2012 in Review…

December 31, 2012December 31, 201238 Comments

Last year I posted a 2011 Year in Review. Not only was it fun to share the highs and lows of my year with you all, it was also fun to look back on all that had happened over the previous twelve months.

So, of course I had to take some time to reflect on 2012. While I wasn’t successful in ALL of my goals, I did meet many. I had tons of fun with my family, I grew as a writer and reader, and I made some fantastic new friends along the way. It’s been a busy year, full of changes, hard work, and lots of fun…

January

I blogged about goals, and decided on RESOLVE as my all-encompassing word for 2012. I also mused about the struggles of rewriting.

I survived a winter storm that threatened my sanity.

A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2)
I started the year off reading and reviewing a couple of awesome books: A Million Suns by Beth Revis and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

At the end of the month, my girlie and I welcomed my husband home from Afghanistan (yay!).

I raved about another favorite of 2012, The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour.

February

I blogged about my preference for character-driven YA, and shared my Two-Minute Tension Test.

I celebrated Valentine’s Day with BOTH of my loves!

I turned thirty-one. No comment.

I attended my husband’s Welcome Home Ball and had a *little* too much fun. 🙂

March

Pandemonium (Delirium, #2) I read and reviewed another 2012 favorite: Lauren Oliver’s Pandemonium.

I worked on a substantial revision of Where Poppies Bloom and resubmitted it to the agent I was working with at the time. (In case you’re wondering, I eventually came to the very difficult realization that Poppies isn’t going to sell the way it’s currently written. As of now, the story is “retired” and waiting for a rewrite that will hopefully come in 2013… Tough stuff.)

I had the pleasure of spending a long weekend in Vancouver BC with my husband. Such a fun, beautiful city!

Saw The Hunger Games. Awesome!

I blogged about my on-again-off-again struggles with procrastination (and why it’s not always a bad thing).

April

I successfully completed the A-Z Blogging Challenge, which was so fun! Thank you again to all of the hosts and organizers!

I Rocked the Drop!

I met a few of my favorite authors (Gayle Forman, Nina LaCour, and Stephanie Perkins) during the Seattle stop of the YA or Bust Tour.

I was invited to become an Operative over at YA Confidential. Love my fantastic new blogging buddies!

May

I participated in Blog Me MAYbe, brainchild of writer/blogger/all-around-awesome-person Sara McClung.

I blogged about The Page Sixty-Nine Test, a writer’s trick I learned from clever author Gayle Forman.

We moved from Washington to central California, and made a big ol’ road trip out of the ordeal.

After we settled in to our new house, I shared a little bit about how I plot stories and write first drafts.

My husband and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary!

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1) I read and recommended Veronica Rossi’s stunning debut, Under the Never Sky.

I shared my miracle cures for writer’s block, and started tackling a major rewrite of my YA contemporary manuscript, Cross My Heart.

June

Oh, look! Another outstanding 2012 book: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfeld.

Around this time, I scored a few amazing new critique partners. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am for Temre, Taryn, and Alison!

My cutie pie got her very first library card, and had quite the Marilyn moment.

July

I posted about “gap books” and committed to reading a few of mine (including The Book Thief), and brought the “One Space or Two” debate to my blog.

I read and gushed about Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue, my VERY FAVORITE book of 2012!

I completed my Cross My Heart rewrite!

My girlie and I made the loooong trip to Phoenix to visit my parents, my brother, and my cutie pie nephew.

My husband and I saw Brad Paisley and The Band Perry… Incredible!

August

I helped my sweet girl celebrate her fifth birthday…

… and watched as she headed off to kindergarten. Very bittersweet!

September

I tackled a frustrating revision of Cross My Heart, one that came with some bad-but-unrelated writing news. I threw myself a pity party, but that pain in the ass revision eventually made Cross My Heart what it is today.

I posted about yet another phenomenal 2012 release: This is Not a Test by the infinitely brilliant Courtney Summers.

Took a trip to Washington to visit family and see Tim McGraw(!).

I posted about taking a break and why it’s important, jumped on the “Currently…” bandwagon, blogged about how running parallels revising, and shared my take on Banned Books Week.

October

I visited an apple orchard with my girlie, and blogged about method writing (which, for me, involves A LOT of baking and running).

I talked about Cross My Heart, my “Next Big Thing,” and scored some awesomely encouraging comments in the process!

I wrote six words of advice for Teen Katy, which Erin L. Schneider combined with the advice of many other YA bloggers/writers into this amazing video.

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. Perfectly creepy-weird. I couldn’t help but sing its praises!

I indulged my girlie and “dressed up” for Halloween. Little Miss Merida just LOVES this holiday!

November

I took a risk and signed up for National Novel Writing Month for the first time. The WiP I worked on is an upper YA contemporary romance. What else? 😉

I ran (and finished!) the Big Sur Half Marathon, meeting a goal I’d set for myself ages ago. I was exhausted at the end, yet so proud!

I blogged about all the things I’m thankful for…

…and raved about another amazing book, Hannah Harrington’s Saving June (not released in 2012, but one of the best books I read this year).

In slightly less positive news, I parted ways with my former agent and began querying new agents. I didn’t blog about the ordeal until later, but this experience put a bit of a damper on an otherwise extraordinary month.

I WON National Novel Writing Month! (No matter that I haven’t touched the manuscript since November — I still love it! And, I plan on finishing the first draft and making in CP-worthy during the month of January.)

December

I accepted super-agent Victoria Marini’s offer of representation. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Victoria, and I look forward to seeing what the New Year brings in the way of manuscript submissions!

I got to go to Disneyland! Seriously. The happiest place on Earth.

I read and recommended yet another amazing 2012 book: Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNarama. Love, love, love!

I celebrated my husband’s birthday WITH him for once. It was a fantastic day full of The Hobbit, Buffalo Wild Wings, and homemade birthday cake.

I co-hosted the Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest with Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, and Alison Miller. Such a great turn-out this year. My To-Read list grew about a mile!

And last but not least, I celebrated the holidays with my husband and this sweet girl, and took some time to reflect on the passing year.

Phew!

Tell Me: How was your 2012? What are your hopes for 2013?

The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest – HEAD OF THE CLASS

December 17, 2012December 17, 201236 Comments

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!

In case you’ve forgotten, The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest (hosted by Jessica Love,Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me) begins today, Monday, December 17th, and will run through Thursday, December 20th. All of the awesome people who are participating in the blogfest (YOU, I hope!) will highlight favorite books published 2012 using a variety of super fun superlative categories. The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest is all about promoting extraordinary young adult books, so if you haven’t already, draft a post, hop down to the end of THIS post, and sign up to participate. We can’t wait to see your favorite reads of 2012!

So, here are the 2012 YA novels I’ve read over the last year, listed in no particular order: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, A Million Suns, The Fault in Our Stars, The Disenchantments, Something Strange and Deadly, Pandemonium, Wanderlove, Under the Never Sky, Ten, This is Not a Test, Happy Families, Insurgent, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, Monstrous Beauty, Bitterblue, Time Between Us, My Life Next Door, Breathe, Pushing the Limits, Skylark, The Raven Boys, Live Through This, Bittersweet, Flawed, Ditched, Starters, Reached, Lovely, Dark and Deep, Meant to Be, and Days of Blood and Starlight…

And here’s how I chose to award today’s categories (I totally cheated and named two novels for a few of the categories… there were just too many fantastic 2012 books to choose from!):

Head of the Class

Favorite Dystopian

Pandemonium (Delirium, #2) This novel had it all: Lauren Oliver’s beautiful writing, a crazy-fast pace, a slow-burn forbidden romance, and a world that is both unique and formidable. I’m dying to see how this trilogy concludes when Requiem comes out in a few months.

Favorite Science Fiction

A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2) Once again, life on the Godspeed had me absolutely enthralled. Beth Revis has created a fascinated world and filled it with complex characters and tons of twists and turns. Can’t wait for the final installment of this trilogy!

Favorite Fantasy

Bitterblue (Graceling Realm, #3) Oh, Bitterblue… This novel gave me all the feelings. I laughed, I swooned, I cringed, and I worried. I adored everything about Bitterblue and her complicated world, especially Gideon. If I had to choose an absolute favorite 2012 YA novel, it would probably be this one.

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1) One of the most original books I’ve read this year. I loved headstrong Blue, and I loved the complex, realistic relationship between the Raven Boys. This one had a twist that gave me shivers!

Favorite Contemporary

The Disenchantments From the music, to the road trip, to the colorful characters who populated this novel– not to mention their wild relationships — I adored it all. Nina LaCour has a way of penning imperfect characters who are easy to root for, which I think is this novel’s greatest strength.

