Get ready for a long end of the year post about books, kids.
2012 has been a really long year that seems to have flown by faster than I realized. I mean, today is the last day of the year. Tomorrow, I'll be able to say "I graduate THIS year. My life is going to really begin THIS year." Still, I wish that 2012 would have lasted just a bit longer. Not because I don't want to start my life, but because I sadly did not finish my reading challenge...
I had a great plan; 130 new books, 145 books total, 50,000 pages, and 20 new authors. I should have passed with flying colors. In March I was 10-15% ahead in each of the challenges. And I thought, Gee whiz I am going to totally meet my challenge. And then in April I got a job... I wasn't planning on work when I did up my numbers. And then over the summer I was either working or sleeping so I didn't have a lot of time to read. And then the school year started and my classes were just whooping me. I lowered my challenge to 120 new books, and I met that. But these percentages will be from the original challenge:
New Books: 123/130; 95%
Total Books: 134/145; 92%
Page Numbers: 45048/50000; 90%
New Authors: 74/20; 370%
So not too shabby, I guess. (And click HERE for the book title and authors) Now, you are probably asking "What were your favorites?" If you ask me what my favorite books is, I will rattle off a ton to you; I can't choose! So here is what I'll do, I will do my top 5 favorite novels, and top 5 favorite series of this year.
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green: If you kiddos don't know, I have a philosophy: If John Green writes a book, I will love it. I have lived with this philosophy for a few years now, and it hasn't let me down yet. But this book completely raised my standards for John Green. This is honestly one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read a lot. I love it with all my heart, I really do.
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel: Okay I know this is probably contradicting what I just said up there, but this was my favorite book this year. I read this book in AP English, and I just fell in love with it. So I reread it right after. SUCH a beautiful book, I would suggest reading it to every single person. And yet, at the same time, I want no one to read it, and it to just be my book. Hmm. But still, GO READ IT! (:
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern: Again, a beautiful book. From page one I was compelled to keep going. It flowed so nicely, and everything about it just said "keep going, but take your time on me." And then when I finally got to the end, I loved it even more.
The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater: I am in love with the WoMF series, so when I heard about this book I jumped at it. And I was not at all disappointed. It was written so bluntly, yet everything had an underlying meaning to it. I really loved it.
Audrey, Wait!, by Robin Benway: I honestly have no idea what I was thinking when I picked up this book, but I am so glad I did. It is SO funny, and I loved the storyline. This book was probably one of my guilty pleasures this year, but I loved it. It was a feel good book that didn't make you think too much, which I usually hate but in this case I adored.
The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting: Not gonna lie, I just read this book yesterday... but I absolutely loved it. I just had to keep reading. It is about a girl who can sense dead animals/people, and the animals/people that did the killing. Each echo is unique, but there is always an imprint out there to match it. There is romance, but it is the kind that makes you smile, not gag. I loved this book, and I cannot WAIT to read the rest of the series. And BTW, I haven't even read the whole series yet, and it still made its way to #1. That says something. (;
Unwind, by Neal Shusterman: In the future, abortion is illegal. But you can have you son or daughter unwound, meaning they recycle all of your parts. This is a book about a society that is perfect until one day it isn't. I really loved this book, and I think everyone should read it.
Lorien Legacies, by Pittacus Lore: Gah I loved these. They are great reads, and pretty funny. I still have to read the last one, but I know it is going to end amazingly.
(Cinder)Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer: As you can see, this was the year of SciFi for me. I regret nothing. But this book just takes the cake. It is about a futuristic society of cyborgs and about a kingdom and secrets and I loved it. However, I made the mistake of reading it RIGHT after it came out, so I'm having to wait forever to get the next one. Which comes out in February. And I am preordering like right now so I don't forget.
Vampire Diaries, by L.J. Smith: Okay so I know these books are horrible, but I really loved them. I am obsessed with the show and thought I would give the books a whirl. There is four series to it, and I have started the third and will finish it sometime. I rated them all really low, but I just love them for some reason. I mean, the quality is not at all there, but it is just, I don't know. I really loved them.
So that was my year. It was full of my favorite things. Even though I didn't quite complete my challenge, I still read some amazing books. I could have made a much longer favorites list, but I didn't want to bore anybody too much... But if you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know. I promise I don't bite. (:
