The Best of 2011... According to me

I can't believe it's already the end of the year. As an end to the year, I thought I'd put up a list of my favourites of 2011.

Favourite Reads of 2011:

5. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

 Why: A different take on Angels. Plus, there's the guy, Tucker.

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Why: This has been the year of the dystopian novel. Divergent included a unique world full of danger, secrets and control. What more could you want?

3. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

 Why: This was the first sci-fi I read and I loved the mystery and danger taking place in space.

2. The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roeker

Why: I heard a lot about Liar Society before it came out and I wasn't let down. Secret societies, lies and death. The ingredients for a perfect mystery.

1. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Why: Dystopian meets fantasy. This is like Xmen in a crumbling future, and I love Xmen.

Top releases of 2012 I can't wait to read:

5. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Why: I loved Unearthly and can't wait to read the sequel.

4. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Why: Reincarnation, a countdown to something and a murder... sounds enticing, doesn't it?

3. Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Why: An underworld and tempting fate. Just sounds tempting.

2. Tempest by Julie Cross

Why: Who doesn't love time travel?

1. The Selection by Kiera Cass

 

Why: The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor... that pitch is just awesome

What are your favourite reads of 2011? What are you looking forward to?

Christmas Giving Giveaway

Since it's only a couple of days before Christmas I felt in the giving spirit and wanted to have a giveaway. This giveaway is a bit different. It will allow you to nominate someone else to receive a present. You will be able to choose whether the nominated person will receive a $20 gift certificate from Amazon or 2 books (which you can select).

But don't worry. Since this is all about the spirit of giving, you will also receive a choice of 1 book from Book Depository.


The contest will run until December 31st and the winner will be randomly selected on January 1st. I will email both nominated and the person who nominated to get shipping details. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

I'm Back

It is indeed a busy time of year with arriving back home, preparing for Christmas, preparing to move and preparing for a new job all at the same time.

I had a blast over in Japan. I did things I will probably never do again (yep, my brother even dragged me to a maid cafe... that was so... cutesy). It was also my first experience with Disney and Universal Studios and, even though it was in Japanese, I still thoroughly enjoyed all attractions and rides.

The best part of the holiday was that I got to spend my birthday at Disney. When we checked into the hotel I even got a birthday card from Mickey Mouse... I felt really special, and such a big kid.

Now I'm back and pretty much as soon as I was off the plane, the next day I was in the car for a fifteen hour car ride to look at the school where I'm going to be teaching next year... yeah, I've got a lot of homework because they managed to give me all the starting units that I can prepare for over the holidays.

Now, it's only a week away from Christmas and I'm busy preparing for a family Christmas, not to mention trying to arrange everything so I can move and start teaching late January. But, I always like to keep busy.

So, how has everyone else been?