Scavenger Hunt Book Club-- September

I love scavenger hunts, and thought it would be fun to try and find books that fit certain criteria—colors, words, symbols, images, etc. I will continue this swap with a different set of scavenger hunt items each month. I've had a lot of fun with these, and really appreciate everyone who has participated!!! :)

For this swap, you will send your partner a book, from your own collection or from a used bookstore, thrift shop, etc. that contains all three items from the following list. In honor of September and the kids being back in school (I feel like I should put “whew!” and a smiley face here, even though I don’t have kids… weird) ahem, this month’s clues are school-related…

1. THE THREE Rs—no, your books don’t have to be about readin’, ritin’, or ‘rithmetic, but they DO need to have three letter Rs within the title and/or author’s name. They can all be in the title (such as “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith), or spread out over the title and author’s name (such as “Thumbsucker” by Walter Kirn), or however you can work it. Extra credit for more than three Rs? Sure, why not?

2. ART CLASS- Your book must have some type of artwork on the spine. NOT just the publishing company’s insignia, but a smaller image or “snippet” of the cover art, or cover art that spills over onto the spine, etc.

3. LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE—Your book must contain at least one word in a language other than English.

Books can be any type or genre—fiction, biography, self-help, how-to, children’s, little “gifty” books, etc. Sender’s choice, but feel free to check your partner’s profile to get ideas or avoid specific dislikes. Books can and most likely will be used, but must be readable and clean. PLEASE include a note describing where all three items can be found (if it’s not obvious), and anything you’d like to add about the book, your reaction to it (if you've read it), etc.

To recap: you will have ONE partner and send them ONE book, but it needs to have all three scavenger hunt items represented in/on it (three Rs, art on spine, foreign language). Feel free to send Media Mail (within the US), particularly if your book is quite heavy, but do not include anything else in the package, other than the note (and maybe a bookmark) tucked inside the book! Unfortunately, I have to make this one US/Canada/Mexico only… mailing books overseas, especially heavy ones, can be super-expensive. :( But feel free to start an international version if you’d like!

The legal mumbo-jumbo: No recent ones or threes. Must have at least five RATED (with fives) snail mail swaps under your belt. At my discretion, I will also ban established swappers if they seem fishy, flaky, or have been known to create ongoing problems in the SHBC swaps or others.

It might be a good idea to have a book in mind before signing up... then, after partners are assigned, you can keep an eye out for something that might be more your partner's taste, if necessary. And if you're going to be late for any reason, PLEASE let both me and your partner know!!! Failing to do this will potentially ban you from future SHBC swaps.

Having said all that... let's scavenge! :)