Verb Vixen

The circus arrives without warning…

The Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern

Well if you read my top ten books of 2011, you know that The Night Circus was/is one of my favorites. Morgenstern gets everything right. The Victorian/turn of the century setting is perfect for this story and the non-linear time sequence is playful. The visual imagery is stunning, the characters are endearing, and the plot is full of twists and turns that will delight as much as the circus itself. I think perhaps my favorite part of all is that Morgenstern doesn’t shirk a tough ending but stays true to the story without wrapping it all up in a pretty “all is well” bow. From the concept to the clever execution, The Night Circus is definitely a book that will endure in the imaginations of those who read it. I will certainly be a reveur my whole life through.

Overall: A

My Top Ten Books of the Year

Wherein I give you 11 books because of a loophole. Here’s my Top Books of 2011 in no particular order:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor: If you can read even the first 20 pages without being pea green with envy and wishing you had written some of those sentences, you are either an idiot or a far better person than I.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver: Oliver just shines when it comes to good prose within a heroic tale. Half of my book is highlighted because of the sentiments of her sentences. Couple that with the brilliance of her dystopian tale- a world where love is a disease that is cured, a heroine that has such spark, a sacrifice worth making. Just thinking about this book, you need to mop me up from the puddle on the floor.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Oh the cleverness! Beautiful writing within a beautiful story. Morgenstern is playful: the non-sequential time narration, the vivid imagery, the sensations.  I loved the Victorian setting here and in some characteristics it reminded me a bit of Jonathan Strange and Dr. Norrell (but in the most delightful way!). In the end may it be said, we are all reveurs.

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini: It takes a certain kind of genius, a genius very few possess, to take a story that everyone knows and to twist it into something new and wonderful. Angelini takes the Trojan War and mythology to new heights with this contemporary setting and a pair of lovers that could light up the night sky. This is the only book that I finished and immediately read again. In my life. Please re-read that and let it stand as testament to how honestly wonderful I believe this series to be.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins: I fell straight up in love with a boy named Cricket. CRICKET. That’s how you know Stephanie Perkins’ is the queen of YA contemporary. You’re reading a romance without realizing it’s a romance and OH does it suck you in.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin: Psychologically thrilling plot, a stunning cover, and the smexiest boy ever: Noah Shaw. Yes please. Hodkin hits all the right notes if you’re looking for something dark, unnerving, but sinfully appetizing as well.

Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi:Think X-men meets dystopian. Our heroine is fierce, her love interest is swoon-worthy, and the world they are fighting in is terrifying if only because it rings possible.

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz: For sheer comedic value alone, Spellbound makes the list. It is one of the few books that made me laugh out loud. Multiple times. In public. I might have snorted in one of those highly unattractive moves that you have no control over. Add in medieval curses, the NY setting, a fated romance and a DJ boy that could make you drool and this book is filled with pure win.

The Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare: Ok so I’m purposely late to the game here but I knew I would like them so I needed a few books out before I started reading. I read the first 4 books in one day. Can I just say: JACE. CLARY. AH! These books filled the void left by Harry Potter for me. The world Clare has created is fascinating and filled with such interesting characters: good, evil and all the gray in between.

The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare: Ok I know, I’m a little late to this one too but I wanted to have at least two books I could read sequentially before starting the series. Will Herondale takes hot to a whole new level. The balcony scene? The attic scene? Seriously. A note: the audio books with Ed Westwick narrating…I’m pretty sure you could get pregnant just by listening.

BONUS: Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith: Technically it comes out in 2011 so this is me cheating and giving you an 11th book. THIS BOOK IS UNBELIEVABLE. Seriously, it is a book that I will come back to time and time again and never tire of. It’s a contemporary YA that will take you through every emotion possible.

Also in Non-Fiction my favorite of the year was Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton.

Holidays, Why I’m an Absentee blogger this month, and Bancroft Press

Happy Holidays Loves,

I’m still readathon-ing so I’m a terrible blogger this month but my page count is well over 6000 now so yay for charity!  IN the meantime…..

If Bancroft Press gets 100 new followers on the Bancroft Press Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bancroft.press) by January 1, they will reveal the title of the second book of the Young Inventors Guild trilogy.  The first book The Atomic Weight of Secrets was stellar so click like. For me.

xoxo

V.V.

Barely Breathing

Sea- Heidi R Kling

Sea was both heartbreaking, hopeful, and sweetly romantic. It’s topics of PTSD, natural disasters, charity, forgiveness, and rememberance of who you are in the face of loss are done really, really well. It’s easy to get swept up in the story of Sea, Spider, and Deni. Sienna is surprisingly easy to relate to as a character despite the particular instances of trauma which mark her. And the stories of the tsunami victims will tear your heart out, that’s for sure. At the end there are several points of contention with her father that are left unresolved, though few will notice or miss that closure. This is the kind of book that sticks with you, that reminds you despite death, injury, and extreme loss, you can be put back together and life can go on.

Overall: A

It’s Not You, It’s Me

Bloodlines-Richelle Mead

Ok, I haven’t read the Vampire Academy books so it probably wasn’t a good idea to read Mead’s new Bloodlines books which take place in the same world. The world is an interesting one, but I think I’m just vamped out. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters and its not because they weren’t good. They were! I just need a break. What I’m trying to say is paranormal YA, it’s not you; it’s me. I will say this the plot twists in this book are quite good and is definitely a book paranormal fans will like.

Overall: A-