Top 10 Books Read in 2012 & Year in Review

2012 was a very, very busy year for me. I had a lot going on in my personal life - including changing my college major, some family issues, and working way too many hours - and my blog was sadly neglected. I was lucky to have multiple great books assigned for various classes and was able to find some books for fun and review... as of today I've read 108 books this year! For those of you interested in looking through those titles, a link to the list can be found here on Goodreads.

This year was also a year of bookish changes and accomplishments for me:

1. I read my first graphic novel, Nate Powell's Swallow Me Whole, and fell madly in love with the sub-genre.
2.  I took my first Literary Theory class, which was sometimes overwhelming and difficult, but so, so wonderful. It definitely has had an impact on how I read.
3. I finally decided what I want to be! A Youth Services Librarian! In retrospect, this seems like an obvious career choice for me. It took me way to long to figure it out!
4. I got a job in a public library. I just started this month, but I LOVE it. I'm still new and the shininess hasn't even had a chance to wear off, but oh my goodness it is fantastic! I love everything about it... sorting books, the Dewey Decimal System, helping people find books... LOVE IT. 

So, even though I was pretty absent from the blogging world, I've been working towards combining my blogging/bookish life and real life. It's been a long process, but I finally see some progress! :)

I wasn't able to review many of my favorite 2012 reads, but I'd still like to share a quick list of titles and covers, which I painfully narrowed down to 10. I've linked each title's Goodreads page to the image, so click the image to add to your own reading list! Enjoy!

Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak

Emily Dickinson, a troubled main character, and an off-limits potential love interest? How can you not want to read this book?

Plus, the writing is gorgeous. I didn't want to finish this book! 

Venom by Fiona Paul

 My favorite aspect of this book is all of the Shakespeare references and parallels. Granted, I read this as I was reading multiple Shakespeare works - and maybe some of these similarities were imagined - but I loved it!

I totally understand why Venom was one of Penguin's lead 2012 titles!

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

A historical, steampunk-ish novel with zombies and battling banter between the heroine and a scowling, attractive guy. 

Heck yes. 

Check out my review here. 

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield

Beautiful writing and a haunting story. I love this MC. I was raised in a small town and constantly dreamt of escape, making her all too easy to relate to.

Check out my review here. 

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

2011 was a bit rough on my love life, but I lost some of my bitterness in 2012. I like to think Fitzpatrick's debut contributed somewhat.

An amazing novel of family and real love, My Life Next Door shines! 

Check out my review here. 

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

A mermaid book like no other, Monstrous Beauty features gorgeous writing and weaves multiples stories and setting together. Part mystery, part love story and wholly intense, Monstrous Beauty is not to be missed.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

I can't imagine writing of a favorite/best of list that didn't include a novel by Courtney Summers and this year is no exception.

Summers hasn't disappointed me yet (I know, it's great) and her newest novel featuring ZOMBIES was no exception. Powerful stuff right here ladies and gentleman. Read this book... and all her other books. Now. 

Check out my review here. 

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

I could not get this books out of my head for weeks after reading it. It still pops up in there unexpectedly, though I read it early in 2012. 

The story of 14 kids trapped in a store (think WalMart) as the world as they know it disappears. Maybe not the newest premise, but definitely my favorite take on it so far!

Check out my review here. 

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

I waited forever for this newest offering from Cashore. Picking up years after Graceling (and wayyy after Fire), Bitterblue tells the story of a girl learning to rule a broken kingdom, to believe in herself, and to love.

So good. 

Check out my review here. 

Sumo by Thien Pham 

Read during my graphic novel phase (not that it's ended), Sumo blew me away. Deceptively simple, Sumo tells the story of a washed up football played that travels overseas to to become sumo wrestler and finds himself in the process.

What's interesting about this book is that it reads like a sumo match... the images and ideas seem to circle one another and eventually come together in a climactic clash. 

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Feel free to share your favorites or own Best of 2012 post in the comments! And, if you loved any of my favorite titles, want to chat about them, or discovered something new, be sure to let me know! 

Happy New Year everyone!  

Review: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—  

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.  

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

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Susan Dennard's Something Strange and Deadly has catapulted itself onto my 2012 list of favorites. With a hint of romance, creepy zombies, voodoo, steampunk inventions, and unique, memorable characters, how could you not fall in love with this book?

One of the most defining aspects of Something Strange and Deadly was the main characters. Eleanor herself is full of spunk and sass, but then we add the three spirit-hunters to the mix and things really start getting interesting. They introduce Eleanor to whole world she wasn't aware existed and it's obvious that she'll never be the same again. 

The setting, 1876 Philadelphia, was perfect. Eleanor's adventures occur during the Centennial Exhibition - an exciting time in it's own right, but downright craziness with zombies flash mobbing the exhibits unexpectedly. I never felt that there was a dull moment in this book... Eleanor and the Spirit-Hunters were either fighting off zombies or trying to figure out why the zombies were attacking in the first place. There wasn't much time to take tea and relax, they had a city to save.

There is a touch of romance within Something Strange and Deadly's pages as well. It definitely isn't the focal point, but I found myself focusing on it... Daniel and Eleanor are both incredibly stubborn and come from entirely different worlds, so there conversation is never boring and always entertaining. I look forward to seeing if Dennard develops there relationship into something more than friends with possibility of more... I'd be interested in seeing how they handle the more.

This first installment ended on an interesting note, so I'm a bit anxious to get my hands on book two. Eleanor quickly became one of my favorite heroines and I will faithfully follow her into her next adventure... and I wouldn't mind seeing all the Spirit-Hunters again either!

HarperTeen, July 2012, Hardcover, ISBN: 9780062083265, 388 pages.

Check out the book trailer for Something Strange and Deadly below: