The Canadian Book Challenge 3 - On your marks, get set, go eh!

From Canada Day to Canada Day, can you read and review at least 13 Canadian books?

Starting July 1st, 2009 and ending July 1st, 2010, I challenge Canadians and non-Canadians to read 13 or more Canadian books. Pick fiction, pick nonfiction, pick poetry, graphic novels, picture books, plays, etc-- if it's Canadian and if it's a book, it's in. What makes a book Canadian? Let's ask Doug Webster:

"A Canadian book is defined as a book written by Canadians and/or about Canadians."

What makes a Canadian?

"Canadian refers to someone born in or immigrated to Canada."

But you know, Doug Webster isn't related to that other Webster. He's just some guy from Scarborough. Besides, this is your challenge. You decide which books make the cut and which ones don't.

Okay, so you know you have to read Canadian, but which ones? It's entirely up to you. I can think of at least four Canadian authors, so you have a little choice. No, no, no, there are so many possibilities, this should be the fun part. Pick authors and books at random or theme your challenge should you be so inclined. I like to pick at least one book from each province and territory (it's where the magic number 13 came from), but some themes from other participants in the past have included a single author approach (ex. just Lucy Maud Montgomery or Robert Munsch books), a single province approach (ex. British Columbia or Quebec), a single gender (ex. wait, do you need an example for this, really?), and an ABM approach (i.e., just autobiographies, biographies, and memoirs). Of course, you could decide on an entirely different theme, or no theme at all. You do not have to decide ahead of time what books to read, but do so if it helps.

For those participants who have been here before, there will be some small changes. I know I promised major changes, but after formatting issues, I decided against an entirely separate Canadian Book Challenge blog. The biggest change you will notice is with the monthly updates. I cannot provide links to all the reviews this time around. As much as I enjoyed compiling all of the links in the past, it was getting way too time consuming for me, especially as we neared the 1000 mark. But I know the monthly updates were a highlight and I don't want to scrap them entirely so here's what we're going to do:

After each book you read, you review it online as always, whether it be on your blog, Chapters or Amazon, BookCrossing, or wherever. But, instead of emailing me to say you've reviewed it, simply go to my blog at the beginning of each month and leave a comment that includes your last month's links AND the number of books you've read for the challenge so far. Don't worry about forgetting to visit each month, if I have your email I'll send out reminders the day before, and if you still forget, just add them the following month.

Another small change involves the prizes. While I will still be offering prizes, there will be less of an emphasis on them and they won't come monthly. Instead, I'll be rewarding people for certain feats: the first to make it to 13, the one who reads the most poetry, and so on. See the "Canadian Book Challenge Prizes" post.

Optional: Once you've finished each book, consider trading it in for another Canadian book. For more details, go to the Trading Post.

If you wish to join The Canadian Book Challenge 3, email me (jmutford [at] hotmail {dot} com) with the subject header "Sign me up, please!" and let me know where you reside on the internet (your blog page, your Chapters profile page, your BookCrossing profile, etc).

Let's explore, celebrate and promote Canadian books!