2011 Debutante Event

Sorry I've been M.I.A. so long you've guys! I have no real excuse for you guys except... I couldn't blog because my dog ate my computer! Sad but true... (or not true, whatever :P). But I do have something very exciting to share with you guys!

This year Badass Bookie is hosting the 2011 Debutante Event!

What is the Debutante Event you may be wondering? Well, it runs from December 1st through the 25th and it features 2011 Debutante (New) Authors! Each author will be featured over two day time slots. The first day is for you to get to know the author and learn about their book and the second day is a GIVEAWAY! Think about how many giveaways you could enter over the course of the month? Oh yes, it is awesome! Now that you're interested you're probably wondering who the awesome Debutante authors are going to be! Well here's the schedule:

1st-2nd of Dec. - Julia Karr ( XVI)
3rd-4th of Dec - Amy Holder ( Lipstick Laws)
5th-6th of Dec - Carrie Harris ( Bad Taste In Boys)
7th-8th of Dec - Elana Johnson ( Possession)
9th-10th of Dec - Lia Habel ( Dearly, Departed)
11th-12th of Dec - Sara Bennett Wealer ( Rival)
13th-14th of Dec - Beth Revis ( Across the Universe)
15th-16th of Dec - Lisa and Lauren Roecker ( The Liar Society)
17th -18th of Dec - Kristi Cook ( Haven)
19th -20th of Dec - Cynthia Hand ( Unearthly)
21st-22nd of Dec - Kiki Hamilton ( The Faerie Ring)
23rd-24th of Dec - Lauren DeStefano ( Wither)
25th of Dec - Wrap up post

So as you can tell the 2011 Debutante Event is going to be made of awesome! I know that I'm more than a little excited for this thing to start! And a big thanks to Badass Bookie for hosting this amazing extravaganza!

IRON FEY NUMBER FOUR?!

Oh yes! You heard right! Today, Julie Kagawa announced on her blog that there will be a fourth book in her fabulous Iron Fey series that was once thought to be a trilogy. The Title will be The Iron Knight and it's going to be Ash's story! To my dismay, that was all the details provided. You can read her original post HERE. Harlequin Teen also posted about the upcoming book on their Facebook page: "The secret is out! The Iron Fey series will continuenext fall with The Iron Knight!" You can "like" Harlequin Teen (for picking up such a fabulous series) on Facebook HERE. Or you can check out The Iron Fey official website HERE.

Megan, Puck, and Ash as depicted in Julie Kawaga's Sims3 game.

Review: Paranormalcy

Title: Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)

Author: Kiersten White

Pages: 335

Publisher: Harper Teen

Published: August 31st, 2010

Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

"Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. "

Paranormalcy was quite a good book. I really loved the twist on the way paranormals were viewed. Normally you see one, maybe two types of paranormals and that's it. The main character Evie, a human but not really, wasn't even afraid of them, her job was to find them and tag them so that the International Paranormal Containment Agency knew of their existence and could control them so that no one else would find out about their existence. It was really cool how all of the different types of paranormals were shown. It really stuck to the original make up of the paranormals, vampires were scary, werewolves changed into beasts on the full moon, that kinda stuff. It was the paranormals that we love but better! In addition to the original paranormals there were some cool new hybrids thrown in there which was awesome to see something new!

Character wise I wasn't in love with Evie's character, I couldn't really connect with her in the book but she seemed to have her head on as straight as she could given the circumstances and she wasn't overly obnoxious. The other characters were great however. Reth, a faerie love interest, was exceptionally interesting, you never really knew where he stood until the end. Evie may not have been in love with him but I think I was! Lend was interesting because he started off a mystery but opened up gradually as he began to trust Evie. The best part about him though, he could look like anyone he wanted. He's one of those awesome new paranormals I mentioned!

Overall, it was pretty well written. A nice balance of action and love interest. Definitely a series I'll continue and most certainly a book I'd suggest!

*BTW The front cover is cool but the back is even more awesome!!!

