December 18: Top Ten Books I Read In 2012

This weekly feature was created by the gals over at The Broke and the Bookish. Click here to see upcoming topics! This week is the top ten books read in 2012 and it was certainly a challenge to choose ONLY ten. I scoured my blog and my goodreads and my library checkouts and came up with these. Although not all of these received five stars, they stayed with me a lot longer. Being memorable is one of the most important things for the books I end up re-reading and consequently recommending long after my reader high.

In no particular order, these are my top ten:

1. Burning Blue by Paul Griffin: There will be a review here sometime soon for this one, but I've just got to say that it surpassed all my expectations. The characters where heartbreakingly real, and the psychological aspects explored in this novel were so much more in depth than I would expect from a YA novel. The writing was great, and the villain was someone that I couldn't have foreseen. Suspenseful and action-packed.

2. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith: It is under 24 hours that two people meeting under less than desirable circumstances find the answer a whole lot of their individual problems. I can't express how believable the romance is in this story. Skeptics of first love will also be convinced that the relationship between Hadley and Oliver is based on a whole lot more than just looks. You can check out my review for PBR here.

3. Mad Science Institute by Sechin Tower: Guess what? This book is from a small publisher and although I had my prejudices when I started it, Mad Science Institute is a book that I will re-read. The main character is absolute hilarious! And the comic-book villain is loads of fun. A definitely unique cast of characters and compelling storyline got this one on my top ten. My review here.

4. Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran: This is probably the longest book I read this year at a hefty 446 pages. But every single one of those pages was compelling and full of soooooooo much information. I had to take frequent breaks just to absorb the events surrounding it, but this overload was effective in getting a response of distress out of me as I imagined what our main character was going through. It spans a huge period of time, but gives the reader a wonderful story and accurate information on the French Revolution at the same time.

5. all these things i've done by Gabrielle Zevine: If I absolutely had to choose a favorite of the year, this one would probably be it. Words are lacking to describe how I feel about this book. Although it wasn't as...criminally as would have been expected, the story was still superb. My review.

6. Fracture by Megan Miranda: Something about this book just got to me. The characters aren't always good people and the story itself isn't something uber spectacular. But the way the writing managed to weave magic and reality into something almost seamless was astounding. It was just one of those books that you don't know why you loved it so much.

7. Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier: Usually I am extremely wary of anything sounding like epic fantasy, mostly after trying, trying and failing to get through the 2nd book in the Inheritance Cycle. But this! Up my alley. Imaginative and action-packed, I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel. Review here.

8. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver: I actually read Delirium over the summer...but it just didn't live up to the hype. Lena seemed more like a twelve-year-old than anything with all the clingy-ness and pity-partying and just general whining. But I liked the story and I liked the writing, so I had to read on. And let me tell you that Lena grows up for this one. Her new-found strength made this book ten times better. There was also another great storyline with lots of fights and surviving and such. Although the romance less than convinced me, that ending was akdjskdjkds!!! High hopes for the next one!

9. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa: Published in 2010, this series blew up the blogosphere, but I am always wary of things that sound too good to be true. When I crossed paths with this book at my  library, I decided to see if it was worth the praise. And yes. Yes it is. There are no typical characters in this novel. All of them are different from what I expected and although they at first seem to fit a mold, as I progressed through the story, they revealed their gray areas. I've yet to pick up the other books in the series, but I promise to do so eventually! Review here.

10. Just One Wish by Janette Rallison: It is melodramatic. Sad, but moving. Family loyalty is a very strong theme in this book and although meeting a hot actor seems way out there, the writing will make you believe it possible. Wonderful book.