Announcing the 2013 “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge

Finalists for the 2013 Whitney Awards have been announced!

This means it’s time for the 3rd annual “Read ’em All” Challenge! This year’s “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge is co-hosted by LDS Women’s Book Review and New LDS Fiction.

Our goal in issuing the “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge is to encourage as many Whitney Academy members as possible to read all 25 Whitney Award Finalists in the main categories and/or all 15 Whitney Award Finalists in the Youth categories, then vote for Best Novel of the Year and Best Novel in Youth Fiction.

For this year’s “Read ’em All” Challenge we are offering TWO Grand prizes, as well as some fun weekly prizes. The Grand prizes will be a $75 Amazon gift card for the winner of the drawing from names of those who complete the reading in the main categories and vote for Best Novel of the Year, and a $50 Amazon gift card for those who complete the reading in the youth categories and vote for Best Novel in Youth Fiction.

As we go along, LDSWBR and New LDS Fiction will be offering weekly reading prizes. For every category you read, visit THIS page on LDSWBR or THIS page on New LDS Fiction and click on the appropriate category in the Rafflecopter form. Each category you complete gains you another entry into the weekly drawings.

**How to enter the “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge**

First, you need to be a member of the Whitney Academy. Not a member? Click HERE to find out how to join.

Second, go HERE to register as a participant in the “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge.

Third, go to our “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge Rafflecopter page to get your entries into the drawings. Each category you finish gets you additional entries into the weekly drawings.

Whitney Reading Tips

After several years of Whitney reading, LDSWBR has learned a few tricks to help us finish as many books in as many categories as possible and we want to share them with you.

• Make a reading plan and set reading goals NOW. Time goes by fast, and it’s much more enjoyable to read without the pressure of a voting deadline that’s quickly approaching.

• If you work during the week, or are busy with home and family on weekdays, try to read one book during the week and two more on the weekend. Every minute of reading counts, so take that book with you everywhere!

• Start with the category(ies) you enjoy the most. You are more likely to finish those books quickly and put yourself ahead of schedule. If you don’t end up being able to finish all 15, 25, or 40 finalists, at least you’ll be able to vote in the categories that mean the most to you.

• Look at every book in each category on Goodreads or the library website to see if it is part of a series. You may want to read (or at least skim) the previous book(s) first, if you can. If not, at least you’ll know it’s part of a series and won’t be surprised that there is missing information when you read it later.

• NO TV! Okay, maybe “Castle.” He is an author, so that’s almost like reading, right?

• Reading during spare moments here and there helps, but be sure to schedule large chunks of reading time as often as you can. You can get through a book faster if you can get in the “groove” and stay in it.

• Some people swear by audiobooks, and if you spend most of your time moving from task to task with no time to sit, or have a long commute, audiobooks may be the way to go. However, most people can read a book in less time than it takes to listen to it, so take that into consideration as well.

• This last tip comes from the Whitney Committee: “Not every book is available in PDF, but a good amount of them are.  In the meantime, please consider requesting your local library order copies for their collections and letting you read them before they go into general circulation. You can also share copies with other Academy members.”

How do you handle reading with a deadline? Comment below and tell us how you survive Whitney Reading Season.