Read-a-Thon!! :)

Enna from Squeaky Books is hosting the : Oh-my-word-the-year-is-over-and-I-haven't-reached-my-goal Read-a-Thon. And, because I love Enna and I love read-a-thons, I'm definitely participating :)
Also, I've been rather lame with the Wrapping Up 2011 Read-a-thon & am hoping that this will give me motivation to push through to the end.

I have been in a bit of a reading slump, off and on all year, and I haven't really been motivated to read for the last 2 months or so. This means I'm really far behind on my Goodreads reading goal (like 18 books behind...) There is absolutely no way I can make that (unless I start counting the picture books I read to my nephews...) but I do hope to get a little closer. Really, even just doing something to help push me over this reading slump would be awesome!

So, right now, my goal is to read 2 books. To finish the book I'm currently reading and read at least one more. If I can manage to finish three books, I'll totally feel like I own the world :)

Are you read-a-thoning too?!?! Let me know!

Good luck to everyone!

Mini-Reviews: May B. by Caroline Starr Rose & Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen

I have more mini-reviews today, because these both also fall under the category of wanted to/should have loved these books, But.

First is May B. by Caroline Starr Rose. This is a book that I really should have loved. It's written in verse, which I'm pretty sure most people know how much I absolutely adore. It's historical fiction- life on the prairie- which I've been totally fascinated with for as long as I can remember. And it's a survival story taking place in the midst of a crazy, nasty blizzard. Oh ya, and, the importance of reading and language plays a large part in the growth of the main character. Umm, yes please.

I was in love with the idea of a historical fiction story being told in verse. I feel like non-Contemporary verse novels are rather rare, so I was really excited for this one. But for some reason, the execution was really lacking for me. May is sent by her parents to live/work with a newlywed couple because her family needs the money her servitude will bring. But shortly after May gets there, the wife (who is from the city and really struggling with the vast prairie life) decides she is going to leave, and the Mr. goes after her. He's only supposed to be gone for a day, but he never comes home. May is left completely alone as winter approaches and she has no idea how to get home.

That is enough for a compelling story. But there were other things added to the story that I assume were meant to give depth to the story and to May's character, but instead just felt underdeveloped and tacked on to say- Look!! Character growth! May should have been a strong character, but I never really believed that she was, I only ever believed that I was supposed to think she was. I just never felt a true sense of connection with May and honestly thought the inclusion of May's struggles to read were overdone and unnecessary, constantly pulling me out of the story and severing whatever connection had started to form. I don't know why that was. Reading is (obviously) a big deal to me, but it never felt natural or necessary. It always felt to me like a plot device, and a poorly disguised one at that. This is actually a story I think might have worked better in traditional prose (although it pains me to say this) and although, overall, I did enjoy the story well enough, it's not a book I'll be recommending much, although if you are already interested, I suggest you give it a try anyway. I will definitely try the author again, and I think this is a book worth giving a chance, even if it didn't quite click for me.

On a completely different note, I have always been completely fascinated by true crime stories, and serial killers and other morbidly interesting stuff. So when I saw Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen on Netgalley, I was like- Yes! Win! The Green River Killer was a big deal for a lot of years, killing a tragically large number of women and eluding the police for a very long time. And, because I really am morbid, I was excited to read a story written by the lead detective's son and told as a graphic novel.

Unfortunately, the idea behind the book was the most interesting part of it. I found myself very disappointed in the actual contents of the book. The story had a very strange chronology that didn't flow well and it made it really hard to be interested in the story. There were random and unexplained jumps in time and setting that were never explained and it made the story really awkward to read.

And, the illustrations, while well drawn, weren't very distinct, and I'll admit that there were times I wasn't sure who was actually depicted. They all kinda just looked the same to me.

I feel like this is a story that could have been amazing. As the son of the lead detective on such a high profile case, you would have a lot of different information and a different view of the case than most people, and I feel like there could be a lot of really solid material for a book. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me and I ended up spending a good 85% of the book bored and wishing it were over.

*Disclaimer: Both of these books were electronic ARCs received via Netgalley. 

It's my BIRTHDAY!!

Today is my birthday! And I LOVE it!

I am firmly of the opinion that birthdays should be special. So for today- I am allowing myself to be the coolest person alive. (Nice of myself, isn't it ;) )

I was thinking about the way I feel about birthdays this year, and I think part of it is because of how close my birthday is to Christmas. Growing up, my parents were always really good about making sure it was a special day, just for me, and that it never got lost inside the Christmas celebrations. So my birthday has always been all about me.

And so- Today- I celebrate :)

Oh, and you know what would make my birthday extra special awesome? Comments. Go comment on a random book review and that shall be my Happy Birthday ;)

Review: Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

I was so excited for Don't Say a Word by Holly Cupala because I absolutely loved Tell Me a Secret. And for the most part it SO delivered. Almost the whole way through Don't Say a Word, I was convinced it was going to be a new favorite, a five star rating, Basically Amazing. Everything about it was like Tell Me a Secret, only more. The cover is better, the emotions more intense, the danger more real etc. But, unfortunately, everything was more, which also means that the complaints I had about the ending of Tell Me were more in Don't Breathe as well, and I was left disappointed by the end.

In Don't Breathe a Word, Joy, so desperate to get away from the problems in her home life, fakes her own kidnapping and runs away, determined to find the homeless boy in Seattle who once offered her help. The pieces to why Joy is so desperate to get away, and why it's necessary that it not seem like a voluntary absence, are slowly revealed as the story unfolds. You know there is something sinister about her boyfriend, Asher, but we don't know the extent of it until much later in the story, but still, my heart just ached for Joy as I thought about all that she must have gone through, all that rested on her shoulders. But, then, she escapes and she finds Creed, who welcomes her into his 'family'.

Joy (now called Triste) knew that being homeless would be hard. But she thought more about the physical hardships- no shelter, little food, no money etc and less about the dangers from other people. Before she finds Creed, she has close encounters with several dangerous persons and in one encounter, loses her backpack with all her money, but more importantly, her asthma inhalers, which she needs to live. She's been hospitalized numerous times because of near fatal asthma attacks, and it's one more reasons Joy felt completely smothered at home. This is something that saddened me, because her parents don't realize what her life is like. She tries so hard to be a help, not a burden to her parents that she doesn't tell them about what's going on with her and they either don't notice, or they choose not to. Everyone is constantly afraid she will have an asthma attack so her freedoms are nonexistent and her boyfriend is controlling, manipulative and creepy. And her parents have no idea, instead pushing her closer to Asher, because he takes care of her and can protect her. Broke my heart. It's something that I'm genuinely afraid of- having a child going through something so horrible and not having a clue about it.

This book, this story was intense. Living on the streets is not a picnic, not something easy, and a decision to leave your home to live on the streets is not something that should be easily reached. Joy thought she was prepared for what was waiting, but she wasn't even close. I was constantly afraid for Joy and I was so happy when she found a group of people who accepted her and helped her. She really connected with the people who made up her new family; Creed, the leader who found her and was the first to welcome her, Santos, who keeps his dark secrets close but finds Triste the asthma medicine she needs, and May, initially wary of Triste and unwilling to welcome her, but they soon reach a friendly understanding and May even gives Triste a better (much better) haircut. But, life on the streets cannot remain happy for very long and the four are faced with regular challenges and dangers, some that they cannot escape from.

And it's told beautifully. I mean it. Guys, I was always so caught up in this story, so moved, so worried for these characters. I felt so much of this story, so strongly. Cupala writes hard and painful emotions perfectly.

But as I mentioned earlier, I didn't feel the novel as a whole maintained that level of emotion. For such a powerfully intense and gritty story, the ending was far too tidy. The story was so realistic, so believable and so hard to read because of it. But then the ending took all that away from me. Real life does not hand you packages wrapped with bows, which is what I got from this book. If I want bows on my endings, I read light-hearted Contemporary, maybe some fantasy, or some middle grade. If I want realistic and honest endings, I read Contemporary YA. And this book delivered all that I desire in an emotional Contemporary read, right up until that ending. And the ending that was delivered here cheapened not only the experiences of every single character, but the people and teens who have to live through something like this in real life too.

I'm a firm believer in the power of endings. Ofttimes for me, they can make or break a book completely. I still loved this book, I really did. The writing is too honest and powerful to ignore but the ending significantly lessened the impact of the story for me.

But even with my disappointment in the ending, this is still a book that I'm going to highly recommend reading. Cupala is a gifted writer and I plan to read her for as long as she writes (although, not gonna lie, I am hoping that her endings get a little more... authentic with future books).

Wrapping up 2011 Readathon

I totally forgot that I had signed up for Remarkable Read's Wrapping Up 2011 Read-a-thon... So, I'm a bit late, but I'm hoping to jump in now and use it to motivate myself to actually get some reading done. :)

I did read three books today, and I'm totally counting them, even though they are Roald Dahl's versions of picture books (definitely for the older kids).

For the rest of the year, I keep debating between trying to actually meet my 2011 GR Reading goal of 260 (which currently means I'd need to read 19 books by the end of the year) and just reading books that I really want to read, because some of the books that are really catching my eye right now are larger & not so conducive to the whole- read 19 books in 9 days, 4 of which are holidays (I am totally counting my birthday as a holiday...).

So, my list of what I'll end up reading is going to fluctuate drastically and I have no idea, right now, what I'll end up picking. AND, another blogger friend talked about having a read-a-thon on the 30th & 31st, which I'll be participating in (if she does it) so it's going to be like reading BLITZ for me. Maybe I'll actually be able to meet my goal... :) We shall see what happens!

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that has been on my radar since April, when Marissa participated in Fairy Tale Fortnight (linked for any of you who missed it). And I'll be honest, I spent a long time going back and forth on where or not I was really interested in this one. I was always interested, because it's a fairy tale retelling, and that always grabs by attention. But this is a futuristic Cinderella, a Cinderella who is a cyborg. I haven't read a lot of science fiction, and I'm always a little bit wary of it. So I went back and forth between- Ya, I'm excited (shrug, I guess) and Yes! Of course I'm excited!

And then I read the book.

No more debates for me! This book was so amazing. It freaking rocked my face! Meyer manages to take the Cinderella story and turn it into something new and unique and futuristic and different while still keeping that magical feel of a fairy tale.

Cinder is a great character. She's confused about her role in the world, because according to the rules and laws of their world, being a cyborg makes her somewhere between a second class citizen and a possession. So she knows that, according to the laws & prejudices of her world, she is less than human. But other than the metal in her hand and leg and a few 'upgrades' here and there, she feels human. And how do you reconcile something like that?! Feeling like a person but being treated as a machine. My heart so went out to Cinder, because that would be so hard!

I was also really excited, because we get to see some chapters narrated by Prince Kai. It made him more real to me, made him a much stronger character, and it gave me a reason to root for him. Kai is in a terrible position because of the story's villain- the proverbial rock and a hard place- and no matter what decision he makes, it's going to end badly. And we get to see him struggle over that. He desperately wants to do right by his people, but how can you really do right, when no matter what choice you make, bad things will follow. There is bad, and then less bad, but that might lead to worse. Hearing Kai's narration takes him from Love Interest to Real Character. I love seeing a love interest who is developed beyond why they are, or should be, in love with the main character.

The villains of this story are the Lunar's- The Moon People. And boy- are they a villain worth reading about. Creepy, bad nasties. And that's all I'm going to say about that. (Mostly, because in early January, I'm part of the Cinder blog tour and Marissa is going to give me a whole post about them to share :) )

I will say that the story was, to me, more than a little predictable. I had most of the major plot points figured out rather early on in the story, and only some of those were because it is a retelling. I've mentioned this before, but I am very forgiving of predictability in my fairy tale retellings. Very forgiving. So being able to predict parts of the story didn't bother me at all. Because watching the characters get their on their own, being there as they learned their secrets made it so worth while. Meyer is a talented writer. She's created characters I adore and want to get to know better and she placed them in this situation where they have to act and become strong or do nothing, and then she lets them choose! There were honestly moments when I felt like they were real people making their own decisions.

