Happy New Year everyone!  I hope everybody had as fantastic a year as Holly and I did this year!  While she hasn't had time to review as much, my adorable nephew Beckham is an excuse I will gladly accept, though I certainly miss receiving so many of her reviews and recommendations!


As for me,  I've found a whole new genre (or two) of books that I'm obsessed with this year, as I moved into home ownership, and having a place of my very own to decorate.  As a renter, I never got the nesting urge I have now, because it's only temporary (though I lived in mine for 5 years).  I wanted it to look nice, but I never felt the need to leave my mark on it.  Now?  I can't go to Lowes without picking several must have books (eye roll here).  I treated myself to these 4 recently as a pre-Christmas present.  Love love love the cottage style book and the common sense storage is uber helpful (moving into a stacked townhouse does mean I have much more space than I did in my apartment, but there is still finite space).

I hate doing negative reviews, but there were some books this year that I just tried and tried to love, but I couldn't do it.  I had to put them to the aside without even seeing our fight through.  It's not them, it's me.  I just didn't have the energy to give them my all. It's a shame, but maybe somebody read them and will tell me to ride it out, and I'll feel that the end result justified the means??



I also just went on a Barnes & Noble spree to welcome in the New Year, and picked up some of my much coveted wants this year to ring in 2012 with.  I was supposed to leave them be and work on the galleys I've received that need to be reviewed still (I know! I know!- but I just received A Partial History and Cinder, and I've only had Carry the One and Arcadia for about three weeks!).  Sadly, I couldn't wait to tear in to my BN swag, and I've already devoured Between, Drink Slay Love, and Until There Was You.  I had to grab Duff and Shut Out thanks to Jenny at Supernatural Snark, after having adored Catching Jordan.  I'm also super excited for Struck because - well, look at the cover.  I wish I needed an umbrella to shield myself from hearts falling all around me!


 Some of my favorite books of the year are to the right of this very sentence.  I tried to choose one from each genre, but I couldn't.  So, if you want a funny book that will probably have you guffawing embarrassingly loudly, do yourself a favor and grab Mindy Kaling's first book.  Just do it - I won't make you any promises or try to bribe you because it will surpass any recommendation I can give you.  She's that funny.
Hot men and demons more your thing?  Grab the first two of Darynda Jones Grim Reaper Charley series (hint:  not the real name of the series), First Grave on the Right and Second Grave on the Left.  I'm 98% sure Third Grave Straight Ahead is being released in mid January and not a moment too soon.  Seriously, I can't get enough of any.single.character.  Not one.  The plots and subplots are awesome, the humor is on point, the dialogue is sharp, witty and hilarious (no I don't think this is redundant), and the romance is pretty much guaranteed to up the heat in your own room while reading (but not in a smutty way).
The Best of the Rest - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Hourglass (the sequels should be worth the wait, but do not want the wait.) Catching Jordan and Anna and the French Kiss.  So good.


I tried a new (sort of) genre recently too, because the book has caught my eye several times at Target, and though I've never read anything of hers, the author has that name recognition cache going for her.  I'm not sure if I'll review the book, because it was enjoyable enough, and I did really like it, but I just don't know.  The book was I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg.

That's enough gibberish from me for now, wishing all of you nothing but great reads, and only the best of everything in 2012!