Nomes' Fave Reads of 2011- Sharing All The Bookish Loveliness

I know what you're thinking- "Rachel, you always write about your favourite books. You never shut up about your favourite books!". Ok, so I'm a fan of spreading the book-love. And the button for this was just too cute for me not to participate, and I love Nomes' blog, Inkcrush- it's be a permanant fixture on my sidebar since I discovered it. So, there. I'm allowed :)

The rules were; had to be a new read for 2011 (giving me a rather small pile of only 33 books), and any book could be included more than once. I've picked out my favourite categories, but I've kept the original numbering so you can see which ones I've left out, should you wish to know.

1. Favourite book read so far in 2011

This was the hardest to choose, so I wimped out and picked four.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater - what an ending to a great series. Truly, a landmark, in the overwhelming wealth of paranormal romances thrown at YA readers.
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma- brilliant, beautiful and brutally poigant.
Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott- wonderfully genuine and fabulously written.
Across The Universe by Beth Revis - gripping, dark, twisty and fantastically entertaining.

2. Most powerful book

 Falling by Sharon Dogar

This is a book that really doesn't get the attention it deserves, and when I first looked at it, I thought: "Hmm, pretty cover, not heard of the author, probably going to be something light and fluffy". So. So. Wrong. Falling is hard-hitting, incredibly powerful, fast-paced and just amazing, if a little heavy.

And then, of course, Forbidden has to appear in this category too.

7. Best tense, adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable book
Ok, bit of a skip to number 7, but hey, that's how I roll.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
I read this in one sitting, and it was quite incredible (although as good as the first, I think not). I won't say anymore about it, because it had all the hype and fan-love that it is possible to have (which was indeed deserved) and I would merely add to that. But I would urge you to read the whole series if you get the chance.

Across The Universe deserves a shout-out here as well.




8. The beautiful prose award

No and Me by Delphine De Vigan.
Gorgeously written, this is like bathing in beautiful prose. Not the fastest paced, but that didn't matter to me.

Forbidden was also wonderfully written, as was Falling.







11. Most original and imaginative

The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young.
This hasn't been published yet, and I haven't seen it about very much either, but it's one of the most starkly different books I've read this year. It's might not be the best written, it may not have quite the flair and elegance of the best contemporary fiction, but it is fascinatingly different, and addictively good, and it's kind of factual, crisp style actually really suits the main character's voice and somehow, makes you empathise with her all the more.





#12. Best under-appreciated, hidden gem book

Loads of choices for this, especially some of the ones I've already mentioned, like Falling or No and Me, but I think the top two picks would have to be;

The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz by Laura Toffler Corrie and

All We Know of Love by Nora Raleigh Baskin.

16. Series that i'm loving

This was the easiest one to choose- it had to be the Gallagher Girls series, of which I read number 3 this year; Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter. I love this series, and I especially enjoy the way I can so easily slip back into the storyline and the characters every time I pick up this series. Looking very much forward to gettting my hands on number 4!
Obviously, Forever has to get a mention here too.






And just a few other books that require a mention, but don't quite fit into those headings;

So that's my post on the best of my YA reading this year, with many thanks to Nomes for such a great list and her own fab selections, which you can view here. How's your reading in 2011 shaping up? Let me know what your selections would be, or simply whether you agree with any of mine in the comments below.

N.b- all blue titles take you to respective Goodreads pages if you click them, and all cover images are from Goodreads.