fave reads of 2011 ~ the scenes and the random

The Scenes

1. best first chapter

The first chapter of Beauty Queens does a really great job setting the overall tone for the book.  I love the dark humor.

2. best climax

The build up to the action in Divergent is awesome. I really loved the lead up to the end of this book, it was so exciting!


3. best ending

Oh man, the ending to Feed really affected me.  It seriously stuck with me for days after reading it.  I re-read the last few chapters multiple times, it was just that good!

4. best plot twist/revelation (no spoilers!)

The ending of Shadow Kiss was CRAZY. I was not expecting that at all. This is the book where the series really takes off for me and gets super addicting.

5. scariest/most disturbing scene

The things that happen in this book are horrible, the community turning a blind eye to the injustices are what really get me.  It seriously disturbs me that people are so ignorant and close minded.

6. steamiest scene (or sweetest/sexiest kiss award)

I love Rose and Dmitri.  I especially love their sexual tension in the first book of the series, Vampire Academy.  I think that's the best part of the entire book!

7. best swoon-worthy moment

I loved it when Isobel and Varen finally kissed, probably because I have a major bonkerdoodle crush on Varen.  

8. biggest nail-biting moment

Pretty much the entire time Katniss is in the arena is a nail biting moment. I was seriously stressed the entire time she was battling it out in there. I was even worried when she was asleep!

9. most hilarious scene

Four words.  Mother. Fucking. Fox. Hat.

The Random 

1. fave first sentence

"Since the dawn of time one question has dominated all the others:

Zombies or Unicorns?"

2. fave book title

I love the pun of a blog's RSS feed and also zombies feeding on human flesh.   


3. fave reading experience (ie: created a great reading memory)

It was my desire to read and compare The Hunger Games and Battle Royale that convinced me to start a book blog and youtube channel.  It's because of these two books that I'm as involved in the community as I am now.

4. book with the best food in it (made me so crazy-envious-hungry)

Lily is a cook and she makes some seriously kick ass Christmas cookies.  I want some right now.

5. book with the most sensual weather (made you shiver/sweat)

The Book Thief does a really great job describing the winter that killed so many people during the holocaust. I was really impressed by the overall writing style of this book. A real work of art.

6. most embarrassing book cover (feeling sheepish in public)

Yes, the cover of Perfect Chemistry is pretty lame. Not gonna lie on that one.

7. can’t believe you waited this long to read the book (!)

I didn't read this series until this year, and I'm really surprised it took me that long to read because my mom had been pestering me to read The Hunger Games for forever.

Waiting on Wednesday 6/29/11

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at breaking the spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:


The Near Witch
by Victoria Schwab
Publication Date: August 2, 2011


From Goodreads


The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

Teaser Tuesday 6/28/11

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the title & author so others can add the book to their TBR list

Sweet Venom (ARC) by Tera Lynn Childs

Now it's time for Gretchen the huntress to go out on patrol.  Just because I didn't scent any beasties from the balcony doesn't mean they're not out there.  Yesterday's missing hybrids are my first priority.  

Fave Reads of 2011 - The Characters

Here is day two of the three day meme hosted over at inkcrush that discusses our favorite books that we've met at the half way point of the year. Today it's all about characters.  Who we like, who we didn't, and why.

1. best female POV

I really liked reading Tris's transformation in Divergent. I love it when she starts to learn who she is and that it's ok to follow her instincts and be true to herself.  

2. best male POV

I really enjoyed both of the Will Graysons. I liked straight Will a little more I think, but both of the characters are interesting and I love readings books with more than one person's perspective. I think their dynamic in sharing the same name is really interesting.

3. Best couple <3 

I love Dash and Lily.  I love how romantic their relationship is.  It's something that I daydream about happening to me.  I love that they are both nerdy kids who are as into the adventure as I am.

4. who i so want to be best friends with

I have to go back to Will Grayson, Will Grayson and say that Tiny Cooper and I would get along smashingly.

5 . who i fell completely in love with (new literary crush)

Oh Varen.  I love him so much with his gothy outside and lovable (if slightly emo) inside.  I also LOVE the sexual tension in this book, it's very well done.

6. worst (best) villain

My choice is Vaughn from Wither.  He does some really shitty things to try and save his son, who isn't all that worth saving anyway.  He is willing to do anything to reach his goals, and that includes some sick things.

7. best character twist (who you loved then hated or vice versa)

I'm going to say Ash from The Iron King.  At first I thought he was going to be that sexy yet oh so dangerous creep that so many girls seem to fall for in paranormal romance.  But as the book went on I realized that Ash is a much more likable character than he first lets on, and I ended up switching from team Puck to team Ash.  I am really excited to see if he lives up to my expectations in The Iron Daughter.

8. best kick-arse female

There are a lot of kick ass girls in YA literature, but I really love Saba and Emmi from Blood Red Road.  I love how they learn to survive and they also learn how to love each other.  I like how they have flaws and make mistakes, but they still care about each other and will do anything to protect one another.  No matter how annoying they are.

9. best kick-arse male

Definitely Dmitri from Vampire Academy series.  Hands Down.  He's tall, dark, and RUSSIAN.  Talk about sexy.  I love his relationship with Rose, it never gets annoying (which it has a lot of potential to do).  I also really love the sexy time in the first book.  That is exceptionally written, really awesome ;) 

10. broke your heart the most

All hate crimes are terrible, horrible things.  But I have a particular rage for hate crimes against homosexuals.  It makes me so mad that people can be so ignorant, and be full of so much hate just because someone loves differently.  What happens to Patrick and Cat in this book is horrifying and the fact that no one came to their defense and stood up for them is unacceptable.  

 11. best/worst character names

Best:

  

Alaska Young from Looking for Alaska.  I love the name Alaska, and I love how she came to be named Alaska.  I think it's beautiful.

Worst:

The main guy's name is Patch.  Patch.

Runner up:  Peeta from The Hunger Games.  His Name is Peeta.  He's a baker.  Peeta makes bread.  Peeta Bread.....

BONUS: 5 fave covers (from books i have read)

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Feed by Mira Grant

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Faves of 2011 (so far) Day 1 - The Books

So this is a three day meme hosted over at inkcrush that discusses our favorite books that we've met at the half way point of the year.  I love this idea because I love gushing over my favorite books, and I also love the fact that it's three days long!  YAY!

1. Favourite book read so far in 2011
This is hard because I've read a couple of really great books so far.  I think I'm going to follow inkcrush's example and pick two, one YA and one adult.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a YA historical fiction about a young German girl living during WWII.  It's told from the point of view of death, so it has an amazing omniscient narrative that really sticks with you.  I felt so much love for the characters and the ending had me bawling.  It's truly a one of a kind story.

Feed by Mira Grant is an adult science fiction zombie novel that is about a brother sister blogging team that get picked to follow a presidential candidate on his campaign trail.  I thought this book would be a cheap thrill but it is a lot more than that.  Feed is an awesome commentary on government corruption and humanitarian morals.  And the ending of this book really shook me to the core, the final blog entry really blew me away. 

And of course I have to have a runner up! 

Looking for Alaska by John Green was written in 2005 but I hadn't discovered him until this year.  I think it's safe to say his writing and youtube channel have changed my life.  I have never read anything like his books.  Green has the ability to be ridiculously funny and extremely poignant at the same time, which is a skill that is difficult to come by and truly master the way he has.

2.  Most powerful book

First off let me say that the previous three books I've mentioned are hugely powerful and stayed with me long after I had finished reading them.  However, I'll pick a different book for this category.

Anita Diamant's The Red Tent is phenomenal.  It's an adult historical fiction that takes a look at the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and his four wives.  It's an amazing tale for women's spirituality that I would recommend to any woman who has ever felt neglected in the biblical department. 

3. The most brilliantly funny

I LOVED this book.  It had me cracking up the entire time.  I loved Tiny Cooper.  I have friends like him, and he seems like the perfectly over the top BFF that I would hang out with everyday.  I am a mega huge fan of John Green and a mega huge fan of David Levithan, so the two of them combining their powers of awesome is full of epic.

4.  Best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerker read

Yes, The Book Thief takes this category as well.  I seriously SOBBED at the end of this.  It is just heart wrenching.  I'm getting teary just thinking about it...

5. Most beautiful story

Well, The Book Thief and Looking for Alaska both can fall under this category easily.  However, I'm going to deviate a tiny bit.

I picked Paper Towns by John Green because it breaks away from a lot of the conventions of YA literature.  There is no perfect love interest or star struck lovers.  The characters in Paper Towns are both real and imaginary; made of substance and wishes.

6. Fave rainy day comfort read





AWWW Dash and Lily....I love this book so much!  This is the kind of thing I daydream about...I would love to find my own book of dares (I may or may not have started searching book stores).

7. Best tense, adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award

Everything about Blood Red Road is exciting.  The characters are constantly in danger.  In danger of dying of thirst in a desert, dying in a cage fight, dying in a fire, dying from crazy animals, dying from thieves/raiders, dying in a blood sacrifice....yeah.  It's awesome!

8. The beautiful prose award

Yes, I'm giving this to Blood Red Road again.  I think the way this book is written is perfect for a post-apocalyptic genre.  It reminded me a lot of The Road by Cormac McCarthy which I think is a stand out of the genre.

9. most atmospheric and vivid setting

Yes I know I'm lame because I didn't read The Hunger Games until this year.  I loved the setting of Panem and the setup of the arena.  I really like the concept of people having to hunt other people for other people's entertainment, and The Hunger Games does an awesome job of presenting this story in a way that draws you in and makes you completely engrossed.

10. i-so-want-to-go-there award

I love Italy.  It's my favorite place I've ever visited, hands down.  Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson mostly takes place on the Mediterranean sea, but also has some stops at port in Sorrento and Capri.  Let me recommend to you all that if you ever get the change to visit Sorrento, go.  Trust me, it is beautiful.  

11. most original and imaginative

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. While I have some mixed feelings about this book, I have to admit I've never read anything like it. It's like Miss America on acid with ninjas and pirates. lol what?

12. best under-appreciated, hidden gem book

Blood Red Road by far.  I loved this book so much and I really don't see that many people talking about it.  I highly recommend it, seriously people!  

13. i-had-no-idea-i-would-love this-so award

The Vampire Academy series by RichelleI wrong.  I LOVE Vampire Academy.  The series really picks up in the third book, but so far it's totally addicting.  I need to finish the last three books because I have to know what happens to Dmitri.  

14. most haunting story

It's a tie between The Book Thief and Shine by Lauren Myracle.  Both of these books deal with the cruelty of humanity.  They both deal with discrimination and hate and how fear can control.  Both of these books are amazingly strong both in story and in delivery.

15. outside of my comfort zone but gosh how i loved it

I chose The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.  This book deals with an fanatically religious father who forces his family on a mission in the Congo during a time of political unrest.  I absolutely hate people that are blinded by their religion and they forget all logic and common sense.  This poor family is ripped apart by the choices their father makes, and it made me rage.  However, how the children deal with their situation and how they grow into adults is amazing to read.  I highly recommend this for older teens and adults.

16. series that i'm loving

 
These are the two series that have more than one book out and that I haven't finished yet that I love.  The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa and Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.  I plan on finishing these at some point this year, they are too awesome (not to mention Ash and Dmitri!)

17.  most memorable voice award

2011 was the year I discovered John Green. His books are amazing.  They are thought provoking and funny and unique.  He also has a great youtube channel where we get to know him more as he talks about serious issues or does silly punishments.  He's the first author I went to a book signing for, and he stayed there for over two hours and made sure every single person got to talk to him and have that moment.  I really appreciate everything he does for his "nerdfighters".  DFTBA! 

 18. completely awesome premise award

I know that the humans hunting other humans has been done before, but I loved Battle Royale by Koushun Takami so much.  I really liked the fact that it was children who had to fight each other, and that these children weren't strangers.  They had grown up together.  I think that made for a very unique and horrifying experience.

19.  would make the best movie

Both Divergent and Blood Red Road would make awesome dystopian movies.  There's both action and romance.  I think Divergent would make a better government conspiracy movie while Blood Red Road is a lot more apocalyptic movie (in the style of The Road Warrior).

20.  want to re-read already

I loved Nevermore by Kelly Creagh.  I cannot wait for the second book because Nevermore was such a cliffhanger!  I will be re-reading this as the release for Enshadowed comes closer.