Review: Salvaged

Title: Salvaged

Author: Stefne Miller

Pages: 352

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Published: May 18th, 2010

Rating: 5/5

Summary From Goodreads:

"My body was being torn apart, and my stomach felt as if it exploded. The pain was excruciating, and I was aware that I was dying...

'Mom?' My vision was murky, but I could see her face. It was bloody, and her eyes were large and full of fear.

Her voice calmed. 'Get out of the car, Attie.' Her words sounded crisp and clear.

I looked into the backseat in search of Melody and found her lying covered in blood in a twisted heap on the floor. I turned my attention back to my mother and out of the corner of my eye saw fire.

'Get out, Attie!'

'Mom?'

Everything went dark.

Attie Reed should have died in the wreck that stole the lives of her mother and best friend. But her life was spared. Why? When Attie moves to Oklahoma to stay with the Bennetts for the summer, she hopes she has left her nightmares behind. But her battle is far from over, and Riley Bennett steps forward to help her fight the nighttime monsters. As the battle wears on, Riley begins fighting monsters of his own: his feelings for Attie. And Attie realizes she must begin to face the monsters of the night herself if she wants to conquer them for good. Can Attie's life be Salvaged?"

Oh my goodness! I must say I am absolutely, positively, irrevocably in love with this book! It's the kind of book that you can just read over and over! It was so good I don't even know what to say about it!

The characters were great. The point of view switches back and forth from Attie and Riley which was awesome because you were able to see everything from two points of view. It really allowed the reader to get into their heads and you really got to know them. You were able to see how they hurt and the struggles they faced and the joy and love they had for each other. Attie and Riley both grew and changed throughout the novel and it was great to watch. They, along with their friends and families, were funny, serious, loving, and caring. They were all beautifully written characters that I wish I could meet in real life.

It was really great to read a book where God was a major part of the novel too. I feel that in books these days religion is throw aside, almost taboo to write about. It's very rare to get a book that mentions going to a church let alone has Jesus as a character! Salvaged had strong moral values which I really appreciate and added excellently to the novel. (I know not everyone is into religion but it was extremely tastefully written and I think anyone, no matter what their religious views, will loves this book!)

Salvage was a love story, a family drama, and the typical teen thing all rolled up into one. I definitely suggest this book to anyone looking for a good, powerful read. I don't mean to gush but it was one of the best books I think I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

Guest Blogger: My Hearts In Hardback

Today we are lucky enough to have Kailie Lynne from My Hearts In Hardback here with us to tell us about her 5 favorite books! Kailie's a new blogger so definitely check out her blog and maybe show some love by following! Now, here's her favorites:

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Hi everyone! I'm Kailie Lynne from My Hearts In Hardback. I'm guest posting for Monica today, and I will tell all you guys about my 5 all-time favorite novels.

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry: I don't usually read children's novels but I absolutely love this one! This is the book that made me love reading. Lois Lowry's books have a lot of suspense and adventure, but The Giver is her best book by far. No matter how old you are, you will definitely enjoy this book.

2. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti: This is by far the best book in the world! I love Susane Colasanti's books, but this one is probably my favorite. It has some intense parts, and then some romantic parts. I seriously finished it in like two days because I couldn't put it down.

3. Are You Alone On Purpose? by Nancy Werlin: This was also a great book. And again it's about teen love, and friendship. I haven't read any of Nancy's other books, but I already love her for this book. I can't wait to read Impossible and Extraordinary.

4. Take Me There by Susane Colasanti: Another Susane Colasanti book. (She's THAT good, lol.) I'm still reading this, but I only have about 2 chapters to go. What I'm trying to say is that this is a great book that I just love! Again, a teen romance novel. But what I like about this book is that there are different parts and every part is a different characters POV. If you like teen romance, you should pick up one of Susane Colasanti's books.

5. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech: This is again a great children's novel, but it is still a great book. This books is written in verse, like some of her other novels. But this one really gets to you, and the ending is amazing. I would recommend this to anyone.

Well I hope you like my guest post, and a BIG thanks to Monica for letting me be the guest blogger! Hope you get the chance to check out my blog! I'm a new blogger, so I don't know all the ropes yet, but I would love to hear any suggestions or feedback!

Lots of love!

-Kailie Lynne

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Thanks so much for the post Kailie! It was a pleasure having you! There's a few on that list I definitely can't wait to pick up!

Happy Reading Everyone!

NaNoWriMo!

Okay guys, it's official! I am signed up for NaNoWriMo! I'm not sure how this is going to go since I'm not much of a writer but I want to try anyway! I'll consider myself successful if I reach even 10,000 words this month let alone 50,000! Anyone interested in being my writing buddy my username is MonicaMash so hit me up? I don't know what writing buddies really do but I see everyone posting about it so hey I can too!

Review: My Soul to Take

Title: My Soul to Take
Author: Rachel Vincent

Pages: 279

Publisher: Harlequin

Published: August 1st 2009

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis From Goodreads:

"She doesn't see dead people, but…

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…"

My Soul to Take was okay as far as books go. The idea of the main character being a bean sidhe (aka banshee) was very refreshing. None of that vampire and werewolf stuff that's become so popular ever since Twilight hit the shelves. (Don't get me wrong, I fully support the vampire/werewolf books! It's just nice to read something different from time to time.) I liked that they really got into the details of bean sidhes because I didn't really know much about them. Like only the females can sing for deaths but the males can direct the souls back into the body. Another cool aspect was the involvement of reapers. There's a very cool reaper hierarchy set up among the reapers. Death is a very organised system, who knew?

Kaylee, the main character, I thought handled her gift very well. She wasn't obnoxious about it and she really wanted to do the right thing. I did find it weird how fast her relationship with Nash developed though. I mean, I realize book relationships happen in a matter of a chapter or two but I felt like theirs developed in a page or two and that they were really only together because of what the both were. I would have liked to get a better feel for their relationship.

As far as the writing, it wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it wasn't horrible either. It kept my attention while I was reading it but I could easily put it down and not come back to it for awhile. I didn't feel the need to keep reading like I normally do. Will I read the rest of the books in the series? Maybe if they're at the library. Would I suggest this book to someone? Maybe, depends on the person. It was certainly and easy read and it was interesting enough, not my first choice but not a bad choice.

Absolution Facebook Release Party!

I feel that you should all know the awesomeness of what is happening right now (as much as I may not want you to for my selfishness or wanting prizes!)! In case you weren't aware, today is the release of Absolution, the third book in Jennifer Laurens Heavenly Trilogy! To celebrate, Jennifer is hosting a a facebook party on her fan page! (Big link at bottom!) There are prizes every hour and the people there are so nice! So head on over and check it out!

If you haven't read Heavenly and Penitence yet, I strongly suggest you do. They are two of the best books I've ever read! Keep an eye out because my reviews along with an interview with Jennifer will be up this week!

Now for the links!

For those of you that don't know, I have finally go my facebook page up and you can friend me here: Monica Theramblingsofabookaddict

AND FOR THE PARTAY!

JENNIFER LAUREN'S OFFICIAL FAN PAGE - ABSOLUTION RELEASE PARTY!

So don't just sit there! Get the books and get to the party! I'm not sure when it ends so move your butts!

Preview Review: Injane

Title: Injane

Author: Douglas K. Pearson

Publiser: Pot-Boilers Publishing

Pages: 198

Summary from Goodreads:

Most people think I'm crazy because I see things they cannot. But if they saw the blood and the torture, or felt an ounce of the pain I feel, they would know I'm not insane. No one believes me and that makes me more alone than I feel. To those who meet me for the first time, I'm Jane; once they hear my one-sided conversations and terrified screams, they refer to me as Injane.

I was lucky enough to get to read the first chapter of this interesting book and I can honestly say it's pretty different than anything I've read before. But in a good way! Jane has a great voice! She's humorous and kind of dark at the same time. The concept is interesting too. Everyone thinks she's crazy because she sees light and dark figures and has conversations with them (these conversations however appear one sided to everyone else who can't see the figures, so yeah it makes sense that they think she's crazy). Jane's gone through twenty foster homes because of this. Her file is even marked "Mature themes. Not intended for young audiences." I'm pretty sure I don't have to say anything else because obviously by that line alone you know it's going to be a pretty awesome book! I personally can not wait to read the rest of this book and I suggest you guys give it a shot too!

You can check out the Injane Facebook page here:

Injane Group

Guest Bloggers Wanted!

So as you guys may have noticed, I haven't been all that active lately. I have big plans to change that, maybe, we'll see if it pans out. But, until then I'm looking for people who would be willing to guest post! You can post about anything book related! You DO NOT have to have a blog or any blogging experience as long as it's well written! Your post can be a review, an informative post, an opinion post, anything! (You can even include a plug for your blog! Free advertising!)

It doesn't matter if you're young...

...or if you're old,

if you're homeless...

...or if you just don't like blogging at home,

YOU CAN GUEST POST HERE!

If you're interested shoot me an email at:

MMashura93@gmail.com

MMashura93 (at) gmail (dot) com <-- I think that's the other way people write their email address although I've never understood why they do that.

Just let me know what you want to post on, around when you'll have the post ready (if you don't know that's fine) and when you'd like it posted!

Happy Reading and Happy (Guest) Blogging!

Monica

Back Stage Blogging @ The Story Siren #2

So, just wanted to let you guys know (although you probably already know this and I'm just really late posting about it) that The Story Siren has posted another section of her Back Stage Blogging feature and I'm in this one! :D Yeah, it makes me really happy! So you can check it out here if you haven't seen it already!

On a side note: Thanks once again for being such great followers while I've been slightly inactive! High school sucks. Can not wait for college!

Movie Mania: Easy A

Ok, so movie mania isn't really a meme or anything. I just wanted a sweet title to add on for when I felt like talking about a movie I recently saw!

I saw Easy A a few days ago with my friends! Oh My Goodness! It was so funny! Like laugh out loud funny, and I don't laugh at movies easily! It hits you "Not with a fizzle but a BANG!"

I didn't really like Emma Stone when I walked into the theater but now I must say I'm a huge fan! She really is an excellent actress and hilarious! Amanda Bynes was also hilarious, I've always loved her, especially in The Amanda Show! It was cool to see her in something again!

What was also cool was that I was reading The Scarlet Letter in school when this came out so I understood when they mentioned Hester Prynne. Oh, and did I mention one of the hottest guys ever is in this movie? Mhmm. No, not Dan Humpry (I don't know his non Gossip Girl name!), although he is hot too.

That's right, Twilight's own, Cam Gigandet!

I'd definitely give this movie an A. Because remember "A is for awesome!"

Review: Other

(Can't get any pictures to work at the moment! :( Sorry!)

Title: Other (Other, #1)

Author: Karen Kincy

Publisher: Flux

Pages: 336

Rating: 2.5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves.

When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate-into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and-most importantly-stay alive.

It's been a bit since I read this book so I'm going to make this short and sweet and to the point.

Other was an okay book. It didn't quite live up my expectations. I feel that the characters weren't bad but they weren't extraordinary or memorable. The main character, Gwen struggled with her identity as an Other throughout the book and showed extreme hypocriteness (not a real word but I'm going with it). This did, however, make for an interesting inner struggle to follow as she had to accept who she was and not what other people wanted her to be. Tavian, her partner in crime (not real crime, it's just a saying!), was short. I know, I know, height has nothing do with a character but it just bothered me. It's one thing if he's short and so was she but he was significantly shorter than her! (Sorry I'm 5' 10" and extremely height obsessed so you all can just disregard the last two sentences. I just wanted to put it out there!)

The plot was just alright. I liked the idea of it, but that's probably because I've seen it before. It really wasn't all that original, the idea of someone going around and killing Others because they weren't human. It's just over done. Also, I feel there needed to be more action! She's a SHAPE SHIFTER, there could have been some really cool action scenes I think. The end however, was extremely well written and I really enjoyed it. I was surprised by who the killer was but at the same time I wasn't. It made sense but it wasn't obvious. You get what I'm saying? Hopefully, because I don't know how to say that any better.

The writing was very simple. It's definitely a book that would easily work for the younger part of young adult. I actually found it maybe too simple? But, sometimes simple is nice. It's not a long, hard read. Definitely a book you can relax with!

Overall, the book was simple (not sure if that's good or bad, it's up to the reader), had a kind of unoriginal plot, and only okay characters. It really didn't live up to the expectations I had for it. The end was well written though so I probably will continue the series because I like an author who knows how to end a book!

Not quite as short as I thought this was gonna be! Guess I remembered more than I thought! :)

Dear Followers,

I AM SO EXTREMELY SORRY THAT I HAVE NOT POSTED IN OVER A WEEK! I don't have a nifty excuse like I was on some really awesome, unexpected cruise to the tropics that I won from a radio station. I wish. I've just been so busy and tired because of school. But, I'm gonna try better. Promise. Should have a review up soon, just wanted you all to know that I have not abandoned you all!

Backstage Blogging @ The Story Siren!

If you guys haven't heard, Kristi from The Story Siren is doing a Backstage Blogging feature on her blog! So, what is Backstage Blogging?! It's a feature Kristi created that allows a glimpse into the minds of bloggers both new and old! There are 30 newbie bloggers, bloggers who have been blogging for less than six months, and 30 experienced bloggers participating.

Now, here's the really exciting part! I'M ONE OF THE NEWBIE BLOGGERS! :D That's right, ME! The question that Kristi asked us to answer was "What do you hope to accomplish with your book blog beyond sharing your love of literature?" To see my answer and the answers of the the other fourteen bloggers this week you can check out Back Stage Blogging: Part 2. Or, if you haven't seen it already you can go check out the first fifteen newbie blogger's answers at Back Stage Blogging: Part 1.

Follow Friday and Blog Hop! (9)

Haven't done one of these in awhile! It's time to follow some blogs with Parajunkee's View and hop around with Crazy for Books! You can click the pictures if you want to join these awesome going ons!

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)

Author: Jenny Han

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Pages: 276

Rating:

Summary from Goodreads:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

I have to say this book is definitely a solid four. It was really very good and I definitely want to get the next one in the series.

The characters I found very likable. Belly was pleasant and tried to be independent rather than just let the boys dictate what she did. Jeremiah and Conrad, while extremely different, both were great characters and you couldn't help but love them both, Belly sure did! (Especially Jeremiah!) Susannah has a hidden secret and because of this I find her to be a very strong, brave character.

The plot was also good. There was everything you needed for a good summer read (or any other season when you really just wish it was summer). There was the beach, boys, and parties! But, it wasn't just another shallow book about some girl falling in love. There was a deeper side to the book too, there was more than meets the eye with all of the characters which was really interesting.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. BUT, it's okay because it's A SERIES! This is always the kind of book I wish was a series but never is, but it is now! Also, the writing, I think was just mediocre. I wasn't bad, definitely not bad, but I found it simple.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to continuing the Summer series!

Charity Fundraiser and HUGE Giveaway!

I just wanted to make everyone aware of an awesome charity fundraiser going on right now.

Sounds awesome already right? So here's what's going on. This is a fundraiser for two, count 'em, TWO children's charities. The proceeds of this event will go to First Book and Save the Children.

So, I know what you're all thinking! What do these charities even do? Well, First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy -- access to books. Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need around the world. Recognized for our commitment to accountability, innovation and collaboration, our work takes us into the heart of communities, where we help children and families help themselves.

Not quite convinced yet? Well that's where the giveaway comes in! The wonderful hosts of this event (let's give 'em a round of applause real quick for putting this wonderful fundraiser together to help out a cause I'm sure we can all stand behind) have compiled various signed book and signed swag from various authors to giveaway! Yupp, you heard me right, do the right thing, get some cool stuff! So now you want to know how to enter? I bet you do! You get a chance to win this cool stuff by just simply donating to these charities! Everyone is a winner too because you get to experience the joy of bettering a child's life! Visit one of the official posts to find out more on how to enter!

