All I want for Christmas are....BOOKS!

Song of the Day: All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey 

   Hello all! I'm supposed to be blogging about literary magazines today, but I don't feel like it! AND I like to break the rules! (Hehe) I thought I'd blog about books today since I'm obsessed with them. I've recently been giving a lot of thought to doing the 2011 Debut Author Challenge. I was inspired to pursue this by my two buddies Pam and Marquita. The challenge is hosted by The Story Siren and involves reading 12 YA or middle grade novels, then posting reviews about them. Reviews have to be posted publicly (blog, Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, etc.).  For more information click the green link above. I have a list of books that I've selected, and let me just say that it was one extensive list that I had to choose from! I'm not a YA writer, so I know very little about the subject. However, I thought it was a good idea to stay current since it's such a hot genre. I read Crank by Ellen Hopkins over the summer, and I LOVED it!
    I've also decided that I'm going to read at least 75 books next year as part of my New Year's Resolution (Look out for the rest of my resolutions next Tues!). Goodreads has also released a list of 508 best books of 2010. Since I didn't read a single book on the list, I've gone through and picked out the ones I will read next year. I've also added some books I'm dying to read that have been sitting on my shelf. Here are my lists!

2011 Debut Author Challenge:

1. The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson
2. Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
3. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
4. What Can't Wait by Ashley Perez
5. Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
6. Like Mandarin by Kristin Hubbard
7. Desperate Measures by Laura Summers
8. Falling for Hamlet by MIchelle Ray
9. Bestest Ramadan Ever by Medeia Sharif
10. Broken Wings by Helen Landalf
11. Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
12. Mercy Lily by Lisa Albert

And my list from Goodreads:

1. The Kitchen House by Katherine Grissom
2. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
3. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow
4. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
5. Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
6. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (when it's released in paperback)
7. Fallout by Ellen Hopkins (again, waiting for paperback)
8. Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin
9. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
10. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
11. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
12. Come Back to Me by Sara Foster
13. The Hoarders by Jean Stringer
14. Girl on a Bridge by Suzanne Fischkorn
15. Solomon's Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson
16. The Perfect World by Suzanne Bugler
17. Freefall by Mindi Scott

And Books on my Shelf:

1. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
2. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
3. Glass by Ellen Hopkins
4. Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo by Ntozake Shange
5. Caucasia by Danzy Senna
6. The Street by Ann Petry

And that just scratches the surface. I have stacks of books filling up my living room. I think I may have a problem. It's going to be one busy year! What about you? What books will you be reading in 2011?