Best of 2012!

2012 has been a phenomenal reading year for me!

After three years of hard work and partying I regained time for reading- I've read 50 books since June!
So my last post of 2012 is a quick round up of my 2012 favourites! I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

Favourite Debut

I picked this one up with nothing to go by and I loved it!

Favourite Start of Series

Divergent perfectly set the scene and the action for the rest of the series- just need to read Insurgent!

Favourite Standalone

 Morgan Matson is a firm summer time must read for me! I loved all the emotions and memories in this one!

 

Unexpected Favourite

I got this one free when I preordered Sophie Kinsella's latest book- I loved it! Very rarely does a free book surpass the one you paid for!

 

Favourite All Around

Dash and Lily had everything! Humour, sweet moments, stupid moments and action!

Favourite Latecomer

One of my last books of the year and one of my favourite! I'll be reviewing it next year!

The One I Should of Read Earlier!

Everyone's been raving about The Hunger Games for ages and I eventually picked it up in June this year- should have picked it up earlier!

 

Favourite End of Series

I was so happy to finally finish Ruby's story- I've loved her neurotic ways since 2006!

 

Favourite Sequel

I loved If I Stay but Where She Went had a little more resolution and perspective! Brilliant sequel!

Favourite 'Indie' Author

A random download led me to Abbi Glines! My favourite Indie author of 2012 because her books encouraged me to try other indie authors! 

 



Favourite Author

This one was hard! Veronica Rossi wrote a beautifully crafted world, a wonderful prequel and is very interactive! I'm already scouring my local bookshops for a freak early release!



Favourite Genre

 



 Before The Hunger Games I'd had no real interest in Dystopia but now I love it! I love all the different interpretations of the world, the intriguing mysteries and the characters. Not a fan of some of the love triangles but you can't love it all!


What were your favourites of 2012?
Happy New Year!
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx

Top Ten Contemporary Reads of 2012!

Hosted By Fiktshun, Two Chicks On Books, Magical Urban Fantasy Reads, Confessions Of A Bookaholic, & A Life Bound By Books

 

 I'm a bit late to this meme but it is Christmas! Hope you are all having a fabulous celebration!

I've chose Top Contemporary reads as my topic because I've read loads of contemporaries this year and I kind of already had this post written, so I just tweaked it! 

Easy by Tammara Webber

I have been re-reading this one like crazy! I love the side cast of characters, the theme, the romance, Jackie, Lucas... Everything really! Reviewed in October.

 

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman

No surprises here! I loved these two books- brilliantly unique contemporaries with a fantastic cast of characters and a brilliant use of flashbacks! I loved how the two books are from two different point of views and both felt very emotionally deep and real. Reviewed in July!
 

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Morgan Matson has been one of my go to summer contemporary authors since Amy and Roger! I loved concept and plot line of Second Chance Summer and the complex characters. Reviewed in July.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A fun festive witty contemporary read which incorporates so much of New York City and it's diversity! Reviewed in October.

Because of Low by Abbi Glines

 

I have gushed over Abbi Glines Sea Breeze series it's no surprise this one made it on this list! Because of Low was so sweet and based around family drama which I loved. Reviewed in September

 

Lengths by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt





I loved how hot and sweet this was! I liked how Whit seemed to be the more troubled on as usually in YA/NA the guy is the most 'broken'. Such an unexpected great read. 

 

Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy.

 I liked the setting and the pace- it really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it! So glad I got the chance to take part in the tour! Reviewed in December!

 Charade by Nyrae Dawn

Sped through this on Sunday- it is so amazing! I can't believe I waited so long to read it!

Review is on it's way!

 

What has been your favourite contemporary read of 2012?

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxxx

Top Ten Tuesday: Contemporary Reads of 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: I'm choosing Contemporary 2012 reads!

 

This freebie week fits in really well with my feature! I decided to do my top ten contemporary books I've read in 2012! YA and NA!
 

 

Easy by Tammara Webber

I have been re-reading this one like crazy! I love the side cast of characters, the theme, the romance, Jackie, Lucas... Everything really! Reviewed in October.

 

 

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman 

 

No surprises here! I loved these two books- brilliantly unique contemporaries with a fantastic cast of characters and a brilliant use of flashbacks! I loved how the two books are from two different point of views and both felt very emotionally deep and real. Reviewd in July!

 

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

 

Morgan Matson has been one of my go to summer contemporary authors since Amy and Roger! I loved concept and plot line of Second Chance Summer and the complex characters. Reviewed in July.

 

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

 

A fun festive witty contemporary read which incorporates so much of New York City and it's diversity! Reviewed in October.

 

 

Because of Low and While It Lasts by Abbi Glines

 

I have gushed over Abbi Glines Sea Breeze series it's no surprise these two made it on this list! Because of Low was much more sweet and based around family drama whereas While It Lasts was hotter and involved more emotional drama. I love the contrast between the two and the continuation of the cast while keeping the two stories separate. Because of Low reviewed in September and While It Lasts reviewed as part of  Young Adult and New Adult Month.

 

  Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

 

This book has everything you could ask for in a YA contemporary novel, a heroine you can connect to, a hot boy with depth, a unique yet familiar plot and utterly addictive! Reviewed in July

Lengths by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt





 I loved how hot and sweet this was! I liked how Whit seemed to be the more troubled on as usually in YA/NA the guy is the most 'broken'. Such an unexpected great read. Reviewed as part of Young Adult and New Adult Month!
 

What has been your favourite contemporary read of 2012?

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxxx

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I've left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please.
Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favourite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

 

I've wanted to read one of Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's collaborations for ages so I was excited when I got my request on Netgalley.  I loved the simple fun and witty air to this book!

 

What I loved:

• Concept- I love the idea of two strangers exchanging a notebook of dares- such a unique and clever concept. It wasn't completely realistic but that's what made it so readable and fun. Setting it during Christmas
• Dash and Lily- I loved how both their character were exaggerated but relatable. I loved how Lily learnt how to transition from shrilly to lily all by herself and branched out to make new friends.
• Sofia- I was surprised how much I loved Dash's ex girlfriend. She was a refreshingly nice and realistic ex instead of the cliche crazy exes that always seem to pop up!
• Lily's family- So amazing! From her quirky Aunt Ida who worked at the waxworks and offered out great advice to her Grandpa with his mini mafia of retired shop owners to her typical bored employee cousin Mark! They were all brilliantly written and cleverly inserted into the plot :)
• Ending- I actually loved how it end with everything not completely resolved or clear but enough resolution to satisfy!
• Dares- The central plot- loved them! They were inventive, fun and clever. I think make-a-monster was my favourite- mainly because it was cute and lasted throughout the book as a memento.

What I didn't love as much:

• Ernest- He was sort of interesting but I didn't really see the point of him!
• Lily's brother- Lily viewed him as her closest friend and had supported him through his break up but he was just so insensitive to her! He pretty much abandoned her despite her obvious loneliness.

 This was such a feel good read! It leaves you a smile on your face!

 

 

Which collab should I read next?

Nick and Norah or Naomi and Ely?

Much Love!

Lettie

Xxx

September Round Up!

Monthly Feature- rounds up all the books I've read, progress on challenges and reviews my blogging!

It is kind of an expansion (?) of my favourite memes hosted by the lovely Shelia over at Book Journey!

September in numbers!

Total posts= 15

Books read= 11

Books listened to= 2 ½

Reviews Posted= 5

Meme Posts= 4
Other Posts= 6

Total days spent in the UK= 12

 

What I read in September!

*Plus*
The Lost Son by Preston Norton and Tamra Torero
 
What I Reviewed!
Frozen by Mary Casanova.
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.
Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide To Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling.
Because of Low by Abbi Glines.
Matched by Ally Condie
Stronger review month! I seem to be reviewing my books accidentally in order which is handy!
I'm hoping my scheduling will make the number of reviews a month higher and more consistent from now on..
 
What I Posted!
Reviews- A post clarifying my personal approach to reviewing.
Bloggiesta- Brilliant event which really helped me with my monthly goals! Check out my goals post to see what else I cleaned up blogwise.
Autumn TBR- What I plan on reading this season!
Cover Reveal- Check out the beautiful cover on Abbi Glines' next instalment of Sea Breeze!
Series I need to finish!- This top ten kind of works as a 'to read' list for my series challenge.
 
Did I achieve my goals?
To post 15 posts.
Just achieved this one! I think I managed it, thanks to my holiday forcing me to schedule posts in advance. However my short notice holiday stopped my hope of 8 reviews as I didn't have time to write them up and schedule them before leaving for France.
To improve the standard of this blog.
I think I've achieved this one but it's an ongoing process. My review policy is clear and concise. My ratings system has made me think more about my reviews, which I hope has made them better. Bloggiesta gave me the chance to improve it further with the mini challenges.
To learn more about blog design.
I've tried but I think this goal will take longer than a month! The Bloggiesta mini challenges were so helpful for this one so it's an ongoing process.
  
What I hope to achieve in October!

• To blog to a schedule.- I created a proper blog schedule for bloggiesta which I will be posting later, I'm hoping to keep to it in order to give this blog a clearly defined structure and reliability.
• To make progress on my challenges.- I've been slacking on the majority of my challenges, in particular finishing the series. I'm hoping to make a lot more progress in October.
• To post two non meme/review posts.- This was originally last month's goal until I realised I wouldn't be able to write them up before going away! I've got a least one written up ready so hopefully this will be an easy goal!
• To tweet every blog post.- I used to do this all the time and it generated a lot of traffic! Need to get back into the habit.

September was an odd blogging month as I was away for the majority of the month so I wasn't actively blogging! I will be posting my Bloggiesta wrap up with my schedule so hopefully this month will be run smoothly!

How was your September blog/book/life wise?
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxx