You’d be hard-pressed to find a more excited book lover than me last Monday! Two fat packages arrived for yours truly at work, carried in by my office buddy Kelly. “You have presents!” she chimed.

She wasn’t kidding.

Contained in my two padded envelopes were 10 books, a massive win from The Book Studio‘s #FridayReads program on Twitter. Each Friday, The Book Studio team asks Twitter folks to simply chat about what they’re reading that day and attach the #FridayReads hashtag to their thoughts. It’s a great way to see what your friends and followers have in hand, and I really enjoy checking out the responses throughout the day.

Before the snowpocalypse in early February, I participated and probably mentioned Austenland by Shannon Hale. Bethanne promised that if more than 500 responses came in for #FridayReads that day, The Book Studio would give away 10 books to one randomly selected winner. The response threshold was reached and, as you’ve probably guessed, I won! Throw the pink confetti!

I’d walked away from Twitter for about a half hour and when I returned, a flood of congratulations tweets filled my timeline. It took me a few minutes (and several Twitter stalkage clicks) to figure out what had happened, but then I was squealing with glee! Especially since I was housebound at that point. Girl needs something to keep her going.

What did I win, you might ask? Here’s what arrived in my mailbox:

• The Embers by Hyatt Bass (fiction)
• Stand The Storm by Breena Clarke (fiction)
• Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (fiction)
• Cheerful Money by Tad Friend (non-fiction/memoir)
• Sonata Mulattica by Rita Dove (poetry)
• Lowboy by John Wray (fiction)
• Things I’ve Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi (non-fiction/memoir)
• The Brenner Assignment by Patrick O’Donnell (non-fiction/WWII)
• Lovesick by Alex Wellen (fiction)
• Drive by Daniel H. Pink (non-fiction)

Such an ecclectic group of books! I’ve already shared The Embers with a coworker, as I read it last summer on vacation; definitely a powerful read that I’ve actually thought about often, despite feeling like I really didn’t enjoy it at the time. I guess sometimes the novels that stick with us aren’t the ones we felt were “best,” but rather most poignant?

I’m really excited to make my way through the stack — pulling each one from the envelopes was a complete surprise, and so thrilling. Seriously. It felt like my birthday and Christmas and the dawning of a new millennium and a wedding (my own?) all wrapped up in two brown packages! None of them were necessarilybooks I would have chosen for myself, and I think that’s part of what makes it so fun. I definitely intend to pour over them — and y’all know I’ll be back to share.

Thanks again to The Book Studio for my fabulous prize! Remember to check out #FridayReads on Twitter and join in the fun. (I’m always there, so you know it must be good.)