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!  

Interview with Kat Rosenfield + Giveaway

So I got to interview the extremely talented Kat Rosenfield, author of Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, which is definitely one of my 2012 favorites so far. Read on to find out more about Kat and her novel... like her favorite word, her hiding spot (it's a favorite of mine too!), and her myriad of past jobs!

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Did you have trouble writing any of your characters or specific scenes within the novel? Or, were any characters or scenes particularly easy to write? 

With the possible exception of Amelia, I can't think of a character who didn't give me trouble (and that's probably just because she was already dead when the story began and it's hard for a corpse to misbehave). It was bound to happen -- I knew I was going to write a story about decent people doing terrible things, that's one of the central themes in the novel— but it was really difficult to actually bring the characters to a crossroads and then watch them make the worst decision available. I had to struggle against the urge to have them redeem themselves. 

Has the title changed or stayed relatively the same as your novel journeyed towards publication? 

It hasn't changed at all, which is especially weird because I'd procrastinated on choosing a title for ages, and I didn't feel strongly about this one at all. I just picked it as a placeholder until it came time to choose the "real" title. (I actually thought I was being smart by not getting too attached to it, since the author often doesn't get final say on this stuff.) The fact that it stuck all the way through to publication was totally unexpected. 

What book or author has most influenced you as a writer or in general? 

Haha, you might as well ask me to name the one thing I've ever eaten that's most influenced me as a writer. Different tastes fill different needs; different books hit different notes. There are authors whose language I adore, authors whose plotlines I envy, even authors I can't stand and use as an example of what I don't want to do — but there's not really one I can point to and say, "That guy! He's EVERYTHING." 

What jobs did you have on your way to becoming a writer/published author? Is there a certain work experience that has shaped your writing? 

I've had many, many jobs — waitress, receptionist, artist's model, substitute teacher, janitor, nanny, publicist, copywriter... I even once worked as the dessert girl at a high-end Chinese restaurant. (In related news, my work history makes me look like an actual crazy person.) Having done so many different things has definitely helped with the "write what you know" bit, and certain settings or characters or experiences have found their way into my work for sure. The restaurant setting where Becca (the protagonist) works, for instance, is based on a real place in my hometown where I waited tables during the summer. 

If you had to pick a favorite word, what would it be and why? 

LUGUBRIOUS. It's such a nice, chewy word... even if I know, intellectually, that it doesn't actually have anything to do with goo. 

My blog is dedicated to my personal hiding spot, books. Who, what, or where can be credited as your personal escape from reality? 

Ordinarily I'd have said "books", but since that's your hiding spot, I guess I'll have to go with my backup escape: binge-watching Downton Abbey on Netflix Instant.

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More about Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone:

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.  Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

Check out my review here.
*Please note that the giveaway on the review is now closed. The giveaway below is new and for a finished copy! :)

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Review: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield + A Giveaway

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent. 

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life. 

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

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I really haven't a clue where to begin with this review... I suppose I could start by saying that I love this book with surprising depth. For years I've named Melina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road as my favorite novel because no other book has ever garnered near the emotional connection or caused me to sob near as hard... until Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone. 

The novel is told in alternating points-of-view between Becca, a small town girl who's about to leave home for university, and Amelia Anne, the girl found dead and broken beside a road in the small town Becca yearns to leave behind. 

Part of my connection to this novel stems from my understanding of Becca. I've been the girl from a small town who couldn't wait to escape. I'd been in her position, wondering if I should leave my high school boyfriend behind, but terrified to do so. Becca and I share so many of the same fears and look at things in such similar ways. I like to think it's because Rosenfield successfully captured the mindset of someone who grew up in a small town, but always believed there was something more out there. 

While the high school me identified with Becca, the college me had a deeper understanding of Amelia Anne. This girl, who the reader glimpses through short chapters visiting moments in her life leading up to her untimely death, escaped to university like Becca longs to do. She did what was expected of her and finished her degree, but it wasn't in something she was passionate about. Amelia Anne finally decides to start living her life for herself only to have it tragically cut short... to become unknown on the side of a country road. While it might be dramatic, Amelia Anne, with her bravery to do what she loved, everyone else be damned, reminded me that I need to do the same... because you never know what tomorrow holds. 

I already feel like I've been a bit spoilery and writing more will guarantee spoilers, so I should probably stop while I'm ahead. 

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone is a remarkably powerful novel filled with gorgeous writing, perfectly flawed characters, and a painfully real setting. Kat Rosenfield has blown me away with her debut novel. I can guarantee I'll be anxiously awaiting for her next offering.

Dutton Juvenile, July 2012, Hardcover, ISBN: 9780525423898, 304 pages.

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