I was talking with a couple people on twitter about how I didn’t think I could fill out this survey. The people who do it totally impress me! I just have a hard time thinking about what I’ve read within the parameters of a calendar year. Still, Jamie has some really great questions. I decided to pick a few out and answer just those. Props to everyone who completed the whole thing! You are way cooler than me 😉
Best Books You Read in 2011 (No way was I limiting this to one book!)
*The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta
*Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
*Please Ignore Vera Dietz and Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
*Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
*The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
*Divergent by Veronica Roth
*Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
*The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell
Best Audiobooks Listened to in 2011 (I added this one since I am obsessed!)
*Chime by Franny Billingsly
*The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
*The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
Book You Wish You Loved More Than You Did
I am a huge fan of retellings of Jane Austen novels so I was super excited to read Sass & Serendipity. I ended up not liking it as much as I hoped. I think I was expecting it to be more like the original. I probably would have liked it more if I didn’t think of it in relation to Sense & Sensibility. It just wasn’t for me.
Most Surprising (in a good way!) Book of 2011
I had heard a lot of mixed and frankly weird things about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. When I finally read it I really enjoyed it. I don’t typically do creepy well so that says a lot! Also, Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver was delightful. It’s very different from her other books so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Book you Recommended to People Most in 2011
Anything by John Green! I am always trying to get people to read his books! He is my all time favorite author. I also recommended Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Demon’s Lexicon books a lot. It’s a series I think deserves a wider readership. I even bought five copies and sent them out to bloggers who were interested. SRB is one of my very favorite authors and a delightful person 🙂
Book Series You Discovered in 2011
I am late to the game but the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. It’s one of the best fantasy series I’ve ever read. Chima does an amazing job with world building and character development! The Demon King was a contender for one of the best books but that list was so long I decided to just fangirl about it here 🙂
Favorite New Authors You Discovered in 2011
STEPHANIE PERKINS AND LAINI TAYLOR!!!!!!!!! Ohmystars. Love. Love, love, love, love, love! If I’m having a bad day or just in a reading slump I can pick up their books, flip to any page, and get lost. I love it. Also, how adorable are they with their fun hair and general awesomeness?!? Two very talented ladies!
Best Book That Was Out of Your Comfort Zone or Was a New Genre for You
I have not read much magical realism since reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez in high school Spanish class but that’s the best way I can think of to describe A.S. King’s Please Ignore Vera Dietz and Everybody Sees the Ants. Well, magical realism and AMAZING! These are powerful and hard hitting books. I literally had to pull off the road because the audiobook of Please Ignore Vera Dietz had me sobbing. You must read her books!
Books You Most Anticipated in 2011
The two books I’ve been anticipating for years are Mastiff by Tamora Pierce and Bitterblu by Kristen Cashore. Mastiff was released (and awesome) and Bitterblue has an honest to goodness release date in 2012. Three other books I was highly anticipating: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (love her books!), Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices is my favorite!), and The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson (more Jenna Fox!!!!!!) None of them disappointed!
Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2011
Without a doubt it’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I could gush and gush and gush about this book and Laini’s writing. And, although it doesn’t come out until 2012, The Springsweet by Saundra Mitchell is beautiful. Saundra’s turn of phrase always gets to me.
Alright, I’m going to stop there. I would basically just keep repeating the books I’ve mentioned for all the other questions 🙂
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