This is a book that has something for everyone. The threads of the original fairy tale are woven so perfectly into the story that you can feel the fairy tale but it isn't as blatant as other retellings. It is part fantasy, part science fiction, full or magic and mystery and I am so in love with this book. I'm probably not doing the book justice, but believe me when I say it is awesome. I am already eager for the remaining books in the series. I can't wait to see the end of Cinder's story, as well as meet the new fairy tale characters and watch their stories intertwine. Meyer is definitely an author I'm going to keep my eye on, and I highly suggest you do the same. If you haven't read this one yet, I highly recommend you work on remedying that as soon as possible. This is a story it would be a shame to miss.

Memory Monday- What to do when your child is a brat-

Confront them about it and offer to pay them $5 to read a book teaching you to be nice to people.

I can't even make up the stuff my dad comes up with sometimes. (see the Memory Monday post: where my father tells me that the fate of a young girl who runs away is to be kidnapped and turned into a crack whore...) Ahem...

When I was a kid/teenager/young person, I had a dual personality. In public, especially at school, I was about as perfect as a kid can be. I desperately wanted my teachers to think I was a perfect pupil/person and for the most part, they did. I was always teacher's pet without ever being that annoying kid that everyone hated... But my perfection didn't carry over at home and I was... not always super nice to my parents or my siblings.

Once, when I was about 14, in an effort to teach me some people skills that weren't based on my need to have my teachers like me, my dad came to my room, told me I was sometimes a bit of a brat and told me that he would pay me $5 to read a book by Dale Carnegie called, How to Win Friends and Influence People. I don't know that being called a brat (or some other, more 'father friendly' term) really swayed me, but being offered $5 just to read a book sure did.

So I read the book and was amazed at how simple some of the things Carnegie taught were. Things like noticing the names of the grocery checkers, or asking someone you want to do business with what interests them instead of talking about what you like. Or one of my favorite stories- The man who couldn't get the rowdy kids who hung out on the corner by his house to be quite. So he paid them to stand there for a few hours. And each night, he offered less and less money until they finally decided it wasn't worth it and went home.

I won't lie and tell you that this book immediately changed my life and made me this super awesome perfect person. (As is clear by the fact that my dad came back about a year later and told me he'd give me another $5 for reading the book, but this time I had to take notes on it) But I will tell you that it changed something. If nothing else, it has made me increasingly aware over the years (because I've reread it a time or two without the additional motivation of my dad's five dollars) and there is a lot to learn from Carnegie's rather simple observations on life.

In defense of my dad- He remembers offering me the money to read the book, but he denies ever having called me a brat. Maybe he didn't say brat specifically, but I do most certainly remember the feeling of outrage at whatever he did call/tell me when explaining why I needed to read this book.

Mini-reviews: Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff and Lie by Caroline Bock

I decided to do these two books as "mini"-reviews because I don't have anything good to say about either book and you know that old saying- If you can't say anything nice... Well, I've never been very good at not saying anything at all...

Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff is, in my opinion, a book that tried too hard. It wanted to be this big grand and mysterious book but instead managed only to be a rather dull and vague detail-less story that bored me.

Kid lives in Brooklyn and has spent the last year or so on the streets because Dad decided he didn't want to deal with Kid's issues anymore (specifically sexual questioning) and kicked Kid out. But we don't know any specifics about Kid. Not real name, not even gender. We do know that Kid falls for a musician that's more than a little rough around the edges (heavily into hard drugs). But something happened (a mystery, possibly involving fire) and the musician is always referred to in the past tense and now Kid develops a new love interest. (Also blurry around gender lines).

I appreciate what Steve is trying to do here. It is an interesting idea- making a genderless novel and leaving details almost completely out of the way. But instead of being a story that pushes boundaries and makes you think, it was instead, for me, boring and pointless. I didn't care about a single character in the story. I didn't really know anything about them, so what was there to care about?! A lot of the story is written in also 2nd person, which I've read and enjoyed before, but it made this book feel even weirder than it already was. I have to have a sense of character for a 2nd person narrative to work. I also need a sense of and connection to the characters for a romance to be effective and interesting and something that I care about. But Steve didn't give me that.

This probably sounds rude, but I felt like this was a book full of its own cleverness and importance. You know people like that, right? Who are always walking around "saying"- Look at me!! Look at how funny I am or how clever and smart!- and really, rather than thinking them funny or clever or smart, all you can think is- Oh my gosh, shut up!- or -Seriously, who invited you?! This was a book trying so hard to be mysterious and murky that it completely missed its mark and landed in the realm of vague and uneventful.

It's a book that left me with a feeling of, Oh. That's all then? and I am pretty much positive that unless someone else brings it up, I will never think about this book again. BUT I will say that this is a polarizing book. All of the reviews I've seen are either like mine, or are completely enamored by and in love with this book. So if it's something you think you would like, might as well give it a try!

Lie by Caroline Bock was, unfortunately, even worse for me.

It is a book that should have been important and powerful and gut wrenching and soul hurting and empowering. It's about the repercussions of a vicious hate crime in a small town ending with the victim in critical condition and the boys under investigation.  The MC's boyfriend is the main suspect (and if I remember right, is in custody throughout the book) and she saw the crime but has been lying to the police, because her boyfriend and best friend asked/told her too, and Jimmy is a good person who loves her and needs her support.

But, Jimmy is not a good person. I was expecting this to be a book that explores grey areas and tries to explain how good/normal kids can become involved in vicious crimes. But nope. Jimmy is scum. Seriously. And very possibly mentally unstable. But then again, the notes I wrote to myself upon finishing this book say that I felt that every single character was emotionally and mentally unbalanced. And awful. Lisa Marie is the worst best friend in the history of human beings and I hated her. ALL the way. Skylar is also a pretty weak character, seemingly incapable of making any decisions for herself or seeing people as they really are, and I'm not going to say anymore than that because I've tried to rewrite it three times and I keep sounding really, really mean.

What I think would have made this novel better is development. Rather than really developing the characters, Bock just gave them each their own chance to 'talk' and there were a lot of narrators in this book (like 9, I think). But having them speak doesn't necessarily give them depth and it doesn't do anything to make me relate to or believe them. Part of my problem is also that I never, not once thought that Skylar's decision was hard. Not once. You know pretty early on what she witnessed, although more details do come out as the book progresses and for me, that choice is black and white.

I wanted to like this one. Really, I did. But I just couldn't do it and I can't recommend it.

*Disclaimer: Both of these books were electronic ARCs received via Netgalley. 

Memory Monday- Twisted Summer

I know that in a previous Memory Monday Post, I talked about Willo Davis Roberts, and the impact she had on me as an author. (Click here to read it. It's hysterically funny.) But, I talked about her writing in very general terms. Today, I want to talk about one book in particular that was a big deal for me.

I've always been super nerdy when it comes to books. I love making my own book lists, reading books from specific award lists, etc. So, when I learned in 4th grade (I think) that there was a contest of sorts where you were to write in with the number of mystery books you had read to 'win' I signed up! I kicked myself for days after sending in my list because I kept thinking of more and more that I had read and forgotten to put down, but I guess 9 is still a lot for a 4th grader because I won! I won a certificate along with my very first signed book, Twisted Summer by Willo Davis Roberts.

I cannot even begin to describe what it felt like to look down at that book and see that signature, knowing that the woman who wrote this book, whose books I had been reading and loving for years had TOUCHED MY BOOK. Seriously. Whoa.

I was going to take a picture, because I still have both the book and the certificate, but I can't find my camera. Perhaps another time.

But honestly, for a 4th grader who has loved books her whole life, that was the greatest, most amazing moment. I wish I had been more careful with the book, but it was one of my favorites of hers and I read it over and over. It's not in awesome shape anymore, but it is definitely a book I will keep and treasure forever.

(I mean, seriously!! 4th grader getting a SIGNED book from their favorite author?! AMAZING!!)

Just Contemporary Giveaway Winners!!

All the Just Contemporary Giveaways have ended! And here I am to announce the winners! All the winners have been contacted and will have until Monday evening to reply, before I pick new winners. But the winners are :

Far From You 

Farah M!

Between Here and Forever

Nancye

Alicia

Bonnie

Morgan

Justine

Antony John- Five Flavors & Road Trip

Linna (Road Trip)

Tayte (Five Flavors)

Thirteen Reasons Why

Traci

Fixing Delilah

Kara

Stephanie Kuehnert 

Mera

Yvonne & Sandy 

Katelyn (The Black Sheep)

Sarah (Love, Inc.)

(Trade Secrets)

Rabiah 

Jacque

Olga 

Sarah

Through the Haze

Congratulations to everyone! And a huge thank you to everyone who participating in Just Contemporary November!

Important update- Guess what's changing?!

YAY!!!!

The anger of Ashley is over!! :) Thanks to how AWESOMELY AMAZING Rie @ Mission to Read is, I am now- basicallyamazingashley.com!!

Now I just get to hope that things run smoothly and my blog doesn't disappear into a vortex of doom. :)





Ashley is now experiencing MUCH anger. Seriously. I have no idea when this is going to change now. Or even IF it will. Because this process is exactly why I NEVER make these kinds of changes. Anger in my face.


So, I've been thinking about buying my domain name for a long time now. (Like, a very long time.) But, I am terrified and resistant to change in my online stuff. I don't mind changes in my real life, but changes to websites I use makes me irrationally annoyed. And, I'm absolutely terrified that buying my domain name is going to send my blog into a seething black internet vortex of suck...


BUT.


It IS something I've wanted for a while, and a good move for blogging and, if I'm being honest- it's going to make me feel cool. SO. With the help and (mostly) gentle prodding of the marvelous Rie from Mission to Read, I have decided to finally buy it.


Yay!! :)


So, I'm probably going to just let it settle for a day or so, make sure nothing is being eaten inside.


But minutes after this post goes live, I will be basicallyamazingbooks.com!! :)


BooYa.

Why Monday, December 5th was THE greatest day of my LIFE

On Monday, I came home from work to find a package waiting for me. From Australia. I don't really know anyone in Australia so I was confused, but intrigued.

So I opened it.

And I saw this:

I stopped breathing. No really. I gasped, and then choked on the breath. And stopped breathing.

My hands shook. And I opened the pages (still not breathing) thinking... Maybe, just maybe. And it was. I saw this:

I cried.







.

It's BACK! Award Winning Reads Challenge- 2!

It's Back! The Second Incarnation of the Award Winning Reads Challenge is here! Who else is totally excited for this?! I know it can't just be me!! :) 

Last year, Jacinda and I hosted this reading challenge from May through September. And it rocked. I have personally been meaning to read all the Newbery and Printz books for years. And I've found some absolutely phenomenal books because of it. (Umm hello and thank you- Jellicoe Road, my absolute most favorite book ever.) And last years challenge gave me the motivation I needed to pick my list back up and get reading. (I think I read 16).

Because it was so awesome last year, Jacinda and I decided that this year, it would be a year long challenge of awesome (with extra awesome during the months of the original challenge). 

My goal for this year is even bigger. I am so close to finishing both award lists. (Just the winners, not the honors). I only have 4 Printz winners and 13 Newbery winners left to read (including the 2012 winners to-be-announced). I would love to finish these lists next year. 