The Fault in Our Stars Once again, John Green has shown that he is a master at lending humor to unimaginably heartbreaking situations. Oh, and he rocks at writing a teen girl’s voice. This novel didn’t make me cry (I’m not an easy crier), but it did make me want to go to Amsterdam!

Favorite Action/Adventure

I could have filed this one under dystopian, of course, but because each and every page was filled with heart-pounding action, I thought it would fit well here, too. Oh, Perry… I’d leave the dome for him any day.

This is Not a Test was definitely action packed, but it was character-driven, too, a perfect combination. Sloane was at first a difficult character to root for, yet I loved her for her honesty, and I loved the way she came out at the end of this novel. Courtney Summers writes unlikable narrators like nobody else.

Favorite Comedy

Meant to Be This story is just adorable. It’s not slapstick, silly comedy, but more subtle and refined, something real teens will actually find funny. Julia is a quick, witty narrator, definitely someone I’d want to be friends with!

Favorite Mystery

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone Kat Rosenfeld’s prose is gorgeous and literary and mature, and the creepy murder mystery at the center of this book’s plot kept me guessing until the end.

Favorite Romance

Bria and Rowan’s relationship throughout the course of Wanderlove progressed believably and sweetly. They challenged each other, yet they had a very clear mutual respect for one another. I was rooting from them from their very first encounter.

Doesn’t every teen girl want to live next door to a cute, considerate, attentive high school boy? My Life Next Door fulfills that fantasy with a believable, enviable romance between main character Samantha and boy-next-door Jase. These two are just too cute together.

Favorite Paranormal

Monstrous Beauty is two interwoven stories in one, told in a parallel manner with twists and turns that left me all kinds of surprised. None of the characters in this book are quite who they seem, and the mermaids are creepy and diabolical, a win when it comes to this paranormal story.

Favorite Family Drama

I could have chosen Lovely, Dark and Deep for the romance category because main character Wren’s relationship with older boy Cal is all kinds of steamy, but there’s a lot going on in the way of Wren’s family dynamics too. Whatever the genre, I loved every minute of this novel.

Favorite Genre Bender

Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) Laini Taylor’s writing is absolutely beautiful. She melds romance and urban fantasy and lots of crazy uniqueness so perfectly, her world feels absolutely real. I cannot wait for Book 3!

What I’ve Been Reading (Mini Reviews)

December 7, 2012December 7, 201230 Comments

I’m behind in blogging about the books I’ve read lately (with the exception of yesterday’s Bookanista Recommendation), but I’ve got a few fantastic novels I want to tell you about and the best way to do that is with some mini reviews. Below you’ll find my brief opinion on some contemporaries (because they’re my great love), and some dystopians (because, well, they’re everywhere!).

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers – Oh, man… Courtney Summers never fails to blow my mind with her gorgeous prose and unflinching storytelling. Parker is one of the least likable main characters I’ve encountered, yet I was rooting for her. Plus, the boys in this book are all kinds of awesome, and the high school setting is totally believable.

Cracked Up to Be

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler – Cute, cute, cute. Main character Hudson’s voice rocks, and I loved this wintry world of diners and cupcakes and hot hockey boys. Twenty Boy Summer remains my favorite of Sarah Ockler’s books, but Bittersweet was a very satisfying read.

Bittersweet

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch – This one doesn’t come out until March of next year, but I scored an ARC (signed!) and I’m so very thankful. If You Find Me is gorgeous and heartbreaking, tragic and uplifting all at once. Emily Murdoch’s writing is beautiful, and I fell in love with main character Carey on page, oh… two? She’s sweet and strong and so very loyal. Please mark this one as To-Read, and watch for it next year!

If You Find Me

Starters by Lissa Price – While this book’s world certainly requires some suspension of belief, it’s one of the stronger dystopians I’ve read this year. I’m a fan of main character Callie, the pace was fast, and the writing was spare and competent. The action-packed climax had me wanting to just finish already!

Starters (Starters and Enders, #1)

Saving June by Hanna Harrington – I adored this book — it’s a new favorite! It’s a mash-up of Jandy Nelson’s lovely prose and Courtney Summers’ s bold storytelling, all wrapped up in an epic road trip. And the boy… Jake. He totally made me swoon. If all that isn’t enough, the songs that are a part of the various mixed CDs mentioned throughout the story are compiled into playlists at the end. I want to download them all and relive the book while I listen!

