Books Read in 2011:
+re-read
1. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr (January)
While I absolutely loved Wicked Lovely, I only liked this one. I think the big difference for me came in the relationships. The tension and attraction absolutely crackled in Wicked Lovely, but here, any time there was any kind of attraction, I always felt like it was because of the faerie pull. It never seemed real. The plot was just fine, and I enjoyed it, but it seemed to fall flat because of this.
2. Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters (January)
These books are just so fun. I love the way Waters pokes fun at PC culture in America. Though he didn’t do it as blatantly in this book as he did in the first, the irony was still there and I still loved it. I love the stream-of-consciousness narration he used when in the mind of a newly-returned zombie. Really smart writing, that.
3. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (January)
I have to say, Nora’s character kinda drove me crazy throughout most of this book. I wanted to reach through the pages and slap some sense into her on a regular basis. Sometimes she was so idiotic as to make me want to scream. Still, I enjoyed the plot and felt that Becca Fitzpatrick kept things paced really well. As much as the narrator was annoying me, it wasn’t enough for me to put the book down – I just had to know what happened. And now I just have to know what happens in the next one. Well played, Becca, well played.
4. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card (January)
Orson Scott Card is such a wonderful storyteller. This book had a great story, very memorable characters, and was totally thought provoking. Throughout the book, there is the main story, but each chapter is prefaced with a little glimpse of a different, but obviously connected story (this seems to be something Card likes doing a lot). The smaller story was really not necessary for this book, but it did help explain a bit, and I think it was probably crucial for the set-up for the rest of the trilogy. Which I am super excited to read – good thing Orson Scott Card promised (after suffering a minor stroke) that he wouldn’t die before finishing the series.
+5. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (January)
This book is beautiful. There is really no better way to describe it. This was my third time reading it, and while I remembered how amazing the story was and how brilliant the writing, it was like remembering through a veil – it is so much better than I can recall from memory. I know I will read this one many more times.
6,7,8,9. Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras by Scott Westerfeld (January)
What a wonderful series! They story was creative and compelling, and even the less likable characters were great. The best part, though, was the narrative voice. It was unique, fun, and immensely readable. These books were totally happy-making.
10. Brain Rules by John Medina (February)
This book was fabulous. It is filled to the brim with information, all presented in a compulsively readable way. It is a fun, educational book. I learned so much and had fun doing it! Medina has also written Brain Rules for Babies about the first 5 years of development – I am totally going to read that one.
11. Matched by Ally Condie (February)
This book is beautifully done. It reminded me a lot of The Giver, at least in the way the Society functions. I nw get what all the hype was about with this book – it was every bit as good as I expected it to be. I am excited for the second one to come out later this year.
12. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (February)
I loved the narrative voice in this one. Alex, despite her going through such horrible things, was a really fun narrator to ride along with. This was a really well-done book. The emotion and the aftermath of what happens to Alex is SO real. I really could feel what she was feeling during the story. I love that this is an “issue book” but it really doesn’t read like one.
13. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (February)
This book was fabulously creepy. Like Maggie Stiefvater said in her blurb, it is a beautiful book about ugly things. I didn’t find it completely unputdownable, but I also couldn’t walk away from it. I enjoyed it immensely.
14. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (March)
Oh. My. Heck. I love this series. I can’t even wait for Beautiful Chaos to come out. Not only do I love the plot and characters (Link is SO fun), but I adore the setting. When I read these books, I feel like I am back in the South again. They make me miss it so, so bad!
15. I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (March)
What a cute, fun book! The narration was fun and snappy – a little young, but the narrator was only 15, so it sounded pretty authentic. The plot was cute and entertaining. I will read the rest of the series, definitely.
+16, 17, 18, 19. Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (March)
I went ahead and reread these cause I wanted to read something familiar. They get a lock of flack, but I still enjoy them!
20. Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough (April)
I was pretty indifferent about this one when Finn suggested it for our book club title, but I ended up loving it! The story is intriguing and the characters interesting. I loved the narration. At first the first person present tense grated at me, which it normally doesn’t, but before long I didnt’ notice it anymore.
21. Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen (April)
Sarah Dessen never fails me! Just like all the others, I loved this one. She is so, so great with secondary characters. I want to be friends with all her supporting casts. Also, her books always make me want to move back down south to a small town. I wonder if I will ever be able to convince Geek Husband to do that (hint: the answer is no).
22, 23, 24. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (April)
I loved this series – I don’t know why I didn’t read it straight away when I bought it more than a year ago. I adored the mix of Victorian life and women taking charge, proper young ladies and spitfire teenagers, beautiful creation and creepy thrills. Such a wonderful trilogy!
+25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. That Summer, Someone Like You, Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (April/May)
Back when Harry Potter was still being written, I (and many others) used to reread all the books in the series in anticipation for the next installment. I got to thinking: standalone books don’t get that reread frenzy. So, since I am SO excited for Sarah Dessen’s next book, What Happened to Goodbye, I decided to reread all her previous titles in chronological order (except Along for the Ride, which I just read a month ago). It should be fun, and I already know I adore all these books.
33. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (May)
Sarah Dessen does it again! This book was really, really good, filled with rich characters and a fun setting, as always. My favorite part? Dave Wade. Often, the DessenBoys are kinda similar – artsy or musical. Dave Wade is a geek. A cool geek, but a geek nonetheless. His character was really refreshing. I loved this book, n0t that anyone will be surprised about that!
34. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (May)
This was not quite what I expected. It read a little younger than I thought it would – I think it probably would do better shelved in middle grade than YA. Also it is more plot-driven than I am used to. I still really enjoyed it, and will read the rest of the series!
