In My Mailbox (39)

First post of the New Year! This week, I had a decent load of books that I'm pretty happy about.


For Review:
37 Things I Love (in no particular order) by Kekla Magoon
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
The International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams

Library:
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn
A Match Made in  High School by Kristin Walker
Take Me There by Carolee Dean
Freefall by Mindi Scott
Trapped by Michael Northrop

What did you get in your mailbox? 

Best of 2011

Well, it was inevitable. I knew I'd be compiling a Best of 2011 post, and I knew it'd be ridiculously long (no way I can confine myself to 5 or even 10 books!), and here it is: Best of 2011, Super-Long Edition, in roughly chronological order with excerpts from reviews.

The Space Between The Trees by Katie Williams. Beautiful, gorgeous, and completely different from any other book I've ever read. This is one that you read slowly and savor along the way, and it's not something that will appeal to every reader.


Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales. A fun and hilarious read! Leila Sales is fast becoming one of my favorite authors for a pick-me-up with deeper messages than a 'typical' chick lit book.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. I mean, seriously, it's Divergent. Who didn't absolutely fall in love with this book? I honestly haven't read a negative review yet.


Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. A brilliant book that's guaranteed to put you in a good mood. This is teen romance at its best, and I loved every page of it.


Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers. Beautiful writing, beautiful story, what more is there to say?

Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman. Raw, gritty, and honest. This is dark contemporary that's hard to swallow and hard to bear but so completely worth it.


This Girl is Different by J. J. Johnson. This book is different. In a good way. No, scratch that, in an amazing, incredible way.


Jersey Tomatoes are the Best by Maria Padian. A heart-warming story about two best friends that still manages to stand out from stories with similar themes.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford. A masterpiece that has absolutely earned its place in my top five all-time favorites. Even the print book itself is beautiful.


Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard. Words can't even describe how gripping, how deep, how real and beautiful and amazing I found this book to be. This is the rare book I want to read over and over again.

Nothing But the Truth by Justina Chen Headley. Love, love, love this book and I would recommend it to everyone but especially fellow half-Asians.

Past Perfect by Leila Sales. Well, I already said why I love Leila Sales' books, and rest assured, the same applies to this one!

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King. Beautiful, wrenching, and honest contemporary novel. Anyone who loves YA or wants to get into it should pick this up.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. My new favorite book of all time. It was slow and atmospheric, and worth every single beautiful word.

King Dork by Frank Portman. Refreshing, unique, and just an immense stand-out on the shelves. It has some profanity and isn't a good book for more conservative readers, but it's definitely something I would recommend to everyone else.

Everybody Sees the Ants by A. S. King. I loved King's first book and now I love the second. A. S. King is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

Bunheads by Sophie Flack. I love ballet books, and this one really stands out by showing the gritty side of it. It was honest, perceptive, and an absolute pleasure to read.

What were your favorite books of 2011? Do you agree/disagree with any of these?

Follow Friday (32)

This week's question is...

What are your 2012 resolutions for your blog?

Well, I touched on these in an earlier post this week, but my main resolutions are simply to read more, review more, and spend longer on reviews to make sure they're all consistent in terms of quality. I'd like to reach more followers by making sure I follow memes like this one more frequently so I can meet more bloggers.

If you're new to my blog, welcome! :) Drop your link in the comments so I can return the favor.

Ship Breaker: Review

Title: Ship Breaker

Author: Paolo Bacigalupi

Release Date: May 2010

Published By: Little, Brown

Pages: 326

Goodreads Rating: 3.79 stars

Review: In a future shanty town on the Gulf Coast, Nailer works light crew, stripping copper wire from grounded oil tankers in harsh poverty. But when he finds a beached clipper ship with a lone survivor - a beautiful girl - he has a decision to make. At great risk to himself, he rescues Nita from the ship in the hopes that it'll lead to a better life, and everything changes.

One of SHIP BREAKER's best aspects is immediately obvious: the originality. Many dystopian novels deal with very similar settings, but this book breaks the mold and goes for a frighteningly realistic approach. Apart from a few minor details, I could easily see this book taking place in, say, a third world country, so the idea that conditions like these could occur on the Gulf Coast in the future is certainly a possibility.

Just like many dystopian novels, there were both elements of action and emotion interwoven skillfully through the story. The plot bounced back and forth from heart-pounding moments to emotion so tender I may have teared up in a few places, and it worked wonderfully. It's difficult to pull off a good balance, but the author was clearly able to do so here.

My only complaint about this book is that it just wasn't extremely hooking. It didn't always maintain my attention consistently throughout, and there were times when I found my mind drifting in the middle. I wish it kept me at around the same level of engrossment throughout, but unfortunately this just wasn't really the case.

Overall, SHIP BREAKER is a unique dystopian novel perfect for both those who are fans of the genre and those who find it a little too generic. There's both fast-paced action and introspective emotion, even if there are places where my attention faltered. This is an original, solid book that is well-deserving of all its awards.  

I got a free copy of this book from the publisher for review. This in no way affected my review.