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Nerdfighters Blurbing Book Club!

2008-02-12 · Hank · watch on YouTube · Books & writing · announcement promotion

Hank argues that people lack reasons to read and that a sub-ten-word blurb is a better response to a book than a book report, and launches the Nerdfighting Blurbing Book Club: a book every two weeks, blurbs voted on, starting with Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting and haircut gag; the Christmas books from John, one passed on to a used bookstore

  • ★★ Hank tells John he finished the Christmas books John gave him and Katherine; he passed one ('Mouse' as heard) on through a used bookstore and may keep another to reread. (hedged) — 00:00:00 · Katherine Green, Christmas

00:00:32 — Not enough people read for lack of reasons; blurbs versus book reports

  • ★★★ Hank says he likes reading a lot and fears not enough people do, not because they don't want to but because they lack reasons to read. (hedged) — 00:00:32
  • ★★ Hank explains blurbs: new books are sent around, review outlets review them, and authors like John write a very short sentence capturing the book's essence. — 00:00:32
  • ★★★ Hank calls book reports lame: students write about the author and what others say about the book rather than what they think of it. — 00:01:02
  • ★★★ Hank proposes that instead of book reports everyone write a sentence under ten words capturing a book's essence, which he finds more useful, harder and a way to see what is unique in a book. — 00:01:02

00:01:31 — The Nerdfighting Blurbing Book Club: rules, first book 13 Little Blue Envelopes, poll and prizes, where to buy; sign-off

  • ★★★ Hank launches the Nerdfighting Blurbing Book Club: the brothers and participating Nerdfighters read a book every two weeks and each writes a blurb of ten words or less. — 00:01:31 · Blurbing Book Club, Nerdfighteria > «I guess it's the Nerdfighting Blurbing Book Club.»
  • ★★★ Hank picks Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes as the first book, fitting since it is a Nerdfighter's book. (hedged) — 00:02:00 · Maureen Johnson
  • ★★★ Hank asks readers to post their blurb in a blog post and send it to him; he will set up a poll, and the winner gets a free Nerdfighter t-shirt and their face saying the blurb on the Vlogbrothers channel. — 00:02:00 · Blurbing Book Club, Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ Hank encourages everyone to buy 13 Little Blue Envelopes, wherever books are sold or via the link on nerdfighters.com, and start reading it as he is. — 00:02:46 · nerdfighters.com

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