Scholastic Prize Pack Winner!

It's time to choose the winner of the Scholastic prize pack giveaway - a stack of fun books for the tween reader in your life:

And that winner is:

Janilee

Congrats, Janilee!  I've sent you an email and sent your mailing info on to the publisher to get this package on its way!  

Thanks everyone for entering and a big thanks to Big Honcho Media and Scholastic for letting me host the giveaway!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Listless Monday, Christmas Edition

Listless Monday was inspired by both Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity's feature Books by Theme and Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf's Listed feature.  Be sure to check out their lists!

I've noticed in my own Christmas reading (which seems to rarely happen around Christmas) that kids books are always way better than adult books.  You'll notice that reflected in this list, which is by no means anywhere near complete.  

Christmas Books

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck (suggested by Des)
Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic Film by Jean Shepherd
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss 
It's Christmas, David! by David Shannon 
Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle (suggested by Court)
Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies (suggested by Tina)
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Shulz
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott (suggested by Court)
The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt

Please share your favorite Christmas/holiday books!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

A Challenging New Year

I've been feeling a bit sad since I haven't seen anyone pick up the 100+ reading challenge that J.Kaye used to host.  However, I think I'll still challenge myself to read 150 books next year.  And, since I've got some ambition right now, I'm signing up for a few other challenges as well:

First up, I'm joining Kristi of The Story Siren's 2011 Debut Author Challenge, wherein I will try to read 15 debut titles next year:
[Read in 2010, but released in 2011: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand]
1. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
2. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
3. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
4. Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
5. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
6. Divergent by Veronica Roth
7. Possession by Elana Johnson
8. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
9. Entwined by Heather Dixon
10. Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
11. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
12. The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante
13. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
14. Abby Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power by David Pogue
15. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini 
16. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
17. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
18. Populazzi by Elise Allen 
19. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
20. Clarity by Kim Harrington
21. Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
22. Wildwood by Colin Meloy

Next, I'm signing up for the Middle Grade Book Challenge hosted at Cindy's Love of Books, cause I love me some MG.  Technically it started in September, but I'll start counting in January (yeah for Cybils).  I'm going for 15 on this one too: 
1. The Shadows by Jacqueline West
2. The Magnificent 12: The Call by Michael Grant
3. Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon
4. Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs by Ursula Vernon
5. Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
6. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
7. Reckless by Cornelia Funke
8. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
9. The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham
10. Keeper by Kathi Appelt
11. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
12. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
13. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
14. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
15. The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
16. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck (audio)
17. No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
18. Under the Green Hill by Laura L. Sullivan
19. Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
20. The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
21. Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry 
22. Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson   
23. What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb 
24. Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis 
25. Abby Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power by David Pogue
26. Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
27. Radiance by Alyson Noel
28. Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti
29. Cahoots by Karla Oceanak
30. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
31. The Lost Heiress by Catherine Fisher
32. The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud 
33. The Giver by Lois Lowry 
34. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
35. Big Nate Strikes Again by Lincoln Peirce
36. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
37. The Flintheart by Katherine and John Paterson
38. Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan Jacobson
39. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
40. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
41. With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
42. Wildwood by Colin Meloy
43. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
44. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
45. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
46. The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman by Ben H. Winters
47. Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

I'm also doing the YA Historical Fiction Challenge, hosted by YA Bliss, because I definitely need to read more historical fiction.  I'm shooting for level 2, which is 10 books: 
1. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
2. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
3. The River Between Us by Richard Peck
4. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
6. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
7. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
8. With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
9. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
10. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
11. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
12. This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
13. Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

And then I'm doing the e-book Reading Challenge, hosted by The Ladybug Reads and aiming for the addicted level, 12 e-books:
1. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
2. Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
3. Outside In by Maria V. Snyder
4. Red Glove by Holly Black
5. Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
6. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
7. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
8. The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
9. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
10. Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef
11. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
12. Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
13. Moon Shot by Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, and Jay Barbree
14. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
15. Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
16. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
17. Vanish by Sophie Jordan
18. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
19. Slayers by C.J. Hill
20. He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott

And of course I'll still be working away at the Local Author Challenge, which is a perpetual challenge.   So I guess I'll be pretty busy all year round.  Here's to a year of reading!

Any challenges you HAD to sign up for?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage