What Were Your Favourites of 2011?

Hey book lovelies! You've no doubt seen TONS of posts about 2011 and the books that are memorable. Like you I've enjoyed reading all of those greatly! I wanted to join in sooo.... here are my top 5 reads of 2011 (I know I did the impossible and chose FIVE!) I hope you enjoy!

My Top 5 Reads of 2011

Coming in at #5....

The Maze Runner Trilogy (The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure)
By James Dashner

I really went on a journey with these characters and can't help feel emotionally attached. If you haven't delved in yet - you should! All three are out now!

   

Coming in at #4....

If I Stay
By Gayle Forman

Wow. This book was so emotional and raw and I loved every bit! I cannot wait to get my hands on the already released Where She Went, especially since its told through Adam's POV!

Coming in at #3...

Waterfall
By Lisa T. Bergren

I have yet to finish this series but whoa what a great first book! I love time-travel and to Italy? Totally a book to look into :) I read it twice.

Coming in at #2...

Shatter Me
By Tahereh Mafi

Oh. My. Goodness. This woman knows how to write! Beautiful and heart pounding! Oh yeah and the bonus of my beautiful Adam (a second Adam I adore too. Coincidence? Maybe not... gotta find me an Adam). Plus, I love this cover so much!

Finally coming in at #1....

Divergent
By Veronica Roth

This surpassed my expectations and I'm highly anticipating the second. If you havent read this yet, what are you waiting for!?













So there you have it. My top five picks. This WAS SO HARD to narrow down because I read so many amazing books. It was nearly impossible!

Runners up are...

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I have yet to read it - its sitting on my shelf, otherwise  I'm sure it would be in this list :D)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (This was such a... unique ... read!)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (What a plot driven book! I couldn't put it down.. and those twists? No way!)

What an amazing year! I can't believe its over but I had an incredible time blogging (a year now!) and I reached 100 followers - crazy! It's all thanks to you out there, so thank you! And thanks to the authors for all the great books!!

What were YOUR favourites of 2011?? Be sure to tell me!! I want to know! Thank you so much for reading!!

Review of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
By Tahereh Mafi
Published by Harper Collins
Personal Copy
338 pages

"Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior."-Goodreads

Blew. My. Mind. Tahereh is a literary genius mastermind! Her words will grasp you in its clutches and won't let go until the end. You will not want to stop reading!

Although Juliette is a little broken in the beginning of the book, it's like a transformation by the end. She builds confidence that has been taken from her and she begins to see how she isn't a monster. I really liked Juliette. We can see in the beginning that she's a little... not unstable but very distraught... because of her total isolation. I don't blame the girl for being the way she is! 264 days of isolation? And a life where nobody cared? Most people would be totally crazy but not Juliette. She's a strong MC that will capture your heart with her personality. I loved her voice in Shatter Me, it was very unique in my mind. Now for my new literary crush. Yes, you heard it hear first! I have a new crush. Adam. *sigh* Adam. He seriously is amazing spectacular. I treasured every scene they had together (and yes, some are pretty... heart pounding). I love Juliette and Adam together! They are the best couple ever! I especially enjoyed how their *fondness* for each other stemmed from the past. It made it realistic. I also have to say I loved Kenji and his sarcastic, over-confident, snarky, hot self - he added so much entertainment and laughter! James is a really cute character, I hope to see him more too. Oh and of course Warner the bad guy is lets say very well written.

The writing! WOW! What a writing style, when people say 'a strong sense of writing' - I will automatically think of Tahereh Mafi! Her words are like poetry, especially in the beginning. Although the cross-outs some people might find annoying, I enjoyed because by the end of the book there were barely any (that is because Juliette is thinking differently). I loved that aspect, I thought the cross outs and repeating words really made it unique. Simply fantastic writing; thrilling, intense, poetic and passionate!

I highly recommend this to lovers of romance, dystopian, mystery, adventure,  and X-men (I hear its similar!) I simply cannot get over that this was a debut! This has definitely made it to my favourites of 2011 all time!

Excerpt:

I've been locked up for 264 days.
I have nothing but a small notebook and a broken pen and the numbers in my head to keep me company. 1 window. 4 walls. 144 square feet of space. 26 letters in an alphabet I haven't spoken in 264 days of isolation.
6,336 hours since I've touched another human being.
"You're getting a cellmate roommate," they said to me.
"We hope you rot to death in this place For good behavior," they said to me.
"Another psycho just like you No more isolation," they said to me.
**********************************
My eyes open to 2 eyes 2 lips 2 ears 2 eyebrows.
I stifle my scream my urgency to run the crippling horror gripping my limbs.
"You're a b-b-b-b--"
"And you're a girl." He cocks an eyebrow. He leans away from my face. He grins but he's not smiling and I want to cry, my eyes desperate, terrified, darting toward the door I'd tried to open so many times I'd lost count. They locked me up with a boy. A boy.
Dear God.
They're trying to kill me.
(More @ this link :D )

Trailer: (Isn't it awesome!?)

In My Mailbox (15)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where we get to post about the books we receive each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests, and libraries!

What I Got This Week:

I rarely buy books but I just COULD NOT walk by without getting them :) Aren't they gorgeous (SO excited to read Shatter Me)!! Ahh! I've heard such great things about Shatter Me and I have been dying to find out what Cassie has been up to (although I've heard the plot is sloooww... which makes me scared now since I spent my hard earned cash on it! lol )! We'll see.

For Review:



Crossed by Ally Condie

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

What did you get in your mailbox this week??

Thanks for reading!