YA Superlatives Blogfest Winners

January 30, 2014January 29, 20146 Comments

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who participated in 2013’s YA Superlatives Blogfest. My To-Read list has grown by leaps and bounds because of all of you! Jessica , Tracey , Alison , and I had so much fun reading posts, commenting, and meeting new bloggers. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Superlatives Blogfest. 🙂

As promised, we have randomly selected four bloggers (from those who posted superlatives lists on all four days of the blogfest) to win a 2013 book of their choice. Those lucky winners are…

Rachel (Beauty and the Bookshelf )
Rebekah Faubion
Sophia L
Stephanie Allen

Winners, please email the title of the 2013 book you would like, as well as your mailing address, to katy(dot)upperman@live(dot)com. We’ll have your book in the mail as soon as possible. Congratulations!

What’s Up Wednesday

January 29, 2014January 28, 201447 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to.And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: Over the weekend I read Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn, which isn’t a book I normally would have picked up because there’s much talk of wolves in the summary. But it is so, so good, guys. The plotting — WOW. And the writing… it’s beautiful. The entire story is visceral and haunting, one of those where you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s not. The other day it was named the William C. Morris YA Debut Award winner– well deserved! I highly recommend it. (Also, can we talk about Stephanie’s next release, Complicit? It’s one of my most anticipated 2014 books!). Now, I’m reading Leap of Faith by Jamie Blair, which came highly recommended by Tracey Neithercott, a book bestie who has yet to fail me. I’ve only just started, but so far it’s lovely.

What I’m Writing: I’ve been making great strides in my revision. Funny how after several weeks away it is VERY easy to see what’s awesome and what’s embarrassingly cheesy and needs to go. I’ve also made some important decisions regarding my characters’ motivations and the challenges I need to present them with, so I think I’m moving in the right direction. Guess what else I wrote this week? A RESUME! Which was really challenging, considering I haven’t worked outside my home in seven years. Big thanks to my husband for all his help!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Mostly, I’ve been trying to remain motivated and in my revision zone. I’ve been also spending tons of time with my husband and my girl. We’ve been watching a lot of Modern Family, a show we’ve only recently discovered. As a rule, I hate sitcoms, but this one is laugh-out-loud funny (I love Phil so much!), plus it’s full of heartfelt moments that aren’t totally gag-inducing. Cam cracks my girl up, which in turn cracks my husband and me up.

My daughter has been studying landforms at school and had a take-home volcano project to complete last week. She had a blast (see what I did there?) mixing and molding and painting, and was thrilled when the chemical reaction actually worked. Watching your child get excited about learning is hands-down one of the best parts of parenting.

Sometimes I participate in Photo A Day challenges via Instagram. At the end of each day, Fat Mum Slim (aka Australian blogger Chantelle) chooses a “Fab Four” group out of thousands of entrants. Imagine my surprise when my photo of Daisy on the front porch (for the prompt “My Space”) was selected. It totally made my day to have my simple little image featured with three incredibly lovely photographs. Daisy was also flattered. ♥

We’ve been having a stretch of crappy weather (I’m not impressed with Florida so far) and my daughter’s school has been closed for the last two days. Yesterday we baked Homemade Yeast Bread together and it was so much fun. My girl learned how to knead dough, and then we ate warm bread with butter for a snack. Yum!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: I love author Erin Bowman‘s recent Pub(lishing) Crawl post entitled Making the Most of Social Networks as a Writer. It is everything you need to know about the various social media platforms available today, as well as advice for how to make the most of them as a writer. Definitely check it out. My WiP’s Pinterest board has also been inspiring me lately. Every time I get stuck, I turn to it for a creative boost, and it’s totally working.

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

Bookanista Rec :: WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE

January 23, 2014January 23, 201427 Comments

Today’s Bookanista recommendation is
When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens (2/4/14)

From Goodreads ~ First Daughter Audrey Rhodes is convinced that living in the White House is like being permanently grounded. Except with better security. What good is having your own bowling alley if you don’t have anyone to play with? After the Secret Service cancels the party she’d spent forever planning, Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless–until she discovers Alice Roosevelt’s hidden diary. Alice was a White House wild child, and her diary tells all about her outrageous turn-of-the-century exploits, like shocking State visitors with her pet snake and racking up speeding tickets in her runabout. Audrey starts asking herself: What Would Alice Do? The former First Daughter’s outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun . . . and get her into more trouble than she can handle!

