Anyone else feeling a bit tired? Like 2023, good or bad, has taken all your energy? Maybe you feel a little anxious about the year ahead? If no, you’re probably already a master of self-care… but for the rest of us (your COYER hosts Berls, Michelle, Lillian and Stephanie included) it’s time to slow down and spend some time on self-care! Which is why COYER 2024 invites you to join us in committing to UNWIND in whatever way you choose – including enjoying some great books and an even more supportive community.
This year COYER will continue to be a 2 part challenge – a reading challenge and a community challenge – and, as always, the amount you do is 100% up to you. Do one challenge, do both, be all in, pick your favorite parts and ignore the rest – it’s a choose your own adventure, especially this year as we focus on self-care!
COYER Unwind – Reading is self-care
The reading challenge will continue to be run primarily by Michelle and will once again be broken into 4 chapters.
Chapter 1: Winter Rules from January – March
Chapter 1 will run January –March and will be a return to our strict rules for Winter:
- Every book you read MUST be in an electronic format – meaning eBook or Audiobook. It’s okay to start a book before January 1st, you must be less than half way for it to count then review it during COYER.
- The books must be FREE or NEARLY FREE! This includes review books, tour books, NetGalley, Edelweiss, etc. What’s nearly free? No more than $5 for eBooks and no more than $7.50 for Audiobooks (or the equivalent in your currency). Library books, borrowed books, or Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Prime books, and Audible Plus Catalog books do not qualify.
- Announce your participation! This can be a blog post (or if you don’t have a blog – Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, Hive, Instagram, TikTok, Goodreads, etc.) If you want to list books you would like to read, that’s great, but not necessary. The point is to let everyone know you’re committed to COYER Winter, maybe share some goals, and help spread the word. Not sure how to do your post? Check out this example from a previous COYER.
- Link up! Link that post (not just your blog homepage) to the linky below.
- Review & Link Reviews! Your review may be on your blog, Goodreads, etc. Link the review to the Review Linky (the same linky all year). When you post your review to the linky use the following format: Your Name @ Blog (if applicable): Book Title (e.g., “Michelle @ Because Reading: Twilight”).
- Follow & share reviews on Social Media. Use #COYER on your posts and look for others posting with the hashtag.
- Visit Each Other, Chat & Have Fun
Michelle will post the Chapter 1 winner March 20, 2024. Be sure to have your reviews on the linky by 12pm (noon) EST March 19th for them to be included in the Chapter 1 drawing. Any reviews entered after 12 noon March 19th will go to the Chapter 2 drawing. Keep following Chapter 1 rules through the end of March. Chapter 2 Rules will begin April 1.
Chapter 2: Spring Rules from April – June
Spring is going to be the same as in 2022, meaning the rules will get a little looser, without completing melting away. Your rules for the spring (beginning April 1) will be:
- Format doesn’t matter anymore. You can still read your eBooks and audiobooks, but now you can also read physical books.
- The books must be free or nearly free… This includes review books, tour books, NetGalley, Edelweiss, etc. What’s nearly free? No more than $3 for eBooks and no more than $5 for Audiobooks and physical books(or the equivalent in your currency). This time library books (including Amazon Prime books) and borrowed books count… but still no Kindle Unlimited/Audible Plus or books higher than $3.
- Announce your participation! This can be a blog post (or if you don’t have a blog – Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, Hive, Instagram, TikTok, Goodreads, etc.) If you want to list books you would like to read, that’s great, but not necessary. The point is to let everyone know you’re committed to COYER Spring, maybe share some goals, and help spread the word. Not sure how to do your post? Check out this example from a previous COYER.
- Link up! Link that post (not just your blog homepage) to the linky Michelle will share March 20th.
- Review & Link Reviews! Your review may be on your blog, Goodreads, etc. Link the review to the Review Linky (the same linky all year, but Michelle will start pulling winners after Winter reviews). When you post your review to the linky use the following format: Your Name @ Blog (if applicable): Book Title (e.g., “Michelle @ Because Reading: Twilight”).
- Follow & share reviews on Social Media. Use #COYER on your posts and look for posts with the hashtag.
- Visit Each Other, Chat & Have Fun.
Michelle will post the Spring winner and sign up for Summer on June 19th. Be sure to have your reviews on the linky by 12 noon EST June 18th for them to be included in the Spring drawing. Any reviews entered after 12 noon June 18th will go to the Summer drawing. Keep following Spring rules through the end of June. Summer Rules will begin July 1.
Chapter 3: Summer Rules from July – September
Like traditional COYER Summer it’s time to relax the rules all the way. Your rules for the Summer (beginning July 1) will be:
- Format doesn’t matter anymore. You can still read your eBooks and Audiobooks, but now you can also read physical books.
