Book Blogger Holiday Swap Part 2! (plus extra mail surprise)

Today was the culminating effect of a crazy weekend. My husband got sick with a bad head cold on Saturday (he never gets sick but reverts to a whiny 5-year-old when he does), my first family Christmas get-together of the year on Sunday was plain nuts and not enjoyable, and today I had to take my skittish dog to the vet for her bi-annual check-up (which was stressful for her and in turn, for me).

So I come home and calm down the dog and get the mail, and I find two super awesome surprises waiting for me. One was the last part of my Secret Santa package from the Book Blogger Holiday Swap 2010 from Cindy in Quebec.



And it's Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson! For anyone that's read my blog, Laurie Halse Anderson is one of very few authors that I will read anything they write regardless of the subject matter because they are just that good. I read a book of hers that dealt with anorexia, Wintergirls , and actually enjoyed it even though eating disorders are one of the topics I tend to avoid in my reading. Forge is the sequel to Chains , which I read earlier this year and loved (obviously), so I've had Forge on my wish-list since it came out. So thank you Cindy! You made my day yet again, and made me smile when I really needed something to smile about ^_^


If finding Forge in my mailbox wasn't enough of a pleasant surprise, I received yet another package that resulted in yet more squees of delight.



That's right, it's Wither by Lauren DeStefano. One of the most anticipated YA books in the blogsphere, and Simon and Schuster sent me an ARC copy 3 months before its release date! Like everyone else who reads YA, I've been really looking forward to this one, especially since it's dystopian, so getting an unexpected ARC of it is a really nice bonus. Hopefully the book lives up to the hype it's receiving.

So between my well-loved historical fiction and a dystopian ARC, I've got plenty to keep me happy and reading over the Christmas break until I join my students again in the new year ^__^