Spotlight List: The Giant List of 2011 Recommendations (6)

I made a really big list

I'm a list maker, as is probably pretty obvious by this feature. So of course I HAD to make an end-of-the-year list recapping all of the books I read in 2011. It's like a snapshot of reviews, but you can click on the titles to go to my full reviews.

I broke this up into seven posts (plus a guest post) that will go up throughout the day. Settle in, this is going to be a long one!

A cut above

These are the books that, for some reason or another, stood out for me. I enjoyed them while I was reading, they stayed with me after I finished, and they left me wanting more. Good writing, characters that clicked with me, plots that captured me, whatever it is, they each have something I can point to and say, "This book is a cut above." I want to own these ASAP.

My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick (review to come)
These vampires could sparkle and I would STILL pee my pants in fear. Approach this one as if it were an old folktale or legend.

The Revenant by Sonia Gensler
Color me surprised when I discovered this is a ghost story! And a great one at that. 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (review to come)
Quests, battles, shifting loyalties, intriguing world building, and a MC I couldn't help but love. 

Master and Commander (#1-3) by Patrick O'Brian (review to come)
Two of my favorite characters OF ALL TIME.

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
High fantasy, brothers in arms, battle, mystery, and a totally platonic hate-turned-friendship relationship totally hooked me. I like the dog, too. Sequel, please?

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Horrible events + crazy people + dystopian + survival story = I CAN'T STOP READING!

Enclave by Ann Aguirre
I would slay zombies with Deuce and Fade in a heartbeat. Or, ok, I'd cower in a corner and watch them slay zombies, but it would still be awesome.

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown
Pictures and words have never been so perfectly matched. Totally absorbing.

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
Beautiful and evocative. Can we please have more fairy tale retellings like this?

Where I Want to Be by Adele Griffin
Gutted me. Totally gutted me, and I appreciated every second of it.

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin
I could talk for days about all of the discussion points packed in this tiny book. Even more fantastically amazing for its lack of preaching.

Tighter by Adele Griffin
The perfect retelling: No need to have read the original, but if you have, then you'll have a ton of fun spotting all the references. 

Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Less action and humor than the first, but I appreciated the time spent delving into the characters and the emotional fallout of book 1.

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
Separate or together, Will and Alona rock.

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
All of the awesome potential was finally realized.

Which books were a cut above for you in 2011? Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

But wait! What did I think about all those other 2011 reads? Follow along to find out and weigh in on your own 2011 reads!
Part 1

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Part 5
Part 7
Guest post!

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Spotlight List: The Giant List of 2011 Recommendations (5)

I made a really big list

I'm a list maker, as is probably pretty obvious by this feature. So of course I HAD to make an end-of-the-year list recapping all of the books I read in 2011. It's like a snapshot of reviews, but you can click on the titles to go to my full reviews.

I broke this up into seven posts (plus a guest post) that will go up throughout the day. Settle in, this is going to be a long one!

I'd read that again

I'd love to own a copy so I can do a reread, but I'm not going out of my way to buy one right now (but, remember, I'm a miser). I definitely want to read more by these authors.

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Gwen, Daphne, Logan, Vic (the talking sword), I have a lot of love for these characters. I also have a lot of love for the smorgasbord of desserts mentioned.

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
A lot of fun...but they're no Harry Potter. *hides*

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
It took way too long to get to the good stuff, but I was hooked once I got there. 

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
An atmospheric story told by a true storyteller. I only wish I swooned more for the romantic lead.

Betrayal by Lee Nichols
Still loving Emma, the house ghosts, the Rake, and scary ghost attacks. Still not loving Bennett.

Entwined by Heather Dixon
Way. Too. Long. Didn't like the MC, but I appreciated the focus on family. 

The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope (review to come)
Not the twisty Gothic tale I was hoping for, but still a nice (if overly easy) story.

My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond
Sweet messages with a funny narrator and surprisingly inventive plot. 

Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Little Women: The Edition Hilariously Annotated by a Modern Teenager

Ward Against Death by Melanie Card
Fresh and fun, with characters I liked. This is one that has me on impatient sequel watch. (I also never fail to snicker every time I read the pun-tastic title).

Just Your Average Princess by Kristina Springer
You don't get much sweeter than this, and I'm not talking about the pumpkin lattes (yum!)

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
It took me a really long time to warm up to this tale, but eventually we clicked (even if the MC totally misses the potential of secret passageways).

Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer
This ended way too soon and before any of the good stuff (you know, the romance). But what was there was really good. 

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (review to come)
Holy basement scene!

Which books were those middle books that you liked and would read again? Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

But wait! What did I think about all those other 2011 reads? Follow along to find out and weigh in on your own 2011 reads!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Part 6
Part 7
Guest post!

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Spotlight List: The Giant List of 2011 Recommendations (4)

I made a really big list

I'm a list maker, as is probably pretty obvious by this feature. So of course I HAD to make an end-of-the-year list recapping all of the books I read in 2011. It's like a snapshot of reviews, but you can click on the titles to go to my full reviews.

I broke this up into seven posts (plus a guest post) that will go up throughout the day. Settle in, this is going to be a long one!

Fun!

Looking for a good laugh? Look no further. These books are just plain fun.

Ditched by Robin Mellom (review to come)
I laughed, I commiserated, I laughed some more. This is the book version of the high school romantic comedy movie.

Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan (review to come)
Don't judge this book by it's awful cover. Really.

The Iron Druid series (#1-2) by Kevin Hearne
Hilarious. Absolutely HILARIOUS. I just...I can't even begin to describe how much I laughed.

Sleeping Beauty: The One Who Took the Really Long Nap by Wendy Mass
Rapunzel, the One with All the Hair by Wendy Mass (review to come)
Cute and funny, with surprisingly sweet messages. Rapunzel was better.

Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
I never warmed up to the MC, but I was too busy laughing to care. An absurd, tongue-in-cheek take on fairy tales.

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander
The mystery, the Voice, the entire concept! This was fresh and fun.

Princess for Hire series (#1-2) by Lindsey Leavitt
It took me until the second book to really warm up to the MC, but I was immediately entranced with the pink sparkly world of princess subbing. I mean, pink sparkly princess subbing! Sign me up for that!

Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman
Sure "girl pretends to be boy" isn't exactly a new idea, but Gehrman gave it a fresh twist by writing scenes so funny I actually had to put the book down so I could laugh for a good few minutes.

Which books made you laugh in 2011? Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

But wait! What did I think about all those other 2011 reads? Follow along to find out and weigh in on your own 2011 reads!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Guest post!

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Spotlight List: The Giant List of 2011 Recommendations (3)

I made a really big list

I'm a list maker, as is probably pretty obvious by this feature. So of course I HAD to make an end-of-the-year list recapping all of the books I read in 2011. It's like a snapshot of reviews, but you can click on the titles to go to my full reviews.

I broke this up into seven posts (plus a guest post) that will go up throughout the day. Settle in, this is going to be a long one!

I'm glad I read it, but I'm moving on now

The books I enjoyed reading, but probably won't read again and they did not spark a strong urge to read any more of the authors' works. These are the "nice" books, ya know what I mean?

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
Short and sweet. For best results, approach as a light fairy tale.

Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler
Cute, but solidly on the younger end of MG.

Fateful by Claudia Gray
I had some fun, got a few eyeroll sprains, and that was that. 

A Dog's Way Home by Bobbie Pyron
A dog story for kids who like dog stories, but nothing that stood out for me. I'm still sore about chapter 20.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
That date that kinda intrigued me, but mostly just weirded me out. Also, weenie boy.

Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman (review to come)
Funny, but could have been funnier. Points for inventiveness.

Clean by Amy Reed
If I were a drug user, I totally would have raided a stash of happy pills to make it through. Realistic, but what a downer.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
Fun and original, if not very deep. The slay-fest at the end makes the whole book worth reading.

Clarity by Kim Harrington
Loved the premise, liked the mystery, was iffy on the MC, and didn't swoon over either love interest.

 Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
An Arthurian verse novel that this verse-novel-hating reader actually enjoyed...even if I still wish it had been written like a real book. Don't expect the traditional story, either.

Warped by Maurissa Guibord
My dog died and this book totally fell flat. Was it the book or my mental state at the time? I'm thinking a mix of both.

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Meghan pretended to be Bella Swan from her New Moon depression days and I tried not to barf. Still love Grimalkin and the guys, plus bonus points for IRONHORSE.

Most Wanted by Kate Thompson
Totally MG, but a fun look at the day a bat-poop crazy Roman emperor died.

Slayers by C. J. Hill
Fun premise and great dragon mythology. Too bad I couldn't get into the third person narrative, shallow characters, and silly romance.

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
More balls and faerie wars. Fewer dirty, starving orphans. Thanks.

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
Funny and filled with a multitude of ways to refer to bra-stuffing, but not terribly original as far as Mean Girls stories go.

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau
Too MG for me, but sweet.

Deadly by Julie Chiabbaro
More MG than YA, this one reminded me of an American Girl book. 

The Poisoned House by Michael Ford
I want a scarier and more original ghost story, but this was still decent. Except for the Pail Scene. I HATE the Pail Scene.

Which books were those middle books for you in 2011? Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

But wait! What did I think about all those other 2011 reads? Follow along to find out and weigh in on your own 2011 reads!
Part 1
Part 2

Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Guest post!

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