Feb 17 2008
Dear Author Takes Up Harlequin’s Reading Challenge. Who’s With Us?
Last week, Harlequin sent bloggers an email letting us know about the Harlequin reading challenge. If readers read and blog about 100,000 books in 2008, Harlequin will donate 100,000 books to the National Center for Family Literacy, a donation valued at approximately $700,000.00 US.
In the comments, many expressed a desire to participate. Here are the rules:
- You must sign up for an account at Harlequin.
- One half of the books you read/blog about must be Harlequin books.
- The books, both the Harlequin books and books by other publishers, can be of any publication date.
- You can review/blog about a book no matter the format: e-format, audio format, printed format.
I am going to do this and Robin aka Janet has agreed. I am sure that Jayne won’t mind me re-posting her reviews (she does alot of NEXT reviews). We can blog as a team merely by putting the team name in the “tags” area.
I also will open a special page here at Dear Author that will republish all the reviews that are posted under the team name. It will be updated on a weekly basis.
So all we need to do is a) pick a name and b) start reading and blogging. Drop your name suggestion in the comments. We thought it would be fun to pick something that would be a riff on the Harlequin Presents’ title. The poster who suggests the winning title as picked by the DA group will win a $10 Fictionwise gift certificate and we will also give away a $10 Fictionwise GC to a random commenter who pledges to participate in this challenge.
Send to Kindle
Feb 17, 2008 @ 07:23:45
I joined the challenge last week and put up a couple of reveiws already but I can edit those tags to include a group name. I read about 5 books a week, so count me in! :) As for a name, I was looking at the some of those presents titles and I give up on mirroring one of those. But I like “Romantic Reading Renegades” or the RRR for short!
Feb 17, 2008 @ 07:53:01
Presents? For Me?
Feb 17, 2008 @ 09:49:57
Name suggestions? Hmmm … how about these (some of which are admittedly lame):
Read, Review, Repeat
Dear Harlequin
Reading for Pleasure
Rising to the Challenge
The Harlequin Affair
Feb 17, 2008 @ 10:05:16
Well somebody’s got step up where the shrub fell down. Count me in.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 10:08:40
What happens if–more like, when–two or more people read the same book?
Feb 17, 2008 @ 10:11:04
Don’t forget my Harlequin Historicals too. And I’ve done some Blazes and Intrigues and Bombshells and Superromances…..
Come on people! It’s free books to teach the joy of reading.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 10:45:27
I like ‘Dear Harlequin’ like Jennifer suggested. :)
Feb 17, 2008 @ 10:58:09
I like “The Harlequin Affair,” or “Dear Harlequin.” I think we can add Teach Me Tonight to the list–I’ve got one Harlequin commentary in Drafts that I just haven’t finished.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 11:09:50
I signed up.
The Billionaire’s Virgin Bloggers
The Tycoon’s Defiant Readers
Blackmailed Into His Books
Feb 17, 2008 @ 11:37:29
I’m going to re-enter my totally cheesy title suggestions:
The Billionaire’s Secret Babes.
At least I think that’s what it was, lol.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 11:56:08
Maybe Jane could re-post my reviews of Megan Hart’s Spice books and Anne Stuart’s books if MIRA counts too. Oh, and my review of Seidel’s Don’t Forget to Smile. That was published by a Harlequin imprint too, though it’s an older book. Are reviews of older books accepted?
Feb 17, 2008 @ 11:59:16
lol! I love that.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 11:59:53
I like Dear Harlequin. And I signed up. I read so much; I may as well do some good with it.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 12:06:18
How about
The DA Reader’s Literary Love Affair
Blackmailed Reviews
Bah, this is hard.
