Teaser Tuesday (8): Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride

My Teaser Tuesday for this week comes from Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride!

"Friendly neighborhood perv. May I come in, dear lady?"

-Page 14

Amazon - Goodreads

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Teaser Tuesday is hosted over at Should Be Reading

Polish and Prose (2)

Next week marks the release of the much-celebrated sequel to Legend by Marie Lu, Prodigy. I have a review up here and did a set of nails to go along with the cover:

Painting my nails while I watch a movie/ television/ YouTube videos is one of my favorite pastimes (these were done during Disney's Princess and the Frog, by the way), and these nails weren't nearly as difficult as I thought they would be.

I'll have to remember to take some in-progress pictures in the future, but these were done by covering the tips of my nails in overlapping pieces of clear tape and painting the uncovered parts of the nails black. My ring finger I just painted totally blue. I then freehanded painting the tips blue and painted black tips on my ring finger.

This is one of my favorite designs that I've ever done on my nails, I think they came out looking quite chic and professional :) Here 'til next time!

P.S. I'm coming back to college today after my insanely long winter break so expect some dorm posts up soon!

Top Ten Tuesday (3): More Settings I Want to See

This week's top ten five is based on an essential element of all writing: the setting. Some of the settings that I would like to see more of in books, or simply in books period:

1. Ancient Egypt: Ah, the wonders of the ancient world! My favorite ancient civilization to talk about, I would love to see more about the lives of the average person (farmer, merchant, craftsman, etc.) rather than always turning to Cleopatra or other princesses as a source of inspiration.

2. Non-European-based fantasy setting: Fantasy is really restricted to European influences in both setting, people, and culture, leaving plenty of perfectly good groups of people out. I would love to see more fantasy with African, Asian, Native American, and Aboriginal Australian inspiration. Nickelodeon did just that with Avatar: The Last Airbender and the result was fantastic!

3. Dystopian after a failed revolution: I'm getting really specific here, but I really want to see someone take a broken down society that's tried to change but failed. You can't win 'em all.

4. Adirondack Mountains:  A beautiful setting that is a marvel of beautiful waterfalls, amazing flora and fauna, and small, hidden towns all along the way. Most of Adirondack-set books that I've come across focus on old murder mysteries set in the region and it's a little tiresome from a place that has so much more to offer.

5. Antarctica: Why not? The world's largest desert, meteorites, scientific facilities, and you'd be mistaken to think that everything is just ice all the time:

Photo by Mike White , from Mental Floss website

Teaser Tuesday (7): Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

My Teaser Tuesday for this week comes from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas!

"You look rather pretty today," was all he said before the doors opened and they walked forward. Celaena raised her chin as they entered the crowded room.

-Page 65

Amazon - Goodreads

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Teaser Tuesday is hosted over at Should Be Reading

Polish and Prose (1)

One of my goals for blogging in 2013 has been to put a little more of myself into my blog, which includes sharing some of my other book-related hobbies with my readers and followers. One of those passions? Nail polish!

Polish and Prose won't be weekly, nor will it always coincide with what currently I'm reading or reviewing, but I have a couple of designs lined up that I think turned out pretty well :)

The first is from Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans, released just yesterday!

Nothing particularly fancy, not like these lovely Level 2 nails from The Overflowing Library that I came across last week, but I think they turned out nice none-the-less :) The inspiration comes from what I'm assuming will be the book jacket:

Stay tuned for more book-based nail art!

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

This week's top ten, discussing the top ten new books that you're looking forward to in 2013!

1.  Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans: I've already read and reviewed it, and I'm happy to say that it satisfied! I've been following Lenore's saga over at her blog for a while now so I'm glad that everything has finally come together!

2. The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd: The description on Goodreads has me hooked. I love science, and I love reading about what can happen when science goes wrong, so I'm going to try and get myself a copy as soon as possible.

3. Game by Barry Lyga: The sequel to one of my favorite books of 2012, I Hunt Killers, I don't know how I'm going to make it until late April for this one. 

4. Transparent by Natalie Whipple: I'm all for superpowered teenagers, so I'm hoping that this book will be as good as it looks. I'm not certain if it will necessarily go the "superhero" route, but it sounds like it's worth looking into to check!

