Meet the Judges, Part 1

So I know I've been scarce lately, between a new job and organizing stuff for the Book Battle, things have been a little crazy. But I'm not the only one who's been busy working to make the book battle a success. I'm joined by an amazing panel of judges,who are actually doing most of the work since they have to pick the winners. So before the announcements from Round 1 get underway tomorrow, let's get to know a few of our judges.

I sent out emails asking everyone to introduce themselves, and this is the result. So without further ado, I'll let them take it away. Here are some of our Round 1 Judges, in their own words, in no particular order:

Christie from The Fiction Enthusiast:
I am the mom of three, a military wife, and an avid reader. I am a newbie to the blogging world but have enjoyed it so far. When not reading I enjoy jogging, yoga, baking, and video games. I read a variety of genres but my favorites are young adult, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and dystopian.

Christie is joining us at the judge of Bracket 10 (Brightly WovenVS. Magic Under Glass).


Crystal from My Reading Room:
My name is Crystal and I started the My Reading Room blog a little over a year ago because I wanted to keep track of my books better and how I felt about each one. I started out reviewing my books and library books but through the help of other book bloggers found the road to review books. Now it seems that I never get to the books on my tbr shelf due to wonderful review books and new recommendations of book bloggers. I rank some YA novels amongst my favorite books and cannot wait until my sons are older so they can read some of my favorites. I joined the YA Book Battle because it seems like a fun project and I was right - I am enjoying reading my two books and deciding which one I think should win and really thinking about the reasons why.

Crystal is partnered up with the lovely Erica from The Book Cellar:
My name is Erica and I'm 16. When I'm not blogging or reading, you can usually find me at show choir or in whatever production is in the works at the local theater. I love to sing, and love anything musical.

Together the pair will be judging Bracket 4 (Bleeding VioletVS. Prada and Prejudice).


Kassandra from Eternal Night:
My name is Kassandra. I'm 14 years old and I decided to create my own book blog because i LOVE books. And i mean LOVE!!! Books are my drug. I created my book blog to let other book lovers know when cool books are coming out and my opinion on the best books out there.

Kassandra is partnered with Haley from The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object. Together they will be judging Bracket 8 (A Spy in the HouseVS. Hex Hall).


Rachel from Jacob's Beloved:
I grew up a bookworm and excelled in school simply because I was an avid reader. Books were my closest friends, my safe haven from the world, my reward for hard work, and my secret indulgence. My first full-time job was in a bookstore - it felt like coming home. The sight of rows and rows of books, the new book smell every shipment, moving books around all day every day, talking about books, was like balm for my soul. I was there 3 years before I moved away. Only recently have I discovered the world of book blogging, and I can't get enough of it.
Oh yeah, and I love cooking, being a mom to my two beautiful girls, and wife to my wonderful / infuriating husband!

Rachel is partnered with The Book Vixen and together they are judging Bracket 6 (AshVS. The Season).


Natalie from Mindful Musings:
I'm a nineteen-year old college student double-majoring in English and Global Studies with a Spanish minor. I love to read a little bit of everything, but my favorite category is YA, and my favorite genres are paranormal romance and urban fantasy. My blog, Mindful Musings, is an outlet for me to express all of my feelings about bookish things (and the random movie or TV show).

Natalie is partnered with Misty from The Book Rat. Together they will be tackling Bracket 11 (Before I FallVS. The Iron King).


Raspberry from Two and a Half Booklovers (the picture is the "half" booklover. Isn't he adorable?)
My husband and I started a book blog in order to free up our family blog. I (Raspberry) do most of the work/reading/posting, and I'll be the one judging for the Book Battle. We read upwards of half a dozen books a week each, and record those reads on Shelfari. We do Memory Monday and Friday Finds, but otherwise it's all reviews; lots and lots of reviews! We especially enjoy YA literature, but include a bit of juvenile, adult, and even some non-fiction on our blog.

Raspberry is in charge of judging Bracket 1 (Bracket 1:
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark SideVS. Silver Phoenix) and will be one of the first to announce her winners tomorrow!


Michelle from Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks:
Hi everyone! My name is Michelle and I'm a bookworm from Hawaii. I share a blog with my younger sister called Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks. Our blog reviews both YA fiction (by Leslie and me) and romance novels (all me). One of my favorite books of all time is Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Other than reading and blogging, I do arts and crafts, watch TV (I love Glee and Criminal Minds!) and cook.

Michelle has the task of reading and judging the books in Bracket 9 (Hush, HushVS. The Body Finder).


That's it for this round of Meet the Judges. Stay on the lookout for more information from our Round 1 group as they start to announce tomorrow.