My Misadventures as a Book Battle Judge, Part 1

Happy Sunday, all! Things have been a little slower on the blog in the last couple of days, and I'm here to tell you why. In addition to the more-than-slightly blissed out reading experience I was having with Richelle Mead's The Golden Lily (and the subsequent depression when I finished it), I've been cramming in as many books as I can for a book battle I'm judging.

Which book battle, you ask? The 2012 YA Book Blogger's Battle, and this year's theme is Fairy Tales Retold! Right now we're in Round 1, which means there are 71 nominated titles. I have to read as many as I can before the end of the month then pick my top ten.

Simple, right? Yes and No. Ahhhbviously I love to read, so I'm all about this challenge. The only problem is I am a ridiculously slow reader. Don't believe me? I took this reading speed test recently, and was not surprised to learn that my reading speed is only slightly faster than the average 8th grader.

Yeah...

So, I'm going to be super busy getting in as many of these as I can! I'm at 8 and aiming for 20. I won't tell you my favorites until the end, but I'll let you know about my progress and maybe post a couple of reviews.

Wish me luck! And it you want to get involved, check out our lovely host, Alyssa at The Shady Glade to see the ways that you can do that.

The Nominated Books Finished ones are crossed out....
(Oh, and if you've read any of these and liked them, let me know so I can check them out!)

A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Abandon by Meg Cabot
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Between Two Ends by David Ward
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer
Cloaked by Alex Flinn
Damosel by Stephanie Spinner
Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
Destined by Jessie Harrell
Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough
East by Edith Pattou
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Golden by Cameron Dokey
Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
Half Upon a Time by James Riley
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
Inside the Walls of Troy by Clemence McLaren
Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire
My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison
My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski
Nobody's Princess by Esther Frisner
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Bahija Lovejoy and Barbara Cohen
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott
Shifting by Bethany Wiggins
Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan
Snow by Tracy Lynn
Snow in Summer: Fairest of Them All by Jane Yolen
Starcrossed by Jospehine Angelini
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn
The Poison Apples by Lily Archer
The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
The Shadow of the Bear by Regina Doman
The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott
The Third Eye by Mahtab Narsimhan
The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler
The Wager by Donna Jo Napoli
The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker
Thornspell by Helen Lowe
Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié
Waking Rose by Regina Doman
Water Song by Suzanne Weyn
Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
Wildefire by Karsten Knight
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston