And The Book Review Contest Winner Is...

A hearty congratulations to the Grand Prize Winner of our Book It to Bermuda Book Review Contest, Birdie Jaworski for The Night the Book Ate My Life! 

As our Grand Prize Winner, Birdie will be joining us on the Gather.com Book It to Bermuda literary cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas, for a five day trip from Boston to Bermuda. During this literary series at sea, Birdie will meet and interact with top-selling authors, literary agents, and other industry experts in one-of-a-kind discussions and receptions.

Our guest judge, public radio arts reporter Marianne Combs, had this to say about Birdie's winning review:

"Too often a book review tells me a book is important, but fails to show me how so. That's why "The Night The Book Ate My Life" is my choice for a winner.  In "The Night the Book Ate My Life" we are drawn into the world of the reviewer through a compelling, driven narrative. The reviewer's life appears to be a maelstrom of tragic events; the one constant grounding her throughout is the moral clarity and simple strength offered up by Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird." She does not waste any time summarizing a great work - something which would never do it justice - instead she convinces you of its worth by showing its affect on her, how it helped her face adversity and overcome it. The review seduces readers, teasing them with the idea that a book could have such an impact on their own lives. This review, above all others, made me wish I had the book in my hands at that moment so that I could immediately start reading. Now that's a great book review."

Congratulations to everyone who entered the competition and shared their reviews with us, and a special thanks to our guest judge Marianne Combs, who was given the very difficult task of selecting a winner from our finalists' entries.

Have a great trip Birdie!