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.

 

November Nomination Challenge: Enter to win one of two $25 Amazon Gift Cards!

 Posted by  Contests
Nov 142013
 

Whitney Nom Banner leaf lg flat

Nominate a Whitney and be entered to win
one of two $25 Amazon Gift Cards!

2013 is winding down and it’s time to get those last minute Whitney Award nominations in! Because we at NewLDSFiction.com and at LDSWomensBookReview.com love and support LDS fiction authors and the Whitney Awards, we’ve put together a fun little November Nomination Challenge to encourage everyone to nominate a qualifying book for a Whitney Award before the holidays get into full swing.

What’s a Whitney Award? It’s an annual award for novels written by LDS authors. Awards are given in eight different genre categories, plus three Best Novel categories. To be considered for an award, a book must be nominated by five readers.

Who can nominate a book for a Whitney Award? Almost anyone. You must be over 12 years old, have read the book, and not have any financial stake in the success of the book. (Example: Authors and publishers cannot nominate their own books, but their mothers can.)

Then what happens? Any book that receives five nominations is added to the genre list. Those books are read by a group of Whitney judges. The judges narrow the list down to five finalists, which are voted on by the entire Whitney Academy.

Are there other qualifications for the books? Nominees must be fiction, written by LDS authors, and published in 2013. (See the official Whitney Award fine print here and their FAQs page here.)

Looking for books that are qualified? Browse NewLDSFiction.com or click here for a list by author.

Here’s how the November Nomination Challenge works:

  • Nominations must be made November 15–30, 2013.
  • You must have read the book yourself and honestly believe it deserves a 4 or 5 star review to nominate it. This is NOT a “nominate your friends” contest. (We’re on the honor code here. Remember, we’re LDS and we believe in being honest…)
  • Click here to nominate the book. Then come back and enter the information in the Rafflecopter form below. One entry per title, limit six titles.
  • Earn extra entries by helping to spread the word. (You can do this once a day.)
    Use http://bit.ly/1iefolv to send friends to LDS Women’s Book Review
    Use http://bit.ly/1brxc69 to send friends to New LDS Fiction
    (Note: You must nominate at least one Whitney to unlock the Spread the Word entries.
  • Winners will be chosen at random the first week of December and announced on both sites.
  • The Rafflecopter form is the same on both sites, so you only need to input your entries at one site.
  •  See fine print and disclaimer for this contest below the Rafflecopter form

 

NovemberNominationChallenge

To win this card, enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*We will verify that a qualifying nomination was made before awarding the prizes, however, your privacy regarding what book(s) you nominated will be protected.

Disclaimer: As avid readers of LDS fiction, Karlene, Shanda, Sheila, Mindy and Hillary have votes on the Whitney Academy. However, this is our personal contribution to an organization we support. We have not been asked by the Whitney Awards to run this contest, nor have any prizes been provided for us. It’s all done on our time and our dime.

***NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins November 15, 2013 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight November 30, 2013 Mountain Time; to enter, read a book by an LDS author published in 2013 and, if you consider it a four or five star book worthy of Whitney Award consideration, nominate it using the nomination form on whitneyawards.com/wordpress, then return to either www.ldswomensbookreview.com orwww.newldsfiction.com and enter using the Rafflecopter form; additional entries may be allowed as per the Rafflecopter form; giveaway prizes are two (2) Amazon gift cards valued at $25 each; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review and NewLDSFiction.com are not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winners will be selected the first week of December 2013 by use of rafflecopter.com; winner will have until December 15, 2013 to claim their prize; if prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner selected; all prizes will be awarded; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review and NewLDSFiction.com the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog and the NewLDSFiction.com blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review and NewLDSFiction.com from any liability as a result of winning; email comments & questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.***

Podcast: 2011 Whitney Award Gala

 Posted by  2012 Podcasts, LDStorymakers & Whitney Awards, Podcasts, Special Features
May 112012
 

At the conclusion of the 2012 LDStorymakers Conference, we were able to attend the 2011 Whitney Award Gala on Saturday night. Sheila, Mindy and I had the honor of presenting the 2011 Whitney Award for General Fiction to Rachel Ann Nunes for her book, Before I Say Goodbye. After the Gala, Sheila and I interviewed several people, including Jack Weyland, Josi Kilpack, Tess Hilmo, Brandson Sanderson, Dan Wells, Stephanie Black, Rachel Ann Nunes, Gale Sears, Don Carey, and Kirk Shaw. Enjoy!

[podcast]http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/shows/2012-05-05/2011WhitneyAwardGala.mp3[/podcast]

Sister Weyland, Sheila, Jack Weyland, Shanda, Mindy

Sheila, Julie Wright, Mindy

Mindy, Stephanie Black, Sheila, Shanda, Tess Hilmo, Jenni James, Josi Kilpack (and that's Karen Hoover on the far left trying to sneak up on us. Nice try, sweetie!)

 

How to Read 35 Books in 81 Days and a Challenge

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" 2011 Finalists Challenge, Special Features
Feb 132012
 

 

Finalists for the 2011 Whitney Awards were announced on Friday, February 3, 2012. This means it’s time for us to announce the 2nd annual “Read ’em All” Challenge!

Our goal in issuing the “Read ’em All” 2011 Finalist Challenge is to encourage as many Whitney Academy members as possible to read all 35 Whitney Award Finalists and vote for Best Novel of the Year.

For this year’s “Read ’em All” Challenge we are offering a $50 Amazon gift card as a prize. In addition, we will hold mini challenges and weekend reading blitzes with a variety of prizes for those who take part.

What do you need to do to get in on all this prize-filled goodness?

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” 2011 Finalists Challenge.

How to Read 35 Books in 81 Days

From February 3, 2012 to April 23, 2012, I counted 81 days. That gives us 11 weeks to read 35 books. That averages out to just over 2 days a book. If you’ve already read several of the finalists, then you have even longer to read each of the remaining finalists.

For example, I had read 10 of the finalists as of February 3 when the finalists were announced, so I have just over 3 days to read each of the remaining 25 books. Here are the positives:

  • No 1,000 page books to try to finish before the voting deadline
  • Most of the Youth Fiction category books are shorter and will be very quick to finish. May be possible to knock out three or four over a weekend.
  • Almost all of the remaining finalists are high up on my to-read list, meaning that since I am looking forward to them I should hopefully be able to get them read quickly.

Whitney Reading Tips

After five 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 35 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.
Do you have any reading tips to share? What helps you get through a towering to-read pile? How do you handle reading with a deadline? Comment below and tell us how you survive Whitney Reading season. :)

 

 ***Don’t forget to go register for the “Read ’em All” Challenge!***

“Read ’em All” Challenge Kick-off Contest

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" 2010 Finalists Challenge, Contests, Special Features
Feb 082011
 

LDSWBR would like to kick off the “Read ’em All” 2010 Finalists Challenge with another contest.

For every five people who register for the Challenge between now and February 28th, we will draw a name for one of these handy and popular elastic bookmarks. There will be solid silver circles and other more masculine additions (we won’t call them “charms”) for the male participants.

After registering for the Challenge, you can earn extra entries by:

  • + 1 /day – Tweeting (include @ldswbr in your tweet so we can see it)
  • +5 – Blog about joining the Challenge & linking back to the LDSWBR blog (send us the link to your blog post)
  • +2 – Post on Facebook about joining the Challenge (send us the link to your Facebook post)

Please leave a comment letting us know how you entered along with any applicable links, or send an email with the same info to ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com so we can track all of your entries.

The drawing for the bookmarks will be held on March 1 and winners announced shortly thereafter. We are excited about the “Read ’em All” 2010 Finalists Challenge and hope you are, too. After all, $100 buys a lot of books!

Happy reading and good luck in the Challenge!

“Read ’em All” 2010 Finalists Challenge and Contest

 Posted by  "Read 'em All" 2010 Finalists Challenge, Special Features
Feb 072011
 
LDSWBR wants to give you a $100 Amazon gift card.

In honor of the recently announced 2010 Whitney Award finalists, LDS Women’s Book Review is sponsoring a “Read ’em All” 2010 Finalists Challenge for members of the Whitney Academy, as well as a Bonus Challenge for readers who are not part of the Whitney Academy but are still interested in reading all 2010 Whitney Award finalists.

In order to vote for Best Novel of the Year, Whitney Academy members must read all 35 finalists. That is no small task. LDSWBR is sponsoring the “Read ’em All” 2010 Finalists Challenge to encourage as many Whitney Academy members as possible to read all the finalists and vote for Best Novel of the Year. Continue reading »

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