Saving June

Reached by Ally Condie – I’ve been waiting a long time to know the end of Cassia, Xander, and Ky’s story. I’m a big fan of Ally Condie’s writing. She’s a master at seamlessly embedding symbols and motifs, and her prose is enviable. I found the development and arcs of the three main characters believable, and I thought this final installment of the trilogy a compelling conclusion.

Reached (Matched, #3)

So, what’s the best book you’ve read lately?

The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest

November 5, 2012November 5, 201225 Comments

As you might remember, last year Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and I hosted The Class of 2011: YA Superlatives Blogfest, a fun and interactive way to highlight our favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements. We had such a fantastic time promoting awesome 2011 books and getting to know new bloggers, this year we’re thrilled to host…

The Class of 2012: YA Superlative Blogfest will run Monday, December 17th – Thursday, December 20th and will highlight favorite books of 2012. We’re introducing a few new superlative categories (see them all below!), and we’re giving 2012 books away to lucky blogfest participants as just one more reason to join in on the fun (stay tuned for more giveaway information!).

Here are this year’s categories:

Monday, December 17th: Head of the Class
Favorite Dystopian
Favorite Science Fiction
Favorite Fantasy
Favorite Contemporary
Favorite Action/Adventure
Favorite Historical Fiction
Favorite Comedy
Favorite Mystery
Favorite Romance
Favorite Paranormal
Favorite Family Drama
Favorite Genre Bender

Tuesday, December 18th: Popularity Contest
Choose characters who fit each topic from ANY YA book!
Class Clown
Most Likely to Become a Rock Star
Mostly Likely to Start a Riot
Biggest Flirt
Fashion King and/or Queen

Girl You’d Most Want For Your BFF
Boy You Wish You’d Dated in High School
Most Likely to Become President
Quirkiest Character
Villain You Love to Hate
Favorite Parental Figure
Coolest Nerd

Wednesday, December 19th: Elements of Fiction
Most Envy-Inducing Plot (Or, the plot you wish you’d thought of yourself.)
Most Formidable World (Or, the setting you definitely would NOT want to visit.)
Wanderlust-Inducing (Or, the setting you’d happily travel to.)
Loveliest Prose
Best First Line
Most Dynamic Main Character
Most Jaw-Dropping Ending
Best Performance in a Supporting Role
Best Use of Theme

Thursday, December 20: Best in Show
Favorite Cover
Cutest Couple
Most Likely to Succeed (Or, pick a Printz Winner.)
Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime (Book you just couldn’t put down!)
Best Repeat Performance (Your favorite sequel or follow-up.)
Favorite Finale or End of Series Novel
Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath
Breakout Novel (Your favorite book by a debut author.)
Best Old-Timer (Your favorite read of the year, published BEFORE 2012.)
Book Most Likely to Make a Grown Man Cry
Most Pleasant Surprise (Best book you didn’t think you’d like, but totally did.)
Most Creative Use of a Love Triangle
Sleeper Hit (Book you found so awesome you wish it had been hyped more.)
Favorite Outlier (Your favorite middle grade or adult 2012 book)
Your turn! Pick your own superlative category and post it at the end this day’s list. Blog hoppers will be able to drop by and vote for their pick in the comments of your blog!

Remember, The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest is all about promoting extraordinary novels! Don’t worry if your 2012 reading list is on the short side (incidentally, HERE‘s a comprehensive catalog of titles 2012 just in case you’d like to pad your list). And don’t worry if you don’t have a book/character/cover/element for each of the categories. We just want you to jump in and participate any way you can!

Please do help us spread the word by grabbing our banner and/or button (both designed by Tracey Neithercott, who is brilliant and crazy-talented!).

We hope you’ll join in on the fun!

I wasn’t going to blog today, but…

October 25, 201216 Comments

Oh my gosh… Have you guys seen this? It makes me so happy!

I love The Office!

And then there’s this…

…which is pretty much the cutest idea ever. I’ve already signed on to participate, and you should too! Here’s the form.

Finally, please do read this wonderful post about the author-character-reader relationship by my CP Temre Beltz, who writes brilliant middle grade stories and is lovely and gracious and kind.

Happy Thursday, friends!

