Monday, December 31, 2012

HBRC Day 16-Top 12 of 2012

Today we would like you to share your Top 12 books of 2012. I have such a hard time choosing. So to help me I go through all the reviews I wrote and see which books I gave 5 hearts to. From there I narrow it down bit by bit as I remember what I liked about each one. I found a few new authors I liked this year and then some "old" friends that never let me down when I read one of their books. These are all books that I read in 2012, not necessarily published in 2012.

Julie's Top 12:

12. Black Dawn and Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine:

Rachel Caine never ceases to amaze me with her Morganville Vampire series. Each new book that comes out is just as exciting as the beginning of the series so I couldn't just pick one. 


11. The Sanctuary by Ted Dekker
 This was a companion novel to The Priest's Graveyard which I haven't read(but definitely want to).


10. Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren


I chose two of Lisa Bergren's books but gave them separate ratings because they were from different series unlike choosing 2 books from Rachel Caine and 2 books from Julie Lessman. Glamorous Illusions is the first in the Grand Tour series and I am looking forward to the next one!

9. Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick





 Jordan Sonnenblick never disappoints me! I have enjoyed every book he has written. His stories make me laugh and make me cry and I am definitely a fan!


8. Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry




One more book after Flesh & Bone in the Benny Imura series. This one left me hanging and I cannot wait until the last one comes out! I must find out how everyone ends up. I never thought I would be a fan of zombie fiction, but this series has definitely kept me wanting more!


7. Kiss of Death by Debbie Viguie




A Christian writer that writes about vampires? Yep! Kiss of Death is the 2nd book in the Kiss Trilogy. And yes, I am a fan!

6. A Dangerous Stage by Camy Tang




This is the 2nd book in the Protection for Hire series. I love the kick-butt heroine in this series and I'm looking forward to the next installment. Camy Tang's character Tessa has a sense of humor and skills that keep the reader turning til the last page.

5. Bourne by Lisa T. Bergren

I love The River of Time series! I hope that Lisa will write more!





4. Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick

 A bit bitter-sweet since this is the last book in the series. I was hoping that the author would continue on through the characters high school years but that is not the case and it makes me sad. A definite favorite series of mine.



3. Invisible by Ginny Ytrtrup(available April 1, 2013)

 There is definitely something in Ginny Yttrup's writing that captures and holds my attention. This is the 2nd book I have read by this author and I was not disappointed in either read. Her book WORDS made my top 10 picks in 2010 so I was very pleased to be able to include Invisible on this year's top 12.


2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer(Available February 5, 2013)




This series is definitely now in my favorites! I loved the first book Cinder, but I found that I liked Scarlet even better! This one hasn't even come out in stores yet. Thanks for my friend Karin who loaned me her ARC copy. I have a hardback on order because I love the covers of these books. Can't wait for the next one to come out!

1. A Love Surrendered and A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman




I read this series totally backwards. I had no idea that I wasn't starting at the beginning. I read The Winds of Change first and fell in love with the O'Connor family. Out of those 3 books A Love Surrendered was definitely my favorite. Then I read The Daughter's of Boston(the first 3 books in the O'Connor saga) and finally I read the prequel to the whole series A Light in the Window which tells the parents Marcy and Patrick's love story. Julie Lessman proclaims herself as a CDQ(caffeinated drama queen) and that definitely shows up in all of her books. While I am adverse to drama in my own life the characters throughout the series grew on me and I found myself reading each book with anticipation.  Julie was nice enough to allow me to read A Light in the Window before it was published and she even put up with me constantly contacting her on facebook to complain about this or that characters behavior! She is definitely a gracious and sweet person and I am looking forward to a new series she is starting.

Woo hoo! So there you have it! My top 12 picks of 2012. Feel free to leave a link in the comments with your post for your top 12. Looking forward to seeing what you all have read!

12 comments:

  1. JULIE & KARIN!!! What a GREAT idea for a blog -- I LOVE "Edgy" things that "edify,' so you had me at the header!!

    Julie, you sweetheart, you -- THANK YOU SOOOO much for including me on your list, and both of my books, no less -- WOW!!! And you can contact me on FB ANYTIME to complain about whatever you want, darlin' -- you are on my high list, girl, make no mistake. :)

    Hugs and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
    Julie

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    1. Awwww thanks Julie! And definitely THANKS for stopping by and checking our blog out :)

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  2. Having reviewed my books on Goodreads really helped narrow my list. Here are my top 12 or 12!
    http://kristinehallways.blogspot.com/2012/12/holiday-break-reading-challenge-2012.html

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    1. Great list Kristine! I have read 5 of the books on your list. I was discussing with my daughter the other day about Thirteen Reasons Why. It was one of those books that haunted us long after we finished. And was actually one of those books that while we read it we couldn't figure out why we kept turning the pages! But yes, it definitely is one of our top favorite books. Great for you keeping up on Goodreads!! That is how I started keeping track of all of the books I read each year thanks to Karin encouraging me to do so. Thanks for adding your list!!

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  3. Oh, how did I miss the Sonneblick book? Wish You Were Eyre is on my TBR, but I'm so far behind in that series, it's going to take me a while to catch up.

    I stink at making these lists because I can never limit myself to the assigned number. I usually get around that by picking 12 per genre as I did in this post: http://bookladysbooknotes.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/hbrc-day-16-top-12-of-2012/

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    1. I got the Sonnenblick book as an ARC, not sure when it was actually out in stores but yeah, he is a favorite for sure. The Mother Daughter Book Club books are so worth reading I tell ya. They were always among my favorites for the year.

      Thanks for participating!!

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  4. This is always so hard for me!

    http://www.onceuponashelf.blogspot.com/2012/12/holiday-break-reading-challenge-day-16.html

    What a great year of reading!

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    1. It is hard isn't it Tracy? I too took all of the 5 star ratings and then had to go from there. Thanks for participating!

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    2. This was very difficult for me, and as soon as I posted them, I started second guessing my choices! I'm going to stick with my first choice though!
      http://mstanley77.blogspot.com/2012/12/holiday-break-reading-challenge-top-12.html

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    3. Thanks for participating Melissa! It is a difficult decision to make when there are so many great books out there! I loved Unwind and UnWholly...great choices!

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  5. I haven't had any luck with Julie. I should try again. I neeeed to try Kiss of Death.

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    1. Juju, do you mean Julie Lessman? I love love love her books so YES, you should try again :) And I really loved Kiss of Death and am looking forward to the last book in series Kiss of Revenge(I think).

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