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 TaherahMafi: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.
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