Books of 2012

Unfortunately, having a new babies isn't as conductive to laying around reading as one would like. Looking at the list all laid out it's about half of what I typically read in a year. Not nearly as much as I wanted/needed.

But without further ado here is my measly 2012 list (highlighted are a couple of my favs):

1. Silence
2.  Anna Dressed in Blood
3. Crossed
4. The Name of the Star
5. Delirium
6. The Eternal Kiss
7. The Truth about Forever
8. An Abundance of Katherines
9. Peeled
10.  Chime
11. Pandemonium
12. The Scorpio Races
13. Variant
14. City of Lost Souls
15. The Great Gatsby
16. The Golden Lily
17. The Raven Boys
18. Magic Study
19. Girl of Nightmares
20. How Georgia Became O'Keeffe
21. Black Heart
22. A Discovery of Witches
23. The Fault in Our Stars (this one deserves its own blog post)
24. The Night Circus
25. The Maze Runner
26. The Scorch Trials
27. The Hero of Ages
28. Desires of the Dead
29. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
30. The Guerrilla Girls': A History of Western Art
31. I Am Number Four
32. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Tell me friends, what were some of your favorites of 2012?
Any that you are looking forward to in 2013?

P.S. Book lists from 2011 & 2010

REVIEW: Breaking Dawn Part 2

I know, how could I have waited so long to post about the crazy, mad night for Breaking Dawn Part 2. My only excuse is the craziness of life, problems with the blog, & also not having any idea of what to say about it. I guess to sum it up I'll say: I loved it & hated it.

And that pretty much sums up how I've felt about all of the movies. I mean, for reals, there is nothing, I say NOTHING is like sitting with a theater full of like-minded individuals ready to cheer, chant, scream, and boo where it is needed. And it was needed.

 Without giving anything away because, people, seeing this movie is like a one-way ticket to crazy-town I'll say it was my least favorite book and while this movie is in fact significantly better than the book (thank goodness for some action and less heavy handedness) it was probably my least favorite movie. But it was good too, you know? I couldn't explain it to Scott either, but I think some of you know what I mean. And the montage at the end left me teary, so I suppose that means a lot too.

 And I though I was up to my eyeballs in stress & drink stirrers I had a blast with our giveaways, matching shirts, laughing, eating popcorn and having a blast with my friends! It's sad that these days of renting out a theater & making matching shirts for Twilight themed events is over but I will have some fabulous memories. Thank you to Esther, my partner in theater-renting-crime!


And let's be honest the fact that we have 3 fantastic book to big screen adaptations coming next year makes up for it: The Host, City of Bones, & Catching Fire.

Perhaps shirts for those events? Anyone? Anyone?

Past Twilight movie premires: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, & Breaking Dawn Part 1, Twilight movie release party, New Moon DVD release party, Borders before the movie comes out "discussion night", LBG Twilight DVD watching party night,
Past Twilight book fun: That time I met Stephanie Meyers & An LBG bookgroup about Breaking Dawn,

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 AND because I love you guys endlessly for A) reading my ramblings and B) being awesome I'm  giving away one of our one-of-a-kind totally awesome J. Jenks shirts with some other awesome Twilight themed goodies.

Leave a comment sharing your all-time favorite Twilight moment- movie or book and you'll be entered in to win this awesomeness (make sure I have a way of contacting you too) I'll leave it open for until Saturday the 8th at midnight!

Meeting Maggie Stievfater

The first book I read from Maggie Stievfater was Shiver when it first came out. It was poetic, fast paced, but slow in all the right spots, & it had a really different sort of male lead (read: sensitive, emotional, artsy, kindhearted) than a lot of books I had read recently (even though my heart still belongs to the damaged boy with a heart-of-gold shtick). 

Since then I finished that series , read the amazing book The Scorpio Races about "water horses" (& by the cover or the back blurb I would have never read without a good recommendation) & I am so glad I did. And then most recently, The Raven Boys (& you can read my love for it on my post here). Every single one of her books is really different from each other. You would think a different author HAD to have written them. So, they may not ALL be for you. I know a lot of didn't fancy Shiver but loved Scorpio Races, etc. But you will likely enjoy one of her books.

So, when I found out that she was coming to SLC I new I had to be there. And, boy, I was not disappointed. She was hilarious, kind, humble but not too humble, & so down-to-earth. I hope it's not a rule that all authors must be able to preform so aptly in front of people or be so witty/charming or I'm screwed.

Get thee forth, friends & read some of her books. Like I said, each book is really different so there is something for everyone & they are all astounding in their own ways.

Has anyone read any of her books? 
Which ones did you love or not so much love?

Friday Fiction Fiend #9- Meet my Favorite Audiobooks

Until I met Scott I had never listened to audiobooks. Thank goodness for that devilishly handsome fellow introducing me to them. Without audiobooks, I don't think my house would get clean. Or you know livable.

The first audiobook I listened to with him was Harry Potter &, I'll be honest, there aren't many audiobooks that can live up to the fantastic-ness that is Jim Dale's reading of these books, but as I've enjoyed more & more, there are some that come close.

So, whether you are a seasoned audiobook listener or a novice here are a couple of my favorites (and let's also enjoy a couple cute old school pictures of Miss Sydney):

1. Harry Potter-

I know, I know, everyone knows Harry Potter rocks (we are diehard fans). But I'm surprised by how many people I've talked to that have never heard the audiobooks. They are FANTASTIC, hands down the best I've heard. The reader Jim Dale has every voice down to perfection. His timing, his accent, his pauses. Amazing.

2. The Help -

There are four readers on this audiobook, reading each of the womens stories, & they are all such good actresses. The story itself is so well written and I really liked it but it took these readers to really bring the story to life.

3. Anna Dressed in Blood & Girl of Nightmares-

I love being scared, horror, & monsters. The "Anna Dressed in Blood series" has all these & more. I read the first one but I just finished listening to "Girl of Nightmares" & the reader has a perfect voice for Cas (the main character) & perfect timing to absolutely freak the pants off you. You'll sleep with the lights on after this.

4. Austenland-

I've been meaning to blog about how much I loved this book (soon to be a movie) by Shannon Hale (one of my very favorite local authors). It's about a woman obsessed with Mr. Darcy her visit to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women. The writing is so funny, but there is just something about the reader that makes it laugh-out-loud hilarious.

5. Bossypants-

Okay guys, this is the funniest audiobook I have ever listened to. Ever. It's written and read by Tina Fey (who I love) & it is inspiring and hilarious and a breath of fresh air. It also has a fair bit of launguage & is therefore maybe not for everyone but I was actually sad when I was done listening to it.

There are all sorts of ways to get some great audiobooks (our library has a ton, bookstores are betting a way bigger selection, & there are lots of online sites), but one of my new favorites is AudioGo. They have fast downloads or CDs at great prices.

Get thee forth & enjoy some audiobooks. 
Anybody out there have some favorites?