December 27, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday: You're Just My Type


As always, this feature is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's category was really hard for me, but I succeeded in narrowing it down to ten books (though I may have cheated by making a series of book into "one" book). You can click on the titles to see my reviews!

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth

This book has managed to top many of my lists for this year. It is just that amazing/brilliant/awesome and I love it so much! I recommend it to everyone (and try to shove it into people's faces when I find out they haven't read it yet). I fell in love with the dystopian world Veronica Roth created, as well as the characters of Four and Tris! My only problem when it came to this book? Learning I'd have to wait a while for the next installment in the series, Insurgent.

2. The Hunger Games // Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This is probably my favorite series I discovered in 2011 - and just in time too, since the movie is coming out next year. I didn't want to read this one at first, since I thought I wouldn't enjoy dystopians or novels about children having to kill children in a mad Survivor-type game. But I was proven utterly wrong when I finally found time to crack open The Hunger Games - from the moment I finished the first chapter, I just had to know what happened next.

(You'll probably notice that I didn't include Mockingjay. Though I did read it quickly and find it as fast-paced and exciting as the other two, I didn't like it as much. Therefore, I didn't include it.)

3. The Lost Hero // Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I'm a Riordan fan, and have been ever since my cousin Carmela introduced me to the Percy Jackson series. While I do recommend Percy Jackson and The Kane Chronicles, it is officially The Heroes of Olympus that has become my favorite series from him.  I enjoy the meld between the real world and Greek mythology, and I love all the characters I've gotten to meet so far in this new series (some old favorites and some entirely new ones). I cannot wait to see where this is going to lead!


I don't remember exactly where or when I heard about this series, but I do know that I LOVE it. I'm a big fan of historical romances, and Lisa Kleypas came up with an interesting twist when she gave us the Wallflowers.  Their friendship is admirable, their heroes are swoon-worthy and it was just so easy to fall in love and devour these novels.  My special favorite is Devil in Winter, which most of you can understand if you've read all four novels.


This is the second set of historical romances that I fell in love with this year. Sarah MacLean has a brilliant command of storytelling, romance, wit and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the characters she'd created, as well as all the crazy adventures and shenanigans that occurred in her novels. I found myself laughing, crying, scolding and repeating the entire process over and over again. In the end, I always found myself satisfied and happy.  My special favorite of the series is Eleven Scandals.

6. Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett

This novel was an unexpected, but very sweet surprise. I had requested and received it via NetGalley (and it was probably one of the first that I had received approval for), and found myself reading it on my plane trip to Miami.  The story started off slow, but ended up becoming surprisingly gripping and interesting towards the middle.  I found myself rooting for the two main characters, and enjoying the way that the story was written.  I was extremely happy to be part of the blog tour for this one, as I really enjoyed it and want others to know about this great book!

7. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

This is another book I requested and received via NetGalley, and it blew me away! I read through it quickly and I really enjoyed it.  The timeline for the events in the book was pretty short, but I thought it lasted long enough to introduce an interesting set of characters, tell a great story and really just get the reader to fall in love with it all.  This book had me gushing and giddy after reading it, and I know a lot of my blogger friends agree!

8. Lola & The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I haven't posted my official review for this book yet, but it will be going up by the end of this week. But if you were a fan of Anna and the French Kiss, then you'll definitely like this second novel! It tells a completely different story, one of this amazingly quirky character named Lola and a shy, endearing and nerdy boy who lives next door to her named Cricket.  The book took me on an emotional journey while I read it - I laughed, I cried, I swore, I pounded on the book, I punched a fist in the air in victory. 

9. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I haven't posted my official review for this book yet; it'll probably go up early in 2012.  I'm a huge Maggie Stiefvater fan though, and this book is another one of her fantastic creations. Maggie Stiefvater is an incredible writer. She manages to convey such crystal clear images with her words - and that talent makes itself clear in The Scorpio Races.

10. Eon/Eona by Alison Goodman

I haven't posted my official review for these books yet; it'll probably go up early in 2012. I can't believe I only discovered the greatness of these two novels now; they're brilliantly written, gripping and had me completely invested in the story and the characters.  I can't wait to gush about this one in my review (but hopefully do that coherently).

I loved so many other books too, but these are definitely my favorites of the year.
Since there were so many other books I considered including, see some honorable mentions below:

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

What are your favorite reads of 2011?

63 Comments:

  1. Lola!! I adored that book, it's on my list as well. I agree about Mockingjay, it's my least favorite of the the three. I have Eon and I plan to read it soon. It sounds amazing. You have a fantastic list!

    My Top Ten Favorites

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  2. Divergent is really something special. It's no surprise to anyone that it topped as many lists as it did, I can't really put into words how I adored it.

    I agree about the Hunger Games. Book one was perfect, book two was okay and a great read, but number three was just weird and bleak. Destroyed the mood and tempo of the series.

    And Riordan is great too. For me, he's never one of my favourites, but I always enjoy his books and think he is a great writer.

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  3. Devil in Winter... Just thinking about the story makes me smile. Especially that scene towards the end... I think you'd probably know what I'm talking about ;)

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  4. I think I liked The Heroes of Olympus series because the characters are more... developed? I feel like, in many ways, they're a little older than the characters in the Percy Jackson series.

    And yes, read the Wallflowers series! It's really great - and totally an unexpected find for me last year.

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  5. Sarah MacLean's historical romances are brilliant. And I'm dying to read A Rogue by Any Other Name!

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  6. If you loved The Wolves of Mercy Falls, you'll love this for sure, as you've mentioned. I really think it has a lot to do with Maggie's writing style.

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  7. I'd recommend The Hunger Games first, so you'll be able to read it before the movie comes out. It's actually nice to read it now because you don't have to wait before you read the next book in the series.

    Eon & Eona though, is such a stellar series. I loved it so, so, so much.

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  8. Mockingjay was action-paced and still an intense read, don't get me wrong. But it didn't have as much fire in it as Catching Fire.

    Cricket Bell <3

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  9. That's what friends do, haha, since every single time I visit your blog and read a review, I tend to add the book straight to my to-buy list.

    Read Lola! If you loved Anna, you'll love Lola. I reviewed it today on the blog, but in a nutshell, there's a quirky heroine, a swoon-worthy boy next door and a well-written story.

    I haven't read any of Sophie Jordan's books, to be honest, and I'm definitely going to have to remedy that.

    And definitely start The Lost Hero! And then read Son of Neptune! I loved The Heroes of Olympus series and can't wait for the next one!

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  10. To be honest, I didn't find out about Kleypas' historical romance series until this year - and as you can see, I devoured one of her series.

    Sarah MacLean is brilliant. I can't believe I only discovered her this year either.

    And JULIA QUINN! I love her! I've read all her books, reread them and still love the Bridgerton series best of all.

    I'm definitely going to check out Lauren Willig now. Thanks for the suggestion!

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  11. Really? Well, consider it a lucky twist - you should definitely read it.

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  12. Yes, you should! Riordan writes for a younger audience, it's true, but his novels tend to be really fun to read!

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  13. I loved Graffiti Moon! And yes, do read Eleven Scandals! It's a great addition to the series :)

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  14. Well, we should trade! I'll read stuff in your top ten and you read stuff in mine ;)

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  15. I hope you get around to reading Divergent soon. It's seriously one of my favorite novels of this year, if not the #1.

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  16. I love people who love Riordan. We are automatically friends. *smiles*

    And yes, do read Eon & Eona! It's a really great series, and I'm surprised I didn't know anything about it until this year.

    As for Lisa Kleypas, I think she writes great novels, both her historical romances and her contemporary ones. Try the Wallflowers series - it's my favorite, obviously :)

    As for The Hunger Games, yes, well, I really didn't like Mockingjay all too much. And it's NOT because of the ending, although a tiny part of me felt bad about it too. Catching Fire is my favorite, but I do like the first one as well.

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  17. I hope you get to read Son of Neptune soon! It started a bit slower than The Lost Hero, but it gets really good after a couple of chapters!

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  18. Geek Girl, I was really surprised to find that I loved. Honestly, I requested the galley on NetGalley on a whim based on the synopsis. It was the first ever one I got approved for. I downloaded it, read it and fell in love.

    With Graffiti Moon, I had heard about it from other bloggers before reading. I wasn't sure if I'd feel the same way they did... but I ended up falling head over heels in love with the story!

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  19. The Mark of Athena! I can't wait to read it and find out more about the prophecy. *smiles*

    And yes, do read Lola soon! It may be a wonderful way to start off your reading year :)

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  20. The Scorpio Races is beautifully written. If you're a fan of Maggie's or liked her other series, you'll love this one. It's actually become my favorite of her works.

    Carrier of the Mark was surprising and really good read! I love fantasy novels, and this one has an interesting mythology. I can't wait to find out more in the sequel!

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  21. Have fun exploring these two dynamically different dystopian worlds! I hope you love them as much as I did!

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  22. Those are two great books to have on your TBR list. I hope you get to them right away, as they're both really good books!

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  23. You definitely should read Lola! It might be a good way to kick off the new year :)

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  24. Adding Eon & Eona to your wish list is a GREAT idea. These books are unexpected gems in my reading pile this year and I'm so glad I had both of them on hand when I started reading Eon.

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  25. I really should read The Power of Six. I meant to, back when it first came out, but then I forgot. *sad face*

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  26. I was too! I sincerely didn't think I was going to like the series at all, but I ended up loving it so much that I couldn't put it down at all.

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  27. It really is! I'm psyched for the movie too :)

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  28. It's staring at you longingly because it needs to be read! I hope you enjoy it and that you fall in love with Tris and Four too!

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  29. I would definitely recommend reading Divergent, though I'd hold off on reading it if you're already reading too many dystopian books. But it's so good! And you must meet Four and Tris.

    And I recommend Riordan a lot as well. I think his books, despite being geared toward a younger audience, are fun to read for us older ones as well.

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  30. I need to go read Divergent. Who doesn't love the Hunger Games? And I need to start the Percy Jackson series one day... So many good books to add to my list...

    Thanks for visiting my top ten.

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  31. Excellent list! I absolutely love the ones I've read on here so now I'm curious about the ones I haven't gotten to just yet. I'm really glad to hear you loved The Hunger Games; that series is so worthy of all its hype!

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  32. I absolutely loved Hunger Games, I read it during the fall and could have not been more impressed. :)

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  33. Nice list! Divergent is sat on my tbr pile, staring at me longingly, so I'll definitely be reading that one soon! :)

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  34. Hmm... great choices!! I just added Eon & Eona to my wish list, they look so great!! In fact, most of your choices are favs of mine or To-Read's. Great choices!! Lol. I'm a new GFC

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  35. Laura @ The Traveling OwlFebruary 6, 2012 at 12:12 PM

    Loved THG, Divergent and the Heroes series. I loved Anna, but haven't read Lola yet. I know, I know, I need to. Great list.

    Thanks for stopping by earlier.

    Laura @ The Traveling Owl

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  36. Definitely need to check out the books I haven't heard before! And the rest are already on my TBR- pile, so some awesome books there! :) Thanks for sharing, and thanks for stopping by!

    Monaliz @ Mind Reading?

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  37. Thanks for stopping by.
    Great list. I am adding Divergent to my tbr. I received The Hunger Games Trilogy for Christmas and I can't wait to read them.
    Sandra

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  38. Lola and The scorpio Races are on my 2012 TBR list. Great list, thanks for sharing.

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  39. We do have Divergent in common and I have read some of the Lisa Kleypas books. I have some of these in my bookshelf right now as well.

    Thanks for stopping by :)

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  40. Graffiti Moon is so awesome. Looking forward to reading The Scorpio Races soon. I've seen it on several lists today. Glad to see you liked Carrier of the Mark too. I have that one patiently waiting on the shelf.
    Hope you have another great year of reading in 2012!

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  41. Oh, awesome list :D Lots of great books ;)
    Thank you for commenting on my Top Ten. <3
    Love, Carina

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  42. I can't believe I haven't read Lola or the Scorpio Races yet. Lola's even sitting on my shelf! I'm glad to hear someone else loves The Heroes of Olympus series too! I love Percy and all the mythology. I'm super excited for the next book to come out too :D

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  43. Awesome list. Divergent is completely awesome and you should definitely read The Power of Six really soon. It was very good. =] Thanks for stopping by my Top Ten. =]
    -Michael
    My Top Ten

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  44. I have Son of Neptune, but I haven't read it yet. Really looking forward to Graffiti Moon. Thanks for stopping by!

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  45. I haven't read any of your top ten either! How funny :)

    A lot of them are on my list though! I've heard amazing things about Divergent

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  46. Great list! I'm really curious about Geek Girl and Graffiti Moon which everyone seems to love!

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

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  47. I can't wait to read Eon and Eona. I just have to start with that.

    Also, I'm glad to see your honesty with Mockingjay. I didn't love that one as much as the first two either. Catching Fire was my favorite of the trilogy.

    I've never read any Kleypas, but I've seen her name EVERYWHERE and wonder should I grab something of hers...because clearly I'm missing out on something everyone knows about but me!

    And, um, Riordan FOREVER!

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  48. I have heard a lot of people say how much they love Rick Riordan, I am really going to have to read one of his books soon!

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  49. Everyone's got Divergent on their list!! I really have no excuse now.. lol.. I even own it, I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet!

    Thanks for stopping by! :)

    Michele | Top 10

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  50. Oooh, a lot of my faves are on your list too. Esp. Graffiti Moon -- SO GOOD! I still have to read Eleven Scandals...thanks for the reminder!

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  51. I'm amazed to see Scorpio Races on so many lists, and I've not heard of it until today!

    Here's my Top Ten Favorite Books I Read in 2011.

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  52. We have lots of the same books on our lists! YAY! But I definitely need to read some Kleypas. I love historical romances because they're quick but AWESOME. I just love 'em. I read Sarah MacLean this year as well and those books were sooo good. Have you read any Julia Quinn? Or any of Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation books? Those are also so enjoyable and fun! :-)

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  53. Your list makes me want to add things and buy lots of books!! I can't wait to read Lola! I'm gonna have to order it soon :) I read Anna on Sunday and it was just amazing! And hooray for the Love by Numbers series! Have you read any of Sophie Jordan's historical romances? They are amazing as well :) And I know what you mean, loving a book about kids killing each other wasn't something I'd expected to do either ;) I guess I should start The Lost Hero soon, cause I loved the Percy Jackson series!
    GREAT LIST!!

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  54. Oh your list is GOOD!!!!!! So many I've been wanting to read or already have.

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  55. great list! i loved scorpio races too. and totally agree with you about mockingjay. i was so disappointed. and i love cricket bell!

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  56. I just finished reading The Name of the Star. I'll have to check some of those others out!
    Here’s my Top Ten Tuesday post. :)

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  57. Becky @ Stories & SweetiesFebruary 6, 2012 at 12:13 PM

    OH man, I haven't read any on your top ten!! I need to get to these soon! Especially Eon/Eona & Hunger Games! Great list!

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  58. I LOVE Sarah Maclean's Love by Numbers trilogy! Though Nine Rules is still my favorite, Eleven Scandals is second though. I will definitely be reading Graffiti Moon soon. Awesome list!

    Jess @ Gone with the Words
    My TTT post!

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  59. I am seeing Scorpio Races on a lot of lists. I must move it up on my TBR pile. I really like Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Fall series so I'm sure I will like it.

    Please take a look at my new challenge to read the ALA YA Book Award winners for 2012.

    Anne@HeadFullofBooks.

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  60. Devil in Winter is my favorite of the Wallflower quartet too - how could it not be, right? I have reread all of them more than once, great stories! I'm so glad they made your list.

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  61. I loved Divergent and The Hunger Games too! Oh so many good books this year!

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  62. This list totally affirms my want to read the Wallflowers series. Historical romance is so awesome.

    The Heroes of Olympus series rocks, and I like it more than Percy, although I haven't finished Percy yet, but Jason is such an awesome character.

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  63. So many good choices! Love The Hunger Games & Catching Fire! I know a lot of people who really love Lisa Kleypas as well but I've never gotten around to trying any yet (must do that). Love Lola as well!

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Thanks for leaving a comment! I love seeing what you have to say, and will try to reply (here or on Twitter) as soon as I can :)