This has been a great year. It definitely wasn't my best year for blogging, but I think it may have been my best year for finding great new books, authors, and blogging buddies!

Here is my year-end statistics post:

As of 11:59pm on 12/31/11

Followers: 1,383 (Up 636 from last year. Too bad this won't matter in 3 months)
Newsletter Subscribers Gained: 87 (Woah! This surprises me. I almost NEVER use my newsletter)
Twitter Followers: 781 (Up 472 from last year. *whistles* This was the year of the twitter)
2010 Blog Posts: 276 (total 892)
Books Read: 74 (Didn't make my goal. *sigh*)
Average Time Taken per book: 5 days
Pages Read: 27,927 (Approx. 377 pages per book)

Books Reviewed: 64 (List Below)
2011 Squeaky Books: 21 (Total 54)
2011 Semi-Squeaky Books: 10 (Total 31)

Books Read/Reviewed:
(All links to my reviews)

• A Million Suns, Read 11/19/2011
• Ashes, Ashes, Read 5/27/2011
• Birthmarked, Read 8/26/2011
• Blood Feud, Read 6/12/2011
• Blood Red Road, Read 5/10/2011
• Blood Wounds, Read 6/17/2011
• Bloodrose, Read 12/30/2011
• Brain Jack, Read 1/8/2011
• Bumped, Read 3/19/2011
• City of Ashes, Read 1/2/2011
• City of Glass, Read 1/5/2011
• Clarity, Read 1/14/2011
• Clockwork Angel, Read 8/2/2011
• Crossed, Read 11/4/2011
• Dark and Hollow Places, The, Read 2/3/2011
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Read 7/3/2011
• Daughter of the Flames, Read 5/5/2011
• Demon Trapper's Daughter, The, Read 4/2/2011
• Die for Me, Read 4/12/2011
• Divergent, Read 2/27/2011
• Don't Breathe a Word, Read 7/11/2011
• Drink, Slay, Love, Read 11/23/2011
• Drought, Read 1/11/2011
• Dust & Decay, Read 9/8/2011
• Eleventh Plague, The, Read 5/15/2011
• Enclave, Read 1/17/2011
• Eve, Read 7/24/2011
• Everfound, Read 8/7/2011
• Everneath, Read 11/2/2011
• Fever, Read 12/29/2011
• Foundling, Read 1/22/2011
• Frost, Read 11/25/2011
• Generation Dead, Read 1/26/2011
• Girl of Fire and Thorns, The, Read 10/23/2011
• Hallowed, Read 12/22/2011
• Haven, Read 2/4/2011
• Hearts at Stake, Read 6/7/2011
• Heist Society, Read 6/21/2011
• Hourglass, Read 4/1/2011
• Incarnate, Read 10/29/2011
• Intertwined, Read 3/1/2011
• Legend, Read 6/17/2011
• Midnight in Austenland, Read 12/31/2011
• Monstrumologist, The, Read 4/27/2011
• Nevermore, Read 2/13/2011
• Out for Blood, Read 6/13/2011
• Outside In, Read 2/25/2011
• Plague, Read 6/28/2011
• Plain Kate, Read 1/19/2011
• Posession, Read 5/24/2011
• Princess and the Bear, The, Read 5/19/2011
• Princess and the Hound, The, Read 5/14/2011
• Princess and the Snowbird, The, Read 5/21/2011
• Princess of the Midnight Ball, Read 5/26/2011
• Prized, Read 8/28/2011
• Prophecy of the Sisters, Read 8/10/2011
• Roar, The, Read 6/18/2011
• Shadows on the Moon, Read 7/26/2011
• Supernaturally, Read 5/6/2011
• Swan Kingdom, The, Read 4/3/2011
• Sweet Venom, Read 10/9/2011
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Read 6/30/2011
• The Dead, Read 4/26/2011
• The Demon King, Read 6/3/2011
• The Fox Inheritance, Read 6/30/2011
• Toads & Diamonds, Read 3/29/2011
• Tomorrow Code, The, Read 1/15/2011
• Twisted, Read 9/25/2011
• Uncommon Criminals, Read 6/24/2011
• Under the Never Sky, Read 12/20/2011
• Unraveled, Read 3/25/2011
• Warped, Read 3/17/2011
• Water Wars, The, Read 1/14/2011
• Wolfsbane, Read 6/18/2011

See you on Monday for a look at how I did on my 2011 goals, some 2012 goals, and some contest winners!

