{Top 10 of 2015} Best Books I've Read In 2015

At the end of every year, I like to participate in this five-day Top 10 of _____ event. This year, of course, the event is titled Top 10 of 2015, and it is hosted by Fiktshun, Magical Urban Fantasy Reads, Tales of the Ravenous Reader, and Two Chicks On Books. As I am a huge fan of making lists, I find this event to be a lot of fun! I enjoy reflecting on the books I've read all year, and thinking about which book should make what list, and why or why not. The first topic of the event is The Best Books I've Read In 2015, and while I read a lot of great books this year, I was able to narrow it down to the following ten:

   

 

   

I think my favorite book this year was Fangirl, which just blew my mind with how good it was! I can't believe how much I have in common with Cath - it really improved my reading experience a great deal. It's just nice to find someone to relate to while reading. Plus, I loved the whole world that Rainbow created, and I'm excited to get to read the spin-off novel, Carry On!

Furiously Happy was a close second, which I loved because I enjoyed the author's humor, and could actually relate to her. Like Jenny, I struggle with depression and anxiety, though I don't feel I'm at a level where I could accomplish what she has. It's an inspiration, though, to read about all of her experiences. I highly recommend this one!

So, what were some of the best books that you've read this year? 

Please share in the comments below!

{Top 10 of 2014} Best Book Covers of 2014

It's day 2 of Top 10 of 2014, and today I'll be sharing my picks for the best book covers of 2014! Keep in mind that I haven't read most of these yet, since I spent too much time reading old TBR books this year instead of new releases or debuts, but I'm sure I'll get to them all eventually....

*Click on the cover to check out the synopsis on Goodreads*

The covers above aren't in any particular order, but if I had to pick a fave, I would probably go with the cover for Nobody Is Ever Missing by Catherine Lacey, which features cover art designed by Patrick Leger. I haven't read it yet, but that cover is amazing!

Feel free to comment with your favorite covers of 2014 - I'm sure there are some really good ones I haven't seen yet! And if you'd like to join in on the link-up, you may do so HERE.

{Top 10 of 2014} Best Books I've Read In 2014

Top 10 of 2014 is a week long end-of-the-year blogging event, hosted by Rachel @ Reading YA Rocks, Jaime @ Two Chicks On Books, and Mindy @ Magical Urban Fantasy Reads. This is my third year participating in this event, and what I love most is that not all categories are focused on books published in 2014 - some can include books from any year, as long as they were read in 2014. This is good for me in particular, since it seems that I didn't read that many books this year that were actually published in 2014. Last year, I participated in a debut author challenge, and read a lot of books that were published in 2013, but I didn't have much time to read any old TBR books, so I figured I'd do the opposite this year. It seems I can never win...

Anywho, we're starting off the week with my list of the Best Books I've Read In 2014, no matter their publishing year, so let's take a look at my picks:

// The Golem and the Jinni //

If I had to pick one book for my best read of 2014, I would choose The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - it was the first book I read this year, and it was utterly amazing! I was enthralled by the world building and enchanted with the characters from the very beginning - I've never read anything like it, and I am really looking forward to seeing what Ms. Wecker comes out with next! You can check out my review HERE.

// Ship Breaker //

Definitely a very gripping story - this is the first novel I've read from this author, and I will definitely be checking out the rest of his bibliography (including the Ship Breaker sequel!)

// Isla and the Happily Ever After //

I didn't think it was possible to beat the cuteness that was Lola and the Boy Next Door, but I was oh-so-very-wrong! I love Isla and Josh together, and read this in one sitting!

// The Assassin's Curse //

I think I really have a thing for pirate & assassin stories - I really enjoyed reading this book, as well as its sequel.

// Shadow Kiss //

I enjoyed the whole series, but this particular book actually made me cry! I like it when I get emotionally invested in a novel - I feel that it's a mark of the author's storytelling ability when I get so sucked into their world that I actually grow attached to the characters.



// Silver Shadows //

This entire series is amazing, even more-so than Vampire Academy, in my opinion. I love Adrian, and was glad to see that he wasn't just thrown to the curb. I already pre-ordered the next book, which comes out in February, and even though I just finished the series recently, I may re-read it the week leading up to its release, just for the hell of it!

