I love this month's lineup of guides and features. So many of our featured titles are books that I have read --- and thoroughly enjoyed. I like when that happens as I feel like I am plucking books from my personal shelves to hand to you.

January typically means there's more time for reading. Sure we can talk about cleaning closets and doing all the things that inclement weather allows time for, but if I have time, I read. My favorite Sunday afternoons are the ones where I have a roaring fire in the fireplace and a good book on my lap. This month our reviews include two books that I really enjoyed --- PLAGUEMAKER by Tim Downs and RIVER RISING by Athol Dickson. They are very different, but each were very satisfying reading experiences. I like it when that happens. And I know you do too.

This month, we aren't sure what to be most excited about at Teenreads.com --- the announcement of the ALA's award-winning books of the year, the announcement of Oprah's newest Book Club selection and her essay contest JUST for teens, or the launch of our new Manga Feature. It's ALL so exciting!

After watching the Oprah/James Frey show yesterday I will share the same thought that I told the staff the morning this happened. Never lie. It's not worth it. Besides the fact that it's not right, you WILL get caught. The world today is too small with the Internet, cable news and every other method of communicating. Lie and way too much is on the line because there is someone somewhere who will figure it out. I do think the real sad thing is that writing needs to be "over the top" to be heard among the clutter. A simple story of recovery from addiction would never have gotten this much attention.