Yep, it's true. This is my 1000th post here at BBB. I know, I'm kind of blown away, too.

This blog has come a long, long way since the day I created it. It's opened the doors to so many great opportunities - from getting to interview bestselling authors to having portions of my reviews published in magazines and books to just being able to talk shop with other bibliophiles. It's been an amazing trip. I can't wait to see the blog evolve even more between now and my 2000th post!

Because I'm incredibly grateful to all of you for making book blogging so fun and rewarding, I thought I'd host a little giveaway to celebrate this momentuous occasion. What am I offering? How about a $25 Amazon gift card? I wish I could send one to each of you, but, since my last name isn't Trump, I've only got the one. Still, it's a nice little prize, no?

Okay, so, if you're interested in throwing your name in the (proverbial) hat, here's what you do:

1. Leave a comment on this post answering the following question: What one book do I have to read this year? It can be a new release, a classic, whatever. Just give me a good must-read title to add to my always-growing TBR pile. Doing this will earn you one entry. P.S.: If you do not have a public blog, which you update frequently, please leave an email address in your comment so I have a way to contact you.

2. I'm not going to make you follow my blog or Like my page on Facebook or any of that stuff in order to get extra entries (although I would, of course, be honored if you choose to do these things), but I will give you points for spreading the word about this contest. For every method used (Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc.) you will receive one extra entry into the giveaway.

3. That's it! Other deets: The giveaway will run until January 20 at midnight. The contest is open to all of my readers, wherever you happen to live. Good luck!

Mine are:

Bookmark Break Challenge - Because this one is so simple (all you have to do is read), I totally rocked it last year. I'm going to see if I can win it two years in a row ...

50 States Challenge - I didn't quite finish this one last year, but I came pretty close. Plus, I enjoyed doing it. So, I'm giving it another go this year.

Adoption Reading Challenge - I've always been interested in the subject of adoption, but even more so since experiencing it for myself. This one sounds fun and informative.

You don't have to make a reading list, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm choosing Level 3, which requires that you read 12 books about adoption - 6 fiction, 6 non. I'm totally excited. Here's what I'm thinking I'll read:

Fiction:

The Red Thread by Ann Hood
Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt
The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian

Non-fiction:

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene
The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans
Swimming Up the Sun by Nicole J. Burton
The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler
Jessica Lost by Bunny Crumpacker and J.S. Picariello

Dystopia 2012 Challenge - I love dystopian and am always reading it, so why not join up with this one? I'm going for the Contagion level, which means reading 15 books. Here's my list:

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
Ashfall by Mike Mullin
Crossed by Ally Condie
Possession by Elana Johnson
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
1984 by George Orwell
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Under the Dome by Stephen King
Fear by Michael Grant
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
The Death Cure by James Dashner

YA Contemporary Challenge - I'm also loving contemporary lately, so I decided to challenge myself to read more realistic fiction. I'm going for Level 2, which involves reading 10+ books. Here's my list:

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Paper Towns by John Green
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
How to Save A Life by Sara Zarr
The Crazy Things Girls Do For Love by Dyan Sheldon
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Sparrow by Sherri L. Smith

Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for making 2011 such a fun and successful one here at BBB. Zombie apocalypse or not, 2012 is going to be an exciting year. I've got lots of reviews, giveaways and other stuff planned, so you'll definitely want to keep up with the happenings around here.

As for 2011, I - once again - did not reach my goal of reading 200 books. I came close. I ended up finishing 186, one more than last year. So, I'm just going to roll over the goal one more time and aim for 200 in 2012 because, darn it, I know I can do it.

Of the 186 books I read this year:

• 171 (92%) were fiction and 15 (8%) were non-fiction.


• 56 (30%) were adult books, 89 (48%) were YA and 41 (22%) were children's/middle grade (I don't count picture books in my yearly total)


• 61 (33%) were written by males, 119 (64%) by females, 2 (1%) by female/female teams, 3 (2%) by male/female teams and 1 (.5%) by a male/male team.


• 120 (65%) were sent to me for review, 43 (23%) were library books and 23 (12%) came from my personal collection.


• 30 (16%) were written by LDS authors.


• 167 (90%) were written by American authors (9 of whom are African-American), 12 (6%) by U.K. authors, 4 (2%) by Canadian authors, 2 (1%) by Australian authors and 1 (.5) by a German author.


• Oh! Because I was doing the 50 States Challenge, I kept track of the states in which the books I read were set. In case you're interested, here's the Top 5: New York (12 books), Massachusetts (7), California (6), and Louisiana, Washington, and Utah tied with 4 books each. Kind of interesting, no?

