2011 Wrap Up - Goal Completed!

I set out to read 100 books this year and I made it with no time to spare!  I still don't know what my goal total should be next year but as mentioned in 2012 Reading Challenges, I do have some reading challenges ahead of me in 2012!


Some of my favorite reads of 2011 - These are some of the books that I gave 5 stars on Goodreads
1. Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan
2. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
3. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
4. The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
5. Soulless by Gail Carriger
6. The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn (I may have a bias here...)
7. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
8. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
9. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
10. Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
11. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
12. Clarity by Kim Harrington
13. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
14. Watched by Sharde Richardson
15. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce


Honorable Mentions - books that I enjoyed but for reasons I don't remember I only gave them 4 stars...I might change that.
1. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
2. Heist Society by Ally Carter
3. The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa
4. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
5. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
6. India Black by Carol K. Carr


What were your favorites of 2011?


Happy New Year and Happy Reading in 2012!

One more book to go!

I am currently trudging through the last book I need to read to reach my goal of 100 books! I say trudging because I have suddenly been more interested in doing anything else but reading - shocking I know! Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Check out the UK cover! Gorgeous!

Rampant Book Review

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Published June 14th 2011 by Egmont USA
Summary from Goodreads


One hour to rewrite the past . .  
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, 
life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.


Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.


This book was AMAZING!  The characters were relatable and well-rounded.  The interactions between the characters was sublime - I believed that these were actual people and could see these conversations happening in real life.

The writing was brilliant.  It was fun and just...I have no word.  About every sentence was worth reading and rereading.  I've added a small (tiny) sampling of my favorites.

“Your size makes you seem delicate, like a spiderweb. But the wise fly knows that delicate can also be strong.” 

"If he wasn't already holding my heart in the palm of his hand, I would have taken it out and given it to him."

The plot seemed straight forward but there were surprises that completely caught me off guard!  Also the love triangle didn't make me want to gouge my eyes out.


This was my favorite book of 2011.  I do still have 2 more books to read but I doubt that they will surpass this one.  I would recommend not only owning this book but owning the e-book, hard cover, and paper back.  You should also gift this to all of your book loving besties!


The second book in the series is Timepiece and it come out June 12, 2012.  I can't hardly wait!
Isn't the cover gorgeous?!?

2012 Reading Challenges

I will be doing at least 3 reading challenges next year - The Story Siren's Debut Author Challenge, Chick Loves Lit's Sophomore Reading Challenge, and IceyBook's and I Like These Book's The Standalone Reading Challenge. Whew!

The Debut Author Challenge is a fun way to discover new authors through reading there first published book in 2012.  I'm not sure if there is a set amount that you have to read but I'm going to give myself the goal of at least 1 per month(12). The challenge is 12 books - I'm a pretty good guesser.


1. Everneath by Brodi Ashton (January 24)
2. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (February 7)
3. Harbringer by Sara Wilson Etienne (February 2)
4. The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker (January 2)
5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
6. Shadow's Edge bu Maureen Lipinski
7. May B A Novel by Caroline Starr Rose
8. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
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11.
12.

The Sophomore Reading Challenge has you reading the second book that an author has published in 2012.  The challenge is set at reading at least 10 of these books.  Oh and the book has to be Young Adult or Middle Grade.  Here's my list.


1. Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton (February 1)
2. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand (January 17)
3. Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay (August)
4. Timepiece by Myra McEntire (June 12)
5. Perception by Kim Harrington (March 1)
6. Fever by Lauren Destefano (February 21)
7. Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter (March 27)
8. Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs (June 5)
9. The White Glove War by Katie Crouch (July 3)
10. Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel (2012)

The Standalone Reading Challenge features books coming out next year that are not a part of a series.  You must read 15 standalone books in 2012.


1. Harbringer by Sara Wilson Etienne
2. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
3. Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama
4. Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker (January 2)
5. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (June 12)
6. Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy (May 1)
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Wings of the Wicked Contest

Wings of the Wicked will be coming out and the author(along with everyone else) is counting down with contests!!  I found out a little late.  It is at the end of Week 1 but you should still go over and check it out to see what Week 2 will bring.
Wings of the Wicked Contest

To Read Pile

These are books that are waiting to be read on my Kobo.  What books are in your reading pile?

Ash by Malinda Lo

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio


A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author. 

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after. 

Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life. 
A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line,The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch. 

Torn by Erica O'Rourke

Everyone has secrets.

Even best friends.

Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the 'L', a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it's directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn't pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose? 

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland


Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself - and others - in order to be set free. And love may be the key... 

Betrayal by Mayandree Michel 

Where there is love and power, there is always... betrayal. 

At seventeen, Cordelia is an ordinary teen with an extraordinary and frightening secret. A secret that induces vivid dreams which she not only experiences true love, but crippling fear while barely escaping with her life each night. After a life altering event, Cordelia has an unexpected encounter with Evan, the mysterious boy from her dreams, who reveals who and what she is, a descendant of the Greek gods. At that moment everything she knows of her world is a lie, and she must leave the present and go into the past to assume the role she was put on this earth for, safeguarding her ancient empire amidst evil forces that toil hastily to destroy it. In a race against time, Cordelia must decide if she is truly a part of this dangerous world, or risk defying the gods, and ultimately lose the boy who has put a claim on her heart. 

The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen


Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over.  But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?




All summaries are from Goodreads.

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

Published October 25th 2011 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

The world that the author has created is very well thought-out and interesting. I would enjoy reading more novels set in this world. Esmerine and Alander are multidimensional characters but for some reason I just didn't feel the spark between them. I believed more in Esmerine's love for her sister, Dorsia, than her love for Alander (or his for her). The message of loving someone despite outside pressure not to is a beautiful one though.

Also, I don't get why her sister didn't even try to leave some kind of word of herself. I understand that running away with a human is somewhat common for a siren and that writing a note of some kind was out of the question. It just seemed careless rather than romantic.

Pros
World Creation
Character Development

Cons
Love Connection

Verdict
Check out from the library if you're interested.

The Dust of 100 Dogs Book Review

Actual Progress Report

94 books down out of 100!
I am currently reading Rampant which started out kinda slow but is becoming more awesome as I read it. All I will tell you is that it is about killer unicorns! Definitely look out for a review.

DeannaReads the adventure continues...

I've decided to start a blog for reviewing books that I might not have time to make a video for but I also would like to review. So here it is! Yay!
Here is my latest video. Enjoy!