Shel's Top 10 of 2012

Hi all!  Sorry I've been a little absent on the blog.  The holidays are always a busy time, but this year has been absolutely nuts.  Throw in a promotion at work and I'm doing a vanishing act.  I promise to be better, mostly because I miss you all!

 

I had such a problem this year narrowing down my choices for my top 10 reads for 2012.  What a great year for book lovers, and if my TBR pile gets any bigger it's going to take over my entire house.  I only got in about 100 books this year and there were so many more great books I wanted to read.  So, without further adieu and in no particular order...

 

 

The Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer

 

 

The first two books, Storm and Spark, just knocked my socks off.  I love this series.

 

The Mythos Academy Series by Jennifer Estep (Dark Frost and Crimson Frost)

 

This has been one of my favorite series since we started the blog (as I'm sure you can tell by my frequent ramblings on the subject).  This year brought us Dark Frost and Crimson Frost.  Both are freaking amazing.  Kudos Jennifer!
 

 

The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax by Trinity Faegen

 

 

Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis  (And Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis and let's face it, pretty much anything by Jill Shalvis)

 

Ok, ok.  I know, but seriously, if you haven't picked up a Jill Shalvis book you NEED to.  She's supposed to be at the RT convention this year and it is very likely that I will go all fan-girl crazy when I meet her!  Her books are hilarious AND steamy.

 

Much Ado About Magic by Shanna Swendson

 

I was so happy that Shanna decided to self-publish the rest of the Enchanted, Inc series and she has not disappointed.

 

The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter

 

I soooo want to be a Gallagher Girl!

 

 

Shadows In The Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

 

Wow, just wow.  That's all I can say for now.  You will have to check out my review in February.

 

Alex Van Helsing: The Triumph of Death by Jason Henderson

 

The finale of this great series.  I love Alex so much and am sad to see him go!  If HarperCollins or Harper Teen is reading this, please give us more of this seriously fun series!

 

The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

 

 Oh Jem!  Oh Will!  I think you both need hugs!

Well, that's the best I could do to narrow down my Top Ten.  I know, I know, I cheated a little bit, but seriously, it's tough to pick just 10!  So, what are your favorites from 2012?

~Shel

 

 

A Peek in the Biblio-Bin - #12

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is a way for bloggers to share what books they have won, received for review, bought from the bookstore, borrowed from the library or friend, etc.

This week Bel gives you a Peek in the Biblio-Bin.

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

 

 

 

 

 

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

"Beautifully crafted", "Fantastically funny." "Compulsively readable." Jonathan Tropper has earned wild acclaim—-and comparisons to Nick Hornby and Tom Perrotta—for his biting humor and insightful portrayals of families in crisis and men behaving badly. Now the acclaimed author of The Book of Joe and Everything Changes tackles love, lust, and lost in the suburbs—in a stunning novel that is by turns heartfelt and riotously funny.

Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet suburban town, that makes him something of a celebrity—the object of sympathy, curiosity, and, in some cases, unbridled desire. But Doug has other things on his mind. First there's his sixteen year-old stepson, Russ: a once-sweet kid who now is getting into increasingly serious trouble on a daily basis. Then there are Doug's sisters: his bossy twin, Clair, who's just left he husband and moved in with Doug, determined to rouse him from his Grieving stupor. And Debbie, who's engaged to Doug's ex-best friend and manically determined to pull off the perfect wedding at any cost.

Soon Doug's entire nuclear family is in his face. And when he starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time around dating scene, it isn't long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across the suburban landscape.

What did you find in your biblio-bin this week?

Gratitude Giveaway Hop!

Ladies & Gentlemen & children of all ages we have another giveway!  Don't tell my fellow BiblioJunkies, because I am trying to hide this one from them!  Shh. So, to show our gratitude to all you folks, we are giving away a super prize pack.  First up is Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Hardcover):

And because we don't do anything half-way here at BiblioJunkies, we are giving away a copy of the highly anticipated Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare!

We will ship your lovely copy of Clockwork Prince from Amazon or Barnes & Noble once the book is released on December 6, 2011.  This was Nat's idea, so you all can say a big ol' Thank You to her! 

Anyway, fill out the rafflecopter below and leave a comment with your FB name so that we can verify entries and your email address so that we can notify you if you win - while your at it, let us know what your favorite Black Friday tradition is - I personally love getting up at the crack of dawn (or before) shopping with Bel and getting all slap happy and silly.  We then top off the morning with breakfast at Denny's or similar giggling the whole time and getting weird looks from others.  So Happy Thanksgiving, I hope you get your fill of yummy food, family and shopping!  There are a ton of blogs participating - check out the linky below.  Good luck!

~Shel