Best of 2011

Here is a brief questionnaire I filled out. Most of the questions I grabbed from the questionnaire I saw Kelly at KellyVision post.

1. Favourite books of 2011.
YA dystopian: Divergent by Veronica Roth
YA paranormal: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
YA contemporary: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

2. Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2011.

It depends on the why it surprised me. I was surprised by Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi because it was so amazingly written for a first novel. I was surprised by Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma and how much it got to me, and I was surprised by the Iron Fey series with how much I loved it.

3. Book you recommended most in 2011.

Probably The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Divergent, or Stolen

4. Best series you discovered in 2011.

Does the first in a series count? Either Divergent or The Iron Fey series

5. Favorite new authors you discovered.

Michelle Hodkin, Julie Kagawa, Tabitha Suzuma, and Veronica Roth

6. Book you anticipated most.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

7. Favorite cover.

To answer this I asked myself if I would hang it on my wall. The winners - Lola and the Boy Next Door and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

8. Most beautifully written book

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. 

9. Book you can’t believe you waited so long to read.

The Iron Fey series. I started it this year and was so addicted Also, the Vampire Academy series.

10. Biggest WTF moment

Has to be the end of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Seriously, WTF!

11. Book that had the biggest impact

The book that I had the hardest time letting go when over was Stolen by Lucy Christopher. 

12 Book that made you cry the most

This is a toss up between Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma and Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

13. Best YA hottie

Noah Shaw.

Favourites

1. Female character

Too many. Um, Tris from Divergent is awesome though. Either her or Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door.

2. Male character

Can I just say Noah Shaw for everything?

3. Love triangle

Will/Tessa/Jem from the Infernal Devices (Clockwork Prince) series. The only triangle that I genuinely don’t have a preferred outcome. I love both the guys so freaking much.

4. Kissing scene

The kisses in Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door are sweet. For sexiness factor it has to be either Mara and Noah from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer or Adam and Juliette from Shatter Me.

5. Favourite passage or quote

I have soooo many. I am going to list my top few though....

Once upon a time, there was a girl who talked to the moon. And she was mysterious and she was perfect, in that way that girls who talk to moons are. In the house next door, there lived a boy. And the boy watched the girl grow more and more perfect, more and more beautiful with each passing year. He watched her watch the moon. And he began to wonder if the moon would help him unravel the mystery of the beautiful girl. So the boy looked into the sky. But he couldn't concentrate on the moon. He was too distracted by the stars. And it didn't matter how many songs or poems had already been written about them, because whenever he thought about the girl, the stars shone brighter. As if she were the one keeping them illuminated. One day, the boy had to move away. He couldn't bring the girl with him, so he brought the stars. When he'd look out his window at night, he would start with one. One star. And the boy would make a wish on it, and the wish would be her name. At the sound of her name, a second star would appear. And then he'd wish her name again, and the stars would double into four. And four became eight, and eight became sixteen, and so on, in the greatest mathematical equation the universe had ever seen. And by the time an hour had passed, the sky would be filled with so many stars that it would wake the neighbors. People wondered who'd turned on the floodlights The boy did. By thinking about the girl.   *Cricket - Lola and the Boy Next Door

This quote captures everything I love about the book, the boy and the girl. Swoon!

"What would you do if I kissed you right now?" I stared at his beautiful face and his beautiful mouth and I wanted nothing more than to taste it. "I would kiss you back.” *Mara and Noah - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer 

Pretty sure everyone would kiss him back Mara.....just saying.

When Will truly wants something,” said Jem, quietly, “when he feels something — he can break your heart.”  Jem - Clockwork Prince  

Will can break your heart, and totally does. The truth about Will Herondale's reason for visiting Magnus Bane at the end of Clockwork Angel really is heartbreaking
.
Book blogs

1. Favorite review that you wrote

I am still really proud of my review for Delirium. I also happen to like my Clockwork Prince one.

2. Best event that you participated in

I wonder if this means book blog event, like hosting something on your site, or an actual event you go to. Hmm….we will go with Book Expo America.

3. Best moment of book blogging

Meeting fellow book lovers anywhere, and of course the first time someone commented on my review.

4. Most popular post on your blog

Anything that Cassandra Clare retweets actually. I always have a HUGE spike on those posts. Taking them out of the running it would be my review of Fallen that has the next highest page views.

5. Reading challenges or goals

I did not have any this year other than to read at least 100 books. I’ve read 110 as of now. I will be taking part in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren next year though.

Looking ahead

1. Number one priority in 2012

Book Expo America, and coming up with new, fun things for my blog.

2. Book you are most anticipating

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer sequel and Insurgent

3. Hopes in reading/blogging in 2012

Just to continue to improve. Get more involved in this wonderful, crazy, amazing community of book lovers I am humbled to be apart of. Oh, and start scratching things off this list