Book Giveaway: Unraveling Isobel (A Ghostly, Gothic Pick)

I have 5 copies of this great new paranormal, gothic ghost story! I just loved this novel from the first pages! Don't miss this one--you'll love it and so will teen readers!

Read Chapter One here


Read my review of Unraveling Isobel here

Simply post a comment here on the blog (Young Adult Books--What We're Reading Now) and be sure and give your email address so that I can contact you if you win. Please also include your city and state because I love to keep track of who is out there reading and entering (and the publishers and authors like to know, too). Contest opens January 2-12. Deadline for posts is January 12th at noon MST. Winners will be notified January 12th and have 48 hours to respond to my email. If, for some reason, winners do not respond to my email, the next person chosen randomly will win the copy of the book. Winners are chosen randomly using Randomizer. Books will ship from New York City--thanks Simon & Schuster and Venessa!

Good luck and start posting now!

My Defense for Top Ten Picks 2011

I posted my Best of the Best--Young Adult Titles 2011 here

Many people wondered how I chose the books I did. Here are the reasons why:

Main reason: When I'm reading the book, I know exactly what teen I'm going to recommend it to. For those boys who love to read and have a sense of humor, I knew Notes From the Blender would be a hit. For the zombie fans, Ashes and Dark Inside are solid reads. For girls who like high school angst, Choker and Spoiled come to mind. For girls who like a sweet story, Moonglass fills the bill. For dystopian fans, Wither, Eve, and All These Things I've Done come to mind. For the careful and serious reader, Shine "shines."

Here are 10 more reasons for my picks:



1. If a book is soooooo unique, so different, unlike anything I've read--and it's good storytelling with solid characters, it's in! Notes From the Blender, Choker,Spoiled, and Beauty Queens were all so different and unlike anything else I read all year.



2. If a book is paranormal, it must be a new "take" on the genre or have such amazing characters and be a solid page-turner, it's in! If it makes me forget all about Edward and Jacob, it's in! The Pledge and Wolf Mark make it in!



3. If a book can make me fall in love with something new or something I didn't like before I read the book--like zombies--and I fall in love with the book, it's in! Ashes and Dark Inside made it! Plus, both books had solid storytelling and great female protagonists.



4. If I dream about the book, not once but numerous times, it's clearly got me thinking about it well after reading it! Shine, Ashes, Dark Inside, and Wolf Mark had me dreaming some serious dreams.



5. If I think...hmmmm....what will happen next...if I worry about the characters...if I dream about what happens in the sequel, it's in! Wither, Dark Inside, Ashes, and Eve all had me wanting to get my hands on the sequel.



6. If I am LOST in that dystopian world and forget about 2011 and what is around me, it's in...Wither and Eve were great dystopias.



7. If a book bothers me, tortures me, grosses me out, worries me, takes me out of my comfort zone, makes me want to take action---it's in--Shine fits this category.



8. If a chick lit book is soooooooo sweet with a feisty girl protagonist with a unique teen voice, it's in! Moonglass and My Life Undecided fit here. Spoiled wasn't sweet but the snarky teen voices grabbed me.



9. If the writing is poetic and sings off the page...it's in! Shine "shines" here. Beauty Queens is the most well-written novel I've read in a long time, and Libba Bray is wicked funny and is teens' answer to David Sedaris.



10. If a book has a number of these characteristics, it's in!

Pamela's Picks: Best YA Titles 2011

Here it is--The Best of the Best Young Adult Novels. I consider each of these a fantastic read and would recommend them for any young adult collection.

Read my review of The Pledge here


Why I picked The Pledge:
So entertaining and I loved the two main characters and the strong female protagonist. Also, it was kind of a fairy tale, romance, and dystopian novel all rolled into one. Great storytelling and the cover will speak to teens.

Read my review of Eve here


Why I picked Eve: Wonderful plot and easy to read. A real page-turner, and as an added bonus, it will be a trilogy. I see it becoming a movie, too! Nice cover art.

read my review of Dark Inside here


Why I picked Dark Inside: Who knew I was a zombie fan? I wasn't before this chilling book. Loved it!

Read my review of Ashes here

Again, who knew I was such a fan of zombies? Just as good as Dark Inside. Loved both books. Ashes will also be a trilogy. Creepy cover will attract lots of readers.

see my review of Wolfmark here


Why I picked Wolfmark: I loved the way Native American myth and legend was interwoven with werewolf lore from Europe. Loved the main character, too!

See my review of Beauty Queens here


Why I picked Beauty Queens: Libba Bray has a wicked sense of humor and there's nothing funnier than a bunch of beauty queen divas stuck on a deserted island! Eye-catching cover will sell teens.

See my review of Wither here


Why I picked Wither: The idea of people only living into their twenties and girls being used as "breeders" is interesting. Great dystopia. Another trilogy. Beautiful cover also.

See my review of Shine here


Why I picked Shine: Such a departure novel from the girly TTFN and other girly books by Myracle. Shine is a book that matters!

See my review of Notes From the Blender here


Why I picked Notes From the Blender: Hysterical, need I say more?

See my review of Choker here


Why I picked Choker here: Great plot and unexpected twists. Cool. Great storytelling.

See my review of Spoiled here


Why I picked Spoiled: Sister drama and fashionista, spoiled brat Hollywood celebutante fun! The authors make fun of reality stars, too! Cover is sure to appeal to the fashionista in all of us!

Too good to miss---These are books I loved, but I could only pick the Top Ten--these are close contenders:

See my review of My Life Undecided here


Why I picked My Life Undecided: I liked the idea of the main character using her blog to make her life decisions. Great fun!

See my review of All These Things I've Done here


Why I picked All These Things I've Done: I loved the idea of the mafia and organized crime dealing chocolate as a commodity. Loved the dystopian New York City.

see my review of Moonglass here


Why I picked Moonglass: Loved the feel of this book. Story was great and poignant. Beautifully told. The cover art is the most beautiful cover of the year.
said.