Top Reads of the Year

[melissa_writing]

A lot of folks are doing their year round up, so I figured I would share, so here are my top picks of the year (NOT IN ORDER!) are--

YA
House of Dead Maids--Clare Dunkle*** Top YA Pick
Divergent--Veronica Roth*** Top YA Pick
White Cat--Holly Black
Heist Society--Ally Carter
Raised By Wolves--Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Across the Universe--Beth Revis
Matched--

Comments

[kbaccellia]

MATCHED and RAISED BY WOLVES both made my own top YA Picks of 2010. Beth is in my on-line critique group. Can't wait for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE! I was lucky to be able to read a few chapters before she got picked up. What I read, rocked!

[melissa_writing]

AtU was wonderful. I read it in one sitting. :)

[robinellen]

HEIST SOCIETY, RAISED BY WOLVES, and MATCHED will all be in my top fifteen :)

BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY), SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT, PALACE BEAUTIFUL, and MAGIC THIEF: FOUND were my favorite middle grade reads this year.

I only read a handful of adult books this year, and Linda Howard pretty much covers my favorites of those.

[melissa_writing]

Those are all new-to-me titles, too. I shall google them...

[olmue]

Well, I just finished Pegasus last night and really enjoyed it!

For MG I fell in love with Ingrid Law's Scumble and also Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz series. Both deal with a kid who has a special talent for breaking things, but the plot and tone of them are wildly different. Also really liked Sarah Williams's Palace Beautiful, Kimberly Griffiths Little's The Healing Spell, and both new Riordan books out this year.

For YA I loved Elizabeth Bunce's Starcrossed, Alexandra Bracken's Brightly Woven, Jenny Moss's Shadow, Angie Frazier's Everlasting, and Maggie Stiefvater's Linger.

For adult (which I rarely read), I liked Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen, and also Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier.

Um, and I loved a lot more, too, but I'm trying not to glog up your comment space. :)

[melissa_writing]

Wow. The only one there I read was SHADOW (which I read in manuscript & very much enjoyed--her style is so clean. I am awe of that sort of writing.) I'll have to look up some of the others you cite...

[olmue]

Well, some of yours are on my TBR list--I just haven't gotten to them yet.

If your son (who if I remember right is my son's age) likes Riordan, he might like the Alcatraz books, esp. if he reads a lot (literary jokes). Ditto MT Anderson's series that includes Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware.

[booknerd10]

Too many! I adored Radiant Shadows as I associate it with good times (I had just finished my GCSE's). Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, which had me sobbing on my holiday balcony, and Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. I really enjoyed Personal Demons too. Oh, and how could I forget Tess of the D'Urbervilles?! An amazing novel I wish I had read years ago. This year has been pretty amazing for books but, somehow, next year looks even better! I have started saving all ready :)

[melissa_writing]

TESS!!!!! I love that book so so much. Have you read his RETURN OF THE NATIVE? *sigh* Brilliant, brilliant writing.

[booknerd10]

Not yet. We are studying his poetry in class and the 1912-1913 collection is completely amazing. Each poem is so clever yet subtle and you can completely feel the emotion behing each word. My favourite is The Voice because its just so gothic and clever. I could go on forever about that one poem! I am desperate for Jude the Obscure once I have finished Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I just love his writing so much.

[ext_361918]

Well Wicked Lovley was one of my favorite YA reads This year! I just discovered that I do like books about faries if they are written right! Other YA books I enjoyed were Matched, Clockwork Angel, White Cat, The Reckoning!

I read Harry Potter series with my 10 year old son for the first time this year. So of course that was the best MG books I read!

Room by Emma Donoghue , Waking the Witch, and the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy were among my favorite adult books.