your post family-friendly. I realize that, with potentially hundreds of challenge participants, Spring Reading Thing is going to represent readers of various reading interests. However, I do request that you keep your “official” Spring Reading Thing post (the one you add to the linky list) family-friendly and “clean.” In other words, please make sure that any book titles or book covers you include would be safe for little eyes to see. I’ve had kids participate in my reading challenges in the past, and I just want to make sure the links presented on the official Spring Reading Thing list are safe for them. Links to posts with explicit titles or covers may be deleted. Please feel free to check with me ahead of time if you’re not sure about a particular book.

4. Get ready to read! Personally, I plan to abandon all housekeeping this spring, so I can focus exclusively on reading. Okay, maybe I won’t go that far, but I do hope to rearrange my schedule a bit to fit in some more reading. I also plan to visit many Spring Reading Thing participants, to find out what they’ll be reading this spring and to share our mutual love of books and reading. I encourage you to visit other participants as well. It’s fun to be in the challenge; but it’s even more fun to enjoy the challenge with others.

One other note:

My plan right now is to put up the official Spring Reading Thing 2011 launch post at 3:30 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, March 20th. I know that’s late in the day, and I know I usually get things going first thing in the morning, but this year’s a bit different. Spring Reading Thing is starting on a Sunday and I’ll be at church until after noon, so if anything were to go wrong with the linky list, I wouldn’t even be aware of it for hours. This way, I’ll be able to make sure things go off without a hitch. If for any reason that time will change, I’ll let you know.

Wondering what this “Spring Reading Thing” is all about? Visit my post about The Basics to find out!

Thank you to everyone who said they are interested in participating in Spring Reading Thing 2011! Because spring starts very soon — as in, just a little over a week from today — I better get moving. So without wasting any more time, here are the basics:

Essentially, Spring Reading Thing 2011 is a fun, low-pressure reading challenge open to anyone and everyone. It will take place March 20th-June 20th (which is, not-so-coincidentally, the spring of 2011).

If you’d like to participate, here’s what you need to do:

• Create a list of some books you’d like to read or finish this spring.

• Feel free to set some additional reading goals (such as reading to your kids two hours per week, getting through your pile of magazines, etc.). This is completely optional.

• Write a blog post including the list of books you want to read and any additional goals you’ve set, and get ready to post it on your blog on March 20th.

• Visit my blog on Sunday, March 20th to sign up. I’ll have a Mr. Linky set up that morning, so you can submit a link to your personal Spring Reading Thing post, and it will be added to the master list.

• Read! Work on your goals throughout Spring 2011.

• Report your results. Write another blog post in June to let everyone know how you did.

• Have fun! Visit other participants to see what they’re reading. Write reviews if you’re so inclined. But most of all, enjoy your spring reading.

A brief Q & A

Q. What is the point of this whole thing?

A. I started these twice-yearly challenges because I thought it would be fun to share my love of reading with other bloggers and to push myself to read some books I might not otherwise read, or to finish some books I had started and then abandoned & stashed under my bed. I thought there were probably others out there who would appreciate the accountability and encouragement that a challenge can provide. And along the way, I discovered there were lots of people who — whether they needed the extra push or not — loved to share what they planned or hoped to read during the upcoming months.

So that’s the point: sharing some reading goals with all the other participants and doing it in a way that works for you. If you want to push yourself, go for it! Or if you just want to share what you’re hoping to get around to reading before winter, that works too. The most important thing is to read this fall, to enjoy it, and to share that enjoyment with others.

Q. What if I don’t have much time to read and I only set a goal to read 2 books? Is that lame?

A. No, it’s not lame! Whether your list includes two books or thirty-two books doesn’t matter to me. Make the challenge work for you. Be reasonable. Maybe try to stretch yourself a little. But don’t stress about it. This is supposed to be fun.

Q. What if I get half-way through the challenge, realize it’s not working for me, and I want to change my list/goals? Does that mean I lose?

A. No! I don’t mind one bit if you change your list part-way through the challenge. The point of my challenges is to provide a fun and easy way for you to set some goals, work toward them, and enjoy reading. If your original list isn’t working for you, you’re likely to be miserable, which would completely defeat the point. Rework your list/goals and keep on reading.

Q. Do I have to review the books I read?

A. Nope, no reviews required. To be honest, I usually don’t write reviews of the books I read during these challenges.

Remember: Katrina’s reading challenges are low-to-no-pressure.

Q. What should I write in my post that has my list and goals? Is there any special format?

A. Nope. As long as you include your goal-list of books, it’s entirely up to you. You might want to check out last year’s challenge page and visit some participants to see how they did it, if you’re not sure where to start.

Q. Do you have a graphic we can put in our sidebars?

A. Yes! Check out the bottom of this post for the code.

Q. Where can we get more information?

A. Well, you already have just about all the information you need. Check back here regularly, though — I’ll write about posting guidelines soon, just a few to-do’s that I ask you to abide by if you decide to be part of Spring Reading Thing 2011. And feel free to leave a comment here if you have a specific question I haven’t yet addressed.

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SRT ’11 Button

Feel free to use the code below to put the Spring Reading Thing 2011 button on your sidebar or in a blog post. Spread the word!

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Okay, that’s enough babbling from me. It’s time for you to start making your list. Go peruse your bookshelves, visit the library, check behind your nightstand for lost or abandoned books, and decide what you’d like to read this spring. See you soon!