OK, book geeks. Time to go hard. Show the full power of your bookish splendor. Monday is the first day of The Art of the Novella Reading Challenge for which I will be attempting to read all 42 books in the series by the end of August, and blog and tweet (#artofthenovella) about the experience as I go. I am almost certain to fail so in order to smooth my ruffled failure feathers, I am stocking up on wine as we speak. Which should also make my postings infinitely more readable than any sober renderings of my thoughts.
This drinking enhanced reading experience is also approved of by my sponsor, Melville House. I am not lying. Check this post today and remember to stop by there often to report your August libations.
Don't feel up to reading all the titles in one month? Try out one of these levels of participation:
- Curious – Read 1 novella
- Fascinated — Read 3 novellas
- Captivated – Read 6 novellas
- Passionate — Read 9 novellas
- Mesmerized – Read 15 novellas
- Obsessed – Read 21 novellas
- Fanatical – Read 27 novellas
- Unstoppable — Read 33 novellas
- Bibliomaniac — Read all 42 novellas
Some of you have left comments that you would like to participate, but do not have any of the books. What to do? Cheat. Read any edition at hand or in the library and post the Melville House cover on your blog. Who the hell will know the difference? This is about the reading experience. And the ridiculous fun of attempting them all. Not about whether or not you can currently afford the books. Although you should try at some point to acquire them because their loveliness will please your bookshelves. But you say that Melville House will be mad at me for saying this? Nonsense! They are big group of cheaters themselves. One of the Duel "novellas" is over 300 pages long. Novella? See? Big cheaters.
Tell me you are in for the fun?