Top 10 of 2010

2010 has been an amazing year of YA books, so what better way to celebrate '10 than by compiling a list of 10 top reads? Now, to be fair, I do have to add the disclaimer that the following list is comprised only of books published this past year that I've read. Doubtless there're numerous other great books out there (many of which I've been meaning to read, but haven't gotten around to yet) that aren't included. But anyway, without further ado, let's start the countdown:

Let's go in reverse order: the nineth and tenth spots go to Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken (March 23rd, 2010 EgmontUSA) and Epitaph Road by David Patneaude (March 23rd, 2010 EgmontUSA), respectively. Brightly Woven had some really cool concepts and drew me back into the realm of fantasy. Epitaph Road was a very interesting take on a possible dystopian future of gender power reversal. Both are definitely very well worth reading!

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Seventh and eighth go to Daisy Whitney's The Mockingbirds (November 2nd, 2010 Little Brown) and Elizabeth Scott's The Unwritten Rule (March 16th, 2010 Simon Pulse), respectively. Both of these are contemporary YA novels that were well-written with realistic characters and credible plot lines.

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For fifth and sixth we have Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (March 2nd, 2010 Harper Collins) and All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab (January 12th, 2010 Delacorte). How could I not include these two? Both are contemporaries (although Before I Fall also has paranormal facets) that deal with mortality and the aftermath. Both are beautifully written and quite thought-provoking.

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Next we have The Duff by Kody Keplinger (September 7th, 2010 Poppy/Little Brown) and Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (May 4th, 2010 Simon Pulse). The Duff by teen author Kody is a funny and endearing contemporary novel with a very real, in-your-face attitude. Basically, it's a pretty badass read. Shade explores some very interesting concepts and creates an intriguing paranormal world very much like our own, yet quite different.

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My top two picks for 2010 probably really won't come as a surprise. We have Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien (March 30th, 2010 Roaring Brook Press) and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (August 24th, 2010 Scholastic). Mockingjay... well, it's Mockingjay. Enough said. Birthmarked - well, we all know I've been gushing about this one a ton lately. It's dystopian (love!) and it's got great characters, a strong female protag, a juicy love interest, and a fast-paced, action-packed, exciting plot line. It's also great that there's more of a science element (hence science fiction, right?) in this one than some of its colleagues. There's something more educated about the writing, which is also great. Plus it was a ton of fun to interview Caragh earlier this year as well.

And there we have it - a spotlight on some of the best YA books of the year. What made the cut for your list this year?

Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Delirium - Lauren Oliver
*February 1st, 2011 HarperTeen

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

This sounds like something right up my alley - futuristic sci fi, taking an abstract concept and applying science to it, dystopic society... Add to that the fact that it's written by Lauren Oliver, and you've got icing on the cake. I reviewed Before I Fall, her debut novel, a few months ago and fairly enjoyed it, so it'll definitely be interesting to see whether the sophomore follow-up does it justice.

So there you have it - my pick of the week. Your turn now, what're you waiting on this Wednesday?

Before I Fall Review

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

*March 2nd, 2010 HarperCollins

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

"What if?" is one of those questions - one of those concepts - that are so open-ended and so full of limitless possibility that there's no real answer. Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall is a contemplative exploration of this intriguing concept - and it explores this enigma mightily well.

Before I Fall is another one of those titles that has experienced a lot of hype, and lot of very positive early reviews. With these sorts, I'm always a little wary, because on some subconscious level, it elevates your expectations. You want to see if it lives up to its reputation, and you mostly certainly don't want to be disappointed.

One of Before I Fall's fortes is the way the character interactions play out, the way their relationships are conveyed. Sure, Sam and her friends aren't perfect people - but that's what makes them real, what makes them believable in the face of such a situation. The scenes between Sam and her little sister, Izzy, are particularly touching. And for many of us with siblings who are a fair few years younger, the bond conveyed is something we can relate to. This establishes a sense of immediacy and intimacy with the story, which is always great.

I'll admit - the book starts out a little slowly, and the first few days sort of meld into each other. Although I can see why they were necessary to set things up for the subsequent few days, it kind of still feels like the length could've been cut down a little. The first repeat especially, more suspension of disbelief was needed. Not for the situation, actually, but for Sam's behaviour. However, be sure to stick it out - because once Before I Fall gets going, it really gets going. With the combination of the engrossing plotline and Oliver's dynamic writing, Before I Fall takes on a magnetic pull, tugging the reader in just like its characters are endlessly being tugged together.

Another unique feature of Oliver's writing here is the interspersed interludes written in second person. As a reader, there is something very engaging - and simultaneously chilling - about being addressed directly by Sam. It makes you, the reader, a part of the story.

With the beginning of the novel, some of the changes from day-to-day, reliving-to-reliving, seemed to be a little bit too straight-forward, a little bit too cause-and-direct-effect. It would've been nice to see something a little more surprising, like "wow, I wouldn't have thought that such a small change could have such a big impact." Again, as the novel progressed, things got better - a lot better.The smaller details that came to light and became important, the way things were linked together, the way different aspects of characters were revealed... it was all brilliantly executed.

Kent McFuller, Juliet Sykes, Sam Kingston, her posse... the way that all the characters were intertwined and brought together was very interesting to explore. And the ending - wow! Definitely one that leaves you thinking, wondering, contemplating.

Thought-provoking and heartbreaking, Lauren Oliver has painted an exquisite portrait of a last day relived seven times, each time reflecting the rippling changes of small alterations.

Goodreads | Lauren Oliver | IndieBound

In My Mailbox [32]

This week was quite brilliant, if I do say so myself. The very epitome of quality over quantity. First I got Caragh O'Brien's Birthmarked, which I have been super-super-excited about. (Pretty much devoured it - expect a review soon :) Thanks!

And then I also got an ARC of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (which I featured for WoW awhile back) from a contest hosted by the awesome Tina over at Fantastic Book Review. She also tossed in bookmarks of The Iron King (signed!) by Julie Kagawa, who's also very sweet, and Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus. Thanks for the awesome stuff, Tina!

So there you have it - my week, as told by my mailbox. Your turn - what was in your mailbox this week?

*In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver
*March 2nd, 2010 HarperCollins

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

This week's pick's premise sounds great, doesn't it? Kind of TOK-esque, which is nice (going through withdrawl slightly, as the course ended last semester). It also kind of reminds me of that one episode of Supernatural... and the cover does seem to slightly resemble that of Anna Jarzab's All Unquiet Things.

The synopsis sounds very open-ended, so there's definitely a fair amount of curiosity to see just how Oliver spins this yarn. Especially since thus far, Before I Fall has received rave reviews.

But now that you've seen my pick, what are you waiting on, this Wednesday?

*WoW is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine