My Best Of List

Lots of people like commemorate the end of one year and beginning of another by putting out lists of their favorite things.  Yes, some would say these lists are totally overdone, but I enjoy reading them!  It's always fun to relive the year through someone else's pov :-) 


So here's my attempt at one list, maybe just maybe I'll get another one or two posted before the year officially ends.


BEST / FAVORITE READS OF 2011 


SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY Series by Jenny Han 
Belly has always lived for the summertime because it means all her favorite things: swimming, the beach and the Fischer boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. She has spent every summer with them at Cousins Beach for as long as she can remember. She has always been in love with Conrad and finally, one summer, it seems like he might have feelings for her too. But it turns out, so does Jeremiah. As the summers go on, Belly has to choose between two brothers who love her as she comes to the realization that she will have to break one of their hearts. 


I started this series in 2011 right after the 3rd book (We'll Always Have Summer) came out.  I sort of love it when something like that happens... being turned on to a series when all the books are already available.... because I was able to read all 3 books in a row.  A good book series always has so much more of an impact when read together like that. In this situation when i finished the 3rd book I picked up the first one and read them all through a second time lol.




FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma 

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives--and the way they understand each other so completely--has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending. 


 One day while reading SHELF LIFE I saw a banner ad for FORBIDDEN, a few minutes later I saw someone posting about it on Twitter.  I took this as a sign and ordered a copy.  To say this book was different from my normal reads is an understatement.  Although it's YA, it is not something I normally would be drawn to.  This book took me out of my comfort zone and broke my heart into a thousand pieces.  (The subject matter is mature and I wouldn't recommend this read to anyone under the age of at least 14.)  But it was so incredibly written I found myself rooting for them to find a way to make their forbidden relationship work!  Definitely not what I would call a feel good book, but one that stayed on my mind for days, even weeks after I finished reading it.  A powerful book.

SILENCE by Becca Fitzpatrick 
The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever. 


What can I say about SILENCE?  If you follow me here or on FB, Twitter, Tumblr (etc) you know that I am extremely involved in all things HUSH, HUSH Saga. I love these books and Becca Fitzpatrick like crazy!!  And SILENCE which came out in October was no exception.  Patch + Black Silk Sheets = LOVE lol  See below for your chance to win a cool SILENCE locker poster!




WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman 
It's been three years since the devastating accident... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever. Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other. Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance. 

WHERE SHE WENT is the sequel to IF I STAY but told from Adam's point of view instead of Mia's.  I liked IF I STAY enough, but I totally LOVED this book!  I loved being inside Adam's head, although it definitely wasn't always a very comfortable place to be.  I've read this book a few times this year and I sit squarely on Team Adam.. he's awesome!!  Speaking of Team Adam... have you seen these awesome buttons?! ---->>>


 Thanks to the fabulous Gayle Forman I have a few to give away!  So if you are Team Adam, or even if you're not yet (you will be once you read WHERE SHE WENT) See below for your chance to win one!




Want to win a TEAM ADAM button or a cool SILENCE locker size poster?  Leave a comment telling me what your favorite read(s) of 2011 is/are.  Be sure to include an email address if I can't get an email to you by clicking on your google profile. Contest ends January 8 at midnight.