I loved this book. Really and truly. It was fun to read from the perspective of past Pre-Teen Katy, and it was also an easy story to relate to as Adult Katy. It’s a coming-of-age story, one that reminds readers that teenagers are not hopeless and adults (even Very Important Adults) aren’t perfect. It’s so much more than the lighthearted shenanigans-in-the-White-House story I was expecting.

When Audrey Met Alice is two stories in one. It switches back and forth between First Daughter Audrey Rhodes present-day narration and former First Daughter Alice Roosevelt’s century-old diary entries. Author Rebecca Behrens does an incredible job of bouncing between the two distinct voices: Audrey’s inquisitive, finding-her-place teen voice (she uses the term unbearably adorkable!), and Alice’s more formal (and snarkier!) almost-a-lady voice. Alice’s narration, in particular, leaps off the page — so much so that I had to constantly remind myself that I wasn’t *actually* reading excerpts from her long-lost diary.

There are so many interesting details about life in the White House (past and present) in When Audrey Met Alice. Thanks to security issues and appearances and the media, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that life as First Kid isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Both Audrey and Alice exhibit feelings of uncertainty and annoyance, and both girls are faced with the pressures of growing up in the public eye and the frustrations of overprotective parents. Audrey and Alice both act out in ways that feel real and warranted, and often struck me as rather funny. I particularly love how Audrey turns to the diary when she feels exceptionally forlorn. The reverence she feels for untamable Alice is awesome. (As is the supersweet romantic subplot!)

Guys, this is a cool book. Unique in every way, and extraordinarily well-written. If you love upper middle-grade or know of a middle grader in need of fabulous reading material, please do pick up When Audrey Met Alice.

Don’t forget to check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to:

What’s Up Wednesday

January 22, 2014January 22, 201453 Comments

What I’m Reading: I finished These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner yesterday, and it was glorious. Not at all what I expected, especially since I’ve read in several different reviews that it’s like Titanic on a spaceship. Not much of the novel takes place on a spaceship, actually. In fact, almost all of it takes place on a strange alien planet, and the story is all about survival and acceptance and love, and there’s this chilling mystery running beneath everything else, and it’s just… awesome. Also, Tarver. ♥

What I’m Writing: I’m back to brainstorming ways to fix my manuscript — yay! No, really… that was a non-sarcastic yay. 🙂 I’m thrilled to be back with this story and these characters, and I’m so excited to mold this mess into something compelling and beautiful and tragic and unputdownable. Wish me luck!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Our house is finally completely unpacked. There are no boxes left in closets or in the garage, everything that’s supposed to be hung up is, in fact, hung up, and I’ve got some pretty stellar organization going on. These are the things that make me happy.

Our new town is what one might call… small. Our nearest “big city” is Destin. That’s where Target and PetSmart and Michaels and all of the chain restaurants and clothing stores are. Conveniently, that’s also where the beach is, and it is beautiful. We drove down the other day to officially adopt Daphne the kitty (!) and made a stop at the water to snap a few photos. It was freezing, but still lovely. Can’t wait until it’s warm enough to swim in the Gulf of Mexico!

Speaking of Daphne… She’s so weird. She’s the most dog-like cat around, which is probably why I like her so much. She hates to be alone, as evident by the fact that she sat on the edge of the tub and batted at suds for the duration of my bubble bath the other day. She’s definitely not one of those anti-social kitties that hides under the bed all day!

My mother-in-law has a pretty impressive dessert catalog, and this Texas Chocolate Cake is in one of my favorites of all the treats she makes. It’s, like, the best breakfast ever. And, it’s super easy as far as cakes go. I made this one in a 9×13 rather than a jelly roll pan and it turned out wonderfully.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Uh, THE SEAHAWKS! I grew up in Western Washington and come from a family of passionate Seahawks fans. My dad and my brothers worry over the team as if they own it, and my husband does his fair share of screaming/cheering/carrying-on every time they play. There’s talk of lucky hats and lucky seats and lucky beer on game days. Broadcasts are DVRed and picked apart later. It’s sort of nuts, but hard not to get caught up in. Washington’s not exactly known for exceptional professional sports teams, so excuse us if we get a little excited in the face of victory. Anyway. The Seahawks are NFC Champions and they’re going to the Super Bowl!

In related news, in case you missed all of the media coverage regarding Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman’s post game interview with Erin Andrews, let me give you the abbreviated version: he shouted about being the best, about going up against a mediocre player, and basically let tons of adrenaline fly into homes across America. To which I say: Who cares? He’s a grown man. He was crazy-pumped about a huge play, and a huge win. He’s clever, he’s a character, and he’s making a splash. But, across social media people have been calling him “ghetto.” People have referred to him as a “thug.” As “classless.” So what if he got caught up in the moment? So what if he grew up in Compton? So what if he’s a little cocky, louder than most, different than most? Against all odds, Richard Sherman graduated at the top of his high school class, then he graduated from Stanford, one of the most competitive universities in the country. He’s smart, he’s a talented athlete, and he’s a philanthropist. He’s a character, but he also has character. Learn more HERE, HERE, and (written by Sherman himself) HERE. Let’s stop generalizing people based on ten-second media soundbites, shall we?

In other inspiring news, the cover reveal of my friends Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie‘s co-authored debut Creed went live today. See it HERE (spoiler alert: it’s incredible!). Also, a post from The Seekers entitled 10 Reasons Our Heros Need Flaws. Awesome reminders! And, in keeping with my 2014 attempt at stoicism, less worrying, and more appreciation…

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

January 15, 2014January 15, 201451 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to.And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Rebecca Behren‘s middle grade debut When Audrey Met Alice and oh my goodness… It was SO GOOD. One of the best middle grade novels I’ve read. Cute, cute, cute, and it makes me want to read an Alice Roosevelt biography! I’ll rave about it more in next week’s Bookanista post. Up next? These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.

What I’m Writing: I’m taking a break from my revision to beta read my friend Liz Parker‘s incredible YA manuscript. It’s a unique blend of history and fantasy and romance and adventure, and I’m pretty much the worst beta reader ever because almost all of my comments consist of the words awesome and love and wow. I hope at least some of my feedback helps Liz! I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to read for her because I’m learning tons about pacing, characterization, and stakes from her story. After this, I’m back to applying what I learned to my own manuscript. 🙂

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Cheering the Seattle Seahawks on to a win, for starters. Over the weekend, my brother came from Jacksonville to watch the game with us, and we made an event out of it. Beer, pizza, and wings. Good stuff.

He doesn’t have kids and isn’t nearly the Disney freak my girl and I are, but he (sort of) held his own during Head Bandz. 🙂

I finally baked in my new kitchen! Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies… The recipe I linked calls for chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but I was fresh out of those, so I used Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips. They turned out great!

Daphne the kitty is fitting into the Upperman family quite nicely. She’s super playful and sweet, incredibly patient with her six-year-old master, and (mostly) tolerant of Daisy, who really just wants to scarf down her cat food. We’re technically fostering Daphne to make sure she’s a “good fit” for our household, but on Saturday we get to sign official adoption paperwork!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Writing-wise, a recent post from my savvy and witty agent Victoria Marini titled On ALMOST Making It. Similarly-themed, a post from brilliant author Courtney Summers about Closed Doors. On the artistic front, I continue to be inspired by an experience we had when we were in New Orleans a few weeks ago. We visited Gallery Burguieres, a French Quarter gallery owned and operated by artist Ally Burguieres. We were only there for a short while, but I left feeling absolutely inspired. Ally’s paintings are gorgeous — cheery and colorful and whimsical — and Ally was charming. She welcomed us into her gallery and answered all of our art-ignorant questions. She even let us pet her sweet pup. If I had thousands of dollars to drop on original art, I’d totally invest in Ally’s. As it is, we’re on a budget, but we did splurge on an Alice in Wonderland print for C’s bedroom. It looks adorable hanging on her wall!

{Original art by Ally Burguieres}

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

Bookanista Thursday

January 9, 2014January 15, 2014

Happy reading, friends!

What’s Up Wednesday

January 8, 2014January 8, 201447 Comments

What I’m Reading: Oh, gosh. I wish I’d had more time to read so far this month. December was a great reading month (I recapped HERE), but my book time in January has been pretty sporadic, what with all the unpacking and settling in. I did read Butter, by Erin Jade Lange, a book with a unique and compelling concept, and now I’m reading Rebecca Behren‘s middle grade debut When Audrey Met Alice, which is out next month and absolutely adorable. I’m also beta reading a fabulously unique manuscript by my friend Liz Parker. I see such greatness in this story’s future!

What I’m Writing: *sigh* I’ve had to put my WiP revision on hold over the past few weeks, but now that we’re happy in our new house and my girl’s back in school, I’m looking forward to diving back in and polishing this story until it’s shiny. I’m hoping to finish mid-February so I can send it out for feedback.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Traveling. Settling. Exploring our new town. Want to see pictures from the last few weeks?

My husband graduated with a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School mid-December. We left Monterey the same afternoon.

First stop: San Diego’s SeaWorld, where we visited Shamu and Santa.

An Arizona sunset and an unbelievably blue New Mexico sky.

New Mexico’s Carlsbad Cavern, which was much cooler than I’d expected.

Christmas Day in San Antonio, a town we absolutely loved. That said, what we saw of The Alamo was slightly underwhelming.

My favorite activity of all… Trail riding in Austin!

Our first visit to New Orleans. Even though it poured rain most of the day, I kind of loved this city. Also, the beignets… Yum!

We got to celebrate New Year’s Eve in our new house, though we were all exhausted after spending the day moving in.

Scenes from our new area. The beaches are indescribably gorgeous.

We adopted a new family member… Meet Daphne Upperman!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: I’m sort of late to the party on this incredible blog post, but 2013: A Learning Year: Managing Expectations by author Jessica Spotswood is too good not to share. It’s a must-read for published and pre-published writers alike. If you’ve yet to check it out, please do! Also, the Goodreads 2014 Debut Author Challenge (YA/MG/NA) list has me all kinds of inspired. It’s so fun to see the names and books of my writing friends officially on Goodreads. Be sure to peruse this list and add the debuts that interest you to your To-Read list!

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

On Goals (& My 2014 Word)

January 3, 2014January 3, 201458 Comments

Happiest of New Years to you, friends! Can I just say how relieved I am to see 2014? I’m incredibly excited about this new year, a clean slate, and a fresh start.

You see, 2013 was not such a great year for me. While I had some wonderful moments with friends and family, when I look back on the last twelve months the overall tone is one of stagnancy. I’m standing in pretty much the same place today as I was this time last year. I’ve not achieved much of anything. I’ve grown very little as a human. It’s depressing, if I think too hard about it.

Lately, I’ve taken a step back and really reflected on the last year, and I’ve come to realize this bleak feeling that I’ve accomplished nothing stems from the “goals” I set at the beginning of 2013.

(Here’s where I get personal and possibly overshare a bit…)

My “goals” for 2013 were to 1) Sell a book, and 2) Get pregnant.

Simple, right? I wrote a fantastic story. I have an awesome agent. I’ve put in YEARS of writing time. And hello… I’ve already had one child. How hard can it possibly be to have another? People get pregnant every day!

*sniffle*

First, let’s address the obvious problem with my 2013 goals…

THEY’RE “GOALS” THAT ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF MY HANDS.

I can’t control publishing or editors or the literary market. And I can’t control chemistry or fertility. I broke big and obvious goal-setting rules, and I set myself up for failure right out of the gate. Of course I’m disheartened now. Of course. But at least I see the flaws of my ways. At least I can make changes now. At least I can look forward to the brightness of the future, to 2014.

My (attainable) goals for this year…

Revise and polish the manuscript I wrote last year.
Get CP/beta/agent feedback on said manuscript.
Face future submissions with a smile and a shrug and a “work harder” attitude.
Be the best CP/beta I can be, and learn from my friends’ writing.
Approach fitness differently; nourish and strengthen my body instead of beating it up.
Cherish time with my family. Be present in the moment.
Worry less; take deep breaths.

And with those goals in mind, I’ve decided on my focus word for 2014…

STOICISM

It’s an idea my husband and I both want to work toward this year. Living stoically basically means that we’ll try not to stress about things we have no power over. We’ll try not to let our emotions control our actions. We’ll live ethically, and with clear heads. Instead of getting upset, we’ll adjust our expectations and try to make the best of things.

Already, we’ve been reminding each other… “This isn’t very stoic of you,” I told my husband the other day when he was irritated about a move-damaged piece of furniture. “You’ve gotta know adversity,” he noted when I grumbled about how impossible it was to move a crazy-heavy armoire up four brick stairs. Sure, the reminders can be a little annoying, but they also make us laugh, and they help us take a step back from whatever situation is threatening to ruffle us.

Nothing like a cross-country move to put stoicism to the test. 🙂

So, that’s me. 2014 is going to be a good year.

Tell me… What are your goals for 2014. Do you have a focus word?

