Top Ten Favorite Books I Read in 2011

This was a majorly amazing year of reading for me! My goal may seem small to many of you, but I read more books this year than I have in years past (if you don't count textbooks!). I read a lot of really great books this year, and picking 10 might be tricky for me! These are actually listed in the order I read them this year.

Nocturne, by Syrie James

LOVED this book. It's all about a man and a woman who find themselves trapped in his remote home during a majorly huge snowstorm. He's a vampire, and she's freaking out. And then... the romance happens. Loved it, and Syrie's writing is gorgeous.

Read my review and author interview here. (Over at The Broke and the Bookish)

Firelight, by Sophie Jordan

I really liked the new paranormal subject matter of this book: Dragons. A dragon falls in love with a dragon slayer, and all hell breaks loose. Now that Vanish, book #2, is out you don't even have to fret about the cliffhanger at the end!

Read my review here. (Over at The Broke and the Bookish)

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver

Do I even need to explain myself here? Love is marked as a deadly disease, but who on Earth can avoid falling in love? Especially if you're told not to... Pandemonium can't come soon enough!

Illusions, by Aprilynne Pike

Oh, I do love fairies... This is book 3 of the 4-part series, but I actually loved it the most (so far)! It was magical, romantic, adventurous, and I got through it in 24 hours!That's a sign of a good book for me. I never have enough time to read that much!

Read my review here. (Over at The Broke and the Bookish)

(Wow... I just realized I love books with one word in the title...)

The Forgotten Locket, by Lisa Mangum

This was the end of a trilogy that I pretty much love. It's not very well known in the blogosphere, but I adore it. Basically, the Hourglass Door is a door that Da Vinci designed to travel through time. It can also take you to "the river" which is where you can actually see time and change it. Dante, the main guy... was Da Vinci's apprentice, and came through the door 500 years later in the present day (as punishment for being framed as a traitor to his country, Italy) and falls in love. But the wrong people get a hold of this door, and come forward to cause major problems that Dante and his love interest, Abby, need to fix. All three books talk about this door, and their quest to save time before the world is destroyed. It's very exciting. Lisa Mangum's writing style is beautiful. I found myself re-reading passages because they were incredibly captivating. She described everything in such intricate detail and left me feeling like I was actually there.

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

Definitely my favorite read of the year, and one of my favorite books ever. This book got me hooked on contemporary romance, and now I just can't get enough of it! Stephanie Perkins is my hero.

Learning to Swim, by Sara J. Henry

This book totally surprised me. I ended up really loving it. It was suspenseful, mysterious, exciting, and heartwarming. This woman is on a ferry headed home, when she sees a bundle thrown off the back of a passing ferry. For some reason, she is convinced the bundle is a child, and dives into the freezing water to save him. He's only 6 years old, and he only speaks French. The story follows this woman as she takes the boy in, tries to find out who he is, grows really attached to him, and has some run-ins with the scary peeps who tried to kill him. It's very exciting, and I could not put it down.

Read my review here. (At The Broke and the Bookish)

Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins

Again, Stephanie is my hero. Loved this book so much for the same reasons I loved Anna.

Carrie Goes Off The Map, by Philippa Ashley

This book was lovely for several uncommon reasons: 1. The characters are my age! I'm so used to reading about tweens, teenagers, and middle-aged adults. I rarely read about characters who are mid-to-late twenties. It was refreshing. 2. This is an amazing book to help you feel better after a nasty break-up. I wish I'd had this book a few years ago when I went through one of those. 3. Traveling!!!!! I love books where people travel, and what's better than driving through England in a camper van named Dolly? Carrie's road trip happens as a result of needing time to get over her cheating fiance. She brings along a guy she barely knows, but who also needs some time away. I'm sure you guessed that sparks fly!

Read my review here.

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances, by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

I love the three intertwined Christmas romances in this book. Maureen and John write amazingly perfect and hysterical stories. Lauren's disappointed me, but not enough to make me love this book any less. It's pure magic.

Read my review here.