Top 10 of 2011 is hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Lisa from A Life Bound by Books, Jamie & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books and Rachel from Fiktshun. It's a great opportunity to go back and remember all of the books you've read in 2011. For more information go here.
So far I have read 117 books in 2011 and I'm still hoping to add a few to that list (you can see it here). For me this is an insanely huge amount of books, but since I really enjoyed most of them, I think I spent my time quite well. Selecting my favorites from these is incredibly difficult which is why I cheated a little bit by adding series and honorable mentions to this list as you will be able to see below.
Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie PerkinsWhy?It's incredibly hard to describe the awesomeness of Stephanie Perkin's books. Both, Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door are beautifully written, have amazing characters and are so realistic. You can actually imagine these stories happening in real life and I couldn't help wishing that I could be a part of them. If you haven't read any of Stephanie's books yet, you definitely have to change that soon. You can read my reviews here and here.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
by Laini TaylorWhy?
I was completely enchanted by this book. When I first read the summary of Daughter of Smoke and Bone I didn't put it onto my to-read list immediately. But the more often I read the summary, the more I wanted to read this novel. And when I finally read it, I fell in love with it completely. Such a beautifully written story! Laini Taylor created a magical world with intriguing creatures, wonderful characters and a heart-breaking love story. I can't wait for the sequel. You can read my review here.
The Day Before
by Lisa SchroederWhy?
This is actually the very first verse novel I read and I devoured it within a few hours. I never thought it was possible to convey so much emotion with a few words. This was one of the first books I read via Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab and I loved it so much that I ordered a finished copy right after writing my review (which you can read here). I already re-read it and plan to do that for 2012 as well.
Unearthly
by Cynthia Hand
Why?This is one of the first angel books I've read and it made me fall in love with that genre. Cynthia Hand's writing is absolutely gorgeous, making you identify with Clara, the main character, immediately and completely understand her actions. And of course I can't fail to mention my little obsession with Tucker who is definitely one of my favorite male YA characters! Just recently I had the chance to read and review the sequel Hallowed (read my review for that one here) and already pre-ordered a finished copy of that for my collection. Can't wait for the third book!
Hourglass
by Myra McEntireWhy?
Another book that I absolutely loved (which is no surprise since this is my list of favorites). Emerson is such a great and witty girl and I loved reading her story. It's exciting, heartfelt and I'm dying to find out what will happen next. Her love interest, Michael, is a wonderful character as well, even though I could see myself falling for Kaleb, too. You can read my review here.
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
by Michelle Hodkin
Why?
In 2011 I also developed a fondness for creepy books and I believe that it started with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Despite being afraid that it wouldn't live up to my expectations since all the hype and incredibly positive reviews made it seem impossibly good, I fell in love with it and its creepiness. The cliffhanger ending killed me and I. Need. The. Next. Book. NOW! You can read my review here.
P.s.: Noah = ♥
Shadow Kiss
by Richelle Mead
Why?I read the whole Vampire Academy series in 2011 and it didn't take me long to fall in love with Rose, Dimitri and especially Adrian. This is an amazing series! But as you can see, my favorite of this series is the third book, Shadow Kiss. For me it was the most emotional one - a big roller coaster for my feelings. I laughed, I cried and I needed to pick up the fourth book immediately!
The Iron Queen
by Julie Kagawa
Why?Another series I read and fell in love with in 2011 is The Iron Fey series. Julie Kagawa's faerie world is incredible. Reading her books is like being pulled into another universe where faeries are real. My favorite of the four books is definitely The Iron Queen, despite the cliffhanger ending and the tears I shed while reading it. I also loved the fourth book, The Iron Knight, which was told by Ash. I can't wait to read more books written by Julie. You can read my reviews for the books here and here, for the novellas here and here.
The Mortal Instruments
by Cassandra Clare
Why?Like Donna, who sent me a copy of City of Bones, I couldn't believe that I hadn't started reading this series earlier. It's just as fantastic as everyone has been saying! I have yet to read the fourth book, but I completely fell in love with the first three. And I love them so much that it's completely impossible to decide which one I love most. You can read my reviews here, here and here.
Instead of adding a tenth book to this list, I've decided to turn this into a section of honorable mentions. It's absolutely impossible to just pick 10 books out of the 117 I've read, which is why I'm going to show you a few other books that need to be mentioned:
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Brightest Kind of Darkness by P.T. Michelle
Unlovable by Sherry Gammon
Destined by Jessie Harrell
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Die For Me by Amy Plum
Divergent by Veronica Roth
If you have similar lists posted on your blogs, please link them below because I'd love to check them out. Despite my problems of limiting this list to 10 books, I absolutely love this since it gives me the chance to really think about all of these books again (and look forward to the sequels even more).
Carina
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