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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Best of 2011: Books

Dude, so this post could be miles and miles long. I promise I'll do my best just to highlight a few, okay? Okay.


Best Dystopian Read of 2011: PRIZED by Caragh M. O'Brien. It's the second book in the BIRTHMARKED trilogy--and I loved Birthmarked (also read this year). This novel was absolutely amazing. I aspire to write like this.

Runners-Up: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth, ASHFALL by Mike Mullin, THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE by Jeff Hirsch.


Best Contemporary YA: VIRTUOSITY by Jessica Martinez. I've blogged about this book before, so I won't go on and on again. But it's a fabulous read. Buy it for yourself for Christmas.

Runners-Up: MOONGLASS by Jessi Kirby, THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa & Laura Roecker, THE DAY BEFORE by Lisa Schroeder, SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD by Lindsey Leavitt.

Best Fantasy: THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson. Once again, I've blogged about this book, and I just can't stop thinking about it. I want to write a book in this genre. At the same time, I'm scared I'll do it badly. So yeah. A book that tells a great story and inspires authors to write better. You can't go wrong.

Runners-Up: THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab, CLARITY by Kim Harrington, CHIME by Franny Billingsley, RUBY RED by Kersten Gier

What are you best reads of 2011?
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22 comments:

  1. Jemi FraserDecember 21, 2011 at 5:30 AM

    Such a hard question! Hmmm, for YA I'd have to say Possession, Untraceable, Body Finder, Shade, Liar Society, Clockwise, The Compound...

    For MG I'd say Dogsled Dreams, The White Assassin, Earthling Hero, Nerd Camp, The Graveyard Book,...

    So many great books out there!!! I need more time to read!

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  2. Donna K. WeaverDecember 21, 2011 at 6:23 AM

    Wow. I feel really out of it. I haven't heard of any of these. Where have I been?

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  3. Anita SaxenaDecember 21, 2011 at 6:37 AM

    I LOVED Divergent...so that means I need to go get Prized...now.

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  4. Cherie ReichDecember 21, 2011 at 6:59 AM

    Definitely a difficult question to answer since there are so many good books out there. A few of my favorites this year are Beth Revis' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, Ali Cross' BECOME, Stephen King's 11/22/63, and Jennifer Hillier's CREEP.

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  5. Natalie AguirreDecember 21, 2011 at 7:14 AM

    I loved The Girl of Fire and Thorns. Thanks for the dystopian recommendations. My daughter loves that genre and I'm always looking for new ones.

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  6. Tasha SeegmillerDecember 21, 2011 at 7:17 AM

    Have you read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? I have a feeling you would LOVE it!

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  7. storyqueenDecember 21, 2011 at 7:21 AM

    You have read a LOT of the books I really wanted to read! I just still haven't found the time:(

    Shelley

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  8. Christine FonsecaDecember 21, 2011 at 7:44 AM

    Love those choices. And yea, no way can I decide the best. Hmmmm.....so many I LOVED. The Near Witch, Cassie Clare's releases, ahhhhhhh

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  9. Jewel AllenDecember 21, 2011 at 8:07 AM

    Wow, doesn't it boil down to TITLES? They all sound fabulous. As for me, I loved LEGEND. Merry Christmas, Elana! PS Be sure to check out my New Year's Eve Shabby Apple dress giveaway.

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  10. Matthew MacNishDecember 21, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    I know Rae! I haven't read hers yet, but Kylie loved it.

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  11. TaffyDecember 21, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    Thanks for the awesomesauce list. I LOVED the Girl of Fire and Thorns! I want to write like that!
    I also loved FORGOTTEN. Have you read that one yet?

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  12. KrispyDecember 21, 2011 at 10:46 AM

    Ah, I haven't read any of your picks, though I've read a few runner-ups! The good thing is I have Girl of Fire and Thorns in my TBR pile at home. Woohoo!

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  13. TaffyDecember 21, 2011 at 11:55 AM

    I thought of a few more books while I wrote up my similar post:
    Fallen Grace
    Iron Knight
    Entwined

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  14. Stacy HenrieDecember 21, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Love the cover of Prized. I don't read a ton of YA - shocking, I know :) - but I did like Ally Carter's Uncommon Criminals.

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  15. amberargyleDecember 21, 2011 at 2:03 PM

    I hadn't heard of the first one at all. I like the cover though.

    I've been wanting to read Fire and Thorns for a while. Soon as I get my kindle.

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  16. StephscoDecember 21, 2011 at 2:16 PM

    My favorite was Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I also loved Jessi Kirby's Moonglass and made that part of my top 10 that I'll post probably tomorrow.

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  17. Golden EagleDecember 21, 2011 at 4:54 PM

    I recently read The Girl of Fire and Thorns--I agree, it's a really good book!

    Chime would definitely be on my list; I'd come up with more but I've read so many books this year. :P

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  18. Kimberly KreyDecember 21, 2011 at 9:34 PM

    Man, I haven't read any of those. Yet. Will put them on the to-read list now! :)

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  19. Megan LallyDecember 27, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    The Scorpio Races. Hands down, one of the best books I've read all year. :-)

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  20. Miranda HardyDecember 29, 2011 at 5:09 PM

    Can you believe I haven't read any of the ones you mentioned? I'm so behind. I have a stack of books I'm dying to read. I can't even think what the best one I've read this year was. So many great ones.

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  21. Jessica MartinezJanuary 7, 2012 at 3:30 AM

    How'd I miss this? THANK YOU!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed VIRTUOSITY because I loved POSSESSION too! It blew my mind. So here's to 2012, and to writing and reading more mind-blowing books!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Fix Dll ErrorsSeptember 12, 2020 at 12:34 AM

    As of often of late, I'm behind. So this is for yesterday. Be the best writer you can be. The rest will follow.


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    ReplyDelete