It’s almost that time again…

October 22, 2012October 22, 201218 Comments

Last year Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and I hosted The Class of 2011: YA Superlatives Blogfest, a fun and interactive way to highlight our favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements. We had a fantastic group of bloggers who signed on to participate, and we had a blast hopping from blog to blog to find out how you awarded your 2011 superlatives.

Jess, Tracey, Alison, and I had such a great time promoting awesome 2011 books and getting to know new bloggers through the blogfest, we’ve decided to do it all over again! This year we’ll highlight 2012 books, we’ll introduce a few new superlative categories, and we’re planning a giveaway as just one more reason to join in on the fun.

There will be lots more information about specifics of the The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest in the coming weeks (I can tell you that it’ll take place toward the end of December), but we wanted to give you a heads up now, so you have plenty of time to beef up your books-published-in-2012 reading list (there’s a comprehensive catalog of titles HERE). And we encourage you to revisit our 2011 posts (Jessica’s, Tracey’s, Alison’s, and mine) to refresh your memory on the superlative categories we included last year.

Just like 2011, the The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest will be all about FUN and promoting fantastic novels! Don’t worry if your 2012 reading list is on the short side, or if you don’t have a book/character/cover/element for each category; we just want you to jump in and participate any way you can!

Tell Me: Do you plan to sign up for The Class of 2012: YA Superlatives Blogfest?

I is for Ice Cream

April 10, 2012April 9, 201236 Comments

Have you entered my Lucky Me, Lucky You Giveaway? A signed copy of John Green’s The Fault in our Stars and a free book of choice from The Book Depository are up for grabs for TWO winners. Click HERE to enter!

Ahh, ice cream… One of my favorite foodie indulgences. I could eat it daily (some weeks I do!), but I try to stick to the healthy-ish Dreyer’s Slow Churned, No Sugar Added variety. The Butter Pecan tastes pretty darn amazing, especially with a few crumbled pretzels and some Smucker’s Sugar-Free Hot Fudge drizzled on top. What can I say? I like the extra add-ins almost as much as the ice cream itself. 🙂

Lately, I’ve had the urge to experiment with making my own ice cream, and I’ve hunted down a few recipes that look promising:

Homemade Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream (vegan & gluten-free)
from My Man’s Belly, a newly discovered and awesome food/relationship blog.

Easy (Creamy!) Homemade Ice Cream (not exactly healthful, but without a machine AND without rock salt!) from Kevin and Amanda, another cool and creative food blog.

Low-Cal Peanut Butter Ice Cream (gluten-free and sugar-free, also without an ice cream machine!) from Chocolate-Covered Katie, a healthy dessert blog featuring tons of vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free treats.

Traditional Ice Cream in a Bag (great to do with kiddos!) from 2 Little HOOligans, a fun craft/cooking/mommy blog.

Tell me: What’s your favorite dessert?

And, have you ever made your own ice cream? Do you have a fantastic recipe to share?

Oh, and a quick FYI: This Thursday I’m going to Rock the Drop. Please do click the image below for more information on this awesome literacy initiative!

Friday Five…

March 2, 2012March 2, 201219 Comments

It’s been so long since I’ve done a Friday Five,
I couldn’t help myself…

1. Writing Update – I’ve been deep in the throes of revising one manuscript and rewriting another. Sheesh… The writing process is HARD! And, it’s mostly the reason for the relative quiet here on my blog–revising and rewriting have sucked up all my creative energy. Plus, my husband’s been home for about a month now (yay!) and we’re still in that happy place of wanting to spend tons of family time together. So, when I’m not squinting at my computer screen and eating my weight in Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, I’m hanging with my two favorite people.

2. #MarchPhotoADay – I’ve recently fallen in love with Instagram, a photography iPhone app that lets you edit your photos with all kinds of cool filters and then share them with your friends on a feed. This month I’m participating in one of Instagram’s many photo challenges: #MarchPhotoADay. I’m thinking of it as another way to stretch my creativity, and it’s super fun to see how other people interpret the prompts. Here they are:

And here’s my submission for Day 2, FRUIT:

You should definitely join in if you’re an Instagram-er! Oh, and if you want to find me there, I’m katyupperman.

3. Flawed – I was lucky enough to read this stunning contemporary YA novel by debut author Kate Avelynn early (it’s being released this July by Entangled Teen) and let me tell you, it is absolutely heart-wrenching. Like, you won’t be able to put it down because you’ll be THAT stressed about the future of the characters. If you’re a fan of books like Elizabeth Scott’s Living Dead Girl and Tabitha Suzuma’s Forbidden, you should definitely check out Flawed. (Click the cover and you’ll be redirected to Flawed‘s Goodreads page.)

Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago—James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely. Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give. Sam Donavon has been James’s best friend—and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on—for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realize James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact…

4. Homeland – I know I’m a little late jumping on this bandwagon, but have you seen Showtime’s Homeland? Holy hell… The first season was AMAZING. My husband and I don’t agree on many TV shows, but we flew through this one and are already itching for more. Homeland is fast-paced, powerful, and densely layered. No character goes without garnering at least a bit of sympathy (seriously–even the terrorists have clear motivations for acting the way they do), and every single episode is a game-changer. Plus, Claire Danes is freaking fantastic. Recommend!

5. Military Ball – Last weekend my husband and I lived it up at his unit’s Military Ball. Have I mentioned how happy I am to have him home? 🙂

So… What’s on your plate for the weekend?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2012February 14, 201244 Comments

In honor of the Day of Love, I’m jumping in on YA Highway‘s Valentine’s Day Blog Lovefest. The parameters are as follows: The Valentine blog posts can be a love note to anything–another blogger, a book, an author, a character, a bookstore, your beta readers…anything and anyone! Since I’m sort of terrible at following directions and at narrowing things down, and since it’s February 14th, I’m going to list…

FOURTEEN (TOTALLY RANDOM) THINGS I LOVE…

1. My husband. Because he’s selfless and patient and funny and kind and the very best kind of daddy to our little girl. Plus, he’s super cute.

2. My daughter. Because she’s sweet and precocious and thoughtful and adorable and she makes me smile every day.

3. My blog, and my blog readers, and YOUR blogs. Because your visits and your comments and your posts give me the greatest sense of community.

4. Inspiration. Because it’s everywhere. On TV. In nature. In art. In the kitchen. In window shopping and people watching and daydreaming. In the support of those who love me, and in the success of those before me.

5. Yoga. Because not only is it fantastic exercise, but it makes me feel more centered and grounded and peaceful.

6. Agent Vickie. Because she’s encouraging and savvy and writes some of the most hilarious emails and editorial notes ever. And because she loves my “people” like I do.

7. The lovelies who’ve read and commented so helpfully on my writing. Heather, Jus, Ann, Christa, Amie, Alison, and Kari — What would I do without you girls?!

8. Twitter. Because every day I learn something new, and every day I interact with brilliant people, and every day I feel less alone in my writing crazies.

9. Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate. Because it’s my writing fuel.

10. Books. Because they teach and entertain and transport and delight. A few of my favorites from this year so far? A Million Suns. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. The Disenchantments.

11. My writing/blogging friends and regular commenters. Especially Tracey, Jessica, Erin, Katharine, Alicia, Kris, Carol, Sophia, Kirsten, Caroline, Jaime, Elodie, Erin, and Rebecca (who I met through YA Highway’s Valentine’s Day blogfest last year!).

12. My family and (real-life) friends. Because they’re wildly supportive even though they don’t entirely understand this nutso writing dream of mine.

13. The Bookanista. Because they’re new friends with a mutual love for promoting amazing kidlit.

14. Pinterest. Because… I just can’t help myself. It’s simply awesome.

Who are you showing Valentine Love for today?

Class of 2011: YA Superlatives Blogfest DAY FOUR

December 30, 2011December 30, 201127 Comments

Today is the final day of the The Class of 2011: YA Superlatives Blogfest, a fun and interactive way to highlight and share your favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements, hosted by Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me. The Class of 2011: YA Superlatives Blogfest spans four days, beginning December 26th and culminating today, December 30th.

Hopefully you’ve been participating throughout the week, but if not, that’s okay! Just draft today’s post (you can find the topics listed below or on the original post) and then scroll to the bottom of THIS post and add your link to the link list.

I’ve had so much fun dropping by the participants’ blogs this week, and I look forward to stopping by your blog to read about your Class of 2011 selections today!