So that is my goal. But I would like to read more than only 17 of the books on the list, so my official goal is going to be 24. That's only 2 a month, totally do-able. :) 

To see the books on either list that I've already reviewed on the blog, you can click the corresponding tags below
Newbery Award
Newbery Honor
Printz Award
Printz Honor

And now- Onto the rules! :)

---

2012 Award Winning Reads Challenge Rules & Guidelines

-Monthly link-up posts will be posted the last Wednesday of every month during the
challenge for Award Winning Reads Wednesday. Feel free to post reviews on that day or any other day during that month and link-up accordingly. Ashley and Jacinda will be doing their best to post reviews for the challenge titles on Wednesdays throughout the entire year. It isn’t a requirement to post on Wednesdays, but with the two of us only posting on Wednesdays, it makes the challenge run smoother.

-Reviewing and linking to your reviews in the monthly link-up post will give you
additional entries into giveaways. Giveaways at this point are up in the air and will happen whenever Ashley and Jacinda feel like hosting a giveaway for the participants. More than likely, we will have giveaways randomly throughout the year, for mini-challenges (see below for more information), and at the end of the challenge.

-You do NOT have to be a blogger to participate. If you aren’t a blogger, feel free
to post reviews for the challenge books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. It isn’t a
requirement to review every book you’ve read for the challenge.  Also, Ashley and Jacinda would
LOVE to have non-bloggers do guest reviews! Just email either one of us. Or even leave a comment on any AWR Challenge post letting us know.

-You do NOT have to be in the United States to participate. To enter all giveaways,
unless otherwise stated since it’s possible for us to have an international giveaway, you will have to live in the United States or Canada. International shipping is expensive unless you use The Book Depository since they ship for free.

-Sign-ups are open throughout the entire year. YIPPEE! Feel free to sign-up at any
time. If you sign-up later in the year, any books you’ve read in 2012 that fit within the guidelines of this challenge, can be included in your final book count.

-Books eligible for this challenge have to be:

• 
  
  A Newbery Winner or Honoree

•                                                                     OR  
  
  A Printz Winner or Honoree
  
  

-Goodreads has easy to view lists of all of the medal winners/honor award winners. You can find them all here:

Newbery Medal Winners
Newbery Honor Winners

Printz Award Winners
Printz Honors Winners 

You can also read the lists on the following websites:

Newbery & Printz

-The books HAVE to be read between January 1st, 2012-December 31st, 2012

-In 2011, the Award Winning Reads Challenge was only during the summer. This year it will be year long, but we still want to have some sort of blitz in the summer time. Many people have more time to read in the summer, so do your best to read more challenge titles during this time. I also understand some people might have less time, and that is fine as well.

-We will also have a mini-challenge of sorts every few months throughout the year. The details haven’t been ironed out yet. To give you an idea, a challenge might be reading a new or specific genre, reading an older book, or telling us a bit about a book you thought you’d hate but ended up loving!

-You are probably wondering about levels for this challenge. In the summer, we had 4 different challenge levels. For 2012, we are getting rid of the levels! You just need to pledge what you THINK you will be able to read or what you want to push yourself to read. That’s it! Make sure when you fill out the linky below, you add the number of books for your goal after your name. Example: “Basically Amazing Ashley (24)”

<a href="http://basicallyamazing.blogspot.com/"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g-ZFSOCWO4M/TtJRRkgjtdI/AAAAAAAABdE/DKuy5bQ01i0/ s200/17522819251.jpg" width="200" height="200" alt="button1" /></a>

Please grab the button for this challenge and put it on your sidebar and put it in your review posts. :)

If you want to sign-up for the 2012 Award Winning Reads Challenge, please fill out the linky below with your NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, blog address (if you have one, if not, Goodreads profile will work), and YOUR PLEDGE for this challenge. Follow the format listed in the linkys description

If you have any questions about this challenge, leave a comment or email Ashley or Jacinda!

We are SO excited to have you joining us! Rock on those awesome book

Holiday #Readathon

I'm participating- BooYa. http://www.whorublog.com/