That's right, it's our very first challenge!
Is your TBR overflowing off your shelves? Have you vowed not to buy any books until you read the ones you already own? Did you just receive a lot of books over the holidays? Or maybe, like me, you just have page after page after page of books on your shelfari "Plans to Read" list. If you consider your TBR pile or list to be "overweight" this challenge is for you!*
Pages for Pounds is a fairly basic challenge. It's quite simple:
1. Take the books on your TBR list
2. Read them
3. Weigh the book using a kitchen scale or go to amazon.com and check the shipping weight.
4. Twice a month report the amount of weight you've read
5. At the end of the challenge see how much weight you've taken off your TBR pile!
See? Fairly simple.
You don't need to sign up for this challenge. You may join at any time. Pages for Pounds officially starts on January 1, 2009 and will end on February 28, 2009. The official winner is the member of The Challenged Reader who has lost the most weight during the challenge. Even if you aren't declared the winner you're still a winner to have tackled some weight from your TBR!
Throughout the challenge there may be occasional opportunities to lose some extra weight. I won't tell you how just yet, but you'll find out when these opportunities arise.
There will be check-ins twice a month to report your progress and for the admins. to tally up the pounds. Only report the books that are finished. If you're still reading a book save it until the next check-in. All books count. There isn't any specific criteria just read what you want to read and what's already on your TBR (or any new books you can't possible refrain from adding to your TBR). Since you don't need to sign up for this challenge whenever you join just post your results at the next check-in.
Please report the weight of the actual edition you read. If you read a hardback you can report the weight of the hardpack. If it's a paperback, or mass market edition report the weight of those particular books. Audiobooks count as well. For audiobooks the weight is the weight of the audibook itself. You can weight the audiobook in the case or use amazon.com. During the check-ins post if it was a hardback, paperback, mass market, audiobook, or electronic reader edition.
If you would like to keep a log of the books you read during this challenge you may do so. Just create a discussion with the title "(Your Name or Username)'s Pages for Pounds Log). You do not have to keep a log if you do not want to. Since all books qualify for this challenge and there won't be additional bonuses for reading certain books that wouldn't count previously, you don't have to keep a log, but anyone who wants to is encouraged to post one. As members post their results at the weigh-ins you'll be able to see all the books that everyone has read.
There won't be any prizes given to the winner, but you will receive bragging rights and if you have a blog or a webpage a special graphic to show off your dedication to reducing your TBR.
Any questions? Feel free to let us know!
EDITED on 12/31/08:
If you do NOT finish a book that you start during this challenge you may receive credit for it. After you have officially given up on the book post it at the next check-in. You didn't finish the book, but you did knock it off your TBR so it still counts. Just be sure to let us know at the weigh-in that it was unread. This is another way to lose a lot of weight! It's a good time to clean up those shelves and chuck the books you realize you no longer want to read. Unfinished books won't receive the full weight amount, but the percentage of the weight that you did read. If you read a quarter of a book you'll receive a quarter of the weight. Hey, that's still weight knocked off your TBR!
* Even if you don't consider your shelf or list to be overweight and, unlike a lot of us, are able to refrain from buying books that consume all your space, you may still participate in all the fun. =P