The WONDERFUL Hosts:

Jillian @ Random Ramblings

Lillian @ 21 Pages

Raila @ Books Out of the Bookshelves

Thank you to those of you who donated to help improve the lives of children around the world and good luck with the giveaway!

I'm Sorry!

I feel so bad that I've been neglecting you guys! But, with summer reading and today being the first day of school and all I've just been super crazy busy and super duper crazy tired! So, I promise you, starting Friday I will be blogger extraordinaire! I won't miss another blog hop or IMM and I will post the book reviews that have beens stacking up! Just, until Friday bare with me! And in the mean time I'm going to try to think of a way to make it up to you guys!

So today was my first day back to school. Junior year, whoopie! Time for SATs, ACTs, and college applications. Kill me now! I've got pretty good classes this year, this is what my schedule looks like:

1. Chemistry
2. Study Hall
3. Semester 1 Intro to Photography
3. Semester 2 Multimedia Video Production
4/5. Honors English
6/7. Government
8. Lunch
9/10. Semester 1 PE
9/10. Semester 2 Graphic Design 2
11. Semester 1 Design & Creation of Jewelry
11. Semester 2 Web Page Design
12. Trig/Precalc

Not great as far as schedules go, but now bad either. At least I was able to find a good lunch table, something that tends to be difficult in a school as large as mine. I know you're all thinking, does she really have 12 periods a day, 8 classes and lunch?! And, yes I do. The classes are about 45 minutes each. Electives are half year and we switch for the second semester thus the Semester 1 + 2's. Apparently I couldn't be a Teaching Assistant for one of my favorite teachers though cause she teaches math and my math grade was too low! >:L Now, I'm going to have to beg another teacher to let me TA for them because I don't want a study hall! So now you guys see what's going to be keeping me so freaking busy! Friday, I promise! I feel really bad!

Happy Reading and Happy Blogging!

Monica

Top 100 YA Novels 2010

So I was looking through blog posts when I came across this list at The Wormhole. The list comes from Persnickety Snark: Young Adult Literature Reviews. It's based on a reader poll conducted for five weeks. Beverly from The Wormhole had the ingenious idea of sharing the list and showing which books she read by coloring them purple! I'm going to steal her idea and (since I'm not much of a purple girl) I'm going to highlight the books I've read in orange! So, here goes nothing.

1. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorceror's) Stone - J.K. Rowling

3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

4. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

5. Northern Lights (The Golden Compass)- Philip Pullman

6. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

7. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

8. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton

9. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

10. This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen

11. Looking for Alaska - John Green

12. Just Listen - Sarah Dessen

13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

14. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

15. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

16. On the (Jellicoe Road) - Melina Marchetta

17. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

20. Along for the Ride - Sarah Dessen

21. Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

22. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

23. Graceling - Kristin Cashore

24. Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

25. Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty

26. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

27. Alanna: The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce

28. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

29. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

30. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

31. A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

32. Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden

33. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart

34. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

35. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

36. Paper Towns - John Green

37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

38. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

39. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn - Betty Smith

40. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

41. Lock and Key - Sarah Dessen

42. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

43. Evernight - Claudia Gray

44. Sabriel - Garth Nix

45. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

46. Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

47. Forever - Judy Blume

48. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith

49. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

50. The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot

51. Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

52. Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

53. The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

54. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

55. Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta

56. Second Helpings - Megan McCafferty

57. Dreamland - Sarah Dessen

58. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

59. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

60. Fire - Kristin Cashore

61. The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier

62. Weetzie Bat - Francesca Lia Block

63. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

64. Looking for Alibrandi - Melina Marchetta

65. How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff (I only colored half because I believe I never quite finished this one!)

