end-of-year book survey for 2012

1. Best book read in 2012?
This is a nearly impossible question; there were way too many incredible books this year, three of which really stand out as bests in my mind. I'm trying to choose one favorite, and I think it might have to be Melina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road, which I just finally read this month. Bonus points to anyone who can guess the two runners-up. (Hint: one is YA and the other is regular adult fiction.)

2. Book you were excited about and thought you'd love more, but didn't?
Ah, books that don't live up to expectations are always a bit sad. This year the book that stands out as a disappointment is In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard. Numerous people had recommended this one to me yet the whole way through I kept thinking wait, this is it? For me, it was nothing special.

3. Most pleasantly surprising book of the year?
Again I have to mention Fangirl, by Ken Baker. I just was not expecting it to be so good or to suck me in so fully. For a couple of weeks I was absolutely obsessed with this one.

4. Book you recommended the most in 2012?
Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, for sure. I'm not sure how many people actually took that recommendation, but I did get both of my parents to read it (and they both loved it), so that counts for something.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
Does it count as a series if only the first book is out so far? If so, it's got to be the Ever-Expanding Universe series by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal, which starts with the awesomely funny Mothership. And since there's no series I read more than one book of this year, I'll just also say that the second book in Beth Revis' Across the Universe series (A Million Suns) completely blew me away.

6. Favorite new authors discovered in 2012?
Well, I was awful at reading debut novels this year, but I did manage to discover a few new (or at least new-to-me) authors. The first is Liane Moriarty, who wrote the incredible What Alice Forgot and is (I think) Jaclyn Moriarty's sister. I keep looking for her other books but can't seem to find them -- maybe they're a bit scarce in the US? And the second is Morgan Matson, who I got to meet at ALA and who wrote Second Chance Summer; it was such a solid contemporary YA novel that I can't wait to read more from her (starting with her debut, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour).

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
Well, while adult fiction is not my primary genre, I read enough of it that don't consider it out of my comfort zone -- for that I have to go to the book that was truly a new experience for me: Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the first strictly murder mystery I've probably ever read.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Beth Revis' A Million Suns, which had me hanging upside down off the couch reading all afternoon, not wanting to set the book aside for anything. I was so floored by how great this one was, especially since I was a bit lukewarm about the first in the series.

9. Book you read in 2012 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
Love and Other Perishable Items, by Laura Buzo. I read this as an ARC and had some mixed feelings on it (even though I sort of loved it), but I really want to buy a finished copy, reread, and see where my feelings and thoughts are after reading it a second time. See if what bothered me the first time around bothers me more or less.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?
Once again I have to choose Love and Other Perishable Items. I mean, just look at it! (That said, Carrie Pilby is a good second place choice.)

11. Most memorable character from 2012?

I'm not sure I can choose. There's Tiger Lily, Carrie Pilby, Elvie Nara, Juliette Ferrars, and they're all so memorable and so great. And of course Felton Reinstein is back in Nothing Special. If forced to choose, though, I'd probably have to go with Tiger Lily's Tiger Lily -- I did name my new iPod after her. But really there were so many truly great characters this year (as there often are) that I feel a little bad choosing only one.

12. Most beautifully written book you read in 2012?

It's a little weird to call this harsh, dark little book "beautiful," but the writing definitely is. Adios, Nirvana, by Conrad Wesselhoeft. It's literary-leaning, wonderfully atmospheric, and so well written.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

Once again there were three books this year that were huge for me in terms of impact. Walk Two Moons was one of the most beautiful books I've ever read and I can't imagine anyone reading that book and coming away untouched. Jellicoe Road was deeply personal to me because of the relationships in it, especially the group of five. But in terms of books that really made me think and make decisions I have to go with Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot, which made me think even more than I already was about the sort of person I am, the sort of person I want to be, and how I want my life to go. It made me realize how easy it can be, sometimes, to slip away from yourself and the person you thought you were and change into someone else entirely. It sent a little shock through my system and really did impact me in a way that most books don't.

14. Book you can't believe you waited until 2012 to finally read?

There are two books, but the one I really can't believe I didn't read until now is Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons. It's a middle grade novel that I didn't get around to until I was twenty-two, and I honestly can't imagine it being any more brilliant if I'd read it at twelve or thirteen. (The other book I can't believe I just now read is, of course, Jellicoe Road.)

15. Favorite passage or quote from a book you read in 2012?

I actually managed to find one quote that kind of does stand out from the rest. It's not the most beautiful or honest or profound or funniest, but it's a cute few lines that make me smile even though it's about something sad. From The Fault In Our Stars, Hazel talking about the oxygen tank she had to sleep with:

I kept thinking that it sounded like a dragon breathing in time with me, like I had this pet dragon who was cuddled up next to me and cared enough about me to time his breaths to mine. (The Fault In Our Stars, pg. 119-120)

16. Shortest and longest books you read in 2012?

Longest - The Help, by Kathryn Stockett comes in at 534 pages, and it weirdly didn't feel too long.

Shortest - Everything On A Waffle, by Polly Horvath comes in at 150 pages. I'm not positive it's the shortest I read this year, but I'm pretty sure.

17. Book that had a scene in it that had you reeling, dying to talk to somebody about it? (This can be an epic revelation, a shocking twist, whatever...)

Alright, I'm trying to be wary of spoilers here and not give too much away, but there were a couple of scenes/events that had me spinning. The first is the revelation about Kai in For Darkness Shows the Stars -- I so had no idea how to feel or what to think about that one and right now I can't even decide where I landed n the issue. The second is what happened in Sisterhood Everlasting. I feel betrayed, guys. BETRAYED. 

18. Favorite relationship from a book you read in 2012?

There were quite a few couples whose love stories I fell for this year, but in the end I have to go with the five from Jellicoe Road. Despite how sad their stories were from start to finish they're definitely my favorite relationship from a book I read this year.

19. Favorite book you read in 2012 from an author you'd read previously?

Alright, this is kind of a confusing question but I think I get it and there were really too many great books from authors I was already acquainted with this year. Tiger Lily, Jellicoe Road, Walk Two Moons. And that's not even mentioning the books I read by favorite authors like Sarah Ockler, Sara Zarr, Robin Palmer, and Nina LaCour. I just can't choose.

20. Best book that you read based solely on a recommend from someone else?

Again it's The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Becca, thank you for talking me into this one; I never would have read it otherwise and it's so worth reading.

LOOKING AHEAD...

1. Book you didn't get to in 2012 but is a high priority for serious now in 2013?

There are so many, but I'm going to have to go with Trish Doller's Something Like Normal. Big apologies for not having read it yet even though it's been on my radar since before she even had a book deal for it. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH ME? (I think I have this fear like, what if I don't like it? and then it's just easier to not read it at all. You know?)

2. Book you are most anticipating for 2013?

Well, now that I know Mothership's sequel is set to come out I'll go with that one -- A Stranger Thing. (It would be on my list of can't-wait 2013 reads, but when I made the list I didn't know it was set for 2013. Wahoo!)

3. One thing you want to accomplish/do in your reading/blogging life in 2013?

I'd like to find a way to blog more, unlike these last few months.

nominate for the cybils!!

So the Cybils (the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards) is starting. Nominations in all categories are open and you should check them out here. Last year I was a round one panelist (aka judge) for the Young Adult Fiction category and this year one of my favorite bloggers, Clementine Bojangles from Early Nerd Special, is on the panel.

And I am so excited.

Being a Cybils judge last year was amazing. It was busy and crazy and fun and so much work and something I'd wanted to do for years. I still have one, maybe two, blog posts saved as draft about the experience that I could never quite describe well enough to hit 'publish' on. It was a crazy, incredible time. For a while I was reading a book a day. This year, though I'm not a part of the Cybils, I have an understanding of how the whole process works and am crazy excited about the nominations. Last year I discovered so many books I loved amidst all the nominations, and even if they didn't win I found new beloved books and favorite authors (this is how I discovered the Threads series, for instance). This year I want the judges to have, once again, tons of really great books to wade through, read, discuss, maybe possibly fall in love with.

So if you don't know what to nominate, here are some YA suggestions (for either the YA Fiction category or the Fantasy & Science Fiction category). Some of them have already been nominated, but I think they're still worth mentioning as great recently-published books. And also I don't feel like going through the nomination lists looking for every title. Alternately, you can also use this list as a handy to-read guide, because these books are all wonderful.

Also here's a link to the nominations page.

Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson -- A great, great, amazing take on the classic tale of Peter Pan. It's aching and haunting and beautiful and so many of its observations are spot-on honest.

Fangirl, by Ken Baker -- Oh goodness, this is just a straight-up adorable love story that rises to the very top of "adorable love stories." Great characters and a great commitment to their personalities and circumstances makes this book stand above the rest.

Nothing Special, by Geoff Herbach -- The sequel/companion novel to Stupid Fast, which won the Cybils last year. Enough said.

A Million Suns, by Beth Revis -- Incredible follow-up to Across the Universe. This is the sort of sci-fi book that keeps you up late, unable to sleep until you see how it ends.

Mothership, by Martin Leicht & Isla Neal -- Another awesome sci-fi; this one's light on the drama and heavy (in the best possible way) on the comedy and romance.

The Disenchantments, by Nina LaCour -- A wonderful, slow-moving coming-of-age story surrounded by music, love, and friendship.

Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi -- Crazy beautiful writing with a heroine of tremendous inner strength and a seriously messed-up world. A bit of dystopian, a bit of sci-fi, a bit of paranormal. I honestly don't know what genre it's supposed to be.

Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler -- Classically great YA.

The List, by Siobhan Vivian -- This one should be required reading for teenage girls and their mothers. And their fathers. And the teenage boys, too.

half-year-ish favorites of 2012: the random

Day four! I'm determined! (Days one, two, and three of this can be found by clicking on those links.)

1. favorite first sentence: This from John Green's The Fault In Our Stars: "Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death." NOW IF THAT ISN'T A GREAT FIRST SENTENCE I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. (It's a bit long, but that's okay.)

2. favorite book title: Love and Other Perishable Items, by Laura Buzo. So, so great.

3. favorite reading experience: There were plenty of good reading experiences this year, but the one that stands out to me is reading A Million Suns, by Beth Revis. This book just sucked me in and I spent my day curled up on the couch, blanket on top of me, furiously turning pages. I was hooked and it's not often that a sci-fi book hooks me like that.

4. book with the best food in it: The Summer I Learned to Fly, by Dana Reinhardt. This one takes place in a cheese shop. A CHEESE SHOP! Nobody can beat that.

5. book with the most sensual weather: Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler. I'm a sucker for winter and snow and gloom and this book is perfect in that regard. LOVE.

6. most embarrassing book cover: 7 Clues to Winning You, by Kristin Walker. Book covers don't tend to embarrass me exactly, but even I have to admit that this is a bit hard on the eyes. It's like an ad for acne cream, but not the ad they actually choose to use.

7. can't believe i waited so long to read the book: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech. NO QUESTION. It's amazing. It's beyond amazing. I have no words, honestly, just read it if you haven't... or if you haven't since you were a kid. I totally see why it won the Newbery, as I'm not sure I've read a more deserving book, ever.

8. book i'd give your mom to read: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech. I actually did give my mom this one to read. And my dad. They both loved it.

9. book i'd give my dad to read: A Million Suns, by Beth Revis. If this weren't the second in a series I'd make my dad read it, but he has an even more serious aversion to series than I do; you've no idea how long it took to convince him to give The Hunger Games a try and even now he's taking an exceedingly long time on starting Mockingjay.

10. book i'd like to give my past self to read: What Did I Do Wrong? by Liz Pryor. This would have been a good book for me to read when I was 18 or 19.

11. book that lived up to the hype: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi. There are actually a few books that lived up to the hype, but this is the one I was most surprised about. Due to a combination of the dystopian hook, the cover, and the all-raving early reviews, I was skeptical of this one. But we all know how much I love it. Went way above expectations/hype for me.

12. book i stayed up the latest to finish: Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson. I don't know how late I stayed up, but I'm pretty sure I had work the next morning so I definitely paid for it.

13. book i was dying to read the most: How to Save A Life, by Sara Zarr. Every Zarr book is a treat for me because her stories are constant enough to be reliable (as in, I'm pretty much assured of liking all of them) and different enough to be surprising.

14. fattest book (by page count): The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. 522 pages and worth every one. It also reminds me I need to do a reread of Gone With the Wind when I can get around to it. You know, when I feel like devoting a few weeks of my reading life to that tome.

15. killer cliffhanger award: Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. The title of this award is appropriate because cliffhangers usually make me feel like killing the book to death. Luckily none of this year's books have had cliffhangers that are too terribly bad -- Cinder was the worst of them not because anyone's in peril or anything, but just because it makes you want to know what's happening next RIGHT NOW.

Half-Year-ish Favorites of 2012: The Scenes

Way back in July I started doing my best of 2012 (so far), using this post from inkcrush as a template. Part one (the books) and part two (the characters) have been up for so long that I almost feel like I should redo them in light of reading so many more books since then. But I'll wait until the end of the year, probably.

ANYWAY.

Here's the long-awaited (nobody was waiting. me, probably.) part three -- the scenes!

1. best first chapter: Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler. Technically, this is a prologue, and it's one of those rare times where the prologue not only works but is also really, really necessary to the story. This "first chapter" sets up Hudson's past and its influence on her present so well.

2. best climax: Life is but a Dream, by Brian James. The ocean scene near the end of this one was so gripping, so eerie, and so fitting for the story that it was.

3. best ending: Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson. And by "ending" I really, really mean ending. Like, the last two pages. They were just... well, I feel like I'm already overusing the word "perfect" in this post, but they really were perfect. Anderson managed to change some HUGE things about the classic Peter Pan tale and make it work in a really fitting, wonderful way.

4. best plot twist/revelation: The List, by Siobhan Vivian. I know the point of this book wasn't to figure out who's behind the list, but the scene where we find out is just perfect. To me it turned the whole book on its head in a way. It made all the pieces click together, even the pieces I hadn't realized I had questions about. 

5. scariest/most disturbing scene: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi. The toddler scene. I don't remember much about it except that it was way, way disturbing and really one of the points in the novel where I felt like, okay, this is going too far. Honestly, for how much I love that book, there really are moments that I found pretty horrific.

6. sweetest kiss: Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler. Again, I have to go with this one. The couple in this book is just so, so sweet. Hudson/Josh forevah.

7. best swoon-worthy moment: Skipping this one as I don't know. I am not a swoony person, to be honest. The word makes me think of old-timey ladies fainting dead away and needing to be revived with smelling salts. I don't even understand any of what I just said.

8. biggest nail-biting moment: Unwind, by Neal Shusterman. It has  to be a scene from this book, but there are quite a few to choose from. Chapter 61 (at least, I think it was 61) for one option, of course. But also the pre-Clappers moment, and the moments in the airplane graveyard.

9. most hilarious scene: She's So Money, by Cherry Cheva. I don't think I can choose just one scene, but this book is so funny that it just has to be from here, honestly.

10. most heartbreaking, tear-jerker moment: Sisterhood Everlasting, by Ann Brashares. In the interest of not totally spoiling the book for those who haven't read it, I won't say the actual scene or what actually happens. But if you've read it, YOU KNOW. "Sad" doesn't quite do it justice. At all.

bonus #11. favorite meet cute: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, by Jennifer E. Smith. This one, between Hadley and Oliver, is pretty dang classic. It involves an airport, baggage, etc. etc. Basically the traditional "meet cute."

Ta-dah! I would say that day 4 of this is coming up, but hahahahaaa the best I can do is say I'm going to TRY, okay? Anyway, what are some scenes that would be on your list for these things?

Half-Year Favorites of 2012: The Characters

Day Two ~ The Characters
(Day One ~ The Books, can be found here.)

1. best female protagonist: Juliette, from Shatter Me. Okay, here's the thing: I just freakin' love Juliette, just like I love nearly everything about Shatter Me (except, of course, for Warner. I loathe Warner, which makes me nervous for the rest of the series). Still, Juliette is far and away my favorite thing about the book - she's inwardly strong despite being so, so broken down by those around her and the things that she's done. She's just awesome.

2. best male protagonist: Felton Reinstein, from Nothing Special. Oh, Felton. He's such a talented, crazy, often self-absorbed (though trying not to be) guy. He's often pretty oblivious as to what's happening around him, although once he catches up he charges full-steam ahead to fix the situation and take care of those he cares about, often awkwardly apologizing for his own mistakes in the process. Plus, Felton's voice (like Juliette's) is entirely original and completely makes the book.

3. best couple: Josie Brant and Peter Maxx, from Fangirl. (Note that this was a tough category and there were two other couples that I really loved, but both of them are spoilerish.) AH. These two are so cute and embody the whole angst of crushes so, so well. I feel a little bad continually raving about this book when it's not out for months yet, but seriously. So adorable.

4. who i want to be best friends with: Felton Reinstein, from Nothing Special. Partly this is because Felton reminds me quite a bit of myself and partly it's because he's so flipping hilarious. I would love to just sit around and hang out with him; it would be great.

5. who i fell in love with:

6. best villain: The killer from And Then There Were None. I can't say this character's name, but the way s/he orchestrated the murders was completely brilliant and creepy.

7. best character twist: Alright, answering this one without spoilers is difficult so instead of saying who, I'm just going to say what book she's from. She's one of the main characters in The List and if you've read the book I'm sure you know who it is, but the ending of this just blew me away. Not only was it smart and unexpected, but it made the entire novel that much more heart-wrenching.

8. best kick-ass female: Amy, from A Million Suns. Amy totally takes control in this second novel in the trilogy. She steps up, goes after what she wants, and is determined to uncover the mysteries surrounding Godspeed, even if Elder doesn't want her to. Exceptional.

9. best kick-ass male: Dylan, from How to Save A Life. There are many, many points in this novel where everyone is pretty much acting crazy bananas. But Dylan is always the calm voice of reason, which I absolutely love. He's unflinching in his honesty, but also in how much he cares about those that he's close to.

10. character that broke my heart the most: Ack. Another one that's potentially a spoiler. But whatever, this one I'm just going to up and say, so if you haven't read Sisterhood Everlasting, maybe skip this one. Because ohmygoodness Tibby. Why? WHY WHY WHY??? This is up there with the ending of The Luxe series in terms of confusion, sadness, and anger.

11. favorite animal award: Hum, from The Summer I Learned to Fly. I never ever ever thought I'd love a rat, even a fictional one. But this book proved me wrong and I don't quite know how, but it definitely happened.

12. best young adult parents award: Hazel's parents from The Fault In Our Stars. Hazel's mom and dad are so fantastic that even if the rest of the book were awful (which, it isn't) it would still almost be worth reading it just for her parents. They're loving and stable and there for her even when she's being a brat. They walk that fine line between overbearing and crazy lenient, and they react to Hazel's illness the way real (awesome) parents would. Ah, I love them.

13. favorite sibling relationship: Jonathan & Telemachus, from Adios, Nirvana. There were so many good ones for this category and I feel almost like a cheater choosing these two, since the entire book is about Jonathan dealing with Tele's death. But the way he reacts to his twin brother's death shows so clearly how incredibly close the two boys were and it's painful to read. But it's also beautiful because there's so much love between the brothers.

14. favorite friendship award: Jimmy and Frankie, from Saving Francesca. There's a solid group of friends at the center of this story, but Frankie (Francesca) and Jimmy stand out to me because there's nothing romantic between them but they have such a weird, unexpected friendship that really works. At one point in the novel Jimmy says that he's "not really into the F-word--" (meaning friendship)-- "with people," and I think that's sort of the best. When you don't really have many friends or you're not good at having friends or whatever, but then you find someone you feel comfortable enough around and that you like enough to actually call your friend.

15. best and worst character names: First for the best. Hudson Avery, from Bittersweet. This name has the perfect amount of uniqueness without going completely overboard. Plus the first and last works really well together and I absolutely love unisex names (or even boys' names) for girls.

And now, sadly, for the worst. Alex Patrick, from The Rivals. I know I just said that I like boys' names for girls, but there are two notable exceptions and I apologize if you're a girl with either one of these names. And the first one is Alex. (The second one I won't say because I don't need to offend any more people that I already have.) And pairing it with Patrick? It just so doesn't seem to fit Alex's character.

16. best love triangle: I almost answered this one. I almost did. But the truth is that while some books I've read so far this year have technically had love triangles, none of them fall into that classic angst who-will-she-choose dilemma; it hasn't been the fuel for the story and it hasn't even really been a big deal in the books. So if you have any great love triangle books, please recommend them! (Because I like love triangles in fiction, I really do.)

Half-Year Favorites of 2012 - The Books

Last year around this time Nomes over at inkcrush posted a three-part "faves of twenty-eleven (so far)" survey that I participated in here, here, and here. This year she's not going to be doing it, but I am, and I'm using her end-of-the-year book awards as a template (you can see them here), which means there'll be five days of this instead of three. Yay!

Day One ~ The Books:


1. favorite book so far: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi. Something about this book. My goodness. I can't quite explain why I love it so much (or I could, but it would make me sound like a crazy person), but Juliette, Adam, their story in this book... it's just so good, and Mafi's writing amazes me in the best way. I don't love everything that happens in this book and am so, so nervous for the series as a whole but I still love it so. incredibly. muchness.

2. most powerful book: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech. I expected this book to be good, even great, because it is a Sharon Creech novel after all. But I didn't expect it to be so absolutely powerful. Profound, simply-written, heart-stirring. All the best things. Everyone should read this book because I don't even know how to explain how truly powerful (in the best sort of way) it is. 

3. brilliantly funny: Nothing Special, by Geoff Herbach. The protagonist in this book, Felton Reinstein, is one of the best narrators. Nothing Special isn't a comedy, but Felton's way of seeing the world and interpreting things makes it even funnier than many comedies.

4. best ache-y, heartbreak-y, tearjerker book: Sisterhood Everlasting, by Ann Brashares. I can't say much (or anything, really) about the sadness in this book without spoiling it but suffice to say Brashares succeeded in making me cry and be so angry about how the book went.

5. most beautiful story: Graffiti Moon, by Cath Crowley. It may be because I'm such a sucker for stories that take place over short periods of time or at night, and this one happens during one night, but whatever the reason, there's such beauty to Graffiti Moon. It's a story all about art and love and even that just that fact is beautiful.

6. delicious rainy day comfort read: Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler. I think it's the combination of winter, a diner, and  Hudson's wonderful friends and family that makes this book so perfect for a rainy day read. In fact, I just decided: I'd like to take an afternoon reading this book and drinking a frozen hot chocolate while it rains -- or, I mean, at least while it's gloomy out.

7. adrenalin-fueled, unputdownable award: A Million Suns, by Beth Revis. I feel that this needs no explanation, right? I mean, it's solid sci-fi that I just couldn't stop reading.

8. beautiful prose award: Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi. This is the sort of book where I want to underline all the words because they are just so excellent and beautiful.

9. most atmospheric & vivid setting: The Disenchantments, by Nina LaCour. One of the big things that makes this the best road trip book I've read is the fact that each place the characters stop at is so vivid. It's not the first book you might think of because it's set in shady, backwater towns instead of, say, Paris or New York, but these backwater towns are written with amazing attention to detail and realism.

10. i-so-want-to-go-there award: Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler. The diner in this book (Hurley's) is the sort of place I'd love to pull up a seat at. But beyond that Hudson's story and the people around her are the people I'd love to be around for a while. The hockey boys. Her family. The people at the diner. I'd love to pull a blue-ski-do and jump into this book, please.

11. most original & imaginative: Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. Cinderella reimagined as a sci-fi story with robots and aliens? Um, yes please.

12. best under-appreciated, hidden gem book: Life is but A Dream, by Brian James. I honestly don't think I've even seen this book in stores, which is such a shame as it's all kinds of creepy, mysterious, pretty, and on top of that a really solid story and exploration of mental illness. I want more people to read it.

13. i-had-no-idea-i-would-love-this-so award: Fangirl, by Ken Baker. I'm really sorry this isn't out yet, as I want everyone everyone to read it. It's so adorable, such a perfectly sweet little gem of a story. I picked it up at ALA mostly because the premise was pretty awesome (a popstar falling in love with a fangirl -- whaaat?) and while I expected it to be a fun read, I wasn't expecting to fall so head-over-heels for it the way I did.

14. most haunting story: Unwind, by Neal Shusterman. The whole idea behind this book (read it on the Goodreads page because I can't really explain it but basically teenagers can be "aborted" sort of, as long as every part of them is donated to someone else so they're "technically" still living) is weird enough, but there's one chapter in particular -- and if you've read it I'm sure you know what one it is -- that is so totally haunting. It makes me shudder.

15. outside my comfort zone, but gosh how i loved it: And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. I don't read crime novels. And it's not like I won't, but so often they just don't appeal to me and I don't really "get" the writing and they're creepy. But this? It's probably the first whodunit I've read and it made me want to explore the genre further. Now I get why Agatha Christie is one of the greats.

16. series that i'm loving: A Million Suns, by Beth Revis. (The Godspeed trilogy.) AH! Such great sci-fi. I'm waiting impatiently for the conclusion to this incredible, awesome series. A Million Suns just blew me away.

17. book i'm recommending most often: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech. I know it's an older one, but I've already had my mom read it and now I've passed it on to my dad. It's a book that I really think everyone (EVERYONE) should read. And yes, this means you. Get on it.

18. completely awesome premise award: The List, by Siobhan Vivian. There are always quite a few awesome premises, but in this case The List just takes the cake. I mean, a story told by the prettiest and ugliest girl in each grade at the same high school? LEGENDARY. And so well done by Siobhan Vivian.

19. would make the best movie: Bittersweet, by Sarah Ockler. And by "best" I mean this is the movie I'd personally love the most. A sweet, winter-flavored romantic comedy with cupcakes, hockey, ice-skating, and an overly-smart younger brother? MAKE IT HAPPEN, MOVIE PEOPLE.

20. want to reread already: Fangirl, by Ken Baker. You guys, this is the last book I read and I already want to reread it, if only to make all kinds of doodle-y notes in the margins. That's how much I love it. (I actually have the book in a basket by my bed and the last few days I've been re-skimming it, making little notes, etc. I love it.)