Stop your eyeballs! The read-a-thon is over! Did you meet your goal? Exceed it? I didn't. But that's okay! I had fun! Link to your final reports below! Many of you have already welcomed in the new year, but I'm about to in ONE MINUTE! So exciting! Here's wishing you many happy books in 2012!

Update:

• Total Books Read: 2
• Total Pages Read: 702
• Books Read Since Last Update: Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
• Pages Read since last update: 228
• Total time read: 8.5
• How I'm currently feeling: Wow. Read-a-thon FAIL! Only two books? I usually average 100 pages per hours, so 700 in 8.5 hours is NO BUENO! It toom me a lot longer to read MiA than I thought. Well, didn't come anywhere near reaching my goal, but I'm still glad the read-a-thon happened!

Link to your updates here!

Welcome to the last day of 2011! You know what that means. It’s time for best of lists! Here are the best 11 books I read in 2011. (Though they weren’t necessarily released in 2011) Want to see the best 10 of ’10? Click here!

But first, some honorable mentions. These guys didn’t make the list, but they were still awesome reads. No links for these, just pictures. Below is the full list of my top 11 books with pictures, links, and why they made the list!




#11 Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi
GoodReads | Amazon*

This one just managed to sneak onto the list. I only read it a couple weeks ago. I haven’t posted my review yet, but I’ll give you a little taste of what it says: “in this book you get to watch two people FALL in love. Really fall in love. And in the meantime we get to see a wonderfully rich and detailed world, experience heart racing adventures, and go through heartbreaking tragedies.”

#10 Incarnate, by Jodi Meadows
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

This book manages to brilliantly juggle about twelve different plot devices: reincarnation, dragons, gods, murder, and more. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! This is the kind of book that kept me thinking LONG after I closed it.

#9 A Million Suns, by Beth Revis
GoodReads | Amazon*

Nope, Across the Universe isn’t going to make this list, but that’s because the sequel is EVEN BETTER. I don’t know if I’ve ever said that about a second book. But seriously. This book is SOOOOO good. Haven’t reviewed it yet because most of the awesome-ness involves a whole heck-a spoilers and I haven’t figured out how to avoid them. Just know that it ROCKS.

#8 The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

Many of you know that I’m a horror-junkie, but even more of you know that I can’t stand profanity. That’s an odd mixture. Therefore, when I find a book like The Monstrumologist I get really excited. This book made me scream, cry, and feel a little sick. In a nutshell, it was AWESOME.

#7 Divergent, by Veronica Roth
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

Do I really need to explain why this is on this list? Really? Y’all voted it your favorite book of 2011, and so did ALL OF GOODREADS. It’s #7 for me because I thought there were books that were better FOR ME, but this is a great book for anyone. Really.

#6 The Swan Kingdom, by Zoe Marriott
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

This book saved me. Literally. I was in such a dark place when I read it and it brought me back to the surface. It’s beautiful, simple, and rich. But really, you should pretend that I listed ALL of Zoe’s books here. I had a hard time deciding which of hers to put on the list. I wish I could have put all 3. Check out my reviews of Shadows on the Moon and Daughter of the Flames both of which are BRILLIANT.

#5 Plain Kate, by Erin Bow
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

This book is… indescribable. It touched my heart in so many ways. I cried at the end. (psst. Chances are that if a book makes me cry, it’ll end up on this list) Plain Kate is such a loveable character that you can’t help but want to follow her adventure. And the cat. OH! The cat. I just love this book so much.

#4 Crossed, by Ally Condie
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

Ally has a wonderful way of weaving poetry into her books so it’s almost like you are reading 300+ pages of poetry without even knowing it. It doesn’t beat you over the head with prose, or smother you with rhyme, but it’s there nonetheless. A beautiful piece of art contained in a novel.

#3 Nevermore, by Kelly Creagh
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

It’s been nearly a year since I read this, so the specifics of why I loved it have faded from my mind. What hasn’t faded is the feeling I had while reading it. If you’re like me, then the cover of this book probably scares you off. DON’T LET IT! Behind the creepy goth-boy is an amazing story of mystery, magic, and love. Oh! And that ENDING! I’m SO MAD that the release date for the sequel was moved back to August 2012.

#2 Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor
GoodReads | Amazon*

Have I made it clear how much I love this book? I keep kicking myself for not reviewing it yet! I think I might wait until I re-read it before the sequel to review it since it’s been so long. Like Laini’s other YA book, Lips Touch, it does have some mature content, but it isn’t crass in any way. I’d call it a age 16+ book. But still, if you’re 16+ you must read this book. It’s EPIC. Mostly because of the awesomeness that is the main character. I really want Karou to be my best friend.

#1 Blood Red Road, by Moira Young
GoodReads | Amazon* | My Review

All right, how many of you saw this coming? Guys, chances are that if I burst into tears when I meet the author, I REALLY liked the book. I REALLY liked this book. I BEYOND LOVED this book. I… I want to die reading this book! (okay, that’s going a little far, but you get the point) Maybe it’s because it completely came out of the blue. I had never even heard of this book until it showed up for review and I remember thinking “Ugh. 500+ pages of phonetic spelling and no quotation marks? How will I live through this?” and when I finished I thought, “Ah!!! How could I live without this?!” Saba’s story and growth throughout the book is unlike anything I’ve ever read. I love how human she is, even when she has to de-humanize herself to survive. And Epona- oh… I’m gonna cry again. Please, I beg you, if this book sounds AT ALL interesting to you, please read it. Don’t let the strange prose throw you off. After the first few chapters I promise you won’t even notice it anymore.

What about you? Were any of these on your best of 2011 list? Are there any you've never heard of? Are there any missing that you loved? If you're looking for a laugh, check out this article about end-of-year lists.

Happy new year!

36 hours down, only 12 to go. How has your reading been this morning? Link your 3rd updates below!

Update:

• Total Books Read: 1
• Total Pages Read: 474
• Books Read Since Last Update: 0
• Pages Read since last update: 0
• Total time read: 4.5
• What I'm currently reading: 60 pages into Midnight In Austenland by Shannon Hale
• How I'm currently feeling: WOW I hate mornings. Why did I host a read-a-thon where two whole sections went from midnight to noon? I didn't read AT ALL. Blargh. Well, I guess that just means I really have to kick it into gear this afternoon.I want to finish MiA and one other book. That's my goal.

Link to your updates here!

The read-a-thon has officially been going for 24 hours, which means it's UPDATE TIME! Link your updates below!

Update:

• Total Books Read: 1
• Total Pages Read: 474
• Books Read Since Last Update: Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
• Pages Read since last update: 369
• Total time read: 4.5
• What I'm currently reading: 60 pages into Midnight In Austenland by Shannon Hale
• How I'm currently feeling: After a day of work, designing a new blog layout, my dad's birthday party, and incessant stirring of chicken cacciatore sauce, It feels so wonderful to be lost in a Shannon Hale novel again. However, I am getting a little sleepy. I think I shall retire to my bed soon. But I do so love meeting up with Mrs. Wattlesbrook, Miss Charming, and Col. Andrews again.

Link to your updates here!

Tee hee. The read-a-thon looks really funny when you turn it into a string of letters. Anyway. Update time! My updates will be in the following format, but yours can look however you'd like!

Update:

• Total Books Read: 0
• Total Pages Read: 105
• Books Read Since Last Update: 0
• Pages Read since last update: 105
• Total time read: 1.5 hours
• What I'm currently reading: Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer
• How I'm currently feeling: I hit a small stumbling block in that I have to work for 4 hours today. But in two more hours I'll be free to read like crazy! I'm really liking Bloodrose but I've forgotten who a lot of the characters are. There are a TON of characters in this series.

Link to your updates here!

Strap yourselves in, boys! (Even though... well... none of you are boys, right?) It's read-a-thon time!

Time for your start-up posts! Post your booklists, how close you are to your goal, and anything else you want!

I will do this... in the morning. I dunno why I started a read-a-thon at midnight. That's far too late for me to START reading. So I shall start in approximately 8 hours with Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer. Yee-haw!

Post your booklists in the comments, or link to a blog post below.

Release Date: September 20th, 2011
Genre:  Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Greenwillow
Pages: 423
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do

Blurb: A story of beauty and growth unlike any other.

Review: I adored this book. It was so interesting! We're given Elisa, a girl who doesn't feel like she can do what she's expected to do, but she's willing to try. I loved that. This is a girl who knows she's not the prettiest, smartest, or strongest, but she's always willing to try and do what's right. So admirable!

In the beginning of the book I wasn't her biggest fan. She had a lot of faults that grated on me. I really struggle with people who don't have very good self-control (this would be why I don't like most romance books). Elisa is very overweight because she can't control how much she eats (or chooses not to? I don't know. I don't really understand it). But as the book progressed it was wonderful to see her develop into a strong, powerful woman. She recognized her faults, and wasn't able to magically overcome them but she didn't expect to. Of course, she did have a little help with the eating thing... don't want to give it away, though.

Be warned, if you're looking for a romance... be warned. This book is tricksy in that department. I almost threw it across the room at one point. You can ask if you want more info, but I don't want to say any more for fear of spoilers.

This is a great book for teen girls who may be struggling with their self-esteem. I think they could relate to Elisa and easily get lost in this beautiful story.



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

I get to be hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt again!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.

Question #53: What kind of job is offered to Jill?

Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!

Release Date: September 6th, 2011
Genre: Mythology, Action, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Pages: 352
Rating:
Amazon Link*: Click here
Goodreads Page: Click here
Summary:

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight

Blurb: Best mythology book since the Illiad!

Review: This book is simply wonderful. It's got action, adventure, and romance. It's got enough of the old Greek legends to hook you, and enough NEW Greek legends to keep you hooked. It's fast paced, and although it has some romance it isn't the heart of the story. You could completely remove the romance and still have a wonderful book (the romance just adds a little spice).

I loved the relationships between the three sisters, and think that Childs did a fabulous job of making all of their interactions seem real and not forced. The YA world has been so full of fantasy/paranormal romances with awkward relationships and strange integrations of supernatural and romance elements, that this book was a refreshing read! I LOVED it.

Yup. This is a super-short review, but I think I covered all my bases. :)



*I am an amazon affiliate. If you purchase this book using my link, I will get a tiny fraction of the purchase, which goes toward contests.

Hey y'all! So today's Karou's second match! The good news? She's clearly the better heroine (in my mind at least). The bad news? She's up against Izzy Lightwood. Yeah. From The Mortal Instruments. Cassie Clare has about 50,000 twitter followers and what she says usually happens (especially if she bribes her fans).

Do you think we can stop this tournament from ending up being all Cassie Clare characters? I think so. Unfortunately, with all my contests lately and Christmas I am FLAT BROKE. So I am unable to bribe you. Also, I'm gonna be gone almost ALL DAY today! AERGH!!! What terrible timing!

What does that mean? It's up to YOU! Tweet #TeamKarou, tell your friends and family to vote! Let's see if we can win (or at least give Izzy a run for her money!).




P.S. I've got nothing against Cassie Clare. I own all her books. But I'm also purty competitive, and like Daughter of Smoke and Bone more than TMI or the Clockwork books. So... yeah. No offense meant, Cassie-Clare fans! I'm one of her 50,000 followers! If Izzy beats Karou, you know I'm gonna make SURE Izzy wins the whole shebang. If Karou's going to lose, it's gonna be to the winner of the tournament.

I think the name of this read-a-thon says it all. Have you reached your goal? Yeah, me neither. *glares at all you goal-finishers* But the year isn't over yet! We may have procrastinated, but there's still hope!

Even if you have met your goal, I hope you'll join us for the oh-my-word-the-year-is-over-and-I-haven't-reached-my-goal read-a-thon!

The read-a-thon will go from 12:01am MST on December 30th and go until 11:59pm MST on December 31st. I know that this falls right on new years eve, which might bother some of you, but I don't really celebrate that holiday. This'll probably be the only thing that keeps me up until midnight.
And this is a self-motivated read-a-thon. What does that mean? Well, in a nutshell it means I won't be giving away any books or prizes. You're participating just for the love of reading. This way there's no pressure to skip out on holiday festivities in order to participate.

There will be only 4 updates (instead of one every 2 hours. Geez. What was I thinking?). At 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, and 48 hours. And I'll provide a Mr. Linky here for you to link up.

No mini challenges. I want you to focus on reading.
Maybe this'll become a tradition too. A read-a-thon in June, and one in December.

Well? Is anyone out there interested in participating? Or will I be read-a-thon-ing by myself? Sign up using the Mr. Linky if you're going to join in the fun. If you don't have a blog, feel free to sign up and just link back to my blog. :) Below Mr. Linky is where you can grab the read-a-thon button. If you do post it on your website, be sure to let me know in the comments so I can come look!

<a href="http://www.squeakybooks.com/2011/12/read-thon-winter-version.html"><img src="http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc470/SqueakyBooks/Button-1.png"></a>

Here's my pre-Christmas IMM vlog! I've got some great holiday-reads and I'm excited to dig into them!

The release dates in the video are the ones that are printed on the ARCs, but I can see that they aren't all correct. If you want to make sure that it's the correct date, check out the Amazon.com/Goodreads links below the vid. Enjoy!



FOR REVIEW:

From Around the World Tours (not featured in video):

• Hallowed, by Cynthia Hand (Goodreads | Amazon)

• Monstrous Beauty, by Elizabeth Fama (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Monument 14, by Emmy Laybourne (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Of Poseidon, by Anna Banks (Goodreads | Amazon)

From Amazon Vine:

• Dark Inside, by Jeyn Roberts (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Article 5, by Kristen Simmons (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi (Goodreads | Amazon)
• The Pledge, by Kimberly Derting (Goodreads | Amazon)

SECRET SANTAS:

From Kai @ Fiction State of Mind:

• The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor (Goodreads | Amazon)

From mystery giver:

• Beautiful Chaos, by Kami Garcia & Margie Stohl (Goodreads | Amazon)

From person-who-I-love-but-card/name-I-lost:

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Clockwork Prince, by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads | Amazon)

BORROWED:

• Fever, by Lauren DeStefano (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Bloodrose, by Andrea Cremer (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Midnight in Austenland, by Shannon Hale (Goodreads | Amazon)
• Pandemonium, by Lauren Oliver (Goodreads | Amazon)

2011 is almost over, so let's take a look forward so you can win some of the best books of 2011!

As y'all saw, I posted the Squeakers' Best of 2011 list yesterday. Well do you want to win some of those books? Do ya? Do ya?! Well, now you can!

This contest is going to focus on some of the 2012 releases I'm most excited about. As is tradition, it's a GUESS THE COVER contest! I tried to make them as hard as I could, so brace yourselves! Some of these I've talked about on Squeaky Books. Some I haven't. Some are easier then others. Some I'm hoping are so hard that NO ONE will guess them. Muahahaha! I'm so evil(even though I've never succeeded)

CONTEST DETAILS

• Below are cover snippets of 16 different YA 2012 releases
• The more you guess correctly, the more entries you get!
• Fill out the form to enter
• You must name at least ONE cover correctly in order to be entered
• Winner(s) will be randomly chosen
• Winner(s) will get to choose their prize(s) from the Squeakers' Best of 2011 list
• If 0-74 people enter, the winner will get to choose 1 book from the list, if 75-149 people enter the winner will get 2 books, if 150-200 people enter a second winner will be added who gets to choose one book from the list.
• INTERNATIONAL (To anywhere TBD ships)
• You must be 13 years old or older
• Ends 12-31-11 9:59pm MST
• Winner announced 1-2-12

I no longer require people to be followers to enter my contests (especially since GFC is going away soon), but there is a question about how/if you follow. Don't stress about your answer. I'm just curious.

I think that covers(ha!) everything. Ready to see the covers? Remember, these are all 2012 releases:

Tada! It's that time of year again! The voting this year wasn't quite as sucessful as last year. Only had 112 people vote (compared to 139). Not sure why... I supposedly have more followers. Oh well. The BIGGER problem was that even though there were over 400 votes, there were 160 books nominated. That's crazy! Apparently y'all were pretty split on which books were the best. Therefore, the voting this year was REALLY close. If you'd like to see last year's list, CLICK HERE. And now on to this year's list! Oh and before you comment you might want to look at this (and just 'cause it's funny).

Also I'll mention that these books will feature prominently in an upcoming contest (if you've been following the blog since last year you might know what that contest is). I'd advise you start brushing up on your 2012 releases...

And now the list!

#14 (With 4 votes each) 
Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout ( Goodreads | Amazon )
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson ( Goodreads | Amazon )
Destined by P.C. Cast ( Goodreads | Amazon )
The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima ( Goodreads | Amazon )
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare ( Goodreads | Amazon )
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa ( Goodreads | Amazon )
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness ( Goodreads | Amazon )
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini ( Goodreads | Amazon )
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab ( Goodreads | Amazon )

#13 (With 5 votes each)
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review )
Entwined by Heather Dixon ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review )
The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore ( Goodreads | Amazon )
Hourglass by Myra McEntire ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)
Supernaturally by Kiersten White ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)

#12 (With 6 votes each)
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater ( Goodreads | Amazon )
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review )
Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review )

#11 (With 7 votes each)
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa ( Goodreads | Amazon )
Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan ( Goodreads | Amazon )

#10 (With 8 votes each)
Enclave by Ann Aguirre ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review )
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare ( Goodreads | Amazon )
Where She Went by Gayle Foreman ( Goodreads | Amazon )
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin ( Goodreads | Amazon )

#9 (With 9 votes)
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead ( Goodreads | Amazon )

My Thoughts: I've never had any desire to read any of Mead's books. But I will admit this one has a pretty cover.

#8 (With 10 votes)
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins ( Goodreads | Amazon )

My Thoughts: Anna and the French Kiss was definitely not my kind of book, so I've decided not to read this one. But I'm not surprised at all to see it on this list. Stephanie's writing is undeniably fun and cute.

#7 (With 11 votes)
Crossed by Ally Condie ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)

My Thoughts: In case it isn't obvious, I adore this book. SOOOO happy it made it on the list. It totally deserves to.

#6 (With 13 votes)
Wither by Lauren DeStefano ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, so I'm glad it's up here. It's not one of my top 10 of 2011, but it's definitely an honorable mention for me.

#5 (With 14 votes)
Across the Universe by Beth Revis ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)

My Thoughts: People, if you thought THIS one was good, wait for the sequel. (Sorry to be so mean, but I had to say it.)

#4 (With 15 votes)
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor ( Goodreads | Amazon )

My Thoughts: Um... have you been looking at my blog AT ALL recently? I clearly ADORE this book. So happy at least 15 of you do as well! I just realized that I still haven't posted my review of this! Bad, Enna Isilee! Bad!

#3 (With 16 votes)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)

My Thoughts: Thought this was a great book. Not one of my top of 2011, but definitely one people should read if they like dystopia/romance.

#2 (With 19 votes)
Blood Red Road by Moira Young ( Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)

My Thoughts: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. SOOOOO happy this made 2nd place. Would have preferred #1, but I'll take what I can get. If you haven't seen me gush over this book, please look here and here. I'll give you one guess as to what my favorite book of the year is.

#1 (With 35 votes)
Divergent by Veronica Roth (Goodreads | Amazon | My Review)

My Thoughts: What an awesome book. It has an amazing protagonist, an incredibly detailed and interesting world, and a kick-butt story that can appeal to all kinds of readers. I recommended this one to my aunt and she loved it. It's one that almost anyone can enjoy.

Well? What do we think? Is it close to what you have on your personal top books of 2011 list? I'll be posting my top 11 in '11 list at the very end of the year. I'm surprised by how many I haven't read on this one, but unlike last year there aren't any that I haven't heard of. And all of the top 9 books I've either read, or am perfectly fine with never reading. All in all, a purty interesting year for books.

Karou won! That means I have some winners to announce, but first a different announcement:


PLEEEEASE tell your friends to nominate. Some of the numbers are SO CLOSE and I'm looking to tip the scales. I'll leave it open until 11:59mst on 12-19-11. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE! I'd like at least 20 more people to vote.

Now winners. I've already contacted my twitter winner, and it looks like we didn't have enough people for the prize pack. But don't worry, it'll be back next round.

But my commenter winner I can (and will) announce now! You remember how I said I'd do this? I'm going to announce three names (with links to your blogger profile) and the first person to e-mail me their address gets it! Squeakybooks@yahoo.com Here we go...


Holly was the first to e-mail me! Congrats!

It's time, it's time! It's finally time! Remember how I told you I was going to be advocating Karou in the Tournament of Heroines? Well she's fighting Mara from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer right now!

PLEASE CLICK HERE and go vote. I'd like it if you voted for Karou (I know I certainly think she deserves to win) but if you think Mara is the better heroine, vote for her!


Here's how! I'm giving away TWO copies if Karou wins! It's OPEN INTERNATIONAL (to anywhere TBD ships)! You can enter to win both different ways:

Book #1 will be given away to someone who votes for Karou and leaves a comment. Leave a comment at the voting post that says "No one defeats the daughter of smoke and bone!" Your comment must contain that EXACT PHRASE to be entered into the contest. Be sure to add a little something extra too, but above all remember to BE NICE!

Book #2 will be given away to someone who tweets any and all (tweet as much as you'd like!) of the following tweets:

• I voted for Karou in the #HeroineTourney! Vote #TeamKarou and win a copy of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE by @LainiTaylor! http://bit.ly/u2axXu
• No one defeats the daughter of smoke and bone! Vote #TeamKarou & enter to win a copy of The book! http://bit.ly/sSX990 #HeroineTourney
• In fact, you can tweet anything that has the hashtags #TeamKarou and #HeroineTourney so long as you link to either this post or the voting post(and are nice. Mara-bashing tweeters will be disqualified! Be logical, not mean.)! You can @Enna_Isilee or @LainiTaylor if you'd like, but that's not required
• I'll DOUBLE your entries if you change your twitter icon to this image. 

But wait! There's more! I'll add an extra prize of a mystery prize pack of books (good ones!) to anyone who blogs about voting for Team Karou! Leave a link in the comments!

Remember, I'll give away all 3 prizes if Karou wins, so spread the word! I'll give away 1 of them no matter what, but I won't tell you which, so participate in all! I'll give away the prize pack only if at least 4 blogs post, otherwise I'll save it for next round ('cause we'll win!). I'll be contacting the twitter winner via twitter, but since I'm not requesting that you put your e-mail in your comment (in fact, please don't!) what I'm going to do is list three names on my blog on Saturday morning, the first person to e-mail me gets it! Understand? I'll be doing this EVERY TIME Karou competes, so let's keep her winning!

You only have 24 hours starting now! When this timer runs out, the contest and voting ENDS!

To whom it may concern: this is in case anyone is offended by what I wrote in the "Why you should vote for Karou instead of Mara" section. Isn't the whole point of that book wondering whether or not Mara is sane? I was not trying to be rude or offensive at all. But the section is "Why should you vote for Karou instead of Mara" and I feel like I can't be honest to either character unless I say what I've said. It's just my opinion, you don't have to agree. But please know that I mean no offense.

I'm today's hunt stop for the 2011 YA Story Scavenger Hunt!

Follow the hunt every day during the month of December! Answer the daily trivia questions from MG and YA books published during 2011 to be entered into the YA book giveaway.

Today's question is from Wither by Lauren DeStefano.


Remember to fill out your answer in the form at Most Important Letter here!