Challenges at which I failed miserably:

• The Contemps Reading Challenge


• 2011 Dystopia Challenge


• 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge


• 2011 Stephen King Challenge


• 2011 Page to Screen Reading Challenge

Challenges at which I did okay:

• 50 States Challenge

Challenges at which I totally rocked:

• Bookmark Break Challenge

Books I read in 2011 (beginning with the most recent - asterisks denote favorites):

186. Some Assembly Required by Anne and Sam Lamott
185. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott
184. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George*
183. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern*
182. The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty
181. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
180. Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett
179. In the Dark Street Shineth by David McCullough
178. Edge of Evil by J.A. Jance
177. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens*
176. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
175. Glass by Ellen Hopkins
174. The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine*
173. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
172. Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
171. It All Started With Autumn Jones by Jack Weyland
170. Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen by Sara Wells and Kate Jones*
169. The Big Game of Everything by Chris Lynch
168. Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
167. Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz
166. I Survived: The Shark Attacks of 1916 by Lauren Tarshis
165. Small As An Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
164. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
163. Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor
162. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf*
161. Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
160. Gone by Lisa McMann
159. Fade by Lisa McMann
158. Feed by M.T. Anderson
157. After the Snow by S.D. Crockett
156. Titanic, Book Three: S.O.S. by Gordon Korman
155. Titanic, Book Two: Collision Course by Gordon Korman
154. Titanic, Book One: Unsinkable by Gordon Korman
153. You Are My Only by Beth Kephart
152. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
151. The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
150. Dear America: Voyage On the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White
149. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
148. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
147. Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
146. Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
145. The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo
144. 8th Grade Super Zero by Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich*
143. Circle Nine by Anne Heltzel
142. Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
141. Friend Is Not A Verb by Daniel Ehrenhaft
140. Lake Eden Cookbook by Joanne Fluke*
139. The Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Wild by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon
138. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
137. No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
136. Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack
135. Swindle by Gordon Korman
134. Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little*
133. English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
132. Your Happily Ever After by Dieter F. Uchtdorf
131. Under the Jolly Roger by L.A. Meyer*
130. First Day On Earth by Cecil Castellucci
129. PIE by Sarah Weeks
128. Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones*
127. My Fake Boyfriend Is Better Than Yours by Kristina Springer
126. Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
125. Eve by Anna Carey
124. Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott
123. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
122. Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
121. From Bad to Cursed by Katie Alender
120. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
119. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick*
118. Girl Parts by John M. Cusick
117. Variant by Robison Wells
116. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
115. Everything I Was by Corinne Demas
114. The Entitlement Trap by Richard and Linda Eyre
113. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
112. Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones
111. Frost by Marianna Baer
110. Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
109. Bluefish by Pat Schmatz
108. Good Graces by Lesley Kagen*
107. Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien
106. Bloody Jack: The Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L.A. Meyer*
105. Rip Tide by Kat Falls
104. Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
103. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer*
102. To Die For by Sandra Byrd
101. Your Child's Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age by Pam Allyn
100. Dear America: The Diary of Deliverance Trembley, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials; I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Fraustino
99. Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer
98. Fathermothergod by Lucia Greenhouse
97. Nerd Girls: Rise of the Dorkasaurus by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
96. The Third by Abel Keogh
95. Rachel Spinelli Punched Me in the Face by Paul Acampora*
94. All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin*
93. Scat by Carl Hiassen
92. Sharks & Boys by Kristen Tracy
91. Storm Runners by Roland Smith
90. The Agency: The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee*
89. Flashback by Dan Simmons
88. The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee*
87. Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi
86. Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
85. Things We Didn't Say by Kristina Riggle
84. Dear America: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson: With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney
83. Plague by Michael Grant*
82. No Biking in the House Without A Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene
81. Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer
80. Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan
79. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
78. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs*
77. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
76. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
75. Season of Secrets by Sally Nicholls
74. Draw the Dark by Ilsa J. Bick*
73. Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
72. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
71. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
70. Cayman Summer by Angela Morrison
69. Divergent by Veronica Roth*
68. Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler
67. Unbroken Connection by Angela Morrison
66. Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen
65. Faith by Jennifer Haigh
64. Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon
63. The Beach Trees by Karen White
62. Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
61. Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish
60. The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker
59. Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon
58. The Ninth Wife by Amy Stolls
57. Wither by Lauren Destefano
56. Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart
55. Skinny by Diana Spechler
54. Journey of Honor by Jaclyn M. Hawkes
53. The First-Timer's Cookbook by Shawn Bucher
52. Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler
51. Wrecker by Summer Wood
50. What Can(t) Wait by Ashley Hope Perez
49. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
48. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda*
47. Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes
46. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
45. Blood & Flowers by Penny Blubaugh
44. The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little*
43. NERDS by Michael Buckley
42. What Would Your Character Do? by Eric Maisel, PhD & Ann Maisel
41. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
40. Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank
39. Unwind by Neal Shusterman*
38. Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith*
37. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
36. Mr. Monster by Dan Wells
35. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine*
34. GEAS by Robin Weeks* (my friend's work-in-progress)
33. The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas
32. Exodus by Julie Bertagna*
31. Everlost by Neal Shusterman*
30. Father of Lies by Ann Turner
29. Wolves, Boys & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler
28. The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey From White to Black by Daniel J. Sharfstein
27. Compromised by Heidi Ayarbe
26. Missing In Action by Dean Hughes
25. Hush by Kate White
24. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
23. The Forbidden Sea by Sheila Nielson
22. Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick
21. Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum
20. The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia
19. The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern*
18. Dear America: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl by Patricia McKissack
17. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
16. When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt
15. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness*
14. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness*
13. The Rogue Shop by Michael Knudsen
12. The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
11. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness*
10. Vesper by Jeff Sampson
9. Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon*
8. X-Isle by Steve Augarde
7. Trapped by Michael Northrop
6. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
5. The Danger Box by Blue Balliet
4. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman*
3. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
2. No Such Thing As Dragons by Philip Reeve
1. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis