Favorite Books of 2012

This year I discovered my love for emotional roller coaster books. So if you don't like books that will make you cry you may not enjoy half the books on my list. These aren't necessarily books that came out this year, just books that I got to read this year. Out of the 75+ books I read here are my top 10 favorites.
Prepare for gushing...

(Just click on the title if you want to know more about the books)

10. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
I talked about it here a few posts back. It's a light yet meaningful book about being true to yourself and not being afraid to be who you are. And of course it has some romance. Lola's a unique character that didn't remind me of every other ho-hum female heroine. I met Stephanie Perkins at the Yall Fest in Charleston last month and it made me love her books even more! With her spunky red hair and fun style it's hard not to fall in love with her.

9. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
This one kind of snuck up on me this year. I didn't hear too much about it, but enough to know I would enjoy it and I really really did! I also mentioned this one in the post a few months back here. It's a well written dystopian romance with relateable characters and that's not always easy to do with a YA sci-fi novel. It's the first in a series. The 2nd book comes out in January and you best believe I'll pick getting my copy the day it comes out.

8. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
It's the 2nd book in the prequel series to the Mortal Instruments. If you haven't started THAT series...now's the time to start. With a little different feel than the modern day Mortal Instruments, the Clockwork series is set in the 1800's. The books draws you in with every detail in the world Cassandra created. Every word opens up a new avenue to her world and it's hard not to get sucked in. And of course, frustrating love triangle involved(where you can't help but love both of the guys. that never happens to me!) What's a YA series without one?

7. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Yes. Cassandra is so awesome she takes two spots on the list. As I previously mentioned above...the Mortal Instruments series...this is the 5th book. I don't care if the premise doesn't sound appealing or that the covers may not appeal to you. (I wouldn't have picked up the first book if it wasn't given to me for a long car ride to utah). Just pick up City of Bones(book 1) and let her world take over. I promise you won't regret it. Okay so I can't promise that to everyone, but out of the 10 people that I've convinced to read it, so far only one has not liked it. 9 out of 10. Good odds in my humble opinion.

6. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
This was a heartstring puller. I dedicated a post to Melina several months back here where I gushed and gushed about her books. She easily became one of my favorite authors with my number one favorite book this year, but that little nugget won't be shared until last. She creates these in depth characters that weave themselves into your life and become your best friends while you are reading because of their realness(doubt that's even a word). Francesca is humorous and endearing. You cry alongside her. You get angry alongside her. You laugh alongside her. You fall in love alongside her. I once read a review that said something like, if she wrote a 500 page book about toilet paper I'd probably devour every last word. Because that's just the kind of writer Melina is.

5. Slammed/Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
I'm coupling these two books because they go hand in hand and because it's my blog and whatever I say goes. I love my own little world. I should mention this is another one of those heartstring pullers. Again, these are a couple of books I mentioned previously. They are contemporary romances about love and loss and you feel every bit of that love and loss with the characters in these unique reads. I devoured Slammed and bought Point of Retreat immediately after I finished Slammed(Literally. I went on amazon and clicked the button to upload it to my tablet. It's so dangerous). The duo is a little more on the PG-13 side, probably not meant for those of you younger readers.

4. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
I just blogged about it here so I'll try not to repeat myself. The best way to describe this book in one word is raw. I was consumed by the book from the first paragraph:  
I hate my left hand. I hate to look at it. I hate it when it stutters and trembles and reminds me that my identity is gone. But I look at it anyway; because it also reminds me that I'm going to find the boy who took everything from me. I'm going to kill the boy who killed me, and when I kill him, I'm going to do it with my left hand.
I think I love this book so much because I didn't know what to expect and I've never read anything like it before. I loved that it made me feel so many emotions that I had a book hangover by the end and there was no way I could even think to pick up another book. It deserved to be absorbed and appreciated. Another on the PG-13 side.

3. Delirium/Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
I'm cheating again because technically we can claim them as one since they belong to the same series. This was another series I had not anticipated to love as much as I do. Blogged about it before. After reading Delirium it shot right up to the top of my list of favorite sci-fi/fantasy series. Lauren Oliver is amazing. She somehow brought a fictional dystopian world to life and made it real. She wrote love without making it cheesy. She wrote detail without overdoing it. And once you finish Delirium make sure you have Pandemonium on hand because you'll want it. You'll be screaming for it. Otherwise you may just throw Delirium at the wall because it leaves you HANGING. And while lots of sequels are not as good as the first or may seem like just a filler, those are the complete opposite of what Pandemonium is. They both rocked my world. And beware...both books leave you wanting more in the end.

2. The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Can I get a standing ovation for John Green? By now everyone must know how much I love this book. I blog about it. I facebook it. I instragram it. I pinterest it. It has so much to offer. Endearing characters. A sweet love story. Meaningful quotes. Heartache. Humor and wit. John Green is really kind of genius. I can't say anything more about this book because I feel like I've said it all. It must be read. Even if you aren't a reader. Go buy yourself a dang copy and grab a box of Kleenex because they go hand-in-hand. But the tears are so worth. This book somehow warms my heart while it breaks.

1. On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
HEARTSTRING PULLER OF ALL TIME. You've seen me rave about it before. It's unputdownable. Yup. That's what I said. I can't. I can't describe to you how much I love this book. I read it in January and it has stuck with me ever since. It is my favorite book of all time. ALL TIME I tell you! I go on and on about it so much people probably read it and think, Meh. C'mon, Mindy. It wasn't that good. No. Actually, I don't think that's possible. I don't know how anyone could read and not like this book. From the way it's incredibly written, to the unforgettable story, to the raw characters that make you want to crawl into the book to hug them or kiss them or both...I heart this book so much.

*steps down off soapbox and exhales(maybe with a couple tears in the eyes)*