- Price doesn’t matter anymore. They can be free, they can be $50. They can be Kindle Unlimited, borrowed, etc.
- Announce your participation! This can be a blog post (or if you don’t have a blog – Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, Hive, Instagram, TikTok, Goodreads, etc) If you want to list books you would like to read, that’s great, but not necessary. The point is to let everyone know you’re committed to COYER Summer, maybe share some goals, and help spread the word. Not sure how to do your post? Check out this example from a previous COYER.
- Link up! Link that post (not just your blog homepage) to the linky Michelle will share June 23rd.
- Review & Link Reviews! Your review may be on your blog, Goodreads, etc. Link the review to the Review Linky (the same linky as Winter and Spring, but Michelle will start pulling winners after Spring reviews). When you post your review to the linky use the following format: Your Name @ Blog (if applicable): Book Title (e.g., “Michelle @ Because Reading: Twilight”).
- Follow & share reviews on Social Media. Use #COYER on your posts and look for posts with the hashtag.
- Visit Each Other, Chat & Have Fun!
Michelle will post the Summer winner and sign up for Fall on September 18th. Be sure to have your reviews on the linky by 12 noon EST September 17th for them to be included in the Summer drawing. Any reviews entered after 12 noon September 17th will go to the Fall drawing. Keep following Summer rules through the end of September. Fall Rules will begin October 1.
Chapter 4: Fall Rules from October – December
Like in previous years, Fall rules are where things get a little tighter. Unlike previous years, we’re not adding an additional challenge. It’s the end of the year – time to instead focus on stepping up that self-care that maybe has taken a beating over the previous 9 months. So these rules will look a lot like the spring rules:
- Format doesn’t matter anymore. You can still read your eBooks and audiobooks, but now you can also read physical books.
- The books must be free or nearly free… This includes review books, tour books, NetGalley, Edelweiss, etc. What’s nearly free? No more than $5 for eBooks and no more than $7.50 for Audiobooks (or the equivalent in your currency). This time library books (including Amazon Prime books) and borrowed books count… but still no Kindle Unlimited/Audible Plus or books higher than $3.
- Announce your participation! This can be a blog post (or if you don’t have a blog – Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon, Hive, Instagram, TikTok, Goodreads, etc.) If you want to list books you would like to read, that’s great, but not necessary. The point is to let everyone know you’re committed to COYER Spring, maybe share some goals, and help spread the word. Not sure how to do your post? Check out this example from a previous COYER.
- Link up! Link that post (not just your blog homepage) to the linky Michelle will share March 20th.
- Review & Link Reviews! Your review may be on your blog, Goodreads, etc. Link the review to the Review Linky (the same linky all year, but Michelle will start pulling winners after Winter reviews). When you post your review to the linky use the following format: Your Name @ Blog (if applicable): Book Title (e.g., “Michelle @ Because Reading: Twilight”).
- Follow & share reviews on Social Media. Use #COYER on your posts and look for posts with the hashtag.
- Visit Each Other, Chat & Have Fun.
Michelle will post the Chapter 4 winner January 1, 2025. Be sure to have your reviews on the linky by 12pm (noon) EST December 31st for them to be included in the Chapter 4 drawing.
COYER Community – Let’s work on our “Woosah” in 2024
We love the COYER Community and the way it has grown to be something unique and separate from the initial reading challenge. There are lots of elements to COYER Community. You can do as many or as few of the pieces as you would like (or none and just do COYER Seasons). This year some of our weekly posts will be changed up a bit to help us all with focusing on the goal of COYER 2024 – to Unwind!!
The Community Semesters
Unlike the last two years, COYER Community will have 4 Semesters, 3 months each, aligned with COYER Chapters.
- January – March: Semester 1
- April – June: Semester 2
- July – September: Semester 3
- There will be a bonus point opportunity running this entire semester. Hosted by Books of My Heart & Angel’s Book Nook, check out Library Love Bingo Challenge (post will be live June 30th). They will have their own prizes but participation earns you a point on the COYER Rafflecopter as well.
- October – December: Semester 4
Everything for the community will be points on a Rafflecopter(opening January 1st). At the end of each Semester, a winner will be randomly selected on the Rafflecopter for a $5 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The first day of each Semester a host will share the Rafflecopter for the next season. We will announce a winner of the previous Semester on the 8th day of the new Semester. This means that all entries for the Semester must be in the Rafflecopter by 11:59 PM EST on the 7th day of the new month. Each season will have a new Rafflecopter which will be announced in the Facebook group and will also always be available at Because Challenges.
Sign Up
To sign up for COYER Community, all you have to do is join the COYER Facebook Group. If you’re in the group, you’re eligible to participate. It’s also where all announcements and activities will be posted.
What’s on the Rafflecopter?