But I’ll play.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 12:11:16
Do HQN single titles count? I glommed a bunch of Mallery titles in a bundle a while back — the Buchanans I believe the series was called. I never reviewed any of them, while I enjoyed them a lot, so that’s four books right there.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 12:15:57
Ann, looks like HQNs count since they’re in the drop-down menu.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 12:25:23
I’ve already got my blog there and have reviewed one whole book for the year, LOL, so I’m in.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 12:41:29
I like “The Billionaire’s Secret Babes” too.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 12:44:29
Sure, when they have a Gay Romance category I will support them.
Till then, they do not want my business… fuck em.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 12:47:11
I’m a lurker, but I’d like to participate. I’ve just signed up on eHarlequin.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 13:23:31
Hmm… that’s odd. I already have a Harlequin account.
Weird.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 13:53:21
I’m in. I’ve been reading a ton of Harlequins these days, so I may as well put that to good use! I’ll go sign up …
I like Dear Harlequin.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 14:02:51
How about Harley Quinn Dears
Feb 17, 2008 @ 14:34:14
I am a lurker, too, and not the most fervent reviewer, but I sure would like to contribute some reviews now and then. Meljean, I absolutely LOVE your suggestions, especially Blackmailed Into His Books.
Here are my brainstorming results_
The Billionaire’s Reading Mistresses
The Sheikh’s Avid Readers
The Billionaire’s Forbidden Readers
The Sicilian’s Virgin Readers
Pregnant With His Books (ROFL)
Bedded For Books
Feb 17, 2008 @ 14:42:23
I’m in. I’ve read at least 30 Harlequins since the beginning of the year (I’m anally retentive about keeping a list of all the books I’ve read). I’ll start writing those reviews and will pos them when we have a team name.
My suggestion for a team name: The Billionaire Sheikh’s Secretaries
Feb 17, 2008 @ 15:23:56
Assuming I can ever wrap up the “homework” reading I have to do (long story – I’m moderating a romance novel panel in April), I’m in. And for a name – I still like The Virgin Secretaries although Janine’s Billionaire’s Secret Babes is pretty darn good…..
Feb 17, 2008 @ 15:29:41
I haven’t read a Harlequin, other than Brenda Jackson in a coon’s age. I suppose I can pick some up at the UBS, I’ve got plenty of credit there. If non-fiction counts, sign me up.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 15:35:09
Nooooooooo! My wallet (and bookshelves) would collapse. I spend more on books each month than I do on groceries. I’m tired of yakisoba.
Even though I won’t be participating in this challenge, I think Jennifer’s team name suggestion of Dear Harlequin is perfect.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 17:11:35
Bought by Harlequin
Bought for her Brain
Harlequin’s 100,000 Babes
We sign up/post reviews as individuals, or as a group? I feel dumb because I don’t get it.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 17:45:00
I’m in! I suck at names and titles, though.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 18:07:39
I’m with Jill Sorenson… each of us has go get an eHarlequin ‘blog’ account, and post reviews to it, but can ‘tag’ the reviews for the team? Or do we simply give Jane permission to repost our reviews to the team blog?
(I refuse to feel dumb)
Feb 17, 2008 @ 18:14:57
Let me email Harlequin and find out if it is okay to post reviews for others. i would think that as long as we maintain the 1:1 ratio of Harlequin to other reviews, we would be okay.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 18:41:06
Although I’m not entirely sure how this works (I’m with Jill and azteclady), I can offer some reviews.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 20:59:46
According to Harlequin, if I give out my username and password for my account, you all can use it but otherwise you should open your own account. The link is in the blog post.
If you do sign up, though, you’ll get a 10% MONTHLY discount.
Feb 17, 2008 @ 23:40:20
It would be great if Harlequin could allow users to assign their accounts to “teams.” Part of their promotion could include graphs on team stats (think Folding@Home).
Dear Author’s Harlequin Name | Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary
Feb 25, 2008 @ 12:00:51
[...] challenge group name. Robin picked it so we are giving away two GCs to random commenters from the previous post. Ann Bruce and Whey are the winners of our Fictionwise GCs. Please send me an email with the email [...]