2012 in Review--Favorites!

 I was going to do a big post on all my books and all my movies but then realized that it would be way too long and way too boring! You are welcome. I'll do top ten lists instead. It'll still be long and boring but be grateful it wasn't longer. I'll even throw in a cute pic of my adorable son if you scroll all the way to the end ;)

Top 10 Books of 2012 (in no particular order)

1. Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke. Loved it. Pirates and magic and a strong female lead :)
2.  Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Beautiful poetry and strong and heart-wrenching story. Perfect combo.
3. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. Probably the best novel I've read (audiobook so listened to) all year. Gorgeous.
4. Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey Into Manhood and Back Again by Norah Vincent. Fascinating journey to read. Gave me new insights and she's a great writer.
5. Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson. Funniest book I read/listened to this year! Awesome.
6. Rot and Ruin by Jonathon Maberry. One of the best and most heart-warming zombie stories ever. Love stories that make me sit back and think and ponder about what I just read. Love it!
7.  Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson by Jennifer Hecht. One of the best history books I've ever read. Fascinating look at doubt and dissent throughout history.
8. The Many Lives and Secrets Sorrows of Josephine Bonaparte by Sandra Gulland. Great historical fiction about France's crazy revolution and its notorious emperor told through the eyes of his wife. Really great stuff.
9. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. Great discussion of how science is carried out and why and how to spot the bad science. Brilliant.
10. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I love everything John Green writes and this one is no exception. Heart-warming and funny.

Top 10 Movies of 2012 (in no particular order)

1. Blood Diamond (2006): Got rid of all my diamonds and cried myself to sleep...
2. Vagina Monologues: Eve Ensler (2002): Funny, poignant, and oh-so needed.
3. The Descendents (2011): Wow. So moving. I loved it.
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011): Book and movie were fabulous. Such a great human story.
5. Beginners (2011): Beautiful story about finding love and living life to its fullest.
6. Les Miserables (2012): I sang, I bawled. Gorgeous...meh to Russell Crowe, though.
7. The Sessions (2012): Beautiful story on how a disabled man finds love and peace.
8. The Avengers (2012): Greatest superhero movie thus far!
9. Cabin in the Woods (2011): Joss Whedon and horror and pop culture makes this a winner!
10. Saved! (2004): Great comedy on religious intolerance and the importance of doubt and tolerance.

Gabe's fun Christmas....see I told you'd get some cute pics :)

After Christmas ice cream.

We're nerds. Lots of Carl Sagan love in our home :)

Meowy Christmas from Wolfy to you.

May all your goals, wishes, and dreams come true in 2013!

Best and Worst of 2011

Happy New Year, everyone! Yeah to the wonderful books of 2011 and on to the wonderful books of 2012! Everyone's gotta do the list, so here are mine.

Here are my top five best reads of the year 2011:

1. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. It was one of the first reads of the year and it was enchanting.

2. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. A wonderful coming-of-age story.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Perkins just had a way of making France and her characters come alive. Anna was fun and real, and the story was just adorable.

4. Hounded by Kevin Hearne. This was such an amazing surprise! An urban fantasy adventure that made me laugh, cry...maybe not cry, but lots of adventure, action, and humor that you won't want to miss. Go read it. NOW!

5. Looking For Alaska by John Green. This is a modern classic. Heart-breaking, but it asks a lot of questions and doesn't have easy answers.

Top Two worst books...(pretty good year if I only had two!)

1. Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Too much preaching along a semi-decent sci-fi back drop...annoyed.

2. Jane: A Modern-retelling of Jane Eyre by April Lindner. Started off great and then got bogged down by literally transferring every detail of classic story to modern-day. DID NOT work.

Hope everyone enjoys a wonderful year of reading!

2010 Wrap Up and Resolutions

Due to my partial hiatus, I did not finish any of my challenges...well, I'm sure I completed the YA challenge I joined but I didn't have time to follow it, update it, etc. I stopped my TV meme...I really want to start that up again, but no can do til I'm done with school....

I read a total of 78 books this year and reviewed all but about twenty or so...

I also participated in the Pemberley Ball and Helluva Halloween challenge. I failed all of my challenges...sigh. I had a great first year of blogging in 2009 but 2010 brought new challenges with parenting and school and thus my partial hiatus.

At least for the first part of the year, I plan to maintain the hiatus...I do want to pick up one meme and review more of the books I read. I am planning on participating in Pirate theme in May! Yeah, and I'm hoping to start the Everything Austen Challenge this year since I missed it in 2010. I also need to finish school! And my plan is to read more of the books already on my shelf and to buy less books!!!! (we'll see if that one happens...).

Overall, this year was a challenge. I missed participating in the blogging world and the challenges. I hope to return to that soon! Just want to say thanks to everyone who takes a gander once in a while at my blog and for all those who have such amazing blogs! I get so many great posting ideas and book ideas from you. Have a wonderful year!

Best Reads of 2010

Fiction:

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver- This is a book everyone should read...I feel like it's a classic or will be.

2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith- A modern classic for good reason. A beautiful coming of age story.

3. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross- Fantastic writing about the alleged female pope back in the 900s or so. I just loved it.

4. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver- Also a soon-to-be modern classic. Makes you think about religion, U.S., and what we're really contributing to the world to make it a better place for all. Beautiful.

5. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta- A beautiful story of how one girl is trying to fit in at an all-boys school, deal with her mother's mental illness and somehow maintain her own sanity. Marchetta is an amazing writer.

6. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley- How does someone break away from the emotional and verbal abuse of a father and find her own beauty? Heart-warming, sad, thoughtful all describe this amazing novel.

7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman- Such a beautiful and different novel. A fast read and one that really made go wow.

8. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon- A book about books! Mystery, intrigue, romance, death, it's all in here set in Spain. I was in Spain for a bit and it took me back there. Loved it.

9. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest- Steampunk and zombies. I couldn't have asked for more. Action and characters that I actually cared for. Great.

10. The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James- James really made Charlotte and her family come alive. I learned so many things I didn't know before.

Honorable mention goes to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows- An epistolary novel and it was done tremendously. I really fell in love with the Guernsey Isles and want to visit some day.

Non-fiction

1. Death From the Skies by Phil Plait- Great book on how the Earth and the Universe will end some day when we're all really dead and recycled.

2. Bad Astronomy by Phil Plait- He clears up misconceptions about science and other space hoaxes. Really fascinating.

3. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali- Beautiful story of her journey out of Islam and her fight for women's rights and the fight to also save herself.

4. The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan- Concise and readable talking about how important science and critical thinking are in our world today.

5. The Varieties of Scientific Experience by Carl Sagan- A collection of several of his lectures. Really informative. The man was a genius.

6. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd- Her journey out of her religion and into her own spirituality. Really amazing.

7. Game Change by John Heilemann- I loved all the tidbits Heilemann gathered about what went on behind the scenes with the major presidential candidates. Pretty scary, too....

Honorable mention goes to The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean- All about the stories behind all the elements on the periodic table. Great read.

Worst Reads of 2010

It's that time of year again...it's time to wrap up the year in reading and blogging. I didn't do a lot of blogging due to school and life and this year will probably be the same...but I am hoping by next year to get back into blogging...how I did it the first year. I love meeting new people through their blogs and I get so many exciting read ideas and lots of giveaways and information and balls and reading challenges....it's wonderful, but no time yet...sigh. I'll get to my year wrap up soon but before that I want to list the books that I really didn't like that much, that just didn't do it for me. Tomorrow I'll add my best reads of 2010 (keep in mind not all of the books were published in 2010 just what I read in 2010). Here they are in no particular order....

1. Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen: I didn't get around to reviewing this one on my blog...so no link. Predictable mystery with nothing truly exciting or thought-provoking.

2. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: Not that it really was the worst read...but I was soooo disappointed in this book as the final one in the Hunger Games trilogy, so thus it goes on the worst list for me this year.

3. Betrayals by Lili St. Crow: Another one I never got around to reviewing on my blog...the first book was interesting so I thought I'd give this second in the series a try...disappointed again and probably will not be going back for more.

4. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann: I really wanted to like this one since I love me a good steampunk novel in Victorian England...sigh, really lackluster, no real character development, and cliche.

5. Hot Springs by Geoffrey Becker: I won this book and it looked interesting. The writing was good, but I just didn't resonate with the characters or the story.

6. Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale by Donna Jo Napoli: I read this for book club. A great folklore that wasn't done with the panache I was hoping for. The topic was pretty heavy and I just don't think the author handled it well as a young adult novel. Just meh.

7. Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford: I really had high hopes for this one. I thought it was going to be a really fun Austen-in-modern-times parody. It was just meh. Jane was a bit too fickle for me in this one. The vampire story just fell flat.

8. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater: Just didn't resonate with me. All the characters were pretty annoying and why do they have to get rid of the parents????

9. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson: Why oh why did she have to ruin the ending with an epilogue? Great story otherwise but the ending ruined it all for me.

10. According to Jane by Marilyn Brant: Another book I had high hope for. Great cover, austen-inspired, romance. It had all the ingredients! I am not fond of books where the heroine pines away for a total jerk for years and years and then he finally realizes he loves her but he's still a jerk, no real redeeming quality! Dumb, dumb, dumb. Worst read of the year.

A Look Back at 2009!

Just want to look back at what I've accomplished this last year on the blogging front...a trip down memory lane sort to speak.

I started this blog, I think, in April and have been floored by all the wonderful people, books, experiences, etc during these last nine months. A big thanks to all who have read my little blog and have let me into your lives just a little!

Let's see....

Books read: 69

Challenges I joined: The Everything Austen Challenge was my first and how I met so many wonderful bloggers who are now my blomies! RIP challenge, Helluva Halloween Challenge, 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge, Women Unbound Challenge, and the Fear Itself Challenge. And the only one I didn't complete was the Fear Itself Challenge, which required me to read genres/authors I've never tried...

Books Won: 17

Awards Received: 20, but a few are repeats!

Followers: 77!

Giveaways: 2. I hosted one for my pirate week back in September and one for my first fifty followers!

I also participated in a book blog tour for Only Milo thanks to Nicole! And I participated in Velvet's virtual Pemberley Ball which was just delightful!

Blogging has renewed my interest in books and knowledge! Thanks to everyone for making my year one to remember!