5. Reboot by Amy Tintera: What I'm hoping will be a strong addition to my sci-fi/ dystopian list of books this year, this was one of the first 2013 releases that I picked up on.

6. Control by Lydia Kang: Another dystopian/ sci-fi thriller, not to mention is being released on my birthday. I love books with commentary on modern scientific/ political issues, so I'm really hoping that that is what's going on here. Looking forward to it!

7. Altered by Jennifer Rush: It's already been released, but hopefully I'll be able to grab a copy on my next break from school. With more genetic manipulation, it's really looking like 2013 will be the year of science fiction for me.

8. Coda by Emma Trevayne: I'm still a bit uncertain about this one, but I'm willing to give it a shot in hopes of locking onto one really good dystopian novel this year. Who knows, I might be surprised!

9. Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum: Robot uprisings + a distinctive dystopian feel in the description = an instant addition to my to-read list.

10. Starglass by Phoebe North: I'm more than happy to be adding spaceships to my seemingly-never ending list of sci-fi to read in 2013. I've really been falling more and more in love with space recently so I'm more than happy to add this book, and others like it, to my list!

Bonus Titles: Nobody (Jennifer Lynn Barnes), In the Shadow of Blackbirds (Cat Winters), Shadowlands (Kate Brian), Linked (Imogen Howson)

The more I look at it, the more that 2013 looks to be an amazing year for book blogging! And I can't wait to stop by some other posts to get even more recommendations to fill up my Debut Author Challenge list, so get posting!

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.

Teaser Tuesday (6): A Midsummer Tight's Dream by

My Teaser Tuesday for this week comes from A Midsummer Tight's Dream by Louise Rennison!

I became icicle-like. I was an icicle in dance tights.

-Page 85

Goodreads - Amazon

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Teaser Tuesday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Review: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Title: Level 2
Author: Lenore Appelhans
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: January 15, 2013
Page #: 280 (in my ARC, 288 according to Goodreads)
ISBN: 1442441852
Acquired: ARC from Simon & Schuster

Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Website








From Goodreads:

Three levels. Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).
'I pause to look around the hive - all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories ... I've wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.'
Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend ... and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.
Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.

Most young adult novels dance around the idea of an afterlife, their characters somewhat apathetic in regards to what happens when we die, though not explicitly atheist, even when faced with imminent death themselves. Here is where Lenore Appelhans goes where few young adult authors have gone before. Her mythology of the afterlife, based mainly in Christian doctrine with a beehive motif, Level 2, is curious world where the dead may not rest in peace after all.

To me, the main character Felicia was a little difficult to relate to, but had her good points. We are introduced to the highs and lows of her life and get a first-hand glimpse into her past frequently throughout Level 2. I thought the usage of a machine to relive Felicia's memories incorporated into Level 2 was a brilliant way to give us a glimpse into her past without the standard, cliched flashback. Felicia's devotion to her new friends, Beckah and Virginia, is admirable and consistent, which was nice to see in a character that had previously had difficulties in the friendship department. I also liked her growth throughout the story, and I could see her becoming a better person as the story went on.

The other characters, not so much. Except for Felicia's boyfriend Neil, who we do not meet outside of flashbacks, I could not get myself to like the other characters or to feel anything for them at all. I'm still not entirely certain if I'm supposed to hate Julian or see him as sexy and irresistible (assuming that he is the second of the "two loves" mentioned in the Goodreads description), which he is not. Rude, manipulative, and cruel, every time he slithered onto the page I felt myself shiver in disgust. I'm actually really surprised that Eli, another guy introduced later in the story, is painted by Felicia to be this horrible guy. Writing him as this pseudo-villain seemed a little forced, especially since he was basically just Julian without the flirtatiousness.

Aside from the ending, which I felt stumbled quite a bit until things settle down in the very last pages, Appelhans' writing is very compelling. Felicia's past, including her death and another life-changing event during her time with the living, is mentioned again and again, but isn't revealed until the climax. I saw this as a nice build-up, and kept me pressing forward all the way to the end.

This was a lovely debut, despite the rushed ending, and regardless of whether Appelhans chooses to continue her series by focusing on Felicia or by introducing us to some new characters I will certainly pick up the next volume!

Three and a half stars!

My Challenges for 2013

One of the methods that I'm going to try and use to get myself to read more this year (70+ books won't come easily!) is that I'm going a couple of reading challenges. I'm trying not to do too many, otherwise they just become garbled and unreasonable and I lose track of what I read for what challenge. Three to start sounds reasonable, no?

Goodreads Challenge 2013

Probably the easiest one to join up and participate in, you just read! If it shows up on Goodreads you can stick it on your challenges shelf as soon as you're done and it will get counted. All you need is a Goodreads account to participate, and voila!

I'm going for 70 books this year, at least. I read 50 in 2012 and around 30 in 2011, so this seems like the next logical step. I'm counting all novels and trade paperbacks that I read.

DAC 2013: Debut Author Challenge

This one is a little more difficult, at least for me. The goal is to read at least 12 books published in 2013 by new authors. Not just new books, but the first books published by the new, fresh-faced authors of the publishing world!

I spent the latter half of 2012 being out-of-touch with what was being published, especially with newer authors, so I'm hoping that this challenge pulls me out of that funk. I want to be tuned in to what's new in the publishing world and this sounded like the easiest way to do it!

2013 YA/ MG Fantasy Challenge

A genre that I've neglected greatly, I really want to get back into fantasy books new and old. Their plots always sound so interesting to me, but for some reason they always slip away from me before I can really get into them. The goal for me is around ten books, but hopefully my love for the genre will reignite and I will read more than that :)

I'm also excited for the "middle grade" part of this challenge. I'm not a fan of romance, which I think is a little less prevalent in middle grade fiction than it is in young adult, and I don't think I've read a true "middle grade book." I really just jumped from a reading slump in middle school into young adult novels in high school, so it will be interesting to go back and see what I missed.



More challenges might be added, depending on how far I've gotten by the time summer rolls around, but you can keep up-to-date with my progress by checking out the "My Challenges" tab at the top of the blog. Wish me luck!

Feature and Follow Friday (12)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted over at Parajunkee and Allison Can Read. This week's question:

Q: If you could choose one supernatural being/creature to really exists what would it be and why? ex. fae { submitted by @SeeingNight }

Dragons were the first thing that popped into my mind. I've been such a fan of them ever since I was a little girl, and playing Skyrim for the first time recently has rekindled that adoration. And also, how could I forget my own little dragon? ;)

Feel free to leave a comment or follow any way you please! (Twitter - Goodreads - RSS)

Teaser Tuesday (5): Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

My Teaser Tuesday for this week comes from Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans:

Both methods produce error messages. I'm going to have to go in the back way and code my own path, something I don't like to do because it reminds me too much of my own sins. 

-page 36

Goodreads - Amazon

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Teaser Tuesday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Read like the wind! or, Why My School Library Stinks, or I Get a Library Card, Part 1

There are ten floors, six of them with books: stacks and stacks of them. Within all of these stacks you would have assumed that there was something you could read.

When I first heard that there were ten floors worth of library to explore at my university, I was more than excited (obviously). I brought my own novels from home, sure, but I would have more than enough to read at school, right?

A herd of elusive wild animals...

Unfortunately... wrong. The past few weeks of my winter break I've been stuffing my face with as many library books as possible, from here that is, from libraries that recognize that reading is more than something you just do to outline an essay or write a paper. I've taken out more than 35 items, mostly books, in just a short two-week period. There's no way that I can finish them all, but I like variety.

I have no idea if other school libraries are like this. There's no way that I, lover of libraries since I had first learned to read, had picked the only school in the nation with a library without a single piece of fiction (or creative non-fiction) within those shelves... right?

I'm righting this wrong the only way that I know how: applying for a library card not just from another library, but THE other library. I'm talking about...

The New York Public library! At only about forty minutes away, by train, I figure that once a month I could get a couple of novels out of the library and scratch that itch. Trust me, I love keeping books of my own in my little wardrobe at school, but after a month or so that collection gets a little stagnant. 

Applying for a card was easy enough, there's a form on the website where you choose if you want a card mailed to you or you want to pick it up in person. Depending on which one you choose you go from there and BAM! You enter a state of pure, unadulterated literary bliss (that is, as soon as you validate it).

I've been meaning to visit the NYPL for the longest time and I'm glad that I can go as more than just a tourist when I finally stop by.  But my question is... Why does it have to be like this? I'm excited, sure, but why doesn't my school library at least have a small collection of fiction? There are no local public libraries within walking or shuttle distance (I know, I checked), and not all of the students have cars. There are plenty of clubs and sports to keep us busy, no to mention classwork, but I can't be the only student who's upset at the fact that we can't indulge in fiction every once and a while? I hope not.

For those that have attended college, was your library like this? What did you do about it?

Feature and Follow Friday (11)

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted over at Parajunkee and Allison Can Read. This week's question:

Q: What New Years Blogging or Writing resolution have you placed on yourself?

I'm going to try and be more honest in my blog posts. I don't think that I should be writing fluff just because everyone else is writing fluff, but instead that I need to work and find my own blogging voice this year. I feel that many book blogs that I follow have their own personalities, and I'm going to work hard this year to try and find mine! 

I'm also going to try and include more from my personal life. I want this blog to be more personal, and for my readers to get to know me more as a person rather than just a little blogging machine that churns out opinions on books every once and a while. I have other interests too, I swear!

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Feel free to leave a comment or follow any way you please! (Twitter - Goodreads - RSS)

Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Title: Prodigy (Legend #2)

Author: Marie Lu

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Publication Date: January 29th, 2013

Page #: 371 (in my ARC, 384 according to Goodreads)

ISBN: 0399256768

Acquired: ARC at New York Comic Con 2012
My review of the first book, Legend

Amazon, Goodreads, Author's Website

From Goodreads:

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.
It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?
In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

Prodigy starts off pretty much where Legend left off and continues from there. The book has a very quick pace to it, and pretty soon June and Day are thrown into a world of revolutionaries and social unrest. I really don't want to give away too much of the plot, but even though I was uncomfortable with the pacing at times I felt like everything fit just where it should have. The plot putted along at a good pace and never once did I feel like it was lagging, or that a scene that had been added was just fluff.

My favorite thing about the book was Lu's self-reflection on June and Day through her secondary characters. I agreed with the opinions that some of these secondary characters held and was glad to see that they were being addressed within the novel, that Lu looked at her work and said "This seems like this, does anyone else notice this?" That's very mature writing on her part, and I enjoyed that aspect. As for those secondary characters, we meet some old faces from the previous book who fit nicely into their new roles in Prodigy, along with some new ones that help to shape the personalities of and highlight the differences between June and Day further.

The lack of detail that we get of cities and daily life is a double-edged sword when it comes to dystopian fiction, or any kind of fiction, really. On one hand, a little more layout detail would have been nice. I had trouble picturing a few of the fight and flight scenes because I felt like there wasn’t enough detail to make an accurate mental picture. I often had to change that picture in my head as I went along.

On the other hand you don't want the characters telling you a whole lot about where they live because it's normal life for them, and normal life, no matter how unpleasant, isn’t something that you feel compelled to describe. I don't think that Lu should be criticized for not showing us every single chunk of concrete in every city of her novels, even though that's something that June could certainly share with us.

The ending was heartfelt, and not having another page to turn after that was difficult for me, but understandable. I thought that the book ended just fine, and so I'm a little surprised to read in Lu's FAQ that the series will be a trilogy. We only get a vague allusion as to what happens to several characters, one of my favorites among them, which was a little disappointing for me so I’m hoping that these characters will get some more solid endings. Where we go from here I really don't know, which makes the prospect of a third book all that more exciting.

If you've read Legend I would pick up Prodigy (and if you haven't read Legend, well, that's another thing all together). I loved getting a chance to peak at the next chapter in the world of the Republic, and I'm very interested to see what Marie Lu will bring us next!

Four Stars!

P.S. There are a TON of spoiler-y things that I would love to discuss with people who have read the book (or, heck, have read Legend with no intention of reading Prodigy), so if you want to chat email me at bravenewshelf[at]gmail[dot]com!

And before I forget, there was a little two-sided postcard tucked inside the ARC. Sorry about the harsh light spot in the center:

We've got Day and June advertising the Facebook game based on the series. I've yet to check it out, but I just might and review it later. Day looks a lot different than I pictured him, and towards the end of the book I adopted this as my mental image. I'm assuming June is wearing the military uniform, which I had originally pictured as black. Still, I think they both look awesome, it's always great to see what other people's depictions of characters look like. Thoughts?

Teaser Tuesday (4): Prodigy by Marie Lu

My Teaser Tuesday for this week comes from Prodigy by Marie Lu:

"Even Metias has trouble watching out for you. What chance did I have of keeping you safe?"

-page 105

Goodreads - Amazon

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Teaser Tuesdays is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Top Ten Tuesday (1): Books I Resolve to Read in 2013

Happy New Year everyone! One of my resolutions this year has been to cut back on my meme-going (I'm pretty sure they're a lot more fun to fill out than do, anyway) while sticking to just a few. One of those is Top Ten Tuesday, hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish, which I've always neglected because I can never think of ten books to fill the list!

Hopefully, then, doing this meme will drive me to read enough to fill out this list. Onward!

Ten Books I Resolve to Read in 2013

1. 1984 by George Orwell: The tippy-top of the dystopian literature pyramid that has somehow evaded me all this time. But now I have a copy sitting on my shelf, all reading and raring to go! What's a blog with a dystopian name without a review of 1984, after all?

2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth: It doesn't make sense that I was so blessed to get (and write a five-star review for) an ARC of Divergent, her first book, only to not read the second in the series! With the third and final book coming out soon I need to get on with it and read this baby!

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling: As much of a conversation starter "I have never read a Harry Potter book" is, it really is inexcusable at this point. All of my friends love the books, my mom finished all of the books, I even own a copy of the book, so this is the year to buckle down and read it!

4. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan: I loved reading the Percy Jackson series last year and I'm still making my way through The Red Pyramid, the first in his Kane Chronicles series, so it's only natural that I move onto his other books! I love Greek mythology so much, and Riordan's characters are always so fantastic and relatable, this is one that I can't wait to pick up.

5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness: Personally recommended to me and a wonderful dystopian novel that, for some reason, I've yet to sink my teeth into. I'm in the mood for something a little more somber and mature and this sounds like just the book to take me there.

6. After by Amy Efaw: I started this book two years ago during a break and never finished it. I like contemporary fiction that deals with tougher, grittier subjects (i.e. teen pregnancy and incarceration) and this book was so great I'm upset that I never picked it back up after it was due back at the library. Time to finish it!

7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: I had another huge push from my friends to read this and still haven't gotten around to it. The worst part is that I was spoiled for the ending, as usual, but that's still not a good excuse not to read it. Not to mention, it constantly comes up on lists of the best books of 2012, so now I really have no excuse.

8. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard: I'm not certain if this "counts," so to speak, because it isn't a young adult book, but I'm not going to turn it away simply because it doesn't "fit" in my blog. I've already read a bit of it and love the dark humor

9. Supergods by Grant Morrison: A non-fiction book by one of the most popular and prolific comic book writers, I've recently become really interested in how fiction reflects what's happening in the real world so this book sounds right up my alley.

10. Seven Soldiers of Victory, Book Two by Grant Morrison: I needed at least one comic book for my list :) I'm partially through the first book, a collection of the comic run, and figure that it's time to finish the series up. Hopefully this year will bring more comic book reviews so look forward to those!

What's your top ten for 2013?

Best Books in 2012: A Review

Another year has come and gone! My book amount definitely shot up in 2012: I read 34 books in 2011 and 55 this year! My goal this year was only 40, so I went above and beyond what I had planned. I call that a great success, and next year’s goal is going to be upped to 70 books :)

Just like last year, The Perpetual Page-Turner has released an end of the year survey for all of us book bloggers, so I might as well jump right into it:

1. Best Book You Read In 2012? (You can break it down by genre if you want)

Novel: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, or, I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Graphic Novel/ Comic book: Saga (volume #1), written by Brian K. Vaughan

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Probably The Difference Between You and Me by Madeline George. Oh well, you win some, you lose some, huh? The good thing about it is that it's another LGBTQ novel in the young adult market, which is always a plus in my book!

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?

Looking for Alaska by John Green. I don’t usually like contemporary fiction, nor do I usually cry at books, but this won was definitely a winner and a tear-jerker.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. It was so great I really couldn't gush more about it! I read all three books in the series about a month, which never happens to me, and it makes me sad that I didn't get into them sooner.

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?

Leviathan still takes the cake, but I've gushed enough about that. Y: The Last Man was a big winner too, and that was ten comic books in the span of a summer. They were all very much worth my time, and I’ll totally read them again.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?

Brian K. Vaughan, Scott Westerfeld, and John Green

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. My first book by both of these authors and a new foray into adult fiction, it was so worth it! This book is hilarious, so seriously, go read it.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?

A three-way tie between Legend by Marie Lu (dystopian? yes please!), The Maze Runner by James Dashner (I listened to the audiobook, but it still counts! And the mix of mystery and sci-fi was perfect), and I Hunt Killers (so scary I should have put it down but couldn't get myself to).

 9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:

Re-Read ALL of the Leviathan books!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney

11. Most memorable character in 2012?

Deryn/ Dylan Sharp (smart, quick-witted, hard-working) from the Leviathan series, who is probably one of my favorite characters of all time, or Sam from Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride (funny, caring, heart always in the right place), both were oh-so lovable!

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?

Looking for Alaska by John Green. There were so many memorable quotes, and the inclusion of the famous last words tied in perfectly with the theme. All of the characters were great and the ending was so perfect, I really can’t say anything bad about this book.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?

The Y: The Last Man series, which made me realize that I wanted something more in my dystopian novels. As sad as it sounds, I’d much rather my dystopian novels have sad endings than the romantic, feel-good ones that have been published recently, as a reminder for the reader to keep fighting for freedom no matter what. The Y: The Last Man series was amazing, and is really worth reading.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?

Either Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, which I had been sitting on for months before getting off my butt to go and read it, and the fact that it took me so long to read (really, listen to the audiobook) and then re-read The Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl #7) this summer disgusted me... And I'm still not through the eighth one...

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?

The "We are all going," quote, the last words of President William McKinley, was one of two lines in books I read this year that made me want to cry, even though I stopped myself from doing so because I was working and that would look strange, to just burst out sobbing while shelving children’s books. The other one was, "You need to find yourself a new hero," and the short spoiler-y exchange beforehand, From Death Bringer (Skulduggery Pleasant #6), but fewer people have read that one. It was especially powerful when paired with the context of the scene, so it sounds a little strange to those that aren't familiar with the books.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?

Shortest: Medea by Euripides. A school requirement, roughly 120 pages, probably less with endnotes and whatnot.

Longest: Death Bringer (Skulduggery Pleasant #6), clocking in at 603 pages, making it the longest book I've ever read (and also one of the quickest too, but that’s what one of your favorite series will do to you).

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

I wish I had somebody to talk about Death Bringer (and Kingdom of the Wicked when I finish it) with in person, but *sigh* that's the price for being an American fan in a series that only gained footing overseas... But trust me, when I find that person I will interrogate them mercilessly.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Jazz Dent and his father, Billy Dent, from I Hunt Killers. We meet Billy, a notorious serial killer, for only about a chapter but his deeds have affected Jazz so much that you really can’t ignore the relationship between the two of them unless you want to neglect the whole book.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously

Wow, looking over my list a lot of the books I read were from new authors... The ending to the Percy Jackson series was as fantastic as the beginning, which I read in late 2011, so I guess that counts? Barry Lyga’s books have been a love of mine ever since Boy Toy, so it’s no surprise that I fell for his writing all over again with I Hunt Killers.

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

My friends have been telling me to read John Green's books, but honestly I don't think I would have picked them up if not for finding the audiobook on my library's website, so... none? My bookish friends don't suggest books to me enough :(

Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?

I'll read the Harry Potter series. Someday. At one point. Before I die. I started it, so does that count?

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?

I'm not in the loop with upcoming books, so that will have to change next year! I think I'm going to just cruise through blogs and on Goodreads and Amazon and see what piques my interest and go from there! I'm always on the lookout for new dystopian books though, so that's a guarantee.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?

Ooh, I've got several!

a) Update my blog's look, try and clean it up a little bit more, and maybe learn enough coding/ website design to not rely solely on other people. Basically, put a little more effort into my appearance!

b) Read 70+ books next year. Take advantage of my breaks and the fact that I have only one class on M/W/F next semester!

c) Write more honest blog posts. Do not get caught up in the idea that every blog has to be the same to be successful. Keep writing what I want and need to write, rather than trying to mimic other styles.

2012 has definitely blown my mind book-wise, and hopefully I can get at least a few followers in the new year to fall for comic books and graphic novels as I have. Have a safe and happy new year everybody, and see you in 2013!