Christmas is right around the corner; snow is blanketing large chunks of the United States; and I’m curled up on the couch under a cozy afghan. Those are all signs that the Fall into Reading 2008 challenge has come to an end. Another clue is that my calender tells me today is the last day of fall.

I want to thank each person that participated in this year’s challenge. You spread the word, you posted your lists, and you shared your enthusiasm for reading — all of which made the challenge fun. And in case you weren’t watching the list, it kept growing and growing throughout the fall—we ended up with 286 participants!

Now that we’ve reached the end, I’d love to hear how the challenge went for you. I hope you’ll take the time to write a wrap-up post and link to it using the Mr. Linky below.

Last weekend, I offered some suggestions for what you might want to write in your wrap-up post, but of course, feel free to write it however you’d like. Once your post is up, come here and sign up on the Mr. Linky below. Don’t forget—include the URL to your wrap-up post, not just your general blog web address, to make it easy for people to find your post.

Also, if you have any final book reviews you’d like to post, I’ll leave the Mr. Linky on the Fall Into Reading Book Reviews post open for a few more days. (There are already more than 500 reviews up, so that post is a great resource if you’re trying to decide what to read next!)

And don’t forget…there’s still a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate up for grabs. To be eligible, please post your wrap-up post (and put it on the Mr. Linky) by midnight EST on December 24th to get your name in the drawing. I’ll announce the winner a few days after Christmas.

Thanks again to all the participants. I’ve enjoyed reading with you!

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Happy first day of fall, everyone! Is it feeling fall-like in your area? It was 80 degrees here yesterday, but I have a waffle-weave pullover or two just waiting for crisp-air delightfulness to show up. I’m sure it won’t be long.

In the meantime, we can start to celebrate fall by diving into the reading lists we’ve made for ourselves! If you need a quick refresher course on what Fall Into Reading 2008 is all about, here you go:

• Set some reading goals for fall, make a list of the books you’d like to read this season, and post it on your blog. [Note: If you don't have a blog, but would still like to participate, feel free to leave your list in a comment on this post.]

• You can choose any books you’d like, and as many (or as few) as you’d like. The point is simply to make some goals and enjoy the process of reading toward them. Read for pleasure, for inspiration, for education — whatever appeals to you this fall. The “rules” are flexible; do what works for you!

• Leave a link on the Mr. Linky below to your personal Fall Into Reading 2008 post. (Please do not put your name on the Mr. Linky before you have your post done, and please link directly to your Fall Into Reading post. If you don’t, your entry will be deleted. Read this post for more information.)

• Check out the lists of other participants. That can be almost as fun as the reading itself!

• If you like to write book reviews, go for it. I’ll put up a post later this week where you can link to your Fall Into Reading 2008 reviews, so we can keep them all in one place.

• Write a wrap-up post in December, letting us all know how you did, whether or not your reached your goals, which books you loved (or hated), etc.

Don’t forget – there’s also a prize available. One participant, chosen at random, will receive a $10 gift certificate from Amazon.com — to support your love of reading, of course! To be eligible for this prize, you’ll have to post a list on your blog of the books you’d like to read this fall (the cut-off for posting your list and adding your link here is this Wednesday, September 24th, at midnight) and then post your results at the end of the challenge (the challenge ends December 20th). That’s it!

[Note: Although there are cut-offs in order to be in the drawing for the prize, there is no cutoff for joining in the challenge. So spread the word, and sign up whenever you're ready!]

Don’t forget: I’ll also be holding weekly book giveaways here on Thursdays. You don’t even have to be participating in Fall Into Reading 2008 to sign up for those giveaways.

I’ve put a Mr. Linky below. Please enter your name and the link to your specific reading challenge post. People will want to stop by to see what you’re reading, and posting a link directly to your list will make it much easier for them to do so. (If you’re not sure how to do this, just email me; I’d be glad to help!)

Also, in your reading challenge post, please include a link back to this post so that others can check out all the participants.

Are you ready to read? I sure am. Happy fall reading, everybody!

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