Every semester the same items will be on the Rafflecopter. Watch for posts from Berls, Michelle, Lillian, and Stephanie. Participate in as many of the following items as you’d like to rack up your points:
- Buddy Reading. When you read a book with a COYER buddy, you can link the review to the Rafflecopter and earn a point. It also meets the COYER seasonal rules, go ahead and link the review to that linky as well. Just be sure to mention your buddy and their rating in your review. Tune in on Buddy Reading Wednesday or the Buddy Reading Chat for help finding a buddy!
- DEAR Participation. DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) with us 4 times in a month to earn a point. Here’s the DEAR Schedule (which will remain the same all year):
- Tuesdays and Thursdays:
- 7 pm EST / 6 pm CST / 4pm PST
- 9 pm EST / 7 pm CST / 5pm PST
- Saturdays:
- 5 am EST / 4 am CST / 2 am PST
- 11 am EST / 10 am CST / 8 am PST
- 4 pm EST / 3 pm CST / 1 pm PST
- 9 pm EST / 8 pm CST / 6 pm PST
- Tuesdays and Thursdays:
- Read-a-thons. Each book you read for each read-a-thon will count as a point on the Rafflecopter. As always, Michelle will post a sign-up and closing post in the Facebook group. For those that like to plan, here’s when you’ll get the list of each semester’s read-a-thons (1 per month):
- Sunday December 17th look for a Facebook post with a list of read-a-thons for Semester 1
- Sunday March 17th look for a Facebook post with a list of read-a-thons for Semester 2
- Sunday June 16th look for a Facebook post with a list of read-a-thons for Semester 3
- Sunday September 15th look for a Facebook post with a list of read-a-thons for Semester 4
- Can You Read a Series in a Month? (#SIAM). Michelle and Berls will continue to host SIAM once per semester. This is a challenge you can participate in even if you are not doing COYER Community, but COYER Community participants will get a bonus point for successfully completing the challenge. This year look for SIAM in:
- Chapter 1: February
- Chapter 2: May
- Chapter 3: August
- Chapter 4: November
- Book Club. Book club is getting a bit of a shake up this year, as we want to reduce the pressure on both members and hosts. Instead of book club every other month, we’ll have book club once per Chapter, for Chapters 1, 2 and 3. For Chapter 4, we’ll be having a holiday party in lieu of book club. Book club will always be held on either the penultimate or final Sunday of the month, at 4pm EST/ 3pm CST / 1pm PST. Here’s what you can expect:
- March book club with Lillian: Book selection (genre, recommendations, and voting) will happen in January with book announcement the first week of February. The invite will include the March date for book club.
- June book club with Lillian: Book selection (genre, recommendations, and voting) will happen in April with book announcement the first week of May. The invite will include the June date for book club.
- September book club with Stephanie: Book selection (genre, recommendations, and voting) will happen in July with book announcement the first week of August. The invite will include the September date for book club.
- December holiday party with Berls: Invite with holiday party details and date/time voting will occur in October. The final details will be announced the first week of December, with holiday party occurring on Google Meetups in December on the date selected by popular vote.
- Read Along Chats with Berls. Anne @ Books of My Heart is hosting her yearly Read Along again and COYER is continuing to tag along! in 2024 Anne has selected two series, the first being White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland. See her post for all the details and to announce your participation! We will update you once she’s officially announced plans for the second series, to begin in July. The Sunday following each book’s review, we will have a 1 hour chat about the book at 3pm EST. We will continue our chat in FB Messenger. In addition, we’ll have a recommended reading schedule for slower readers, medium paced readers, and fast readers to stay on track and hopefully find similar speed reading buddies. Here is the chat schedule for January – June 2o24:
- January 21st: My Life as a White Trash Zombie
- February 18th: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues
- March 17th: White Trash Zombie Apocalypse
- April 21st: How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back
- May 19th: White Trash Zombie Gone Wild
- June 23rd: White Trash Zombie Unchained
- Post 5 review links to the COYER Unwind Linky. Each community semester, if you post 5 review links to the COYER Unwind linky, you’ll get a point for supporting the community by reviewing books. You can complete this 1 time per semester.
- Visit and comment on 10 reviews from the COYER Unwind Linky. Each community semester, if you comment on 10 reviews from the COYER Unwind linky, you’ll get a point for supporting the community by visiting reviews. You can complete this daily.
- Top 10 group contributors. Every month, Berls will announce the top 10 contributors in the Facebook group (aggregated by Facebook based on number of comments in a 28 day period). If you’re in the top 10 for that month, you’ll get a point for that month. So commenting on posts and replying to other community members pays off.
For all these items, you only get the point if you log in it in Rafflecopter, so be sure to log it by the end of each semester!
It’s time to sign up for Chapter 1: Winter Rules from January – March
If you’re going to be joining in for COYER Seasons Winter, follow the instructions above and link up your sign up post below!
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