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Should you have any questions about our Winter Reading Challenge 2023/2024, please post below and one of us will get back to you.

A question came up from someone, and I feel it a very fair question!

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Question: I want to sign up for this, but how do I do it? How do I sign up and how do I edit my post to add in the books that I've read? What if I want my edited post to be more than just a link?

Answer: The first part is easy! Just write, underneath the initial post here, "I pledge to read four (or whatever number you choose) books!"

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Part 2 of the Answer:

Later on, when you have read a book and want to add it into your pledge as one of the number which you said you'd do, click on the 'Edit' icon. Look to the upper right of your post (where it is shown in most browsers) -- you see a picture of a pencil? Move your mouse over it and it says "Edit post". Click that. Your post will show up in a different window, into which you will then write in the title and author of the book you read and where to find the post in which you wrote about it. When you are done with your edit, click 'Preview' and read how it will look when it goes live. If you like what you read, then click 'Submit'. Voila! You have edited your post.

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Part 3 of the Answer:
Putting in a plain link going to your review is fine. However, if you want to add in a bit more polish to your post, you can do some coding.
For example, here is a pledge and coding bit I did for a reading challenge a few years ago:

I pledge to read 5 books.

1. The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
2. The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan
3. The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
4. The Princess Bride - A Celebration - by Universe Publishing
5. Going Postal - by Terry Pratchett

The coding for that is such: You can type in the coding, or use the link icon (between the image icon and the color icon in the tool bar above your words), plop in the URL (the http part, picking it up with Control C and putting it into the link with Control V) from your review post, and then insert the name of the book in the 'URL text' place. Be sure to Preview your edit, and check to make sure that the link reads correctly and that it takes whoever clicks it 'to' your book review. Then click 'Submit'.

Ta da! You've edited your post. Now on to the next book!

Question:
May I use a book I'm already reading for this challenge?

Answer:
If you have only read a few pages of the book, sure. Don't use a book for this challenge which you have already read, or have read most of. For the Winter Reading Challenge 2023/2024, you need to start a book, and finish it, within the time frame of the activity. (It is perfectly fine to re-read a book, though! You just need to re-read it between December 2nd and January 20th.)

Thank you for asking.

Note: The key phrase for the criteria of 'when' a book is read is here: "Below you post a pledge for the number of books you realistically think you will read between December 2nd (2023) and January 20th (2024)."

Hi, I have a question:

Does a book of poetry count towards the reading challenge?

Viviana Kingston wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 3:53 am Hi, I have a question:

Does a book of poetry count towards the reading challenge?

Hi Viviana

Thank you for asking. The short answer is 'yes, if other criteria is met'.

This challenge is to encourage people to read books - a Winter Reading Challenge.

I double checked what is considered the basic word count for something to qualify as a book.

Generally speaking, having around 40,000 words can be deemed to be a 'book' but more usually, 50,000 words are considered the minimum length if a piece of writing is to be regarded as a book. (Consider Nanowrimo, where the challenge is to write a story with a minimum of 50,000 words ... )

Going into more detail, a short story has between 1,000 and 10,000 words. More than 10,000 words is called a novelette, then comes a novella, then a 'book'. Yes, there are books which do not have 50,000 words, and are regarded as books and have been counted in similar reading challenges. That said, those shorter 'books' are exceptions to the general rule.

So, something for you to check out. How many words are in your book of poems?

An example a collection of poetry, which would be considered as a 'book' for this challenge, is Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. It has approximately 112,000 words. Yes, there are other books of poetry which would qualify; that's just the first one that came to mind, and I checked out its word count.

If you have any doubt whether or not your book of poetry would count for the challenge, please check with me with a Forum PM and I can check it out for you.

Again, thank you for asking.

Thank you, Professor!