Faves of TwentyEleven: The Books

I remember making my own set of best-of lists for last year, but this year I don’t have that same gimmick, so I’ll ride on other bloggers’ gimmicks instead. Ha. Here’s my first post for the Faves of Twenty Eleven hosted by Nomes of inkcrush! :)

Day One: The Books

1. favourite book read in 2011
I have a lot, but if I were to choose only one, it would have to be Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. And I will quote myself again: “…reading this book was like breaking my heart and then putting it back together again.”

2. most powerful book
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. This also counts as my favorite book for 2011, but I realized it fits this category better. :) If you haven’t read this yet…why? Read it, now!

3. brilliantly funny
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde. When was a Fforde book not ever funny? This is just brilliant, and I love that it’s a series, too. Quark! :3

Dear Communion of Saints by The Ironic Catholic is also another funny book. Too short, though, but very funny, especially if you’re Catholic. :)

4. best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerker read
Also A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I read this book twice this year and I cried like a baby at the same parts.

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand also counts, even if it’s really a 2012 release. :)

5. most beautiful story
Havah by Tosca Lee, A Girl Named Mister by Nikki Grimes and Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. All Christian books and all mean so much to me because of my faith.

6. delicious rainy day comfort read
Anything in verse, but particularly What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones. Also, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, but it doesn’t have to be rainy to make that book a comfort read. :) Also, I read Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews during a rainy day so that counts as one in my book.

7. adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award
Hands down, Deadline by Mira Grant. I had to force myself to stop reading the book so I could sleep, and when I was nearing the end I just powered through…and ended up wanting to scream because of the surprising ending. I cannot wait for Blackout. :)

This is also closely followed by The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness. :)

8. the beautiful prose award
Hands down, it’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I could just drown in her words.

9. most atmospheric and vivid setting
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. I never had any problem putting myself in the setting and it was very easy to get into despite the historical factor.

10. i-so-want-to-go-there award
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. Okay, I’ve been to Paris already, but I SO WANT TO GO BACK! Please please please? I also want to be with Frankie and her friends in Saving Francesca and The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta. Their group seems so real and they’re the kind of people I want to be friends with.

11. most original and imaginative
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. Such a smart, smart book!
12. best under-appreciated, hidden gem book
I’m going with Nomes on this one — if she hadn’t given a glowing review on No and Me by Delphine de Vigan, I wouldn’t have read it while I was in Europe. I’m also putting Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster in this list because I honestly didn’t know about it until this year. I can’t even remember much of the cartoon series.

13. i-had-no-idea-i-would-love this-so award
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand. I wasn’t expecting to like this, much less love, but OMG, I love this so much now. :)

14. most haunting story
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, for very obvious reasons. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro comes close, too.

15. outside my comfort zone but gosh how i loved it
A tie between Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. The latter is also YA so it’s not really outside of my comfort zone but it’s the first time I read a historical novel in a long time. I guess I should also include Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster because I have a hard time with classics, but gosh I love Judy Abbott.

16. series that i’m loving
The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey. I wasn’t expecting to love this, but I did. So. Good. I can’t wait to read Isle of Blood.

I’m also loving The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. :) GENius!

17.  always recommending this book award
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (of course!), A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (sigh) and Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (swoon :) ).

18. completely awesome premise award
High Society by Paolo Chikiamco and Hannah Buena. I’m biased with this because it’s based in the Philippines, but this really has an awesome premise. Robots made from wood off to free a country from foreign invaders. Runners up for this category: The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell and Protection for Hire by Camy Tang. :)

19.  would make the best movie
Am I too much of a fan if I say it’s the Newsflesh Trilogy (Feed, Deadline)? I think it would be a good addition to the zombie movies out there. :) Also, I think Where She Went by Gayle Forman would make into a pretty good sad/romantic flick. Oh, and I think The Monstrumologist and The Curse of the Wendigo would make for a good gothic horror movie, too!

20.  want to re-read already
And the winner for this is…Jellicoe Road! The moment I finished it I wanted to re-read it immediately, but I had to pause because I didn’t want to get too used to it that it loses its charm. I will re-read it soon, though! And I can’t wait! :)
And because Nomes said I can do other things for this list, I will add another category, stolen from Chachic’s list. :D

Favorite book by a Filipino author
Same with Chachic, it’s Love Your Frenemies by Mina V. Esguerra. :) I really liked how Mina wrote this, and how she made a villain from a previous novel likeable and real.

And I shouldn’t forget Trese series by Budjette Tan and KaJo Baldisimo. I never thought I’d be a fan of any local comic until I read these. :) So excited to read what’s next for this series (and look at how the comic book covers form something!).

And done! That was fun. :) Hop on over to Nomes’ post to read the other Faves of TwentyEleven book lists! :)