“Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge Winners!!

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge
Apr 232014
 

2013finalistschallengeorigx250Another “Read ’em All” Challenge has come to an end. Whitney Awards will be handed out this weekend after the LDStorymakers Conference. There are 40 really great books by amazing authors that are awaiting the results of Whitney Academy voting.

I love reading Whitney finalists. Reading is the fun part. Voting, not so much. Each year, the voting becomes more difficult. Most times, my deliberations take days. As tortuous as voting is to me, the struggle to rate each book in a category is a sign that the quality of writing by LDS authors is continuing to improve in marvelous ways.

The “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge has been a lot of fun this year, especially collaborating with Karlene at the New LDS Fiction blog. The random drawings were fun to come up with and give away. We hope that those of you who participated enjoyed the “Read ’em All” Challenge as well.

What do you think? Should we do it again next year?

Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The winners of the Amazon Gift Card Grand Prizes are…

 

$75 Amazon Gift Card – ROBYN MATTHEWS!!!

&

$50 Amazon Gift Card – JORDAN MCCOLLUM!!!

 
Congratulations Robyn and Jordan! We will be in contact with you soon.

Thanks again to all of you who participated. If you’re going to be at the LDStorymakers Conference this year, be sure to say hello if you see me (Shanda), Sheila, or Mindy. We love to chat with our book-loving friends!

Last “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge Random Winner

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge
Apr 222014
 

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It’s time to announce the winner of the last “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge random drawing!

ReadEmAllfinaldrawingprizeIn honor of spring, I am giving away this cute flower pen and clipboard. And yes, I bought a set for me too. Just look how fun that little clipboard is! It would be perfect for To Do lists, or phone messages, or shopping lists, or decoration…

The winner also gets a couple of bags of candy because they will need something to supplement them after all the Easter candy is gone. ;)

And the winner is…..

LEXIE HOGAN!!!!

Congratulations, Lexie!

Thank you to everyone who signed up to participate in our “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge. We hope you had as much fun with it as we did.

We still have the two grand prizes to announce, so don’t go anywhere!

Karlene over at New LDS Fiction also gave away one final random prize on her blog today. Go check out what they won!

 

 

 

Another “Read ’em All” Random Weekly Winner!

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge
Apr 012014
 

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Happy April Fool’s Day!

Don’t worry, this isn’t a trick. We really are giving away another prize in the “Read ’em All” Challenge random weekly-ish drawings. Karlene over at New LDS Fiction gave away TWO Divergent prizes that looked really awesome, so now it’s LDSWBR’s turn.

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This week’s winner receives a pretty wire-bound journal, a color-coordinated pen that scrolls out to show the Articles of Faith, a wooden “Believe” tag, and a 9 oz. bag of their choice of candy (not pictured): either Heath Pieces, York Pieces, or Reese’s Pieces.

I wonder of those Heath Pieces are gluten-free.

It’s probably better if I don’t know. Then I won’t be tempted to keep those for myself.

And the winner is….

Julie Castro!!!

Congratulations, Julie! I will contact you by email to get your mailing info.

There are now less than two weeks left until the voting deadline for the Whitney Awards. Don’t worry if you don’t think you will be able to read them all. I still have one more prize to give away, and I think Karlene has another prize as well. Just read what you can in the next few weeks and you will still qualify for the weekly prizes.

Don’t get discouraged! It’s a lot of reading, and sometimes life gets in the way. We want to encourage you to do your best to finish either the Main or the Youth reading so you can at least vote for Best Novel in one of those categories. Your vote is important, even if you can only vote in a few categories.

It’s not too late to join the “Read ’em All” Challenge. Just go here to register and you could win one of the remaining weekly prizes.

Good luck, and happy reading!

Another “Read ’em All” Challenge Weekly Winner!

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge, Special Features
Mar 032014
 

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It’s time to announce another “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge weekly drawing winner!

This week’s prizes are totally awesome. I really mean that — I bought doubles of everything so I could have some for myself. :)

ReadEmAllPrize3The winner gets a mini Smashbook, which is so fun and actually has pages for tracking the books you read. Also included are two mini Smash pads that can be used to make lists or write quick notes and paste into your Smashbook. And because the winner will need a place to keep the Smash pads, some pens, and an extra glue stick so they can “Smash” on the go, I’m also giving away a handy pencil case that is so pretty it doesn’t even look like a pencil case.

You are eligible for these random drawings as soon as you register for the “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge. Remember to claim your points for each category as you finish reading for more chances to win the weekly drawings.

The winner of the Smashbook, Smashpads, and pretty purple pencil case (sorry, couldn’t resist that alliteration) is…..

Cathy Jeppsen!!!!

I will be notifying you by email to get your info. Congratulations!

In case you missed it, New LDS Fiction announced the second winner in our “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge weekly drawing HERE.

If you are a member of the Whitney Academy, it’s not too late to register for the “Read ’em All” 2013 Finalists Challenge. Go register HERE, then go to the “Read ’em All” Rafflecopter and start claiming points!

***You can also find a handy Whitney Reading widget on New LDS Fiction’s site HERE.***

Announcing the first “Read ’em All” Weekly Winner!

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge, Special Features
Feb 142014
 

read-em-all_prize1LDSWBR is excited to host the first “Read ’em All” Challenge weekly drawing. Yay!

In honor of today being Valentine’s Day, I have chosen to give the winner a lovely little sign to add to their home decor and a bag full of chocolate, specifically Dove dark chocolates and strawberry 3 Musketeers to munch on while finishing their Whitney reading. Yum!

Isn’t that a cute sign? Perfect for our giveaway. Hobby Lobby only had one left, or I would have picked up another for myself. (I should probably clarify here that the little black stand holding the sign is not included. That handy little thing is mine, but you can find them at Michaels I believe.)

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All you really do need is LOVE.

And books.

And chocolate, of course.

So, who gets all of this love and chocolate?

The winner of our first drawing is….

PEGGY EDDLEMAN!!!

Congratulations, Peggy! I will be contacting you via email soon.

Tune in next week for another “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge weekly drawing. Don’t forget to visit the “Read ’em All” Rafflecopter page every time you finish reading a category so you can get another entry into the weekly drawings!

Announcing the 2013 “Read ’em All” Finalists Challenge

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" Finalists Challenge, Special Features
Feb 062014
 

2013finalistschallengeorigFinalists 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.