Just one little reminder that the Spring Reading Thing 2008 begins tomorrow! Can’t wait to see everyone who is participating and to find out what you are all reading this spring.

I know I mentioned the other day that the sign-up post might possibly get posted tonight, but that will not be happening. I have a 1-year-old with a high fever and he’s spending 98% of his time on my lap today. So the post will go up tomorrow morning. Sadly, Blogger does not allow me to set it to auto-post, so it’ll just have to wait until I actually get up. Since I have a sick little boy who’s not sleeping well and I may very well be up at midnight, 2:00 and 4:00 a.m., I’m guessing it’ll go up around 7:00 or 7:30 (EST).

Sorry to not be more specific, but I did want to let you all know, so that you didn’t stay up until midnight, waiting for the post to show up on my blog.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Just a few housekeeping notes about the upcoming Spring Reading Thing (remember – it starts this Thursday!).

1. DO get your blog post written. Include the list of books you plan/hope to read this spring, and include a link back here, to Callapidder Days (preferably to the Spring Reading Thing post that goes up Thursday, but a general link to Callapidder Days would be fine). The Mr. Linky will go up Thursday morning (or Wednesday night, if I am really on the ball), and will remain open throughout the spring.

2. DO NOT add your name to the Mr. Linky before you have put up your post. 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 doing 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 Mr. Linky. Not because I’m mean (although I’m quite sure my 9-year-old would tell you that I am indeed mean at times). 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.

3. DO use the Mr. Linky to link directly to your Spring Reading Thing post, not just the main address (front page) of your blog. When you see the Mr. Linky here on Thursday, you’ll see a space 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.blogspot.com

You’d want something like this:

http://myniftyblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/spring-reading.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, 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 email me (there’s a link in my sidebar). I would be glad to help you and to get you signed up on the Mr. Linky 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 the Spring Reading Thing!

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Okay, now that all those nit-picky details are out of the way, you can get back to making your list. And I need to get back to making mine!

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but here it can be summed up in one word: “dreary.” Or maybe “gray.” Or “yucky.” Take your pick.

But this past Monday, we had a glimpse — just a hint — of Spring. The sun came out, the temperatures soared into the 60′s, and the birds flitted around our yard, scoping out potential nest-building sites. It doesn’t feel like it today, but I know that spring is indeed coming. And with spring, comes the:

Yes, it’s time for another reading challenge. If you were part of the past reading challenges here at Callapidder Days, you know what this is all about. If you’re new to this whole “reading challenge thing,” let me tell you.

Spring Reading Thing 2008 is simply an opportunity for you to set some reading goals, share them with the blogosphere, and work toward them this spring. Perhaps you want to add some variety to your fiction reading. Or maybe you’ve had very good intentions as far as reading that book on budgeting or marriage or starting a home business, but…you haven’t even cracked the cover yet. Some might want to read more with their children; others might feel guilty for never having read Wuthering Heights.

Or maybe you just love to read and want to share your reading list and check out everyone else’s.

If any of those situations resonate with you, then the Spring Reading Thing is for you!

A few more details:

Who: Anyone! Everyone! If you read, you can join Spring Reading Thing 2008.

What: Spring Reading Thing 2008 is a casual, low-pressure challenge. The point is simply to provide motivation to read, and to provide an opportunity to set some goals or structure for your personal (or family) reading. As a participant, all you’ll have to do is make a list of books you’d like to read (or books you’d like to finish!) this spring. We’ll share our goals with each other, and then share our experience and results when the challenge is over.

When: I bet you can guess: Spring 2008. The official dates are March 20th through June 19th.

Where: Here, and on blogs all over the blogosphere. I’ll put up a Mr. Linky on March 20th where everyone can submit a link to their own Spring Reading Thing 2008 blog post. All I ask is that you share your goals and list of books in your post, and that you include a link back to the post here that contains the Mr. Linky.

Why: Because I love reading, and I know many of you do, too. Because I enjoyed meandering from book to book all winter, but am ready to set some goals and work through those “I’ve been meaning to read that” books on my shelf. Because I love to see what everyone else is reading. Because it’s fun to read together. Because we can all use a little encouragement, motivation, and camaraderie in our reading adventures.

How: Spring Reading Thing 2008 starts in only two weeks, so start thinking about your goals now. Keep a list. Make a pile. Dig out the books that are under your bed. Visit the library. Pick up a coffee and browse the aisles at Barnes & Noble. Before long, you’ll have an idea of what you want to read this spring. Work on your post and then come back here on March 20th, ready to submit your link!

Other stuff:

*Make the challenge work for you. If you want to focus on non-fiction this spring, go for it. If you’d rather use the challenge to structure your family reading time, do it. If you only have three books on your list, don’t worry about it. If you get half-way through this spring and decide to change your whole list, that’s no problem. The point of the challenge is to give you a chance to set goals that you want to set. There’s no pressure, there’s no “minimum number of books.” Make a list that suits you and your current situation and goals, and join in!

*Do you like to write reviews? I’ll be setting up a post, complete with Mr. Linky, where you can post reviews of books you read as part of Spring Reading Thing 2008. I do request that you keep the reviews clean and family-friendly, and that you limit them to books you included as part of your goals. Book reviews are certainly not mandatory, so only do this if it’s something you enjoy.

*Giveaways! Naturally, there will be some giveaways as part of Spring Reading Thing 2008. I’ll be sending a $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com to one challenge participant (chosen at random). All you have to do to be eligible is post your Spring Reading Thing blog post (and put it on the Mr. Linky) by midnight (EST) on March 25th and then post a re-cap of your experience at the end of the challenge. Bethany House Publishers will also be providing books for me to give away. Check back here every Thursday beginning March 27th to see the giveaway of the week.

*Get the word out. Be sure to let your blog readers know about Spring Reading Thing 2008 so that they, too, can be part of the excitement. Feel free to grab the button from this post or from my sidebar and use it on your blog.

You might also want to check out past reading challenges, either to get some ideas for books you want to add to your own list, or to see how participants wrote their posts. Just look over in my sidebar for the section on previous reading challenges. You’ll find everything you need right there.

Well, you
better get started on your list. And I better get started on mine. I’ve got a book or two in mind, and I’m looking forward to deciding which other ones to include. Happy list-making!

In case you have any trouble “grabbing” the graphic/button, you can insert the following code in your sidebar and it should do the trick: