My Top Ten of 2009

It took me forever to narrow this list down to ten! In order to make it easier, I only included books published in 2009. If I were to include books I read in 2009 that were published earlier, my top three would be Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, Paper Towns by John Green, and Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Here were my top reads of 2009:

Honorable Mentions: Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz Logsted-a beautiful fairy tale re-telling that gave me warm fuzzies, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler-a heart wrenching tale of loss and love that made me cry, and Blue Moon by Alyson Noel-a book that surprised me the entire way through

10. Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford-This book is laugh out loud hysterically funny and it's a great go-to book for guys and girls who enjoy humor. I've recommended this one and have heard back rave reviews from everyone who reads it. The audiobook is also wonderful and worth checking out. My Review

9. Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern-It's great to see some nerd love in YA, especially with main characters instead of the nerdy best friend. This one has a sweet nerdy romance, a girl sticking up for herself and learning to be strong, and it made me want to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons. My Review

8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman-This book had me crying, laughing and feeling sad yet hopeful all at the same time. I loved it and thought it was perfectly written-this is a gem in YA lit and I hope more great things are to come for this book. (It's my pick for a Printz winner or honor book this year) My Review

7. Something Maybe by Elizabeth Scott-This book was perfect-wonderful characters, a swoon-worthy romance without any paranormal aspects, a somewhat dysfunctional but making it work family, and writing I fell in love with. Elizabeth Scott can write no wrong in my opinion and this book proved that-and pulled me out of a reading slump and left me smiling. My Review

6. Charles and Emma by Deborah: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman-I really am not a non-fiction fan or biography fan, but this was a book that I looked forward to reading. The story came to life and I found it to be an interesting look at Charles Darwin-I learned a lot! (review to come)

5. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev-The perfect blend of fantasy, romance, theater and magic. This book pulled me in and didn't let me go until I was finished. I can't wait to return to Bertie's world-and if it were up to me, she'd pick Nate. My Review

4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater-If I'm going to read paranormal romance, I want it to be like this. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is lyrical and this story was so touching and romantic and I'm in awe of her talent. It's beautifully written and the ending had me gasping and wanting more. My Review

3. Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor-To borrow words from my review, dark, dangerous and delicious. Three amazing stories told in a beautiful lyrical voice. This is a book that left me wanting to gush over it to everyone I knew. This book deserves many many shiny stickers on it. (It's another of my Printz picks for this year) My Review

2. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams-I stayed up late reading this one and this book stayed with me long after I finished it. It's a powerful story and one that needs to be read. If you get a chance, pick this one up-you won't be disappointed. My Review

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins-Yeah, it's everyone else's favorite too and so many people have sung it's praises I never even posted my review for it. But I thought it was an amazing sequel that was full of surprises and proved that Suzanne Collins is amazing and a genius. (And for the record, I'm totally Team Peeta!)

So those are my top ten reads of 2009. I could have made this list much longer! Here's to another great top ten in 2010!