// Onyx //

Yet another series I couldn't put down once I started it - I don't know why, but for some reason Onyx was my fave of the lot. I just wish they'd do a re-release with better covers - the male model is hot, but the title fonts look ugly, and the chick on the cover does not look cheerful or dorky/nerdy like Katy should be (plus, she kind of looks like she has a bitchy attitude).

// Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe //

I picked this up to read as part of a challenge that required me to read a book by a local author, and Benjamin Alire Sáenz is from Doña Ana County, New Mexico, which is close enough. It helps that he's now a professor at UTEP, and that the book is set in El Paso. It's about growing up Mexican-American on the border, and trying to find a sense of identity.

// Choosing You //

This book was incredibly cute, and made for such a sweet NA romance! I'll warn you, though, the series gets pretty crazy in later books, but by then you'll already be hooked, so it doesn't matter.

// Lola and the Boy Next Door //

 How could I not love a book whose lead guy is named Cricket?! This was my fave of the series until Isla came out, but I still love it dearly. In fact, this may be one of the few series I know in which I truly loved each book better than its predecessor, rather than having favorites that fall in a random order (my favorite HP novel was book 3, my favorite VA novel was book 5, etc.). Huh.

So, have you made a "Best of 2014" list yet? If so, leave a link in the comments so I can check it out - I'm working on my 2015 TBR list right now, and could always use a few more additions!

{Top 10 of 2013} Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2014

And now for the final installment of the Top 10 of 2013: the top ten books that I am looking forward to in 2014. There are a LOT of books coming out next year that I can't wait to read, which made narrowing the list down really hard. Here is what I managed to pick out:

 

  

 

  

A couple other books I can't wait to read include:

Untitled (Penryn & The End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

Rain (Paper Gods #2) by Amanda Sun

What else would you add to this list?

{Top 10 of 2013} Best Villains of 2013

Merry Christmas! Today's topic was bloggers choice, and I decided that it would be more fun to chose the best villains that I've encountered this year through my reading. Luckily, this list can refer to villains from any book I read this year, not just the ones released in 2013. This means I have a better pool of villains to choose from! Here are some of the best villains that I came across this year (in no particular order):

Lex Luthor 

(Superman: Last Son of Krypton by Elliot S! Maggin)

Lex Luthor was all sorts of fun to read about in this book! He's always been one of my favorite DC villains, and Maggin portrayed him fantastically in this novel.

Lucian

(Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee)

How creepy would it be to have a demon stalking you? Plus, you never knew what form he would take, since he was able to possess all kinds of people.

Lola LeFever 

(The Girl Who Would Be King by Kelly Thompson)

Lola LeFever was all sorts of awesome, and totally batshit crazy. I loved reading from her POV - she was a good comic book villain.

The Angels

(World After by Susan Ee)

I know, I know - I picked them last year, but they were still as crazy as ever in the second book, so I had to list them again. Especially that scene at the party where they rip apart the humans to shreds.

Long John Silver

(Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Long John Silver is a very notable villain, and for good reason, too. It's hard not to like him because of the friendship he develops with Jim Hawkins, but he is quite a fearsome pirate, and fun to read about.

The Slashers

(Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster)

(Tarnished Knight by Bec McMaster)

These guys are sick! They take people off the streets and drain their blood to sell to members of the Echelon, and they're ruthless.

The Vampire

(Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster)

Definitely not sparkly or beautiful, the vampires in this novel have pretty much been reduced to basic carnal instincts, and they have brute strength and strong senses to boot. Very scary, since they truly are monsters.

Mrs. Patterson

(Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks)

Mrs. P makes this list because she's a freakin' teacher's aide, and she (just out of nowhere) decides to kidnap an autistic child and keep him locked in a hidden room in her basement. People like that are insanely scary.

The Mutated Zombies

(The End Games by T. Michael Martin)

I don't know what possessed T. Michael Martin to mutate the zombies in his novel like he did, but those things are FAST - and creepy as hell.

Blanche & Her Sister

(Siege by Rhiannon Frater)

They make the list just for being the biggest b*tches I've read about this year. Nobody wants to be around self-entitled holier-than-thou psychos during a zombie apocalypse. Ain't nobody got time for that!

{Top 10 of 2013} Best Book Covers of 2013

There were so many great book covers for 2013 releases that it was really hard narrowing them down. Knowing me, I'll probably seeing a bunch of my favorites that I'd long forgotten about featured on other posts, and then curse myself for not remembering them. At any rate, here are ten of my favorite 2013 book covers, based on what I can remember off the top of my head: