Kate's Response:

This whole thing started when I pointed out that Rob was hoarding books that I had given him, and told him he needed to learn how to read faster in order to finish all the books he had in his to-read pile.  This somehow evolved into "let's see who can read more books/pages in 2012." 

Rob, not being a competitive person at all, immediately set up a blog, sent me four emails worth of various rules, and dubbed the challenge "Geek Throwdown."

Unfortunately he doesn't know what he's up against; so far in our "preseason" I have crushed him like a true book club (aka) English major.  3 days, 600 pages.

Here is my plan:

Strengths: English Degree.  A superhuman ability to read lighting fast and still comprehend the book.  Ability to understand "serious literature" while some inferior readers stick to historically inaccurate narrative cinder blocks, that is, when they're not reading science fiction.  Lives in Clayton, where there is even less to do than in Boone, other than read, of course.

Weaknesses: Pesky kayak and music habits that sometimes interfere with reading time.  Friends.  Commitment to reading real books with literary value.

Tactics: Cormac McCarthy.  Distracting Rob with social media and ideas to "improve the blog."  Reading good books like those that have won the Pulitzer and National Book Award that suck me in.

Strategy: Win like I always do, tapping into fierce competitive streak that will keep me awake until I have consumed more pages than the enemy.  Keep living in Clayton, where after sleeping, eating going to the gym, reading is pretty much the only other available option.

Let the games begin!

The Opening Salvo:

Wow. This may be the dorkiest double dog dare of all time. 

In 2010 I set a ridiculous goal of reading 20,000 pages; I hit my mark by the end of September and, with a glorious fist-pump, stopped counting. I thought this was a pretty spectacular accomplishment... until people around me pointed out a few relevant facts. I resembled something Van Helsing would spend his free time hunting down, certain 'social skills' were lacking or absent, and my sweat held the faint aroma of espresso beans.

I've always wanted to be an endurance athlete. 

So the story so far goes something like this - I don't trash-talk about reading all that much. On the other hand, I am easily suckered into pointless intellectual debates. One of my coworkers and friends falsely believes she is capable of matching my voracious consumption of books this year. I quite correctly know that when the last page falls on December 31st, 2012, I will be the undisputed victor. 

As long as we're maintaining this farce, though, here are my stats: 

Strengths: Eight years of age and experience, an autistic-like knowledge of authors and novels, a love of history (history = volume), intuition, coffee. 

Weaknesses: Becomes picky and childish about what to read next, snobbery toward popular authors, complete lack of book-monogamy, Mass Effect 3 in March. 

Strategy: Rely on consistency through massive volumes of history, Neal Stephenson and other wordy authors I can burn through quickly, use of sabotage. 

Tactics: String along several long books without completing them until Spring, then pile on a soul-crushing page count all at once. Marathon sessions of historical fiction. 

Predictions: I know that Kate leans toward serious literature, which will give me the advantage over the long run as I stack thousands of pages of narrative fiction; she's also going to spend more time talking smack than logging pages. I suffer from serious book malaise and a lack of good bookstores nearby which may threaten my competitive efficiency. In the end, though, I'm betting I win by at least 1,000 pages.