What I Read in 2011

Sorry for my massive blogging fail :) I honestly haven't felt any desire to blog, so I haven't been. I'm still not sure if I'm going to continue this blog in 2012 at all. I'm generally much more active on Twitter and Tumblr than here . . . Hopefully I'll figure that out soon haha.

So, with that out of the way. Before everything happened and my life became VERY HECTIC, I was planning on doing a blog series during the last week of 2011 with new year's resolutions, and lists of what I read in 2011, what my favorite books were, and which books I'm most looking forward to in 2012. But I procrastinated too much (not at all surprising), so instead I'm going to do one big post with a list of all the books I read and bold the ones I absolutely loved. (The highlighted titles are 2011 Debuts).

Without further rambling: I present the list of all the books I read this year (Includes only books I read for the first time. This includes no re-reads. If it did, it would be like 3 times longer haha).

1. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
2. 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes #1) by Maureen Johnson
3. Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
4. XVI by Julia Karr
5. Pop Princess by Rachel Cohn (from library)
6. Feed by M.T. Anderson
7. If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Foreman
8. Secrets of my Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita
9. On Location (Secrets of my Hollywood Life #2) by Jen Calonita
10. Family Affairs (Secrets of my Hollywood Life #3) by Jen Calonita
11. Paparazzi Princess (Secrets of my Hollywood Life #4) by Jen Calonita
12. Broadway Lights (Secrets of my Hollywood Life #5) by Jen Calonita
13. Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning (from library)
14. Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis
15. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (for English class)
16. Jinx by Meg Cabot (from Library)
17. Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker #1) by Paulo Bacipalupi
18. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
19. Going Bovine by Libba Bray  
20. The Duff by Kody Keplinger
21. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (For European History class)
22. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (for English class)
23. Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver
24. A Tale of Two Pretties (the Clique series #14) by Lisi Harrison
25. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
26. Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton
27. There’s No Place Like Home (Secrets of my Hollywood Life #6) by Jen Calonita
28. Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian (for European History class)
29. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
30. Sapphique (Incarceron #2) by Catherine Fisher
31. The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
32. Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins
33. Clarity (Clarity #1) by Kim Harrington
34. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (for English class)
35. Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Anthology!)
36. Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano
37. The Dark and Hollow Places (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3) by Carrie Ryan
38. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
39. City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare
40. Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman
41. Red Glove (The Curseworkers #2) by Holly Black
42. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
43. Invincible Summer by Hannah Moscowitz
44. The Last Little Blue Envelope (Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes #2) by Maureen Johnson
45. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
46. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
47. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leviathan
48. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
49. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
50. Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth
51. Illusions (Wings #3) by Aprilynne Pike
52. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
53. Shine by Lauren Myracle
54. To Kll A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (for English class)
55. Take Me There by Carolee Dean (borrowed fom Shaelyn)
56. But I Love Him by Amanda Grace (aka Manday Hubbard)
57. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
58. How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbelestier
59. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
60. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (for European history class)
61. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (for English class)
62. Blood Red Road (The Dustlands Trilogy #1) by Moira Young
63. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
64. Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2) by Ally Carter
65. Trial by Fire (Raised by Wolves #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
66. The Demon’s Surrender (The Demon’s Lexicon #3) by Sarah Rees Brennan
67. Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
68. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
69. Hourglass (Hourglass #1) by Myra McEntire
70. One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
71. Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
72. That Was Then, This Is Now by S. E. Hinton (borrowed from Martha)
73. Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
74. That Summer by Sarah Dessen
75. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
76. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
77. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
78. Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer
79. Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2) by Kiersten White
80. Friend is Not a Verb by Daniel Ehrenhaft
81. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
82. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
83. Jane by April Linder
84. Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
85. Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles
86. John Adams by David McCullough (for AP American History)
87. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (#1) by Ransom Riggs
88. Original Sin (Personal Demons #2) by Lisa Desrochers
89. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Calletti
90. The Day Before by Lisa Shroeder
91. Sweetly (Sisters Red #2) by Jackson Pearce
92. Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
93. Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
94. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
95. Goliath (Leviathan Trilogy #3) by Scott Westerfeld
96. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (for AP English class)
97. The Name of the Star (The Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson
98. Daughter of Smoke and Bone (#1) by Laini Taylor
99. Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2) by Stephenie Perkins
100. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin
101. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (borrowed from Steven)
102. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
103. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
104. The Girl of Fire and Thorns (#1) by Rae Carson
105. The Death Cure (The Maze Runner #3) by James Dashner
106. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
107. Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare
108. Crossed (Matched Trilogy #2) by Ally Condie
109. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (for AP English class)
110. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
111. The Girl Who Was On Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy edited by Leah Wilson (anthology)
112. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick (for AP American History class)
113. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
114. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell (borrowed from Steven)
115. Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu
116. The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War by Micheal Shaara (for AP American History)
117. And Then Things Fall Apart (eBook) by Arlaina Tibensky
118. Every Other Day (eBook) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
119. Don’t Let Me Go (eBook) by J. H. Trumble

I challenged myself to read 150 new books this year. I came close(ish?) but didn't quite make that goal. Also, I want to say that I tried to be really harsh about which books I bolded. I liked most of the books I read this year, and reallllyyy liked many of them. I would never be comfortable bashing a book I didn't like all over the internet, but I will say that I read a few books this year (some that other people RAVED about) that I extremely disliked. But that's just my taste, and I'm not naming names :) 

If you notice any mistakes (a book that isn't marked as a debut and should be, or vice versa, etc.) let me know :) 

If you made a Favorite Books of 2011 post, or agree/disagree with mine, let me know!!

Happy Reading and Happy New Year!

- Nicole 

Finding Inspiration in the Classics

I'm one of those weirdos who loves most of the books I read in English class. With some exceptions, of course, as crappy books have been written since the dawn of time, but the vast majority of books I come to love or at the very least appreciate. I think it's important as a writer and also a reader to do what other people can't or won't do: find value in all books. Even the ones that are difficult. Even the ones you have to write essays on for a grade :) I'm a fan of saying that the only people who don't like the classics are the ones who haven't taken the time to understand them.

My English class just started reading The Great Gatsby which is SO SO EXCITING, especially since I'm an uber-nerdfighter and have been dying to read it ever since seeing John Green's excellent videos on the book (see them HERE and HERE. They do contain some spoilers). (Also: anything that John Green loves I'm more than willing to give a fair shot). I've only read the first chapter and I already love it so much. I actually like that I saw the videos beforehand because I'm finding more depth in it that way and I can see the value in the book now, whereas it usually doesn't hit me until I'm done with an English-class book. I've been struggling with my writing lately, but some of these awesome quotes just from the first chapter inspired me, and maybe they'll inspire you too:

"No - Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men" (pg 2).

"Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, unobtrusively and with a bantering inconsequence that was never quite chatter, that was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire" (pg 12).

"I was not alone - fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor's mansion and was standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars" (pg 20).

(I underlined my favorite parts). Wow. The guy sure did know how to put words together.

How to do feel about the classics??

THE MOST EXCITING THING EVER

I apologize in advance if my blogging quantity or quality decreases in the coming week or so, but my life (SCHOOL) is hellish. Very.

I just had to do a quick post today to say that OMG OMG I WON A CONTEST :D And not just ANY contest. I won an ARC of CLOCKWORK PRINCE BY CASSANDRA CLARE. Yup. I am freaking out with insane joy. Not many ARCs at all were made, so that makes it even cooler. And Cassie Clare is one of my favorite writers ever so this is SO COOL. (I won it from the Goodreads contest, if you were wondering). Gah. So excited to get it. Receiving that email was definitely the highlight of my day. Probably my week...

- Nicole

Recommended Writing Books

I'm actually working on and loving my WIP these days, so that's REALLY GOOD. Some of my sudden inspiration/work ethic has definitely come from the awesome book on writing I'm currently reading. When I realized a year or two ago that writing books was something I really wanted to do, the first thing I did was pick up a book on the subject.Today I'm going to share my favorite books (so far) on the subject.

The first writing book I ever got was The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing a Novel. Certain parts of it are a tad outdated (some of the things about publishing) but the vast majorirty of it is totally relevant. It was the perfect book for me as a beginner and I'd definitely recommend it for a good overview. In each chapter there are helpful writing exercise blurbs and quotes from writers that are funny/helpful/inspiring. I've reread it multiple times and my copy is filled with highlighting and pen marks,etc. For a few months after I bought it I just toted it around with me everywhere. I'm odd, what can I say.

The second book on writing I ever read was Stephen King's aptly named On Writing, a semi-biographical writing guide that is funny and personal and very helpful and engaging. I bought it just because lots of writers raved about it, and they were right!

I'm currently reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott which is SUCH AN EXCELLENT BOOK. There isn't much that I didn't already know or know of (believe me, I've read A LOT about writing. My pile of printed out blog articles on the subject weighs roughly 200 pounds), but this book is very quotable, very interesting, and offers a wonderful perspective that's really made me want to write. I think I may like it even better than the two aforementioned books.

Two other books on writing I bought online came in the mail today! They are The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King. I obviously haven't read either of these yet, but I'll let you know what I think!

Happy writing!

- Nicole