Top 10 of 2012: Best Books I've Read In 2012

I can't believe 2012 is almost over, but I'm super excited to be participating in the Top 10 of 2012!!! This event is hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Rachel from Fiktshun, Jaime from Two Chicks on Books and Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

Today's list is...

Best Books I've Read in 2012

(in no particular order...because picking just ten is hard enough!!!)

click titles to learn more

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

This beautiful and eloquently heart-aching and breath-taking book left me speechless. One of the best fairytale re-imaginings/re-tellings I've ever read.   

Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff

This book is badass! I love the writing, heroine, setting, and CHAINSAW KATANAS!

Every Day by David Levithan

This book is soul-achingly bone-deep in the most exquisite way. Every Day moved me beyond words with its brilliance and beauty.

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

This is one of the most charming and delightful middle-grade books I've ever read. The main character, Mo, is one of my favorite heroines ever!

Billow (Ondine Quartet #2) by Emma Raveling

This is one of my favorite YA series and the second book has such great world-building, beautiful writing, and two swoony guys *fans self*

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

I just fell in love with the fresh, dystopian setting of this book and its awesome characters (especially Perry).

Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls #1) by Tera Lynn Childs

This wasn't released this year, but I did just discover and read it in 2012. I don’t believe in perfect books, but sometimes if we’re really lucky, we’ll find a book that is perfect for us as an individual and Sweet Venom is the perfect book for ME. I loved everything about this book- the story, the writing, the characters.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky

This obviously wasn't released this year, but it's another book I just discovered in 2012 and I can't believe it took me this long to read this incredible book. I can't wait to finally see the movie.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I'm sure this one will be on many people's lists this year; it is that good. This is a book that leaves a mark, whether that mark comes in the form of a breathtaking ache of a beautiful heartbreak or the blow of a sucker punch in the gut or the sting of a slap in the face, will depend on the reader. This reader has been marked by all three. Funny, Touching, Surprising, Powerful…I could go on with the adjectives, but I won’t. I’ll simply say that for me this is YA at its best.

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Knowles crafts a raw, honest, at times unbearably painful story that took my breath away with its beauty and palpable emotion. See You At Harry’s is a beautifully written book that moved me, had me in tears and left me both thoughtful and thankful.

What are some of your top books of 2012?

Come back tomorrow to see which covers I chose as the best top ten of 2012...

Untimed (YA time travel adventure) by Andy Gavin is Available Now!

Get ready for a YA time travel adventure that will have the hours flying by!

Untimed, author Andy Gavin’s latest release, is finally out!

No one remembers Charlie’s name. He falls through holes in time. And a clockwork man is trying to kill him. But there’s an eighteenth century Scottish girl who can bring him back home – assuming they don’t destroy history by accidentally letting Ben Franklin get killed.

Andy’s previous novel, dark fantasy The Darkening Dream, has been well-received by fans and critics alike. Publisher’s Weekly called it “gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying.” Untimed is an even more ambitious follow-up. It is a lavish production with a cover by acclaimed fantasy artist Cliff Nielsen and twenty-one full page interior illustrations by Dave Phillips.

About Untimed
Charlie’s the kind of boy that no one notices. Hell, even his own mother can’t remember his name. And girls? The invisible man gets more dates.
As if that weren’t enough, when a mysterious clockwork man tries to kill him in modern day Philadelphia, and they tumble through a hole into 1725 London, Charlie realizes even the laws of time don’t take him seriously.
Still, this isn’t all bad. In fact, there’s this girl, another time traveler, who not only remembers his name, but might even like him! Unfortunately, Yvaine carries more than her share of baggage: like a baby boy and at least two ex-boyfriends! One’s famous, the other’s murderous, and Charlie doesn’t know who is the bigger problem.
When one kills the other — and the other is nineteen year-old Ben Franklin — things get really crazy. Can their relationship survive? Can the future? Charlie and Yvaine are time travelers, they can fix this — theoretically — but the rules are complicated and the stakes are history as we know it.
And there's one more wrinkle: he can only travel into the past, and she can only travel into the future!

You can find Untimed the ebook on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/12rE9Tl
And in paperback here: http://amzn.to/12rE9Tl

Read the first two chapters here: http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/untimed/sample/

About the author

Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and bestselling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes.

Learn more about Andy Gavin at: http://andy-gavin-author.com

Get all reviewer information at: http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/untimed/reviewer-info/

Goodie Basket (32): Book Haul & Blog Recap

Goodie Basket...is a weekly feature hosted here at Word Spelunking that showcases all the goodies (books, bookish things, reviews, interviews/giveaways/guest posts, blog tours, etc) that popped up in the Goodie Basket that is Word Spelunking each week.

(This meme is inspired by other book haul memes such as Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits & Tea and Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer )

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

Hey, Cupcakes! Can you believe the holidays are already upon us?! I'm very excited for Christmas (cookies and pressies!!). And because this coming week will be busy and filled with family and such, I will only be posting my Top Ten of 2012 posts throughout the week (no reviews, no memes, no other things). I'll be around on Twitter (I could never stay away from Twitter!) and by email if you need me for anything or just wanna chat, and I'll be back next week for regular Word Spelunking scheduling and cupcakeyness (is that a word? it should be). So, until then, I hope everyone has an awesome week filled with lots of love and books (and cupcakes and cookies and maybe pressies!). Now, on to my goodie basket...

In my Goodie Basket this week...

(click titles to learn more)

FOR REVIEW

(finished copy)  Steam Mole by David Freer

     -Pyr (sent from pub)

For some (awesome) reason Pyr sent me 2 copies of this book (in two different packages, at different times), plus they sent me an ARC a few weeks ago...obviously I don't need three copies, so if anyone (US only) wants a copy just email and I'd be happy to send it to you!

(ARC)  Untimed by Andy Gavin

-Mascherato (sent from pub)

This cool looking book came with a pile of bookmarks AND when I opened the book I saw that my review of Andy's other book, The Darkening Dream, had been blurbed! (I still get so excited whenever I see one of my reviews blurbed in a book! Make me feel of speeshul!)

(ARC)  Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

-Delacorte/Random House (sent from pub)

I've heard great things about this book and look forward to reading it.

EBOOKS FOR REVIEW

Chevalier (Ondine Quartet #2.2) and Warrior Prince (Ondine Quartet #2.5)  

by Emma Raveling (sent from author)

The Ondine Quartet is one of my fave YA series and I've already devoured this novella and compilation of scenes from Tristan's POV and They. Are. Awesome! Seriously, if you're a fan of this series then they are must reads and if you haven't started this series, then you totes should!!!

(eARC)  The Rules by Stacey Kade

-Disney-Hyperion (from Netgalley)

(eARC)  Period 8  by Chris Crutcher

-Harper Collins (from Edelweiss)

(eARC)  Wasteland by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

-Harper Teen (from Edelweiss)

(eARC)  Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

-Katherin Tegen Books/Harper Collins (from Edelweiss)

Big THANK YOUS to Pyr, Random House, Mascherato, Emma Raveling, and Harper Collins for all the bookish awesomeness this week!!!

Weekly Blog Recap

This week at Word Spelunking, I reviewed the wildly fun and funny book three of The Genius Files, You Only Die Twice, by Dan Gutman. The Falling From Eternity Blog Tour stopped by with my review  of Megan Duncan's new paranormal romance.

Middle-Grade author Ally Malinenko stopped by to talk about her awesome book Lizzy Speare and the Cursed Tomb in a fun interview and giveaway (still open). YA author Heidi Acosta also stopped by with a guest post about bullying and a giveaway (still open) of her book Barbie Girl. And I spotlighted Suzanne van Rooyen's YA sci-fi novel Obscura Burning with a giveaway (still open).

WHAT DID YOU GET THIS WEEK?!