Winner! "Girls Who Could Definitely Kick My Butt" ARC Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Using a random generator (random.org), the official winner of the "Girls Who Could Definitely Kick My Butt" ARC giveaway was determined to be...

Christina!!

Congrats again! I have emailed you directly, so as soon as you get back to me with an address I will get all three awesome ARCs into the mail on their way to you!

The 2010 Debut Author Challenge

What is the 2010 Debut Author Challenge?

Having looked at the amazing list of debut books being published in 2010 and realizing that I really want to read a lot of them, I decided to join The Story Siren's 2010 Debut Author Challenge.

The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year. Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site. The challenge will run from January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. You can join at anytime!

I am challenging myself to read at least 12 debut books this year, including the following books. Once I read a book, I will link to its review.

1. Manifest by Artist Arthur
2. Matched by Ally Condie
3. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
4. Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher
5. Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
6. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
7. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
8. Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White
9. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
10. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
11. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
12. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
13. Firespell by Chloe Neill
14. Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
15. A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee
16. Dark Life by Kat Falls
17. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan
18. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
19. Jane by April Lindner
20. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
21. Mistwood by Leah Cypess
22. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
23. Infinity: Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon
24. The Karma Club by Jessica Brody
25. Deception by Lee Nichols
26. The Unidentified by Rae Mariz
27. Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meany

Tween Tuesday - The Goose Girl

The Goose Girl
by Shannon Hale
Books of Bayern, book one

On her way to marry a prince she has never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers.

*sigh* When I finished this beautifully written tale, all I could do was sigh...and then immediately plan when I could read book two, Enna Burning. Shannon Hale is a Master when it comes to fairytale based storytelling. Her books are phenomenal and The Goose Girl is the best I've read yet.

Hale took a little known Grimm tale and fleshed it out in a heartwarming and compelling way. Princess Anidori, Ani, who later becomes Isi, is a girl that immediately pulled on my heartstrings. She doesn't want the spotlight of being Crown Princess, yet when her birthright is denied her, she learns who she truly is, and finds that that is a much stronger person than she'd ever thought.

Her relationships with the people around her are real, fully imagined, and totally believable. The fact that others can see her goodness and true royalty when even she can't, brought tears to my eyes in a few places. The bad guys are truly bad and the good Prince is well worth loving.

*sigh* I LOVED IT. I can't say much more....