66. City of Glass - Cassandra Clare

67. Keeping the Moon - Sarah Dessen

68. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer

69. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging - Louise Rennison

70. If I Stay - Gayle Forman

71. The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

72. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

73. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast - Robin McKinley

74. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

75. Feed - M.T. Anderson

76. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - Ann Brashares

77. Go Ask Alice - Anonymous

78. Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr

79. Lord of the Flies - William Golding

80. Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen

81. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

82. Jacob Have I Loved - Katherine Paterson

83. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

84. Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder

85. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead

86. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi

87. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

88. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

89. A Ring of Endless Light - Madeleine L'Engle

90. Glass Houses - Rachel Caine

91. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party - M.T. Anderson

92. Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech

93. Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher

94. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

95. Going Too Far - Jennifer Echols

96. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

97. Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

98. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

99. The Pigman - Paul Zindel

100. The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley

Which books have you guys read? Comment or link to your own list!

The Iron Queen Except!!! *Faints*

You've all probably seen this around already but I couldn't help posting this! Julie Kagawa is treating us to an excerpt from the last book in her Iron Fey triliogy, The Iron Queen! *Jumps up and down!* This excerpt is in response to questions about Meghan's ability to fight! With out further ado, here it is...

Ash strode to a nearby rock, swooped down, and tossed me a long, slightly curved stick. When I caught it, I saw that it was actually a leather sheath with a gilded brass hilt poking from the top. A sword. Ash was giving me a sword … why?

Oh, yeah. Because I wanted to learn to fight. Because I’d asked him to teach me.

Ash, watching me with that weary, knowing look on his face, shook his head. “You forgot, did you?”

“Nooooo,” I said quickly. “I just … didn’t think it would be this soon.”

“This is the perfect place.” Ash turned slightly to gaze around the clearing. “Quiet, hidden. We can catch our breath here. It’s a good place to learn while you’re waiting for your father to come out of it. When we’re done here, I have a feeling things will get much more chaotic.” He gestured to the sword in my hand. “Your first lesson begins now. Draw your sword.”

I did. Unsheathing it sent a raspy shiver across the glen, and I gazed at the weapon in fascination. The blade was thin and slightly curved, an elegant looking weapon, razor sharp and deadly. A warning tickled the back of my mind. There was something about the blade that was … different. Blinking, I ran my fingers along the cool, gleaming edge, and a chill shot through my stomach.

The blade was made of steel. Not faery steel. Not a fey sword covered in glamour. Real, ordinary iron. The kind that would burn faery flesh and sear away glamour. The kind that left wounds impossible to heal.

I gaped at it, then at Ash, who looked remarkably calm to be facing his greatest weakness. “This is steel,” I told him, sure that Leanansidhe had made a mistake.

He nodded. “An eighteenth-century Spanish saber. Leanansidhe nearly had a fit when I told her what I wanted, but she was able to track one down in exchange for a favor.” He paused then, wincing slightly. “A very large favor.”

Alarmed, I stared at him. “What did you promise her?”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing that endangers us in any way.” He hurried on before I could argue. “I wanted a light, slashing weapon for you, one with a good amount of reach, to keep opponents farther away.” He gestured to the saber with his own weapon, a blindingly quick stab of blue. “You’ll be moving around a lot, using speed instead of brute force against your enemies. That blade won’t block heavier weapons, and you don’t have the strength to swing a longsword effectively, so we’re going to have to teach you how to dodge. This was the best choice.”

“But this is steel,” I repeated, listening to him in amazement. He could teach a class with his knowledge of weapons and fighting. “Why a real sword? I could seriously hurt someone.”

“Meghan.” Ash gave me a patient look. “That’s exactly why I chose it. You have an advantage with that weapon that none of us can touch. Even the most violent redcap will think twice about facing a real, mortal blade. It won’t scare the Iron fey, of course, but that’s where training will come in.”

“But … but what if I hit you?”

A snort. “You’re not going to hit me.”

“How do you know?” I bristled at his amused tone. “I could hit you. Even master swordsmen make mistakes. I could get a lucky shot, or you might not see me coming. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He favored me with another patient look. “And how much experience do you have with swords and weapons in general?”

“Um.” I glanced down at the saber in my hand. “Thirty seconds?”

He smiled, that calm, irritatingly confident smirk. “You’re not going to hit me.”

***

Meghan’s story, and the war with the Iron Fey, continues in The Iron Queen, coming February 2011, from Harlequin TEEN.