Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season.

I hope you are all enjoying time with your loved ones, and that Santa left you a bunch of exciting books to read.

Best of 2012 Questionnaire

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

1. Favourite books of 2012.
YA dystopian: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
YA paranormal: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
YA contemporary: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

2. Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2012.

Gone Girl. I wasn't prepared to love it as much as I did. It surprised me with the twists and turns, and how engrossed I became with it.

3. Book you recommended most in 2012.

Gone Girl, Masque of the Red Death and Tiger Lily

4. Best series you discovered in 2012.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (I read both Cinder and Scarlet this year, and loved both).

5. Favorite new authors you discovered.

Gillian Flynn, Bethany Griffin, and Katherine Longshore.

6. Book you anticipated most.

Easily The Evolution of Mara Dyer. After that cliffhanger of The Unbecoming I was desperate for it.

7. Favorite cover.

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

8. Most beautifully written book

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson or Just One Day by Gayle Forman.

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

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

10. Biggest WTF moment

Ah...it's a spoiler, but it happens in Gone Girl. Pretty much the entire book when it comes to Gone Girl.

11. Book that had the biggest impact

Just One Day by Gayle Forman. Deeply connected with the main character, and this book made me feel so many things.

12 Book that made you cry the most

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

13. Best YA hottie

Noah Shaw. Always.

Favourites

1. Female character

Scarlet from Marissa Meyer's Scarlet OR Allyson from Just One Day by Gayle Forman

2. Male character

Noah Shaw

3. Love triangle

Araby/Will/Elliott from Masque of the Red Death

4. Kissing scene

Any of the Mara/Noah make outs in The Evolution of Mara Dyer

5. Favourite passage or quote

SO MANY, so I will just share 5 from books I read this year.

1. 'I'll walk forever with stories inside me that the people I love the most can never hear' - The Evolution of Mara Dyer

2. 'We accept the love we think we deserve' - Perk Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

3. 'I am beautiful, fake, shallow, incognito' -  Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

4. 'I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once' - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

5. 'I think you're the sort of person who finds money on the ground and waves it in the air and asks if anyone has lost it. I think you cry in movies that aren't even sad because you have a soft heart, though you don't let it show. I think you do things that scare you, and that makes you braver than those adrenaline junkies who bungee-jump of bridges' - Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Book blogs

1. Favorite review that you wrote

I am really proud of my Masque of the Red Death review and my Gone Girl review.

2. Best event that you participated in

Book Expo America

3. Best moment of book blogging

Getting to meet the lovely Ottawa blogettes, and hanging out with bookish people at Book Expo.

4. Most popular post on your blog

My Crewel review and my reveal of the cover for Tarnish by Katherine Longshore both have gotten a lot of page views this past year.

5. Reading challenges or goals

Just the Goodreads reading challenge. I read the 125 books I challenged myself with.

Looking ahead

1. Number one priority in 2013

I say this every year, but commenting more on blogs. I am horrible at it.

2. Book you are most anticipating

Early half of 2013 - Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
Later half of 2013 - Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin and Just One Year by Gayle Forman

3. Hopes in reading/blogging in 2013

Just to read as many fantastic novels as I did this year. 2013 looks to have some STELLAR novels coming out, and I am very much looking forward to Clockwork Princess breaking my heart.

My Top Ten Books of 2012

The end of 2012 is just around the corner, and with that comes a bunch of "Best" list. I offer my own best list today. The top ten books I read in 2012.

These are in no particular order, because asking me to select my favourite from this list would really be torture. It was hard enough to keep this list to ten choices.

1. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Steamy, sexy, and filled with Noah Shaw deliciousness. A creepy and brilliant look at a potential descent into madness. Wonderfully written with humour, scares, and STEAMY romance. 

My love affair with this series is well known. I adore Mara, Noah, and of course, the amazing Michelle for writing them.

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

 Yes I am teasing, but Oh My Swoon! Willem and Allyson's story had me feeling every emotion, and left me aching for more. This is easily 2013's MUST READ and more than meets expectations.

The beautiful writing, the connection I felt to Allyson, and the utter romance of this fantastic contemporary left me wanting to read Just One Year...immediately.

3. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

One of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. It made my heart hurt, and yet was filled with so much wonder. 

Getting to know the girl with the crow feather and her Peter was one of the highlights of my reading year, made all the more poignant because my love for this novel caught me by surprise. 

4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

If I were to choose one word to describe Gone Girl that word would be twisted. Stunning reveals, an inciting game, and an uncomfortable look at falling out of love (just in the most extremely twisted way).  

Flawed characters that seem disturbingly real, and writing that makes you fly through the pages faster that you are capable of turning them. This one will keep you up late into the night, and leave you gasping at it's sad, yet unavoidable, ending.  

5.  Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

A darkly decadent read where even the air you breath can kill you. Swoon worthy guys, a flawed heroine, and the seductive Debauchery Club are all stand outs in this amazingly written novel.

The dual notion of glitz and glamour back dropped against a stark decimated city make for a compelling dynamic. I fell for this one in chapter one, and couldn't stop reading.

6. Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Tudor court glamour meets high school mean girls in this engrossing historical novel. Catherine Howard paid the ultimate price for her youthful mistakes. This portrayal paints her in a much different, and more realistic feeling light. This novel feels relevant because it shows friendships, and their complexity haven't changed over the years.

7 The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Magic meets realism in this heart grabbing novel. Blue, and her Raven Boys will work their way into your heart until you care deeply about each of them.

Maggie's writing is fantastic, but her characters draw you in and that is why it's on my list. 

8 Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Another must read when it comes out. I adored Cinder, but Scarlet surpassed all my expectations. Ruggedly swoon worthy Wolf grabbed my attention immediately, and  I adored the feisty Scarlet. The mixing of Cinder's story with Scarlet's journey is done flawlessly, and the fairytale elements I loved in Cinder are just as present in Scarlet. 

9 Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

One of the best witch stories I've ever read. A mixture of romance, suspense, and a hint of the magical storm to come leaves you under this novel's spell.

The writing flows quickly, and the characters are captivating. The witchcraft mythology that is being built has be eager to learn more. With all of this going for it, it's the bond between the sister's that shines the most. A story of sisterly love, sacrifice, jealously, and perhaps betrayal. 

10 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This novel left me a crying mess on my couch by the end. I believe that this will make many lists this year, and it really is one of the best of the year.

Hazel and Augustus' story stays with you long after you've finished. With humour, heart, and tears it's an emotional reminder to love as deeply as possible, and to live each second to the fullest

I do have a few others that I REALLY enjoyed this year as well, and this list was seriously torture to whittle down, but those are the ones that I think impacted me the most. What novels made your Best List this year? Let me know in the comments.

Secret Santa Giveaway 2.0

Tis the season! It is that time of year when everything feels all warm and fuzzy and curling up with a good book and a hot drink is heaven.

I am going to be doing my yearly giveaway, but with a twist. In the spirit of the winter blues, and making the holiday joy last as long as possible, the giveway will require some patience.

I am going to select one winner to send a surprise book (from a list they provide me). There is one catch though - it has to be a pre-order. I don't know about you but come Jan/Feb I feel a little run down. The holiday season is past, and the cold winter can feel really long. I wanted to help with this by sending you a lovely pick me up right when it's needed. :) Think of it as a delayed holiday present.

The prize also comes with another surprise (something to go along with the winter theme) and that will ship at the same time.

Now, how to enter you might be asking. That's easy. Simply fill out the rafflecopter below.

The giveaway is international, but Book Depository must ship to you. You must be of legal age to enter or have parental consent to do so.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Top 20 Must Read of 2012..

Now that we are saying Goodbye to 2011 I thought it only fitting to take a look ahead to 2012. Here are my most anticipated, can’t wait for, dying to read choices.

I decided to list my top 20 (10 debuts and 10 returning favourites). This was hard! So many amazing books that I want to read next year. These are in no particular order....

Debuts

1 Gilt by Katherine Longshore
2 The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
3 The Selection by Kiera Cass
4 Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
5 Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
6 Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
7 Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
8 Everneath by Brodi Ashton
9 Immortal City by Scott Speer
10 What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Non Debuts

1 Insurgent by Veronica Roth
2 The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
3 Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
4 Until I Die by Amy Plum
5 Untitled Mara Dyer #2 by Michelle Hodkin
6 Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
7 Clockwork Princess and City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
8 Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
9 Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
10 Fever by Lauren DeStefano

What book are you most looking forward to in 2012?