December Reading Wrap-Up

January 2, 2014January 2, 201417 Comments

I’m so glad December is finally over! My family and I have moved across the country and we’re settling in to our new Florida home. I’m looking forward to the day I can say we’re completely unpacked, because then I can start binge reading again. Until then, here’s what I read in December…

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt – Oh, this book is so very lovely. It’s one I might have overlooked if not for a recommendation from Corey Ann Haydu. I’m so glad I took her word regarding its amazingness. Main character June’s evolving relationship with her older sister is one that’s complicated and harsh and real, and it kept me turning pages late into the night. And then there are the descriptions of paintings and the woods and Finn and Toby’s apartment, not to mention June’s uncertain yet heartfelt teenage voice. Such a special book.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren Destefano – This one required significant suspension of disbelief, but once I was able to let go of my plausibility questions, I started to really enjoy it. Perfect Ruin makes use of some tried and true dystopian tropes, but thanks to Lauren DeStefano’s enchanting writing, manages to make them feel fresh and different. And holy cliffhanger! I’m ready for Book 2!

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (audiobook) – Historical fiction is not my genre of choice, but I adore Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution, and I as soon as I saw an A Northern Light audiobook at my library, I knew it would be perfect for my road trip across the country. A Northern Light is such a rich and beautiful novel. I loved learning about farm life in 1906, and I thought the way the mystery of Grace’s death was woven into Mattie’s story was truly brilliant. There were so many captivating characters in this story, and the way they all laced in and out of Mattie’s (and each other’s) day-to-day life was incredibly clever. Recommend!

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr (audiobook) – I’ve owned a physical copy of this book forever, and I’m a big fan of Sara Zarr’s Sweethearts, Once Was Lost, and How to Save a Life, yet for some reason I’ve neglected to pick up Story of a Girl. I’m happy to have finally remedied that problem, because this book is exceptional. Main character Deanna is so frank and complicated and relatable, and her relationships with her family and friends are interesting and complex. Sara Zarr herself reads the audiobook, which feels very personal and cool.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (audiobook) – So… My feelings on this one are rather muddled. Overall, I thought it was an engaging and haunting story. The details of the war and Daisy’s plight are gripping, and the writing is some of the most beautiful and evocative I’ve read. That said, I had a hard time coming to terms with a pair of cousins (fourteen- and fifteen-years-old) falling passionately in love. Yikes. Also, this is a very somber and affecting story, and while the audiobook narrator read well, I found her voice too chipper for the tone of the story. She describes scenes of absolute horror with inflection that’s hard to take seriously. So, yes… I’m torn.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young (audiobook) – My friend Erin Bowman recommended this book to me awhile back, and I’m so glad I finally got a chance to read it. Blood Red Road is an action-packed survival story set in a terrifying post-apocalyptic future. Protagonist Saba is sharp and strong and very well characterized, love interest Jack is the best sort of smartass, and Saba’s siblings are both fascinating in their own right. This story never stopped being exciting, and I’m very much looking forward to reading Book 2, Rebel Heart.

Tell me… What’d you read in December?

2013 YA Superlatives :: Best in Show

December 19, 2013December 18, 201338 Comments

The Class of 2013: YA Superlative Blogfest (hosted by Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me) runs Monday, December 16th through Thursday, December 19th. All of our fantastic participants will highlight favorite books published in 2013 using a variety of fun superlative categories. The Class of 2013: YA Superlative Blogfest is all about promoting the extraordinary young adult books published this year, so if you haven’t already, draft a post and sign up to participate at the end of this post. We can’t wait to see your favorite reads of 2013!

My Books Pubbed in 2013 Reading List (starred books are 2013 debut novels): Shades of Earth, *The Tragedy Paper, Just One Day, *If You Find Me, *Nobody But Us, *Taken, Through the Ever Night, Eleanor & Park, Requiem, *Pretty Girl-13, *Uses For Boys, This is What Happy Looks Like, Quintana of Charyn, *The S-Word, The 5th Wave, *Nantucket Blue, *The Sea of Tranquility, Golden, *Strands of Bronze and Gold, Where the Stars Still Shine, Dare You To, All I Need, Out of the Easy, *OCD Love Story, The Dream Thieves, *Canary, The Truth About You and Me, Fangirl, *My Life After Now, September Girls, *Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Dead Silence, Invisibility, Just One Year, *Fault Line, Allegiant, *How to Love, The Beginning of Everything, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, *Unteachable, Dangerous Girls, and *Reclaimed (Covers link to Goodreads pages!)

Here are my selections for Best in Show

Favorite Cover

Erin Bowman’s Taken, Leila Howland’s Nantucket Blue, Katie Cotugno’s How to Love, and Bennett Madison’s September Girls all struck cover gold as far as I’m concerned. (Maybe I have a thing for teal?)

Cutest Couple

Is Rainbow Rowell capable of writing a not-cute couple? I adore both Eleanor and Park from Eleanor & Park (duh) and Cath and Levi from Fangirl.

Most Likely to Succeed (Pick a Printz Winner)

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys is exceptional. It has the “literary merit” the Printz committee looks for year after year. It’s beautiful in every way.

Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime

I stayed up way too late reading all three of these. Leah Raeder’s Unteachable, Katie Cotugno’s How to Love, and Katja Millay’s The Sea of Tranquility are all absolutely unputdownable.

Best Repeat Performance (Favorite sequel or follow-up.)

I enjoyed both of these follow-ups even more than their predecessors, if that’s possible. Maggie Stiefvater’s The Dream Thieves and Gayle Forman’s Just One Year added so much to their characters’ stories. Loved them both!

Favorite Finale or End of Series Novel

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis is everything I need a series conclusion to be. It answered my questions in a satisfying way while still introducing new twists and characters, and it ended in a way that left me feeling content — thank goodness!

Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath

I mean… Is there any other answer? Unteachable by Leah Raeder is far and away the most graphic YA-classified book I’ve read. The main characters have major chemistry and their encounters are described in detail. In fact, if this story’s writing wasn’t so gorgeous, I’d call it smut.

Breakout Novel (Favorite book by a debut author.)

How to Love by Katie Cotugno and OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu are stand-outs of all the books I read this year, not just those by debut authors.

Best Old-Timer (Favorite read of the year published BEFORE 2013.)

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Fire by Kristin Cashore, and Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta are all books I’ve thought about often since reading them, in some cases even months after finishing. All three have lovely writing, dynamic main characters, and fantastical worlds. I highly recommend them all.

Book Most Likely to Make a Grown Man Cry

Fault Line by Christa Desir broke me off. That had a lot to do with the fact that it’s a story about rape told from a male’s point of view. Watching Ben struggle to make sense of his girlfriend in the aftermath of her assault shattered me.

Most Pleasant Surprise (Book I didn’t think I’d like, but totally did.)

The Truth About You & Me by Amanda Grace (Mandy Hubbard) is the story of a student/teacher tryst, subject matter I usually steer clear of. But this story was incredibly well done, full of gray areas and imperfect characters that left me reeling. I think the second-person narration was a stroke of genius.

Most Creative Use of a Love Triangle

I can’t give away too much about Sarah Guillory’s Reclaimed for fear of spoiling it, but let’s just say this is a take on the oft-utilized love triangle that I’ve never, ever seen before. My mind is still turning circles about how it all worked out.

Sleeper Hit (Book so awesome, I wish it had been hyped more.)

How to Love by Katie Cotugno, OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu, The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, and Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller are not exactly under-the-radar books, but in my opinion, they’re so awesome that any and every YA fan should read them.

Favorite Outlier (Favorite picture, middle grade, or adult 2013 book)

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini is deep and rich and compelling. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, is clever and colorful and highly entertaining. Loved them both!

And…Katy’s Superlative Category:
2014 YA Release You’re Most Anticipating

Into the Still Blue (Veronica Rossi) / Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Laini Taylor)

Panic (Lauren Oliver) / Isla and the Happily Ever After (Stephanie Perkins)

Frozen (Erin Bowman) / The Eighth Guardian (Meredith McCardle)

Push Girl (Chelsie Hill & Jessica Love) / Open Road Summer (Emery Lord)

Bleed Like Me (Christa Desir) / Complicit (Stephanie Kuehn)

Side Effects May Vary (Julie Murphy) / The Secret Sky (Atia Abawi)

Among many, many more! 🙂

Don’t forget to link your Best in Show post so I can visit!

Also, Trace, Jess, Alison and I will be randomly selecting four names from those who’ve participated in all four days of the blogfest. Those luckies will each win one 2013 YA book of their choice. Please make sure you’ve added your link for each day of the blogfest you participated in. Stay tuned… Winners will be announced soon!