35. The Clearing by Heather Davis (May)
I got this one to check out the way Heather Davis did a dual 1st/3rd person point-of-view. It was really interesting – I liked it a lot. The story was cute and sweet. I really enjoyed it. Though I didn’t connect with the love story as much as I hoped to (I was actually rooting for the friend in the background), I did get connected enough to shed a tear at the end.
36. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby (May)
I am in love with this book. LOVE. Such a wonderful story, vibrant characters…and OH THE SETTING. Kirby’s descriptions of the beach and ocean put me right there. I could feel the water on my feet, smell the salt in the air. Such a beautiful, wonderful debut. I will absolutely look for her work in the future. Now I have to go try to convince Geek Husband that we need to go to the beach.
37. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (May)
I had been meaning to read Speak for quite some time (we’re talking years here), but for some reason just never did. Finally, I decided it was time. The voice and style threw me a bit at first, but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. I understand all the praise now. This is an important book!
38. Take Me There by Susane Colasanti (May)
I like the story and I like the characters. I wasn’t a huge fan of the actual writing, though. It seemed like Susane Colasanti was trying TOO hard to sound teenaged – it came off fake, and actually almost like she was mocking teens. That said, the writing did not detract from the story enough for me to want to put the book down.
39. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (June)
Man, Shannon Hale can write a beautiful fairy tale. Her language and descriptions were so rich. I loved this book and cannot wait to read the others in the series.
40. Courage in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum (June)
I won this book a long, long, long time ago in a blog contest, but for some reason didn’t read it until now. Big mistake. It was SUCH a good book. It deals with a lot of tough issues, but is beautifully done. I will recommend it to anyone!
41. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins (June/July)
I enjoyed the story and I enjoyed Tom Robbins’s quirkyness to a point, but he went on all these random tangents that took me completely out of the reading. I think this would have been a much better book if it was more focused.
42. Empty by Suzanne Weyn (July)
Great premise, decent writing, not the best execution. Weyn was way too heavy-handed with her message – so much so that the story was lost in her trying to pound environmental issues into my head. She could have made this WAY better than she did.
43. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (July)
Holy commas I love this book! So fun, so quirky, so flippin’ amazing. John Green is a god of authors. No joke.
44. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (July)
Ah-maze-ing. That’s all there is to say about this book. Beth kept me guessing all the way through. Some things I figured out early on, but many things I didn’t get until she revealed them right at the end. And now she says some of those things I think I got are LIES. I can’t wait to read the next one to find out what’s true and what’s not.
45. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (July/August)
I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time, but for some reason kept putting it off. This book was really fun. For some reason, even though I’ve always known it was set in modern day, in my mind it was in the past, so at first I had time reconciling the time periods. It was a fun, clever read and I’m excited to read the sequel(s).
46, 47, 48, 49. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girl in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood, Forever in Blue: The Forth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (August/September)
I’ve always liked these books in theory, so I decided I should probably actually read them. They did not disappoint. Great characters, a fun premise, and heartfelt stories make these a wonderful read. I like the later ones more than the early ones; I loved the way the characters grew up and really felt like I could connect to them in the later books.
50. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Mayberry (August)
Holy commas, ah-mazing. I loved this book so much. My very favorite thing about it was that even in a world overrun by zombies, the biggest threat is other humans. I can’t wait to read the sequel (but will have to because I’m not allowed to buy any more books right now)!
51. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows (September)
The epistolary format of this book made it a little tough for me to get into, but once it grabbed me it grabbed hard and held tight. I loved the stories and it was so much fun getting to know the characters. It really is a beautiful book.
52. Hollowland by Amanda Hocking (September)
Of course I’d heard of Amanda Hocking and her books, but I’d yet to read one, so when I got my shiny new Nook I decided to break it in on one of hers. I love me some zombies, so I picked this one. I was not disappointed. Hocking keeps the action moving right along and makes the reader really feel for the characters. I am looking forward to the sequel, and to reading some of her others.
53. Mayne Attraction: In the Spotlight by Ann Mauren (October)
I started reading this because I was looking to read more indie books. I had to put it aside to read Hero for my YA book club. And to be honest, I don’t know if I will go back to it. I hate to say that, because I like to give every book a full read, but I am just not digging it. Maybe I will give it another shot and change my mind. I’ll update this if I do.
54. Hero by Perry Moore (October)
Two words: Gay. Superhero. This book is so much more than a gay-kid-dealing-with-daddy-issues book or a superhero book, though it is both of those as well. The action kept the plot moving forward at a good clip and, while I didn’t have any of his particular issues, I could relate easily to the main character, Thom. I look forward to seeing more from Moore (hehe…that was bad).
55. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (October)
This book is so moving and beautiful. The writing sings. The story is heartbreaking and wonderful all at the same time. I have been recommending this to everyone I know since I finished it. I can’t wait to see more from Jamie Ford (who lives in my hometown
56. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (October)
It’s no secret that Stephanie’s first book, Anna and the French Kiss, was my favorite read of 2010, and that I was over-the-top excited to get my hands on Lola. And you want to know what? I like this one even better than the first. I didn’t want it to end. Sadly it did, but I still have Isla and the Happily Ever After to look forward to!
57. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (October)
Oh my gosh, this book is so deliciously creepy. It is so different than any Maureen Johnson books I’ve read in the past, and while I always like her work, this one is by far my favorite. I adore the world she’s built. And that last page?! Gah! I can’t even wait for the next one. Hurry, Maureen, hurry!
58. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan (October/November)
What a wonderful addition to a fantastic series. I hated so many people in this book, but loved the book. I love that Ryan’s characters can always find a little glimmer of hope amongst the pain and bleakness of their world.
59. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (December)
60. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (December)