And speaking of selections, here are mine for Day Four:

Best in Show

Again, my books published in 2011 Reading List:

Crossed, The Future of Us, Hushed, Want to Go Private?, The Scorpio Races, The Pledge, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Chain Reaction, Forgotten, Notes From the Blender, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Ripple, Hourglass, A Need So Beautiful, Chime, The Day Before, Forever, Moonglass, Beauty Queens, Boyfriends With Girlfriends, Forbidden, Wither, Divergent, Invincible Summer, Trapped, Where She Went, We’ll Always Have Summer, Cryer’s Cross, Across the Universe, Desires of the Dead, Lola and the Boy Next Door, Imaginary Girls, and The Liar Society

And my favorites in the way of Best in Show:

Favorite Cover – I think the cover for Hourglass by Myra McIntyre is beautiful. I love the movement, the graceful point of the model’s foot, and her unusual hair color. I also love the title font. Honorable Mentions: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children because it’s eerily intriguing, and Beauty Queens because it’s graphic and cheeky.

Cutest Couple – Luke and London from Cat Patrick’s Forgotten are so freaking sweet. Their relationship boasts mutual adoration, tons of respect, and a big dose of fun, too. While Forgotten‘s plot is engaging, it was Luke and London’s interactions that snagged my attention and kept me reading for the duration of this novel.

Most Likely to Succeed (Or, pick a Printz Winner) – Are you guys getting tired of hearing about Chime yet? Clearly Franny Billingsley’s novel had a huge impact on me. Of every book on my 2011 list, Chime is the one that, in my humble opinion, most exemplified literary excellence in young adult literature. Honorable Mentions: Divergent, The Scorpio Races, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone for their unbelievably thorough world-building and beautiful writing.

Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime – Veronica Roth’s Divergent is everything a page-turner should be. I was so connected to Tris and Four’s story, and so drawn in by their world, I could NOT put this book down. I still recommend it to anyone who asks for a great YA book or a fantastic dystopian read.

Best Repeat Performance (Favorite sequel or follow-up.) – An easy choice: Gayle Forman’s Where She Went, or My Most Anticipated Sequel EVER. Love the emotional intensity of this book, and I love how Adam and Mia’s story concluded.Honorable Mention: We’ll Always Have Summer. Belly totally ended up with who I wanted her to end up with!

Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath – Harlin and Charlotte from Suzanne Young’s A Need So Beautiful. These two are adorable, and they have chemistry that seeps through the page. Then there was that scene… you know, the one with the fancy dress and the–ahem–wall. Honorable Mention: Violet and Jay from Kimberly Derting’s Desires of the Dead. They’re hot too. 🙂

Pair Most Likely to Stay Best Friends Till They’re 80 – Josh and Emma from The Future of Us. We’ve seen the future (thank you, Facebook!). We KNOW they’ll stay friends!

the-future-of-us-book-cover

Breakout Novel (Favorite Book by a Debut Author) – Yep, Divergent again. This book rocks. Obviously. Honorable Mentions: Moonglass and Across the Universe. I honestly had a hard time believing Jessi Kirby and Beth Revis were debut novelists after reading their first books!

Best Old-Timer (Favorite read of the year, published BEFORE 2011) – Another easy choice. I read Jellicoe Road this year and it broke me. Never have I envied another writer’s storytelling skills the way I envy Melina Marchetta’s, and never have I fallen so fully and completely for two characters as I did for Taylor and Jonah. Such an amazing book–a definite favorite!

Most Likely to Make a Grown Man Cry – I have it on good authority that “animal books” make men emotional. Take Where the Red Fern Grows, for example, or Stone Fox (hell, Stone Fox made ME cry!). That’s why I have to go with The Scorpio Races. The bond between Sean and his horse Corr is enough to make any man (anybody) weepy.

Most Pleasant Surprise (Book you didn’t think you’d like, but totally did.) – Laini Taylor’s The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, for sure. As a rule, I don’t like fantasy, and I definitely don’t like “angel” books. Plus, the mention of teeth in the back cover synopsis totally skeeved me out. I was wrong, of course. I ADORE this book.

Most Creative Use of a Love Triangle – The “triangle” in Ally Condie’s Crossed is pretty lopsided (Cassia’s not really wavering in who she wants), but there’s an element of loyalty and romance between both she and Ky, and she and Xander. What I love about this triangle is how it’s used in plot twists and in the bigger picture of what’s going on within the Society. Win.

Sleeper Hit (Book I found so awesome I wish it had been hyped more) – Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma. This book was a trip. I wasn’t quite sure what was real and what wasn’t, and I didn’t know what to think about Ruby (or Chloe or London, for that matter) until the very end. Plus, the writing was, as I’ve mentioned, gorgeous.