BEST OF 2012 GIVEAWAY

2012 was good to this little reader. 

My reading total for 2012 is 238 books. I might get a few more in before January comes, but that is still a heck of a lot of books I'd say. There was a long list of books that I didn't finish. I would start a  book and if it didn't hold my interest I would move on. That happened rarely last year, but this year I was trying to read all of the new releases and also discover some lesser known books to love. 

Because I was digging for gems I did discover a new beloved genre I call British Chick-Lit, which has a totally different feel than Chick-Lit in the states. I found my new very bestest favoritest author this year Miss Sarra Manning who I freaking love and adore. Manning's books and other Britsh books weren't books that my library had so I had to buy them all used from Amazon, and many came from across the pond. In the end, it was worth it to have them in my permanent library for sure. 

I started this blog in January and didn't even think I would ever get even 100 followers in a years time and I am so happy to have the followers that I do have. Much thanks goes to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for hosting so many awesome blog hops that have brought readers my way. I kind of love hosting a giveaway. 

For this giveaway a winner gets to chose which book they would like from my top 10 favorites of 2012!

10. Johnny Be Good & Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

I am listing these two books as one book because they go hand in hand together like BFFs! I have loved all of Toon's books that I read this year, but these were my personal favorites because I love a bad boy rock star. Toon has a way of sucking you in to a world of great detail and not boring you one bit.

9. The Queen of Kentucky by Alicia Whitaker

I read this all the way back on January 2 and I am still thinking about it fondly. So many books try to capture this feeling of coming of age and this book is super successful at making you feel 14 again. Ricky Jo (or Erica as she would like to be called now) is adorable and strong, while still being young and kinda stupid. I wanted to cheer for her every step of the way. Plus this book has one freaking sweety as the boy next door.

8. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

This was probably the book I was  most excited to read in 2012, and it didn't disappoint. Crowley has the gift of turning ordinary words into something magical without feeling like the words are trying to hard to be poetic. In Graffiti Moon she again created characters that just like in my #2 read of 2011 book A Little Wanting Song,  I could read about them doing nothing for hours. 

7. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella's books are either strong hits or strong misses for me. And I've Got Your Number was a super strong hit for me. I was laughing out loud before I even finished the first chapter. My daughter kept asking me "What is so funny Mommy?" while I was enjoying this book. It is a typical romantic comedy without being typical. It reads like your favorite rom-com flick, and I dare say will soon be one.

6. The Savage Grace by Bree Despain

This book has gotten a lot of play on my blog because the author is one of my bestest pals, but her being my friend does not guarantee a spot on my top ten of the year for her book. This is one amazing end to a great series. Each book in The Dark Divine trilogy gets better and more clever, which is a rare thing with series books in my opinion. The way this book ends is just simply perfect, and it also doesn't hurt that my husband is a character in this last installment.

5. My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson

I was sucked into this tale by page two. This is my favorite kind of novel. I felt totally consumed by the characters and their story while I read this, with characters that I feel like I could easily know in real life. There is talk of sex, but with nothing explicit which I always appreciate. The drama is the perfect amount. It isn't over the top but you find the story just enough out of the ordinary day-to-day life stuff to keep you reading more and more.

4. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

I'm surprised I even read this. I don't like fantasy type books, and I didn't like previous books by this author at all. But I was seriously surprised to find myself in love with this story. It was so beautifully written and I loved reading Tinkerbell's voice. The story is childlike, but dark. The best kind of tale with heartfelt quotes on love and loss.

3. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

Oh Sarra Manning how I love you. When I bought this I had read some of Manning's YA titles and I wanted to see how she writes for adults. This book follows the life of two dysfunctional adults that find functionality in each other. It has some saucy scenes that is for sure, but Manning doesn't write her love scenes in a typical romance style way, but more in a way that just tells it like it is. I can't wait to re-read this.

2. Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning

I normally would avoid putting two books by the same author on a list, but this was my favorite YA by awesome Sarra Manning and therefore worth sharing. This one started out a little frustrating with our sweet main character being tortured by the mean girls at school, but as soon as they are out of the picture this book really takes off. Read this book and walk hand in hand through the streets of Paris with undoubtedly my favorite male love interest of all freaking time!

1. The Probability Of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

This magical book is spent in the realm of reality while tip-toeing into the fantasy. I seem to be immune to sad books, but this one had me laughing throughout and crying for ten minutes after I finished. It is so rare that I read anything that is different than any other book I have ever read, and this was just that. I want to live in the world where this book takes place.

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THE BLOODY JACK BOOKS: L.A. MEYER

I'm on book four of this awesome little series. This first book came out 10 years ago and I really enjoyed it. I'd heard about this book for a long time, but kept putting off reading it since it isn't anything like I normally enjoy. But Jacky is one of the greatest characters I have ever had the joy of reading. She is so brassy and smart while also being silly and impulsively stupid. I keep thiking I am going to get sick of reading about her, but even reading book four I find myself still in love with her. 

I recommend you give the first book a try and see if you fall in love with her too.

BOOK BLURB (BOOK ONE):

Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.
There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life--if only she doesn't get caught. . . .

The books are so clean in words that a child could enjoy them, however the subjects that Jacky talks about and encounters are harsh. Attempted rape, drinking, prostitutes, blood and death.  

Read more about this first of the series HERE.

THE EDGE OF NEVER: J.A. REDMERSKI

I've come to expect nothing great from all of these popular Kindle self published eBooks. But I gotta tell ya folks, this one is a winner in my book. First of all, I found it terribly hard to put down. It is actually quite long and detailed, but it is so well written that it feels all consuming instead of tedious. The main characters are alive and full while being terribly good at bantering with each other. They also have some pretty sexy moments together.

BOOK BLURB:

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

This reads a little bit like a YA book, because the characters actually act their age. They aren't adults in a high school. (Like in my much loved Vampire Diaries, a world where you look 40, but still play a HS junior...I'm talking to you Stefan/Paul Wesley!) Also, since it has all the elements of a traditional romance novel (some very sexy times), I was glad the characters were older.  But it isn't all about the sex in this one like it is in so many of the New Adult books out there ready for your Kindle. It is about sadness, joy, connection, friendship, and of course true love. Awe.

This book is overwhelmingly loved. Read more about it HERE.

V IS FOR VIRGIN: KELLY ORAM

Kelly Oram is a gem of a writer and her books are all very fun and enjoyable reads. This book has a strong sassy heroine and a good message without being preachy. Plus a hot rock star, and I love me some hot rock stars!

BOOK BLURB:

When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.

After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.

As if becoming nationally recognized as “Virgin Val” isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.

How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?

Go to Amazon and buy this book HERE.

Read more about it HERE.

DREAMING OF SUMMER GIVEAWAY HOP: THE BLUE BISTRO

I'd say most of the books I read could be described as light "beach reads", so it was kind of tricky to pick a book to feature for this giveaway. The Blue Bistro is so summer! I am re-reading it now and I am currently sucked into a wonderful Nantucket setting surrounded by food I wish was real.

BOOK BLURB:

Adrienne Dealey has spent the past six years working for hotels in exotic resort towns. This summer she has decided to make Nantucket home. Left flat broke by her ex-boyfriend, she is desperate to earn some fast money. When the desirable Thatcher Smith, owner of Nantucket's hottest restaurant, is the only one to offer her a job, she wonders if she can get by with no restaurant experience. Thatcher gives Adrienne a crash course in the business...and they share an instant attraction.
But there is a mystery about their situation: What is it about Fiona, the Blue Bistro's chef, who captures Thatcher's attention again and again? And why does such a successful restaurant seem to be in its final season before closing its doors for good? Despite her uncertainty, Adrienne must decide whether she'll move on, as she always does--or finally open her heart.

I'm gonna give away one copy to one lucky winner! Enter for your chance to be that winner...

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A LITTLE WANTING SONG: CATH CROWLEY

I could drown in this book. It is masterfully poetic without seeming like it is trying to hard. It celebrates the ties of  romance, friendship,  and family. If I made movies I would make a movie of this book. The characters are so alive and full. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I recommend, I recommend, I recommend!

BOOK BLURB:

A summer of friendship, romance, and songs in major chords. . .

CHARLIE DUSKIN loves music, and she knows she's good at it. But she only sings when she's alone, on the moonlit porch or in the back room at Old Gus's Secondhand Record and CD Store. Charlie's mom and grandmother have both died, and this summer she's visiting her grandpa in the country, surrounded by ghosts and grieving family, and serving burgers to the local kids at the milk bar. She's got her iPod, her guitar, and all her recording equipment, but she wants more: A friend. A dad who notices her. The chance to show Dave Robbie that she's not entirely unspectacular.

ROSE BUTLER lives next door to Charlie's grandfather and spends her days watching cars pass on the freeway and hanging out with her troublemaker boyfriend. She loves Luke but can't wait to leave their small country town. And she's figured out a way: she's won a scholarship to a science school in the city, and now she has to convince her parents to let her go. This is where Charlie comes in. Charlie, who lives in the city, and whom Rose has ignored for years. Charlie, who just might be Rose's ticket out.

Told in alternating voices and filled with music, friendship, and romance, Charlie and Rose's "little wanting song" is about the kind of longing that begins as a heavy ache but ultimately makes us feel hopeful and wonderfully alive.  

Read more about this HERE.

THE LOST GIRL: SANGU MANDANNA

This is not the type of book I usually seek out, but I kept reading good reviews so I decided to give it a shot. Even so it sat on my shelf for a long time with the "science fiction" library sticker taunting me to hate it. However, this book kept me sucked in until the very last page.  It is a concept that has been explored many times in literature, but this felt fresh. Overall what kept me reading was the voice of the very human man made girl that I wanted to cheer for from the first page.

BOOK BLURB:

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.

What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.

From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be—until she found the strength to decide for herself.

Read more about this book HERE.