Meeting other readers and bloggers is something I love about this whole blogging experience. In addition to to all the awesome readers who I connect with, I’ve been so lucky to be able to work with some crazy awesome people in publishing because of this blog. I mean, these people are super passionate readers who get to work with books EVERY DAY. In the past 3.5 years I’ve been able to really get to know these dedicated pushers of books and I trust their opinions so much. They are all fabulous people and I’m so, so thankful for all they do for the book world and how awesome they are to work with!

I’ve gathered a few of my favorite people in publishing that I’ve had the privilege of getting to know and work with and asked them about THEIR favorite books of the year and they were so kind to share the love and put together this AWESOME giveaway for one lucky winner!

You can find Margot here: Twitter | The Real Fauxtographer

What can I say about Margot? From the moment I met her at BEA, during her first few weeks on board the HarperTeen team to launch Epic Reads, I knew she was going to be awesome. Her vision for EpicReads was phenomenal and she was super cool! This gal works so hard to keep the most kickass bookish community, Epic Reads, running and I’m constantly impressed by her creativity and the way Epic Reads has just grown in the short time it has been around. Plus she is a kickass YA fauxtographer — did you see this picture she took of me as Anna? She’s also my book soulmate because her faves are 3 of MY faves this year as well!

Margot’s Favorite

Favorite 2013 Release

Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Favorite 2013 Release You Think Slipped Under The Radar

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith

Favorite 2013 Release From Another Publishing House

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Follow Erica on Twitter!

Erica is actually the one I’ve known the longest. I met her early on in the first few months of this blog when she was working over at another publisher! Somewhere there is a picture of us at the Brooklyn Book Fest looking like drowned rats! Erica is one of the smartest marketing gals I know and she makes me VERY excited about books she knows I’ll like!

Erica’s Favorites

Favorite 2013 Release

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

I won’t rest until everyone I know reads this book. It’s not just that it’s amazing (though it is SO amazing), it’s that Trish somehow managed to see inside my heart and write a character who so perfectly captures everything I felt at 17 and 18 and beyond. I wasn’t kidnapped as a kid like Callie was (thank god), but I went through that same struggle to discover who in my life was really on my side and who I should let in. I love it so, so much.

Favorite 2013 Release You Think Slipped Under The Radar

Hostage Three by Nick Lake

This one hasn’t slipped under the radar entirely, as it’s gotten some great reviews, but I haven’t seen as many bloggers reading it as I KNOW would enjoy it. Hostage Three is Nick Lake’s second book, after his Printz-winning In Darkness, and it’s everything that book was and more. What’s so impressive about Nick is the way he can marry a really compelling thriller with so many insights into other cultures and the way we relate to them.

Favorite 2013 Release From Another Publishing House

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

There was a point while I was reading this on the subway and I actually felt sick to my stomach because I was so worried for the main character. I wanted to reach into the book so badly and tell her it would be okay. Any time a book makes you have such a physical reaction, you know you’re in love.

Follow Lauren on Twitter!

Lauren is one of my new favorite people ever! I’d been working with her for a little while and finally got to meet her at BEA this year. Let me tell you..this girl can man a BEA booth like nobody’s business. We got to chat for a little bit before the swarm descended upon her and she makes it looks so effortless. She’s an awesome person and she KNOWS what I love. You can blame her for the fact I can’t stop talking about We Were Liars.

Lauren’s Favorites

Favorite 2013 Release

I was so happy to see all the love for Matt De La Peña’s THE LIVING this fall! This is Matt’s fifth YA book and it’s definitely making a splash (LOLZ, requisite cruise-ship-disaster pun). I hope everyone read his amazing essay for NPR’s Code Switch—and if that doesn’t convince you that this guy can write, I don’t know what will.

Favorite 2013 Release You Think Slipped Under The Radar

If you haven’t read Amy Christine Parker’s GATED, I recommend you get on that ASAP before the sequel comes out next year. Can you imagine if the reality you grew up with was completely fabricated? I like to think of this world as “Dystop— JK! You’re just in a cult!” This is a contemporary thriller that will stress you out in the best possible way. (Plus it’s getting a fab new cover for the paperback and I might bug Jamie to premiere it here!)

Favorite 2013 Release From Another Publishing House

A week ago, I would have said The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, and I still put that as a close second. But I just finished BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Walter and I’m so sad that it’s over. You know when you start a book and realize that you’ve heard good things but actually have no idea what it’s about? That happened to me here, and I almost prefer it that way. After the fact, I read the description they have online and it’s pretty vague (sorry Harper!)—definitely doesn’t do this expansive yet intimate story justice.

 

 

 

You can follow Ksenia here!

Ksenia is a dream publicist to work with! If you ever get an email from her it’s like CHRISTMAS. She makes everything so easy as a blogger and I always appreciate how hard she works. ALSO at BEA this year she totally introduced me to RL FREAKING STINE! Best. moment. ever. And he told me to call him BOB. Thanks Ksenia!! Also, she has fab taste in books and is always getting me outside of my comfort zone and finding me awesome books — cough Cinder cough Shadow and Bone.

Ksenia’s Favorites

Favorite 2013 Release

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Contemporary can be a huge hit or miss with me but This Song Will Save Your Life hit all the right chords for me (pun intended!).

Favorite 2013 Release You Think Slipped Under The Radar

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff (from our graphic novel imprint First Second Books)

This is such a fun romp! For anyone who loves adventure with a very clever heroine, this is for you. Even if you don’t like graphic novels, give this one a try, preferably with a cup of tea!

Favorite 2013 Release From Another Publishing House

The is actually a tie for me: Winger by Andrew Smith and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

In regards to Winger, if Andrew Smith writes it, I will read it. As for Crown of Midnight, it had everything I wanted in a fantasy and so much more! I was surprised by how much I loved this follow-up to Throne of Glass. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!

 

Follow Ali on Twitter!

I’m pretty sure Ali has clones! I don’t know how she does all the things she does otherwise. Girl works so hard whether she’s on a Dark Days tour or sending out books to bloggers or setting up blog tours! ALSO, let me tell you this 1) she is super fun to hang out with and 2) you will meet nobody in publishing who dresses as fab as her. My clothes and shoes always want to go cry in a corner when I’m in her presence!

Alison’s Favorites

Favorite 2013 Release

I could probably name 80% of our catalog, but I’ll try to cut it down. I was so excited for the end of Cynthia Hand’s UNEARTHLY trilogy. BOUNDLESS published in January, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it did the exact opposite. I’m also the biggest fan of SEPTEMBER GIRLS by Bennett Madison. And PIVOT POINT by Kasie West! And NOT A DROP TO DRINK by Mindy McGinnis! And— sorry! one more!— I have to throw in THE FALL OF FIVE. I’m such a sucker for all of the I AM NUMBER FOUR books. My only complaint is they don’t come out fast enough, even when you work at Harper.

Favorite 2013 Release You Think Slipped Under The Radar

I don’t have enough friends who have read UNRAVELING and UNBREAKABLE by Liz Norris (the latter published this year) or the INSIGNIA series by S.J. Kincaid (VORTEX came out in July). If you have friends with better taste, I’ll trade you.

Favorite 2013 Release From Another Publishing House

Okay, this question isn’t really fair since there are so many books on my to read list that I haven’t had a chance to read yet. For instance, I’m a huge fan of DOLL BONES by Holly Black, but I’ve yet to snag a copy of THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN. Funny how difficult it is to obtain books when they aren’t readily available to you via your office intranet! I will say that I recently read THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales and thought it was aces.

Find Eric here: Twitter | His website

Here’s a funny thing about Eric and I. I live in the Philly area and he is does also as that’s where Quirk is located. HOWEVER, the only time we’ve ever seen each other is at the past 2 BEA’s in New York. One of these days we will meet up in our city! Eric is not only the marketing and social media manager rockstar at Quirk but he’s also an author of The Geek’s Guide To Dating and he just let the cat out of the bag about his debut into the YA world with Bloomsbury Spark called Inked. I for one can’t wait to read it!! He’s a very talent and awesome dude!

Eric’s Favorites

 

Favorite 2013 Release

This is a hard one, because seriously, I love all our books so much!

I think I’ll pick Countdown City by Ben H. Winters for this one though, because not only did I love every single page, but it was also my most anticipated. It’s a sequel in Ben’s The Last Policeman trilogy, and when you work in publishing, you get to read advance copies and manuscripts really early. It felt like forever, the wait between the manuscript of the first book to getting my hands on the second!

If you’re unfamiliar with the novel, it’s a police procedural that takes place before the end of the world. An asteroid is set to hit the Earth, and the novel focuses on Hank Palace, a detective who keeps doing his job despite the end approaching. It’s a riveting, awesome series, and I’m anxiously awaiting the third book due out next year.

Favorite 2013 Release You Think Slipped Under The Radar

Hm. Maybe Suburban Legends? It was an eBook exclusive re-release, and it’s a fun read full of scary tales from the suburbs.

Favorite 2013 Release From Another Publishing House

AH! This feels so unfair. I read so many great books this year!

I think I’ll have to go with Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. It’s a St. Martins Press book, and Rainbow totally gets my demographic. The geeks. She constantly makes me laugh and cry, telling stories about people that feel like they would have been in my circle of friends back in high school. I tell everyone I can about her books, whenever the opportunity arises. Such as now. Go read her stuff!

Giveaway

So we have a great prize pack for one lucky winner thanks to these super generous ladies and gent:

Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis
The Living by Matt de la Pena (signed!!)
The Last Policeman & Countdown City by Ben H. Winters
Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
Hostage Three by Nick Lake
This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
Pivot Point by Kasie West

If you know me, 4 of these are some of my FAVE reads this year so this is a great prize pack especially because now I’m eager to read the couple I missed!

US Only (sorry friends!). Giveaway ends December 31!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So moral of the story: these people are all amazing and you want to know them, they have great taste in books because quite a few of these were personal faves AND you should all probably go read This Song Will Save Your Life because so many of them, plus me, picked it as a fave of 2013!!